Ken Resnick Debuts Podcast on VOC Nation Discusses AWA, Verne Gagne, etc..

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/vocnation/episodes/2019-10-09T20_45_02-07_00

Highlights..

On Ken Resnick’s debut show on VOC Nation Wrestling with History, we covered his start in broadcasting and his time in the AWA.  Ken talked about the mood in the locker room as Vince was getting his national endeavor started, the impact of Hulk Hogan leaving, the difference in pay, and much more.  Here are some of the highlights: How Ken got into broadcasting:  “I had no broadcast training at all…I was with Chrysler doing well as the corporate district sales manager.  A good friend of mine was a sportscaster in the twin cities.  He came to me one night and asked if I could get off from work on a Friday night to be his statistician for a state high school basketball tournament…they had extra TV time between games, and we ended up analyzing the previous game…they liked it well enough so they used me the entire weekend.  A week later, (my friend Tom) asked me if I ever thought about a career in broadcasting.  A news affiliate in Rochester was looking for a new sports director and asked me to come down for an audition…I drove down, auditioned, and 10 days later they called and offered me the job.” How he got hired by the AWA:  “I watched wrestling at the time but wasn’t a huge fan…I was doing (a celebrity tennis show) and Vern Gagne came up to me and started talking to me.  A week or so later, the operator at the station told me that Verne Gagne was on the phone and wanted to talk to me.  He invited me to lunch, and offered me the job…so my career (start) had nothing to do with education, it was about who I knew and being in the right place at the right time.”

On getting started on AWA TV:  “Gene was still there but all of the interviews were market specific.  There were days where you’d do 50 to 60 interviews working in something local so it gave the appearance that it was being taped in that city.  (Because of the workload) they were looking for someone to be Gene’s backup.  I worked in the office for a few weeks, then the plan was for me to start doing interviews for the small markets while Gene did the larger markets.  We were working together and all of the sudden Gene (gave his notice) and said he was going to the WWF and suddenly I was the guy.” On backstage reaction to Gene Okerlund leaving:  “They weren’t happy about it.  They certainly weren’t happy when Hulk (Hogan) left, and Hulk and Gene were good friends and they really had something good going together.  It didn’t come as a huge surprise, but to say that Verne and Greg weren’t thrilled with it would be an understatement.”  On Verne and Greg Gagne being difficult to work with:  “Blackjack Mulligan was in the territory teaming with Blackjack Lanza.  Blackjack Mulligan didn’t like they way he was being treated, left for lunch and never came back.  Looking back, they probably would wish they treated some of the people that worked there a little better, especially since they were facing a hostile takeover (from the WWF).” On why Hulk Hogan jumped to the WWF:  “In those days, Verne had the attitude that the talent wasn’t entitled to any percentage of the merchandise.  He took the stance that without the AWA, these guys wouldn’t be anything.  That was a big factor in Hulk leaving.  He thought that he should be getting a big percentage of the merchandise sales, and Vern was not willing to do that.  Vince was more than happy to do that.” On the AWA’s reaction to the original Wrestlemania:  “They could see the talent pool that Vince was building, and while his father honored the unwritten tool of territories, Vince Jr. was trying to go national.  No one could have imagined what it was going to become.  From Verne’s standpoint, he didn’t think a closed circuit in New York would have any traction in Denver, Salt Lake, or San Francisco.  (Vince) pioneered bringing music and celebrities to tie into wrestling.  It was those things that gave non wrestling fans a curiosity to want to see what it was all about.  At that time, wresting wasn’t mainstream.”