On this episode of Chewin’ The Fat with Chubby Dudley, Bay Ragni sits down with ECW Original “Ironman” Tommy Cairo for a extensive, wide open conversation about old school wrestling fandom, bodybuilding, powerlifting, breaking into the business, early Eastern Championship Wrestling, Eddie Gilbert, Paul Heyman, The Sandman, the Singapore cane feud, and the real life toughness that made Cairo one of the most believable guys in early ECW.
This isn’t just a “remember ECW?” interview. Tommy goes all the way back to being a kid watching Heavyweight Wrestling from Washington, D.C., falling in love with Bruno Sammartino, sneaking late-night wrestling with his grandmother, reading the magazines, riding trains and buses to shows, and becoming one of those fans who knew the buildings, the wrestlers, the aliases, and the business long before he ever stepped into a ring.
The ECW material is the centerpiece, especially Cairo’s version of the Singapore cane feud with The Sandman. Cairo says Paul Heyman came into the locker room looking for two volunteers for an angle built around the recent Michael Fay caning story, warning everyone that it would involve a lot of blood and not just from the forehead. According to Cairo, the room went silent until he and Sandman looked at each other and stepped up.
Cairo makes it clear that he believes that year-long program with Sandman was a major piece of ECW becoming “hardcore” before Tommy Dreamer became the face most associated with the cane. In his view, he and Sandman did the work, took the punishment, and helped prove the concept before the cane was essentially moved from his hand to Dreamer’s.
The interview is also loaded with strong opinions. Cairo doesn’t hold back on Paul Heyman, saying he wasn’t a fan and accusing Paul of taking credit while changing the locker room around his own guys. He also talks about the NWA title incident with Shane Douglas, saying he felt bad for Dennis Coralluzzo and thought throwing down the belt was disrespectful and against the rules of the business.
For fans of early ECW, Eastern Championship Wrestling, The Sandman, Todd Gordon, Eddie Gilbert, Paul Heyman, Little Guido, Johnny Hotbody, Jimmy Snuka, Manny Fernandez, and the rough, physical indie scene that fed into ECW’s rise, this episode is a must listen.
Tommy Cairo doesn’t just tell old wrestling stories.
He tells them like a man who lived every bump, every mile, every fight, and earned every scar.
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