- 7 months ago
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00:00So is this just me or are you interviewing Ron also?
00:21Okay.
00:23How's Florida State doing this?
00:26Tell God, man, don't mention them.
00:29Terrible.
00:31Can you talk about filming those bars right now?
00:34Often we're asked, why'd you guys tear up those bars and everything?
00:38Was that real?
00:39Tim White was the owner of the Friendly Tap.
00:42And listen, we must have tore his bar for about six or seven times.
00:46How many of you want to kick your ass?
00:48Uh-oh, JR.
00:51So much for happy hour.
00:52And he had those nanotube televisions.
00:55They replaced them all with HD televisions on Vince McMahon's bill.
01:00We renovated the entire Friendly Tap.
01:02He remodeled his pool table.
01:04He did the doors.
01:07He wouldn't even be standing behind the scenes.
01:09Run. Don't forget the back monitor.
01:11Tear it up, too.
01:13We start asking him, hey, listen.
01:15If we're going to be tearing your bar up this much, man,
01:17you don't have to start paying us.
01:19You know?
01:20So we had to shake his ass down, too.
01:24We had one take, because it was live, and guys were going to get busted open.
01:28We had a fake wall one time, and I had Bull Buchanan.
01:31And I was about to throw him through the wall.
01:32And he said, wrong wall.
01:34I said, too late.
01:34Thank goodness he found it funny.
01:42That's where the real APA came into effect, all right?
01:45We were the real deal, brother.
01:47There wasn't nothing fake about us.
01:49I'm a guy that had come up the hard way.
02:00My mother died when I was eight.
02:02My father just drifted off, took a right turn, and never saw him again.
02:06Coming out of a small town of Warner Robins, Georgia,
02:10I wasn't fortunate enough where I was going to be able to share the upbringing with my brothers.
02:16Because my aunts had to come and get them and take them out of my life.
02:20And I had to stay behind.
02:21We're going to move into our first match.
02:24Bob Armstrong, who has entered the Caribbean Heavyweight Championship Tournament,
02:28is seen now as he battles the tough Hungarian, Chris Markov.
02:32My grandmother was a big, and I mean a big fan of professional wrestling.
02:37And her favorite was Bob Armstrong.
02:40Listen, if you didn't shut up when Bob Armstrong came on the TV,
02:45it was not a spanking that I call a whooping, okay?
02:48It was in the future for you.
02:50Professional wrestling at its very best.
02:52World-class championship wrestling.
02:54Look at that streak at Ed Von Erich Kidd.
02:56My earliest memory was watching wrestling with my grandfather.
02:59I always told him I want to be a wrestler one day, and I want to be world champion one day.
03:04Grew up in Sweetwater, Texas, so we had two sports.
03:07We had football and spring football, and football was king.
03:10Well, actually, baseball was my first look, you know?
03:14I started to grow.
03:16And that's when the coaches started to notice me being more of a football-sized player,
03:23you know, than a baseball player.
03:26And I found out, hey, you know, this hidden people ain't that bad.
03:28You know, I kind of like this thing, you know?
03:30I played at Florida State University from 1977 to 1980.
03:351979, I was ninth in the Heisman Trophy.
03:38I don't think there's another true nose guard that has ever done that.
03:46And I have the privilege of also being in the College Football Hall of Fame.
03:50When I grew up in Sweetwater, everything I did, I idolized the football players as everybody did.
03:56And, you know, to have my picture there, even though I'm holding, which is not good, but wasn't called, by the way.
04:04I played at Sweetwater, Texas, ended up making All-State, and then went to Abilene Christian, a college right near my home.
04:12Ended up making All-American there, Consensus All-American, and the All-Sentry team for Abilene Christian.
04:17I come out of college, drafted by Cleveland, right, in the sixth round.
04:21I did everything I could to try to make that football team, but it didn't work out.
04:26I got a call from the USFL when that was starting up, Tampa Bay Bandits.
04:32I came back there, played with a couple teammates, man, Lex Luger being one of them.
04:36Now we go all the way back to my love of professional wrestling.
04:41I had watched this with my grandmother years back, and someday had, hey, you know what?
04:46I think I'd like to do that, and I probably could do it.
04:49Luger, of course, the Southern Heavyweight Wrestling Champion.
04:52I had seen Luger make that transition, and he was looking phenomenal, man.
04:58I gave him a shout-out, man, and said, look, you know, I'm still in pretty good shape.
05:02I think I'd like to give this thing a shot.
05:04You say, Ron, this is a great opportunity right now, because at that point in time,
05:09there wasn't many black men pursuing a career in professional wrestling.
05:14I made that transition, and my career gradually took off.
05:18I'm paying my dues, working my way on up, and I mean, you know, paying them, okay?
05:23Working with some of the guys that I've admired on TV over the years when I was playing football,
05:28still tuning in, watching the program, you know, Rick Flint.
05:31Simmons had his jersey retired at Florida State University.
05:35Rick and the Dragon Steamboat.
05:36Ron Simmons certainly has all the physical tools.
05:39Now finding myself in the ring with these guys, man, hey, now I'm living another dream.
05:43The World Tag Team Champions!
05:471992.
05:48The arena was Baltimore.
05:50I can walk in just as I normally do.
05:52I'm told by Bill Watts, I'm going to be up for the World Championship tonight.
05:58What?
05:59Tonight?
06:00Me?
06:01How?
06:02Why?
06:02How's this come about?
06:04And his exact words to me at that point was, hey, why not you?
06:10He got that 448 out!
06:12Tonight, we're going to make history here, okay?
06:16And Vader's got him out.
06:18Boy went over his back.
06:20Got agility by Simmons.
06:21And Simmons, he got him in a power slam!
06:23He got him in a power slam!
06:25He got it!
06:26Simmons got it!
06:27Simmons has won the match!
06:29Simmons is a champion!
06:30Simmons has won the title!
06:33The reason those words resonate with me is because he had the guts to do what no one else did.
06:40And that was put a black man in there for the World Championship.
06:45And not only put him in there, but hey, I'm going to be champion.
06:49Never let anyone tell you that they've been in this business that, hey, having that belt around your waist don't mean anything.
06:57It means everything.
06:59I can't put it in words, man.
07:07This is just emotion.
07:08And I am telling you, this is a dream come true.
07:11And I am very proud to be standing here representing people as the heavyweight champion.
07:16So I hung around professional football for a few years, and then I was playing in the World League.
07:21I had a great time, but then I got cut and thought I still have a chance while I'm young enough to do what I always wanted to do, and that was be a professional wrestler.
07:30Got started wrestling.
07:31Wrestled in Texas, Japan.
07:33Moved to Europe for a couple years and finally made it to WWE in December of 1995.
07:37I went to meet with Vince for the first time up at Titan Towers.
07:42He said, we've got this idea of Justin Bradshaw.
07:44So I said, well, how about we use Justin Hawk?
07:47Because I've been wrestling on the name John Hawk.
07:49That way I could keep the name and go back to Japan when eventually I would get fired at WWE, I figured, after two or three years.
07:55So it was self-preservation.
07:57And Vince just said, okay, we're going to name you Justin Hawk Bradshaw.
08:00And that's how you got the name.
08:01And I have no idea where that name came from.
08:03I don't mind it.
08:04People call me Bradshaw to this day.
08:06Justin Hawk Bradshaw is making his debut here in the World Wrestling Federation.
08:11Bob Hawley and a rather compromising goal.
08:13Goodness position.
08:14Look at that.
08:16Justin Hawk Bradshaw.
08:17Talk about an attitude.
08:18This man has a real bad one, doesn't it?
08:22I was lost.
08:23I was in this incredible machine.
08:25I remember it was WrestleMania 12 where Brett and Sean had that incredible Iron Man match in the pond.
08:30And I remember sitting there watching that and thinking, I'm not sure I belong here.
08:35It was such an incredible spectacle.
08:39I just thought I needed to go back to Japan and finish up my career there.
08:42I was really despondent about the whole thing.
08:45I didn't know if I was going to make it or not.
08:47I had some contractual difficulties.
08:57Decided to just get out of it at that point.
09:00Just stopped.
09:00Let me ask you something.
09:01What's going on here in the World Wrestling Federation?
09:04Michael Hayes had started working with Vince.
09:06And guess what?
09:07Told Vince that, hey, man, let's give this guy a chance.
09:09You know?
09:10Give him an opportunity.
09:11You know?
09:11I had several things in my mind.
09:14You know?
09:14I've been a brawler.
09:16You know?
09:16I'm a football player.
09:17You know?
09:17So all of that kind of went out the door when Vince introduced this character to me of what
09:27he had in mind.
09:28He says, I see you as Farouk.
09:32Who the hell is Farouk?
09:35What is a Farouk?
09:38I'm speechless at this point.
09:40And then to top everything off, there's this leather blue helmet.
09:46If it was made out of metal, like a real Roman soldier or something, I'd be okay with that.
09:52You know, shiny armor or something.
09:54But it's leather, man.
09:56Okay?
09:56And I'm like, oh, my God.
09:58How do I get out of this?
10:00I can't.
10:01Right?
10:03Forget now.
10:04Hammer your way to open up things tonight on Raw.
10:06When you're thrown with challenges like this, this is what makes you better.
10:11So I took that character and I said to myself, I'm going to make the most out of it.
10:15I'm going to make this work.
10:17He morphed on over into other avenues.
10:21All right?
10:22He went into the nation.
10:24The nation of domination that he's put together has really lit a fire under Farouk.
10:29I'm extremely proud of myself for being a man, taking the character on, not bitching and griping about it.
10:38We are taking matters into our own hands.
10:40But I get to swinging these fists and kicking these feet.
10:43You understand that, though?
10:44All right.
10:45Hey, bro.
10:46You know, I'm the original famous.
10:47All right?
10:48I've never quit nothing in my life.
10:50Ron was just a guy in the dressing room just like I was.
10:54Now, he was not just a guy.
10:56He was the former first black heavyweight champion, and he was a legend already.
11:02We had a lot in common.
11:04We both played football.
11:06Both wrestled the same type of style, and we just immediately became friends.
11:10We were traveling together long before we were ever tag team partners.
11:17That's great.
11:18That's great.
11:19We not only shared things in common, brother, we had personalities that were similar to each
11:26other.
11:26We both enjoyed having a beer or two or three or four or five.
11:32We enjoyed, you know, our out-of-the-ring life, okay?
11:37Back then, we didn't have cell phones.
11:39We didn't have internet.
11:40So guys had to talk to each other.
11:41We suffered from a lack of responsibility.
11:54We didn't have social media.
11:56We didn't have a way to really call home except for a pay phone.
11:59It couldn't have been a better match if you had absolutely, brother, if we'd been signing
12:07these twins.
12:07That's how close things worked out with that.
12:11I think you just had Ron Simmons in a dressing room, and believe it or not, you didn't have
12:17anything for him.
12:19At least that's my opinion, which I thought was a shame.
12:21For me, I can understand why he didn't have anything for me.
12:24I was just kind of floundering.
12:25And I think they just kind of put us together.
12:32Hello, everybody, and welcome to Sunday Night Heat.
12:36Well, Jackal getting on headset.
12:38Jackal, obvious question, why are you here?
12:42Jim Ross, it's my pleasure to introduce to you the Acolytes.
12:49And look at this.
12:50This is Baruch and Bradshaw now.
12:53Acolytes.
12:54Well, they're Acolytes.
12:56They're my Acolytes.
12:58I don't know what the Acolytes were.
13:00They were from the book The Necronomicon, I believe.
13:04It was like two old, almost devil worship guys, I think.
13:08And they had the symbols on their chest.
13:11I used to draw the symbols on.
13:13I remember I'd draw a Teletubby on Ron sometimes just for the heck of it.
13:16He didn't care.
13:16He just laughed.
13:17He thought it was funny.
13:18We went with Undertaker in the Ministry of Darkness.
13:20It kind of made sense then that we had this dark side to us.
13:23And I don't know if that was the fault, making us the Acolytes, that they were to put us with the Undertaker.
13:29King, that's the Undertaker.
13:31And look, there's the Acolytes.
13:33It's the entire Ministry of Darkness.
13:36What the heck?
13:36What are they up to?
13:37Have you seen the loss, man?
13:39No, I haven't.
13:41What have you seen giving this message?
13:45Hey!
13:47Ron really helped me a lot.
13:49And tagging with him, it's just, you have this steady, steady force that Ron always was on.
13:56He was so good in the ring.
13:57Shamrocking, Farouk outside the ring.
14:00And Farouk in there, hammering away at Jeff Tarrant.
14:05Edge putting the pace here.
14:07And again, Farouk showing that overwhelming power.
14:11He just, he had a presence that you can't, I don't think you can even learn.
14:15It was incredible being out there with Ron Simmons.
14:19People like to use the word stiff.
14:22Well, yeah.
14:23It wasn't no secret about it.
14:25We were gonna work stiff.
14:26That's the way we work.
14:28You were gonna know that you've just been in a professional wrestling match.
14:33Ranshaw is hammered away with a chair.
14:37Well, Ron is a legit tough guy.
14:39He's unf***ing withable.
14:44No, no!
14:45We wrestled hard.
14:47We wrestled tough.
14:48And we expected it back the exact same way.
14:52Public Enemy came in, but they came in that day about 5.30.
14:57Now, you're supposed to be there about 1 o'clock.
14:59And when they did, I mean, that's just a sign of disrespect.
15:03They come to me as their music is playing and said,
15:08that spot with the table, we don't want to do that.
15:11Well, okay.
15:12So if you don't want to do this,
15:14you don't want to take the table, guess what?
15:17Ron goes, all right, we'll take the table to them.
15:19This is not going to be pretty.
15:20Let's show you how things could be.
15:27Boy, body's flying all over the place, right?
15:30Sometimes it has to get to that.
15:32You know, and it's unfortunate, but it happens.
15:34They're not stopping, Terry.
15:38They don't care about the bell sounding.
15:40I don't know what to say other than...
15:41Oh!
15:42He's hit.
15:43Just barely missed the mat.
15:44The Dominator.
15:45How much more can any team take?
15:48I have no idea what their mindset was for saying they wouldn't do a finish,
15:52but they didn't offer an alternative.
15:54It was crazy.
15:56Wasn't stiff then.
15:58It was real.
15:58The Acolytes, two great athletes.
16:03Uh-oh.
16:03Baruch caught Ex-Pock walking in with the right hand.
16:06Baruch and Bradshaw, two big powerhouses.
16:10Oh, wow.
16:11You hear the impact of that kick and that Bradshaw.
16:14We never bitched about nothing, man.
16:16We wanted to go out there and have some fun,
16:18and afterwards we wanted to go have beers with whoever we just beat up
16:21or they beat us up.
16:22It was just part of the game back then.
16:23Shane caught Ex-Pock to the head with a steel chair.
16:28There's a clothesline from Hale.
16:29Are you kidding?
16:30And we got new tag champions, damn it.
16:34Here are your winners and the new World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champions,
16:41the Acolytes.
16:43Not only having success with a guy as a tag partner that you care a great deal about,
16:50but now you've become World Tag Team Champions with him.
16:55And when that moment happened for us to become champions together, man,
16:59it brought us even closer.
17:02Come here, darling.
17:03Come on.
17:03Turn off those long things right over here.
17:06Just what you need right here.
17:07We would often have people to ask us, you know.
17:10They were willing to pay us to come on the road with us
17:15just so they could take part in our exploits outside of the ring, man.
17:22I think we had an afternoon shot in Philadelphia.
17:26We're coming down to Baltimore.
17:27They're just feeding me every substance known to man.
17:30It's my birthday.
17:30I messed up by the time I get down to Baltimore.
17:33We'll go to the hotel and in come Vince and Shane.
17:36Well, we were already there, all right?
17:40I mean, we were there.
17:42Just a tiny bit of coherency was left, all right?
17:46Just a little.
17:47And I go back to the red roof.
17:50Ron left early.
17:52Go back to the red roof,
17:53and Ron and I were splitting a room with the red roof.
17:56That's how cheap we were.
17:58It's probably $29.
18:00We paid $15 each.
18:01Ron wakes up and he goes,
18:02How'd you get here?
18:03And I said, Limo.
18:04He said, Limo?
18:05I said, yeah, Vince and Shane.
18:07He goes, oh, we're fired.
18:08And I started laughing.
18:09I said, yeah, we may be.
18:12He said, you still got a connection in Japan?
18:14I said, I hope so.
18:16So I come to TV the next day in Baltimore,
18:18and they said, Vince wants to talk to you.
18:20And I thought, man, you know,
18:21I was drunk at the TV hotel.
18:24I'm probably in trouble.
18:25So I walk in there,
18:26and Vince laughs about how hungover I am.
18:30And he's in a jovial mood.
18:32He goes, I'm going to put that on television.
18:34And I said, what are you going to put on television?
18:37And he said, I'm going to put on television
18:39about you and Ron sitting around drinking and BSing.
18:44He goes, that's good stuff.
18:46He said, that's entertaining.
18:48And I was shocked.
18:49I was expecting to be reprimanded, to be in trouble.
18:52I come back out, and Ron goes, yeah,
18:54when are we going to Japan?
18:55I said, we're not.
18:56And he said, what do you mean we're not?
18:58And I said, Vince wants us to drink beer on television.
19:00And Ron said, it's the greatest idea I've ever heard.
19:04Hey, you got to help us.
19:0715 guys just beat us up.
19:09Get the hell out of here.
19:11What's wrong with you?
19:12Get out of here.
19:12Please, we'll pay you.
19:13Come on, guys.
19:14Here, man.
19:15Whatever you need, man.
19:16We got lots of money.
19:17You scared, too?
19:18Here, man.
19:19I'm scared.
19:19Get the money out there.
19:20Come on, get it all out.
19:21All right, all right.
19:22I'll tell you what.
19:22You pay us, I'll tell you what.
19:23We're going to protect you.
19:24But you sit down, and you shut up.
19:26One peep out of any of y'all.
19:28Oh, that gives me an idea.
19:30The APA.
19:31Big P, two little A's.
19:33Acolyte Protection Agency.
19:34This is a business.
19:35Now, we're going to make some money.
19:36Wait, what do you think?
19:36Look at it.
19:37Look at it.
19:38Man, I think it looks great.
19:38Big P, two little A's.
19:39I think it looks great.
19:40That fluid is just gin.
19:41Oh, yeah.
19:42Shut up.
19:44The Acolyte's Protection Agency was born on this night.
19:49The Acolyte's providing protection for a fee,
19:52and the Dudleys have bought some protection.
19:56Hey, look at this.
19:57Here comes the Protection Agency.
19:58Are the Dudleys going to get their monies worth?
20:01The first scenes we had with being the APA,
20:04we got to work with guys that we really enjoyed being around.
20:07I hate you.
20:08I hate you.
20:09I hate you.
20:11Hey, guys.
20:11What's up?
20:12You having a good time?
20:13Hey, listen.
20:13There's a couple guys at the back.
20:14Here, we're going to talk to them.
20:15Where are they?
20:16Come on.
20:16Come on.
20:16Come on.
20:18Come on.
20:18Let's dance, boys.
20:21Let's do this.
20:21Oh!
20:22First time for Root.
20:24I guess four of them in here.
20:27Let's party.
20:33Let's go.
20:33Let's do it.
20:34Let's go find a fight.
20:35Let's own them.
20:36We didn't wrestle for a long time.
20:38We just did stuff backstage in bar fights.
20:41Everybody quiet?
20:43Y'all, y'all quiet.
20:44That ain't even in here.
20:47Who the hell's in here?
20:49Me, us.
20:49Just me, quiet.
20:51People love and remember that set with the door.
20:55I don't know who came up with the idea for the door,
20:58but they were talking about building walls,
21:00and Ron said, no, no, no.
21:02Just like that.
21:02We'll make them walk through the door.
21:04Hey!
21:05Go out the door.
21:06You guys raising a barn?
21:07You know, they come up to us,
21:09and they just walk right through the wall.
21:10You hear something?
21:12I didn't hear a thing.
21:13You know, you could have gone through our door.
21:14You walked right through our wall.
21:16Have respect for us.
21:17At least not.
21:18Watch the rock.
21:21Oh!
21:23We got to work with all the stars of the era,
21:25from The Rock, The Undertaker.
21:27What's up, guys?
21:28We got to work with LL Cool J.
21:30Yes!
21:31A supermodel in here.
21:33Well, I'm in heaven.
21:34Everybody wants to sit down and play cards with us.
21:36Three, three.
21:37He's the two twos.
21:41I win, don't I?
21:43Because it was fun.
21:45What do you got?
21:46And then we were going to cheat on them,
21:48and they were going to lose.
21:50What were you going to do?
21:51Get the watch.
21:52Get the watch.
21:52Get the watch.
21:53Yeah.
21:53Hey, keep all the other stuff.
21:56We loved sitting around in bars and laughing and joking.
21:59You did a great .
22:00Okay.
22:01That's good.
22:01That's Coors Light, Ron.
22:02Those characters were 100% us.
22:07Hey, can I say bear on here?
22:09Bear on here.
22:11Come here.
22:12Ratched up quite a bit.
22:15Come on, boys.
22:20He shoots.
22:21He scores.
22:22Let me score that money from you that I won that last game.
22:25I won that game.
22:26No, I won that last game, man.
22:28I ain't two pairs.
22:28What?
22:29I ain't two pairs?
22:30Oh, come on, man.
22:32They at one point came to us and said,
22:35we want to make this about racial equality.
22:37And Ron absolutely refused.
22:38And I completely agreed with him.
22:40And he said, this is not about race.
22:42And he said, if you make it about race,
22:43then it becomes about race.
22:44This is about two good friends.
22:46Coming through the airport one day,
22:48we have one of the TSA workers spot us.
22:50And he screams out,
22:52hey, look, it's those twins.
22:55Yeah.
22:56Can you get any closer than that?
22:59You know?
23:00That's when you know it's working, man.
23:04It's working.
23:05Cool, guys.
23:09This is a cold mother
23:14We're out of bed.
23:19Well, thanks, guys.
23:21We're not cold or nothing.
23:22Y'all just keep up.
23:26When something would go wrong,
23:28sprain an ankle, man,
23:30chip a tooth or something like that,
23:32you know, first thing I do,
23:33damn, we'll get the beer out, man.
23:3512.
23:37Oh, damn.
23:39So the writers,
23:40well, they got wind of this.
23:41You're going to keep in the room.
23:46Damn.
23:47People would do something
23:48that just drives you absolutely nuts
23:53to where you just have to
23:55turn around to them and say,
23:56damn.
23:58Damn.
24:00Damn.
24:02I'll be damned.
24:07Hey!
24:08Somebody order a table for two?
24:11We had a great time
24:12working with guys like
24:14the Dudley Bulls.
24:16There's two guys
24:17that never bitch,
24:19never cry.
24:21They could give it back
24:23just as well as they could receive.
24:24The Dudleys knew what had happened
24:27with Public Enemy
24:28and Bubba and Devon came out
24:30and they beat the living hell out of us.
24:33Next week was our turn.
24:36Oh, my God!
24:37When you're working with people like this,
24:39that's even better for us.
24:41The Dudley boys are not intimidated by the APA.
24:45Now, we're really in our element.
24:47They got up, shook our hands,
24:49hugged us,
24:49and we've been best friends ever since.
24:51What's up?
24:51Six aces!
24:53Six aces!
24:53Six aces!
24:54Cheers, my friends!
24:56Cheers!
24:56And the Dudleys are the
24:58and the Aflans, King.
25:00I can't say it's unsurprised.
25:04Well, here we go.
25:06The WWF Tag Team title's on the line here.
25:10Dudley boys against the APA.
25:13Two of the toughest tag teams
25:15of the WWF.
25:18And the clothesline for hell!
25:21One, two, three!
25:23Branshaw and Baruch are the new Tag Team Champions!
25:27And the new World Cup League Federation Tag Team Champions,
25:32the APA!
25:36It was a moment that both of us will never forget.
25:40Not just to win it,
25:42but to have gone through the process with someone
25:44that they actually love and care about.
25:48That says it all.
25:49And no plan on going anywhere.
25:51That's the way it is.
25:52Only place they're going is to the bar with us tonight.
25:55Damn right.
25:56And then to reach the pinnacle of the Tag Team Division.
25:59Highlight.
26:03You know, I would have been happy
26:05being an APA member until I retired.
26:07Let's keep it real here, man.
26:09This is not going to last forever.
26:11And nobody likes to see things like that come to an end,
26:14but guess what, man?
26:14They all do.
26:15You know?
26:16We can't stay young forever.
26:19Waistline in there.
26:20Not bad, isn't it?
26:24Ron was getting ready to retire,
26:26but I didn't realize that Ron was being written off television,
26:29and that did bother me.
26:31You're going to fire us?
26:32I want to hear it out of your mouth right now.
26:34Say they weren't fired.
26:36Say it!
26:36Say it, Clark.
26:37I didn't say I was firing the APA.
26:40I said I was firing you, Farouk.
26:42What?
26:43Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God.
26:45You need to think about your own future, Mr. Bradshaw.
26:48I think you should know.
26:49I think very highly of you.
26:51We've had great years, man.
26:52Five, six, seven years.
26:53You're not so long tonight.
26:55To be together and have that success.
26:57And John, he's got good years ahead of him.
26:59As a professional singles now.
27:01He's ready for this.
27:02Tell me something, Mr. Bradshaw.
27:05How much longer were you willing to carry around
27:08this piece of excess baggage?
27:10Oh, no, man.
27:11Excuse me.
27:12Excuse me.
27:14Hey, look here, man.
27:15We don't need this.
27:17Let's get out of here, bro.
27:26Hey, hold on, man.
27:27Don't tell me.
27:28After all these years,
27:32well, I'll be damned
27:34all these years.
27:43And the wrestling fan,
27:45they can tell
27:46if you really care about each other, man.
27:49It's a feeling people get from you
27:52that emanates through the screen.
27:53They can tell how you feel about each other.
27:56To turn this guy that people liked
27:59against somebody that people really liked even more,
28:02and Ron Simmons.
28:03Come on, Ron.
28:05That was a perfect way to end the APA
28:07in a real move by me.
28:11I still can't believe Bradshaw
28:13turned his back on his longtime friend.
28:15You people, get off your high horse.
28:20You people would have done the exact same thing
28:24that I did, giving the opportunity.
28:26I have succeeded in everything but one thing,
28:30and that is wrestling,
28:32because I thought it was more important
28:34to have a good time.
28:35But that ain't got me jack.
28:38So get ready
28:39for the impact that's coming.
28:44Buckle your seats, boys and girls.
28:46Business
28:47is about to pick up.
28:50It's hard to quantify what Ron, you know,
28:53means to me or my career.
28:54He came along for me at a time
28:57when I was kind of wavering in WWE,
28:58and he always was telling me,
29:00one day you're going to be world champion,
29:02one day you're going to carry the torch.
29:03And he was kind of preparing me for that.
29:07And I don't know how much that debt is.
29:08I can't repay it.
29:10But the best part about it,
29:12to have had that opportunity
29:15to have been with someone that you cared about
29:18and want to see them go on
29:19and have the success that he did.
29:23JBL has defeated the best of the business.
29:26He deserves to be the champ.
29:27Hey, I'm happy with him.
29:31For 242 days,
29:35John Bradshaw Layfield has been champion.
29:42You can learn how to be a champion
29:45from a lot of people.
29:46You don't learn how to be a man
29:47from a lot of people.
29:49And I'm not sure I've lived up
29:51to what Ron has taught me,
29:53but he certainly taught me
29:55how to become a better person
29:57and be a man.
29:57There's no doubting anything about Ron.
30:03He was all about fairness.
30:05He was all about equality.
30:07Ron is one of the best guys I've ever met.
30:12I can tell you in my whole life,
30:13there has never been a person
30:14that's been a bigger influence on me
30:19than Ron Simmons.
30:20The honor of inducting Ron Simmons
30:22in the Hall of Fame was,
30:23I knew I was doing something historic.
30:25He did great things in his life
30:27and he was much bigger than the APA,
30:30but I can tell you I wasn't.
30:32The greatest thing that ever happened to me
30:33in this life, in this career,
30:35was one thing,
30:36and that was Ron Simmons.
30:38And I wanted to be able to live up
30:39to that moment of history.
30:41And so I was nervous about it.
30:43I wanted to make sure I did a good job
30:44and show Ron the respect that he deserved.
30:47I've never done anything greater than this,
30:49and I doubt I ever will,
30:50but I want you to welcome
30:51the newest member
30:53of the WWE Hall of Fame,
30:55the first African-American heavyweight champion,
30:59my best friend, Ron Simmons.
31:03I said that there were very few things, man,
31:05that could match me
31:06becoming world champion.
31:08Well, let me just say this.
31:10Being tagged up with Bradshaw and the APA is
31:13right there.
31:16Just like that.
31:17Growing up, I'd often wondered
31:19what it would have been like
31:22to have grown up in the same household
31:23with my brothers.
31:26Well, that chapter was filled
31:28when I partnered with Bradshaw.
31:31He made up for me, man,
31:33you know, something that I'd always wondered
31:35what that was like
31:37to have a brother with you,
31:40to come up to have fun with, man,
31:42to talk about the good times
31:44as well as the bad
31:45to share things with, you know.
31:48Fill that void for me.
31:50I'll never be able to repay him for that,
31:53and I don't think he knows
31:54how much that meant to me
31:57and still means
31:58that's how close we are.
32:02Ain't many guys, man,
32:08that have been in this business,
32:09that have been in a tag team
32:11with a guy
32:12can say what I'm about to say, okay?
32:15I absolutely love the partner
32:18I was with, right?
32:21He's in my family.
32:22He's my brother.
32:29Been real, bro.
32:31Been real.
32:53He's in my family.
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