Former President Donald Trump continued his podcast blitz on Monday, Oct. 21, to reach young male voters, appearing on “Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway.” Calaway is better known to pro wrestling fans as The Undertaker from the WWE.
Trump’s connection with wrestling goes back decades. Trump Plaza in Atlantic City hosted WWE’s marquee event WrestleMania in 1988 and 1989. The former president is also an inductee of the WWE Hall of Fame, and Trump himself got in on the action at WrestleMania 23 in Detroit in 2007.
“Well, the big thing we had the ‘Battle of the Billionaires’ and that was with Vince (McMahon) and me and you know, we each had our wrestler. He had Umaga. We had two good guys and they wrestled,” Trump said. “Fortunately, my guy won and the loser had the hair shaved. I said, ‘I don’t want to have my hair shaved.’ We actually wrestled a little bit.”
“You mixed it up a little bit,” Calaway said.
“It was a pretty famous thing. But I think it has your all-time record,” Trump said.
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At the time, WrestleMania 23 did break WWE’s pay-per-view record with 1.2 million buys. Trump also brought former WWE CEO Linda McMahon into his cabinet during his presidency.
“Linda McMahon, I picked who really helped Vince a lot over the years, a lot of people don’t know that and she’s a fantastic woman. She’s been a big supporter from the very beginning and she was the head of small businesses which is big business basically, Small Business Administration, and she did a fantastic job. Everybody loves her,” Trump said.
At times the interview weaved between politics and talking sports entertainment with Trump taking on the role of interviewer to learn more about the craft of the wrestling industry.
“Who was the greatest, the couple of greatest that you’ve seen?” Trump asked Calaway.
“My goodness,” Calaway responded. “There’s Stone Cold Steve Austin, he was up there, you’d have to put to put Hulk Hogan in there and, you know, Ric Flair.”
In July, Hogan brought the wrestling world to the presidential race when the former WWE champion appeared at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Trump recalled the two assassination attempts on his life. Trump told Calaway that one of his WWE colleagues, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, wanted to reach out to the former president.
“He was great. I never thought he liked me and I felt badly because I think he’s a terrific guy. Then (UFC President) Dana White said when I was shot, took a shot to the ear, you may have heard about it, Rock called Dana, ‘I want to have his number, I want to have his number, what he did is sort of incredible.’ He considered it bravery. I don’t know to me, I considered it like what’s going on here, but it was very nice, actually, the Rock,” Trump said.
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As the interview neared the end, Calaway brought on his daughter to talk about an issue important to him – women’s sports. Trump told Calaway as president he would not allow transgender women to play in female sports.
Trump mentioned the scandal surrounding two boxers from this summer’s Paris Olympics. However, it has been reported by multiple outlets and organizations that neither of those Olympians was a transgender athlete.
Pro wrestlers are backing candidates on both sides. Former WWE champion and “Guardians of the Galaxy” star Dave Bautista has been vocal about his support for Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump: It’s an honor to do the show with you guys.
Calaway: Sir I that means a lot to us and and giving us this opportunity uh you know we’re we’re not journalists
Trump: I turned down 60 Minutes and I’m doing your stupid show
You’re doing a professional wrestling podcast.
Trump: it’s all right
[CRAIG NIGRELLI]
FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP CONTINUED HIS PODCAST BLITZ TO REACH YOUNG MALE VOTERS – APPEARING THIS WEEK ON “SIX FEET UNDER WITH MARK CALAWAY” – WHO IS BETTER KNOWN TO PRO WRESTLING FANS AS THE UNDERTAKER FROM THE WWE.
TRUMP’S CONNECTIONS WITH WRESTLING GO BACK DECADES – TRUMP PLAZA IN ATLANTIC CITY HOSTING WWE’S MARQUEE EVENT WRESTLEMANIA IN 1988 AND 1989 – THE FORMER PRESIDENT IS AN INDUCTEE OF THE WWE HALL OF FAME – AND TRUMP HIMSELF GETTING IN ON THE ACTION AT WRESTLEMANIA 23 IN DETRIOT IN 20-07.
Trump: Well, the big thing we had the “Battle of the Billionaires” and that was with Vince and me and you know each had our wrestler. He had Umaga. We had two good guys and they wrestled and fortunately, my guy won and the loser had the hair shaved. I said “I don’t want to have my hair shaved.” We actually wrestled a little bit.
Calaway: You mixed it up a little bit.
Trump: It was a pretty famous thing. But I think it has your all-time record.
Calway: For pay-per-view buys. It was a huge event. It was a huge event.
Trump: It was a big one.
AT THE TIME — WRESTLEMANIA 23 DID BREAK WWE’S PAY PER VIEW RECORD WITH 1 POINT 2 MILLION BUYS.
TRUMP ALSO BROUGHT ON FORMER WWE CEO LINDA MCMAHON INTO HIS CABINET DURING HIS PRESIDENCY.
Trump: Well, Linda McMahon I picked who really helped Vince a lot over the years. A lot of people don’t know that and she’s a fantastic woman. She’s been a big supporter from the moment from the very beginning and she was the head of small businesses which is big business basically, Small Business Administration, and she did a fantastic job. Everybody loves her.”
AT TIMES THE INTERVIEW WEAVED BETWEEN POLITICS AND TALKING SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT – WITH TRUMP TAKING ON THE ROLE OF INTERVIEWER TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CRAFT OF THE WRESTLING INDUSTRY.
Trump: Whether it’s you know fun or you know entertainment or you’re still getting slammed around right does that ring take great absorption in other words
Trump: How often did it happen where you’re fighting somebody and you made a mistake and you and you really and he gets angry and he’s and he really goes at you.
Trump: Did you like some of these guys a lot or not really?
Trump: Who was the greatest, the couple of greatest that you’ve seen?
Calaway: My goodness. There’s Stone Cold Steve Austin, he was up there, you’d have to put to put Hulk Hogan in there and you know Ric Flair.
IT WAS HOGAN WHO BROUGHT THE WRESTLING WORLD TO THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE – APPEARING AT THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION IN MILWAUKEE THIS PAST JULY.
Hogan: “So all you criminals, all you lowlifes, all you scumbags, all you drug dealers, and all you crooked politicians need to answer one question, brother. Whatcha gonna do when Donald Trump and all the Trumpamaniacs run wild on you, brother?”
TRUMP RECALLED THE TWO ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS ON HIS LIFE – TELLING CALAWAY THAT ONE OF HIS WWE COLLEAGUES WANTED TO REACH OUT TO TRUMP – THAT BEING DWAYNE THE ROCK JOHNSON.
Trump: You know, he was great. I never thought he liked me and I felt badly because I think he’s a terrific guy and then Dana White said when I was shot, took a shot to the ear, you may have heard about it, Rock called Dana said ‘I want to have his number, I want to have his number, what he did is sort of incredible. He considered it bravery. I don’t know to me I considered it like what going on here, but it was very nice, actually, the Rock.
AS THE INTERVIEW NEARED THE END, CALAWAY BROUGHT ON HIS DAUGHTER TO TALK ABOUT AN ISSUE IMPORTANT TO HIM – WOMEN’S SPORTS.
TRUMP TELLING CALAWAY AS PRESIDENT HE WOULD NOT ALLOW TRANSGENDER WOMEN TO PLAY IN FEMALE SPORTS.
TRUMP MENTIONED THE SCANDAL SURROUNDING TWO BOXERS FROM THIS SUMMER’S PARIS OLYMPICS – HOWEVER – IT HAS BEEN REPORTED BY MULTIPLE OUTLETS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT NEITHER OF THOSE OLYMPIANS WAS A TRANSGENDER ATHLETE.
PRO WRESTLERS ARE COMING OUT TO BACK CANDIDATES ON BOTH SIDES — FORMER WWE CHAMPION AND GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY STAR DAVE BAUTISTA HAS BEEN VOCAL ABOUT HIS SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS.
PRO WRESTLING AND POLITICS – QUITE THE TAG TEAM COMBINATION.
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