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“an exceptional biography of a lost wrestling legend.”
Lawrence (Larry) Whistler (born December 5, 1953) is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Larry Zbyszko. Zbyszko is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino during the early 1980s.
Pro wrestling's contemporary popularity has waned considerably over the last decade. Though there have been some "high spots" so to speak, the boom period that the industry enjoyed in the late 1990s is definitely over.
Adventures in Larryland (ECW, 2008) is an exceptional biography of a lost wrestling legend. Lost in the sense that, he was in his prime before the mid-1980s Hulkamania boom period. He is of course, Larry Zbyszko. Now unlike a lot of bad wrestling books (and most of them are terrible) published through WWE's parent company, this one at least attempts to have coherent vulnerability and present the wrestler's life in an interesting way. (Unlike the WWE's version of Eric Bischoff's life which made it seem as though the former WCW executive producer was just trying to upset the WWE in the midst of their callous ratings war, when in reality, Bischoff came closer to destroying that company than the World Wildlife Fund could have ever dreamt of.)
The chapters pertaining to Zbyszko's conflict with the McMahon's (Vince Sr. and Vince Jr.) over the booking and creative directions during the red-hot Zbysko-Sammartino feud are on par with a lot of what Bret Hart accomplished in his book. It has that same insight and passion that made HITMAN such a great read. But Zbyszko doesn't stay on one topic for very long. In terms of chronological events, the book seems to end in 1998 and jump to present day with a mild cliffhanger, perhaps hinting that there are more chapters in Zbyszko's storied career that have yet to be written.
I was fortunate enough to be able to continue the read through a short interview I conducted with Zbyszko earlier this fall. I was not disappointed with the answers, especially when it came time for Larry to dissect some of my favourite unsolved mysteries in the business.
CC: In the late 1970s what was your work out routine like?
LZ: Still the days of the territories. You lived in your car and wrestled in a different town every night. Forget any home life.
CC: Did you ever use steroids?
LZ: No.
CC: Was Bruno 100 per cent behind the idea of the mentor/student angle?
LZ: Yes and it was his political stroke that made it a reality.
CC: How do you feel about the term "Legend" as it appears in modern wrestling vernacular? Are you satisfied with the types of wrestlers being enshrined in Hall of Fame?
LZ: The term “LEGEND” has become way overused in wrestling and all other sports and walks of life. I believe its meaning has been diluted by the media using it for hype rather than highlighting accomplishments of a deserving individual.
CC: What do you make of the WWE’s Hall of Fame?
LZ: The so called Hall of Fame by the WWE is again hype to sell DVDs and merchandise and although some inductees certainly deserve to be Hall of Famers, without Bruno Sammartino and even myself, it just proves that being inducted is political and not legitimate.
CC: What is your current role in the sport of pro wrestling?
LZ: I enjoy doing appearances and meeting the fans at conventions and wrestling shows; helping out some young, aspiring talent; and I still wrestle occasionally as the unbeaten AWA heavyweight champion of the world.
CC: What was your all-time favourite matches?
LZ: The matches with Bruno, especially at Shea stadium, were the ultimate. Also the big pay-per-view bouts with Eric Bischoff and Scott Hall were WCW classics.
CC: If you were able to teach young wrestlers anything or pass on any advice from your own experiences, what would that be?
LZ: Always have a backup plan to make a living. Success in wrestling is guaranteed to nobody.
CC: Do you and Bruno Sammartino still talk?
LZ: The years have softened the emotions and we talk once in a while.
CC: What was the biggest difference between Vince S. and Vince Jr.?
LZ: Vince Sr. was a very smooth old school promoter and Vince Jr. is an egomaniac who doesn’t care what the fans want.
CC: Who did you enjoy working with the most in your career?
LZ: The most was Bruno.
CC: Do you think if WCW had stuck to a more realistic development of their company (i.e. a bit of old a bit of new, a bit of tradition, a bit of nWo a bit of Mexican wrestling) they'd still be around today?
LZ: I wish that was the problem, but it was simply the fact that AOL — a group of stupid idiots who bought Turner Time Warner with lies — did not want wrestling programming.
CC: What was it like working on such a hot property week after week? Was there a sense that things would never cool off?
LZ: It was the ultimate in excitement and pride, but even the hottest of angles eventually cool off.
CC: Who killed WCW?
LZ: AOL
