History often comes when we don’t expect it, as the simplest decision can often lead to something notable. On this day in wrestling history, June 2, 1987, chance and a spur of the moment idea from Hulk Hogan led to the Honky Tonk Man winning, and having the longest Intercontinental championship reign in WWE history.
A moment makes a career
We often wait, hope, and pray for that one chance where we can make our fortune. In professional wrestling, like life, it’s important for us to grab hold of those opportunities as they don’t come around very often, and that’s how the Honky Tonk Man created this day in wrestling history.
We often hear the Honky Tonk Man call himself the greatest Intercontinental champion ever, and he’s not wrong when we look at the length of time he held the belt (454 days). It’s a record that still stands, but more impressively, he was a fighting champion. Nowadays, heels try to avoid matches so they can hold onto their coveted titles, as accepting all challengers is reserved for the faces.
But HTM was different. In fact, he defended against anyone. To be honest, most heels were like that. It wasn’t until the 90s when there were monthly pay-per-views that every heel would try to wear down their opponent while dodging them to attain maximum drawing power at the pay-per-views. Occasionally, a title changes hands elsewhere, but not too often.
This change signifies the difference between then and now, as we used to get more and better matches than currently. The promos used to be short and quick — aside from “talkshow” segments like Piper’s Pit, Snake Pit, etc — not twenty minute marathons in the ring or backstage.
This meant the stories had to be told in the ring, and it made the product more entertaining overall.
Shake, Rattle, and Roll
As always, hearing what happened from those that were part of it is always fun.
(Special thanks to @awrestlinghistorian for the transcript from a different interview than what’s above.)
“And that was the whole thing with me, when they mentioned Butch Reed’s not here and they were in a panic situation because Butch was going to get the belt from Steamboat and he wasn’t there; he was AWOL that night. I just happened to walk by and Hogan and Vince were talking and Hogan said, ‘What about this guy?’ and Vince took a look and said, ‘Alright, maybe so.’ and he pulled me off to the corner and mentioned to me about the belt. I said, ‘Hey, you know, Vince, I told you when I first came here if you give me a chance, and I do good, pay me. If I don’t do good and I can’t make it, fire me and I’ll be gone. You won’t have to fire me, I’ll pack my bag and leave.’ And that was our deal, our handshake deal and that was the way it was with the Intercontinental belt.
“I said, ‘Believe me, I don’t want a day off.’ He said, ‘Well, everyone needs a day off. You’ll burn out and you need to see your family every now and then.’ And I said, ‘Listen, if you give me that belt, I will run with it as long as you want me to and as long as I can sell tickets.’ He said, ‘Ok, I like that.’ And that’s how it happened.” – Honky Tonk Man Wild Talk Radio interview January 15, 2013.
This day in wrestling history shows that we never know when an opportunity will present itself, so we better grab it when we can.
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