During the latest edition of his “Grilling JR” podcast, Jim Ross commented on Bob Holly’s legacy in wrestling, and more. You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On the Thurman “Sparky” Plugg gimmick: “That name was hokey. You turn people off right away. So, now you’ve gotta get over the aversion to the name, which should not even be in the conversation. If people are turning this talent away and one of the reasons is this real hokey wrestling nickname, then you’re already challenged. I think that was the case with Bob. Nobody took that character seriously……we had TL Hopper, all these cut little names, right? All these professions. Dr. Issac Yankem. Yeah, there were a lot of those, and they all got vignettes. All the main event guys were waiting to get production time, and all these underneath yahoos were getting all the vignette time. Don’t think I didn’t hear about that.”
On Holly’s pairing with Crash Holly: “I liked it because [Crash] was very entertaining. Fun to be around, very irreverent. He reminded me of Dennis the Menace. Very lovable guy, and I had no idea he had as many issues as he did, which eventually caught up to him. But he and Bob made a nice team. I thought that organically, it seemed to fit. That’s what Bob had been seeking – something that was gonna make some sense where people could emotionally invest in that duo. I thought Bob and Crash were good together.”
On the 24/7 Hardcore title: “It’s a gimmick. It’s a TV gimmick that has run its course in my opinion. It was cool in the beginning, but like so many wrestling storylines or angles or concepts, it overstayed its welcome. It never appealed to me. I’m glad that guys got the opportunity to get increased television time because of it, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. It was in the beginning – I kind of liked it, but like I said, I think it overstayed its welcome.”
On Holly’s legacy in wrestling: “Tough guy. Reliable. Skilled. But was never quite able to get over the hump as a singles star. I don’t see the Hall of Fame for him, but again, what the hell do I know? I may be wrong. I’m not casting a vote against Bob, but I don’t feel that he’s on the shortlist of WWE Hall of Fame people…..I just think his overall demeanor and how he had the ability to alienate some people, and I don’t know that he did it intentionally. It’s just the way that he was. The one thing about Bob, he wasn’t phony. He was outspoken. So, I’ll say that this legacy will be that he was a very outspoken, mentally and physically tough individual who left WWE still feeling unfulfilled.”
(h/t – 411 Wrestling)
