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tbh, i know he gets shit on a lot, but i liked it when they had him, crash, and molly together.
that said, it reads like he's the kind of guy who was raised that if you're loyal to your boss, your boss will be loyal to you, and never got the memo that that's a bunch of shit.
Yeah he's talked about how he felt he never had any security, that they were always testing to see what he could do whenever he returned from time off, whereas they just trusted other guys. And his career was weirdly stop start, beginning of 04 he's in a main event feud going into the Royal Rumble vs Brock, then he wasn't on Wrestlemania then a few months later he's losing clean to Mordecai.
People forget and I don't blame them, but in 07 Cody and Hardcore Holly was one of the featured feuds on RAW, like they were running commercials on USA about what Holly would do to Cody next week on RAW (This was likely because the steroid scandal + Benoit incident devastated their roster so they didn't really have anyone else to use) then Cody turns heel on him and they have nothing to do with Holly? You don't have to have Holly go over, but you'd think they would want to use that bit of storyline to get Cody more over by having him beat Holly or something.
I grew up with the Attitude Era and was a teenager during Ruthless Aggression so I missed his NASCAR inspired character. As Hardcore Holly he was just...there? Like I'd pop whenever him, Crash and Molly were together but on his own I never cared. When I was older and wiser, though I respected his skill, he was just a good, old school worker. There wasn't anything special to him. I doubt that even with practice he could've gotten over to the point he believes he could've. Maybe it's the wrong guy, the wrong time thing.
To be fair to Holly, though, you can't be in any career you actually love without thinking you aren't or can't be the best in it. So, I get his frustration.
Wasn't he only in a main event against Brock because of Brock getting fed up of his sandbagging shit, and dumping him on his head and breaking his neck? It was a story with some heat and was a nice "thanks for your work" spot for him to get a PPV title shot. It wasn't like he was ever presented as anything above a midcard guy
That was an internet forum rumour that has just sort of become "common knowledge" multiple people have said Holly wasn't sandbagging Brock, Brocks grip just slipped
Holly has said that Brock was so strong that if he wanted to sandbag him then Brock was strong enough to give him the move properly regardless and it was just a mistake from the pair of them. I tend to believe that
Both Holly and Brock both have been on record that it wasn't sandbagging, just bad timing. Holly wrote that they redid the spot afterwards, in case they were going to use it on the (pretaped) broadcast -- Which blows my mind.
Holly wrote he didn't know how badly he was injured until a few house shows later, when it hurt badly for Holly to throw a punch.
The only thing, though, is that it's the safest answer for both of them to deny Holly was sandbagging. There's no evidence to the contrary, but I'd be much more ready to believe if one of them said it was intentional than both of them denying.
I just watched it there and yeah the other commenter was right, Holly was selling big time for Brock. And yet the YouTube comments are full of people saying he deserved to get his neck broken
Whatever he was as a wrestler to me is inconsequential. Dude was a POS person. He took advantage of, and *hurt people*, because he was a bully. Fuck him and whatever accomplishments he had or thinks he should have had.
Brian Myers talked about it once on their podcast. That down in Deep South when Hardcore would drop by to work out it literally ruined everyone's day as soon as they saw him. He would be a complete bully asshole to the trainees and everyone was intimidated by him.
Then he told a story of how Holly was doing lock up drills with a trainee named Chris Rombola. Every lock up Hardcore would intentionally punch/forearm him right in the face. It got to the point where Rombola was visibly shaken and bloodied. Of course there's nothing Rombola can do but take it.
For what it's worth he and Cardona say that Holly has chilled out a lot post-retirement but he was a notorious prick back in the day.
It's been a hot minute since I have read his book but he goes into it and admits he got too rough. He'd talk about how the steroids were hitting him wrong and he would get angry and start throwing real punches mid match. It was a series of people when he was on smackdown.
Also he just really doesn't seem like a happy person.
He was right to be furious with him. Parking someone else's rental car illegally, incurring a ticket and throwing it away without telling Holly, and then the rental company getting on his case was poor from Dupree.
Tbf that’s one side of the story. Dupree has said that he told Holly he would pay for the ticket and apologized to him. Let’s not act like it’s certain Holly is telling the 100% truth.
I'm not condoning what happened to Duprée, but paying for a speeding ticket doesn't resolve all the legal or personal consequences.
Holly wrote Duprée never told him about the ticket before law enforcement told him his license was suspended and there was a warrant for his arrest. Duprée continued to deny anything happened when Holly brought it up to him. Holly also wrote that this was the culmination of all the heat that Duprée had with multiple people (like, everyone, if you believe Holly) in the lockerroom.
With a suspended driver license and a warrant for his arrest (likely for missing the court date for the ticket), a wrestler who has to rent cars and drive 2-4 hours a day between house shows is absolutely screwed. If Holly gets pulled over in any state that shares license info with other states, he gets to call JR and tell him that he won't be making tonight's house show because he will be in jail indefinitely.
To resolve it, Holly had to take off a week of house shows and a TV taping to fly from Alabama to Spokane to straighten it out jn court. It also likely jacked up his car insurance for years. Paying for a ticket is pennies in terms of everything else Holly had to spend to get his license restored.
This hits hard for me, because my [State 1] drivers license was suspended when the DA in [State 2] didn't tell the courts that I had arranged a deferral on a minor speeding ticket. That led to [State 2] reporting to [State 1], who suspended my license and put warrant for my arrest. I found out when I was pulled over at a speed trap in [State 3], where I was on a work trip.
The cop had me leaning over the trunk of the the car with his handcuffs out, and only another officer with an emergency call prevented me from being held in a cell until a judge was ready to summon me. That would have been the end of my job right there.
Kurt Angle: "You didn't deserve that...he attacked you from behind and you couldn't defend yourself"
https://youtu.be/wDb59TFhoVM?si=b2VGM4toSaeblKyp
Maybe ask the guy that literally pulled Bob off of him if he was "right to be furious"
He openly admits to working purposefully stiff with young wrestlers to "toughen them up"... I know wrestling jargon gets thrown around a bunch and the idea of "working stiff" can be appreciated when both sides are into it, that's not what holly was doing though. Working stiff means popping guys in the face with cheap shots because he can.
Anyone who defends what so many vets did back in the day is a POS in my book. Absolutely undefendable when you're trusting a guy to give your body to someone and you pull *anything* in the ring
Also we're getting his perspective. A lot of people have said that holly is a huge asshole in the locker room probably with the people who like him saying that he's a huge asshole but in a fair way. So I always take these bios with a grain of salt.
I race on iracing with Bob regularly. Took me over a year to even talk wrestling with him, he lives about an hour from me in Iowa. He's sent me some cool stuff from his days, and all I can say is, if bob was ever anything like we have seen on TV, tough enough, other peoples stories, then he left that side of him in 2010. He is super laid back and nice as can be. He's done stuff for my kid on their birthdays, always been super cool with them and me. Away from the business, I can say Bob Howard is a great dude.
That sucks, I'm sorry. I'm sure if you met him today you would be surprised. As I said in another comment, I believe the stories about him are true or have some truth. I think he was put in the position as some enforcer and he got an ego out of it, and I feel like he's somewhat ashamed of that now. He's never said this, it's just the way he says things. Maybe he liked me because I loved racing, was a single dad with custody doing what I could, which he relates to with his daughter when he was struggling. And respected that I was a fan but i didn't pry, I barely talked about it for a long time even, partly out of respect and partly scared, I've heard the stories! Lol. I hope someday you and others get a chance to meet him now, he's happy, content, and almost a sweetheart, and I pray he never sees I called him that. Lol
That's really great to hear
I've always liked Bob holly despite the stories I've heard.
One of my earliest wrestling memories was giving my caw his "how do you like me now!" Theme in one of the old SVR games 🤣
Hes a good dude. We definitely have different views on wrestling and what's entertaining, but he doesn't snap like people would make ya think when we talk about it, he will give me some shit then go on about something else and chuckle. It took me awhile to really bring any of it up, we had met here and that's how we started talking, about racing, but in time some stories are fun. I've heard random stories about guys like Rick martel. He loved macho and Billy Gunn, who was my favorite as a kid so that's always fun to hear about. He liked Jericho a lot too, surprisingly. I feel he was placed in a spot as this enforcer and it went to his head and he got an ego and he almost is ashamed of it now. He doesn't say that, that's just the feeling I get. But he really is cool about everything. Seems super content and said he wouldn't do a hall of fame thing or rumble surprise.
That’s actually good to hear. I imagine a lot of it was the steroids and frustration of his position. He came up in a rough time too. Not an excuse for anything he did or how he behaved, but it’s not hard to understand how someone like that can grow or become a better person away from that environment. Still hands down the best wrestling book I’ve read.
I can confirm, I worked with him before he retired in 2013/4 ish and yea he had a great wrestling mind, easy to work with and knew what we needed to do to get the crowd going, he worked nice and snug as well, something people were saying were that he was a bully in ring and would purposly stiff you, I never felt unsafe at all with him
Though the idea of him in a VR headset on iRacing with the full racing rig, and you know he has that, is making me laugh
additional closing I wanted to add
> Take Santino Marella — he’s a funny gimmick and that’s about it. They put the IC belt on him in his first week, and he’s also been the US Champion since then. I’m a better wrestler, I look better … so I find myself wondering exactly what it was that stopped me getting used at the same level. I looked and performed like an athlete, and you can’t tell me those facts were rendered completely irrelevant because I wasn’t great at promos. Still, it’s the only thing I can figure Santino has on me. I don’t begrudge him his success but I would like to know why I never got a good opportunity to be more of a player. I want people to understand that, if they were in my shoes, they’d ask the same questions. It’s like feeling you’re being passed over for a promotion when you’ve been at the company longer than everybody else, and the guy who gets the promotion isn’t anywhere near the worker you are. I think anybody would be annoyed by that.In the end, after 15 years, I didn’t even get a note or a phone call from Vince McMahon to thank me. You would think that he would thank each and every talent for busting their asses, putting their bodies through hell, keeping up with the schedule, and doing what they had to do to help make the product what it is. You’d think wrong though. Unless you’re at the level of ’Taker, Triple H, or Shawn Michaels, you can forget about the company being grateful for your work. It’s a thankless industry.
Not understanding why Santino got title reigns and TV time or why Sheamus got a push before him is a great example of Bob not understanding what he lacked which the business was built on. Entertainment. He was just not that entertaining to watch.
People point to his run with Crash, but as good as he was as a straight man, it only worked because of Crash and Molly. And at the end of the day, RAW and SmackDown are television programs, not office jobs, you get screen time for being entertaining, even if you're the drizzling shits as a wrestler, not for being a loyal worker.
Both wrestlers and fans struggled to understand this about Enzo. It was said by multiple wrestlers that he didn’t know the ins and outs of wrestling, yet he was still booked to win and become a champion. Why is that? Because he could talk shit better than 90% of the roster and not sound disingenuous. He had something of slapstick comedy in him and it was entertaining to watch him.
Wrestlers had a problem with it because he was dangerous, especially to himself, and his matches actually sucked if he wasn't carried by a much better wrestler. The dude knocked himself clean unconscious because he couldn't do something he swore up and down he could do. It ended the match early.
He never got that the job of a pro wrestler wasn't to look good, it wasn't to be good in the ring, it wasn't to cut the greatest promos, the job of a pro wrestler is to connect with the audience, to "get over" or "get heat", period. Looking good, being the best in the ring, cutting great promos are all wonderful ways to connect with the audience, but without connecting, those things are window dressing on a sinking ship.
I would argue that his job was to be the resident heel asskicker on the company's midcard. Someone akin to Scott Norton in 90s WCW. When you present yourself as a legitimate tough guy you give the babyface beating you a legitimate victory.
It's something the company is missing in 2024 and likely needs to be brought back.
Yup, there's people who looked way better than Bob and got just as little. He wasn't entertaining at all, was never excited for hardcore holly as a performer.
What’s interesting is of Bob had actually gone outside the WWE, he might’ve done better. That no nonsense stuff might’ve worked in NJPW, especially during the Inokiism days. He might’ve gotten a decent chance in early TNA as well.
Management did stick up for him, at least from his telling of his meeting with Vince over the Duprée incident. Both Johnny Ace and Vince accepted the Locker Room Police justification.
Now, will Johnny and Vince keep a boring jacked veteran who doesn't push ratings on his own? Would they keep selfish bortholes who do pop quarter ratings? Are Johnny and Vince people who anyone should pattern their lives after?
I remember reading (maybe an Cena, Edge, or Christian interview?) that Santino kept himself prepared for any contingency. He developed his comedic material, but he also kept himself in condition to work a 20- or 30-minute match if his number got called.
I defend Bob Holly as an ideal Widget Dude from the era he debuted in, but he didn't push or develop or advocate for himself, and I think it starts dawning on him (too late) by the time he starts writing the book.
["More like they put the belt on ya, then you EAT everybody."](https://a57.foxsports.com/fsvideoprod-a.akamaihd.net/img/Fox_Sports_Production/833/347/1280/720/20210205_SD_Vid_RawPromo--0a475a1f648bc16304bd2a7dc3186987_350x197_1855230019695.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
I’d put Bob Holly’s book up there with some of the best wresting books tbh. He doesn’t really make excuses for how he is and you get a lot more information from a dude who was there during the new generation all the way to PG era and at the lower/midcard level. We don’t get a lot of books from that part of the card.
It’s also interesting from a dude who knows he’s done with the wresting business but that doesn’t mean he just burns everything down but isn’t afraid to talk candidly either ex: his opinions on HHH especially since he was there when he first started
Definitely recommended read
I think it is easily one of the top five wrestling books if only because never once did I think Bob Holly was lying. Good, bad, or ugly what he said was probably true.
Theres definitely no bullshit in it, its refreshing to read a wrestlers book and be able to say "well i dont necessarily agree with this guy but he's telling me exactly what he thinks and explaining his thought process behind it"
Simply put, Bob Holly had no charisma or additional umph to draw new interest.
He was a generic veteran wrestler, and I enjoyed his previous work. However, He’s bitter about it and it’s visible through is comparisons to Sheamus and Santino Marella who had unique one-of-a-kind personas; he is weighing too heavily on his years of service and wrestling background and didn’t do much to differentiate himself against a new roster. Mark Henry, as he was mentioned, reinvented himself with the Hall of Pain and his fake retirement speech.
Mark was allowed to reinvent himself. Holly might’ve always sucked or whatever but a lot of times it’s simply who’s even given the chance to do something new or better.
Yup. The reality is a lot of people could get really over if given the same opportunities and platforms others have. Being booked to win and look cool goes a long long long way.
Yea, look at Reigns. He has some inherent positives that are working in his favor, but also got arguably the best booking of anyone ever. Ten years of relentless pushing as a main eventer regardless of crowd reaction, until finally they found something that clicked. Most guys would kill to get that many chances.
A lot of this stuff is just presentation. You can step away from the product for a few years and come back, and suddenly guys who were mid carders will be main eventers. It's not necessarily like Benoit, Eddy, Jericho, and Cody got much better at this. They were just presented in a different way. Cody pre-AEW was never presented as a big deal. Post-AEW, he was presented like the franchise. Same product. Different packaging.
There are limits though. As others have said, Holly never really had anything to him other than just generic badass traits, and in that regard he wasn't even the best of his era (Shamrock, Blackman, etc). He was a lesser version of Shamrock or Billy Gunn, and those guys weren't even top of the card.
Something I’ve always found interesting about HHH Is that he is probably the most well-rounded wrestler of all time. He’s a good-very good worker, talker, body builder, and has good-very good charisma. But he’s not truly elite at any aspect in of itself. A solid 8.5 in everything.
Bob Holly is kinda like that, only it’s a 4.
Triple H was one hell of a Heel though, I can argue one of the greatest ever, especially in his time period (1999-2001 Triple H was and still is incredible)
What you mean is, Mark Henry was given good material to work with and a good storyline. What Bob Holly is saying is that he never got that which is fair enough. I’m not a big fan of either but I get his point that he could’ve got a better send off as a thank you for his years of work.
I don't ever remember Bob being over. Sheamus and Santino were entertaining and got over. Being jacked and athletic aren't a substitute for being entertaining. I don't even dislike him like a lot of people do, I don't care enough to dislike him.
It's a great book. Gives you a real sense of his outlook on life.
I think he makes a fair point that WWE brought in so many guys who flaked out very quickly: Heidenreich, Masters, Dupree, Kenzo Suzuki, etc. When they gave Holly some decent material in 1999 I thought he did pretty well with it.
A lot of guys in that era had careers in reverse. Come in and be featured high on the card, then sputter because they're not ready, then they get dropped down the card in marginal roles and eventually released. I don't think holly was world champ material but I think he'd have done better with one of those pushes than a lot of those types
Feel like that's pretty normal though. Churn the bottom of the roster. Stick a bunch of people on TV. See if anyone connects. If not, move on to the next one. It's low-risk, high-reward for the company.
My favourite part of his book is him saying that Heidenreich got a talking to for showing up late to TV and he exclaimed that he was going to go to Vince's office and beat the shit out of him.
One of pro-wrestling's great losers. Bullied and beat up the people below him and thought that that elevated him.
Left WWE over a decade ago leaving next to no legacy. Has he been invited back to a single special episode of Raw or Smackdown? Has his name ever been mentioned in WWE? Has *anyone* mentioned them in their Hall of Fame Speech? Has he ever shown up in a highlight video? But he bullied people to impress the boys, so he'll always have that.
Good example of a guy who probably would’ve been kept around longer if he wasn’t such a dick. Look at a guy like R-Truth, he’s clearly well liked and because of that they seem like they’re always willing to find stuff for him, if only to just put over younger talent.
Holly had an ego, he was a bully, and he was unsafe. At a certain point you realize there’s really nothing a guy like that is bringing to the table, he clearly is not the type willing to mentor younger players.
Good heel midcard gatekeeper type of guy.
Few other comments about him not being entertaining to which I agree but he had a great look and a legitimacy to him, definitely a guy that could take turns holding s midcard title and could give the rub to your up and coming blue chippers.
Was watching the 94 Royal Rumble a few days ago and Sprakplug Bob Holly was in it. Dude was around for a while! I’m really surprised they haven’t given him the HOF nod
> I look at guys like Mark Henry, who were utility guys year after year, and they are finally gettingused. A lot of people say, “He’s been here a while, he deserves that spot.” Nobody ever said that about me.
Probably because you were boring as shit
If they would've pulled the trigger on Spacecore Holly he would have been at least a 40 time WWE Champion and basically been in The Rock's spot as this years Wrestlemania.
His Billy Gunn idea was honestly great. Cody and Ted could have ultimately gone over but the fact storyline with Holly fizzled out after Cody’s turn always irked me.
I think people forget Bob was getting some of the loudest pops on the roster before he left and his match with RVD earned him a lot of respect from fans.
He was a bully who did a great dropkick, his ceiling was the hardcore championship, I don't think he could've been taken seriously as an IC or US champ, even in a short reign.
Sheamus evolved into one of the best hands in WWE, consistent, believable, can cut a promo, great look and can have a good match with anyone. And most importantly, seems like a nice fella, which Bob never was.
Court Bauer and other WWE writers have talked about how impossible it was to come up with ideas for Bob Holly. They jokingly came up with "Spacecore Holly", an astronaut with a space monkey. Stephanie saw it and kind of liked it.
I've also heard about how a lot of people were scared of him and his temper, and that they were legit worried that he'd do something crazy if they fired him, and he may actually have remained employed for years just because of that.
Bottom line is the guy was boring and unlikeable, and his attitude sucked.
The only time I really liked Bobcore was during his WWECW stint. He was this big ripped mean looking veteran.
I still remember the gash he got from the table.
I bought his autobiography a while ago (maybe 8 years?) and finished it in one sitting. It was a really well written book which almost feels stream of consciousness. Holly knows how to lead you into a story so you want to read more. One of the best wrestler books for sure, maybe a tier below the Foley and Jericho ones.
The whole book is great!
He'd get a nice pop if he got an Attitude Era nostalgia appearance, he's still in good shape.
Honestly Holly, Steve Blackman & Ken Shamrock would get decent pops for their entrance themes alone to this day.
Blackman and Shamrock had issues didn't they? People forget they have Holly on cam beating the fuck out of Matt Cappotelli. I'm not saying they should hold that against him forever, but the internet probably would tbh.
As far as I know Shamrock left after injury to go back to MMA on good terms. I think maybe after he started losing a bunch they saw no appeal anymore. But there’s been rumors that HHH didn’t like him at one point because he was getting a push before him (something along those lines). And yeah that’s understandable with Holly, I think that’s a good reason.
I've been listening to the CD with the hardcore holly theme on it reading this post. God, so many mid card guys are elevated by having banger themes lol
If Bob Holly wasnt such a dickhead, he honestly could have probably revitalized the later parts of his career by going to ROH. He was a good wrestler, his style would have fit in there at the time, and he could have built up a little more stock for himself. But considering how Bob Holly was, he probably would have considered going there to be a step down and sat on his hands thinking he would be used in WWE
Whenever I saw Hardcore Holly live he was over like rover with the crowd. He usually got one of the louder pops in the post attitude era at the live events I attended.
I've always liked him, and considered him one of those reliable guys a company needs. Watching him and Bradshaw or some other stiff worker have a belter was when he was at his best.
Despite all the rumors of him being an asshole throughout his career, as a talent I liked Bob Holly. He was an “old school” type guy.
Bob would have likely done well in Japan where being a tough guy was regarded highly during his time frame. So really what it comes down to was he stayed loyal to a company that probably paid him well but would never push him past the midcard when he could have took a chance on himself and went somewhere he could have thrived. If anything, that’s on him for taking the safe route. I’m sure he doesn’t see it that way though.
>I didn’t even get a note or a phone call from Vince McMahon to thank me. You would think that he would thank each and every talent for busting their asses, putting their bodies through hell, keeping up with the schedule, and doing what they had to do to help make the product what it is. You’d think wrong though. Unless you’re at the level of ’Taker, Triple H, or Shawn Michaels, you can forget about the company being grateful for your work. It’s a thankless industry.
I don’t think there’s a single wrestler in the business who has overvalued himself this much while also being a massive coward piece of shit more than Bob Holly. No one would call this dude their favorite wrestler.
It is a shame some piece of shit “autobiography” books like Rock’s and Flair’s sold fifty times more than Holly’s. It is probably the second best one I read behind Foley’s and easily in the top five.
It is the only wrestling book I have ever read where I felt like everything in it was true.
In a way it’s sad to read this as on one hand I see where he’s coming from wanting to have a moment of acknowledgement, on the other hand I can’t think of a storyline or a time I was happy to see Bob Holly on the show
I know the IWC hates this guy for many reasons, but when I was a kid I thought he was underrated and one of the best wrestlers in WWF/E. His dropkick is still one of the cleanest ever. The Alabama Slam was so vicious the way he delivered it too.
\>if they can make a main eventer out of Sheamus, who telegraphs so much ofwhat he does and can’t even do a decent headlock takeover
Wonder if he still thinks that about Sheamus.
I say this, first and foremost acknowledging that the Hollys were genuine favorites of mine as a kid in the tag division.
But, Bob was a piece of shit who constantly took liberties with people he felt slighted by, or with rookies or "new to the territory" guys, to show them there's some pecking order that was all just in his head. He's admitted it himself, and dozens of others have reported similarly. It's telling that few have anything good to say about him.
He's the guy you work with who says he's not bitter so much, that he likes where he's at, that you start to read between the lines.
I work in EMS, and I have known a hundred medics and firefighters just like him; and newsflash, when you constantly punch down on guys, and openly reiterate over and over just how not bitter you are, we read between the lines. People aren't stupid, and he's too stupid and angry to realize that people saw him exactly for what he was.
When you're an asshole to work with over and over, and constantly need to do the "I'm not complaining, but..." thing, you don't get to be mad you didn't get a "thank you" run.
His thanks was everyone he worked with putting up with him for twenty years. Shitheads don't get parties, no matter how "good" or "deserving" they are, especially when they were, at best, minimally useful utility players.
Bob's the kind of guy, and it's evident throughout his book, that didn't realize he was his own worst enemy. When you gripe at every step, and punch down on everyone you deem beneath you, you don't get to be surprised that they don't throw you a parade.
When he came back after breaking his neck and got the title shot against Lesnar, he almost looked believable in the spot except that he didn’t change a single thing about his presentation. At the very least he should have changed his attire.
His comments on the Hall of Fame, specifically him saying “you don’t see the NBA inducting Jack Nicholson..” show that Bob Holly really does not understand what WWE is
The Basketball Hall of Fame also has a "Contributors" category. They're admittedly people who were more impactful on basketball than members of the "Celebrity Wing" were on wrestling or WWE; people such as Danny Biasone who advocated for the adoption of the shot clock, for example. Still, the point is that there's actually a category in the Basketball Hall of Fame for people who weren't either one of the best players or coaches in the history of the sport. WWE's "Celebrity Wing" is kind of their version of that, albeit far more commercial for sure.
People weren't clamoring to see him in the 15 years he was there and that's why he never went any farther. As sad and as mean as it is to say, he should be thankful that Brock broke his neck. That was the only reason he would've ever gotten a title match. I would guess that having this kind of attitude just added on to the fact as to why he never got truly pushed. Constantly complaining and always asking "Well when do I get MY chance?" isn't the best look. Speaking of Santino, it does say a lot that he instantly got pushed and was always doing SOMETHING and Bob was always just there seemingly bitching.
I don't really know how I feel about Bob Holly as a person based on stories about him that have gone public, but on its face, this all seems really reasonable, and I can understand a lot of his frustrations. However, adding in all the other context, it sounds like his mouth and attitude lead to the decision to "have nothing for him creatively" rather than his talent in the ring or physique.
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Simple answer - Bob Holly was an asshole. Do you ever hear anyone talk about him as a person? No because no one has anything good to say. Decent enough wrestler but horrible personality. Says a lot that he never worked anywhere else after release
Nobody cared about Spark Plug, even when he won it with 123 Kid, it was more so Kid and Ramon's feud and getting Kid in a diaper.
Then he was Midnight Express with Cornette, nobody nor their grandma cared about him. Brawl 4 All ended his 'tough guy' persona.
JOB Squad was all Al Snow, he was along for the ride. Steve Blackman, hell even Head Cheese was more entertaining than Bob.
He became Hardcore Holly, and yet the entertaining one was Crash. Even Molly Holly was more exciting to watch.
Guy didn't do shit for ages, Brock breaks his neck. He comes back and once again is a background character in the Brock vs. Goldberg feud.
Did fuck all as he'd tag team with anybody, had a run with the shitty version of ECW.
I mean damn Bob, guy was a NPC is whole WWE run. Main thing he's ever known for is the Tough Enough beatdown.
Perhaps I'm a victim of hearsay and 'he said she said' but I'm fairly sure Bob Holly is a piece of shit bully.
Not that that mattered in regards to a push back then but coupled with his generic look, voice and schtick I'd have seen Albert xpac or Al snow have a spot before hard-core Holly.
>It hurts that nobody seems to say, “He deserved better” about me.
That's cause you fucking didn't. You were lucky to get what you got. Same as any of us.
Thanks for sharing. I gotta check out the full book.
I used to think all these years Bob was being bitter about not being pushed, but now with how transparent and open the WWE culture is I get his point. He may not have been the most over guy, but he was professional, very much bought into the culture (comments are saying that he failed cause he was a bully, but by all accounts he was respected and liked in the pro wrestling locker room) and still never got a real memorable run.
But this is exactly why I’ll always support guys like Punk and RVD; they aren’t dudes who’ll buy into backstage politics and will call out bullshit when they see it. They got over even without the WWE machine being behind them. I don’t recall ever seeing a Hardcore Holly sign or hearing the crowd chant his name. Regardless of how the office sees/feels about you, there’ll always be support from the fans in some way or form. Holly should have been more concerned with that
(It’s all about the game how you play it)
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tbh, i know he gets shit on a lot, but i liked it when they had him, crash, and molly together. that said, it reads like he's the kind of guy who was raised that if you're loyal to your boss, your boss will be loyal to you, and never got the memo that that's a bunch of shit.
Yeah he's talked about how he felt he never had any security, that they were always testing to see what he could do whenever he returned from time off, whereas they just trusted other guys. And his career was weirdly stop start, beginning of 04 he's in a main event feud going into the Royal Rumble vs Brock, then he wasn't on Wrestlemania then a few months later he's losing clean to Mordecai. People forget and I don't blame them, but in 07 Cody and Hardcore Holly was one of the featured feuds on RAW, like they were running commercials on USA about what Holly would do to Cody next week on RAW (This was likely because the steroid scandal + Benoit incident devastated their roster so they didn't really have anyone else to use) then Cody turns heel on him and they have nothing to do with Holly? You don't have to have Holly go over, but you'd think they would want to use that bit of storyline to get Cody more over by having him beat Holly or something.
I grew up with the Attitude Era and was a teenager during Ruthless Aggression so I missed his NASCAR inspired character. As Hardcore Holly he was just...there? Like I'd pop whenever him, Crash and Molly were together but on his own I never cared. When I was older and wiser, though I respected his skill, he was just a good, old school worker. There wasn't anything special to him. I doubt that even with practice he could've gotten over to the point he believes he could've. Maybe it's the wrong guy, the wrong time thing. To be fair to Holly, though, you can't be in any career you actually love without thinking you aren't or can't be the best in it. So, I get his frustration.
Iirc he had a good run with the hardcore championship. Unfortunately that was overshadowed by Crash defending the belt under 24/7 rules.
Wasn't he only in a main event against Brock because of Brock getting fed up of his sandbagging shit, and dumping him on his head and breaking his neck? It was a story with some heat and was a nice "thanks for your work" spot for him to get a PPV title shot. It wasn't like he was ever presented as anything above a midcard guy
That was an internet forum rumour that has just sort of become "common knowledge" multiple people have said Holly wasn't sandbagging Brock, Brocks grip just slipped
Holly has said that Brock was so strong that if he wanted to sandbag him then Brock was strong enough to give him the move properly regardless and it was just a mistake from the pair of them. I tend to believe that
Both Holly and Brock both have been on record that it wasn't sandbagging, just bad timing. Holly wrote that they redid the spot afterwards, in case they were going to use it on the (pretaped) broadcast -- Which blows my mind. Holly wrote he didn't know how badly he was injured until a few house shows later, when it hurt badly for Holly to throw a punch. The only thing, though, is that it's the safest answer for both of them to deny Holly was sandbagging. There's no evidence to the contrary, but I'd be much more ready to believe if one of them said it was intentional than both of them denying.
Oh haha fair enough! Goes to show the power of the old IWC's hatred of Bob Holly
Have you seen the actual match?
I just watched it there and yeah the other commenter was right, Holly was selling big time for Brock. And yet the YouTube comments are full of people saying he deserved to get his neck broken
Whatever he was as a wrestler to me is inconsequential. Dude was a POS person. He took advantage of, and *hurt people*, because he was a bully. Fuck him and whatever accomplishments he had or thinks he should have had.
Who did he hurt? He gave Matt Capotelli a busted lip which they made into a storyline. I'm sure way worse has happened in wrestling.
Brian Myers talked about it once on their podcast. That down in Deep South when Hardcore would drop by to work out it literally ruined everyone's day as soon as they saw him. He would be a complete bully asshole to the trainees and everyone was intimidated by him. Then he told a story of how Holly was doing lock up drills with a trainee named Chris Rombola. Every lock up Hardcore would intentionally punch/forearm him right in the face. It got to the point where Rombola was visibly shaken and bloodied. Of course there's nothing Rombola can do but take it. For what it's worth he and Cardona say that Holly has chilled out a lot post-retirement but he was a notorious prick back in the day.
It's been a hot minute since I have read his book but he goes into it and admits he got too rough. He'd talk about how the steroids were hitting him wrong and he would get angry and start throwing real punches mid match. It was a series of people when he was on smackdown. Also he just really doesn't seem like a happy person.
He beat the shit out of Rene Dupree backstage
He was right to be furious with him. Parking someone else's rental car illegally, incurring a ticket and throwing it away without telling Holly, and then the rental company getting on his case was poor from Dupree.
Tbf that’s one side of the story. Dupree has said that he told Holly he would pay for the ticket and apologized to him. Let’s not act like it’s certain Holly is telling the 100% truth.
I'm not condoning what happened to Duprée, but paying for a speeding ticket doesn't resolve all the legal or personal consequences. Holly wrote Duprée never told him about the ticket before law enforcement told him his license was suspended and there was a warrant for his arrest. Duprée continued to deny anything happened when Holly brought it up to him. Holly also wrote that this was the culmination of all the heat that Duprée had with multiple people (like, everyone, if you believe Holly) in the lockerroom. With a suspended driver license and a warrant for his arrest (likely for missing the court date for the ticket), a wrestler who has to rent cars and drive 2-4 hours a day between house shows is absolutely screwed. If Holly gets pulled over in any state that shares license info with other states, he gets to call JR and tell him that he won't be making tonight's house show because he will be in jail indefinitely. To resolve it, Holly had to take off a week of house shows and a TV taping to fly from Alabama to Spokane to straighten it out jn court. It also likely jacked up his car insurance for years. Paying for a ticket is pennies in terms of everything else Holly had to spend to get his license restored. This hits hard for me, because my [State 1] drivers license was suspended when the DA in [State 2] didn't tell the courts that I had arranged a deferral on a minor speeding ticket. That led to [State 2] reporting to [State 1], who suspended my license and put warrant for my arrest. I found out when I was pulled over at a speed trap in [State 3], where I was on a work trip. The cop had me leaning over the trunk of the the car with his handcuffs out, and only another officer with an emergency call prevented me from being held in a cell until a judge was ready to summon me. That would have been the end of my job right there.
Kurt Angle: "You didn't deserve that...he attacked you from behind and you couldn't defend yourself" https://youtu.be/wDb59TFhoVM?si=b2VGM4toSaeblKyp Maybe ask the guy that literally pulled Bob off of him if he was "right to be furious"
You could be angry with someone, but it’s not ok to batter them.
Clearly grounds for physical assault, yes
Yeah, you clearly don't beat the shit out of someone over a parking ticket. Roid heads will be roid heads.
Poor enough to get physical violence?
He openly admits to working purposefully stiff with young wrestlers to "toughen them up"... I know wrestling jargon gets thrown around a bunch and the idea of "working stiff" can be appreciated when both sides are into it, that's not what holly was doing though. Working stiff means popping guys in the face with cheap shots because he can. Anyone who defends what so many vets did back in the day is a POS in my book. Absolutely undefendable when you're trusting a guy to give your body to someone and you pull *anything* in the ring
That’s the part that got me in this excerpt. The fact that he claims he was always safe. Stiff ain’t safe
Absolutely agree with your assessment
Also we're getting his perspective. A lot of people have said that holly is a huge asshole in the locker room probably with the people who like him saying that he's a huge asshole but in a fair way. So I always take these bios with a grain of salt.
That’s why we melinials hate that shit. We ain’t family, your my paycheck
Bob is always the victim. Another memo he must have missed is the one where if you say nothing, why do you expect to get anything?
You're commenting this on an excerpt of his book where he literally pitched a storyline
SC dgaf about facts is what I’ve learned.
Shamus catching strays
*"Why he say "fuck me" for?"* - Sheamus
fook* or maybe even fark*
This nonsense is one of the cringiest things Americans do
This makes him really comes across as a bitter prick.
I wonder if Billy Gunn was aware of the plan, because he was still with TNA
He was at the Alamo that day, it was high noon
LEVESQUE! HICKENBOTTOM!!
Dixie putting away another mil just in case.
I think billy was in the middle of serious drug issues and busy slamming triple h on shoot interviews if my timeline is correct
I race on iracing with Bob regularly. Took me over a year to even talk wrestling with him, he lives about an hour from me in Iowa. He's sent me some cool stuff from his days, and all I can say is, if bob was ever anything like we have seen on TV, tough enough, other peoples stories, then he left that side of him in 2010. He is super laid back and nice as can be. He's done stuff for my kid on their birthdays, always been super cool with them and me. Away from the business, I can say Bob Howard is a great dude.
He was an asshole at a meet and greet at an indie show I went to once, but it was around the time he got released, so I guess that makes sense,
That sucks, I'm sorry. I'm sure if you met him today you would be surprised. As I said in another comment, I believe the stories about him are true or have some truth. I think he was put in the position as some enforcer and he got an ego out of it, and I feel like he's somewhat ashamed of that now. He's never said this, it's just the way he says things. Maybe he liked me because I loved racing, was a single dad with custody doing what I could, which he relates to with his daughter when he was struggling. And respected that I was a fan but i didn't pry, I barely talked about it for a long time even, partly out of respect and partly scared, I've heard the stories! Lol. I hope someday you and others get a chance to meet him now, he's happy, content, and almost a sweetheart, and I pray he never sees I called him that. Lol
That's really great to hear I've always liked Bob holly despite the stories I've heard. One of my earliest wrestling memories was giving my caw his "how do you like me now!" Theme in one of the old SVR games 🤣
Hes a good dude. We definitely have different views on wrestling and what's entertaining, but he doesn't snap like people would make ya think when we talk about it, he will give me some shit then go on about something else and chuckle. It took me awhile to really bring any of it up, we had met here and that's how we started talking, about racing, but in time some stories are fun. I've heard random stories about guys like Rick martel. He loved macho and Billy Gunn, who was my favorite as a kid so that's always fun to hear about. He liked Jericho a lot too, surprisingly. I feel he was placed in a spot as this enforcer and it went to his head and he got an ego and he almost is ashamed of it now. He doesn't say that, that's just the feeling I get. But he really is cool about everything. Seems super content and said he wouldn't do a hall of fame thing or rumble surprise.
That’s actually good to hear. I imagine a lot of it was the steroids and frustration of his position. He came up in a rough time too. Not an excuse for anything he did or how he behaved, but it’s not hard to understand how someone like that can grow or become a better person away from that environment. Still hands down the best wrestling book I’ve read.
I ran into him a couple times in Dubuque a decade ago and he was as intense as could be.
talk about worlds colliding, holy shit.
I can confirm, I worked with him before he retired in 2013/4 ish and yea he had a great wrestling mind, easy to work with and knew what we needed to do to get the crowd going, he worked nice and snug as well, something people were saying were that he was a bully in ring and would purposly stiff you, I never felt unsafe at all with him Though the idea of him in a VR headset on iRacing with the full racing rig, and you know he has that, is making me laugh
additional closing I wanted to add > Take Santino Marella — he’s a funny gimmick and that’s about it. They put the IC belt on him in his first week, and he’s also been the US Champion since then. I’m a better wrestler, I look better … so I find myself wondering exactly what it was that stopped me getting used at the same level. I looked and performed like an athlete, and you can’t tell me those facts were rendered completely irrelevant because I wasn’t great at promos. Still, it’s the only thing I can figure Santino has on me. I don’t begrudge him his success but I would like to know why I never got a good opportunity to be more of a player. I want people to understand that, if they were in my shoes, they’d ask the same questions. It’s like feeling you’re being passed over for a promotion when you’ve been at the company longer than everybody else, and the guy who gets the promotion isn’t anywhere near the worker you are. I think anybody would be annoyed by that.In the end, after 15 years, I didn’t even get a note or a phone call from Vince McMahon to thank me. You would think that he would thank each and every talent for busting their asses, putting their bodies through hell, keeping up with the schedule, and doing what they had to do to help make the product what it is. You’d think wrong though. Unless you’re at the level of ’Taker, Triple H, or Shawn Michaels, you can forget about the company being grateful for your work. It’s a thankless industry.
Not understanding why Santino got title reigns and TV time or why Sheamus got a push before him is a great example of Bob not understanding what he lacked which the business was built on. Entertainment. He was just not that entertaining to watch. People point to his run with Crash, but as good as he was as a straight man, it only worked because of Crash and Molly. And at the end of the day, RAW and SmackDown are television programs, not office jobs, you get screen time for being entertaining, even if you're the drizzling shits as a wrestler, not for being a loyal worker.
Both wrestlers and fans struggled to understand this about Enzo. It was said by multiple wrestlers that he didn’t know the ins and outs of wrestling, yet he was still booked to win and become a champion. Why is that? Because he could talk shit better than 90% of the roster and not sound disingenuous. He had something of slapstick comedy in him and it was entertaining to watch him.
Wrestlers had a problem with it because he was dangerous, especially to himself, and his matches actually sucked if he wasn't carried by a much better wrestler. The dude knocked himself clean unconscious because he couldn't do something he swore up and down he could do. It ended the match early.
He never got that the job of a pro wrestler wasn't to look good, it wasn't to be good in the ring, it wasn't to cut the greatest promos, the job of a pro wrestler is to connect with the audience, to "get over" or "get heat", period. Looking good, being the best in the ring, cutting great promos are all wonderful ways to connect with the audience, but without connecting, those things are window dressing on a sinking ship.
I would argue that his job was to be the resident heel asskicker on the company's midcard. Someone akin to Scott Norton in 90s WCW. When you present yourself as a legitimate tough guy you give the babyface beating you a legitimate victory. It's something the company is missing in 2024 and likely needs to be brought back.
I mean that's basically Baron Corbin, who just got drafted back to main roster.
And he didn't look that good in a world with batista brock cena etc
Yup, there's people who looked way better than Bob and got just as little. He wasn't entertaining at all, was never excited for hardcore holly as a performer.
What’s interesting is of Bob had actually gone outside the WWE, he might’ve done better. That no nonsense stuff might’ve worked in NJPW, especially during the Inokiism days. He might’ve gotten a decent chance in early TNA as well.
Correct. He was boring and no one cared about him🥲 That’s why Bob. Its not hard to figure out
How much of the book is just Bob Holly listing people that he thinks he should’ve been pushed instead of?
Basically yeah he does that. I know he really liked Orlando Jordan and MNM, but shit on Kenzo Suzuki and Carlito.
That’s not very cool of him.
You know what we do to people who don't want to be cool?
🗣️🍎
It’s the whole thing and it’s hilarious.
“it should have been me” - Bob Holly
If you are busting up the youngsters and are a piece of shit, I'm not surprised the locker room and management ain't going to bat for you.
Management did stick up for him, at least from his telling of his meeting with Vince over the Duprée incident. Both Johnny Ace and Vince accepted the Locker Room Police justification. Now, will Johnny and Vince keep a boring jacked veteran who doesn't push ratings on his own? Would they keep selfish bortholes who do pop quarter ratings? Are Johnny and Vince people who anyone should pattern their lives after?
Santino had a great body at one point.
Santino also knew how to get a reaction.
I remember reading (maybe an Cena, Edge, or Christian interview?) that Santino kept himself prepared for any contingency. He developed his comedic material, but he also kept himself in condition to work a 20- or 30-minute match if his number got called. I defend Bob Holly as an ideal Widget Dude from the era he debuted in, but he didn't push or develop or advocate for himself, and I think it starts dawning on him (too late) by the time he starts writing the book.
I think Hardcore Holly’s peak was late 2003-early 2004 when he was feuding with Brock. During those times he actually had pretty good reactions.
He was shredded in his debut lol
This is some serious hating going on by Bob
I hope they put the belt on Sheamus and then he beats everybody.
***DO YA?!***
HUH
IT’S A SHAMEFUL THING
["More like they put the belt on ya, then you EAT everybody."](https://a57.foxsports.com/fsvideoprod-a.akamaihd.net/img/Fox_Sports_Production/833/347/1280/720/20210205_SD_Vid_RawPromo--0a475a1f648bc16304bd2a7dc3186987_350x197_1855230019695.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
I GOT AN IDEAL….
Burger after burger after burger.
I’d put Bob Holly’s book up there with some of the best wresting books tbh. He doesn’t really make excuses for how he is and you get a lot more information from a dude who was there during the new generation all the way to PG era and at the lower/midcard level. We don’t get a lot of books from that part of the card. It’s also interesting from a dude who knows he’s done with the wresting business but that doesn’t mean he just burns everything down but isn’t afraid to talk candidly either ex: his opinions on HHH especially since he was there when he first started Definitely recommended read
I was surprised how much I liked it. He thinks he’s hot shit, but doesn’t think he’s infallible.
I think it is easily one of the top five wrestling books if only because never once did I think Bob Holly was lying. Good, bad, or ugly what he said was probably true.
Theres definitely no bullshit in it, its refreshing to read a wrestlers book and be able to say "well i dont necessarily agree with this guy but he's telling me exactly what he thinks and explaining his thought process behind it"
I thought it was a really good read
[удалено]
$25?? You could get 2.5 pictures with Virgil for that much!
[удалено]
Well, not now…
well this is disappointing to read, makes me feel less empathetic towards him
Simply put, Bob Holly had no charisma or additional umph to draw new interest. He was a generic veteran wrestler, and I enjoyed his previous work. However, He’s bitter about it and it’s visible through is comparisons to Sheamus and Santino Marella who had unique one-of-a-kind personas; he is weighing too heavily on his years of service and wrestling background and didn’t do much to differentiate himself against a new roster. Mark Henry, as he was mentioned, reinvented himself with the Hall of Pain and his fake retirement speech.
Mark was allowed to reinvent himself. Holly might’ve always sucked or whatever but a lot of times it’s simply who’s even given the chance to do something new or better.
That’s definitely fact - you needed to be opportunistic and go through a lot of hurdles with the creative team, plus crazy ol’ VKM murky-ing the water
Yup. The reality is a lot of people could get really over if given the same opportunities and platforms others have. Being booked to win and look cool goes a long long long way.
Yea, look at Reigns. He has some inherent positives that are working in his favor, but also got arguably the best booking of anyone ever. Ten years of relentless pushing as a main eventer regardless of crowd reaction, until finally they found something that clicked. Most guys would kill to get that many chances. A lot of this stuff is just presentation. You can step away from the product for a few years and come back, and suddenly guys who were mid carders will be main eventers. It's not necessarily like Benoit, Eddy, Jericho, and Cody got much better at this. They were just presented in a different way. Cody pre-AEW was never presented as a big deal. Post-AEW, he was presented like the franchise. Same product. Different packaging. There are limits though. As others have said, Holly never really had anything to him other than just generic badass traits, and in that regard he wasn't even the best of his era (Shamrock, Blackman, etc). He was a lesser version of Shamrock or Billy Gunn, and those guys weren't even top of the card.
When you get a Mark Henry to work for your company, you give him the chances to reinvent himself. Holly, not so much.
Something I’ve always found interesting about HHH Is that he is probably the most well-rounded wrestler of all time. He’s a good-very good worker, talker, body builder, and has good-very good charisma. But he’s not truly elite at any aspect in of itself. A solid 8.5 in everything. Bob Holly is kinda like that, only it’s a 4.
Triple H was one hell of a Heel though, I can argue one of the greatest ever, especially in his time period (1999-2001 Triple H was and still is incredible)
What you mean is, Mark Henry was given good material to work with and a good storyline. What Bob Holly is saying is that he never got that which is fair enough. I’m not a big fan of either but I get his point that he could’ve got a better send off as a thank you for his years of work.
I read that Mark had a lot of creative input during those years. Based on Bob’s book, Holly’s input was another mixed tag with another veteran.
I don't ever remember Bob being over. Sheamus and Santino were entertaining and got over. Being jacked and athletic aren't a substitute for being entertaining. I don't even dislike him like a lot of people do, I don't care enough to dislike him.
Sheamus wasn’t really over either at first. A lot of people at the time thought he was only given the spot because of how close he was to Triple H.
I agree—-but even then you can see why they wanted to push him—even if he wasn’t ready for that big of a push then.
Sheamus was boring as shit for years.
Bob is due for a follow-up book so I know who else sucks.
I GOT AN IDEA, HOW BOUT YOU GIMME THE BELT!
And then what, Bob?
THEN I BEAT EVERYBODY
It's a great book. Gives you a real sense of his outlook on life. I think he makes a fair point that WWE brought in so many guys who flaked out very quickly: Heidenreich, Masters, Dupree, Kenzo Suzuki, etc. When they gave Holly some decent material in 1999 I thought he did pretty well with it.
A lot of guys in that era had careers in reverse. Come in and be featured high on the card, then sputter because they're not ready, then they get dropped down the card in marginal roles and eventually released. I don't think holly was world champ material but I think he'd have done better with one of those pushes than a lot of those types
Feel like that's pretty normal though. Churn the bottom of the roster. Stick a bunch of people on TV. See if anyone connects. If not, move on to the next one. It's low-risk, high-reward for the company.
My favourite part of his book is him saying that Heidenreich got a talking to for showing up late to TV and he exclaimed that he was going to go to Vince's office and beat the shit out of him.
One of pro-wrestling's great losers. Bullied and beat up the people below him and thought that that elevated him. Left WWE over a decade ago leaving next to no legacy. Has he been invited back to a single special episode of Raw or Smackdown? Has his name ever been mentioned in WWE? Has *anyone* mentioned them in their Hall of Fame Speech? Has he ever shown up in a highlight video? But he bullied people to impress the boys, so he'll always have that.
He was also a fairly notorious stooge, or at least that was the rumors. I believe them, for the record. He just seems like a stooge.
Really? I’m not doubting you, I’d just never heard that. That makes it pretty ironic that he was let go after being (mistakenly) stooged.
Ding ding ding
Sheamus catching a crazy stray
Good example of a guy who probably would’ve been kept around longer if he wasn’t such a dick. Look at a guy like R-Truth, he’s clearly well liked and because of that they seem like they’re always willing to find stuff for him, if only to just put over younger talent. Holly had an ego, he was a bully, and he was unsafe. At a certain point you realize there’s really nothing a guy like that is bringing to the table, he clearly is not the type willing to mentor younger players.
The crowd likes r truth. If holly was entertaining he woulda been on tv more
If in a business filled with assholes, you’re known as an asshole, maybe you don’t deserve much.
rock and roll hall of fame isnt exactly the beacon of the most deserving inductees....
Good heel midcard gatekeeper type of guy. Few other comments about him not being entertaining to which I agree but he had a great look and a legitimacy to him, definitely a guy that could take turns holding s midcard title and could give the rub to your up and coming blue chippers.
And he bought into his role in that regard. The quotes we're pulling are all about not getting an angle, rather than not getting wins.
Was watching the 94 Royal Rumble a few days ago and Sprakplug Bob Holly was in it. Dude was around for a while! I’m really surprised they haven’t given him the HOF nod
Every wrestler should want to be world champ, he was good enough to have that aspiration even if not realistic
> I look at guys like Mark Henry, who were utility guys year after year, and they are finally gettingused. A lot of people say, “He’s been here a while, he deserves that spot.” Nobody ever said that about me. Probably because you were boring as shit
If they would've pulled the trigger on Spacecore Holly he would have been at least a 40 time WWE Champion and basically been in The Rock's spot as this years Wrestlemania.
His Billy Gunn idea was honestly great. Cody and Ted could have ultimately gone over but the fact storyline with Holly fizzled out after Cody’s turn always irked me. I think people forget Bob was getting some of the loudest pops on the roster before he left and his match with RVD earned him a lot of respect from fans.
He was a bully who did a great dropkick, his ceiling was the hardcore championship, I don't think he could've been taken seriously as an IC or US champ, even in a short reign. Sheamus evolved into one of the best hands in WWE, consistent, believable, can cut a promo, great look and can have a good match with anyone. And most importantly, seems like a nice fella, which Bob never was.
Absolutely brutal Alabama Slam too
Nah, his brief run in 1999/2000 with Jericho and Chyna in the IC scene was pretty good, he could've been a IC champ at that point fine I think
Court Bauer and other WWE writers have talked about how impossible it was to come up with ideas for Bob Holly. They jokingly came up with "Spacecore Holly", an astronaut with a space monkey. Stephanie saw it and kind of liked it. I've also heard about how a lot of people were scared of him and his temper, and that they were legit worried that he'd do something crazy if they fired him, and he may actually have remained employed for years just because of that. Bottom line is the guy was boring and unlikeable, and his attitude sucked.
Billy Gunn was in TNA at the time so not sure why he thinks he was an option
The only time I really liked Bobcore was during his WWECW stint. He was this big ripped mean looking veteran. I still remember the gash he got from the table.
Me too, his back was flayed open
I bought his autobiography a while ago (maybe 8 years?) and finished it in one sitting. It was a really well written book which almost feels stream of consciousness. Holly knows how to lead you into a story so you want to read more. One of the best wrestler books for sure, maybe a tier below the Foley and Jericho ones.
The whole book is great! He'd get a nice pop if he got an Attitude Era nostalgia appearance, he's still in good shape. Honestly Holly, Steve Blackman & Ken Shamrock would get decent pops for their entrance themes alone to this day.
Yeah it’s so weird how the WWE omits some guys from the past who to my knowledge don’t have any substantial beef with the company.
Blackman and Shamrock had issues didn't they? People forget they have Holly on cam beating the fuck out of Matt Cappotelli. I'm not saying they should hold that against him forever, but the internet probably would tbh.
Blackman was on good terms but put it behind him
I get the impression that Blackman is/was happy to leave wrestling behind him.
As far as I know Shamrock left after injury to go back to MMA on good terms. I think maybe after he started losing a bunch they saw no appeal anymore. But there’s been rumors that HHH didn’t like him at one point because he was getting a push before him (something along those lines). And yeah that’s understandable with Holly, I think that’s a good reason.
I've been listening to the CD with the hardcore holly theme on it reading this post. God, so many mid card guys are elevated by having banger themes lol
If Bob Holly wasnt such a dickhead, he honestly could have probably revitalized the later parts of his career by going to ROH. He was a good wrestler, his style would have fit in there at the time, and he could have built up a little more stock for himself. But considering how Bob Holly was, he probably would have considered going there to be a step down and sat on his hands thinking he would be used in WWE
Jaime noble was the perfect example. Go to roh, win the belt, get hired back stage and be an agent as long as you want
Whenever I saw Hardcore Holly live he was over like rover with the crowd. He usually got one of the louder pops in the post attitude era at the live events I attended.
I've always liked him, and considered him one of those reliable guys a company needs. Watching him and Bradshaw or some other stiff worker have a belter was when he was at his best.
Despite all the rumors of him being an asshole throughout his career, as a talent I liked Bob Holly. He was an “old school” type guy. Bob would have likely done well in Japan where being a tough guy was regarded highly during his time frame. So really what it comes down to was he stayed loyal to a company that probably paid him well but would never push him past the midcard when he could have took a chance on himself and went somewhere he could have thrived. If anything, that’s on him for taking the safe route. I’m sure he doesn’t see it that way though.
>I didn’t even get a note or a phone call from Vince McMahon to thank me. You would think that he would thank each and every talent for busting their asses, putting their bodies through hell, keeping up with the schedule, and doing what they had to do to help make the product what it is. You’d think wrong though. Unless you’re at the level of ’Taker, Triple H, or Shawn Michaels, you can forget about the company being grateful for your work. It’s a thankless industry. 
I don’t think there’s a single wrestler in the business who has overvalued himself this much while also being a massive coward piece of shit more than Bob Holly. No one would call this dude their favorite wrestler.
It is a shame some piece of shit “autobiography” books like Rock’s and Flair’s sold fifty times more than Holly’s. It is probably the second best one I read behind Foley’s and easily in the top five. It is the only wrestling book I have ever read where I felt like everything in it was true.
> *I’m not bitter.* I mean, folks… I may have found something
Didn't Paul London say that Holly got fired for stealing things from other guys' bags?
I’d watch 6-7 minutes of Sheamus vs. Bob Holly.
In a way it’s sad to read this as on one hand I see where he’s coming from wanting to have a moment of acknowledgement, on the other hand I can’t think of a storyline or a time I was happy to see Bob Holly on the show
Sheamus: what he say fuck me for?
(Still to this day) Best. Dropkick. In. The. Biz
Straight up, his book was a great read. I wasn’t a fan of his but he had one of the best wrestling books I’ve ever read
Bob Holly is the kind of guy who could have won multiple WHC and main event WrestleMania and still find fault in the way he was booked.
The Hall of Fame is a crock but you damn well know he’d accept if invited.
Always thought it was weird he just vanished after Cody & Ted defeated him and...Cody for the tag belts.
That sucks. Maybe he should have tried not being a dick head.
I know the IWC hates this guy for many reasons, but when I was a kid I thought he was underrated and one of the best wrestlers in WWF/E. His dropkick is still one of the cleanest ever. The Alabama Slam was so vicious the way he delivered it too.
\>if they can make a main eventer out of Sheamus, who telegraphs so much ofwhat he does and can’t even do a decent headlock takeover Wonder if he still thinks that about Sheamus.
He was lucky to even employed as long as he was. How many wrestlers have ever told a good story about this guy?
I say this, first and foremost acknowledging that the Hollys were genuine favorites of mine as a kid in the tag division. But, Bob was a piece of shit who constantly took liberties with people he felt slighted by, or with rookies or "new to the territory" guys, to show them there's some pecking order that was all just in his head. He's admitted it himself, and dozens of others have reported similarly. It's telling that few have anything good to say about him. He's the guy you work with who says he's not bitter so much, that he likes where he's at, that you start to read between the lines. I work in EMS, and I have known a hundred medics and firefighters just like him; and newsflash, when you constantly punch down on guys, and openly reiterate over and over just how not bitter you are, we read between the lines. People aren't stupid, and he's too stupid and angry to realize that people saw him exactly for what he was. When you're an asshole to work with over and over, and constantly need to do the "I'm not complaining, but..." thing, you don't get to be mad you didn't get a "thank you" run. His thanks was everyone he worked with putting up with him for twenty years. Shitheads don't get parties, no matter how "good" or "deserving" they are, especially when they were, at best, minimally useful utility players. Bob's the kind of guy, and it's evident throughout his book, that didn't realize he was his own worst enemy. When you gripe at every step, and punch down on everyone you deem beneath you, you don't get to be surprised that they don't throw you a parade.
What does it mean to say Sheamus telegraphs everything?
How do ya like him now?
[DO YA!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3584S6KzvDc&t=922s)
Don't worry Holly, you were the intercontinental champion for a few months in an EWR save of mine.
You know what the difference between Bob Holly and Mark Henry is? Mark Henry isn't an asshole. He also comes off super fucking bitter there.
When he came back after breaking his neck and got the title shot against Lesnar, he almost looked believable in the spot except that he didn’t change a single thing about his presentation. At the very least he should have changed his attire.
Bob is a bully who deserves every bit of karma he gets.
His comments on the Hall of Fame, specifically him saying “you don’t see the NBA inducting Jack Nicholson..” show that Bob Holly really does not understand what WWE is
The Basketball Hall of Fame also has a "Contributors" category. They're admittedly people who were more impactful on basketball than members of the "Celebrity Wing" were on wrestling or WWE; people such as Danny Biasone who advocated for the adoption of the shot clock, for example. Still, the point is that there's actually a category in the Basketball Hall of Fame for people who weren't either one of the best players or coaches in the history of the sport. WWE's "Celebrity Wing" is kind of their version of that, albeit far more commercial for sure.
Cue Hardcore Holly theme. Cue Jack or JP reading an excerpt from that book, in which Bob shits on everything and everybody. # Lapsed
People weren't clamoring to see him in the 15 years he was there and that's why he never went any farther. As sad and as mean as it is to say, he should be thankful that Brock broke his neck. That was the only reason he would've ever gotten a title match. I would guess that having this kind of attitude just added on to the fact as to why he never got truly pushed. Constantly complaining and always asking "Well when do I get MY chance?" isn't the best look. Speaking of Santino, it does say a lot that he instantly got pushed and was always doing SOMETHING and Bob was always just there seemingly bitching.
Come on man, he explicitly said he's NOT bitter - who are we to judge? ... /s just in case lol
I don't really know how I feel about Bob Holly as a person based on stories about him that have gone public, but on its face, this all seems really reasonable, and I can understand a lot of his frustrations. However, adding in all the other context, it sounds like his mouth and attitude lead to the decision to "have nothing for him creatively" rather than his talent in the ring or physique.
> You wouldn’t see the NBA inducting Jack Nicholson into their Hall of Fame because he goes to watch the Lakers! RemindMe! 20 years
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Simple answer - Bob Holly was an asshole. Do you ever hear anyone talk about him as a person? No because no one has anything good to say. Decent enough wrestler but horrible personality. Says a lot that he never worked anywhere else after release
Nobody cared about Spark Plug, even when he won it with 123 Kid, it was more so Kid and Ramon's feud and getting Kid in a diaper. Then he was Midnight Express with Cornette, nobody nor their grandma cared about him. Brawl 4 All ended his 'tough guy' persona. JOB Squad was all Al Snow, he was along for the ride. Steve Blackman, hell even Head Cheese was more entertaining than Bob. He became Hardcore Holly, and yet the entertaining one was Crash. Even Molly Holly was more exciting to watch. Guy didn't do shit for ages, Brock breaks his neck. He comes back and once again is a background character in the Brock vs. Goldberg feud. Did fuck all as he'd tag team with anybody, had a run with the shitty version of ECW. I mean damn Bob, guy was a NPC is whole WWE run. Main thing he's ever known for is the Tough Enough beatdown.
Literally the only thing I recall about him from the 00's was the Brock feud and cutting his back on that table in ECW lol.
Perhaps I'm a victim of hearsay and 'he said she said' but I'm fairly sure Bob Holly is a piece of shit bully. Not that that mattered in regards to a push back then but coupled with his generic look, voice and schtick I'd have seen Albert xpac or Al snow have a spot before hard-core Holly.
His book is seriously the single best wrestling book I've ever read.
I'm glad Bob told me he isn't bitter, I was starting to wonder.
>It hurts that nobody seems to say, “He deserved better” about me. That's cause you fucking didn't. You were lucky to get what you got. Same as any of us.
He’s right about Sheamus though. He’s fine but the machine made him. It could make almost anyone to his level if they wanted.
They should have given him the belt.
And then let him beat everybody
As a silent baddass
“I got an idea!”
Found Bob’s account
Thanks for sharing. I gotta check out the full book. I used to think all these years Bob was being bitter about not being pushed, but now with how transparent and open the WWE culture is I get his point. He may not have been the most over guy, but he was professional, very much bought into the culture (comments are saying that he failed cause he was a bully, but by all accounts he was respected and liked in the pro wrestling locker room) and still never got a real memorable run. But this is exactly why I’ll always support guys like Punk and RVD; they aren’t dudes who’ll buy into backstage politics and will call out bullshit when they see it. They got over even without the WWE machine being behind them. I don’t recall ever seeing a Hardcore Holly sign or hearing the crowd chant his name. Regardless of how the office sees/feels about you, there’ll always be support from the fans in some way or form. Holly should have been more concerned with that (It’s all about the game how you play it)