Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Welcome to the Busted Open Podcast. This is Dave LaGreca. On today's episode, myself and Tommy Dreamer talk to the family of road war animal Joe Laurinaitis, Kim Laurinaitis, and Lindsay Laurinaitis. They set it straight on the A&E bio.
Chapter 2: What insights do Kim and Lindsey Laurinaitis share about Road Warrior Animal?
of Road Warriors. Also, getting you ready for Double or Nothing this weekend with AEW, Don Callis joins us right here on the Busted Open Podcast. This is the Busted Open Podcast. The family of Joe Animal Laurenitis, and that is Kim and Lindsay Laurenitis, wife and daughter of Road Warrior Animal. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. Appreciate your time.
Oh, thank you for having us.
Good morning.
Hi.
Nice to see you both.
You too.
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Chapter 3: What inaccuracies did the Laurinaitis family identify in the A&E biography?
Okay, so let me start with you, Kim. So the A&E biography, you know, and by the way, I think from watching it, Animal was definitely put in a very positive light, I felt, like in the biography itself. But I know that you went to social media after it and you were very upset and very angry because your side of the story was never told. And a lot of facts...
you believe were definitely wrong that they put into the biography. So the floor is yours. You know, after watching the biography, you know, what were the main pieces of what we saw on A&E that bothered you the most?
It was kind of a combination of things. First of all, I want to apologize for going off on social media the way I did.
Well, you used all caps. So, you know, you were very angry because you used all caps.
I know. I've gotten backlash on that a lot. But it got to the first part is I didn't even know that there was going to be an episode. Yeah. The fact that I found out when the Von Eriks episode came and I saw their picture advertised on it and I started questioning it then. I was contacted last year in February about a biography coming out. WWE had contacted me. My agent had contacted them back.
We were in negotiations about it and discussing it. I wanted to make sure that all of the family was going to be involved. And then their legal team took it and told us nothing. It went crickets. We contacted them several other times over All of 25. And we were basically told that it was going to be non like nothing was being done. It would be cut maybe on the next series and nothing.
So I just thought no one had filmed anything. I knew nothing of this until I saw that advertised. And I'm thinking, are they advertising for the next season or what? Started checking on it. And then find out. And it's like your sucker punch.
Kim, we lost you for a minute, but we have you back. So, so from what you said is that you were by everything that you experienced, it almost seems like you knew that at some point this show was going to happen, but probably next season, not that it wasn't going to happen. Right. Yeah. Okay.
Right. Like, and I was in hopes of it. We kept reaching out to contact them and was asking, Hey, when are we going to do this? Is it going to happen? When, how, you know, how would we do this? Cause our family is spread out amongst different states.
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Chapter 4: How did Kim Laurinaitis feel about the portrayal of her husband in the documentary?
And how would we film? Are we going to get together? Are you going to go to different places?
And that was her wish was to somehow work something where, you know, it was my dad was portrayed as such this family man, which he was. And everybody that knew him knew that. And so that was what was important to my mom was if there's a way that all of us could get together to film and that's including kids. the four siblings, the grandkids who ever wanted to. Right.
That's what the response back was like, okay, like we want to do this, but we want to do this too.
Like where. To honor him, his wishes. I just, that's my whole goal in life is just to keep honoring what he would want and what would make him happy. It's not anything about, I know the backlash is about me or whatever. It has nothing to do about that. I'm here to honor him. And the way that this was done, yeah, did it hurt me personally? Absolutely.
Because then you get a lot of backlash back from like, were you really his wife? What was all of that? And I thought he died on your anniversary in a hotel. And it brings me back to a very dark moment. I wouldn't wish it on anybody. Not many people die on your anniversary while you've had a perfect day celebrating
one of the greatest days of my life, you know, um, and honestly it took me back there and it took me several years of therapy to get through that. Um, yes, I understand that most people in life, you do end up losing your parents. I, and I don't look forward to that day for me. I've lost my dad six months after Joe, the two most important men in my life. Um,
But when you lose your spouse, your best friend, your right-hand person, it changes everything in your life. But when you watch them and you're thinking you are celebrating and you're thinking everything is perfect.
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Chapter 5: What were the Laurinaitis family's expectations for the A&E biography?
Like you don't want to see him sick. You don't want to see him suffer, but they're sitting there laughing. And then they fall right on top of you out of nowhere. And then you're left trying to do CPR and you question, did you do enough? Did you do this? And I never understood PTSD until that day.
I never understood a lot of things until that day and how much it can take control of mental health and things like that and going through that. And when you hear the way that it was edited on this, and that's why I got so angry is I'm sitting there going like, Did I not? I questioned for so long. Did I not do enough? Did I not protect him then? And just a lot of questions was rushing in my mind.
And I'm thinking he didn't die in a hospital. He didn't do this. And the way it was portrayed, it looked like his second wife was his wife. And I'm getting all these questions and it's making me angry. And if you knew the situation...
i can't change his past i don't have a problem with his past at all i absolutely love his first wife nancy we have a great relationship the second one i'm that is the mother of his two children but there is some history there like at his memorial um that has not been addressed that is a lot of
not so nice things that happened to my husband and during that weekend that I'm not okay with and I know what his wishes were and it was not honored in this segment and I feel like he was totally disrespected especially with some of the people that was used in that episode like it would not be several of the people that were in this episode he would not have wanted to be on there period
and i feel like a couple of people was like the pot calling the kettle black hawk was one of my best friends for many years and you want to talk about all i heard was about his addiction hawk cattle we all know that we all know he had problems so does everybody else in this world we all have things that we struggle with and we fight with obviously people know i fight with my anger issues and my mouth that's all out there now but
hawk had so many other sides that was beautiful about him and such a giving soul and Why can't we be kind? Why can't we talk about just good things?
Why can't we talk about Japan and eight, you know, the other federations, the Georgia championship more, the things that brought them up to be who they were, even though they looked like village people, you know, at the beginning, but it created them and who they were. And then them as people like the good things, no, they want to hear all this bad crap, you know, just like on Hawk.
But I feel like they're asking me about, oh, you want a payday? You want this? You want that? No, all these people that were in there, they did because half of them wouldn't even get up and come over there and speak to Joe. And I'm the one who watched him hurt over this. And some of them were his very good friends for a long time.
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Chapter 6: How did the Laurinaitis family plan to honor Road Warrior Animal's legacy?
And Mark Davis, the new national champion. And my version, the Don Callis family version of an amalgam of Terry Gordy and Stan Hansen. I love Mark Davis. I know Tommy does as well. They are going to team up with Ricochet against... Three people that I really have very little personal regard for. The Young Bucks, who have completely destroyed their little corner of the wrestling business.
I know Tommy's a big Young Bucks fan. I know he wishes he could have been young and slim and doing flips, but it didn't work out that way for him. And then their partner... Chris Jericho, I mean, or actually just Jericho, which is kind of what I've been calling him for 37 years. So Jericho is in this match. And I think that Andrade is going, I'm calling my shot like Babe Ruth. Is that who did it?
Andrade will pin Chris Jericho in this match.
I love the fact that you're claiming Chris Jericho name. I created Jericho. Very Don Callis of you. After this, whose coattails you're riding to get to the pay-per-view?
Well, actually, I'm riding not coattails, but a private plane to get to New York because I have a ban on LaGuardia Airport. The last time I went to LaGuardia, LaGreca, Dreamer was supposed to pick me up and he couldn't figure out how to stop his car. So we just kept circling for several hours while I did a pit stop at the Delta Lounge.
So I'm never flying a commercial into New York again, but I am very excited. Louis Armstrong arena. It's going to be phenomenal. I always love coming to New York, being out there and flushing around all the great tennis. You know, I was a third team, all American tennis player at North Dakota state university back in 1989. So it really makes me feel good. And I think without a doubt,
Okada and Takeshita is what everybody is talking about. The two greatest Japanese wrestlers of their generation. Okada, one of the greats of all time, and Takeshita, the young line, trying to take that spot. And I just love that in the Don Callis family, we don't bitch, we don't backstab each other.
We man up and we face each other in the ring and all for the personal financial gain of one Don Callis.
Well, it certainly seems that way, Don, because when you look at what we're going to see at Double or Nothing, a very important pay-per-view for AEW.
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Chapter 7: What challenges did the family face regarding the biography's production?
And like I said, it's going to be rocking at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. But you have that match, but you also have the stadium stampede match because there's going to be members of the Cowles family involved in that as well with Mark Davis and Andrade. So this is a big weekend for your family at Double or Nothing.
Gigantic. I mean, people have said like, oh, why does he need so many members? Why does he have to have all the best athletes? Well, I'm the Pat Riley of this son of a bitch right now. I am the Pat Riley. I operate this faction as if it's a professional sports franchise. And I have high, high standards for what I'm going to do. So I built this faction to take over a pay-per-view.
And that's exactly what you're hitting on. is when we dominate both in the Takeshi Okada match and in Stadium Stampede, at the end of the day, double or nothing, or as its hashtag is, Dawn. This is the pay-per-view of the Dawn Callis family. I love it.
Chapter 8: What emotional impact did Road Warrior Animal's passing have on his family?
I love it. And the hashtag rings true. And that's exactly the hashtag everyone will be using because I think the emphasis is on the Don Callis family and Don Callis. And of course, if you can't be in Queens, New York, you'll be able to watch it on HBO Max or Prime Video. And the other question I wanted to ask you, Don, is because of this match. And I think people have high hopes for this match.
probably an early call for match of the year is what we're going to see at Double or Nothing between Okada and Takeshita. Okada has nothing to prove. Okada's the champion. Okada is noted as one of the greatest pro wrestlers in the world. Do you think Takeshita has something to prove, especially after the match with Darby Allin?
Like, does Takeshita have more to prove in this match than Okada at Double or Nothing?
I think the big difference is you're talking about two very different athletes from a mental standpoint. And I'm not going to comment negative or positive one way or the other. But I will say to your point, O'Connor is a guy who is at peace with himself. He could walk away today and he will have had one of the greatest careers in the history of pro wrestling. With that peace.
That inner peace, LaGreca and Dreamer, comes an ability to focus. Takeshita's like a wild horse. He just wants to run. He wants to buck. He wants to show the older horse that he's the guy.
So I think that Takeshita has an athletic advantage on Okada because I think Takeshita might be the best pure athlete in pro wrestling when you take into account his size and his athletic background with respect to Olympic decathlon training. But Okada has the advantage in terms of his mental piece. I've talked about it. Okada's heart rate. We put a halter on him in training.
His heart rate never goes above 68. He's always calm. He's always focused. The longer this match goes, I think it will favor Okada. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter. Win, lose, whatever. The real winner will be the Don Callis family.
Don, in a couple of months, I know you've got your finger on the pulse of the industry. There's a lot of men and women who are going to be free agents. Is there anybody that you have your eye on or somebody that you think would be a great fit for the Don Callis family?
Well, here's the thing. You know, I recently purchased a yacht. Now, the thing is, the yacht is not as impressive as Tony Khan's yacht, which is like next level. OK, my yacht is only about 90 feet long. OK, but we did have a problem when the family took it out. So what I'm looking for is someone who can provide what they call in nautical engineering ballast, something really heavy.
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