INTERVIEW CLASSIC (10 YRS AGO): Jim Brunzell talks birth of Hulkamania, fall of the AWA, drug and alcohol abuse, one-sided WWE contracts

Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast

Wade Keller

Tv & Film, Sports, Leisure

3.9 • 903 Ratings

🗓️ 9 November 2025

⏱️ 99 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this week’s Interview Classic episode from ten years ago (11-5-2015), PWTorch editor Wade Keller was joined by "Jumpin'" Jim Brunzell, a longtime standout tag team wrestler in the 1970s and 1980s as part of the AWA High Flyers and the WWF Killer Bees. He discusses Verne Gagne as a boss and promoter, the dynamic with Verne and his business partner Wally Karbo, the rise of Hulk Hogan in the AWA and the birth of Hulkamania, the fall of AWA after Hogan left, the culture shock of the 1980s WWF grind compared to the AWA, observing the rise of drugs and alcohol, steroid abuse, one-sided WWE contracts, why Vince McMahon never fully embraced him and the Killer Bees tag team, today's wrestling scene, and more.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Give yourself a reason to look forward to going to the mailbox each week with a PWTorch newsletter paper copy subscription.
0:06.8	Details at pwtorch.com slash paper copy.
0:10.2	It's 12 pages every week packed with my TV reports along with exclusive features such as my cover story on the top story of the week.
0:17.1	Our pay-per-view roundtable reviews from the Torch staff.
0:20.0	Exclusive feature-length columns from Greg Parks, Rich Fan, Sean Radican, Alan Coonahan, and Zach Haydorne, Torch Talk transcripts, the latest news, and more.
0:30.0	PwTorch.com slash paper copy.
0:33.0	Take a break from screen time and settle in every week with a meagos of wrestling news and analysis with
0:38.7	a pro wrestling torch newsletter paper copy edition in the year 2022. You can get a full year of home
0:45.5	delivery for just $99. Or try us for an eight-week trial subscription. Pwtorch.com
0:52.1	slash paper copy.
1:09.6	Now, PWTorch and Spreaker bring you the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast.
1:10.7	It's time for this week's interview classic, where Wade Keller interviews one of pro
1:14.9	wrestling's newsmakers.
1:21.1	Ten years ago this week, I interviewed Jumping Jim Brunzel, part of the High Flyers
1:24.8	Take team in the AWA in the late 70s into the 80s, and then the Killer Bs with B Brian Blair in the WWF. And this is a really good interview. Jim is one of my favorite people to interview because he takes me behind the scenes to the company, the promotion, the territory I grew up watching, the AWA. And he talks about being part of the high flyers and the killer bees in the AWA and
1:46.2	WWF.
1:46.9	He talked about Vern Ganya, the owner and world champion in the AWA.
1:50.7	He talked about him as a boss and a promoter.
1:53.1	He talked about the dynamic with Vern and his business partner, Wally Carbo, a very
1:57.9	successful pair of promoters who each had very distinct roles in their company.
2:02.4	Kind of something we talk about with Tony Khan, like, does he need a Wally Carbo or does he need
2:07.2	a Vernania?
	...

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