Handsome Harley Race
April 29, 1998
by RichInKC

RichInKC: That sounds right.

Harley Race: And you will think I am saying this because this is going up on his web siteÖDiamond Dallas Page started in wrestling a few years ago and went virtually nowhere for quite some time. He changed his whole style of wrestling and did a major turn around.

RichInKC: Are there any guys on the WWF side that have gotten your attention?

Harley Race: Stone Cold, of course. As you know he was in WCW for quite awhile as kind of a middle of the road type of guy. Now he went up there, changed his attitude, changed styles a little bit, now he's one of their headliners. Another one is Owen Hart. I've known the Hart family when those guys were just little bitty kids. He's done fabulous. Whether you like him or don't like him, Shawn Michaels has done pretty much the same.

RichInKC: Are there any matches you wish you could see right now? If you were the promoter, are there any matches you would love to put together?

Harley Race: I think virtually anything that's out there has been done at some point in time. The guys switch back and forth between the two major feds now when the whim hits them. It's hard to say. I am sure that the fans would like to see several different people get together. As far as myself, I have seen it at some point in time.

RichInKC: What are your thoughts on the two federations are progressing? Recently, Raw defeated Nitro in the ratings for the first time in more than a year. Do you have any insights on that? If this is a question you would rather not answer to prevent upsetting anyone, we can scratch it.

Harley Race: No, I don't really care if I upset them. I think that the reason Raw is probably is coming back a little bit is that most of their matches come to a conclusion. In WCW, almost none of them go to a conclusion anymore. About 15 minutes into the match, people turn around and start looking to the dressing room to see who is going to come running out.

RichInKC: It's pretty obvious that the WWF has gone for more of a, shall we say, adult-oriented form of programming. Do you think this will be effective for them?

Harley Race: I think that it will eventually be their downfall. You can't putÖwell, filth on and keep a crowd. You will keep a select group, and the novelty of doing it will get you a big crowd. The overall thing is wrestling didn't start out to be pornographic and I don't think it ever should be. When you start spelling wrestling with an R rating or something else you are getting away from what it is all about.

RichInKC: The past year has shown much greater involvement in the management of the federations in wrestling. We have seen both Eric Bischoff and Vince McMahon showing up in the ring lately. Do you have any thoughts on that? Do you think it is a good thing or a bad thing?

Harley Race: Well, I guess either one of them have the power to do what they want to do, so it is kind of hard to say they can't do it. Whether I like it or not, they don't give a damn. Again, it's just feeding egos.