Nord the Barbarian, AKA the Bezerker, one of wrestling’s most well remembered gimmick wrestlers. RF Video was able to talk to the man behind the Viking helmet, John Nord, in a brand new exclusive shoot DVD! Fans of wrestling in the ’80s are going to love this interview as Nord was around all the major territories and every single big name in the business. Verne Gagne’s AWA. Fritz Von Erich’s World Class Championship Wrestling. Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation. World Championship Wrestling. Touring Japan. Nord crisscrossed the wrestling world and has lived to tell about the amazing world of entertainment mixed with excess, instant gratification, and debauchery. Nord talked about working with a greenhorn Jake Roberts and being ribbed by Dusty Rhodes in the early stages of career. Anyone who watched the Spectacular Legacy of the AWA is going to be fascinated as Nord talked about growing up with Curt Henning and Road Warrior Hawk along with why he didn’t get along with Nick Bockwinkle. Do you remember Wrestlerock? John does, and he gave us the inside scoop on that unforgettable moment in wrestling history. We were able to get Nord to open up on whose idea it was to pattern himself after Bruiser Brody and also got John to talk about meeting Brody in Japan. Why did Brody walk out of a New Japan tag tournament and what was it like to be ribbed while working against Antonio Inoki? Was Brody seriously considering jumping the rail at WrestleMania I? Nord answers these and many other questions, such as: why Nord left the AWA and no showed his match with Bockwinkel on the same night Hennig won the strap, what it was like to work in Portland, and why he went to Texas to work in World Class. We grilled Brody on various Von Erich questions, including whether it was true that he refused to put Kevin over at the David Von Erich Memorial Show. The subject of Brody weaves throughout the interview as he was such an important man in Nord’s career. John talked about a confrontation between Brody and the Ultimate Warrior in World Class, and how Warrior held that against Nord later in the WWF. Nord discussed the plans he and Brody had for the future and the horrible phone call he received from Barbara Gooding explaining what happened in Puerto Rico. For the first time ever, Nord explains why he didn’t go to Brody’s funeral. Just an amazing interview that covers the gamut of wrestling history. How did the AWA change during his runs in Minneapolis. How Nord got into the WWF and why he changed his name from Viking to Berzerker. What it was like to work a program with the Undertaker. How the Iron Sheik got fired. All of this and so much more, heck, we haven’t even discussed Nord’s run in WCW!
