Shane Helms Says He Never Liked The Dennis Stamp “I’m Not Booked” Scene
Shane Helms says he would have told Dennis Stamp to "fuck off" as opposed to appeasing him.
In the 1999 documentary Beyond The Mat, Terry Funk and the recently deceased Stamp are featured in a scene where Stamp insist he will not be at Funk's retirement match. The scene was made famous when Stamp repeated the phrase "I'm not booked." Eventually, Funk compromises and allows Stamp to referee the main event. On Fightful Wrestling's podcast, Helms said he was not as big of a fan of the scene as most people.
"I never liked that segment of the movie, it always bothered me. The movie overall was depressing, I felt like if I was playing Terry Funk, and I went up to my friends and I said 'hey I want you to come to my show' and he says 'I'm not coming, if I'm not booked', I'd say 'Well go fuck yourself.' That's how long that segment would be," said Helms. "I don't want to trample on anybody, but I thought the guy was a jackass. I was like 'well go fuck off,' that's how it would have went down for me. I never got the joke about it, the appeal of it. Plus, (Funk) retired four times after that, " he added.
Stamp was semi-retired at the time of the film but wrestled at Absolute Intense Wrestling in 2015. After the film, "I'm not booked" became a catchphrase for the wrestler. He passed away on March 13th, 2017 after a battle with cancer.
During the rest of Fightful Wrestling's podcast Helms and host Sean Ross Sapp discussed Impact Wrestling news and Helms' former tag-team partner Matt Anoa'i.
