Rated-R deal means ratings

Rated-R deal means ratings

Edge knows something about deals and making the most of them. He won the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 21 and cashed it in on a weakened John Cena to win his first WWE Championship at New Year's Revolution in 2006. And as one of the participants in Money in the Bank at WrestleMania 23, the Rated-R Superstar hopes to repeat history and win the gold again.

Joined by fellow Superstars WWE Champion John Cena, ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley and Randy Orton, Edge will appear on the hit NBC game show Deal or No Deal on Sunday, March 4 at 9 p.m. ET. In this week's edition of Superstar to Superstar, Edge discusses deals -- as well as beer and virtues of Canada-with fellow Canadian and Deal host, Howie Mandel. Find out if he makes an R-rated deal with the comedian below:


Edge: You like Molson or Labatt?

Mandel: Anything I can get my hands on.… I like Canadian beer a lot better than American. American seems watered-down.

Edge: In Canada, it's beer, hockey and then everything else.

Mandel: Oh, really? I thought it was hockey, then beer. But then again, I am dyslexic …. In Canada, "open the case" means something totally different.

Edge: You've been in dramas such as St. Elsewhere [and] done shows like Bobby's World --- which I loved. What made you want to play a game show host on Deal or No Deal?

Mandel: I absolutely did not want to be a game show host. It was presented to me and I said, "No." Then they came back and presented it to me again, and I said, "No." I love to work as a comedian, and I thought that would put an end to that career, so I said, "No" a third time. Then my wife saw a tape of the show, [since] it plays in 65 countries. She said to me, "You're an idiot. Take the deal." And I listened to her. I took the deal, and nobody is more surprised and thrilled by the success that this has turned into [than me].

Edge: Now does this still give you the freedom to do your [standup comedy] shows?

Mandel: I do 250 live dates (shows) a year. When I leave here tonight, I'll be going to Vegas.

Edge: That's almost as many as us.

Mandel: Almost as many, but you guys go farther. You travel overseas to other countries while I stay in North America.

Edge: That's smart, trust me.

Mandel: And I don't get hurt. Well, I do, but emotionally. [laughs]

Edge: Yeah, I do too. That's actually worse than the physical .... Did you ever imagine Deal or No Deal would become such a game show phenomenon?

Mandel: Not only did I not think it was going to be a phenomenon, I thought it would be the end of my career. I was sure it was going to be. But I didn't want it to be the end of my relationship, so I listened to my wife.… We have a great relationship, and it's been great for my career. It's a good deal, win-win!

Edge: Now, I used to carry a briefcase to the ring and hit people with it. Do you ever get tempted [to] just waylay somebody when they make a stupid decision?

Mandel: The hardest thing for me when I think somebody is making a stupid move is not to throttle them. When I'm adamantly offering somebody who's told me they're in debt, have never owned anything, have three kids, would like to pay for college $250,000 - with no safety net -and they go, "No deal," the hardest thing for me is not to slap them and say, "You idiot! Take the deal."

Edge: How do you want people to see you: as a comedian, a game show host or as an entertainer?

Mandel: I just really want people to see me. If you go to my movie, go to whatever [show] I'm doing and entertaining, watching the cartoons, [or] tuning into the show, I just want to be seen.  Because to do whatever we do to entertain alone -- including wrestling -- it just doesn't work.

Edge: You started hosting Deal or No Deal in Canada, in Toronto, our hometown. The contestants there are probably much smarter, so you probably don't have to guide them through the game like you have to do in the U.S. Is there anything different about the show there other than having to bargain with Canadians?

Mandel: Well, actually with the Canadian money -- the Canadian prize -- you don't have to pay taxes on winnings. And the exchange rate isn't huge right now. So if you win $1 million in Canada, you win $1 million. In America, you have to pay taxes on your winnings. So, it [Deal or No Deal] is huge in Canada.… And in Canada, we opened up a call for contestants. In a two-week period, we got 122,000 responses for contestants to be on. I don't know that we get that much even in America.

 

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