jamesdiggy
08-08-2002, 06:27 PM
"I coulda' been a contender!"
Many of you know my background and some of you do not. I have been in the wrestling business for 23 years. The first 16 years were as a wrestler and the last 7 years were in the TV production and writing divisions of both the WWF and WCW. Wade Keller owns the Pro Wrestling Torch, which is a very good `insider's' periodical that gives people who are not in the industry, a detailed look at the inner workings of the wrestling business. He covers match results, talent movement, and gives expert commentary on these subjects. Wade interviewed me a year ago and in the interview called me "the Forrest Gump of the Wrestling Business." I didn't know how to take it at first, but when I thought about it - the nickname fit.
I know, I know, somebody is going to say I have the same IQ and after you read this piece - you may think the same thing. Wade was alluding to the fact that I have been in or around almost every major wrestling story for the past decade. The story I'd like to tell you now has a very important message for EVERYBODY! I only wish I'd have learned the lesson I'm about to teach you.
As most of you know, I broke into the wrestling business on a fluke. I had a huge college buddy who wasn't a fan, but because of his size lucked into a tryout with a new wrestling organization. He asked me to teach him what I knew. All I knew was what I saw on TV, so I showed him the moves I learned from watching TV. Somehow by the grace of God - HE MADE IT!
I didn't see him for 3 years because he graduated ahead of me.
I was living in Florida and went to the West Palm Beach Auditorium, as I did with my brother and dad every Monday night to watch wrestling live! My friend, Steve was on the card (billed like I was very so very much of my career as - "plus many others!") and he invited me to Tampa to watch how the wrestlers lived and worked. I readily accepted.
I got a freak break the next day because Chick Donovan missed his flight from Atlanta. I took Chick's place and my career was started!
The point to all that back-story was to tell you that because of all this I met my hero - Dusty Rhodes!
I loved Dusty. He was funny, charismatic, and never lost! We knew when Dusty fought the top "bad guy," the bad guy was going to get his butt whipped. Dusty was so cool - I wanted to be just like him. Meeting Dusty was a dream come true. (Get it? `Dream' come true? - Sorry) In 1979, wrestling in Florida was red hot. Dusty was the booker of Florida Championship Wrestling under the watchful eye of Eddie Graham. At the time, I didn't know what a `booker' was or that he wrote the story lines and television shows.
Dusty was good to me. As a matter of fact, everybody was good to me. Maybe that's why I didn't understand the treatment I received in the WWF's locker room twenty years later. (I understand now. When a young wrestler looks good and is used to make other older wrestlers look good - he's not a threat, so everybody `likes' him) Dusty booked me on the weekends so I could keep my day job and gave me my first win six months later! I always felt a warm place in my heart for Dusty because of the way he treated me when I started.
One of Dusty's greatest characteristics is one of the things about which he's most sensitive. Dusty loves the limelight, but never really liked the boys imitating his speech. He is one of the most imitated stars the business ever had. In the 80's, everybody did a Dusty Rhodes imitation!
I can honestly say I do a great Dusty Rhodes impersonation!
I remember one time in particular when I used my skills to entertain the boys at Dusty's expense. But Dusty wouldn't mind, would he? After all, he was good to me when I first started and must have liked me, right?
We were all getting on a Southwest Airlines flight at 6:00 AM after working late and driving until 2:00 AM. We were all exhausted and with Southwest there are NO assigned seats. It's first come - first served. The plane was boarded in 3 waves: rows 1 through 30 went first, then rows 31 through 6
Many of you know my background and some of you do not. I have been in the wrestling business for 23 years. The first 16 years were as a wrestler and the last 7 years were in the TV production and writing divisions of both the WWF and WCW. Wade Keller owns the Pro Wrestling Torch, which is a very good `insider's' periodical that gives people who are not in the industry, a detailed look at the inner workings of the wrestling business. He covers match results, talent movement, and gives expert commentary on these subjects. Wade interviewed me a year ago and in the interview called me "the Forrest Gump of the Wrestling Business." I didn't know how to take it at first, but when I thought about it - the nickname fit.
I know, I know, somebody is going to say I have the same IQ and after you read this piece - you may think the same thing. Wade was alluding to the fact that I have been in or around almost every major wrestling story for the past decade. The story I'd like to tell you now has a very important message for EVERYBODY! I only wish I'd have learned the lesson I'm about to teach you.
As most of you know, I broke into the wrestling business on a fluke. I had a huge college buddy who wasn't a fan, but because of his size lucked into a tryout with a new wrestling organization. He asked me to teach him what I knew. All I knew was what I saw on TV, so I showed him the moves I learned from watching TV. Somehow by the grace of God - HE MADE IT!
I didn't see him for 3 years because he graduated ahead of me.
I was living in Florida and went to the West Palm Beach Auditorium, as I did with my brother and dad every Monday night to watch wrestling live! My friend, Steve was on the card (billed like I was very so very much of my career as - "plus many others!") and he invited me to Tampa to watch how the wrestlers lived and worked. I readily accepted.
I got a freak break the next day because Chick Donovan missed his flight from Atlanta. I took Chick's place and my career was started!
The point to all that back-story was to tell you that because of all this I met my hero - Dusty Rhodes!
I loved Dusty. He was funny, charismatic, and never lost! We knew when Dusty fought the top "bad guy," the bad guy was going to get his butt whipped. Dusty was so cool - I wanted to be just like him. Meeting Dusty was a dream come true. (Get it? `Dream' come true? - Sorry) In 1979, wrestling in Florida was red hot. Dusty was the booker of Florida Championship Wrestling under the watchful eye of Eddie Graham. At the time, I didn't know what a `booker' was or that he wrote the story lines and television shows.
Dusty was good to me. As a matter of fact, everybody was good to me. Maybe that's why I didn't understand the treatment I received in the WWF's locker room twenty years later. (I understand now. When a young wrestler looks good and is used to make other older wrestlers look good - he's not a threat, so everybody `likes' him) Dusty booked me on the weekends so I could keep my day job and gave me my first win six months later! I always felt a warm place in my heart for Dusty because of the way he treated me when I started.
One of Dusty's greatest characteristics is one of the things about which he's most sensitive. Dusty loves the limelight, but never really liked the boys imitating his speech. He is one of the most imitated stars the business ever had. In the 80's, everybody did a Dusty Rhodes imitation!
I can honestly say I do a great Dusty Rhodes impersonation!
I remember one time in particular when I used my skills to entertain the boys at Dusty's expense. But Dusty wouldn't mind, would he? After all, he was good to me when I first started and must have liked me, right?
We were all getting on a Southwest Airlines flight at 6:00 AM after working late and driving until 2:00 AM. We were all exhausted and with Southwest there are NO assigned seats. It's first come - first served. The plane was boarded in 3 waves: rows 1 through 30 went first, then rows 31 through 6