Meeting a wrestler.....tell us your story.

[The Showstoppa]

Obviously not now, but how much of the heels being standoffish and pricks back in the 80's was part of kayfabe?  Not saying all of it, but i think it was probably quite common during that time to carry over your inring persona in public when someone recognized you.

I remember one time Ox Baker was at our HS wrestling and he came out and was trimming his beard/waxing it sitting in the seats near the ring.  Of course some kids would go up to him and he would tell them to beat it....snarl, etc....  I was scared to death of him at the time, but you know he could just have easily did what he was doing in the school locker room/bathrooms.  It generated some great heat.

[OLE BIG]

I have another good one to keep this thread going.

I lived in Atlanta a few years back.  I worked out all over and knew quite a few bodybuilders and met numerous wrestlers.  One of my good friends is a deputy back home and at the time was a total Scott Steiner mark.  I saw Steiner quite a few times in Main Event and talked to him quite a bit.  I figured out what he drove and got his tag number.  I called my buddy and told him someone backed into me and I had his tag number.  I asked if he would run it for me to figure out who it was.  He said sure.

The next day he called me and said "you son of a bitch, how did you get Steiner's tag number."  I told him not only did I know it but I had trained legs around him, and even worked in with him a few times.  I also watched RAW with him a few times.

My buddy was beside himself. 

[OLE BIG]

Does anybody remember The Wall?  He is dead now, but at the time he played a German bodyguard.  He was almost seven feet tall and was a monster.

We were in Greenville SC after Nitro one night.  I had a buddy with me who was a pretty big dude and fancied himself a real bad-ass, and could pretty much back it up.  We are in the Marriot after the matches where all the wrestlers were.

Wall notices my buddy taking a dip and comes up and asks him what he is dipping.  My buddy says Copenhagen.  Wall says "I figured a man your size would be dipping Hawken" (the candy of snuff).  My buddy says "I might not be as big as you, but I am pretty tough".  I told him he should probably be quite.  He ends up giving Wall a few dips that night.

Wall comes up to me later with two beers in his hand and says "I hate this".  I asked what and he said "I can't remember which one I am drinking and whick one I am spittiing it".  I told him I usually just drink the fullest one.

He looked at his two beers and said "that works for me" and turned up one!

He was a total country boy obviously.

Good times!!  

[OLE BIG]

Obviously not now, but how much of the heels being standoffish and pricks back in the 80's was part of kayfabe?  Not saying all of it, but i think it was probably quite common during that time to carry over your inring persona in public when someone recognized you.

I remember one time Ox Baker was at our HS wrestling and he came out and was trimming his beard/waxing it sitting in the seats near the ring.  Of course some kids would go up to him and he would tell them to beat it....snarl, etc....  I was scared to death of him at the time, but you know he could just have easily did what he was doing in the school locker room/bathrooms.  It generated some great heat.

 

Ox is still the scariest guy I have ever seen in my life.

[The Showstoppa]

Does anybody remember The Wall?  He is dead now, but at the time he played a German bodyguard.  He was almost seven feet tall and was a monster.

We were in Greenville SC after Nitro one night.  I had a buddy with me who was a pretty big dude and fancied himself a real bad-ass, and could pretty much back it up.  We are in the Marriot after the matches where all the wrestlers were.

Wall notices my buddy taking a dip and comes up and asks him what he is dipping.  My buddy says Copenhagen.  Wall says "I figured a man your size would be dipping Hawken" (the candy of snuff).  My buddy says "I might not be as big as you, but I am pretty tough".  I told him he should probably be quite.  He ends up giving Wall a few dips that night.

Wall comes up to me later with two beers in his hand and says "I hate this".  I asked what and he said "I can't remember which one I am drinking and whick one I am spittiing it".  I told him I usually just drink the fullest one.

He looked at his two beers and said "that works for me" and turned up one!

He was a total country boy obviously.

Good times!!  

haha, I remember that night.  That was the same night that Tank Abbot walked into that water fountain thing on the way to the bathroom...and he was wearing the same clothes he wrestled in that night...haha.....  Wall was a huge guy.... hated to hear when he died so young.  Very sad.

[Playboy]

Some good stories here. 

[leaky_frog]

Some good stories here. 

Agreed- you guys are making me feel like I grew up on the wrong coast!

[The Showstoppa]

OLE BIG --- what about Hugh Morris?  I wasn't there, but I remember you guys saying he was a great guy.

also, the Scott Norton visit to your store....  Sick Boy....

Raven, "working out"....

C'mon man, if you are relying on my memory, we are both in trouble.....

[Montague]

Exactly what did Raven's workout consist of?

[The Showstoppa]

Exactly what did Raven's workout consist of?

I'll let BIG fill you in......

[Playboy]

Exactly what did Raven's workout consist of?

1 WARM UP SET OF XANAX
4 SET OF SOMAS
10 SETS OF PERCOSCET WITH VODKA

Repeat daily 

[The Showstoppa]

1 WARM UP SET OF XANAX
4 SET OF SOMAS
10 SETS OF PERCOSCET WITH VODKA

Repeat daily 

Sounds about right.....combined with a leisurely stroll on a treadmill...

[Playboy]

Sounds about right.....combined with a leisurely stroll on a treadmill...

Raven was / is a heavy rec drug user and believe it or not, one of the most wanted on the diva's list to fuck along with Flair & Batista.

[OLE BIG]

I'll let BIG fill you in......

I would go in and Raven would be on the bike.  I would do my workout, sometimes including an hour of cardio and Raven would still be right there on the bike.  I never saw him touch a weight, or do anything else other than that one particular bike.  He would nod or smile if you made eye contact, but I never saw him talk to anyone.

Funny thing is, he never seemed to lean out.  Of course, he never gassed in the ring either.

[OLE BIG]

OLE BIG --- what about Hugh Morris?  I wasn't there, but I remember you guys saying he was a great guy.

also, the Scott Norton visit to your store....  Sick Boy....

Raven, "working out"....

C'mon man, if you are relying on my memory, we are both in trouble.....

I should have taken notes of my time with Sick Boy/Scott Vick.  He was a great guy and told me many backstage stories and stories from the road.  I commented on one the other night in the general board about Meng being known as a bad man.

Vick was a big dude and played football in college, did some bouncing and you could just tell was not someone to be messed with, although he was one of the most friendly people I have ever met.

We were talking about tough guys one day, and he said, he might not win them all, but he was stubborn enough that he would not back down from them.  Somehow Meng got brought up.

His exact words were "If Meng came at me, I would run and thank God I know that I am faster than him".  I asked him why, and he said "just because". 

[Playboy]

I should have taken notes of my time with Sick Boy/Scott Vick.  He was a great guy and told me many backstage stories and stories from the road.  I commented on one the other night in the general board about Meng being known as a bad man.

Vick was a big dude and played football in college, did some bouncing and you could just tell was not someone to be messed with, although he was one of the most friendly people I have ever met.

We were talking about tough guys one day, and he said, he might not win them all, but he was stubborn enough that he would not back down from them.  Somehow Meng got brought up.

His exact words were "If Meng came at me, I would run and thank God I know that I am faster than him".  I asked him why, and he said "just because". 

lol...true to that! 

They interviewed the Barbarian (meng's real life cousin) and when they asked him how tough Meng was, Barbarian just had a look on his face as if he'd seen a ghost.

[Montague]

Heenan or Dynamite claimed that Haku once reached into a guy's mouth and, using only his fingers, broke off some of his teeth.

[Playboy]

Heenan or Dynamite claimed that Haku once reached into a guy's mouth and, using only his fingers, broke off some of his teeth.

Yes! I remember this! That's how strong and powerful his grip was. He yanked out Jesse Barr's eyeball too when Barr got in his face at a bar. There is another story where he was challenged by 4 security guards at a hotel once and he knocked all four of them out. The cops on site where afraid to arrest him.

[Montague]

Yes! I remember this! That's how strong and powerful his grip was. He yanked out Jesse Barr's eyeball too when Barr got in his face at a bar. There is another story where he was challenged by 4 security guards at a hotel once and he knocked all four of them out. The cops on site where afraid to arrest him.

I'd hazard to say that - among those who personally knew both men - more people were afraid of Haku than Andre.

[Playboy]

I'd hazard to say that - among those who personally knew both men - more people were afraid of Haku than Andre.

That's actually true. Apparantly another real tough bad ass was none other than Allen Coach aka Bad News Alan aka Bad News Brown. Apparantely back in the day whilst riding on a bus Andre jokingly made a racial slur at Bad News and he took it to heart and told the bus driver to pull over. Bad News was also an accomplished martial artist. He then got up and got in Andre's face and personally challanged him to a fight. Andre just sat there. Afterwards Andre appoligized for the remark. True story.

[Montague]

That's actually true. Apparantly another real tough bad ass was none other than Allen Coach aka Bad News Alan aka Bad News Brown. Apparantely back in the day whilst riding on a bus Andre jokingly made a racial slur at Bad News and he took it to heart and told the bus driver to pull over. Bad News was also an accomplished martial artist. He then got up and got in Andre's face and personally challanged him to a fight. Andre just sat there. Afterwards Andre appoligized for the remark. True story.

Yes!
I've heard that as well.
Wish I could remember who told the story.

[Playboy]

Yes!
I've heard that as well.
Wish I could remember who told the story.

Fuck...now you got me thinking...and it'll bother me until I remember....

[Montague]

 

[GraniteCityDon]

Hi all, this is my first post and i hope i can contribute somewhat to this board. Ive been reading for a while now and like it enough to want to get involved in these discussions as evidently there are people here who know exactly what they are talking about, but i must say that at times there are some who sound as if they have just make a quick Google search to answer the questions.

Anyway i met Davey Boy Smith when i was 11, he made an appearance at a local show and i have to say he was very accommodating and friendly. Very densely built, something i always remember with absolute clarity as to that point i had never et anyone in real life that was as thick as him. He even changed poses to accommodate a family member asking if he could also appear in the picture and he did it without breaking his smile - remembering that this was quite late in the evening at this point. Great guy, a sad loss on a dying industry needing an injection genuine talent.

[The Showstoppa]

Hi all, this is my first post and i hope i can contribute somewhat to this board. Ive been reading for a while now and like it enough to want to get involved in these discussions as evidently there are people here who know exactly what they are talking about, but i must say that at times there are some who sound as if they have just make a quick Google search to answer the questions.

Anyway i met Davey Boy Smith when i was 11, he made an appearance at a local show and i have to say he was very accommodating and friendly. Very densely built, something i always remember with absolute clarity as to that point i had never et anyone in real life that was as thick as him. He even changed poses to accommodate a family member asking if he could also appear in the picture and he did it without breaking his smile - remembering that this was quite late in the evening at this point. Great guy, a sad loss on a dying industry needing an injection genuine talent.

Always cool to meet someone in the industry at a young age and for them to be accomodating.  Just think, all these years later and it's still a vivid memory for you.  I think some stars forget that.