Dangerous Conversations Episode #47: The End of the USWA

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hey, everybody. Welcome back once again to Dangerous conversations with Dangerous Doug Gilbert and Tommy Wildfire. Rich, we are on Episode number 47. Gentlemen. My goodness, we've been doing this for a while, man. [00:00:14] Speaker B: We've been doing it way longer than you thought I would do it, Gene, and I think. Tommy, come on. I didn't think you would still be. You didn't think we'd still be doing it. But anyway, man, we have a good time on the show, and we hope everybody enjoys listening to us and that. Tommy's as busy as ever, Gene. He's got a lot of stuff to plug tonight. He's going. We watched him look through his book earlier, and I think it's like a two year book in one year's time. I'm not sure how this is working. [00:00:40] Speaker A: Big old book. Looks like a phone book he pulled out. And you asked him about a date. He flipped through about 20 pages before he got to the one we were looking for. [00:00:48] Speaker B: Now, now, Gene, you might not remember this. You're a little younger than me and Tommy, but look like a Sears catalog. [00:00:53] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah. [00:00:55] Speaker C: Oh, get out of here now. Get a little more fired up. I thought we was gonna have to catch the show for a minute. He wasn't fired up. Now he's smiling. I'm glad to see you smiling, Gene. [00:01:06] Speaker A: I hadn't smiled a lot the last couple weeks, but I always have fun with you guys. That's why I always look forward to this, because we always have a good time. I did. I did. They're gonna. They're gonna take my gallbladder out here in October, so got to enjoy my gallbladder while I got it. [00:01:22] Speaker B: Hey, Jean, you think we can plug some kind of match and we have a match between you and Tommy? Whoever loses, loses your gallbladder. [00:01:29] Speaker A: Or I could come manage y' all at one of these shows y' all got. And that could be the stipulation. If y' all lose, I lose my gallbladder. [00:01:36] Speaker B: Or what if we just let Tommy cut your gallbladder out? That'd be something people like to see. [00:01:40] Speaker A: I don't put that idea in his head. [00:01:42] Speaker C: I mean, I'm pretty sure I could do a gallbladder. Me too. [00:01:48] Speaker A: You go hide under the ring for the whole match and slide out. [00:01:52] Speaker B: Yeah, just slide out at the end. [00:01:54] Speaker A: And then it put my gallbladder in that cooler he had under the ring. [00:01:57] Speaker C: You come out, put the chloroform on you right there in the ring, and. [00:02:01] Speaker A: Then you put my gallbladder in that cooler that you had under the ring because by then it'll be empty but just ice. [00:02:06] Speaker B: Yeah, he had to pull the cans out there. [00:02:09] Speaker A: They'll be gone by then, so we'll be good. Are you here, folks? We're. We're booking the territory right here on the show. You want to bring that to your town. [00:02:21] Speaker B: Now, Gene? I will plug mine and Tommy's stuff also, but I guess I need to plug some of yours, too. I hear you've got a great new podcast coming out with good friend of mine and Tommy's, Neil Taylor. Right? [00:02:35] Speaker A: Yeah, we're doing that for epw, where we're going to be. Or I'll be interviewing different members of the EPW roster, talking about what's going on there with epw, which, Doug, you've been there and you're gonna be coming back soon, and Tommy's gonna be making his way there, so. [00:02:52] Speaker B: Well. Well, actually, me and Tommy will be working for them coming up in Jackson, Tennessee, September 14th at a WrestleCon there and everything, but also me and Tommy will be working for him in November, and the date is yet to be determined, but it's gonna be a weekend. November. I think one's a signing day and want to be a wrestling night the following way. I think it'll be a Friday and Saturday, but I've discussed the dates with Neil and Tommy both, and we were looking at things and we're going for sure get together in November, but for sure we will be at the West Tennessee Comic Con, Jackson, Tennessee. Sunday, September 14th. Me and Tommy be signing during the day, then resting that night. [00:03:38] Speaker A: That's great, man. I'm looking forward to that. And you guys got all kinds of stuff going on, so let's talk about. Let's hit a few more of these dates, man. You guys, the Memphis Mafia is busy, busy, busy. [00:03:48] Speaker B: Well, man, that Tommy, like I said, we might want to go over his book first and then I'll. I'll come up. [00:03:54] Speaker A: He's only got an hour, though. [00:03:56] Speaker B: He's got some closer dates than I do. Tommy, you want to hit your. Your dates, man? [00:04:02] Speaker C: This weekend I'm going up to Georgia to see all them Georgia peaches, man. Somebody say something about fired up. We start out with Friday night, which folks won't know this, but I'll be in Dalton, Georgia, at the Skateland arena skating rink. Man, I. We. When I first went to Georgia, that's where they had the matches at. And it's been years, so I'm excited about that. [00:04:24] Speaker B: Where's that at? What town is that in Tommy, that's. [00:04:27] Speaker C: In Dalton, Georgia, and it's Saturday morning. I'm at the big flea market there doing a meet and greet signing and everything. And then I go from there to Thomas, Georgia for o osw School wrestling. They're having the Tommy Wildfire Rich Trophy Cup Series. And then Sunday I'm gonna be in Americus, Georgia and doing a signing for a good friend of mine, Mark and Carrie. And. And it's gonna be from 2 to 2 to 7 and it's at the fish house there on Jackson Street. Pretty fired up about that. I may get go back to Georgia and hey, get the three starting one end of Georgia right there by Chattanooga. Going end up all the way on the south end. Since it's like the old school days. [00:05:12] Speaker B: What about Tommy? You don't think you could get a couple of tickets for some guys for that Thomas in Georgia for that Tommy Rich cup, do you? Yeah. You think you could? [00:05:22] Speaker C: Yeah. Who made. [00:05:23] Speaker B: Well, I might. I don't know. I'll have to. I'll try to get the names for you and if you can get them a couple of tickets, that's for guys that really want to see you. [00:05:32] Speaker C: Well, I was. I was gonna fly Gene in but I figured his arms would be too tired by the time he got here. [00:05:37] Speaker B: Well, I was fixing to say here, if he got. If he got there, he parked three miles from the building and walked like he did it there. [00:05:44] Speaker A: I'm gonna start walking from Gaston right now and I'll see you right. [00:05:48] Speaker B: And anyway, okay, y' all heard all Tommy's or a few of Tommy's dates and everything. Let's. Let's hit some stuff that me and Tommy or let's hit a thing or two that I'm on and the rest of them, I think Tommy myself, I think he's on about everything else with me. The first thing I. September 3rd, the Coffee County Fair at Manchester, Tennessee. I will be there signing autographs. There's a meet and greet and the wrestling show that night in Manchester, Tennessee. That's September 3rd. September 10th, the Henderson County Fair of Lexington, Tennessee. The home of Danger stuff, Hot Stuff 80 and Tommy Gilbert. Lexington, Tennessee, the Henderson County Fair. Myself and Wildfire will be there in a Lexington street fight against two of the NWA Power champions. One of them, what I think he's Gene, was Jeremiah Puckett, the North American. [00:06:36] Speaker A: Champion, I think a Mid America champion. Old school Mid America. [00:06:40] Speaker B: Old school. Mid America champion. And I think Alex Taylor, he. The. The junior heavyweight champion, I think now or something and everything Me And Tommy will be against him. And it's going. They've talked about how they started the nwa and I told them that, you know, legends like Harley Race, Tommy Rich, the Funks Briscoes started the NWA and everything. And so we're going to sell it here In Lexington on September 10th and September 12th, Tommy and myself will be in Ripley, Tennessee. September 13th, Tommy, myself will be in Dyersburg, Tennessee. There's a show in Dyersburg showing Ripley also, but showing Dyersburg. And then they're putting, I think some guys in the, what they call it, the, the. The Wall of Fame. It's like their hall of Fame deal. But I think they're putting the Memphis Mafia in there. And me and Tommy are the only two guys left from the Memphis Mafia, but they're putting us all in there. And me and Tommy get the blacks for that. And that'd be really cool. Then we'll wrestle that night. And then September 14th, like I said, me and Tommy will be at the Western Sea Comic Con in Jackson, Tennessee at the Carl Perkins Civic Center. So that'll be real cool. And then come the following weekend, Tommy be down here with me about all that week. And then the following weekend we're supposed to be coming back. And I think Tommy told me September 19th, if something hasn't changed, it will be Corning, Arkansas. Then September 20th during the day from 11 to 2, it'll be the Banana Festival in South Fulton, Kentucky. And then, then we leave straight from there and go to a horror fest in Paragould, Arkansas, in. And we do a signing at the horror fest at the Paragould, Arkansas Fairgrounds. And then we wrestle at the Paragould, Arkansas fairgrounds that night, which is. Is the 20th and everything. So we start out Banana Fest in south Florida, Kentucky, 11 to 2 that day. Then we shoot over to Paragould and we sign till time for the matches. And then we wrestle at Paragould that night at the fairgrounds. And then we go to October 3rd, I've got a virtual meet and greet with Captain's Corner. And then October 4th, and I think Tommy actually might be on that with the third with me. If not, he'll be here somewhere around Memphis. And October 4th, me and Tommy will be in Memphis, Tennessee at the Memphis Tigers on Tigers Tiger Lane there. And we should be resting there that afternoon right before the ball game. And then we'll do something, I think, at the half or something at the ball game, but it's called Memphis Wrestling Night, and they have it one time a year there Every year. And me and Tommy's been there the last, I think the last three years or so. Right time. [00:09:14] Speaker C: Yes, sir. [00:09:15] Speaker B: And that's really a cool deal. I like it as far as blast. [00:09:19] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:09:19] Speaker B: You know, I mean, I love the old school fans. They love sports, football too. And they really come out to watch the rest and go with the game. But I'll. And I, you know, I love sports team. I love, you know, being around football and all the sports and everything, but man, we just have a blast. Everybody's real nice, real respectful and everything. Like I said, we see so many old school fans at that deal and it's just a real cool, real cool place to wrestle. [00:09:42] Speaker A: Yeah, man, that's right up your alley. You get to hang out with your wrestling buddies and watch football game and be in Memphis. So, man, that's good stuff all the way around. [00:09:51] Speaker B: And like I said, we got a lot of stuff. Tommy's got a ton of stuff coming up. He's got some stuff for Wildfire Wrestling and. [00:09:57] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, that's right. August, I'm gonna Skip back. Yeah, August 22nd we're gonna be in Fredericksburg, Kentucky at the McMinifee Central High School. And then we're going to be at Prestonburg, Kentucky. The Rock and Roll Express will be there. They got two big cade matches in Prestonberg. Of course, I ain't been in one since 1983, that last battle of Atlanta. But I'm gonna be in the wood in Prestonburg, Kentucky. So pretty fired up about that Wildfire Championship wrestling. It's doing good. We do have a lot of things going on. [00:10:29] Speaker B: Well, and Gene, I don't never. Tommy correct me a lot, but I try not to ever correct him because he's my elder. So I try to say he's always right and correct and everything, but he said that last night and I didn't want to correct him, but. But tonight I will. He said he hadn't been in a cage match since. And if he remembers this, and the only way I. I probably wouldn't even think about it remember it except what happened after the match that night that me and him had. Me and him was in a cage match in Memphis against Lawler and Dundee, I think it was. And we had to handcuff each other to the, to the cage. And that night. What makes this so memorable to me was what happened after the matches that night. And actually I think it was me and Tommy and it could have been Buddy. I think it was Lawler, Bill and Brian and me and Tommy and Somebody. But what happened after the match that night, which I can pull up and see who it was in it. But what happened after the match is why I remember this. We was in a cage match and it was way after 83, it was in the 90s. And Jerry Lawler wound up running into a little trouble that night after the show. And it was called not in the Slammer or Not in the Cage or something like that, right? Well, he wound up going to the Coos gal that night. And. But the. The whole. The. The name of the show was like a night in a cage. And he wound up spending. You know, he never gets in any trouble or anything, but he wound up going to jail for about four or five hours. And I couldn't believe it when people started calling me and I thought, this is not right. So I called him the next day and I said, man, what's going on? He said, oh, nothing. Well, I said, well, something's going on. I said, people started calling me last night saying you was in jail. And he said, oh, my gosh, Doug. He said, that was awful. And I said, what happened was he kind of got in a little domestic, you know, he didn't touch nobody or nothing, but the police wound up getting called. And you know how. I mean, he got a ton of pull with the police, but when they can't get their stories straight, they gotta take usually both people to, you know, in for a few hours. But I will never forget the name of. That was one. One night in a cage or something. And then that night I started getting the concert. What. What's going on with Lawrence? What are you talking about? And they said, the news said he's been arrested. I said, for what? We just got out of the freaking cage match two hours ago, and here he's in behind bars. I thought I told him, I said, that was a bad name of a show, wasn't it? One night in the cage. [00:13:16] Speaker A: Yeah, I've heard of living the gimmick, but that's. But, but Tommy. [00:13:20] Speaker B: Tommy, you remember that now, right? [00:13:22] Speaker C: Yes, I do. As a matter of fact, when you said handcuffed. Handcuffed each other to the cage, I remembered, yeah, yeah. [00:13:28] Speaker B: And Tommy, he went to handcuff Tommy last. And Tommy's handcuff wasn't handcuffed. He handcuffed Tommy. Can't remember that. Tommy. Yeah, handcuff would come off of Tommy. So it was like he was trying to finish the match and the people would go to pop. Tommy's handcuff would pop off. So it was it was like a magic trick Tommy was doing. [00:13:48] Speaker C: But I just had holding the ball. [00:13:51] Speaker B: There you go. They thought Tommy had a key. [00:13:56] Speaker A: That last EPW show I did commentary on, they had Luke Gallows there and they tried to handcuff him to the ropes during the match. And the same thing was happening. Handcuffs. So the manager had to sit there and just hold it on his wrist until they got everything done, and then he broke free. But, yeah, those handcuffs can go awry sometimes in those situations. But Tommy mentioned Dalton, Georgia. I just want to mention I got a good buddy I used to do stand up comedy with and he does some wrestling named Bobby Slam. And he messaged me yesterday and said, I'm going to meet Tommy in Dalton, Georgia this weekend. He's one of my all time favorite wrestlers and I'm looking forward to meeting him. I said, all right, well, make sure you don't tell him you know me, or he probably won't sign anything for you. [00:14:35] Speaker B: Hey, Tommy. [00:14:36] Speaker C: What? [00:14:36] Speaker B: It seems like I remember working in Dalton a time or two. Did y' all do. Did you do some. What was black stuff around there or whose stuff was around Dalton? [00:14:45] Speaker C: I think maybe Jerry did run there. He was, you know, it was Dalton's about probably 20 miles from Chattanooga. [00:14:53] Speaker B: I was going to say, I think I worked for you. [00:14:56] Speaker C: I think you probably have, too. I think we was doing Miss Kitty's and all of that. I think you might have, right, Dalton. [00:15:03] Speaker B: Yeah, that's when I. I was. [00:15:05] Speaker C: It might have been that skating rink, I should say. [00:15:08] Speaker B: I think I've worked for you a couple times at Dalton, and I was thinking that had to be during that Jerry Blackwell period. [00:15:15] Speaker A: Yeah, that sounds right. I want to say I remember looking through those results seeing, like, the skating rink and Dalton on a couple of them, if I'm not mistaken. [00:15:21] Speaker B: So that's. [00:15:22] Speaker A: That's probably exactly right. [00:15:24] Speaker C: Hey, what's gonna happen in Dalton, though? It's gonna be some roller derby going on. I'm gonna put them skates on San Francisco Bay Area Bombers. I used to love watching gals elbow and beat each other. That's the only thing my daddy ever took me to that I really enjoy it. [00:15:41] Speaker B: Hey, I tell you what, if you start doing that, I sure hope we send some pads with you. You got some pads on your hips and back. [00:15:50] Speaker C: It wouldn't take me. One bump and I couldn't get up. [00:15:52] Speaker B: Yeah, I fixed that. We'd have to put a helmet on him, Gene with a bicycle. Helmets and pads all on his hips and back, neck and everything else. [00:16:01] Speaker A: I was about to say, I think next week we're going to be announcing rescheduling of a bunch of those dates you just named off. You turn Tommy loose on roller skates, we might have to do some rescheduling. [00:16:12] Speaker B: And say, Tommy, that Dalton. It is just like 20 minutes from Chattanooga, right? [00:16:16] Speaker C: Yeah, it's just right outside of Chattanooga. [00:16:19] Speaker B: You gonna come on set Lookout Mountain that night? I'm sorry, you gonna come on set Lookout Mountain that night? [00:16:28] Speaker C: No, I'm gonna. I'm gonna be stay. I'd love to go to Lookout Mountain, but I'm gonna be staying there because I got that big sign in the next day right there at the flea market, and they expect a big crowd for that, too. I mean, Dalton. Dalton got it going. It used to be a heck of a place, and it' since they had wrestling. I was there about three or four years ago and did a sign and that fleet made it was just unreal. [00:16:49] Speaker B: I might come up there and hang out with you. [00:16:51] Speaker A: People come from everywhere to that flea market because where it's located, you know, Tennessee, Georgia is accessible from a bunch of different places. And yeah, they have all kinds of people at that flea market. So, yeah, it should do great. [00:17:04] Speaker B: I got you. I'm. I'm not. Swing by up there, Tommy. [00:17:08] Speaker C: Come on. Flying by my swaying by. Oh, I was flying by. Who says that? [00:17:15] Speaker A: I don't know, like John Anderson back in the day. Swing. [00:17:19] Speaker B: There you go. [00:17:20] Speaker A: Well, this week go too. [00:17:23] Speaker C: Just a swing. [00:17:25] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:17:29] Speaker A: So, you know, guys, we've talked about everything from back in the 60s and 70s up through the 80s and the early 90s, but we really hadn't touched on. I've had a couple people message me, go, hey, I really haven't touched on the, the late 90s, a whole, whole lot. Let's talk a little bit about the end of the uswa, because that's been talked about a lot and a lot of different interviews and podcasts and everything. And it's, you know, the whole Larry Burton situation, all that. From you guys's perspective, what was your take on all that? And, and how did you see all that going down? [00:18:01] Speaker B: You know what, Gene, what about if. I mean, we'll get to that. What about if we start right here about 95. Okay. You know, the, the last. To me, what I remember as far as the, the, the. The good run of territories as far as this territory here, and I think this one was the last one left other than the, the big two. The, the last, I think big run where it was on its feet was in 95. Right. I mean that's west when we had the, the what the, the was it the Monday night memory show? That was in 95, I think gene. And then all the, the, the USWA against the Smoky Mountain stuff. That was 95, wasn't it? [00:18:51] Speaker A: Yeah, 94. 94 into 95 and then late 95 Smoky Mountain goes under. It all starts to kind of go downhill. [00:18:59] Speaker B: Like you're saying 95 was strong and see different people and here's what you get into and people, some people forget about this. But that's also right when the Monday night war started, right? [00:19:09] Speaker A: Yes. [00:19:10] Speaker B: So as far as ratings go, you're trying to run Memphis like it had been run for umpteen years on Monday night. Well, you've got the big two promotions that's left and every other territory is out of business at this point except Memphis. Right, right. And you've got. And we didn't try to change anything. We kept Memphis on Monday night, Louisville on Tuesday night, Evansville on Wednesday night, spot show on Thursday night, spot show around Memphis on Friday night, TV Saturday morning, national Saturday night. But, but what I'm saying is still in 95. We put together angles that drew money and me and Tommy was. Was there at the end of that and everything and man that was just so cool. I watched some clips the other day of it showed in 95 Tommy where they had to reopen the top of the Mid South Coliseum where before they just been and I think they helped them out on the rent with it where they would just use the risers and the. The ring side and they wouldn't open the top. When 95 they started having to open the top back up because the risers and the ringside was full. So that really. I was looking at that Gene and that's really cool to think now everybody else is out of business as far as territorial except this territory here in Tennessee and Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi and everything. But, but USWA is still in business and holding its own and it hits a good patch there where. Where I I knew it drew well, but it was saying that the Mid South Coliseum was drawn well enough that there was having to open back up the top of it to get people in. Nashville was doing I mean really well at the time. Louisville was doing better than it had done in years at the time. And they said even Evansville and I popped it this said Evansville. It didn't say was you had to open up the top and said it was drawing a little better. Now me and Tommy laugh at that. And it probably was drawing a few more people, but just Evansville was one of those towns that had got really hard even when everything else was good. Evansville might be up 30 people or 40 people but if everything else that was was up 2, 000 people, Evansville just wouldn't jump like that. But that's what I remember about, about 95. Tommy, you remember that. I mean, being like that. I was looking at some stuff though that, man, it looked like we had some great houses which. I remember the run that we had there. Like me and you had a couple different good runs together here in this territory. I mean for like a year and a half, you know, at a time there and everything. And man, that was, that was good business there and then wasn't. [00:21:52] Speaker C: Oh, and, and that. And just like they said, uswa I mean it was the, you know, it was the last really the last as far as the territory. I mean you had the big companies running but I mean USWA was the last one to fold and, and we did good. I mean hell, we were making money. I made the houses. What nobody losing. I mean what nobody getting rich but what nobody losing no money. As far as the office and the boys. I mean everybody was, you know, everybody was making, you know, making a bug. [00:22:22] Speaker B: And happy and that's the thing. I'm glad Tommy said that. Happy. I mean all of us, I mean Tommy's on a guarantee. I was on a guarantee that there was. There was five or six of us out of a 16 or 18 man crew that was on guarantees and you know, we really wanted to draw or, you know, those guarantees wouldn't stay long and knock on wood, we all bust her tail. We worked together, we got along well together and everything but, but that's what I remember about 94, 95 and everything. Then when you get on to what you're talking about, what you start out with was about the Lawler Jared. See, Jared sold his half to Lawler, then Lawler had all of it. Then he sold it to, to Mark Selker and Larry Burton. Both of them had looked at everything which Larry Burton was, was the one that come first. But then Mark Selfer's company, I forget what it was called, you probably know in Ohio. But he had backers that helped him buy half and, and Burton bought half and everything. But during those times, I don't think Tommy ever come back during the time when Larry Burton and Mark Selfer, y' all said that now I did, Gene, but this was during the time when I was going to Japan, still real heavy at that time. [00:23:38] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:23:38] Speaker B: And, and he would want me. And like I was supposed this was the funny thing about, about Larry was I was booked on some shows up north and he said, no Doug, you're booked in Nashville. And I said, Larry, they paid me really good money to go up north for a weekend. I said, I can't just stay and make Nashville. But, but actually be honest, those guys was paying everybody more money than they made working here. Other they had never been on guarantees like me and Tiger was. But, but they was paying them more money than they was used to get paid. But they wasn't paying them what I would get paid for going up north. So I told him, I said, I gotta go, Larry. I said, it's a two day deal, Friday and Saturday. So he said, well, I'll tell you what I do, but don't you tell anybody else. I'll give you 750, you make Nashville and then I'm gonna get you a signing on Sunday and I'll pay you what the signing basically was me just to Ruth Chris with him on a Sunday. It wasn't a sign and it was going to dinner with him and pay me like three or four hundred bucks. But so that was basically about my money that I was going to get for going up north. You know, close to it, but me not having to go and him paying for my hotel in Nashville. Well, right here's what I did. And this is what got him hot with me. I shouldn't have done this, but. So instead of him giving me cash that he could give me at the gate, and the gate was good in Nashville. That night he wrote me a check. So what, what, what do you think I've done with that check for 750 bucks? I took it to the box office and I signed the back of it. And so the people at the gate seen that he wrote and on the bottom of the chick he wrote for the date, the one night in Nashville. I don't know why he done that for. That's what I told him. Oh, he got hot at me. He called me after the show because he was looking at the, you know, looking at the money and the stuff and I took them straight to check and they give me the 750. And he said, you redneck. And I started laughing because he said that when me and Brian mess, he. [00:25:36] Speaker C: Said what the hell did you do this for? [00:25:38] Speaker B: He said, why did he take that to your own bank? I said, well, I just wanted to make sure it was good. And. And now that really got him hot. And he said. I said, well, we still got this deal for tomorrow. And I thought, the worst case scenario, we can cancel the deal tomorrow. But all it was, I was going to eat with him and he's gonna pay me like 400 buc cover that other day, that I was going to be up north. But the whole deal, you know, I'd rather be home and rather work in Nashville than I had to go to Philadelphia and up around there. So to me, it was a kind of a win, win deal. But he was a funny. He was a funny guy. But like I said, he'd get hot at me and Brian, just a drop of a hat, and I'd laugh. He's the guy, Gene, that we was playing golf with one time, you know, he was Lawler's partner. Me and Brian was partners playing against them. And he was calling me and Brian redneck this and that. And all of a sudden Brian said, I'm fixing to run over him. I said, you're gonna do what? And Brian took off and nailed that golf cart. And he was nowhere near his and Lawler's golf cart. And I thought. And I. I was pretty sure when Brian got right to him, because we was going as fast as golf cart would go, that he would swerve or something, you know, missing. And he didn't. He hit him. He hit him wide open on that golf cart and knocked him over the side. And he just flew like a flip. And when he got up, he could barely walk. And he was. How do you. You effing redneck? [00:26:54] Speaker C: You effing redneck? [00:26:55] Speaker B: He never. He walked all the way from like the fourth hole, straight across the other holes to his car and left. And Lauder was looking at Brian and me said, why? He asked me, I said, why did you do that for him, Rice? Hell, he kept calling us redneck. So I run over and I mean, just freaking hurting. I don't say I didn't break his legs. I mean, but Ryan didn't really care, so. But to me, it's kind of funny. I hated to laugh, but I mean, you know, you don't want nobody to be heard or nothing. But like I said, but. But hell, he carried me and Brian to dinner 50 times after that. So I guess he was a glutton for punishment. But, I mean, but he was always really nice to me. Now, bless his heart, he was one of the shadiest fellows that you probably had ever met in your life. And I'm not sure What? I don't think like mafia type ties he had, but like California movie, you know, like the shady stuff he ever. I mean, he. He would call like movie star people and put them on the phone with us. And he knew all the actor, you know, people that I wouldn't have thought he would know. He knew everybody in the movie business. [00:28:07] Speaker A: And they said he had a thousand aliases too. [00:28:09] Speaker B: Like what he did in the FBI had about six of his aliases that they looked for and found and everything. And that's it. Still. See, when they called Lawler and told Lawler that he was. That he was dead, it wasn't his wife. It was like, like the. I don't want to say the FBI and be wrong, but it was one of the police, like, people. And I asked Laura, I said, well, are you sure he's dead? And Laura said, no, I'm not sure. But I did talk to his wife and she said he was. And I thought this might be another. But I mean that. Bless his heart, he was always real nice to me and I'm not knocking him or nothing, but that's the kind of he. You just couldn't ever tell. What. I mean, he wasn't a person that you could read. I mean. But I'm gonna tell you this. He had a ticket agent for one of the top two airlines right now. And he would tell me just to call him and if wherever I need a ticket to that month, just call him and give them the dates and. And my tickets would be took care of. And like two of the dates that month was to Japan and it was first class tickets. And I wound up telling the office, don't even get my tickets. And I asked him, I said, larry, what. How is this? What do I owe? He said, you don't owe nothing. Just call and give them your dates and where you need tickets to. And I thought, how. I thought, now how's this going to wind up coming back on me? What am I going to have to do for this? But I mean, that's just. He was really cool to me. I mean, he was, you know, I mean, he was a different type character. [00:29:44] Speaker A: Yeah, a lot of different people have a lot of different opinions of him and there's all kinds of different stories and the people that he felt could do something for him. You know, guys like you and Lawler. He was really good too. And some of the people who he didn't think could do anything for him. There's some horror stories about that. [00:30:00] Speaker B: Yeah. You know what he said, though? This Is one of the funny things. Tom, he called me and said, said, you need to come to this meeting. I said, well, what kind of meeting is it? And he wanted me to drive to Memphis. He said, I'm having all the boys there. And he said, and, you know, they listen to you. He said, it'll look good if you're there. You need to come. He said, I'm gonna pay you. You just come and I'll pay you, take care of you. I said, well, okay, Larry. So I go to the meeting, and they, you know, the guys are there, and the new owner like that, Mark Selfer's there with him and everything. He gets up there and he said, and he's got a little mic. And we're in a little conference room, and he's got a mic he's talking on. And I'm sitting back there smiling, thinking, boy, this is something here. And. And he said, well, we wanted to get together the new ownership, and we wanted to introduce y' all guys to the. The new booker. And we've got him back here in a room, and we're fixing to call him out. Y' all probably know him. His name is Dutch Man Trail. [00:30:57] Speaker C: And. [00:30:58] Speaker B: And I did just like Gene did. I started laughing. I'm in the back of the road. And one guy said, what are you laughing at? I said, do y' all know who Dutchman Trail is? And they didn't even know what Dutch man tail. They. He called him Dutchman Trail. I thought, none of these guys even know not iota about the wrestling business. I mean, that, you know, like I said, Larry knew about Hollywood and about movies and stuff, but as far as knowing anything but what they thought, Dan, where they thought they was gonna make a fortune, and I think it could have been made was through the, you know, all of the. The syndication of the part and the merchandise. Larry said that's where they would make millions. And he told that Mark Selfer that. And I think Larry actually thought. But, you know, there had to be a way to go make money back then with that Gene and. And Jared never. He just got it on all the syndication, but he didn't ever really make. That's the only thing I did. I knew that I didn't ever understand why he. He wanted on everywhere. I think, so it would look bigger than what it was. But then you didn't ever run any of that, so you couldn't make any revenue off of it. And he was such a smart guy, Tommy. Have you ever thought about that? Why. Why he done that? For us just to make us look bigger, I think. [00:32:26] Speaker C: I mean, you don't think he made. You don't think he made nothing off of it, though? I mean, well, time or. I mean, you don't think he. Well, I don't know. I mean, I never. Jared. Jared. Him did nothing. He didn't make no money on. Well, I understand what you're saying, because it made you nationwide. And that was a lot of him, too. He liked that part of it, too. And I mean, imagine him not making no money. I mean, he might not have made much, but I can't imagine him not doing it, not making a book. [00:32:58] Speaker B: Well, and, and that's me, too. I've never understood that, but I've always heard people say that. But, but anyway. But I mean, because he had it on in Chicago, I mean, one of the biggest, you know, as far as places in Chicago. He had it on in New York. All the. I mean, big. It was on in Baltimore. But CD said, you know, I mean, and, and I thought Tommy. And they said, he's got real good numbers up there. And that's what kind of shocked me, that the way he was about making money that you might not. Could have went into those, like, once or twice a year and, and did some business. [00:33:30] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, I. I don't. I mean, I don't know, you know. [00:33:33] Speaker B: But, but, but, but then again, when you know what you know and you're making you. You're, like you said, all the guys, all of us was happy in 95. And he knew what he could make in all these towns. So it wasn't like taking a risk going to, say, Chicago or, or New York or Charlotte. Like, you know, his TV was on his Charlotte also. Gene, if you look, there's like 60 different markets that that syndication was on and everything. But see, that's what that Larry Burton and Mark Selker were. Larry. So that Mark on. Was the, the syndication and the merchandise. He said that the merchandising had never been done right. Which. The, the only thing he didn't know was, yeah, the pictures and everything. He. If he had any iota of how many dollars worth of revenue and pictures were sold here. And that was merchandise. But what he was talking about was T shirts and the, you know, the long game, the T shirts, everything else with the merchandise that had come along and everything. But, but during those years, it was like I said, Tommy didn't actually. I didn't think they were. I didn't think he'd come back and work for him. But it was a different ball game. And they would ask me questions. Gene like that, that Mark and his buddies, he had like four different buddies. And you know, the only thing I want to do was I didn't want to rain on nobody's parade. They would ask me and I would try to answer them as honest as I could without telling them, you know, that I didn't want to tell them nothing. I'd like to tell them the way I thought things could work. But I didn't want to get in the middle of that selling part of it and everything because I knew something would wind up, you know, breaking apart with, with Larry in that market at some point. But I never had a problem with Jean. They always paid me and they paid me good. I mean, you know what I'm saying? So I couldn't have a problem with. Met Larry, he, like I said, he was a funny guy. He was just different than everything. But I wish Tommy would have come in and we, me and him. [00:35:29] Speaker C: I think I met that Larry Brown about two times and it was just in passing. Yeah, like when USWA finished up, that's about when I finished up and left and she. That was in 95. So I worked independent in about 97 or something. 96 I think when I went up to ECW, you know, so I wasn't never in that. But yeah, it, I mean, I already took care of the guys that he took care of. I mean there was some not happy, of course, you always got some not happy no matter where you at. [00:36:04] Speaker A: Yeah. To your point earlier, 95, 94, 95 was a really good year for USWA. And in September of 95, that's when WCW Monday Nitro went on the air and they started going head to head with Raw. And now all of a sudden you guys running Monday night shows at the Mid South Coliseum has got to compete against five hours of free programming. [00:36:29] Speaker B: Yeah, free wrestling. [00:36:32] Speaker A: Don't have to get in the car. [00:36:33] Speaker B: Don'T have to get, don't have to. [00:36:35] Speaker A: Buy paper parking, don't have to buy a ticket. [00:36:37] Speaker B: Look, big screen TVs set at home, all the kids, no tickets. I mean if you got a family, you got a husband, wife, three kids, so you gotta buy five tickets where you can sit at home and you got your choice of two. The two big wrestling @ that time, big companies that you can choose to watch either one of them. And we're going up against them set, trying to sell tickets at the Coliseum. And actually like I said in, in 94, 95, we done better than we was last territory left that on legs that. That was running and we was doing good. And like I said, I wish I could show Tommy Jean me and you can get that picture that I saw and the story that I was reading. Have you. You seen the deal I was talking about, Gene? The. Have you got it on anything? It shows the Coliseum, but it shows Tommy, like in 95, they shoot. They're shooting from. From the upstairs down. It shows the whole bottom being full, the risers. [00:37:35] Speaker C: Yeah, I remember that. Yeah, I do remember that. [00:37:38] Speaker B: And. But, but anyway, there's. I saw a thing the other day on G Men. You can look and find it. I'll find it. And. But man, and it started making me think back about those times in 95 and everything. And it made me real proud that to be a part of that. And like me and Tommy talked about it. It's cool to be part of those last angles that really helped draw money at the Mid South Coliseum and in Memphis. [00:38:04] Speaker A: And so with, you know, you guys being the last promotion standing, but then, you know, like you said, Monday nights being taken over BY WWF and WCW and by the time we get into 96, you know, you just really can't fight that, you know. [00:38:19] Speaker B: Gene, do you think. Do you think. And then Tommy, same question for you, Gene. Tommy, do y' all think. Or had the history been so long at the midsuck? Awesome. Do you think we could have changed Memphis to like a Friday night or something? Do you think it could have done good for any longer? [00:38:40] Speaker A: They tried it on. When I think it was Wednesday night or was it Tuesday night? They switched to another night for a little bit during. [00:38:48] Speaker B: I thought we'd done it on. I thought it was Wednesday when they lost, when they had a problem with Amazon. Call us in. But I thought that was just for a little stretch. [00:38:57] Speaker A: It wasn't long, but the, the. The crowd didn't go up. Like, it didn't. They had pretty much decided like, well, this is killing us on Monday night. And then they switched to Wednesday because of the Evansville issue. But the crowds didn't really go up. So they're like, all right, well, it's not just the night of the week at this point. It's. [00:39:15] Speaker C: And I say, you know, I think a lot of that and I think a lot of the. A lot of that and a lot of the reason of that is because Memphis wrestling, it. It was. I mean, it just stands out on its own people. It's like. It's like when you take your family to a movie. I Mean, you have movie night. You know, most people go to movies, take your family on a Saturday night, they go see whatever movie. And I think the folks in Memphis, because it was such, I mean, you know, it created some of the greatest angles. Plus, there were so personable too. You know, the angles always meant something. Wasn't no crazy. I mean, it got wild sometimes, but it was all personable stuff that people related to. And I mean, you'd see, you know, it'd be the kids, their mom and dad, and their mom and dad, you know, I mean, it was a family. It was a family show. And I think that's the reason it lasted so long. I mean, after other territories went down, I just think the atmosphere of that Memphis Coliseum and it was a Monday night, wasn't nothing to do, you know, and everybody just turned out on Monday nights. I mean, I don't know, you might could have done it on Saturday night. It might have done better. But Wednesday night, best night in the world. [00:40:36] Speaker B: Well, yeah, but the only thing, Tommy, you. You couldn't really done on Saturday because we still had the fairgrounds of Nashville that, that, you know, everybody. Like you're saying in Memphis, new Monday night, but in Nashville, Saturday night was the night for wrestling. [00:40:49] Speaker C: Yeah. Oh, yeah. [00:40:50] Speaker B: So. So you couldn't have done it on Saturday, but that's why I said, I wonder Friday if. You know. But. But then again, it just might have been that time where wasn't nothing. No, not. Might not have worked. But I was just asking you and Gene, what did y'. All. Did y' all think there would have been a night that we could have kept and, you know, not. Not went against WWF and WCW and still had our own deal that might. [00:41:16] Speaker C: Have lasted Friday night? Friday night might have been a good night. I mean, you. You never know. I just know Wednesday night wasn't a good night. [00:41:23] Speaker B: Right. And what I'm saying is if you've done it Friday night and went straight into TV Saturday morning and said last night, and you had the clips of what happened last night, you had the good angles and then you could. You could have plugged, you know, this coming up Friday, where we'd always hit Monday, you could hit this coming up Friday. And, you know, I mean, it's just something I was going to ask y' all to see what y' all thought. [00:41:44] Speaker A: I'd say, like Tommy said, I agree. I think it's a lot better than. Than Wednesday. And I think a lot of it, too, was just most of those people in their entire lifetime, it had always Been Monday night wrestling. Right, wrestling. And it was just driven into them, you know, you didn't really think about Memphis wrestling on another night beside. [00:42:02] Speaker B: And see, that was my point. I was going to say, did y' all think any of that? But to me, I will never know anything but Monday night in Memphis. But what I'm saying is at the end, if either one of y' all thought that there was a night that that would work. I mean, it always. History is going to say to me, Monday night was a Mid South Coliseum. That's what I grew up on. [00:42:23] Speaker C: And the only problem, and the only problems was like a Friday or Saturday night. That's when the Memphis Coliseum was hot too. And they'd have concerts or they'd be different than. So you couldn't really be set in on every Friday night or every Saturday night, either one. I mean, because that's when they had their big shin digs. And of course Sunday, you know, they do some Sunday shows. I don't know, I'm kind of, you know, I just, I just feel like Monday night, I mean, it was like that forever. So I just think, you know, I don't, I don't know. You think it was just worked or not? I mean, if you had a Friday night like you said, you lead in that TV on what happened that, I mean, that might have been a good night. But. And why they didn't try Monday night? I mean, Friday night instead of a Wednesday night. Just a Wednesday night. I mean, you know, big church night, you know, I mean, you know, I just, I mean, who knows? I mean, in hindsight we sit here and get Coliseum. [00:43:19] Speaker A: I'd had higher rent on that night too. [00:43:22] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, you just, you just don't know the circumstances. [00:43:25] Speaker B: Well, Jerry Jarrett had paid them so much money over the years, I didn't know him but one time to ever have a, a little quarrel over the, the ramp. And they went to the Pipkin Building then because, but they always. Pretty much he paid them a ton of money, Gene. But I mean he made a ton of money running that Mid South Coliseum. But, but he, he paid for that building over the years. I mean, he was the only one that went every week. There was not another person who, well, every week to the Mid South Coliseum. But, but, but us. [00:43:57] Speaker C: And that's another thing. I mean, even when we went to another building, you know, it didn't draw like the Memphis Coliseum, you know. [00:44:06] Speaker B: No, there was no building that was, that people related to with wrestling like they did miss South Colosseum in Memphis. I mean, there was no other building. Like I said, we went right across the parking lot, the Pipkin Building, and it drew fair, but it never, you know, it just wasn't the Cost Center. [00:44:21] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:44:22] Speaker A: And another. Something else to kind of consider, too, is like, around that time in 96 when things started kind of taking a nosedive, you know, you was talking about how, you know, the angles in Memphis had always been, you know, kind of real reality driven and personal. And, I mean, they were doing silly. Like, they had the nation of dominant. I mean, I know Wolfie and Jamie was doing the nation of domination, the wwf. But then they were doing it in Memphis, and you had Randy Hales out there as Randy X Ray Tracy Smothers of Shaquille Ali and Reggie Bead. It was. I mean, it was funny, but it's funny. It don't make me want to go buy a ticket to see the guys get beat up. It's just silly. You know, there. There wasn't. You can't name any, like, real hot angles compared to the stuff you guys did during that time frame. [00:45:04] Speaker B: They was just trying to entertain. They was kind of doing WWF TV in Memphis is what they was doing at that time, but it wasn't funny. In Memphis has never drawn money. I mean, you can't tell me, and maybe Tommy can, but I don't ever know anything. I mean, we like some stuff to be funny at times, but just little stuff that we didn't expect to draw money. But as far as drawing money, like Tommy said, it was serious, personal things that you related to that, you know, that everyone could relate to. And they knew, you know, what we were saying, and they thought it was the truth. And. And they thought, well, these guys, we know, we know Tommy, Doug don't like these two guys because they. We can tell they ain't nothing like them. And. And we just know they don't like. You know, people would tell me and Tommy on the road, they said, man, we come because we know y' all really don't like them. We say, no, we don't like them. And halftime would be kind of halfway, halfway, ribbon on the square, halftime, shooting at times. But anyway, we've done business with a lot of people. We didn't necessarily have to like a lot of people that we work with. Now, we did like some of them, Gene a lot of them, and some of them, they wasn't our best buddies or nothing, but we still worked hard with them and we drew money with them. [00:46:23] Speaker C: I mean, and that's like Jamie and Wolfie you tell somebody you want to work with them too. I mean, stand there with a hubcap over their stuff. They love to say y' all crazy, but we draw money with them and make good money. I mean, Randy Hales was a believer in Jamie and wolfing the PG13, and it did get over it. And. But it was a personal, you know, personal angle that the people related to. They knew Jamie since he's a kid, I mean. And, you know, I mean, just. I mean, I don't know just the angles. It was done in Memphis, just. [00:47:00] Speaker B: And, you know, and. And see Gene also. They knew. They knew that Tommy had. Tommy was younger than Bill, and he kind of grew up around Bill, so he knew Janie. They knew me and Jamie had kind of grown up together as far as we was right at the same age. And. And he'd been around wrestling with his dad, and I'd been around wrestling my dad. So what Tommy's saying, as far as personal stuff, I mean, we said stuff. I told Tommy, I watched an interview the other day. This guy showed it to me, one of our friends did. And. And I, freaky, was just shaking my head. He loved it. He said, this is great listening stuff. And Tommy was talking about how ugly Wolfie D's mama was and something about her not having no teeth. And. Oh, it had me at the end of it, I just started laughing, but I thought. Because. But when Tommy got done, he. He gave me his mic for a minute and I talked a little bit. Then he talked. But I talked about how ugly Beverly was Jamie's mama. And I told him he looked just like her. And. But anything you could say bad for about four minutes, me and Tommy said. Then all of a sudden they come out of the back, like when we wasn't looking, and jumped on both of us. But we just started brawling. Me and Tommy never went down or nothing. We just stayed up and we brawled until all the baby faces come out and did like a pull apart, but they stayed with them. And me and Tommy go back and jump on. But I think that's what made the people believe in them because me and Tommy beat on. I mean, we actually did beat on them. I mean, we didn't try to hurt him or nothing. But, I mean, everything that we done was. Was pretty. Was very solid. And I think that made the people kind of believe in them. And me and Tommy did be in a match. We'd go 20 or 30 minutes. We. We beat on them 20 minutes. I mean, wouldn't we time. And to me, that's why I think the people wound up believing them. They thought, well, they're getting a fire kicked out of them. And. And then, you know, me and Tommy, when people. [00:48:57] Speaker C: And the people love it too, they love the underdog. And they. Underdogs. Between me and Dougie against them. I mean, they was underdog. And. And I think just. I mean, you start with Jerry Jarrett selling for Tojo, me selling for Tojo. I mean, that's. That's another culture that the Memphis territory was. I mean, you look it up in New York, and guys back then, they stand. They would. Nobody take a bump. I just beat the daylights out each other standing up. You know, these guys was taking bumps and we beat them up. And it was. I mean, but it was believable because if they'd have bounced us around the whole match and the people would believe. But they believe they was buying what we were selling. I mean, and that's the great things about the fans. Well, all the rats and fans from back in the day. But Memphis, it was a special place. [00:49:45] Speaker B: And Gene, you got to realize a lot of this time, me and Tommy didn't have a manager. What if we had a manager? Now, Wolfie and Jamie had a manager about this whole time. His name was Randy Hales. And now you heard some of them promos. Oh, Randy come out there and cut some promos and told me and Tommy which way we were fixing to go and we weren't gonna do anything else. The Tommy telling me it was his boys. I said, what you tell him, Tommy? [00:50:09] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:50:12] Speaker B: Hey, Tommy getting mad, Gene, can you imagine if you'd been there to. Hey, what do you think Randy said when Tommy said was his boys? [00:50:20] Speaker A: It ain't my boys, Tommy. I'm. [00:50:22] Speaker C: I'm. [00:50:23] Speaker D: Shut up. [00:50:24] Speaker A: Quit talking about their mama out here, all right? Talk about your ball. [00:50:28] Speaker B: Hey, hey. Telling me Tommy said everything. This problem. I gotta get this promo get you played on here. You will love it all. I'll pop. When I popped, when Tommy started, I thought, shoot, I don't even remember this promo. I thought, I love it. And when he just stopped and he told me to say something that I started. And I thought, dang, we must have this. We me talk about this. Because it was so much alike as far as. I mean, it was different what I was saying about Jamie's mom, but it was still on the same pattern of what he was talking about. I thought, dang, we must have said something to one another about this, because his was. He went about two minutes just knocking everything about Wolfie's family and his life and how big a sissy he was and he wasn't an athlete, never played no sports and I mean, just everything. And then right when he got there, he said, doug, tell him. And then when I started on Jamie, it was just about two minutes about how silly his family was and his mom was and. And he was. And that they weren't on the level we was. And we didn't even know why we was having to wrestle them and everything. But I think the stuff like that people said this stuff's true. They. They can't say that out here. I mean, you know, because it would really hurt somebody's feelings and. Yeah, and everything. But like I said, it was so personal. Then when they come out and jumped on scene, you know, most people would have went to the floor or something mirror time. And everyone went nothing. We just started fighting them back. All of a sudden all the. The baby face locker room come out and pulled them apart. When they pulled them apart, me and Tommy stood there about two seconds and we went and jumped on all. And we hitting everybody, every one of the baby faces. And Jamie and Wolfie both. And Randy Hills wound up coming out saying, if y' all two don't get out of here, you're fired. And. And that's why me and Tommy left for. [00:52:19] Speaker A: But that's relatable, you know, because people like. I know how I'd be if they talked about my mama like that. Plus their. The two mothers had been seen on TV enough. They feel like they kind of know them too. So. [00:52:29] Speaker B: And. [00:52:29] Speaker C: But. [00:52:30] Speaker B: But the kicker part about it, when, you know, people believe it, we go back and Jamie. Wolfie, I got tickled. Wolfie come back said Tommy, you have to say all that I pop. I thought hell is about it hurt his feelings. So people gonna believe it. [00:52:45] Speaker C: Oh, we get it. We could. We could get him in the car. I'd have it woof a d cry. I hope you boy hygiene. [00:52:53] Speaker B: And. And he's not telling the story. I would have to freaking. I'd have to hit him over Wolf being back. I'd have to hit Tommy. And I said or Wolfie, get out. And I say, leave him alone. I said, he's gonna cry all the way to ash. I'm just leaving. Please leave him alone for me. [00:53:12] Speaker A: And everything. [00:53:13] Speaker B: But then again, after he made him and Tommy, I got tickled. Now they have some good stories together, though I laughed. They were some funny stuff to you. When I. When I would go away from them for night, leave them Together you talking about some of the funniest stuff that I ever seen happen to anybody happen. Wolf is woman at the time, kind of run the household. And she kicked him out of the house. When Tommy. When I took. Left them out at his house, I didn't know nothing was going wrong. But she kicked them out. Well, here him and Tommy got their. [00:53:44] Speaker C: Diet kick Wolfie out. We had to sneak out with a cooler through the doggone woods. We snuck out. I thought, what the heck? [00:53:55] Speaker B: Listen to this. Gene, tell him. Tommy, what happened? [00:53:58] Speaker C: Wait, I don't know what the deal was, but anyway, I ended up with Wolfie somehow. It was going over to his house and we got there and I don't remember if his girl come in or what the deal. She called and told him he better not be there or something. [00:54:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:54:13] Speaker C: And I asked him what was going on. He said, oh God, we got to get out of here. So anyway, we. We came in the front door, we went out the back door and I don't even remember who picked us up. I mean, we snuck out like these in the night, man. I mean, I never seen nobody scared of nobody. Like he was that woman, Gene. [00:54:33] Speaker B: They walked through the woods with a wrestling bag and a beer cougar and over to it like a little bar type restaurant deal. [00:54:42] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:54:43] Speaker B: And waited on a ride. But now listen, that's Tommy's story with Wolfie. So one night, Tommy goes somewhere and I go with Jamie. Well, we're going to his house, so I think we're all right. Right. He lives in Kentucky, he's married, he's got a kid and everything. So I think he's, you know, at home, he'd be calm and everything, right. But we get there that night and I met his wife and said hello and everything. And it's like 11 or something. We get there. So we're still up about 2 or 3 and we drank a few beers and stuff. All of a sudden, about three or four, she comes in there and says something to him. Well, he gets smart. The next thing I know, he says, watch this. And he goes. And she's sitting down and he grabs a picture out of the, out of the refrigerator and it's got like Kool Aid in it. And he goes and dumps that picture on her head. Well, when he does that, oh, she gets up and she's bigger than. A lot taller than he is. And she gets up and they about go to fighting and, and pushing. And I said, jamie. And I'm thinking, here I'm in this little Kentucky country town. Me and him both fix and go. I said, I'm going. So here he comes out the door behind me. So we get in the car and I said, jamie, she gonna call him. I'm thinking she's gonna call the police, they're gonna stop me. We're in a link, you know, Lincoln blacked out windows and everything, my car. So he said, no, I got a place for us to go. I said, okay. So we go, we pull in this driveway. I said, whose house is this? He said, her brothers. I said, her brothers. I said, well, are they gonna say something? He said, no, they're cool. We walk in a brother's gym, we sit down, I see a car go by. I said, another car go by? Well, I'm sitting in the living room, they're kind of sitting in the kitchen. And, and, and when I walked in, one of them pulled his glasses down like this and looks at me and I thought, what? What's this guy doing? Well, these guys are stone cold wrestling fans and they believe every freaking thing that happens on tv. Well, I hear this guy, as one of Jamie's three brother in law said, is that Doug Gilbert? And James said, yeah. And he said, doug, tell him hey. I said, hey. And I just walked right through the room. Dude just looked at me like, like he's really freaking hot at me, right? He watches me and Tommy beat him up on Saturday and I'm thinking, here these guys. So I look out the window one time when I see a car go by and it's got blue lights on top of it. And I said, jamie. So he comes in the room I'm in, TV's on. I said, man, the cops just come by. I said, would they be any reason you think your wife's got licensed? I don't know. Cops watch these guys all the time. He said, they the most wanted guys in town. I thought, oh my God, not only am I up here and his wife's gonna get us arrested, but his damn three brother in laws are the most wanted three guys in this little city. I said, jamie, we gotta get out of here. And so we did. But like I said, me and Tommy, I mean, we had some great times with. I had great times with Jamie and Wolf and both and Tommy did too. But we had some times that, that we go back shack our head on. [00:57:45] Speaker A: Now if anybody questions either one of those stories, the story that Tommy told, Wolfie has told me that story himself. And verbatim, it's exactly the way Tommy told it. [00:57:55] Speaker B: You talking about funny you Talking about when. When Tommy told me that, he told me. Wolfie never said that. Tommy told me you talking about laughing. I went to Wolf and I said, damn, I'm glad I didn't have to sneak out the back door with you. And he said he was. So. He was kind of embarrassed. [00:58:15] Speaker C: Yeah, Grown ass man. [00:58:19] Speaker B: But I mean, and here's the thing. Wolfie always respected Tommy and Which we all did. And Tommy's just a little bit older than us, but we all respected Tommy so much and everything. But Wolfie, it really, I think, embarrassed him a little bit that he had to tell Tommy, we gotta go. And here they go. But what tickled me G was I'd love to have this on film. Them, too, with the wrestling bags and a cooler and. And Wolfie told me they'd walk so far. Then they set them down, and I think they drank a beer. [00:58:48] Speaker A: Yeah, he said at one point, they set the cooler down, got a beer out. They each set on one in the. [00:58:52] Speaker C: Cooler, but I think Wolfie had his rats and black, plus another bag with his clothes in it, too. Gonna burn him or something. Oh, we were packed down like a moving truck. [00:59:04] Speaker B: Hey, Tommy told me after that, when he got back to me, he said, don't never leave me with him again. I had to go do something already. Tommy went with him, But I told him, I said, y' all have a good time. But I didn't know nothing in the personal life. Wasn't going at the best at the time. So I thought they'd have a big time. But that when they told me about walking down that trail, oh, I popped. [00:59:27] Speaker C: I thought, yeah, it was a trail. I mean, it wasn't. No. Was no sidewalk we on. It was a trail toting. All right. [00:59:34] Speaker B: Now, Gino, Wolfie didn't tell you anymore. I know you can't say too many stories, but he didn't tell you no other good story about him and Tommy or anything you can tell us? [00:59:42] Speaker A: No, that was. That was the main story with Tommy that I heard. Tommy, like, you'd end up with a blister on your foot walking that far through the woods carrying all this. [00:59:51] Speaker C: I made him carry me piggyback. I didn't walk through his father. You should have seen the. Carrying the cooler and everything. [01:00:00] Speaker A: Well, so we're about out of time, so I guess to kind of put a bow on that story as things. [01:00:07] Speaker C: Were kind of PG 13. We love you guys. [01:00:11] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:00:12] Speaker A: Yeah. We got to get all you guys together on here sometime and. And hash all that out. I can tell Their story. [01:00:18] Speaker B: Hey, hey, hey, now that'd be great. You talking about some stories that would come tip. Because I guarantee if I got on here, there a lot more stories that I can tell. It's funny that you don't think, oh, I'd have them to into it. Wouldn't we, Tommy? [01:00:30] Speaker C: Oh, boy. [01:00:31] Speaker A: Yeah, that wouldn't, that wouldn't take a whole lot, I'm sure. [01:00:34] Speaker C: But I got randy hell stories with them too. She'd knock your socks off. [01:00:39] Speaker A: Now, you statute of limitations, Tommy. Don't you. [01:00:43] Speaker C: I better not be telling. [01:00:44] Speaker A: Don't you tell. I made good with the Lord. All right? Just leave it alone. We'll, we may wrap up the Larry Burton thing. There's a couple more things to add to that, but we're about out of time here. But basically, do you get the feeling that as we got into 96 and like, say, you know, Monday nights weren't what they once were, this Larry Burton and Selker comes along and Jerry Jarrett and Jerry Lawler see the opportunity, like, hey, it might be time to get out while we can still make some money on this thing. [01:01:14] Speaker B: Yeah. Do you not think? And, and this is one of the things that the Kings told me a lot of times. He says, you know, everybody says that, you know, Jerry Jarrett made me a millionaire. He said, and Jerry Jarrett made me a whole lot of money over a lot of years, Doug. He said, but, you know, the, the first time that I ever actually had way over a million dollars at one time. And I said, when's that? He said, when I sold the territory and everything. But I mean, he was never hurting for money, don't get me wrong. But the, the, the, the first time that he had probably, you know, read $2 million or more than that in the bank was when he sold, when he bought the territory from Jared. And he give Jared, I think it was 200 grand for his hat. And then he had all of it, right. And then when he sold all of it, he sold, I think two point something million. [01:02:10] Speaker A: Wow. So those guys were out of business within what, less than a year? [01:02:15] Speaker B: Nine months. Nine months. [01:02:17] Speaker A: My favorite story, I'm sure you've heard this, but he sells it to them and these guys don't know anything about running a wrestling company. Nine months later, USWA is out of business and they try to sue Lawler and they get in court and they're trying to sue him because they're like, we thought this business was worth all this money and then we buy it and now it's not. And they said Lawler got on the stand and said, look, you know, I saw when I sold him the company it was worth that. He said, if I sell you a car and then you go out and crash the car because you don't know how to drive, can you sue the guy that sold it to you? Because that's the same thing. And they said the judge was like, good point. And ruled in Lawler's favor. And it wasn't. I mean, you're not responsible to make sure somebody knows how to run a business before you sell it to them. Right. I mean, well, somebody shows up wanting to buy, it's on them to run it after that. [01:03:08] Speaker B: And I mean, Gene, these guys knew absolutely nothing about the wrestling business. I mean, and. And I'm not knocking them or nothing. Like, I said that they was nice to me. All of them was nice to me, but they knew nothing about the wrestling business. Look, you'd have like five or six guys at spot shows with headsets on and little walkie talkies wandering around the building talking to each other. I mean, you know, I mean, I saw that and I thought, this is. You know, I never said nothing to. I just smile. And if they asked me a question, I would answer them. But I thought, how long is this going to last? You know, and, yeah, everything. Like I said, I had Japan really well during that time. So when I would come back from Japan, I'd work. That Larry would call me and I'd work for him. Like I said, he paid me good. So I couldn't, you know, I couldn't say anything. I wanted to do good. I want. All the guys was making more than they'd made, you know, and everything. So I was wanting everybody to keep making me. I was just hoping they would turn it around, and I was hoping they'd hire somebody that knew how to book and how to make it draw. But they didn't. They didn't. But like I said, the funny thing was when he introduced, and I think it was that Mark Stepper, the interview said, we've got a new booker and his name is Dutchman Trader. I thought, you don't even know what the guy's name is. [01:04:25] Speaker A: You're like, it's over with. [01:04:26] Speaker B: Yeah, I thought, how is. And I mean, you know, and Dutch was one of the guys. He had a good mind for ideas and. And different things and stuff. But I thought, you don't. Y' all don't even know the guy's name, who you're hiring. [01:04:41] Speaker A: And I hear they had big ideas About. Because I know, I know. Burt Prentice had said for years, if once they got all that syndicated tv, if they could have went in each market the way Bert used to do for his TV and sell ads to all those different markets, they could have made a killing on advertising. Well, Jerry Jarrett never bothered to do that. And these guys, they let the wrestling in die. You know, they got kicked off TV5. Now they didn't have a wrestling show to send out. Well, don't matter if you have all these syndicated TV stations if you don't have a product, if you don't. [01:05:10] Speaker B: If you don't have a tv. Yeah, don't have. But that's what I was saying. That's where Larry had sold that Mark Selker and his. His company guys on, look, this is what we make. And they sat down and they figured that up on paper. And Gene, that was great money. I mean, you could have paid the boys good like they was doing. You could. Had that revenue coming in, it would have took care of everything and they would have made money. And I wish that would have happened, because if that would have happened, things could have stayed open and stayed going. And that was what I wanted, you know, I would have done best for. For them, because the best for them was the best for the boys. [01:05:44] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. It didn't. It didn't help anybody for them to. [01:05:47] Speaker B: Go away, so, no, I didn't help. And I wanted them to stay going so they could brought Tommy back in. We've had another good run. [01:05:54] Speaker A: Absolutely. Well, there you have it. That was the. [01:05:58] Speaker C: All I say is to all of that is Larry Burton, Jerry Lawler, the judge. I think the judge knew Jerry better than he did. Larry Burton, too. [01:06:11] Speaker A: Didn't matter what he said. [01:06:12] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. But that was a valid point. I like the car. I like the car thing. I mean, that's a good example. [01:06:20] Speaker A: Yeah, Very great analogy, Jerry. [01:06:22] Speaker C: Been there forever. Yeah. These clowns come in, I mean, and I say clowns, I never did no business with them. Dougie said they paid good. I wish I'd got some of that, too. And we all went. But we want to see anybody do good. I mean, because if it does good, then it does good. It makes. It's good for everybody. So, I mean, it didn't matter who the promoter was. We always wanted it to do good. [01:06:44] Speaker B: Yeah. And Gene, listen, our man downtown, Bruno just takes me. So has he called you yet? We'll have to have him on the show in a week or two or something. [01:06:54] Speaker A: That's fine. Yeah, we can get him on next week. We just got to figure out what night we want to do it on because, you know, he has his town hall meetings. [01:07:02] Speaker C: As long as you can fit it into yours and Bruno's schedule, Mad Doug's don't really matter. So just you and Bruno out, you know? I mean, you had all your illnesses and stuff. I mean, I couldn't hardly walk the other day, but I got here to couch do mine, you know? I mean, it is what it is. I mean, but, yeah, be sure you and Bruno get on the same page. And let me. Let me and Doug know. [01:07:27] Speaker A: We will do our best to. [01:07:28] Speaker C: But I might be downtown that night, so I might not be able to do it. No way. [01:07:33] Speaker A: Where else would you be for downtown, Bruno, but downtown. [01:07:36] Speaker B: There you go. [01:07:37] Speaker C: Hey. [01:07:38] Speaker B: Hey. Bruno might be at Tommy's house. [01:07:41] Speaker A: He needs to be. Bruno would love to hang out at the beach for a few days. They could have a big time now. [01:07:48] Speaker C: He'd have a heck of a time in Gadsden. Alabama's where he'd be. Right? [01:07:52] Speaker A: Well, he's. He. He's told me every time I've talked to him that he did spend some time in gas and with Continental, like. Like you did, Tommy, so he's familiar, but. Well, maybe you can go to walls, then go down to Walls, Mississippi, and hang out there and. [01:08:05] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [01:08:06] Speaker A: But. [01:08:07] Speaker B: Yeah, Tommy might swing by Tunica, but I don't know if he'd stop at walls. [01:08:13] Speaker C: I don't know. I ain't lost nothing in walls. [01:08:15] Speaker B: I don't buy we don't get King. [01:08:18] Speaker A: Reginald on here at some point, if we can ever get him to answer his day. He begged me for months, and then now I'm trying to get him on. I can't even answer his damn phone, so. [01:08:24] Speaker B: Well, hey, he. I get it. I get a text from him every day, so whenever you want him, we need to get him. [01:08:30] Speaker C: He. [01:08:30] Speaker B: He would actually be fun to talk to, wouldn't it? [01:08:33] Speaker C: Yeah. Oh, yeah, that would be fun, with. [01:08:37] Speaker A: The implication being someone else wouldn't be fun. [01:08:41] Speaker B: Yeah, somebody else probably wouldn't like it, but. But it'd be fun for us. [01:08:47] Speaker A: Well, all right, Tommy, are we good? [01:08:50] Speaker C: Yes, sir. [01:08:52] Speaker A: All right, Doug, you know the drill. [01:08:54] Speaker B: Listen, guys. Thanks, everybody, for listening. I hope you have had a good time listening tonight and everything. And like I said, me and Tommy got about 30 different dates. Tommy's got 50 different dates in 40 days, and I got us about 20 dates in September and everything. But anyway, listen, guys, we appreciate y' all listening, and every Thursday night at midnight, right? Jeans, when this drops? [01:09:17] Speaker A: That's right. And by Friday morning, it's there for you. [01:09:22] Speaker B: Friday morning, be there. Everybody listening? Peace. We're out. Relive the glory days of Memphis wrestling with the Retro Wrestling Review USWA Podcast. Each week we go back in time to review USWA Championship Wrestling from the 1990s, episode by episode. Join us for watch alongs, behind the scenes stories and exclusive interviews with people who were there and lived it. Whether you grew up watching it or you're discovering it for the first time, this podcast is your ringside seat to Memphis wrestling history. It's all a part of the WrestleCopia Podcast Network. Listen [email protected]. [01:10:13] Speaker D: In the heart of Tennessee Dug and Tommy taking rings and strat Memphis legends never backing down Wrestling warriors they wear the crown you scurry away Glory in their veins Fighting legends breaking chains in the square circle they made their name Podcast champions, it's their claim to fame on the mic they roll on on the map they sold dangerous conversations fans wanting more Gas caves ruling the waves Memphis wrestling raising the St from title belts to hall of fame Doug and Tommy carved the name Fists of fury and hearts of gold Every story, every fight we told Tales of glory, laughter cry Tennessee warriors with hearts open wide in the ring or on the air that you living without a care on the m they roar on the map they soar Dangerous conversations fans. [01:11:56] Speaker B: Wanting more. [01:12:02] Speaker D: My gas kings ruling the way if this wrestling racing escape.