[00:00:00] Speaker A: From title belts to hall of fame Doug and Tommy carved the name Fists of fury and hearts of gold Every story, every fight retold Tales of glory, laugh and cry Tennessee warriors with hearts open wild in the ring on the air Legends living without a care on the map they roar on the map they soar Dangerous conversations Fans want to.
[00:00:43] Speaker B: Know.
[00:00:49] Speaker A: Our gas kings to lie.
[00:01:00] Speaker C: Hey, everybody. Welcome back once again to dangerous conversations with dangerous Doug Gilbert and Tommy Wildfire Rich. Guys, we're gonna start calling him Road Warrior. Tommy Rich. As much as he's burning roads up these days, Doug.
[00:01:13] Speaker D: Shoot, man, he's. He's keeping that car in the wind.
[00:01:18] Speaker C: No kidding.
[00:01:20] Speaker B: Yeah, it was a busy weekend this past when we went to. From Myrtle beach to Dalton, Georgia. Dalton, Georgia to Thomas in Georgia. And then Sunday, we were in America's Georgia and then headed back Monday morning to Myrtle. It's good be back.
[00:01:34] Speaker C: That's a haul over to Dalton from there, ain't it?
[00:01:37] Speaker B: About seven. About seven hours. And then about three back Thomas. Good. About a hour and a half to America, and then about another six and a half, seven to back to Myrtle. Yeah, we. We like truck drivers this weekend. Bless my wife, Art.
[00:01:54] Speaker C: She.
[00:01:54] Speaker B: She's the truck driver. I'm just the passenger.
[00:01:58] Speaker C: There you go.
[00:01:59] Speaker D: Good deal times. You see a lot of good fans and everything.
[00:02:02] Speaker B: Yeah, all the shows were real good. Big turnouts. I mean, everything went real good.
As Ricky Morton would say, they were sold out to the Raptors, baby.
[00:02:11] Speaker D: Shoot. I got you eight seconds.
[00:02:13] Speaker C: Yeah, he did a lot of.
He did a lot of meeting and greeting because I see. I've seen a lot of pictures from those different events posted on Facebook in the last few days, so that's awesome.
[00:02:26] Speaker D: That's really cool, Tommy. I'm glad y' all done good. Say, what about the town right outside Chattanooga? Did it do real good?
[00:02:31] Speaker B: Yeah, Dalton. It was real good. Of course we did.
Did the Ratchet show Friday night, and then we did decide Big D's flea market, which is one biggest flea markets down. Down that way. And so it was a real good turnout there, too.
[00:02:48] Speaker C: Nice.
Well, let's talk about where you're going to be next. I know. August 27th or almost August 22nd. Excuse me. McAfee, Kentucky. Tell us about that one, Tommy.
[00:02:59] Speaker B: We're back. McAfee. Well, it's McAfee Central School, which. Fredericksburg, Kentucky.
[00:03:06] Speaker C: Fredericksburg, Kentucky.
[00:03:08] Speaker B: I. We got a big cage match there, if I ain't mistaken. We're. Remember I said something about a cage match night. We're in Prestonsburg Kentucky, and Rock and Roll Express is gonna be there. So I got a couple of big cards coming up there. A lot of things going on. I mean, Wildfire Championship Rats. It's cooking a little bit, man.
[00:03:28] Speaker C: Yeah, the Kentucky.
[00:03:33] Speaker D: That is great, Tommy.
[00:03:35] Speaker C: And then as we move into September, you guys are going to be at the Coffee County Fair in Manchester, Tennessee, or at least Doug is, I believe. Is that the one that's just going to be you, Doug?
[00:03:49] Speaker D: Yeah, I'll just be there and everything. When that's supposed to be a.
You're having a signing that afternoon, Gene? I'll be signing that afternoon and wrestling that night and everything thing. That's supposed to be a real cool deal. Some of my buddies have been at it years, in the past years, and they say it's really neat and everything. Be the first time that I've been there, so it'll be cool. In Manchester, Tennessee.
[00:04:10] Speaker C: Cool. That'll be good. Well, here's. Here's one that's not going to be the first time you've been to September 10th. Henderson County Fair in Lexington, Tennessee. And you both will be there.
[00:04:20] Speaker D: Man, I have a great time there, which Tommy. I don't think Tommy's been here the last couple years. I had to get.
He was. He might have been Wildfire Championship Wrestling last year, but he had obligations and. And he couldn't come last year. And I think the year before that he had something else. But he gets to finally come back. Man, I really enjoy wrestling, you know. I mean, we really enjoy wrestling close to home. You don't really get to wrestle in your small city that you grew up in very often and everything. It's just a really cool deal. Me, every year I try to make sure I'm here and everything. It's just been cool, like I said, Past 10 or 12 years, we've done this. And crowds seem to get bigger all the time and everything, and everybody really enjoys the wrestling.
[00:05:03] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, I'm excited about coming back, but he talked about the city.
That's his backyard. Where that is. That's. That's Dougie stomping ground. Yeah, he's. I mean, he's done shows all around there, and it's always exciting. Of course, I get to see. You know, I was hung out in Lexington all through Henderson and everywhere else through there. So I'm excited. I get all. All of Dougie's friends come, which are my friends.
It's always good. Some great wrestling fans, too. They love some wrestling there in Henderson, too. So, yeah, I'm really excited. We got a big weekend that weekend too.
[00:05:41] Speaker D: We sure do, Tommy. We're going to be. I mean, actually on the 12th we'll be in.
On the 10th we'll be at Lexington, Tennessee, where myself, my brother grew up at and everything. Man, we have a big time there at the fair. And then on the 12th, which will be Friday night, we'll be in Ripley, Tennessee.
Tommy's wrestling at Ripley a bunch. I've wrestled a bunch, but that used to be a town that we'd make two or three times a year or something like that.
[00:06:08] Speaker B: Then.
[00:06:09] Speaker D: Then September 13th, Dyersburg, Tennessee. Tommy's Wrestling Dyersburg a bunch. And I probably wrestled a few less times in Dyersburg, but I've wrestled in Dyersburg quite a bit myself. And man, we're gonna get to go back to some of these towns that we ain't been to and shoot, I ain't been there in five years, probably.
[00:06:26] Speaker C: Wow.
[00:06:27] Speaker D: Might have been longer than that since Tommy's been there.
[00:06:29] Speaker B: Shoot and that. Go. Dyersburg, Tennessee. As you remember Jerry Barber. Yeah, that's Jerry Barber. They made him the honorary mayor. Dyersburg toothpicks.
[00:06:40] Speaker D: Is that right?
[00:06:41] Speaker B: Actually so much. Yeah. So I'm excited about going back, you know, might be carry me there.
[00:06:45] Speaker C: I don't know, man. You know, the Memphis Mafia anniversary tour hitting all the hot spots there. Flexington, Ripley, Dyersburg. That's awesome.
[00:06:56] Speaker D: It's cool, G to be in west. It's cool to go everywhere as far as up north. Anywhere we go is real cool for me and Tommy. We have a good time. And like I said, that following weekend after that, the. The weekend of the 19th and 20th, we'll be at the Banana Festival on the 20th during the day in south Florida, Kentucky. And then we'll be at that night. We're doing that afternoon after we wrestle that morning there, we're going to assigning at Paraguay to Arkansas. And then that night we wrestle in Paraguard and that's on the 20th of September 20th. So that's me and Tommy both. Looking forward to that. Gene, have you ever been to a horror con?
[00:07:31] Speaker C: I have once or twice. My wife. My wife's a huge fan of horror movies.
[00:07:34] Speaker D: So I've been to a couple is is. I can honestly say I don't think I've been to one, but I love all these different type deals and everything. Tommy's probably been to one, but he laughs at me. I'll go to him when I never seen that and I'll say what's it like? Or whatever and everything. But man, that's. That's what this one is on the 20th that night. And I think that'll be really cool.
[00:07:54] Speaker B: That's a first for me too. But I like.
So I'm looking forward to it too. I'm excited about seeing the cast of characters. It'll be there too. It'll be something to see that. Of course, brass and fans, we will be there. I mean, it's gonna be a big, big afternoon.
[00:08:09] Speaker D: Hey, Jean. Does that mean, like, if I wear my Freddy Krueger mask, I fit in or.
[00:08:13] Speaker C: I was gonna say, man, yeah, you bring Freddy, you can. You can hit him up for double picture money there.
[00:08:19] Speaker D: I gu. We might try that.
[00:08:22] Speaker C: Did we mention the 14th? I know we talked about Ripley Dyersburg, 12th and 13th. We talked about where you'll be the 14th.
[00:08:28] Speaker D: I thought you was going to mention that.
That's another Comic Con, isn't it?
[00:08:34] Speaker C: Yeah, West Tennessee Comic Con. Jackson, Tennessee. And that's gonna be a big one.
[00:08:38] Speaker D: And hey, me and Tommy can't wait. We love Jackson. I mean, we do a lot of business in Jackson and everything and. And we love the fans in Jackson. To me, greatest fans in the world. From Memphis to Lexington, Jackson, all Nashville. But I mean, Tennessee fans. I mean, not saying Mississippi and Kentucky fans aren't great. They're great also. But, man, it's just been. It's been a while since me and Tommy hit all these.
Like we're fixing to be hitting them coming up and everything. And I'm just happy. Like I said, Tommy gets. Come stay at my house and. And we'll get out here right side. Besides do some things that's country boys do and everything.
[00:09:15] Speaker C: Nice now, you know, there. There's also word that the Honky Tonk man is going to be there in Jackson. You guys get along. I know Honky Tonk man stays cross with half the people in the industry. You guys get along with the Honky Tonk Man?
[00:09:28] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:09:29] Speaker D: That's what. Somebody asked me that and I laughed. I said, I don't know anybody really, that me and Tommy don't get along with these days. And I say that I could name.
[00:09:38] Speaker C: A couple, but I won't.
[00:09:39] Speaker D: Yeah, I was gonna say that. Tommy will say in a minute, I don't like that song again. But anyway, no, Wayne's fine. I laughed. One of the stories I told people is, you know, after he left work for rents that time, he's will come in and work against Lawler. But then they couldn't come and hold arrangements or a deal on money. I don't think. And that's what Jerry. Jerry had made to grow my hair out. And it was a funny. Which I had my hair grow that. But he told me to. To slick it back and grow sideburns, which I don't have a beard. So he got me to cut the beard off. So I got sideburns down the side of my head. He said, man, you will make a lot of money. I'm sending you with WWF to Kuwait. They need a new hockey talk. Man said, vince is so pissed off at Wayne Ferris that whoever he puts in this gimmick, he'll make a millionaire. And he told me, he said, I'll give you a couple days to think about it. So I thought about it a couple days, and I said, I don't think I. I don't think I want to do this, Jerry. And when Wayne come into TV that day, I had my sideburns down here, and I thought, well, but I look like some hair slicked back. He said, so, you gonna be my replacement? And I said, I don't know. They can't never be anybody in the place. You.
I always get along. I always get along well with Wayne, which I'm sure Tommy. He was around Wayne back when you started, right?
[00:10:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
See me some convention stuff. I mean. Yeah. Wayne's always been cool, man.
It might be hard to deal with. I don't know nothing about none of that, but as far as just being one of the guys, I mean, I never had no problems with him. I mean, Wayne's always been cool to me. Only thing, I don't like Jerry Lawler, ain't he?
[00:11:16] Speaker C: He is. That's his cousin.
[00:11:18] Speaker D: First cousin, that's fixing to say, yeah, no problem with him. He's got a problem with his family.
[00:11:24] Speaker B: Yeah. I don't even hold nothing against Jerry Lawler no more. So. Hey, like Dougie said, we ain't mad at nobody no more.
[00:11:31] Speaker C: That's the way to be, man. You don't need to carry around no. No anger with you, but I think. I think Honky Tonk just does that on them shooting reviews just to sell those things back in the day. I don't think he hates as many people as he lets on. But speaking of interviews, you're gonna have Doug. October 3rd, a virtual signing meet and greet with Captain's Corner.
[00:11:54] Speaker D: Yeah, I meant to get about this. He told me Tommy one told him to call me. I was gonna ask Tommy. I didn't tell him. You need to be on there with me, Tommy.
[00:12:03] Speaker B: Oh, it's Fun. You'll have a good time. That cool.
[00:12:06] Speaker D: Are they?
[00:12:07] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:12:08] Speaker D: Yeah. You gonna be on there with me or what?
[00:12:11] Speaker B: Well, I don't like them.
[00:12:12] Speaker D: Oh, you don't like them?
[00:12:13] Speaker B: No, I'm just kidding.
[00:12:17] Speaker C: He said it'd be good for you, Doug, but not for him. He.
[00:12:20] Speaker D: Exactly. That's usually the way it is.
[00:12:22] Speaker C: That's why I told him to call you.
[00:12:24] Speaker B: Hey, now, they bunch of great folks up there, too. You have a good time. Hey, I don't mind being on there with you. Yeah, it's always fun when we're together.
[00:12:31] Speaker D: Yeah, we'll have a good time. And like Tommy said, Nick, he's a great guy. He. He comes down to Knoxville from up north and west, watches Tennessee play football. So anybody does. That's old, man.
[00:12:43] Speaker C: Yeah, I know Nick. He's a really good guy. And then the following day on October 4th, that's when you guys will be at the Memphis Tiger game in Memphis for the big wrestling day up there. And that's. I know you always have a great time with that, man.
[00:12:57] Speaker D: I love that, Gene. I mean, people laugh. They saying that. Really? I do. You nasty. I love it.
We both love sports and football and stuff, but, man, we have. It seems like that's a good.
A good time down there. And we're outside, we all kind of talk with those football around and everything, we just got to have a big time.
[00:13:18] Speaker B: And when he says everything, you know, like we said, we do do parties.
It's a party there that day. Too bad. A lot of tailgating going on and wrestling and football. I mean, it's. Yeah, it's a. It's a big day. And like I say, a bunch of great folks. I mean, they. They for that Memphis boy. And just to get to go and see it's. It's. It's always a great time.
[00:13:41] Speaker D: And it's cool. Gene, look right over there beside them. You say the Coliseum, and there's so many stories that we tell about, you know, everybody's got a different story and everything, and that's this cool.
It's a cool day.
[00:13:54] Speaker C: Yeah. To look over and think of all the memories you guys have in that Coliseum. I can just imagine.
Yeah, that's very nostalgic. I'm sure to be there and with your friends and then be right there amongst the Coliseum and all those great dance. Yeah.
[00:14:10] Speaker D: Genius. And it's pretty cool. I think every year me and Tommy been there, they've said, here, y'. All, come on out. And I get like, myself, Tommy Lawler, and about seven or eight of us together, six or seven of us that, you know, worked in the Coliseum, we used to take a picture. And that's kind of cool. I look back on my phone and look at that. Because we went for so many years and I never freaking took a picture with nobody. And I don't think Tommy really did either. We. We just took for granted that. That, you know, it was just something we'd see everybody every day. We didn't think we needed to have a picture with one another. When somebody would say something about taking a picture, we'd look at them roll our eyes like they'd lost their mind. Just because we were so used to, you know, we were so used to. It wasn't nothing. We knew we was gonna see each other every night. And we, I mean, and. And ain't nothing about age or anything. It's just. I think we just took for granted so much. You know, we didn't think. We didn't think we needed a picture with each other. We was also tight and everything.
[00:15:07] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:15:08] Speaker D: Now we look at. We think, dang. Or I do. And a lot of people think, oh, you've been Marky Mark taking pictures. And now you look back and think, man, you know what? None of us took pictures. We didn't ever think. But I think one of the reasons we did was because we always looked at each other as the same.
And I don't think people understand when I say that. You know, people say, oh, you're silly not taking a picture. It wasn't. We didn't take pictures. It wasn't because we didn't like one another, why we didn't take pictures with each other. It was just because we saw each other every day. And it was like we thought, you know, that was gonna go on forever and basically. Knock on Woods. I mean, look how many years you've been working now, Tommy. You still today seen 75 almost.
[00:15:50] Speaker B: Well, right at 50.
[00:15:53] Speaker C: Wow.
[00:15:54] Speaker D: And I mean, so see, it's not a thing of. And like I said, I don't even know his thing that's thinking Marky Mark or whatever, but just us thinking, you know, we're gonna save these guys every day.
[00:16:07] Speaker B: And too, though. I mean, as you get older too, But. But you look. You look at some of this stuff, like when you go do these conventions and stuff now, and you look at some of the pictures they. They'll bring of some of the guys. I mean, I wish I'd have got one with Danny Hodge or Big, you know, but we just didn't do that. Stuff back then, now today's world, I mean, you know, everybody takes a picture and it was different. But I look back, yeah, I mean, I'd like to got a picture, you know, just with a lot of different people, you know. But Dougie said that we just. I guess we took it for granted. Didn't even think about.
[00:16:41] Speaker C: Well, there's a couple of things to that one. Back then, everybody didn't have a phone that automatically had a camera in it that was just always ready to snap a picture.
And then the other thing too is like those people that are asking you that, I mean, you could turn around, ask them and go, well, do you take pictures with people you work with every day? You know what I mean? Like, that's your co workers. Those guys are just your, you know, I mean, you didn't look at it as like, oh, that's so and so. They're like, that's just the guy you work with every night. So I get that. It makes complete sense about it.
[00:17:09] Speaker B: I mean, even the fans back then, they didn't. You might have a few that had a camera that would take a picture, but most of them and we didn't. We didn't even sell pictures back then. So there wasn't really no market to do pictures. So, I mean, it wasn't really. The only thing we really did was the Polaroids. And, you know, I mean, that was just a memento for. For a fan to have because it wasn't really. It wasn't really clear, you know, I mean, a 10. I might have some eight by tens of just, you know, just of all those together. Like.
[00:17:41] Speaker D: Gene, you know what I bought of Tommy's when he started wrestling?
[00:17:45] Speaker C: What's that?
[00:17:46] Speaker D: Just one of them round pins that had time.
It didn't even have a picture of it. Just said Tommy on it. I stuck it on my thing, a little round pen. Y' all know what I'm talking about.
[00:17:59] Speaker C: I do. I had them on my denim jacket when I was in middle school. I'd go to this continental shows. I had one with Nightmare Danny Davis and I had one with Lordy Mongus. And I forget who else. Three or four of them.
I couldn't get one of Eddie Gilbert because he was a heel and he didn't have buttons for sale out there, so I had to get the other ones. I know exactly what you're talking about on that.
[00:18:20] Speaker D: Anyway, no, it's. It's just like I said, it ain't weak. I mean, and the funny thing, we look back now and think, man, we should have done it, but. But it was never a. And that's what. Like in a dressing room that I was ever in or Tommy was ever in. You asked him also. It was never. We all. And it wasn't a thing about. We just didn't like each other or something. That's why we didn't take a picture. It was just almost unheard of to take a picture back then. That, as silly as that sounds, and.
[00:18:46] Speaker B: You think about it too, in a lot of them towns that we went to, I mean, you know, the hills was on one side, the baby faces on the other side. We didn't do a lot. I mean, as far as with the hills, we didn't do a lot of social life. Like in Memphis, you could talk to some of the guys, but other than Memphis and Louisville, maybe Evansville, the rest of them, you was in separate dressing rooms on the other side of the building. So you didn't really have a lot of time. The only time you didn't socialize, when you said ring and yes. Whooped.
[00:19:16] Speaker D: That's right.
[00:19:17] Speaker B: I mean. Because we really did. I mean, like, I don't know what these guys would do today if they. If they couldn't sit and talk to each other about all the stuff. Because they do things you imagine. Oh, no. I mean, they can't either. They could. They couldn't do it.
[00:19:34] Speaker D: And.
[00:19:36] Speaker B: And you know, one of the.
[00:19:37] Speaker D: One of the fun, the funny things, Gene, is I think about this every once in a while. Like when I'm out in the shop doing stuff by myself or working on something. I think about what Tommy's just talking about there and. And us get us just shooting a breeze about different stuff and different people. Us seeing and going out building, talking to somebody. Then like. Like I said, a Nash or at the fairgrounds, Tommy had a couple cousins there. Me and Tommy was both real close with. Tommy's brother was there. He's still like a brother made today. And we was close to him and we'd go outside and I mean, maybe before we got dressed, sometimes after we got dressed, but then we walk back in the building sometimes and we need to get dressed and we get dressed. By the time we got dressed, they'd be ringing the bell and we hadn't even, you know, we knew who we was going to work against, but we didn't. I'd say, tom, what.
[00:20:24] Speaker B: What are we doing?
[00:20:25] Speaker D: Or what. What is this? I try to remember which week which. Because your TV bicycle around so, you know, you need to stay with what she was Doing, you know, like that weekend in Louisville and everything.
And I'd say, well, what are we gonna do? I mean, now, can you imagine guys today looking at one another and saying what? And I. I mean, we were saying it basically that we knew somewhat how the match was going to go. What I was talking about, what are we going to do for the fitness? What. What are we going to do? And the, the thought process in that. And like I said, some people would say, well, that ain't good. Y' all just wasn't thinking about the max or something. But, man, you talking about some of the best stuff when you, you know, when you just. When me and him sat right there and we'd say, we'll tell the guys in the ring what we're going to do or something. But can you imagine these days, guys doing anything like that?
[00:21:16] Speaker C: It'd be their worst nightmare. Like, they couldn't even fathom that because, I mean, you, you guys watch those guys sit down for two hours and we're all right. We'll get in the ring, they'll ring the bell, we'll lock, and they will go through every single step.
I mean, do you think you guys could have had the great matches you had if you guys would have had to sit down in the midst of the Coliseum with. With Lawler and Brian Christopher or the PG13 and. And call the entire match in the back?
[00:21:42] Speaker D: I don't, I don't think with any of them guys that could ever been like that. I mean, I think it might have been all right, but it would. Like Tommy said before, it wouldn't have been us. I think you could have told a world of difference and everything. But what gets me, like you said, like PG 13, like Jamie, Wolfie, like, I'd go in there if I started off with him or Tommy did. Usually I'd start off anytime you come in, but I could go in if they didn't know what we was going to do. I could tell Jamie usually started. I could tell Jamie why I was just locking up and starting match with him what we was going to do. And he, you know, usually relay it to Wolfie, but that was as simple pretty much as it was. And with. With Lawler and Brian, me and Tommy about at different places. Hell, we might be halfway through the match before anybody said anything about a finish. It wasn't that we was going home or anything, but before a finish was even thought about, it'd be something that we would do. And usually Law say, why don't we do this for finish Just. Just during the match somewhere. Why don't we do this refinch? It wasn't, you know, like. I mean, he was telling us we could do something else, but, I mean, it used to be cool and kind of off, you know, off wire that people wouldn't think and, you know, But, I mean, these days, that's what I think about. I think about stuff like that. Imagine the guys going in the ring today, and. And all of a sudden somebody said, hey, that. All that stuff y' all talked about, we're not doing that for finish. We're gonna do this. And how do you think that would go? Do you think that would fly at all?
[00:23:11] Speaker C: They would freeze up. They would. They would completely lock down. It would. It would be. I mean, you see it in matches where something goes awry. Just as a fan watching it, you can go, oh, well, that spot didn't work. And then everything just falls apart. Because when this doesn't work, it doesn't lead to that, to that, to that, and everything just falls apart, you know, so.
But anyway, you know, life.
[00:23:34] Speaker D: There was one night you laughed at me and Tommy. We. We kind of had a routine, and we kind of usually go by it, Not. Not that everything would go right or. Or this was a thing. But mine and Tommy's routine was. I'd kind of start the match, and I might go three or four minutes or something, maybe five or six sometimes, but three or four anyway. And I'd take Tommy and.
So one night. This was always the way it was. It's just kind of the way it was. Until this one night, I decided I wasn't having the best of nights. I. I just got out of the ring. Tommy looked at me like I'd lost my mind. I got out of the ring and just stood in the corner. He said.
[00:24:10] Speaker B: He told me. He said, I think I'm gonna fight.
It was a hot. We was in Jonesboro, Arkansas, where it was at. I remember it. Yeah.
He said, it's a. He said, you start, I feel like I'm gonna fade.
[00:24:27] Speaker D: And. And I told Tommy, I said, do.
[00:24:30] Speaker B: A little play before the show. And anyway. But. But anyway, and because I. I knew. I said, dang. Something wrong? Because Doug always. You know, Doug always started.
And first I thought, he's messing with me. And I got. I said, yeah, I'll start. I got in. I looked over, and he did look like he was about to fight, but he.
He caught that wind, though. He was all right. After a little bit.
[00:24:55] Speaker D: Oh. Oh, I was good. After a little bit But Jean, for the first little bit, and I told Tom, he laughed at me a couple times before I got in the ring. And I told him after I finally tagged and got in, I told him, I said, you was gonna laugh at me. I said, but I fixed run to the back.
[00:25:08] Speaker B: He said, what was you gonna run.
[00:25:10] Speaker D: To the back for? I said, if I fainted, I didn't want nobody to see me. And he started laughing. So we started home that night, and he said, do you really think you was gonna faint? I said, I really did not feel good. I said, I don't know what. But, you know, and to every once in a while, get in your head when you think something wrong or something. Well, I done thought Tommy was looking at me funny, like I was playing, and I wasn't really playing. I shake my head and I thought, can't you. I thought, I can hear this if I fame out here and these people.
And I just think right on the apron or something. And I thought, my goodness, I'll never. It wasn't like I. You know, like I was thinking of it like an angle. I was thinking, like, I would never hear the end of this.
[00:25:56] Speaker B: Yeah, that was. That was a funny one.
[00:25:58] Speaker C: Yeah, Tommy's good for that.
[00:26:01] Speaker D: Because I remember.
[00:26:01] Speaker C: I remember in Philadelphia when I took my shoe off and Tommy seen the. I couldn't see the bottom of my foot, and Tommy, look. Oh, Gene, that's bad. That's bad. And I was just picturing. I was like, oh, my gosh, it must be laid open. It must be like.
It was bad. But that look on your. The look on your face scared me ten times worse, though, when you go, oh, your eyes got me. Oh, that's bad, Gene. That's bad. I was like, oh, when it about.
[00:26:23] Speaker B: Makes me throw up, it's bad.
But.
[00:26:31] Speaker D: But I'm gonna tell you, meantime, had a bunch of good, good times in Jonesboro also, Gina. That was a good town. As far as new stuff in one time.
[00:26:40] Speaker B: Yes, sir. Yeah, Jonesboro, they had the light and hung down. It was in a metal pail bucket. The light was in it, and they run it down, and we used to take back drops to see who could kick the light.
[00:26:55] Speaker D: Yeah, that was a big deal. But now that was in that. That was in that cool atmosphere building, which, I mean, I. I love the Earl Bell Community center, but I'm talking about. That's that old building you're talking about, Tommy. What.
[00:27:05] Speaker B: What would.
[00:27:06] Speaker D: Yeah, and that was where you could walk out, like. Like there was a little door way between the Heel and baby face dressing rooms right at the time. Like, what he was on. Somebody face the other. And you walk out down a little aisle thing in the middle.
[00:27:18] Speaker B: And it had the ringside, and then the bleachers went straight up.
[00:27:22] Speaker D: Yeah, but it was. Gene, it was like.
[00:27:25] Speaker B: I don't remember how many people it would hold. It was small, but they had it. I mean, the way it was built, it would hold quite a few people. But it was. Yeah, it was. It was compact, but, you know. And I think that was another reason Buggy got claustrophobic or felt like he's gonna fade that. Because it was really hot. That building was full, too.
[00:27:44] Speaker C: Oh, man.
[00:27:45] Speaker B: Yeah, he told me. He said, I think you're gonna have to start tonight.
[00:27:50] Speaker D: Yeah, it was a little something going on. But anyway. But, Gene, we had some good times. Like, man, me and Tommy left over there one night, and of all things, which I don't know why people laughed at this or nothing, but me and Tommy went out a few times.
Well, the first time we went out during this stretch of time, these guys were sitting at a different table, and they said, we'll buy you beers. Well, all of a sudden, the guys wound up at the table with us. It was four or five police officers that was the drug task force for that area. And I've known. I've known those guys. One of them real well, that we stay in contact every month. He's a football official, but he's still a state trooper and everything. But all the guys, they was really cool. Wasn't the time. Oh, we had.
[00:28:39] Speaker B: Oh, yes.
Yeah.
When I sit down, I was kind of scared.
But they was all really cool, cool folks, man.
[00:28:54] Speaker D: Yeah. You talking about good people and I mean, high character guys. And they was just. You know, they had come to the wrestling and saw me and Tommy. Then they stopped at a restaurant, and just so happened, me and Tommy went in that same restaurant, and they said. And all of them was drinking beer, and they said, we won't buy y' all beer. So, you know, Tommy couldn't say no to that.
[00:29:12] Speaker C: You don't be rude, you know.
[00:29:14] Speaker B: Yeah.
Hey, they bought more than a beer.
Say, I'm gonna have one beer.
You know that's a lie right off the beat. You ain't gonna have one beer.
Tells you that. They tell it. You feel.
[00:29:32] Speaker C: Absolutely. You know, last week we was. We had a question, or maybe it was a week before, with Q and A, talking about Malden, Missouri, and Steve Crawford and a few guys on Facebook come back and posted some things and Some different results and some facts about Malden, Missouri. So yeah, people enjoyed that. They said they hope that maybe we dig into that a little more in the future. And they named off some names of people that I didn't know had worked there.
[00:30:00] Speaker D: Man, I would, I would love to get. I need to pull up some stuff Gene. You do too. You do a lot better than I do at that point. Stuff but, but some cards. I guarantee we could get some cards and, and me and you and Tommy, I'd say well you look at a lot more than stuff that me and Tommy do, Jim. But now you might know which I bet Tommy would know some of the guys on back in the years and I think I would know some of them, man. I think we would see some, some great guys on there. Like we talked about different times.
[00:30:31] Speaker C: Steve posted a card and I want to say, I'm almost positive I know they were both on the car but I want to say they were against each other. I want to say in Malden it was Lou Thes versus Wayne Ferris. Ironically we just got through talk about Wayne Ferris Minigo but I'm pretty sure early, early, early in his career Wayne Ferris wrestled Luthez. Now wouldn't you love to see a video of that?
[00:30:50] Speaker B: If you ask Wayne Ferris. That was a nightmare, man.
[00:30:54] Speaker C: No doubt.
[00:30:55] Speaker D: Well, I guarantee you one, one of the few people, and I don't mean because he's bad, I just mean because his, his stature and everything but one of the few people that just love to wrestle with this was my dad, which I mean I'm sure there's some other ones but just as far as that, I know like in this territory and stuff but it was my dad loved it and everything but I mean he was super. I think, I think by what I've heard Luther is that he was the same with everybody, you know what I'm saying? I mean there wasn't no favorites or nothing. You know it was his style and it was his way. If you didn't like it, just too bad.
[00:31:30] Speaker C: Well he definitely, he could do that. What you going to do about it?
[00:31:34] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean we talked about that for too though. I mean that was all. And Luther is more like Dory Funk senior time. And then Tommy was between Dory and Door Jr. And, and Terry and. But that was their school. I mean it was, you know, it was. I mean they didn't knock each other out, you know but they, they sure laid that stuff in. And that's what I'm talking about. I've never did wrestle Luther probably been a nightmare for me. Me too. But I know Wayne, he kind of Hollywood type style. So, so you know, just especially when he was starting. I bet, you know, I bet it was hard, bad.
I mean I'm not saying it wasn't good, it probably was a good match but I'm just saying that's two different styles there.
[00:32:20] Speaker C: Yeah, most, most definitely. But yeah, I seen them post that and I thought man, I got to mention that to the guys on the show next week because that's, that's definitely a fun fact about mauled in there.
[00:32:31] Speaker D: Gene, what else do you see? Some more cards that had some interesting names on them.
[00:32:35] Speaker C: I gotta dig around and find some. I, I haven't built just like general searches. I haven't come up with anything so I may have to see if I can get into like newspaper archives from that area and find something that way.
[00:32:47] Speaker D: And, and that sure. Where you would find it because like I said it's was that. I think they just called the place the depot. It was right at the, where the railroad crossings were went across and there was a building right there and like I said the whole thing, I remember like taking a bump rolling out when you got up you had like grease on you know, the mold, railroad buildings and stuff like I said, I mean I don't want to say it was dirty but it wasn't the cleanest as far as on the floor and everything. And like I said you had old time promoters which then it was the old times. But I mean it was cool for me to be around like Henan Rogers and like I said that Carson guy was that there and I'm not sure which one it was but there was different old guys in the back made set with, with a filth and they pour their drinks and they talk about all the old times back then. So you know that was good stories.
[00:33:34] Speaker C: Oh most definitely.
So we ain't going to have a, a long time to get too deep into it. But I thought this week, you know we talked about the end of the USWA last week and that was interesting. We got a lot of great feedback on that show as well. Well by the way, I thought we'd talk a little bit or at least start talking a little bit about power pro wrestling. That came along after the uswa.
You know it was around for probably almost a year before you guys got involved. It started up in early 98. I think you guys finally came along in, in June of 99. But what do you remember your initial response being when you heard that Randy Hales is bringing wrestling back to TV5.
[00:34:20] Speaker B: Well, hey, I mean, that's where I grew up. I mean, it's where I first started so, you know, in Memphis wrestling. I mean, I love Georgia and I've wrestled all over the country.
Memphis. I mean, it was. I mean, it just wrestling fans and just, just in general, man, it was just great. And of course, at that time, that's when all the territory going out. So, I mean, good, you know, it was good and be a part of.
[00:34:47] Speaker C: Stuff and it seemed to be drawing good little crowds there in the studio and they seem to be, you know, starred for it. It had been. When it started up, it had been like almost a year since USWA shut down. But towards the end of it, you know, it wasn't the USWA or Memphis wrestling of old. So it seemed like fans were really ready for it when it got started. They seem pretty pumped up to have wrestling back on TV5 again. Doug, what did you think about.
[00:35:11] Speaker B: About it?
[00:35:12] Speaker D: Well, you know what, Gene, as far as, like you said we covered last week, the, the kind of ending of uswa, to me, that was a.
A historical kind of time. And then you're talking about now the power Pro.
[00:35:29] Speaker B: This.
[00:35:30] Speaker D: What did I think of the starting of the power Pro?
[00:35:32] Speaker C: Yeah. When you heard Randy Hales is starting up a new promotion. It's going to be back on TV5, man.
[00:35:37] Speaker D: You know what? I actually. What I. I was really enthused and happy because I knew. And I think Tommy will say this too. He would say it in different words, and I will, but. But I was enthused that Randy was doing it because he's a guy, a history guy that I think studied Jerry Jarrett. I knew he always loved Lawler and everything, but he knew this territory and he, he knew the feeling of the territory and what made it draw, if that makes sense to you. That, that, that's.
That's what I've always felt about Raymond. It's a funny thing which I had him on.
[00:36:17] Speaker B: Grew up in Jonesboro. I mean, you know, he was a kid set of programs. I mean, he, I mean, he, he grew up in the git, so I mean, he knew anything every in and out of wrestling in the Memphis area. And he was aware of it because he started as a kid just like Eddie and Dougie and everybody else started, I mean, like knee high, whatever, and just grew up and then got the opportunity. I mean, Eddie, Marlon, he got to go with Eddie. Marlon learned. I mean, so he just. He was kind of like Eddie was as far as the booking end, I mean he just soaked that stuff up and he did real good. I mean Randy drawed some money. I mean he, you know, he had a good head for the business and I mean, don't tell him I said that though.
[00:37:04] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah, please don't. But, but, but anyway, what like what I was saying and what Tommy just said, it's kind of the same thing. He was around Eddie Marlon from when he was a kid, you know, from Eddie to my dad to different ones. I mean he had great guys to, to learn this business from as far as territorial wise and everything. Because I mean anybody can say whatever they want. But I mean when Jerry Jarrett broke apart from Nick Goodwill, he had, like I've told you before, he told me Gene, there was five guys that he wanted. And I can't remember all five, but he told me he would. I'll be always be thankful to my dad for going with him because he thought my dad was one of the five that he needed. And I, that always meant a lot to me. Which Jerry was always real nice. And from when I was a kid, grew up, grew up, crewed up, listed, I was grown up. And you know, I used to go when I was a young kid, 5, 6, 7, 8 years old to my mom and dad would take me with them up to Jerry's house and like Jerry and Eddie Marle, my dad, they'd go fishing, you know, get up before I did in the morning, go as I thought they'd make me mad, they'd go fishing before I woke up. So I couldn't go with them. But you know, they, like I said, Randy Hills had the, that bunch to learn from. So I mean if he's gonna have guys to learn from, I mean, you know, that was a good bunch to learn the territorial wrestling business.
[00:38:25] Speaker C: And it was a little different business model this time around. It wasn't really going to be a territory, you know, he had, it was mainly focused around the tv and then he was going to run some of the smaller towns that that USWA had ran. But it wasn't going to be, you know, Lexington, Evansville, you know, even Nashville for that matter.
[00:38:43] Speaker D: And, and Gene, we could get Randy on here with us and he would tell us point blank. But you, you might know, we might not have to. But I think he had a good TV deal with Channel 5, right. I mean I think he had a good deal where they was paying him money to do it. And I think that TV was drawing good ratings.
[00:39:01] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. Like I said, the fans seem kind of Starved for it, they were. They hated that it went away because, you know, before USA died out, it had moved to like midnight or something. It just, it just wasn't what it was. And so this was back in the old time slot. It was live and you had, you know, Dave Brown out there and Lawler and Austin Idol and Bill Dundee were all there for the first episode. So it felt like a revival.
[00:39:25] Speaker D: Hey, Gene, we didn't really say this last week, I don't think. But you do know why, I mean, why they actually lost the TV or whatever, right?
For usw? I don't mean Randy, I'm talking about the USA deal. They wound up, when they all got into it, some of them brought like security in with which, I mean, I know they had their, I guess, gun permits or whatever, but some of them come in there with guns on them. So the TV station, you know, they wasn't going to be liable for, yeah, any of that. So they said, shoot, we're just gonna have to pull the plug. So that's why, you know, when Selkirk and Larry Burton and when they lost the.
That deal, that's what I mean, they wound up being, I don't think people, I don't think we said this last year. I know I'm getting off topic, but right then. But can you imagine people coming in having guns on their side and one group having got on their side and other groups having guns on their side and it being pro wrestling. So the, you know, I mean, these guys think it's kind of a drama, I guess, but then the people at the TV station, it's been on for so many years. I know these guys really, really don't like one another. So can you imagine how that would have looked back then? But then we can jump on. Like I said, I know I got off of Randy, but man, I just thought, you know, it had so much potential because Randy knew. Randy knew. There's, there's bad tv, there's just TV and there's great TV and Randy knew what, what good and great TV was. So, I mean, I, you know, I was hoping. And here's the thing, I think you said this last week and Tommy did to us.
Gene, you can have good TV or you can have great tv, but, but what is one of the main things that makes it now? There's a few things going to it, but one of the main things that makes it is your talent, right?
[00:41:11] Speaker C: Oh, absolutely.
[00:41:13] Speaker D: So. And, and I think Randy did. And I'm not, I'm not sure you could tell Me what we just said to all the guys that he brought back for the first tv.
[00:41:21] Speaker B: Right.
[00:41:21] Speaker C: That was Right.
[00:41:22] Speaker D: First TV show. And you said that was a who's who of lineup. Right.
[00:41:26] Speaker C: And it was a good mix because he had some of the young guys he was going to be using in there as well. But then, you know, people who didn't know who they were yet, he had the. The guys that they wanted to see.
[00:41:37] Speaker D: You know what he told me about it?
[00:41:38] Speaker C: What's that?
[00:41:39] Speaker D: He said he want to get all them guys on first. He said he's gonna wait and bring the real stars. When he brought me in. Tommy.
[00:41:46] Speaker C: Well, that's what I was gonna ask. You know, it kicked off in 98, and it was almost, almost a year June of 99 before you guys show up. So I was kind of wondering what, what was that about? Is that. Was that his call? Yalls call? Are y' all busy doing other stuff?
[00:42:00] Speaker D: Hey, you probably ain't gonna believe this, but I put Tommy in charge of negotiating and I. I didn't. I didn't know if that negotiating deal was ever gonna come through. I. I heard from Randy about three or four times, and I talked to Tommy once or twice and he laughed and I said, are we getting closer? So Randy would tell me yeah, and Tommy would tell me no. So I. I ain't sure if my agent had different ideas than I did, but that's still during time. I was going to Japan some and Tommy was staying busy as he wanted to. But I think when the time got right, Tommy got us a deal.
[00:42:37] Speaker B: Well, then that's. And too though, that's when Dougie was going doing his thing in Japan. And 96, 98, that's when I was. I think I was in ECW so, you know, everything kind of slow. Of course, Dougie was just going back and forth, but I was up there every weekend. And anyway, you know, it just all, you know, all fell into place. I mean, it worked out good.
[00:43:00] Speaker D: And Gene, now we did tell you. Did we tell you this last week or sometime before? It seems like I've told you. Maybe Tommy might have said to you. But, you know, we tried this with Tommy and Randy negotiating and like Tommy being Randy's assistant booker at one point when Randy was booker, because now Randy's a melod guy and he don't like drama, which don't none of us. But now, you know, a booker has got to be a bad guy every once in a while. Got a fire people or anything, right? So Randy didn't like to be a bad guy. He just like to get along with everybody. So he decided. We decided one night when me and him and Tommy were sitting down talking, talking that he needed a.
A bad cop. And. And the baddest cop that was which everybody respected Tommy because he'd been around a lot longer than all of us had. But I mean, everybody respected Tommy. Didn't matter how old it was, whatever. So Thomas said, I tell you what, I'll take care of that part of we. Randy. Whenever you need to let somebody go, because he's wanting to let about two or three people go. Tommy said, just tell me who they are and I'll go tell them. So Randy said, you serious? And Tommy said, yeah, so about that next week when he told Tommy, Tommy went and told three guys to give him. But Tommy was nice to him. So we'll give you two week notice and everything. And. And they give two week notice. Everything was fine. Nobody said nothing or anything. I'll be damned. About two weeks later, Tommy walked over Randy Hill and said, well, said I had to let somebody else go. He said, well, Randy looked at him kind of funny, shook his head and said, well, I didn't tell you to let anybody else go. He thought Tommy didn't give somebody else for two weeks, no stuff. I'm firing myself. He said, first time this has ever happened. He said, but I know I'm your assistant booker, but I'm. I've given my own self my notice. So I'm in two weeks, I'm gonna let. Not be down. If it wasn't about a month. You did, didn't you, Tommy?
[00:44:54] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:44:56] Speaker D: And, well, I said. I said, I'll be dang rain. That backfired.
[00:45:00] Speaker B: Didn't remember Randy thought I was a kid.
[00:45:05] Speaker D: Yeah, Randy thought, he's playing. I said, no, he's. I said, he's. He's leaving Randy. Randy said, no. And then he went and talked to him and him and Thomas sat down, had a good talk, and Tommy just told and explained that he'd had great, you know, great runs and stuff with him. He appreciated everything, but it's time for him to do something different. Tommy did tell him, said, if y' all need me for a shot or something, I'll come back and you know, do what. What I can do for y', all, but I think it's time for me to, you know, move on for a little bit.
[00:45:36] Speaker C: So we'll talk about a little bit of some of the stuff that went on when you guys first came in. So around.
[00:45:41] Speaker B: By.
[00:45:41] Speaker C: By June of 99, Randy's got some local talent. He's got all these WWF developmental guys by that point because he's become a developmental territory, which is a whole other gene.
[00:45:54] Speaker D: Did you look up, did you look up some of these guys that he had there from wwe? This development? Like a Gene Coke? I was trying to think of my.
[00:46:02] Speaker C: Saying his name right, Gene Glenn Kolka, big old jacked up guy on the camouflage pants.
[00:46:08] Speaker D: Yeah. But now was he the one? They were so many. There were so many different things. One was a hockey player and one. But they was like all sports type guys. I think one was just a muscle or a couple of them just muscle man. But yeah, but a lot of them played different sports. I mean, they had different sports backgrounds. But that's when Vince would just hire. If you looked, you know, huge or just jacked up or, or whatever, Vince would put, put them under contract and send them to us.
[00:46:33] Speaker C: And he was just hiring people from an 8 by 10. Right. He just, he didn't actually watch.
[00:46:38] Speaker D: That's exactly right. And Bruce Pritchard come to TV one day and, and he come in, he said, hey Dougie. And I said, hey Bruce. I said, man, I need to talk to you before you leave. And he said, okay. Well, he got, we got, before he got ready to go, he said, come back here and talk to me. So we went and sit in this little office room and he said, how's things going? And he said, what about my guys? How are they doing? He named about four of them. And you know, I'd worked with each of them a couple times. And I said, bruce, they just, they need training. I said, but, but only. I said, my only concern, I want to help y' all and them as much as I can. I said, but I would like for them not to hurt me. I said, I've never been one to say, you know, because I thought I was always taught and everything. You know, when we trained, you wouldn't, if you thought about getting hurt, you didn't even do it anyway. But by this point, all them guys, Gene, they absolutely knew nothing about wrestling. Not, not one I heard about wrestling. And they would hire them and send them straight to us without them having a match and then ask us to go in the ring with them. And these guys, like I said, they bench 400 and 500 pounds and they were just strong as bears. Didn't know how strong they was. Like I said, they was great athletes, but not great.
Not at all wrestling wise great. And I don't mean that. No Disrespect. But they. They had never wrestled to know how to wrestle.
[00:48:00] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, you just. You don't know what you don't know. I mean, until.
[00:48:04] Speaker D: But I did ask Bruce. I said, bruce, the only deal. Like I said, I've never said about getting hurt. And I said, but look. I said, I want everybody to make money. I said, but do you guys. For us, it's kind of training these guys. Do you think we should get took care of a little better? He said, let me talk to him. I remember. I hate which Bruce was funny, which I always got longer with me. He said, doug, you got a good point. Let me talk to these guys about this.
[00:48:29] Speaker B: I thought.
[00:48:30] Speaker D: I don't think that conversation ever really happened, Gene. But I got over me, though.
[00:48:36] Speaker C: Well, it makes good sense. You would think that'd be a consideration.
[00:48:40] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:48:42] Speaker D: But they did want people that had experience to help the guys. But, I mean, you know, their main goal is make sure those guys got better. It wasn't about us or anything.
[00:48:51] Speaker C: So as you. As you came in originally, the dirty white boy, Tony Anthony comes in first, and then Doug, you show up to save him from an attack by this bsk, which was JR Smooth. Yeah. AKA Rikishi, AKA Fatu.
[00:49:08] Speaker B: Different.
[00:49:09] Speaker D: I was gonna say. I was gonna just let people guess and see if anybody could guess who that was. But I wonder if anybody still these days would remember that. J R Smooth. Remember his. Wasn't Umanga with him? Yeah, I mean, and then there was another. There's like three or four. The.
[00:49:26] Speaker C: Yeah, the one who's Roman. Yeah, Big Rosie was Roman Reigns brother.
[00:49:30] Speaker D: Right. He was with them. They had a whole band for. It was like three or four of them. And I mean. And that's when they was just trying to find him, you know, a junior something, you know, a gimmick and something to put on it. But, man, he done. He worked hard with me and Tommy, didn't. Tommy.
[00:49:45] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. All them guys, I mean, they work hard, they just. They. And of course, different style. Them great big old boys. I mean, Memphis, you know, it was more. It's a lot different styles. It was hard for, you know, just all. Especially with them learning and then big boys too, you know, but it was. Yeah, but they was all good. Shoot, all of them were good, but, but. But now the.
[00:50:09] Speaker D: The small, we was talking about G. You know, they come from Pensacola, they drive down, like on Friday night or something. We'd have everyone spot town on Friday night, but tb Saturday morning, they try to find something for you know, have something for Saturday night. But I remember Junior and coming down, like you said, bringing the other two with him and Matting. But they all had great attitudes, and the other two were so young. And which juniors had a good attitude and worked hard. But, I mean, they all work really hard and really easy with me and Tommy.
[00:50:35] Speaker C: So I don't know if you guys remember this, but y. Y' all might have to add a couple of guys to the Memphis Mafia tour, because in. In June of 1999, in Power Pro, the Memphis Mafia consisted of Doug Gilbert, Tommy Rich, the Dirty White Boy, Tony Anthony, and Wolfie D. Was part of the Memphis Mafia at this point. We haven't mentioned that before.
[00:50:59] Speaker D: Well, I think Tommy just had him as Had Wolf is a mascot.
[00:51:04] Speaker B: Yeah, they were just kind of outside looking in. I mean, well, what's.
[00:51:09] Speaker C: What's fun is, like, he shows, you know, each week. You know, one of y' all would show up because, well, let's. Let's get there before we. Before we jump to the Wolfie thing.
[00:51:17] Speaker B: Dang it. I don't even remember that.
[00:51:20] Speaker C: So Dirty White Boy shows up. Doug shows up. Then the following week, because Brandy Hales has banned Doug from the. From the studio. Because we need to mention here, Randy is the bad guy. He's the evil promoter commissioner or whatever you want to call it.
[00:51:36] Speaker B: He's.
[00:51:37] Speaker D: He's been the third.
[00:51:38] Speaker C: Yes. He's. He's. He has seen the success that Vince and Eric Bischoff have had, and, like, hey, we need a hill promoter in Memphis. So he's the bad guy, and so he has banned Doug from the studio.
So miss Peggy Gilbert shows up at the studio with a box, and everyone would assume that in this box is Doug Gilbert, who's been banned from the studio.
They bring the box out there. Miss Peggy's telling them how that, you know, it's wrong that they've. They've banned Doug from the studio. It's not right, Randy. He should be able to get to work hygiene.
[00:52:11] Speaker D: What my mom say, you're gonna cost him for making a living.
[00:52:14] Speaker C: Randy.
[00:52:15] Speaker D: Something to that point on the promo, I remember my mom saying it was.
[00:52:21] Speaker C: Great because it's exactly what your mom would say to your boss if he. You know, if it work. He wouldn't let you come in like, hey, you're stopping him from making a living. And Randy's like, oh, I'm not stopping him. But then the box.
Somebody busts out of the box, and it's not Doug. It's Wildfire. Tommy Rich is back now in Power Pro. And so I remember watching that the morning it happened to be like, oh, holy cow, it's Tommy. It wasn't Doug. But then, you know, we would hear from Doug on the phone later.
[00:52:49] Speaker D: But, but Gene, now you, you actually thought it was gonna be me, right? I mean.
[00:52:54] Speaker C: Oh yeah. 100.
[00:52:56] Speaker D: See, that's why, I mean, I think like as far as knowing this territory and knowing to me that's what made that good tv. I mean, I think the promo my mom did and like we said, Tommy's mom's done promos on TV that I thought was great, but I thought my mom's was great. I thought when Tommy come out of the box, people shocked. They was excited.
[00:53:16] Speaker B: Oh yeah.
[00:53:17] Speaker D: It was something different than Tommy cut a fired up promo after he hit the guys and run them off and everything. And then, you know, I mean, just to me all of that is, is good TV.
[00:53:28] Speaker C: And I wasn't just some 10 year old kid that thought that. I was 22 years old and involved in the business. And y' all still fooled me. And I thought it was be you in the box.
[00:53:37] Speaker B: Well, and so did everybody else and that and that, like that's the, the shock factor. And that's the stuff Memphis was famous for. I mean it would be what you was gonna think, but there'd be a little curve ball to it. Yeah.
[00:53:50] Speaker D: And it was like, Jean, we talked about this and I mean it had said we're gonna do something and put you in something. I said, no, that's exactly, you know, what the people. Which me and Randy went back and forth about different, different scenarios how to do something right there. And I said, man, the perfect thing would be, I said, if we got Tommy to do it, I said, we'll get over with the people. And that's what I'm saying. And I remember, I know he had different avenues, revenues for money, but he had the money to pay Tommy and fly Tommy in and to pay Tommy for that and everything. So I'm saying he, he was doing good on his TV and, and the shows and stuff because I remember him saying we, we can get Tommy. And, and he said that would be the best thing, wouldn't it? I said that would be the thing that makes the people talk.
And that's what we needed was that shock like you said, Gene. I mean he was 21, 22 year old young man. I mean, and, and you know, which you watched it like, I mean, and think about it, you watched it like me and Tommy watched it and talked about it. After, you know, just the what the value, the shock value for people. And what we wanted was everybody to be shocked. We didn't. I mean, to me, if I'd have popped out, yeah, a few people to cheer or something, but they, they would have knew it was going to be me. And with it being somebody like Tommy that they thought they would never see that week on tv, to me, that's what's great. And what to me, the shock factor in him, my mom cutting a promo, then him cutting a fired up promo and, and leading into the next weeks and everything, them.
[00:55:20] Speaker B: And at the same time, they. They knew we were like family too. So, yeah, bad want to see Dougie come out of their box. They were more shocked for me to come out. But it all related to each other too, you know, I mean, like Peggy coming out and cutting the promo. I mean, you know, hey, we got the greatest mods in the world.
[00:55:42] Speaker D: We sure do.
[00:55:46] Speaker C: Y' all got the Memphis Mafia with the group, the group of moms that hit the tv. But yeah, like, so what was funny to me is like, and so over the course of the next couple weeks, you know, Doug's there, Tommy's there, and then dirty white boy and Wolfie, y' all get. They're calling you Memphis Mafia on TV or kind of throw them together.
[00:56:09] Speaker D: You didn't even say nothing about him kidnapping Tony's woman, did you?
[00:56:13] Speaker B: No.
[00:56:13] Speaker C: That's how you came in, wasn't it? It was in the midst of that, wasn't it?
[00:56:18] Speaker D: I got you.
[00:56:19] Speaker C: I'm sure, I'm sure. I'm sure Tony would look back on that fondly.
[00:56:21] Speaker D: Now, didn't Wolfie come in griping about him firing me too, or something? Did he actually, yeah.
[00:56:27] Speaker C: See, Wolfie come in as an advocate of yours as well.
And then two or three weeks into it, Kevin, somewhere in there, Randy turned like half ass baby face or something. I don't know what's going on. I watched this back here a few weeks ago, but Randy's kind of in the middle now. And then Kevin Christian, Kevin Lawler is suddenly one morning, he shows up and he's the booker, he's booking the show. And we're like, well, all right.
[00:56:55] Speaker D: Oh, my goodness.
[00:56:56] Speaker C: And so he's doing, you know, stuff to make everybody mad. So to try to cause a rift in the Memphis Mafia for that night show with the new Daisy, he goes out there and says, tonight at the new Days of theater, it's going to be Tommy Rich vs. Wolfie D. And so Wolfie comes out there he's like, no, no, man, we're. We're in. We're together. We're. You're not gonna make us fight each other. We're together. Then Tommy comes out and Tommy's like, yeah, man, that's right, that's right. Because Wolfie don't want me to whoop his ass down there tonight. I mean, we all know what would happen. I'd beat him. But we're getting along now. We. So Wolf's like, wait a minute, what'd you say? And by the end of it, they're in a pull apart brawl. Y' all are in the same group, but him, I mean, just like old times, there's Tommy and Wolfie out there fighting and you're trying to pull them apart and. And dirty white boy's trying to pull them apart. It was great. But I just thought that was hilarious because I thought that I was like, that's perfect that, you know, Tommy would get that one little jab in that sets him over the edge. Because from what I hear, that's kind of how it worked in real life most of the time.
[00:57:48] Speaker B: I remember having to sneak out of like a dead thief girlfriend, go whoop his ass. Little old baby.
[00:58:00] Speaker C: I've heard it said Tommy always knew how to push my buttons. He did.
That's all I could think when I watched that segment. I'm like, yeah, yeah, that was a legit segment right there. I just played off what really happens.
[00:58:10] Speaker B: And we'd be riding in the car, next thing he poked me on, leave him alone.
But it just be fun for me. I'd just be playing. But Wolf would get too. He gets so serious and that's what would tickle me.
[00:58:26] Speaker D: But, but, but in all reality, Wolfie really respected Tommy and he'd listen to him and, and everything. That's what I laughed out. That's why I told Tommy I'd say, don't mess with him because he.
Tommy just be messing with him a lot of the time. But Wolfie take it so serious and get his feelings hurt and stuff. And, but, but it's cause he respected Tommy. I think that's why he was like that so much.
[00:58:49] Speaker C: Oh yeah, he. To this day, he loves you guys and he tells me all the time he wish, you know, y' all talked more and all that kind of stuff. So, yeah, no doubt there's no ill feelings there at all. Let's talk about one more power pro thing because we're at. We're about to run out of time and there's other Stuff we can talk about later. But when we talk about surprises again, this is where you took kind of maybe something that people thought they saw coming, and you put a big twist on it. So you fast forward a couple of months.
Now you're. You're cross with Brian Christopher.
And once again, they bring the box out there, and they said they got a surprise for Brian Christian. Brian's like, no, I've seen how this plays out. He takes a baseball bat, he just bashes the box, all the pieces, but there's nobody in there. But then Randy had. And I guess I should have mentioned to set this up, they had shown Brian pull up in the parking lot and his blazer, and he hops out, comes in the studio, and so now he's bashed that box in. And Randy comes out, hands him, like, a little tape recorder, and it says, push the button there. And he pushes the button, and it's Doug on the tape recorder and said, hey, Ryan, I guess you thought I was gonna be in that box, but you probably should have been thinking about whether or not you left your keys in your truck. And you see Brian's eyes bug out. He throws the radio down, and as he runs out the studio door, there's Doug in the blazer. And he waves at him. He peels out of the parking lot.
[01:00:08] Speaker B: But.
[01:00:09] Speaker D: And. And listen, Gene, like I said, there's entertaining tv, good entertaining or great entertaining tv, Then there's just tv, there's bad tv. Now, just the thought. And I mean, what we're saying is simple, is that is Gene, to me, that's good, entertaining tv. And I mean, that. That's what we was going for. But the whole thing is, like Tommy has said before, I mean, that is just. It's personal. It's the thing about the box. And he's gonna be, you know, beat me up with the bat, and ain't nobody in the box. And then the tape recorder, you know, that's. To me, that's good old Southern tv. I mean, don't you think, Tommy, as far as. I mean, you can do it.
[01:00:55] Speaker B: That's. I mean, of course, y' all went a little heavier when you and Eddie run over Lawler. But just, you know, I mean, and. And you watch stuff they did on that, like, in the car stuff, and not things like. All of that stuff originated in Memphis. I mean, it's. You know.
I mean, used to back in the day, you'd hear folks, you know, like, in these other territories knocking a little bit. But then you look around, they'd all be doing it, you know. So I mean. Cause it was easy stuff. I mean didn't nobody had to get beat up with the box that day. And Dougie drove off in his car, you know, nobody got hurt. Nobody got hurt but the people wanted to see the match. You know, that's what it was all about.
[01:01:36] Speaker D: And, and Gene it was keeping. Keeping the heat on the heel and the baby face over. I mean our goal all the time, minor times which should have been everybody's. And I think it was a lot of, A lot of people, not, not everybody's but a lot of people was keeping heat on the heels the baby faces over. It was never to hurt.
What would it help me in time and basically what would it have helped anybody other than somebody with a big ego just to make somebody look bad. If you're coming back with them trying to draw money. What, what helps anything with making someone look bad?
[01:02:11] Speaker C: Nobody wants to. If you've made them look bad and devalue them then nobody wants to see you wrestling. There's no need for my ticket.
[01:02:17] Speaker D: That's what I'm saying. And I would have never used to say this. I guess I've listened to everybody. But if you would said the Tommy Rich brand or the Doug Gilbert brand or the Gene Jackson brand. We all want our stuff to be good so we can draw money, so we can make us all money. Not, not just me, you and Tommy, everybody. We wanted everybody to make money because we knew if everybody wasn't then they was going to look at all of us. But like I said, we wanted our brands to be good. Don't get me wrong, we wasn't going to try to be cock or we was going to be cocky because you had to be.
And people say maybe we were self centered. I never thought we were self centered but we've done a good job making people think that for our.
[01:03:00] Speaker B: The bottom line is, I mean it's always been in this business and I think that's what we miss a little bit in today's world.
Except when you look out on the streets here, all the bad things that are happening. But it always has been good versus evil, you know, I mean or bad versus good ever how you want to say.
And, and I mean when we, when we were baby faces, hey, we were baby faces which I love being a baby face but I enjoy being a heel too, you know.
But because I seen guys like Daddy Hodge and them guys, I mean it's a crazy Luke Graham or some of them guys, I mean, you know, Don and Al Green, the intern. I mean, they didn't come out and shake hands and kids, babies and sign autographs. I mean, they were. They were heels. They were heels, you know, and today, I mean, you see the heels outside and baby face everybody, you know, and it's a different world. I understand that. But back in the day, the person was. If you was bad, you was bad, and if you was good, you was good, you know? I mean, people love me in Atlanta, Georgia, but. But that TV went all over the country. But when I come to Memphis, you know, the people in Atlanta never seen me or nowhere else ever seen me be a bad guy. And so I got to come there. I got to live both worlds, man. And it was. It was a great experience for me just to learn that other side like that, because a lot of guys, like, in a territory, you know, they'd be a hill, and then they'd switch a baby face. See, I never had to do that, but I got to go to Memphis and learn that part of it. And that makes you a better wrestler, too. If you have to do both sides of the fence, you learn, you know, you learn. And that was a great experience for me.
[01:04:48] Speaker D: Well, what I tell you, Gene, my dad always told me, remember saying what he said, he was a great worker. When you could be a utility guy.
[01:04:55] Speaker C: Utility. Yeah.
[01:04:56] Speaker D: His and his meaning as a utility guy, some people would take this the wrong way, is when you could be. When you could go into the building and no matter who didn't show up from top to bottom, as far as if there was a bad guy or a good guy, whatever you needed to be, you could be that. That's what Tommy said. I mean, Tommy was great at being a good guy. He was great at being a bad guy, but he had the opportunity. And what he's saying from, you know, superstition, as far as everybody seeing his baby face, but in Memphis and everything, people. They didn't see him up there, but he was a heel, and he was a great heel and everything, but he had the opportunity to get. Get to do both. And like I said, Tommy was the perfect. As far as. Like, my dad would say, Tommy could do anything that a promoter, you know, it didn't matter who didn't show up. Whether it's your top good guy or your top bad guy, Tommy could be either one of them. And nobody would complain or want their money back.
[01:05:51] Speaker C: Yeah. AB. Absolutely.
[01:05:53] Speaker D: And I mean, we. We probably.
[01:05:56] Speaker B: We probably could do that, too. I mean, Dougie and Dougie put that mask on. I mean, and to me, that's the hardest job in the world, being a masked man. And I got a lot of respect for them guys. I mean, we talked about this before. I mean, as far as selling, because I always sold with my face and when you put that mask on, you got to sell when you buy. So I mean. And that's an art. That's an art in itself. I mean, to be a masked man and get over and draw big bucks. And Dougie did that. I mean, you talk about Freddy Cougar. I mean, just Patriot. I mean, he, you know, Dougie did a lot of gimmicks like that. So I mean, you know, and. But he did what he had to do and. But he got each one of them over.
[01:06:37] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[01:06:38] Speaker D: And Gene, I'm. There's a lot of other stuff during the Power Pro thing. We might need to get into this a little bit next week also. I'd like to pull up some of the mall and stuff, but there's other stuff, stuff about Power Pro I'd like to talk about also. I know we're going a little long here and everything, but. But I think it's been a good conversation and I appreciate everybody listening. I seen there's a bunch more people that follow the page now and that's super great and we want everybody to follow it. And like I said, if you need anything for me and Tommy, as far as appearances, as far as anything recorded, as far as any parties, anything you might need, date wise, going through the end of the year, you just, just hot. Give Gene the shout and everything and he'll get with us and everything. But man, we sure appreciate everybody listening. Tommy, you got. Tommy's got something coming up. I think it's this weekend. Ain't Tommy this weekend or next weekend?
[01:07:25] Speaker B: Oh, it's next weekend.
[01:07:27] Speaker D: Next weekend. What is it then?
[01:07:28] Speaker B: We got our September stuff. Hey, but, yeah, and, and thank all y' all for tuning in, man. We keep growing. It keeps getting bigger and better. And thank you, G, for having us on and doing this. I mean, it's a combination that there again is, you know, and it's, it's just fun. I enjoy doing this every week and, and anyway, you got any questions.
[01:07:58] Speaker C: Keep sending them in and we'll, we'll do these shows and we'll work them into some shows and we'll have whole shows of them answering questions. You can send them or your booking inquiries to Doug Gilbert podcast at Outlook.
[01:08:12] Speaker D: And, and Gene, if, if. Even if you've got questions about the actual. The booking of some of this stuff that me and Tommy have been and you can ask the questions about that and me and Tommy will give you the answers that, that we think the way it happened and everything, you know what I'm saying? As far as if you got any questions about the book and others or who booked it or, or what, you know, I mean, like we've said that there is a booker, but we had a lot of kind of, I don't want to say sway, but we had a lot of influence with a lot of it and everything. There's a lot of, a lot of lead way with a lot of. Listen, like I said, we, like Tommy said, Gene, we want to thank you for everything you do for us and for this show and everything. And man, me and Tommy love talking to the fans and we want everybody to enjoy their stuff and listen, guys, thanks for listening. Like I said, send Gene in questions. If you want to book Tommy or myself for any kind of events, feel free to send some Gene, he'll get with us and everything. But listen, thank y' all guys and peace.
Relive the glory days of Memphis wrestling.
[01:09:22] Speaker B: With the Retro Wrestling Review USWA Podcast.
[01:09:26] Speaker D: Each week we go back in time.
[01:09:27] Speaker B: To review USWA Championship Wrestling from the.
[01:09:30] Speaker D: 1990S, episode by episode. Join us for watch alongs, behind the scenes stories and exclusive interviews with people.
[01:09:37] Speaker B: Who were there and lived it. Whether you grew up watching it or.
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[01:09:55] Speaker A: In the heart of Tennessee born pride Doug and Tommy taking rings in stride Memphis legends never backing down Wrestling warriors they wear the crown.
[01:10:17] Speaker B: You.
[01:10:17] Speaker A: Scurry away Glory in the their veins Fighting legends breaking chains in the square circle they made their name Podcast champions it's their claim to fame on the M they roar on the map they sold dangerous conversations Fans wanting more.
[01:10:47] Speaker B: Our.
[01:10:48] Speaker A: Gas cage ruling the way Memphis wrestling raising the stage 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 Legends living without a care on the map they roar on the map they soar Dangerous conversations Plans wanting more My gas change ruling the way if this wrestling race in the state.
