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For a time I ran backstage for a small promotion in Florida called Suncoast Pro Wrestling. This is the late 80's. I got to meet a couple guys that were complete unknowns then like Marc Mero (Johnny B Bad in WCW), and Sean Waltman (X-Pac, 1 2 3 Kid, Syxx). Dean Malenko was involved heavily with the promoter Henry Raines.
Wrestling is not a sport. Its predetermined and if it wasnt there would be a betting line in Las Vegas for the business. The things they do in and out of the ring is choreographed before the match or they "call it in the ring". The impact is more real than you think, good workers can protect who theyre hitting, but other workers are "stiff" i.e. hit for real. The schedule is brutal. WWE has guys on the road performing 300 days out of the year. They go for a 2 week shot, get 2 days off, and go back out again. There is no "season". To perform at the high rate they do, and get Wow factor from crowd, and stay "over" the painkiller addiction rate throughout ALL the business is at epidemic levels.
The professional wrestling industry has a higher mortality rate than any other sport, or entertainment industry. More than the music industry by leaps and bounds. The need to be out there and perform is nothing less than an addiction itself. Terry Funk is almost 80 and still gets out there. Hes had 15 or so retirement matches the past 10 years.
Bookers are people that determined the story direction of their company. The only big show left in the USA is the WWE, and Stephanie McMahon/HHH are kinda like bookers though they have actual script writers employed, failed sitcom writers, etc..., though Vince always has final say.
Ok enough of that. Before I tell the story just listen to what Dusty Rhodes voice was like. It'll help.
Ill try and compose some stuff on Randy Savage (Randy Poffo) later for JustinJ, but I first want to tell a hilarious story I heard from Brian Blair on a Wrestling Observer Live broadcast 11 or so years ago. Blair wrestled for the WWF with Jim Brunzell in a tag-team called The Killer Bees in the mid 80's. Long before that in the mid 70's he worked for Florida Championship Wrestling and the booker was "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes. Back then there were no drunk driving laws.
So they were doing shows throughout florida, and would often do 2 shows in one day in 2 different towns. This was the NWA era, and FCW had Andre The Giant in their territory for a 3 or 4 month shot. So Blair is driving, Dustry is riding shotgun, and Andre is taking up the entire backseat with 2 styrofoam water coolers on his right and left. The cooler on Andres left was full of ice & beer, and on his right was a beer bottles full of piss because they wouldnt stop. They had to make a night show.
Blair described the highways back then in florida as unending inky blackness, there were no highway lights. Rhodes was freaking out how they had to make the 2nd show on time, and Blair said he was doing around 100 mph. Suddenly a deer came bounding out across the road, and Blair swerved hard to miss it. The screech of the tires were so loud they couldve been heard for miles, the car itself would have and should have flipped except Andre was 500+ lbs, Rhodes 275, and BB 240. What did happen though is the beer cooler from the backseat came crashing onto Blair, but he heard this high pitched sounding hysteria coming from Dusty next to him as the cooler full of pee bottles crashed onto him. "Im covered in piss! Oh BB ill have you job (lose) for a year! The Dreams covered in piss!". Then Blair heard the "HA! HA! HA!...." roar of laughter coming from Andre in the backseat.
So a week or so later its the same scenario, Blairs driving like a madman to get to their night show, Dustys shotgun, and Andre is in the back with the beer cooler. No pee cooler though due to the accident the week before. Well they all had to piss badly, and Blair pulled over as the 3 went away from the road towards some trees they knew were there but couldnt see as it was pitch black out.
Blair has his hands out trying to feel for something and gets a big tree trunk. He sighs, zips and does his business. He's bout scared out of his wits as he hears a high pitched scream right next to him "Who's pissing on my leg?! Two times in one week! Someones pissing on the Dream!" It was so black out Blair didnt know his stream was hitting Rhodes, and then they heard Andres monumental "HA! HA! HA!..." coming from the woods.
Wrestling is not a sport. Its predetermined and if it wasnt there would be a betting line in Las Vegas for the business. The things they do in and out of the ring is choreographed before the match or they "call it in the ring". The impact is more real than you think, good workers can protect who theyre hitting, but other workers are "stiff" i.e. hit for real. The schedule is brutal. WWE has guys on the road performing 300 days out of the year. They go for a 2 week shot, get 2 days off, and go back out again. There is no "season". To perform at the high rate they do, and get Wow factor from crowd, and stay "over" the painkiller addiction rate throughout ALL the business is at epidemic levels.
The professional wrestling industry has a higher mortality rate than any other sport, or entertainment industry. More than the music industry by leaps and bounds. The need to be out there and perform is nothing less than an addiction itself. Terry Funk is almost 80 and still gets out there. Hes had 15 or so retirement matches the past 10 years.
Bookers are people that determined the story direction of their company. The only big show left in the USA is the WWE, and Stephanie McMahon/HHH are kinda like bookers though they have actual script writers employed, failed sitcom writers, etc..., though Vince always has final say.
Ok enough of that. Before I tell the story just listen to what Dusty Rhodes voice was like. It'll help.
Ill try and compose some stuff on Randy Savage (Randy Poffo) later for JustinJ, but I first want to tell a hilarious story I heard from Brian Blair on a Wrestling Observer Live broadcast 11 or so years ago. Blair wrestled for the WWF with Jim Brunzell in a tag-team called The Killer Bees in the mid 80's. Long before that in the mid 70's he worked for Florida Championship Wrestling and the booker was "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes. Back then there were no drunk driving laws.
So they were doing shows throughout florida, and would often do 2 shows in one day in 2 different towns. This was the NWA era, and FCW had Andre The Giant in their territory for a 3 or 4 month shot. So Blair is driving, Dustry is riding shotgun, and Andre is taking up the entire backseat with 2 styrofoam water coolers on his right and left. The cooler on Andres left was full of ice & beer, and on his right was a beer bottles full of piss because they wouldnt stop. They had to make a night show.
Blair described the highways back then in florida as unending inky blackness, there were no highway lights. Rhodes was freaking out how they had to make the 2nd show on time, and Blair said he was doing around 100 mph. Suddenly a deer came bounding out across the road, and Blair swerved hard to miss it. The screech of the tires were so loud they couldve been heard for miles, the car itself would have and should have flipped except Andre was 500+ lbs, Rhodes 275, and BB 240. What did happen though is the beer cooler from the backseat came crashing onto Blair, but he heard this high pitched sounding hysteria coming from Dusty next to him as the cooler full of pee bottles crashed onto him. "Im covered in piss! Oh BB ill have you job (lose) for a year! The Dreams covered in piss!". Then Blair heard the "HA! HA! HA!...." roar of laughter coming from Andre in the backseat.
So a week or so later its the same scenario, Blairs driving like a madman to get to their night show, Dustys shotgun, and Andre is in the back with the beer cooler. No pee cooler though due to the accident the week before. Well they all had to piss badly, and Blair pulled over as the 3 went away from the road towards some trees they knew were there but couldnt see as it was pitch black out.
Blair has his hands out trying to feel for something and gets a big tree trunk. He sighs, zips and does his business. He's bout scared out of his wits as he hears a high pitched scream right next to him "Who's pissing on my leg?! Two times in one week! Someones pissing on the Dream!" It was so black out Blair didnt know his stream was hitting Rhodes, and then they heard Andres monumental "HA! HA! HA!..." coming from the woods.
