Jim Cornette Experience - Episode 614: 1984

Episode Date: December 30, 2025

This week on the Experience, Jim looks at his Mid-South schedule from April of 1984! Plus, part one of Jim compiling his list of 1984's Top Wrestlers In Their 30s! Thanks to our episode sponsors: SHOPIFY:  Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com/jce. RIDGE:  Upgrade your wallet today! Get 10% Off @Ridge with code JCE at Ridge.com/JCE #Ridgepod @TheJimCornette @GreatBrianLast Join Jim Cornette's College Of Wrestling Knowledge on Patreon to access the archives & more! https://www.patreon.com/Cornette Subscribe to the Official Jim Cornette channel on YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/c/OfficialJimCornette Visit Jim's official site at www.JimCornette.com for merch, live dates, commentaries and more! You can listen to Brian on the 6:05 Superpodcast at 605pod.com or wherever you find your favorite podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like the midnight and the rock and roll. He's in a fight for wrestling soul using a racket and some mind control. He's Jim Cornett. The keys to the future. Help by Onet. Cornett experience, I am, of course, Jim Cornett, and I am about to introduce a man. Who needs no introduction, so maybe I won't even give him one. But this is a special New Year's edition of the Jim Coronet Experience.

And joining me, Hawaiian Brian, the Point. podcasting line, the king of the Arcadian Vanguard podcast network, Mr. Co-host to you, he's the New Year's baby, but he looks horrible in a diaper. Be great, Brian last, everybody. Aloha, Jim, a pleasure to be here once again for this New Year's Spectacular. What does A.E.W. call their thing, year's end? Is that it, or World's End? World's. The World Ends, yes. We've been hoping every year and every year it's false advertising with them. But no, this is a history-making, history diving edition, because we're going to talk about some good old-fashioned pro wrestling history today to warm the cockles of the people's holiday

hearts. And at the same time, since history doesn't change, well, except for certain people, we pre-recorded this so we could take the New Year's time frame off for our various mental health. So it's going to be special today, but history doesn't change, so we recorded it last week. That's why you gave that away. I was going to say Alice is the co-host on this episode.

I'm not even on this episode. We recorded it so long ago. If you could just make your voice a little deeper, you'd sound just like her. Well, ladies and gentlemen, as Jim said, a holiday gift from the experience to all of you, history, what everyone always clamors for, more history.

well brian what we basically have thought we're going to do here in this particular discussion is follow up on something we've done before they put out a list i forget who it was i don't care if you remember it's not germane it's just the the germ of the idea somebody put out a list of the 20 best wrestlers today in their 20s and we were the thing is that this is that this is it? This is the future of wrestling because there were questionable names and we couldn't come up with any better options. It just, it's a little, a little dry. The crops aren't growing like they used to.

So then you put together a list of people from 1984, that pivotal year, that we're in the business that we're being used. Not everybody, Not every wrestler is on this list, but people that were being used regularly in regular territories and names were somewhat recognized. They were on TV. They were on TV somewhere. They were on the TVs of the various territories somewhere. And we went through the 20, or we went through all the people in their 20s on that list and then tried to put together a 20 best in their 20s. and it was so hard because there were already guys that were

Hall of Famers, I mean, that had been stars for a while, blah, blah, blah. And now we have come to an even tougher task because I am looking at the list of wrestlers that were regular, employed television personalities in 1984 for one of the various major territory promotions, it is three times as long. And they're all Hall of Famers. It's insane the level of talent that was in the ring at that point, is it not?

Again, compared to today, and that's how it started. The top 20 in their 20s list caused you to think about 84 and Mid-South, and you had never really, I guess, thought about it in that context before, because as you were saying the names, it was hitting you how old they were or how young they were. And it's an interesting time in the business today. There's multiple promotions that have TV that airs nationally in one way or another. How many stars are there in their 20s from what we've seen? Not too many. And those are the lists that people who are trying to put lists together are finding. I mean, this is them, not us putting together that list. And then you look at the 30s

and there's a good deal there. It seems like a lot of the stars, today are in their early 40s or mid-40s because they're the stars or at least the talent that was being booked to be stars 10 years ago, 15 years ago. 20 years ago. In some cases, yeah. Potentially. And that's the thing is that now, though, our concept, if we look at this list of the, are we going to pick a 30 best of the 30s?

because then at some point, just by mathematical projection, because there were guys in their 40s and guys in their 50s. We can't do the 40 best in the 40s where it's a law of diminishing returns. So do we really need to put together a list of 30 here amongst these people in their 30s, or do we just need to note some type of top 10 or something if we need to, need to quantify the because it's a big list it's a big list it's every big name and a god yeah it's not every big name because we still have the 40s and the 50s to come well that's true and the the 20s we established there were tons of stars and guys working on

top and we had a difficult time getting to a final list of the top 20 remember there were question marks i personally think and we can discuss it here and do what you want i think we should try to do. I like the way you present that. We can talk about it. Then do what you want. I think we should try to do a top 20 in their 30s. And that's the challenge is you have to put together that list. It's not like today where you have to reach to find people to put on it. People are going to be left off it that are going to make you mad because they're going to have to. Well, then I'm making myself mad on purpose. All right, but anyway, you got the list in front of you.

Let's just, and the first, I don't know how many names, we're kind of going territory by territory here, just from where guys were, is old WWF names, and there's 15 Hall of Famers here. And again, last time we didn't have any talent from all Japan women. We don't as well this time. It wouldn't have mattered because they were forced into retirement back then.

Remember it was like 26 and get out of the business? Oh, yeah, that's right. so they wouldn't even be on the list. They should enforce that a lot of people, maybe even behind the scenes. Jim born February 1948, which would have made him 36 years old, Big John Studd.

And about to, in 1984, about to have what, the biggest money run of his career in the WW. for the next several years. At that point, let's be honest, without speaking ill of the dead, John Studd was almost immobile

by that point, right? Because of his desire to get big enough to work with Andre, which he did, and blah, blah, blah. But he had already been a star in wrestling. I saw him in 1975. he was partners with Ox Baker, Chuck the Monster O'Connor, working for Bruiser. And he had done some, you know, upper card territory business as Chuck O'Connor.

When he went to Dallas was the first, it was the Captain USA thing. My God, I remember that picture, right? but he kind of started being John Studd in in Texas by the late 70s. And after that, it was, you know, he made money because of his size and the gimmick. But before he got that big, he wasn't that bad in the ring for a guy that only been to business a couple of years and was six foot nine and 320 pounds at that point, right? It's interesting. I mean, you think a big John Stud here in 84.

he really, I guess you could say, his big money run. He works with Andre in 83. They go national in 84. He does a lot of stuff with Hogan, not a feud or anything, but just matches as they hit different places. And then they do the big angle with Andre leading into 85. And that's really where they have a WrestleMania, the body slam match, and everything else.

You don't think of him as 36, though. It's interesting to see that. Jim at 35 years old, former WWF champion Bob Backland. well in 1984 it was all downhill for bob and wrestling for the next 10 years wasn't it but that's that he had already been in 1984 he started in 1974 when it was that 1974 when they were training in him in florida four five-ish was it by 76 he was working st louis edie graham had you know had the eye on him as a All-American baby face like a Jack Briscoe. Eddie Graham's one that recommended

him to Vince Sr. because he wanted to go with an All-American baby face after so many years of the ethnic heroes. But pretty much from the time that they debuted him and started sending him a couple of places, the next year he was a star. and a name in the Omni was used. And that was eight years, right? And 1984, Vince Jr. just says, okay, we're done here. And he's gone, you know, on the mainstream basis for the next 10 years. It works a bit in Japan, has some big UWF matches, him in Takata, him in Maeda.

And then he returns in 92. You know, it's really one of the interesting what-ifs is what ifs is what ifs are gone a different way. What is the career of Bob Backland? You know, between 77 and 1984. What is his career if Vince, I mean, is it just like, hey, St. Louis

will treat you well and you'll be able to get booked in Georgia and Florida. Like, what would his career have been? See, that's the thing is, Jack Briscoe didn't have an over-the-top personality, but he had a demeanor

that was more NWA champion-ish-like. If you see what I'm saying, but probably nobody else does. But with Bob, he was a same quality, great athlete, and a honest kid and a hardworking, clean kid and et cetera.

But he just didn't come off in a baby face fashion the way that the 80s baby faces were going. He may have been a little goddamn milk toast for the 60s. I don't know if they would have taken him on Tennessee television. You know, he was too goody, goody. And that, you know, that would have hampered. And then the problem is, Bob, a different kind of cat when he came back and they

wanted him to have some personality, Mr. Backland, he was, he's a little loose in the, you know, I'm not trying to say that he had completely lost his fucking mind. He's a different guy. But he lived, he's a different guy and he lived and believed in a lot of that stuff. And then you couldn't take him seriously as a main event guy, but he at any point could have stretched everybody in a fucking locker room. But again, not on your list for 1984 of top 20 in their 30s. Oh, well, goodness, no, because he's about to be.

sent to purgatory. Jim, 32 years old, Playboy Buddy Rose. And again, he's already been, he started in the AWA, ring truck driver and jobber Paul Pershman. But when he got to Buddy Rose Gimmick

and he worked it out and he got to Portland, he became Portland wrestling. And when did he start on top there? 78, 7. Somewhere around there. 78. So he's already been a star for several years, and he's doing the,

going to do the little run in the WWF, and put at the same time, in the names that we're going to talk about here, had he achieved his glory years at that point by 1984? You know, 1985, WrestleMania, he's in the match with Tito to start the show. It's not Playboy Buddy Rose. It's the masked executioner.

It's always one of those weird things. Like, it would have been a different... Like, his career may have played out differently in some way if he had had that match, instead of, like, a random mask guy and a offshoot outfit. Like, it didn't look right. Like, it just didn't feel right. Yeah.

But not on your list here. Here's an interesting one. He would have been 34 years old. The Ace... Bob Orton, Jr. And again, he's already been a star for 10 years in Florida and Georgia and I think he'd worked to Carolinas and he and Slater were the best heel in ring tag team in the business the year or two before this.

Bob Orton Jr. was a tremendous worker, just the technical aspect of it. He could heal or he could baby face, but he also had personality in his own way. But again, just because is 84, because we had a qualifier on the 20s list, was a guy on the way up or the way down. So does it count here because he only gets a couple more years where he was really in the mainstream, but he had been a star for a decade or more. Yeah, I don't know if I would have him on my list for 84, and that's not to take away from just how good he was, but, again, there's more to come.

If we'd have done a list of the people in their 20s in 1977, he would have been on top of it. We're just timing here, because they're all these, all these grapes and near grades. Well, say too for that. We may have to do the 70s and the 90s after this, but Jim coming out of a big 1983, one of the big matches at Starcade

into a year where he was pushed pretty well at the age of 33 Greg the Hammer Valentine Does anybody ever think of Greg Valentine is 33 years old anymore because he's timeless is what he is

he's about ready to have a huge fucking run but again he's been a star in the business for the previous 10 years and in the business for 12 or 13. He was one of his first spots, first notoriety, he was Don Fargo's brother, Johnny Fargo, in the Cleveland territory. And they put the tag team belts on them. It wasn't in 1972. And he'd been a single for a period of time, but then the team.

with Flair and the Carolinas were in 70, I guess was it 7ish, 8ish, whatever the fuck, eightish, nineish. The story was they made 150 grand apiece working at fucking territory when it was hot. That's why Dennis Condry was so fucking fired up to go there. So, I mean, he's already, he's been at Los Angeles. Remember the program where he worked with Briscoe for the NWA title in Los Angeles? Angeles in 74. So he's already been a star all that time.

And now he's about to do all the shit that he did in the WWF and Valentine and beefcake and blah, blah, blah. So you've got to give him hearty consideration. You know, similar to the Bob Backlin, what if before? What if Johnny Valentine doesn't get hurt in that plane crash? What happens to Greg Valentine? Does he ever get booked in the Mid-Atlantic? Oh, yeah.

Because Johnny was already 45, and he was still, he was working on top at the time. So, I mean, he would have gotten several more years out of the legend of Johnny Valentine there. But at the same point, by the time that Flair and those guys were ready to go, Greg was with 27, 28. They might have done a father-son thing. But you know, just because Johnny would have said George Scott, book my son. But not on your list for 1984 right now.

What, Valentine? No, I'm saying yes. We got to give him the hardy consideration. So let's put a check mark there. Mark there. Hardy consideration is the definition. Jim, 32 years old. he would begin his year as Harley Davidson in Memphis,

and he would end it as Muddle at Kentucky's own Hillbilly Jim. And, you know, here's the thing, and he started in Memphis right after we were, right as I was leaving to go to, I think we ship, like ships passed in the night, as I was leaving to go to Louisiana. And when I got the, the Memphis tapes

and he was Harley Davidson and wasn't Roger Smith doing something with him? Dirty roads? Was he dirty roads? Dirty roads, dirty roads, dirty roads, dirty roads and the Harley Davidson. I'm like, oh my God. But the hillbilly gimmick

hit and worked for what the next two or three years until they ran out of hillbillies, but Jim worked for him. You know, he was smart. He quit wrestling fairly early and worked for him for years in the Coliseum Video Division as a host and a person, just the nicest guy and can talk to anybody.

So I don't know that, you know, he's just going to have a couple of years in the ring and then he's, and he's still hanging out down there around Bowling Green. So I don't know if he qualifies to be on this list because he, he just had a bird's nest on the ground, didn't he? Here's another what if for you. Knowing how much Vince McMahon loves hillbilly gimmicks and knowing how much they got over and it really was working.

And again, they gave him the rub of having Hogan like pick him out of the crowd and, you know, that was how it all began. Yeah. And he got hurt. And then all of a sudden it was the hillbillies. What if Stan Frazier doesn't piss off Vince McMahon? And what if Cousin Jr. doesn't do disappear. You know, what would the future of the hillbillies have been over the next two years or so

in the WWF? Well, it was still, it was kind of the thing that they got into for a short period, but let's face it, also Frazier talking, is he on this goddamn list? Because he was, in 1984, he was close to 50, wasn't he? Is he on this fucking? thing I'm skipping ahead. I don't mean to cause any spoilers. You didn't put him on here. I don't know. I thought I would have, but I'd have to double check. But, uh, ah, wow boy, 1937. So he was 47 years old in 1984. And as you could imagine he had been a model of health all his life taking care of himself. So that's why you know, he did some shit that if he'd have been 15 years younger,

or, you know, thereabouts, he could have impressed Vince even more physically, but just he got him because there was almost nobody really that hillbilly in the world, as Frazier was. Well, thankfully, Jimmy Hart recognized that. Jim, at 31 years old, World Wrestling Federation Champion Hulk Hogan, well I think we got to put him on the list he was probably going to do well for the next few years wasn't he in 1984 and again had been on the radar since you know he worked a little time in Memphis in 79 and worked with Andre and southeastern same year and then Vince brought him senior brought him up in 1980 and he'd been on the Georgia TV so everybody knew

who he was, but as he got bigger with Japan and then Vern, he was already at this point, you know, one of the biggest drawing cards in the business, he had been, he was Vern's biggest, but you know, the point being, he was already a big star and he's about to get,

well, we know what happened from there. So he's got to be at the top of this list, doesn't he? You could argue if he's at the top of it? Certainly on it. I think it's undeniable. Hulk Hogan's 1984. Well, let's put a check and a T and a question mark. What's the question mark for?

Well, the check is he's on it. The T is top and the question mark is you can argue it. Oh, okay. I thought question mark was a separate list, but we'll, I guess, get back to all this. No, see, I'm making a little hieroglyphics. I guess so. Hopefully someone can read them. Jim, 33 years old, Jesse the Body Ventura.

And Jesse has already been, in 1984, he would have been working for what, eight year, nine years, nine or ten years, maybe. But he had already been a name in various play. Again, another guy in Portland. another in the AW way, he'd been used on top in the, you know, five or six years before. So he was already a star. And the question is he's about to get to be a bigger name than he's ever been, but not, not for wrestling, but for announcing.

Because he's, he retired in 85, right, because the health issues. I think he may have done a match in 86, but I, you know, You may be right. He was definitely done by 85 primarily. He started as a commentator in 85. 84 is his last full-time year in the ring. I saw him, and I want to say that it was coming back from Dallas when I had done the last shot for the world class. It was coming back to Charlotte or whatever, but I saw him in an airport in 1985. and he was walking this way and I was and I had I had driven him around on a couple of occasions

and managed him once in the Memphis territory right so it's not like he just thought I was some you know idiot but we were walking in toward each other and I just looked up and I saw Jesus Jesse because he was right 10 feet away from me and he looked at all hey I I can't remember whether he remembered my name or not. But we stopped for a second and that's what he told me. Remember, he's been a big wrestling star for all this time and I didn't

know that he had bad health or what was going to happen and he said, yeah, I'm trying to do Jesse, but I've just been up in Connecticut doing the commentary on about 50 or 60 Titan tapes. Uncle Ivan Ventura. I don't know what. that voice was.

Well, whatever, whatever it was. It's the Russian Jesse Ventura, but I've been up in the, doing the commentary on Titan tapes. He said, I have the blood clots. I think it's from Agent Orange. And I said,

oh, geez, I hope, you know, it all, because I'm thinking, geez, I didn't know whether he would work or not as a commentator. He seemed like an uncommentator to me. I was hoping he got well and could get back in the ring,

but I guess it worked out. It worked out. Jim, someone you worked with in 1984, 32 years old, he would begin the year as the biggest star in Mid-South. He would end the year as one of the top stars, a major baby face in the World Wrestling Federation, Junkyard Dog.

And here you've got to, there's got to be a checkmark there or whatever the fuck we're doing. Because at the time, he's already been a star in Mid-South for what, five, six years and has had that incredible run there. And now, like you said, it wasn't going to last, you know, more than, what, three years

or so before he, as a big cat might have said, dumbed himself right out of position. But he was going to be fucking huge on a national basis, bigger than he had been. And he'd made a ton of money and blah, blah, blah. so he's got to be on this list somewhere. All right, we'll put him down. At the age of 34, wow, I actually didn't realize he was that old this year. Kamala, the Ugandan giant. Sugar bear!

This one, he's about to again make more money in the next three years than he ever made in the rest of his career probably put together. And he had still been, he'd been wrestling for, my God, let's see, say, eight or nine years on any kind of, maybe, maybe seven or eight, on any kind of visible basis. But he'd only been Kamala since the summer of 82. So he's going to be a big national star. I mean, even though he was never and in Uga-Buga would not, I don't think, claim to have been a technical wizard in wrestling.

That's why Jerry Jarrett gave him the gimmick. At least that's what Jerry Jarrett said. He said when he booked him the one time, the report that he got back, I don't know as Eddie Marlin, Guy Coffey, who the fuck it was. They said it looked like a person that had never learned how to fucking wrestle.

And so, he said he can't. do anything. And he said, all right, that he looks like that, let's give him a gimmick where the whole gimmick is he's not supposed to wrestle, he's not supposed to know how to do anything. But nevertheless, he was going to be a big national star and get

action figures and shit. So let's put a question mark. And by the way, he did spectacular in that role. Like, the idea that he went into working like that, the rest of his career and making it work, like it didn't seem outrageous. It seemed like the way Kamala would work. Even the way he would sell. Everything he did as Kamala, you know, he never broke.

He was really, really good. Oh, and I know that's the thing is it wasn't that it wasn't, they didn't find a spot for him based on his trying to help his weaknesses. They found a spot for him based on his strengths, his size and his look and his ability to do that shit. and that's what made him unique and he made a fortune. Well, he said in his book not as much as he should have made, but I think the problem is some of that was the boys whining Kamala up

because he'd believe things easily. Is he on your list for 84, though? Question mark. Question mark. Question mark. Question mark. Jim, the next name on this list? At the age of 35 years old, the magnificent.

dissent, Don Morocco. Woo! Another, a guy that's already been a star in various places and worked around the world in 1984 for what, 12, 13 years, maybe? Great in Florida. Tremendous, he certainly managed to pack on the size from his early career when he looked like a fucking surfer to his later career when he looked more like the whale that ate the surfer, but he could work his ass off and promos. The only question I'm asking is,

was he on the way up at this point or on the way down in his trajectory? Because, I mean, when's the last run he had up there? They brought him back, but they didn't feature him the last time or two. The timing is what makes it interesting. I think I would probably put him on my list for 1983. And if we're looking at what you felt in 83 going to 84, maybe. But if we're just looking at 84, that's not his year. He ends up, he's there for a while, and then I think he goes home to Hawaii. And then, I think it was early 85, they started airing vignettes on TV of him on the beach with women rubbing lotion on him, that he was coming back. And he had a pretty good run. They gave him Mr. Fuji is a manager.

They did a lot of comedy stuff on TNT that people did love, but he also sold out the garden with Hogan. And the garden knew him. It wasn't like he was a new guy. He had had major matches. They were Pedro Morales and Snooka. Yeah, he had been back and forth in the WW to the WWF days, right? I think he started in 80.

Yeah. I could be wrong. I think it was 80. And then they dropped to the one W, whatever the fact. The case, man. may be the only thing, what, where'd he go after like 87ish? So he was there and then after 85, he comes back full time until, well, late 87, Billy Graham gets hurt right before Survivor Series.

And they replace Billy Graham on Hogan's team with Don Morocco, who becomes a babyface managed by Billy Graham. And that's when they made him the rock, Don Morocco. That's right. Which had been an industry nickname anyway. And that run lasts, I think, about a year, and it's Survivor Series the next year, where a lot of guys like him and Ken Patera and the Killer B, like just a lot of guys who had been there for a while are gone. And then he worked a little bit in Stampede and, you know, a thing here and there,

but that was kind of the end of his mainstream career. They weren't taking care of their 80s legends in the 90s. They didn't bring them back to capitalize on the... He was in ECW. He was in ECW when Eddie Gilbert booked, when Paul Heyman took over, Morocco was gone. I don't know if Eddie was flying him in. If he was living in Hawaii at that time, were they flying him in? But the famous story is Chuck Weber, this fan who Scott Cornish was good friends with, Greg Greenland was good friends with, very loud fan. He could stand in a room with

screaming fans and he'd be the one you hear and everyone would turn and look at him. I saw it happen at the garden when he yelled, Hey, Levec! Are you still blowing Kowalski? And everyone turned around and fucking looked at him. And he's like six, seven, just this giant guy. And the story, was he pissed off Morocco because Morocco came out there and he just yelled, Hey, Stacks, Morocco! Jesus! Don Morocco had gained a lot of weight by that time. He did get a little chubby.

You know, if you hang around with Greg Greenland, you don't have to be loud to be heard. You could hear a mouse pissing on cotton over the top of Greg. But not on your list for 84. Is that what we're saying? Let's question this. We'll question Mark. We'll come back. All right, Jim, at 37 years old, the Masked Superstar.

Aha! Good old Bill Eadie. Now, here is a situation of which we has not addressed before. The Mass Superstar had already been, let's just talk about Superstar for a second. He had already been a major name since the late 70s, especially into Carolinas, where he had a long. run for Crockett and Georgia and he was the

originator of the did he do the superplex first or no it was it was fucking super destroyer or Scott Irwin but nevertheless the superstar of the cobra clutch which you know has been shared by several

people but at this point he's only going to be the mass superstar another is this the last year? Does it last another year before he's going to become a member of demolition? And actually, before that even, he becomes a member of the

machines. That's right. And then before actually the whole deal with the mass superstar, he was a member of the Mongols, which were a top tag team in this 1960s. So with an unattractive hairdoes. So the question is the mass superstar is about to cease to exist.

And Bill's going to probably make more money than he ever made his life as somebody else. Do we count? How do we handle this? Again, I don't think this is his year. If you're looking at 1984, I wouldn't put him on the list. No disrespect. There you go. Let's just do that.

Jim, here's an interesting one. Has a big 1984 at 35 years old. Mr. Wonderful, Paul Orndorf. Ah, yeah, this has to be a check mark. Because Paul broke in and what, Florida briefly, if they worked him in Florida, late 76, he was in Memphis by May of 77, Southern champion, over Lawler and switched it back and forth.

It is not just rookie year, but like his first full full-time schedule. And he had worked at a high level in Mid-South and worked at a high level in Mid-Atlantic and worked at a high level in Georgia. And he had time to go back to Florida at that point. And he's about to have this major WWF run. It's going to include being Hogan's major live event

opponent, the record stadium crowd in Toronto. I mean, he's close to Hogan in terms of numbers on this list, isn't he? He had some of the best matches in 1984 in the WWF, him and Tito

and St. Louis, I think, stands out to me. He got over real big. Remember, he came in at the end of 83, and then 84, they put him with Piper and David Schultz, and him and Piper sticks, because that goes into WrestleMania early the next year, and then the big baby face turn, but a lot of that is set up by his 84, really good. In the ring, his

promos are believable. You believe he's this intense maniac. He was in the best shape of his career. I think he's listworthy. Well, let's just put it right down there. We got it down there. Jim, someone you would also work with in 1984, 37 years old. Speaking of Mongols, Nikolai Volkov Oh my God looking back now I can't believe that Nikolai was 37 years old

when I was 22 it was like oh this this grand old man is helping us out and giving us advice he's fucking 37 Jesus

grand old man yes I'm serious you know I do my God back in the 60s he was the Mongol and the fucking Zapatam I'm thinking he's got to be 50. And also, let's face it, Nicolai was huge and had the bald head and the hot dog rolls

on the back of his neck. And, you know, he was one of those timeless people, but I can't believe he was only 37. He was the practical joker in the locker room in Mid-South. And this is another reason why that I get pissed off. And we'll get back to his wrestling credentials in a minute. but I get pissed off with all these marks that have read the internet too much go well back in that day you know they were butt-fucking each other the killer the rookies in the showers and committing assault on women and drinking and drugs in the locker room

here's nikolai volkoff the biggest and one of the toughest motherfuckers in the mid-south locker room and he's setting the example for the ribs that are being perpetrated by taking his sewing kit he carries around and sewing the fucking ends of my suit jacket sleeves together. So when I'm, they're playing the music and I'm trying to get my coat on, my hands won't come out.

That's funny. Or you would look around that he would have, and he's six feet three or four and 330 pounds and he's a former boxer and he had knockout punch and he's ham fists, right?

He would put my jacket on and it looked like Herman Munster in a midget outfit and be holding my racket and come out behind us all to watch the matches until we turned around and noticed him. Or just shit, just the biggest, nicest guy, right? And would help sew people shit up for real. So this was the Mid-South locker room. Some of the boys may have been doing substances on their own time,

but there was not a level of debauchery. But Nikolai, as we mentioned, had been a Mongol and had been a different Russian. In the AW8, what was it, 74, 75, he was Boris Brezhnikov. But his size, he had been a heel in the W-WF or WD, they put him with Blassie, as I recall. That's right. he, you know, he's now 37, he's about to have that big run with him in the Iron Sheik. He's going to make a lot of money. His best days in the ring are definitely, unfortunately, behind him because of his size,

the amount of bumps he took and everything. He was still an amazing athlete, but he wasn't keeping up technically with the younger generation. So I don't know if he makes this list because of people like he. even the next name that we're going to have is just insane. Well, Jim, the next name, he would turn 30, 1984 in April. Rowdy, Roddy Piper. He's 30 years old. He has been working on top in one place or another for almost 10 years.

He would have, you know, yes, Los Angeles was not doing the greatest business. but he helped keep what was left. Major star in the Carolinas for the previous, what, three or four years is about to become an icon in the next, do we need to discuss this that he's a check mark? I mean, you know, he's a complete no-brainer. He came off a big 83, just like Greg Valentine,

the big Starcade match, and then he had the run of his life. And he had had good runs. I mean, him and him showing him, up in Mid-Atlantic and becoming the star that he became is pretty amazing. Yeah. And revolutionizing the idea, revolutionizing, actually kind of inventing the idea of a heel color commentator on Georgia TV and what, 81 to 82. Yeah.

The big baby-faced turn on Georgia TV when Gordon Solie was being bullied and he wouldn't put up with it and then eventually Morocco and Oli and him. And Piper is... In Portland, in 78, 79, with him and Buddy Rose and the sheep herders and et cetera, that was the, when people first got VCRs and started trading the wrestling tapes, everybody wanted Piper Portland, Piper Portland. We didn't know it was probably recorded by Buddy Rose to begin with. Yeah, isn't that funny how that's heard out?

Piper, L.A. When was the first time you got to see Piper, L.A. footage? Oh God, long after because I didn't see any LA footage for a few years really of any description after I got a VCR because they were almost and nobody was even bothering.

And again, 1984 is the year Piper's Pit is established. It's the year that he kind of develops what would become his standard look. You know, it's the same kilt every time and it goes from the Panther on his shirt to Hot Rod which would become pretty iconic. Again, no-brainer, I think.

Roddy Piper. Who are you to call Roddy Piper a no-brainer? He got plenty of brains. I just like what Dusty would call him. Rodney the Piper. Rodney the Piper. Jim, here's another interesting one. Born in August of 48,

so he would turn 36 in 1984. Sergeant Slaughter. Woo! Okay, again, going back to the mid-70s, I mean, he trained again

with Vern, but he had gone to Portland, he had gone to Texas, where he wasn't beautiful Bobby Rimas anymore, he was establishing something, and he was before the Sergeant Slaughter gimmick,

if my memory serves me correct, was he not one of the super destroyers, the mass tag team champions? Mark two. Mark two. And for the AWA, when they were still doing incredible business. And he was one of the best working big men in the ring. And then he gets that gimmick. And, you know, again, not only a major name into Carolinas,

but he and Kernodal and steamboated Youngblood set the gate record and the crowd chaos in Greensboro and led to Dusty having the idea for Starcade and the whole nine. I mean, he was huge already and he would just about to be the biggest baby face to business and didn't quit Vince because he was a goddamn American hero as G.I. Joe. So I think this was, yeah, this was, he should be on this 84 list, should he not? I mean, this is the year. And, you know, really makes you wonder what would have happened when him and Vince if he was 10 years younger.

But this is someone who had been around for a while. This is someone who had a great opportunity. In 84, you have him turn baby face, do the Pledge of Allegiance with the fans, and then the big feud with the Iron Sheik. Remember, 84 is the year that a lot of fans contend when you look at the time. the top baby faces, Hogan, Snooka, and Slaughter, that in a lot of places Slaughter was the most over in 84. And he's supposed to be in the original line of L.J.N. photos. Recently, someone who worked for L.J.N., actually, for the first time ever, put up the original dummy photos

of what that figure would have been. Vince wanted that. Sargent Slaughter got the offer to be a real-life G.I. Joe, and G.I. Joe was huge at that time. He wanted to do that and stay. Vince said you could only do my thing. And he went and again, I don't know if he's on the list for you. He did his thing. I don't know if he's on the list for 85 where he's just working for Vern every now and then. But 84, I would say, is his year. Well, and also for more in-ring credibility, I talked about the early tape traders, the consensus among all of the hardcore smart tape trading fans that existed in the United States of America in those days, all 116 of them, whatever, was that Slaughter and Paterson was the best WWF match

of the modern era that was available to be seen on video. And that was, as he had already been a top guy there, you know, as a heel also. So nevertheless, We checked him and we move on and, well, bless his little peepig and heart. Go ahead. 39 years old, Sika from the Wild Samoans.

I think the amazing thing is that one of the Samoans was ever under 40. Because again, they just had the timeless faces. How can you, you don't see human beings that look like that. that Joe La Duke. I got to look up his birthday just to imagine how old he was when he was the most scariest goddamn heel I've ever seen. He was probably 33 or whatever. Well, he'll be on the list at some point.

But yeah, but yeah, but no, because they've already been in the business almost 20 years and they've been around and it's, you know, it's a crowded field and they've seen their their day of dominance practically. All right, Jim, we will pick back up with this list in a moment, but after these messages, we'll be right back. Oh, Brian, I'll tell you what, you know, it's holiday time, it's start of a brand new year, and everybody may be broke right now after Christmas,

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You can take it with you. All right, Jim, let's pick back up with this list, putting together the top 20 wrestlers in their 30s for 1984, turning 31 years old in May, Tito Santana. Arriva! You know, again, it just shows the level of talent and the depth of talent in this, on this list of guys who were regularly employed,

professional wrestlers being featured by a regular, territory at some level of prominence and a guy that everybody remembers and recognizes the name, Tito Santana, he doesn't even wow us on the list because we, you know, we've just hit Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff, blah, blah, blah. But I think, you know, bless him and he's done quite well, but I don't know on this list, can he hang at the same point in 1984 when did Tito start? He would have been working

77, 78? I was about to say almost 10 years, maybe 7, 8 years at this point. And I don't know that he had been used in any money-drawing capacities as of yet, do you? Well, again, he had worked different places. He had worked AWA, It was really the WWF where he would get his first real big moment that people noticed, him and Tony Garria.

Oh, no, excuse me. Him and Ivan Putzky, I believe, were the tag team champions. That's right. That's right. And that was before this. I forgot about him being a tag team champion. 84, he would be the man to the throne, Don Morocco, and win the Intercontinental Championship before losing it to Greg Valentine, before winning it back.

Well, anyway. All right, so not on your list is what you're trying to. to say that. Probably, probably not in this crowded company. Jim at 36 years old. What about Tiger Chung Lee? Holy moly. Now here help me because he would not be in the United States wrestling scene past the following year or so. But then he was used pretty prominently and was a major name in Japan for the next number of years for the rest of his career what the fuck was his name before him in the territory Kim duck thank you I was going to say Donald but it was his brother

Kim duck had been a star in the in the territory days since the mid-70s and especially in the southern territories Holy shit. The wind is blowing and it's a sideways rain out there right now, especially in the southern territories, but really all over the place. And as a heel, he had been used up and down the cards, but he had been around for quite a while.

But at this point, he was about to go back to Japan, was he not? He would work on the undercard for a little while for the WWF, but never got a good push, never got a good run. I don't even know if he ever won. want to match on TV. Never had a dinner. Never had a dinner. All right.

So not on your list there. What about this one, Jim, turning 30 in April. Mr. USA, Tony Atlas. Woo. And here's another one. Not only has he already been a name in the wrestling business. Everybody knows Tony's stories from Virginia and the Crockett promotion, broke him in. what was it 76 by 77 he's being featured he's on georgia tv uh they're seeing uh you know the early

cable superstation broadcast he was big in houston uh as i said all over the carolinas i think he'd gone to i think he went to dallas for a while also at a point in time and had worked some pre-V Vince Jr. WWF stuff, but he would again, I guess, probably have his most consistent run from 1984 for the next couple of years,

at least in terms of financial remuneration. So he's already been a star. He's going to be a star another few years, but then unfortunately it's going to peter out early. does he have enough upward momentum here to meet our 1984 qualifications?

I would think probably. I think if you look at his 84, if you were doing this going into 84, he'd probably be a no-brainer, knowing he was going to turn 30 in that year. Him and Rocky Johnson win the tag titles from the Samoans. They're getting ready to have a big run. It's before people realize they didn't get along and it didn't work out. They either changed their plans. And then Tony, I think that's one of the times he dismal.

disappeared and he went to work for Vern again. That's right. I don't even know if I should say again. I don't remember how much you worked for Vern before them, but he went to work for Vern, and then Vince brought him back and it, you know, for a few years there, he was just there. Like, it just, it didn't matter. And, you know, those, I don't know if those are the best times of Tony Atlas's career. You know, let's, let's say, question marks that and come back later, because it's such a big name. Jim at 38 years old, Jerry Briscoe. And here, this isn't, we are talking about these, the list of guys in their 30s is,

well, they've already been big stars to business for eight to ten years or so, and they're kind of transitioning to, and these are the guys in their 30s. We couldn't find big Manavit stars currently in their 30s when we were looking. Jerry Briscoe's about ready to retire because Jack beat him to it. But Jerry had been wrestling since the late 60s. He had been a single star into Carolinas in the pre-George Scott days. He was the, what was their title, the Eastern heavyweight champion or whatever? He had obviously, he and Jack both had worked extensively in Florida.

and Jerry had traveled when Jack was the NWA champion, they would work a deal where even if it was a baby face that was going to be facing Jack in the territory, which often it was, Jerry would come in first as like the policeman. Well, you got to beat my brother Jerry before you can beat me. And he was featured all over the country in all the NWA towns. they were tag team champions.

They were the world champions for Crockett in the early 80s. When they finally went to the WWF, after the Atlanta stock sale to Vince and et cetera, that's where Jack, who had been wrestling even a couple of years longer than Jerry, just say, you know what, fuck it. Jerry told me a story himself. They went to Newark, landed their plane,

got their rental car papers and took off out into the parking lot in the middle of fucking snow trying to find in the Hertz lot or whatever trying to find their rental car and they couldn't find it or it wasn't there and Jack's looking around in that snow in a big airport and where the fuck are we going tonight Gerald and he said you know what he said I'm walking back in that airport and I'm going to be on the next thing smoking to Florida

and he went back and got on the fucking next plane back to Tampa and that's how Jack Briscoe retired. Didn't even do an autograph session for like fucking 30 years. You know, a story like that really makes you appreciate how easy it used to be to fly. You could never do that today. I'm just going to go back in there and get a ticket. No, you're not. I'm telling you, I told you, I flew as only Anderson.

one time. He wasn't going to use his ticket. They said, here, Cornett, take that. They don't, they didn't know. They don't know what the fuck. Anyway, yeah, Jerry wouldn't be, he's about to be an executive in two more years. All right, Jim, another name on this list here that

a contemporary of Jerry Briscoe's he would be 38 years old. He would turn 38 in August. Dick Murdoch. Oh my God, Captain Dickie. had already been since Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdoch were the World Tag Team champions for the Sheik

in what, 1969, 1969, 1970, when the Kobo was drawing big money, the Texas Outlaws. That was 15 years beforehand. Dick had been brothers with Don Carson as a top heel team in the South when he was like 18 or 17 or whatever it was. He'd already owned part of the Amarillo promotion.

He was a top name in every NWA territory that he ever went to. The boys universally at one point considered Dick Murdoch, one of the best workers amongst themselves. Murdoch was considered one of the best workers in the business. And it's almost, again, he's almost ready. He's going to make money with him and, you know, and, well, no, he and Adonis were 83, right? No. It was 84.

84 in the early 85. Okay. I was going to say he and Adonis are going to make money. Because they would have thrown Atlas and Rocky Johnson when they couldn't get along. And I think that was what, May, maybe May or June? I think May. Yeah. Of 84.

But then within, within a. next couple years, he's going to transition to being a big name in Japan and going to Japan and almost never in American wrestling except when he would come to WCW and I got to manage him or whatever, you know, because Dusty was involved or whatever the case. But, I mean, he's a strong candidate because he's still, are we checking him or are we questioning him, because he's still going to have some big runs, and we haven't been counting Japan. Well, we haven't really had to really come up yet.

Yeah, it hasn't come up yet. I personally would put him as a question mark, because I think, you know, again, we still have a lot of names to get to, but he had a good 84, and he got a big push as one of the tag team champions in the WWF. I don't know who would have seen that coming. The skit with him and Adrian Adonis in Greenwich Village, in the East Village, actually, is one of the greatest things in WWF television history, one of the most legitimate funny things,

them and Mean Gene O'Kerlin walking around a village. And it's also like one of the last great looks at how it used to be, the young punks and the fucking whinoes all over the street. Well, and also, when you think about it, who was Taylor made not only for Vince McMahon's fucking vision like that, but also was Bill Watts' top North American champion? And Murdoch could do everything.

And he would go back to Watson, 85, when he would leave Vince. But if you look at 84, they take the tag titles off Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas. They go into a feud with the Samoans who turned baby face. There's a match with him and Offa, October 84. I don't know where you could see it now because they're taking all their catalog off Peacock at MSG. It's one of the most entertaining matches I've ever seen, and the fans got totally into it. And then he has matches with the briskos, which are fantastic, him and Adonis. and I don't remember if they started working at Windham and Rotunda

at the end of 84 but certainly in the early 85. Well, and also I've got to remember when he was working for Crockett for Dusty, he had the 20-minute draw with Nikita Koloff at the Baltimore Civic Center that was Nikita Koloff's best wrestling match ever. And I've told the story, it's because beforehand we found out we had to go 20 minutes with Nikita, Dick rolled his eyes and he's putting his boots on. And I said, oh, my God, this could end all our careers.

And so I said, Dick, I said, you know, a lot of the boys are saying, nobody can have a good match with Nikita. Even you couldn't have a, oh, who said that? I said, well, you know, I'm just saying generally. And I kind of fired him up a little bit. And he went out there, it had the best 20-minute wrestling match, Nikita Koloff ever had in his life. All right, so a question mark for now.

Yes. Jim, at the age of 37, from the fabulous freebirds, he would be in world class, he would be in the World Wrestling Federation, he would be back in world class in 1984. Buddy Jack Roberts. Well, I am looking back, I was looking back to see it. Hold on here. Michael Hayes and Terry Gordy both got check marks on the Twitter. 20 in their 20s because the freebirds were

were what they were to do we have to include buddy or we're not being fair to Buddy Jack. I don't know. And he at that point had before he got to Terry and Michael had been the actual name that you would recognize from

the Hollywood blondes and just his long career in wrestling so he was kind of the name before Michael and Terry were heard of. I think I would put him on my list for 30s in 1983 because he had a really good year in world class. I don't know if 84...

I don't know. I'd have to think about it. 86 was one of those years where he... He was doing the same goddamn thing that Michael and Terry were doing. Well, Terry also wrestled in Japan, and Terry was one of the most impressive wrestlers in the business. Michael, it's not necessarily all about ring.

A lot of it's about charisma and his mic skills and, you know, that's why Vince McMahon wanted the freebirds. He thought Michael Hayes was going to be his rock star. You're just saying the same thing that Watts said. Put Roberts on the team because he can drop the fall, keep him in line and knows how to fucking work and get Michael in the corner where he belongs. And you're saying you think question mark?

I was saying if we put in Michael and Terry, don't we have to put in buddy, but let's give him a question mark because this is a crowded field. And I do want to bring that up. real quick. As someone brought that up about the final list of the 20s, the Road Warriors and Rock and Roll Express were on there as teams. Hayes and Gordy weren't on there as a team.

It is important to note, Gordy did start doing a lot of stuff on his own in Japan, where Michael Hayes was not involved in that. So that is part of the equation. Well, and remember they had broken them up like idiots. I never understood why they did that, but they broke them up in Atlanta that time, remember?

That's right. And then they had to read, it was 81, and then they had to reunite to go to Florida or to Dallas and et cetera. So technically they had done a variety of things on their own. All right. Well, I'll put them on a question mark for now. Well, thank you, generous son of a bitch. Jim, at the age of 31 years old, Adrian Adonis.

Wow, again, another guy who's already been on top has been recognized as an excellent fucking performer, has a great promo and a gimmick, would let his physical condition get out of control. But in 19, was it 82 or 83, that Adrian Adonis was one of the world champions when they tried to crown their own. 83?

Kind of sort of fake NWA champion in San Antonio. Yeah, that was 1983 where they had the big tournament in Houston. against Paul Bosch. They ran the summit, I think. And they had the big tournament. Adrian Adonis, I want to say he went over Bob Orton, Jr. in the finals. Lou Thes was there to present him the belt. And then, you know, a couple months later, he was gone.

The fans forgot to come is a problem, as they had an issue there. But if you go back and look at Adrian, and I can't remember the exact year where his weight got out of control, and then they put him in the dress and the whole... 85. The Bautcher, okay. But Adrian Adonis, when he was just chubby, but still looked, the Adrian Adonis and Jesse Ventura years, where they were the AWA heel tag team, or anything around that from the late 70s on, where Adonis, he was never a physical marvel in the Lex Lugar category.

But before it got out of control, he was one of the absolute best workers in the, the business and it wasn't one of those deals where he was he was Tony Charles a fabulous worker can't draw any money he could talk he had a look he had a gimmick but by this point as you just mentioned he's about to become a goddamn big bleach blonde blub of goo but he's not that in 84 it's him and dick murdock as the tag team champions again with a pretty good push do you take that into the equation for 84 I would say he would definitely then deserve at least a question mark, if not the check mark, because he was still the old Adrian Adonis.

He could still work. Jim, 38 years old. Andre the Giant. I mean, do we need to even ask? Andre the fucking Giant, not only has he been one of the major box office track in the country since 1974. When Vince Sr. first started sending him out on the national tour to all the territories, he had already been worked shots in the WWA for Bruiser and the AWA since 1972 when he was,

and he'd drawn money in Montreal. He and Don Leo Jonathan. That was 1972. So he'd already been a major attraction for. for over 10 years and was fixing to you know get bigger in the next few years and not only dominate

Japanese wrestling but draw the Silver Dome House and blah blah blah so yeah should we even ask again no brainer I would think at the age of 35 Jim the universal heartthrob Austin Idol

Austin Idol baby he's gonna have a bad drug problem. I'm going to drag him from one side of the ring to the other and then drag him from that side back again. Um, the only thing I'm thinking about here is timing because again, idle, the look, the gimmick that Hogan took Hoka mania from Idol mania and, you know, obviously idle, barred a bit from Superstop. Billy Graham as, you know, everybody did. But, you know, I think for Idol wasn't 79 through 83,

really when he was cooking because in 84, 85, the Memphis and continental territories are going to start suffering. And for whatever decisions that were made, he didn't get the big national television run. and sort of retired early to focus on his many outside wrestling business endeavors. So do you put the universal heartthrob on a 1984 list? Again, 35 years old. He has a pretty good run in Memphis that year.

He's one of the top baby faces, gets Rick Rood over, him and Lawler team up. I don't know if it's his year. Like you said, it was kind of 79 to 83. specifically. 79 and 80 in Georgia, it's lights out stuff. It's great. Well, but also,

Idle drew in Memphis and in 83. If you brought Idol back for a six-man tag, it might be close to a guaranteed sellout, whereas by 84 and 85 things were dribbling down, it wasn't his fault. And 87, he had the resurgence with the hair match there with Lawler, but, you know,

I don't know if he was ever used as frequently. And now that you said that, I never thought of it in 84 as any other time in Memphis, he was probably there more that year than any other year maybe. Yeah, and see, that's the thing. He had been coming in since January of 79. I remember the main event at the Louisville Gardens, like January 5th, 1979 was billed as Austin Idol versus Jerry Lawler, grudge match of the year.

Then five days in a fucking year, right? But he got over at that point and then could be brought in as he and Dutch Mantel were a heel tag team at the CWA World Tag Team champions. But then he could be a baby face. And, you know, it was the promo and everything. But you couldn't use him regularly. He didn't make spot shows after the initial run, you know, when he established himself. But he didn't really make spot shows. didn't want to,

and wanted to, you know, work more of a part-time schedule. And while that time, Loller, another airport story. Yeah. After the goddamn Memphis TV, Lawler said,

oh, come on, I don't make Jonesboro tonight. Make John, I'm going to go home. Make Jonesboro tonight. Okay, just take me to the airport and I'll change my ticket. And Loller drives him over to the airport. He said, I'll be right back up and change the ticket. I don't went in, got on the,

plane and fucking flew back to fucking Pensacola and Lawler still sitting in the parking line. Jesus Christ, it's taking him a long time to change that ticket. Anyway, maybe not his year in 84. Jim turning 30 in 1984. Wild Bill Irwin. You know what? I was wrong about a talent, but it wasn't my fault. It was everybody else's.

when I first saw Bill Irwin come to Memphis in, I think it was the fall of 1980. So how old would he have been, he, 26 years old? I said, my God, this guy's going to be a big fucking star on Atlanta TV or, you know, whatever, my concept of a big star at the time. Because he was six feet five, he was 200 and probably 40 pounds. he didn't have any muscle definition. He was red-headed. So he had one of those fleshy bodies.

But his style was very different, and he leapt a lot. He could jump like crazy. He had leaping kicks that he would give, where he'd leap up in the air with his left foot and then come down and stomp while he kicked with the right foot. And he was very animated, and he had a personality he could talk. And I honestly, the thing that,

Dr. Biller, when he was wearing a white fucking coat, I don't know what that was, right? But he was trying shit out. But later on, you know, he had the run with Scott under the hood as the Super Destroyers. They were excellent workers, but they didn't have physiques that were pleasing to the venses of the world.

And I just, the business changed. I saw him in 1980. I figured this guy's excited. The big elbow drops and he's young. And I'm thinking he's exciting as fuck. He's going to be a big star. But by 1985, you had to look like

goddamn Lugar to work in the WWF. And it was getting crowded in the territories where you could make any money. And Wild Bill Irwin, I wasn't particularly crazy about it because he's from Minnesota. it, you know, he just, it settled, you know, on him. But, you know, it just kind of booked him as in another underneath cowboy.

So I don't think he got as big as he should have, but I wouldn't put him on this list. Reminds me of Hangman Adam Page. Ooh, no, no, no. Bill Irwin now would be a great world champion compared to it, but nevertheless. Jim, so far for the record, we have six definites. Hulk Hogan, Junkyard Dog, Paul Orndorf, Roddy Piper, Sergeant Slaughter, Andre the Giant, several names on the question mark list. 38 years old, as of June of 1984, Bruiser Brody. Woo!

Uh, okay, he's already been... Let's see, Brody, Vince Sr. gave him... the name Brody in what, 76. I believe so. Yeah, 76-ish. He'd already been used in the old Leroy-Mcgirk territory as Frank Goodish because he and Hansen broke in at the same time. Imagine how some of those old timers down there in Leroy of McGurk's territory like Tretch Phillips. They're getting a ring with these two. They don't know what they're doing.

They're green as grass. Fuck! He's already been used in a variety of of territories on top, but he's huge in Texas, and he had a run with Vince Sr. brief as may have been as, you know, a heel and has already started going to Japan and is a major name there, one of the names there. And it, obviously that will continue for the next four years. But I don't say, how can you not put him on this list? He's big everywhere he's going. Was there a bigger American wrestler in Japan in 1984?

And that's what I'm trying to think is, you know, again, specific years, the Road Warriors, Hansen, Brody, Gordy, Hogan, but he's always in that and he had incredible longevity. So it's still, it's kind of a no-brainer almost. And again, right after this, I think, what was it, early 85? I think I'm doing it on top of my head. That's when he quits all Japan and shows up in New Japan for a series with Anoki. And the reason that was a big deal was because of who he was.

It wasn't just anyone doing that jump. It was him. And I think that's part of the equation for 84. And also, he was getting more much. than almost anybody ever got for anything in the business at that point in time to do this type of thing. So, yeah, he didn't work any territory except if he wanted to in Texas where he was home because he didn't have to. Jim turning 30 in July, someone you worked with, Hacksaw, Butch Reed. Again, this was a great year for Butch. Watts loved him.

he was the heel antithesis of the junkyard dog until dog left he was used as North American champion worked in all kinds of single main events as a top heel and he switched him baby face the next year and used him just as prominently and butch had already been somewhat of a name in Florida and in Georgia back to when he was Bruce Reed but what that had only been three or four years before

butch didn't start when he was a teenager he started a little later so I think you you got to certainly how many are we doing 30 in their 30s which has got to be a no we're not 20 in their 30 then put a question mark down

oh interesting well I'm just saying because this is still so crowded and we got so long to go here, but he's having a great year and he's going to have a great next few years. So, but he hasn't been a big star for long just because he hasn't been into business that long. So let's evaluate our other options. See, I think this is maybe the year for him in his 30s. You could argue about, I guess, what, 81 or 82, the way he was pushing Florida.

I got to work with Flair, got to work with Brody. I mean, he did a lot of stuff early as Bruce Reed. but in 84, top heel, you could argue, in mid-south, although disgusted by the Mid-Nine Express of Jim Cornett attacking Bill Watts, him turning back to look at you guys doing that and he's disgusted as one of my favorite moments of that whole thing. And he has a good run in 84, and then when Y.D leaves, they turn him baby face, and you get him and buddy, which had kind of been building as a group, and now you get to see them wrestle each other and he goes against Akbar, I think 84 is probably Butch Reed's strongest year.

Okay, you've talked me into it. Let me take him back off this one and put him back over here. Checking him. I'm checking him. Jim, 36 years old, Chavo Guerrero. I'm trying to think what Chavo and Hector would come into Mid-South and work as a heel team in 85 right after we left. That's right, early 85, the Alamo Busters.

Chavo's days as a mainstream upper card main event type attraction are already behind him at this point, are they not? He was a phenomenon in Los Angeles. That was 10 years before almost in the 70s. And he was never put in a position in a major territory as some of these other names have been to have a track record like that. So I, you know, and also, and then we're talking Chavo Senior now, not Chavo Guerrero Jr. For the younger folks out there. And he's not going to do a lot after this because the territory is constrict. And he's already going on 40.

So I don't know that he can go on this list, do you? I personally don't think so for 1984, not to take away from how good his career was, but 84, no. well then fuck him then put him in a wood chipper that's not what i said that's not what i said no he will come back from the dead and find you i'd be careful no i remember we went after verne at one of the calling for our alley conventions were screwing him on the superclash three payoff in 1989 that's right jim turning 32 in february you may have been there with him Dennis Condry Dennis Condry

who everybody thought was born looking 40 years old was only 32 when they first saw him as a member of the Midnight Express but again I first saw Dennis wrestle live in January of

1975 and he'd already been in the business a couple of years his brother-in-law was Joe Turner who worked as Joe Sky with Bill Bowman, who was Bill Skye. They were the cowboy tag team in the 60s. And Dennis had already, he worked the Louisiana territory with Joe Turner as Mephisto and Dante, the masked guys,

when there was no money in the Louisiana territory in 1973, by the way. But he and Phil Hickerson as a team had started being used in the Goulis office in 1975. And they rotated as the heel tag team champions between the Memphis end, the Birmingham, Nashville end, and the Knoxville end of

southeastern wrestling. Between 75 and 78, Hickerson got hurt. Dennis was champions with Don Carson. He had a hell of a team with David Schultz, worked Georgia. And,

and had been in Tennessee and then had done the original Midnight Express with he and Randy Rose and Norville Austin in 81 and 82 in both Memphis and Southeastern Territory and Penscola. And I say all that to say that he already had again all that experience when in 1984 suddenly the Midnight Express happens and a lot of people see him all the same time for the first time. but in this company as a single, he does not, his upward momentum doesn't carry him to the heights at Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper and et cetera, et cetera, but because he was, he just happened to be the only guy of the Rock and Roll Express and the Middard Express at that point that was in their 30s instead of their 20s.

The point I'm trying to make, we put Bobby in, we put Ricky in, we put Robert in, don't we have to put Dennis in, or is it his fault, he was just born two years earlier? No, and I mean, I guess we should also maybe, when we get to the question mark list, again at the end, talk about the idea should Murdoch and Adonis be considered as a team, if that's how they spent their 84? But Bobby's in, you can't put Dennis and Bobby in together because of the two different decades.

But I think Dennis has a strong argument. Yeah. I mean, again, he was just as good as anyone else in those matches. I think he has to be in. Well, I'm glad you agree. All right. Let me add him to the list. Jim turning 39 in October,

the American dream, Dusty Rhodes. And again, think Dusty Roads is, in his 30s still. This again is another one because as big a star as he's already been for 10, 15 years. Same thing. For Murdoch

applies for Dusty. They were the Texas outlaws with the tag team champions, you know, in 1969, 1970. And Dusty had already been on top as a heel in Florida when they switched him baby face in 74.

And then by 70s, 77, he's making shots against Graham and Madison Square Garden. He's going to Atlanta to be on the cable superstation. He's going special appearances into Carolinas, back and forth amongst the northeast towns for Vince Sr. And then by this point, he's not only one of the leading box office attractions for the NWA, along with Flair, but he's just been named

the booker of Jim Crockett promotions, and we'll draw the biggest gates of all NWA history over the next couple years. So how the fuck are we not putting him on this list? I think he's a no-brainer for this list. Dusty Rhodes, 39 years old. Jim, we're going to do a few more today, and because of the length of this list, this will be a, at minimum, two-parter for the top 20 or 30 in their 30s for 1984. But going back to this, at the age of 36 years old, in September at least,

the great Kabuki. Kabuki! Are you a royal or an Ellen boy? You know, Kabuki gave me that big old thrust kick in July of 1985, and I've never forgiven him for it. No, he was fine. He was not stiff at all. Um,

the only thing is, the timing because Kabuki, that gimmick on Atlanta TV and on world-class TV, that gimmick was hot in the business for a while and led to imitators, Kendo Nagasaki and etc. Muda. Say again? Well, and Muda was the spiritual offshoot, yes.

But by 84, it was kind of, he was about ready to go back home to Japan. wasn't he? He stayed around for another couple of years? Yeah, I mean, you had a thing with him in 85, and then eventually he would go back to all Japan. So I was not sure. Well, actually, he was in New Japan, too. Well, he goes back to Japan. He goes back to Japan. They're fighting over him over there. He's not our concern anymore. But, but yeah, it was a gimmick that caught on and Gary Hart had Buku to do with it, lots to do with it. And Kabuki pulled it off, you know, well, but it didn't, it wasn't really a big long-lasting thing, and then he went home.

All right, Jim, not on our list, but two more names here today. Turning 30 at the start of 1984, Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Hi-yo! Ho! Not hi-o? Hi-o! Ho! I don't know.

Hi-yo! Hi-oh, Silver, away. Well, just long as he raises the board, as long as he's got wood, it's all right. See, I knew him before he was a hoe. Duggan, I think, is the perfect example of a guy who belongs on the list because he's only been in the... Even though he's 30, again, he didn't start as a teenager. and he had tried football, but he's been into business at that point,

probably three years or so. And Jim Moose Duggan has given a way to, this was the perfect guy for Bill Watts to develop. A hacksaw, Doug, and he was a perfect character baby face for Mid-South wrestling. And he'd give the big thumbs up, that big pouty face, and he'd do those wild-ass promos

where it was just that was his personality. He acted that way everywhere, and the big stomping of the foot the fans could get behind. He was like a big goddamn, you know, moose. That's why they nicknamed him that, but at the same time, he had personality, and the fans got behind it. And the funny, you know, body language that he had.

So I think this was, was probably one of his best year in the business to date. And then he would go on to pretty much be the guy at Mid-South over the next few years, the one constant Watts had and then go to the WWF and, you know, get the big push and, you know, become iconic at that point. So doesn't he go on this list if anybody does for 84? I think so. I think absolutely.

he was such a big star in mid-south and you know i love his mid-south stuff more than his w-w suff stuff is phenomenal and 84 is the year yeah well yeah and see that's that the the mid-south stuff was better in the ring but the w w f stuff was better at the bank but yeah dougan was phenomenal until he quit having to be phenomenal and just had to carry the two before around Jim, the final name here today, turning 35 in November, Jerry the King Lawler. Okay, and again, I know people go,

Lordin loves Lawler, but let's just examine what the facts are. Before anybody thinks, I'm just blowing Lawler, right? In 1984, Lawler had been the top attraction in Memphis for either 10 years, if you count when he became a single and, you know, beat Fargo for the Southern title and the passing of the Torch series that summer of 74. Or do you even go back to 72?

Because Lawler and Jim White against various baby face tag teams, the Fargoes, Tojo and Jarrett, etc. between late 1972 and into summer of 73 set the all-time attendance records at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis at that point before Lawler was even a single star. And then

nobody could rack up nobody in any territory except Bruno, okay? And Ganya didn't wrestle all that often anymore. But during that 10 years, of 74 to 84, nobody had drawn as much money in a single territory on top for that long, a weekly territory as Lawler did. He'd also gone out to Florida and to the AWA because Jarrett was working with both those territories and trade and talent and the, you know, the program he did with Funk was done in the Memphis Territory and in Florida at the same time.

He'd done the thing with David Letterman, slapping Andy Kaufman, had the Kaufman match. So he was a nationally known name. He'd been on Georgia television, on TBS, and was by this time a partner in the territory with Jarrett for his first full year at this point in time. so he not only was a money-drawing wrestler and had been featured in a number of positions in various places. People knew who he was, but he was also technically one of the fucking promoters. And it's not like that he had peaked

because even if the Memphis territory by the late 80s was going down, because all the territories were going down in terms of business, they outlasted everybody. The Memphis territory in 1984 would still be in business another 13 years but Lawler would go on to draw houses

through the end of the 80s, Kurt Henning, the AWA title match through 9,000 people in Memphis. And he wouldn't start with the WWF until 92 and then he's got a whole other goddamn career.

So how would you not put him on this list, regardless of whether I like him? All right. Look at 84. Is he one of the best promos? Yeah. Is he one of the best in the ring? Yeah.

Is he one of the biggest, if not the biggest drawing card in the territory he's working? Yes. Does he have his own talk show? Yes. I think Lawler has to be on the list. Absolutely. And also in 83. 82 and 83, he's coming off having the best

AWA world title matches with Nick Bokwinkle because think of who Bokwinkle was working with up in Vern's actual territory. He'd come down to Memphis and Loller and he would go 25 or 30 minutes when that meant something and wasn't completely normal and they'd tear the fucking house down. Except for Kurt Hennig, I think Loller was the youngest guy Bokwinkle was getting to work with.

But he had accomplished all that by the time that he was 35 years old, Lawler. And again, not even talking about WWF, but his career is nowhere near over, and he still has major 86 to stuff with him and Dutch against Dundee and Landell, 87 and stuff with him and Austin Idol, 88, him and Kurt Henig. You know, he still has more to come. So I think no-brainer for 84, again, top wrestling stars, top wrestlers, how we want to say it, for the year by age, has to be on the list. Well, then mark it down.

We will mark it down, and we will call it a day for this. We will continue with part two. Next time, we will come back to this list, the top wrestlers in their 30s for 1984. We'll be right back after this short commercial timeout. Boy, I tell you, Brian, it's New Year. It's 2026 coming up. The New Year is dawning upon us,

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Well, that's right. Normally they take a business and they multiply it like cancer cells where it grows and expands and metastasizes until it's spread everywhere. But, you know, if you just want to have to pass it, then, you know, they could just go ahead and say, well, we'll give you the monopoly on the three blocks around your house. Again, no monopolies guaranteed or promised or actually legal probably. But Jim, when we get away from all the laughter and all the jokes and all the storytelling, we have to be honest with the listeners and give them a great deal and a great promo.

promo code. That's right. Shopify.com slash JCE one dollar a month trial period and again the monopoly doesn't have to be in your name. All righty, Brian, well, continuing our theme for the holidays of wrestling history, good old fashioned old school territory kind of rasseling, I'm punching my hand, I hurt my knuckle. But what we have been doing for I don't know how long now, intermittently, whatever we get a chance,

is we've been going back and looking at my Mid-South wrestling schedule for 1984 on a day-by-day basis, day-by-day, for a day off these things we pray. And given the people a chance to see what the, not only the 1984 Mid-South Wrestling boom, what was involved, but also just life on the road in the territory days. Brian, that's what everybody wants to hear about these days, isn't it? Well, certainly a large part of this audience, because we've heard from a lot of people who have been saying,

please pick back up with the Mid-South schedule. We love it. So I guess that's a holiday gift from you to them today. Yes, and basically so Jay Shark Nato will shut up. Our Ace editing guru, because he's doing, what are you going to do the other? No, we're sorry, Jay. So other things have come up. But basically, if everybody wants to play along with this, Brian, the YouTube channel, official Jim Cornett on YouTube has the first quarter, as they say, in the banking business.

January through March, in order day by day on the YouTube show, would they just search Mid-South Wrestling Schedule, 1984? Help me. Jim Cornett's schedule would probably be the only thing you need to search, but you could search for Jim Cornett Mid-South or Jim Cornett. coordinate in 1984, it'll all come up, and the individual segments are up there, and if there isn't an omnibus, there will be, but I think there may be an omnibus of the first quarter of 1984. And just search for me, because I'm lost, I need help. Somebody, please find me. But anyway, we had gotten up through, when last we left off this enterprise, the first

Superdome show that we did on April 7th, the last Tampede match, and then, and this, you in the next day we had been in Oklahoma City and we'll pick up there in a second. But Brian, for the purpose of this exercise, I think this is going to show you now, not only over the next five weeks, however long it takes us to cover that, not only was this Mid-South's record five-week period in business for selling tickets and arena grosses, Gates, it was also our biggest money, making period. Myself and I may not express individually for our stay there. And it was also probably the best time the payoffs that the other guys had, they're all on the card because

they were record houses. But it was also the absolute hardest, roughest, most almost untenable, almost physically impossible travel and work. schedule that you could put, I don't even know, I just want to say professional wrestlers, human beings through and expect them to be able to fucking pull it off. So if anybody wanted to see what's really like to have been in the territory business, bear in mind as we're picking up on April 9th, Monday, April 9th, do you know what our last day off was? the schedule were already working before we go to the last stampede and the biggest shows ever.

What was our last day off, Brian? I would guess it would probably be the end of March. March 6th. Oh, wow. Jeez, wow. This has just all been leading up to the last stampede. So now we're kicking it into full gear, baby. And in the previous few days, bear in mind we live in Alexandria, Louisiana for again for the Google Freaks.

Or maybe George can do a little bit. a map for this one. Me and Bobby and Dennis are living in Alexandria, Louisiana. So on that Friday night previous, we had been in Houston, Texas, which was a 500-mile round trip. And then that

Saturday, we'd been in a Superdome, which was a 400-mile round trip. And then the next day, we had gone to Oklahoma City, which was 525 miles from Alexandria. and worked a night show there.

It was the people record, even though it was a regular show, it wasn't the last stampede, the people record. They had 13,000 people there, but at regular prices, it was like 69 grand. And now we pick up with Monday, April 9th,

we're in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. We got to go to Little Rock, Arkansas. 330 miles across at least it was interstate so we got up got some fucking fast food of some description and fucking took the fuck off for little rock by noon and we were in the main event that night again not a last stampede the TV hadn't caught up with that as we've mentioned in previous segments the TV bicycled around the territory. So the hot angle could be seen right before you were actually there live, blah, blah, blah. But as we've gone 330 miles, as I said, across the country,

we get to, or across the, you know, region, we get there. We're booked in the main event against the Bruce Brothers, Dream Machine Troy Graham and Pork Shop Cash from the stuff that we've talked about earlier how the Dundee had brought them down to be another baby face tag team but this was after Troy had broken his ankle so we ended up we worked

on last and we worked with pork shop and Bill Dundee and beat them obviously but then we did a deal also where Terry Taylor and Butch Reed ran in and we did a whole fucking big

goddamn shmaz just to keep the angles going. But the house was $25,000, which remember when we came in, what, three months beforehand, Little Rock was doing like 12 grand with all the established folks. So business was picking up and doing better. We made 300 bucks that night. And again, we've established, what was it, Brian, 1984, money to today is three to one, so triple the money figures. Was that what we figured on the

inflation calculator? I don't recall. That may be correct, though. I think it's, yes. As a matter of fact, hold on. Do I have notes in the, it's three to one? So it made 900 bucks for this cross-country excursion, and then we headed directly south 270 miles all state highway. to Alexandria from Little Rock. And that was usually at night with no traffic, it was still going to be a five and a half hour drive. So we got in about four in the morning. So we are, by the way, the Mid-South tag team champions at this point.

We've got the angle that we've just kind of got started with the Rock and Roll Express because of the cake in the face. But we're also going to be working with Watts and et cetera. So on Tuesday the 10th, we get a little break. We're in Lake Charles, Louisiana, down there at the Lake Charles Civic Center, which is only a 200-mile round trip.

And we're in the main event, but we've got the Rock of Roll Express, so at least we won't be killed in the ring, possibly just in the goddamn aisleways. And we fucked them with the tennis racket, boom, beat Robert, Bobby covered him, one, two, three. And again, this was,

let me just say that I don't want to take the piss out of it. And one of the recent shows we were talking about, everybody said, oh, Gunther had that old kind of territory-style heat, right? Where, you know, after the scene of thing, and the fans not only were booing him, but the footage of him in the parking lot going to the bus or whatever, and all the fans are screaming at him. It's old-fashioned heat, right? Yes, and again, we saw that kind of feedback from the reaction after the match that night

and then on Raw to Gunther. And while it was more heat than most people get and it was nice to see, it's a different animal than what you guys were experiencing. Gunther doesn't have to worry about getting to his car. That's what I'm saying. In Lake Charles, this was one of the buildings we've talked about. They tried to squirt the draino from the water guns and Akbar's eyes. and the way the cops would surround us, et cetera,

but when they would take us out in the parking lot, when the cops would escort us to our cars, they had the fucking, the canine dogs, they had the police dogs, that they would keep the fans back with. And I'm just wondering, Brian, do you genuinely believe that I'm not pissing on Gunther again and, et cetera? But it's a different day.

Do you believe that if, If Gunther had been walking to the bus, and there had been barricades, but no cops, no security, he'd just been walking to his bus. Do you think anybody would have jumped on him or tried to harm him? Do you think that bus could have gotten out of the parking lot? A bus. Think about that, just that aspect of it.

All right, all you heels, get on the bus. Yeah. But no, that was the thing. the cops brought the canines in Lake Charles because they'd had so much trouble with everybody with the free birds and Agbar's guys and et cetera. They didn't fuck around there. So anyway, we go back home. We made $225 that night.

The house was $15,000. Again, it's like $45,000 and almost $700 in today's money. We're starting to stack up a pretty good week. And then the next day, we go. to Shreveport for obviously I go I leave at 630 in the no I'm sorry a 7 o'clock I would have to leave at 7 o'clock in the morning on Wednesdays from my apartment in Alexandria to get to Shreveport 120 miles of up the road and not interstate in time to be at the interviews at Channel 3 on Wednesday mornings right at 10 o'clock so then

after we did interviews and we were done at like three or whatever we'd decorate if adrian street was in the territory me and him and miss linda used to like to go to the pizza king down the road from the tv station uh but whatever the fuck there was a poe folks there poe folks but whatever the fuck we had tv that night at the irish mcneal boys club and this was the night that I had done the angle, or I had done, I did the angle where it was, again, another match on TV between the Midnight Express to Rocker Roll Express, but I was barred from ringside.

And I ran in, Brian, you've seen the tape. I ran in dressed as a woman and hit Reggie Morton over the head with a loaded purse and knocked him out and we won. You remember seeing that. Have I told the story before of how much trouble I had getting in that fucking place. I'm not sure.

I definitely know the footage, obviously. I remember, I think Bill Watts, or the commentators really love seeing you in a dress after they realized it was the dastardly Jim Cornett, but what's the story behind it? Here's the problem. And this is where I even learned, I learned from the Masters,

because sometimes the Masters made mistakes. Because we taped two, tell a two weeks worth of TV programs at each taping, correct? So they wanted us to be on the first one also. The Midnight Express beat a couple of job guys. And I cut a promo about this, you know, bullshit going on with Watts, whatever. But then on the second show, that's where Dundee's idea,

which is from Memphis, you know, plain and simple, was for the Expresses to have a match. on TV and me to be barred from ringside so there'd be no interference and I would sneak in at a climactic point dressed as a woman in disguise to sneak my way in and fuck the rock and roll express around whatever fuck right and I said bill how am I going to do both because there was no way for the talent to leave the building where the locker rooms were you had to leave the locker room and go through the building to get out of the goddamn building. The fans would see you, right?

And I said, how the fuck am I going to be on the first show and then barred from the building? We're just going to tell them you're going to leave, but then they're going to be looking for me to come back. What if it's just you announce at the start of the night, I'm not there, I can do the promo on tape, the TV station. I don't, whatever the fuck, right? So I do the thing first, and then I walk out and I've got my bag, and I try to pitch a fit for the people because it's in between tapings.

This is a bunch of bullshit. I'm leaving to blah, blah, blah. And I get in the car and I rush back over the Alamo Plaza, my room at the Alamo Plaza Motor Inn, the beautiful downtown. And I've gone out earlier in the day because Dundee said, get the outfit. it. So I went to the mall and you can buy a woman's dress, right? And you can even buy a wig. And this is before online sales or whatever. And people don't look at you too sideways, but try to be a goddamn 22-year-old six-foot tall man and go in and try to find women's shoes

to fit your feet. And I ended up telling them I was in a college. play. What about that now? That's good. That is a good reason for doing this. Because they had no idea. And then I tried the thing on in the hotel room and I realized, oh, God damn it. My legs are hairy.

They still showed. And I had to goddamn go ahead. I cut my legs. They're bleeding. I'd shaved my legs like from the knee down or whatever the fuck. And I got a dress with some sleeves, but I still had to shave my arms. so I look like scabs like some kind of crack whore. So I rush over there and I put this fucking outfit on. I said, how am I supposed to get back in to where I can see to run it? Oh, and Dundee, I swear to God, Dundee said, just go up to the desk and Grizzly will be waiting for you.

No, he didn't, he said, go up to the desk and tell whatever the fuck the guy's name was at sold tickets. Just whisper to him. you're going in and then just go and mingling the crowd. See, I used to do everything I was told. Here I come in the front door of the fucking Irish McNeil Boys Club as they're, I think have started the next taping already because it took me a while to get down the street

and put all this shit on. And I'm wobbling on the heels, even though I got short ones, I'm wobbling on the heels. I'm a six-foot, 210-pound fucking woman in a flowered moo-moo that looked like my Aunt Lola used to wear, a wig and sunglasses, carrying a fucking purse. They turned around and it spotted me instantly.

His cornet! He's trying to sneak back in. I was like, oh, my God, they're going to kill me. And they started coming off the bleachers. And I told the ticket guys, go get grisly tell him I'm in the parking lot and I fucking wobbled back on the goddamn heels back out to my car to where I could get to lock myself in in case they mobbed me and here he's big fat ass comes lumbering out the darkness and I said I told you what the fuck

come on and he he walks me around another way and they put me in a goddamn literally some type of maintenance closet. There were the mock buckets and shit in there and stuff. And he said, you know your cue, just peek out the door here. Because at least it was on the dressing rooms, as we've talked about, where that long staircase where they could see you coming, right? Well, this was on the main floor underneath that. So I'm looking out there, and when the fucking thing happens,

I run out there, slide in, hit him with the purse, start to leap out of the ring like I usually do. As I've told you the story before, I realize I've got high heels on. And I tried to kick one off and the other one stayed on. I turned my, dislocated some element of my foot and limped the fuck off. Covered in scabs and thoroughly disheartened with the whole goddamn thing.

So that was that night. So I can appreciate commitment to, craft. Yes. Did anyone instruct you to get heels? Or was that your pick? Well, no. Did you need heels?

I just, it wasn't like it was high heels. They were just goddamn some women's dress shoes. I don't know women. This is 40 years ago. Women used to be more fashionable. They used to dress up a little bit. It's 40 years ago. And I remember the end.

Also, I didn't, I've never tried, never at that point. tried to dress in fucking heels before. So I didn't realize it didn't compute with me while I was worried about my face and my body that you might not be able to walk in those son of a bitchies. But everything they did. It's only about an inch or so. But again, I remember the angle.

So it stood out. 40 years ago, Jim Cornett in drag to help his team and screw over the Rock and Roll Express. It stands out. It's memorable. But the steps you took, wig, dress, heels. Again, heels, I wonder about, I guess, wig and dress were necessities. You couldn't have gotten a long-sleeved dress? You had to shave your arms and legs for this angle?

Well, no, again, it was a long dress, but you could still, if I was flittering around, you could see my hairy goddamn legs. And the arms, it was like from the elbow down, because sort of like the kind of a truck driver type of fucking thing. But there was, I was looking in the mirror, just seeing what I could pick out, that I could do anything about quickly. Did you have a girlfriend at that time? Is this something you would consult your girlfriend? Like, how does this look?

Does this brassiere look right? No, well, I, yes, I did at the time, but no, I did not consult because also, I went and got this stuff that fucking afternoon. between the TV and the goddamn Irish McNeil Boys Club. So again, this, you know, and that's what, all that stuff you see on all those old tapes, Dundee would just say, we're going to have a fucking party and I knew what to bring. Or we're going to dress as a woman and come in with a loaded purse. Okay, and Dusty later on could just call that.

And I had came up with the shit. I had the shit. I, you know, brought it with me. So when you hit the ring, at that point, neither the rock and roll express nor your own guys had seen what you looked like. No. Did Dennis or Bobby have anything to say later that day? No, they loved it.

They loved it. We couldn't really congratulate, you know, or they couldn't really congratulate me too much or whatever because I was down on the floor having Nikolai Volkov snap my fucking dislocated foot back into position. But it accomplished the purpose on TV, even if the people are, actually it made it more believable because people were like, God damn him. How do you get in through there? We saw him.

We thought we ran him off. That is funny. The idea that some of those fans went back to the seats like, you're never going to believe what we just saw. Jim Cornyette, just like a woman trying to sneak into the building. Yes. And I was trying to just hold my purse up and not look at him. It's Cornette. It's Coronet.

And I got a certain way, and I saw people start to get up off the balcony, the bleachers. And I said, all right, I can't, I can't, I don't even have a good enough balance to fight. So, yeah, I got it. But anyway, and we did that, and then we went home. So that was only, I left Alexandria that morning at 7 o'clock, and I got back that night at probably 12. 30, 1 o'clock. So that was only what, a, I can't do that math,

12, 5, 7, 18 hour day, let's say. But then the thing is, Brian, we had a chance to rest because the next day, we'd have to leave the goddamn house till a little bit afternoon. Biloxi, Mississippi, 500 miles round trip,

the complete opposite direction, past New Orleans. and I've mentioned again that Biloxi, that Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum, it was a big building and dark and dangerous. And they never did, Mid-South never did well there. The houses were always in the teens, if that. But this was the last stampede, and they had to give it to every town, right? and I this is like well what's a tie is like your sister kissing the person you tied with or what's that old saying

it's not that who does your sister have to kiss here well the point is is it's this is kind of the reverse of he stole the show but it was petty theft it was the record house that midsouth wrestling ever did in buloxy and it was still a shits but it was still a shit's but it was was $35,000. And we each made $500 that night. That's about $1,500. But this was the,

this was the dress, at least, instead of the diaper. And basically, boom, I hit Bobby with the tennis racket and Watts slapped me and picked Bobby up and gave him the Oklahoma stampede, one, two, three. And then they jerked me in

and had to strip me down and put me in the pink flowery dress, which that's another, the takeoff that Dundee was doing here was trying to get me some more heat because these two tapes that we had just done where I dressed and a dress on purpose are going to air a few weeks after that I'm being dressed and addressed to humiliate me. Like that, son of a bitch, turn it back on them.

See what I'm saying? Yeah. So it is, but anyway. The problem is I'm modeling a lot of different fucking styles. So then by the time we get home that night, or I should say the next morning, getting out of the show at 1030 and being a almost a five-hour drive, it's a little past three in the morning. But then the following day, we've got to go back the same way we just drove to Baton Rouge.

It's only 100 miles, but it's 100 miles back in the exact same direction we came from. And somebody might say, well, why did you get a hotel? What, Jesus Christ, then we're paying for our own hotel to save 200 miles of driving, and that fucking blows, right? But we go back to it. And I've made a note here, Brian, I had a break job and an oil change and et cetera for $179. $1.81 because everybody's

cars were getting beat to shit. But that night in Baton Rouge, Friday, April 13th, I should mention these dates, was the Baton Rouge last stampede. And as far as I know, but I never got it confirmed,

this was, I know it was the best house they did this year, but this was the best they ever did in the Centroplex. There may have been a bigger one with the free birds, I'm not sure. It wasn't sold out, but the house was $48,000, which again today is like $150,000 a day, and we got $1,000 apiece.

So this was after the Superdome, and Shreveport was good, which we covered on our last segment, the Superdome was great, and then Biloxi was the best Biloxi, but that was faint praise. But now we've seen in one of our real meat and potatoes towns, this thing's going to go way over what the normal houses are. So, and that was nice that we were only 100 miles from home.

I yield to questions before I give you this weekend. You getting the oil change, how often were you driving your car? Well, nominally and as a root, of thumb we were rotating in terms of one night it's me taking Bobby and Dennis, next night is Bobby taking me and Dennis. Next night is Dennis taking me and Bobby. You see what I'm saying, but there were exceptions because I always had to go to Shreveport every Wednesday morning

and Bobby and Dennis the midnight did not have to do local promos, which got them a half a day off every week, which got them envy, not heat. Nobody was, you know, mad at them, but envy from the other boys that all had to go to promos. So I would always make that trip and then there would be

you know, other odd ducks where if I was with Hercules Hernandez but that's when the midnight were off at various points over the summer. And then when Dennis insisted that God damn of Buddy Lendez

was going to ride with us, he was going to drive his turn. And I was skipping every fourth day because Buddy was driving. And as we told the story, what, that lasted maybe a few weeks before Buddy ended up miring him in the field of mud. But normally, you know, we're alternating. And then in some cases, depending on the trip, because I would like to drive at night much better, I wasn't drinking so they could drink and sleep and I was up all night anyway. And then during the day, one of them might drive

because I was sleeping in the fucking back seat so that I could bring us back. So sometimes it was like that also. And one more question about travel, as we are kind of in the midst of the last stampede period and there are lots of different shows in different places, how did Watts travel around for the last stampede? Because obviously before that,

he wasn't going to the majority of all these shows. He would just show up at some shows and TV. How was he traveling around for the last? Was he flying from city to city or what did he do? Well, you know, that's a good question that nobody has ever asked before. And I didn't actually ever ask while. That's the thing is with almost all of the locker rooms being separate, not all of them, but almost all of them,

out of the, what, 15 or 16 last stampede matches, we might have actually spoken to him four times. And we were always, as soon as we got to the building, we hustled into the goddamn building to make sure the fans didn't get a crack at us out of the parking lot or whatever. And generally, because we were only supposed to be there an hour beforehand, that's the same time,

that doors open and people would be in the arena. So we went straight to the heel locker room. I don't know how the fuck he was driving. Somebody was driving him probably for some of the towns. And I would imagine that he was flying into the big markets and blah, blah, blah. But see, as you'll see, these were not every night. These were two days in a row here and et cetera. Was he still flying a plane at that point?

You would know better than I. Because remember he did for a while, well, I know I know better about most things, but I figured I'd let you take a crack at that. That was one of the highlights of Mid-South TV in like 81 and 82 was just when a match got a little slow, all of a sudden would be like, you know, I was at the airport the other day, flying my plane, I ran into this person or that person and the son of the guy from the state athletic commission,

like just random people he would name drop that he ran into at the airport. Emil Pepey Bruno. There you go. there you go Emil Pepe Bruno was the chairman of the Louisiana Athletic Commission and close

long time close personal friend to Bill Watts got mentioned a lot because I think he got him in the Superdome but anyway so the point is now the stampede's working on Friday the 13th we did the big house in Baton Rouge now here is the weekend Watts can

what's can have a day or so to rest we work on Saturday, April 14th, a matinee and an evening, the 2 o'clock show in Brookhaven, Mississippi, which was a 300-mile round trip from Alexandria. So, like, again, the state roads, three hours there and three hours back.

And it was just a spot show, the Lloyd Star High School, against the Rock and Roll Express, we got disqualified $5,700 house, which tickets in those days that meant, there was probably counting the kids a thousand people in at high school on a Saturday afternoon.

We got $100. I believe I could have done without the experience overall because when we come back home to Alexandria, that's the show that night at the Repeats Parish Coliseum. It was supposed to be the Bruce Brothers again for the Mid-South tag title. It was again pork chop in Dundee, unfortunately, and boom, we won.

We did 14 grand in Alexandria and got another couple of hundred bucks. So, again, translating to modern currency, we made almost a thousand bucks a piece that day, and they grossed almost 60 grand today. On that Saturday, But remember I said it was March 6th, our last day off, and we've been doing this shit.

The boys have been getting juice, and Watts has been football kicking them in the fucking head. I've been in and out of more clothing than a goddamn Bourbon Street whore. We're on the road this week alone, 5, 8, 13, 15, 18, fucking 2 is going to be 3,000, fucking miles and now we're working multiple times a fucking day. Do you sense a pattern here of how it started to get a little stressful? How much money?

Did you ever stop and think about just, if you could somehow separate the office from the person, how much money Bill Watts personally made during this few week period of time, month period of time in 1984? I have no idea of the... I used to be able to quote the statistics off top of my head, and I'm elderly now. But in the period from the first last stampede match to the last one, like I said, it was about five weeks or thereabouts,

the stampedes alone grossed almost 900 grand, and the territory did 1.2 million, which in that period of time for all the shows, which again would be, almost four million bucks looking at today. And that was for a little bit over a month. That was Crockett. Crockett's biggest year was 1986,

where he did 21 million. We have on his deposition testimony. And that's not, at that point, he wasn't even averaging $2 million a month. And here's Mid-South Wrestling. suddenly, Jesus Christ, they've done seven figures last month. What the fuck is going on down there? Well, the answer is they're working as every goddamn day.

Because now Sunday the 15th, April 15th, right? Tax day, we're going to have plenty of money to pay tax on, is another double shot. Beaumont, Texas and Houston, Texas. And Brian, again, remember, for the Little Rock, Arkansas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Shreveport, Louisiana, an 18-hour day with interviews, to Biloxi, Mississippi, to Bat Rouge, Louisiana, back to Brookhaven, Mississippi, at home in Alexandria, an afternoon show in Beaumont, Texas, again beating pork-chop cash and Bill Dundee. The house is $6,900 bucks. I hated Beaumont, Texas.

There were several nice young ladies. that were very supportive of me and the Middine Express there. But nobody else came. It was always a shitty house and it was $6,900 and we made $60. But we were there by God at the beautiful Blosnot, Texas Civic Center. And then we went to Houston. So we've already 160 miles from Alexandria to Beaumont. And then Houston's another 90, 80, 90.

that was the last stampede in Houston, the big house at the Sam Houston Coliseum. And we've literally not only worked every day, but multiple times some days for the last fucking six weeks. And we show up to that thing. And they're lined up four abreast from the front door down the goddamn front steps of the Coliseum around the side and snaking down the back toward

the parking lot. And I'm thinking we got the Beaumont, we would have got out of there for, if I have, it's for a 7.30, as I recall, show that it would have been the bell time. This is an hour before.

It's already dark. And they're still trying to get in. So this is when we really said, holy shit, this is going to be a big, deal for everybody concerned. So we get in there

and again, history is forgotten. We were booked in a regular match Mid-South tag title match with the Bruce Brothers. Again, Dundee was going to kill him. I was such a push. And we worked again with pork chop and Dundee underneath and that's when they'd flown

Jimmy Hart down. Jimmy Hart bless him. I bet he made a better payoff on that show than he did any show he ever worked in Memphis. but Jimmy had come down to be opposite me in the Bruce Brothers corner, so they honored that booking because he'd been advertised. But unfortunately, we had to beat again. You know, we had to beat them.

But that was the regular match. And then the last stampede match was non-sanctioned, the lights out match. So this is the fifth match since Saturday, more a Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock. The fifth match in the fourth different location that we're going out for in the previous fucking

36 hours. That's wild. And they got juice on Bobby and Dennis and fucking kicked him in the head and dressed me in the dress. And there were 12,284 people there paying 102,000

with what Paul Bosch said, and again, he's not known for his hyperbole, but he was still a promoter. They turned about 2,000 people away. And we, again, that was one of the big payoffs of the run. We got 1,500 bucks apiece. So our week, for that week, for all that shit, we made 3925, let's say, three times that, it's like having a $12,000 week today. But at the same point in time,

look at the goddamn grosses that this territory that really runs part of four states is doing. That there was the second week of the, that was the third time I saw to Loch Ness Mastah. That was the second week of the last stampede. Your thoughts before we move on? I don't know if favorite is the right word, but of all the stipulations for the last

stampede, which one did you mind the least? The baby bottle, the diaper, the dress, whatever it may be. Which one was the least bothersome to you? I liked the dress, and I'll tell you why, because the goddamn diaper and the baby bottle, not only would they squirt me with the bottle and do all the disgusting things, like dog would take a big mouthful and give me the big working dog kiss and spit it at me. but also they had the giant gimmick comedy-looking safety pin made so everybody could see it in a big building and Watts would stab me with it to get just a little bit to get me to sell you know not throwing blood or anything and then in Hammond, Louisiana, as we will talk about at some point here soon, I got tard and feathered and that shit just takes forever to get off and it's all over your shit and just. throw it away. So

the dress was my favorite and especially... What dress was used? Some giant fucking flowery moo-mo that he had got for the TV promos that I don't know who carried it around. I never had possession of the dress. That was up to watch.

After your angle, you didn't say like, hey, I actually have something that fits really well. I just picked out for myself. I turned it back in, is what I did. And like a good little soldier. What do you mean you turned it back in? You returned it to the store? Well, no, I turned it back. I had to go back to the locker room and take the fucking thing off and give it to the goddamn road agent or for the referee or Ronnie West,

whoever the fuck might have done Dundee, whoever. Here's what's his fucking dress back. He likes this moo-moo. Anywho, would you like to move on? We're not, we're not done yet. We don't have a day off for a while now. The following day, Monday, April 16, we go back from Houston the previous night, back to Alexandria, which is 250 miles, four hours after that insanity. It's close to four in the morning by the time we got home. And the next day, we're back in New Orleans. We just ran a Superdome on the 7th.

We're back on the 16th with the regular weekly show starting again. And that's another 400-mile round trip. But now we're again with the Rock and Roll Express. and then we're starting to get steam on this program because the New Orleans has seen the last stampede with Watts and dog and, you know, me humiliated. So now Dundee wants the thing with the Rocker Roll Express to have some heat.

So in the match, we get heat on Robert Gibson and get him busted open and bleeding. And then Robert does it. thing where he kicks Bobby off, but Bobby goes into the referee. And then Dennis and Ricky have a double knockout. And so I come in with the tennis racket and I waffle fucking Ricky. But Robert, at the same time, jackknife pins Bobby and the referee counts in the middle one, two, three, but the referee, it's not a title match.

the referee raises their hand, and that's when I throw powder in their eyes, and we blind them and we beat them up and bust Ricky open. And now he's bleeding. And then they send all the baby faces out of the locker room to run us off. So we're starting to build that now that, you know, the thing with Watts is behind us in that market. And we got to, I do not have the house recorded,

but we got a $200 payoff. So it was probably so-so, but it's nine days after the fucking Superdome. This is why we're moving forward with another thing. And then Tuesday, April 17th, Brian, I know that you'll find this hard to believe, but they decided, let's just fucking run Fort Polk, Louisiana. Where's that? Exactly. It was only 50 miles from Louisville.

Louisiana, but I looked at the goddamn map, and I'm like, look, this is just down some country road. We got, it was us and the Rock and Roll Express in the main event, but Mid-South Wrestling, Fort Polk, Louisiana, we show up there. They have turned people away from this fucking thing. We did a $14,000 house with, like, tickets at 10, 7, and 4. So there's like 2,000 people or whatever in this. fucking gym, sellout, and, you know, boom, we do a spot show.

And, but again, we had just been in Alexandria the previous Saturday night. This is Tuesday. We're 50 miles away. And they got 2,000 people at this thing. And it is, there is a fort there. And there was a contingent of service people, but good heavens. So that's what I'm saying is they're finding these wide spots in the road

and they're getting a couple thousand people to come to some of who would have been responsible for something like that, Jack Curtis? Oh, well, Jack Curtis probably in that area, the Culkins were still at that point in charge of Mississippi. There was, again, other small local promoters that the homas and laranges of the world had been inherited for these local guys. But at this point, Jack Curtis was expanding,

you know, a lot of the schedule with finding a lot of these towns. And then the following day is Wednesday, April 18th, right? Well, you remember what Wednesdays are, that's promos. So we've come back from Fort Polk and we got back because it's only 50 miles. hey, we're home in time to watch the 11 o'clock news. But I've still got to get up at 6 o'clock

and leave at 7 o'clock to drive to Shreveport like I do every morning to make sure I don't get caught in rush hour before I get to the fucking TV station. And we do interviews from 9 or 10, whatever, to about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. and then this time we've got the last stampede that night in Greenville, Mississippi.

So it's only 200 miles from Shreveport but as soon as we get out of interview and all the guys are on the card so it's not just, I'm not just say, oh, poor me, everybody's got to leave interviews, jump to car and drive across Greenville, Mississippi and again, that's the last stampede match. This is the diaper and the baby bottle.

And Greenville, the problem was that the courtes, the Culkins, curteses, they only really had four regular towns in Mississippi, and then every once in a while they'd let them have a spot show, you know, or whatever. they had Biloxi and Jackson and then they had Greenville and Greenwood which were very close together and almost to the Memphis market.

So the people in Greenwood, really a lot of them living in the suburbs got Memphis TV too. And the only town that was any money was Jackson. So we still had to run these towns to satisfy whatever their arrangement was. so they got the last stampede in greenville fucking Mississippi and it was a sellout

and it was the record gate they ever did there and it was still only $14,000 but again this was this little bitty local Greenwood Civic Center whatever that shouldn't really hell that many people but we had to do it there also and this is where again you know bobby and dennis are getting the the football kick to the head the juice i got the diaper the baby bottle we've done that after the interviews now we got to go on to jackson mississippi

which is another 130 miles to check in and stay over for the following night show because the next night is jackson mississippi at the fairgrounds uh coliseum And that's the money town in the Cokin's territory. And that was the last stampede with the dress, thank goodness. But that night, the house was $63,000. That's the equivalent of almost 190 grand a day. We made a grand apiece. That's like almost three grand.

It was a record gross for the building for wrestling. It was a complete sellout. And who was it? God damn it. One of the, it may have been George C. C. C. Coker himself or it may have been Jack Curtis. But somebody said the last time that they had had that many people in that building for wrestling, Danny Hodge was in the main event and tickets were $2. So that was fucking chaos. But again, with this fucking Rhodes game,

schedule and every night we're doing something while Watts gets a couple of days off in between to rest and recuperate, but he had already torn his quad, remember? You've seen some of the tapes of some of those after the first. Oh, God damn it. Was it torn in the Superdome? Was it the first match or was it the Superdome? It was either one of the other. but Watts doing that thing where he football punted the boys in the head so they could get their juice

he said hold on over i can do this well he used to be able to 15 years younger and also the first or second time that he did it he tore his fucking he didn't tear his quad his hamstring if he torn his quad that would have been kind of bad but he tore his hamstring and for the rest of the matches, the tour, he had the whole leg wrapped up from his knee to his thigh, and he was walking like the walking dead, and he would, the boys just had to run into him even further. But nevertheless, so we got that done there in Jackson and set that record, and then came back to home to Alexandria to at least do our laundry and change our shit.

And on Friday the 20th, we were back up in Shreveport at the house show because now we've got the Rock and Roll Express based on the thing that we did on TV where I ran in with the moment and the dress and the blah, blah, blah. So again, now we got to get heat on these fucking guys. We get heat on Robert in the match. And we do the spot where he's going to hit the rope

and I pull the top rope. But he takes a bump outside. Bobby runs him into the ring post and he gets busted open. He's got color. And then finally, he gets the tag to Ricky who makes the comeback. And then again, Robert kicks Bobby into the referee. They boom, they do the double knockout with Dennis and Rick. And everybody's down.

I whack Ricky with the tennis racket. We do the double pin thing where Dennis is on Ricky, but Robert cradles Bobby. Referee counts to three, raises their head. hands, but then we blind them and kick the shit out of them again. So what Dundee's doing here is showing that we're the Mid-South tag team champions, but we lose these non-title matches, but we try to cheat, get foiled, and then kick the shit out of them again. And as long as these two kids are down, preferably bleeding, the people are going to come

back and see more of it. Anyhow. And then, yes. If you don't mind, I asked you about the other people. Let me ask you about him. In terms of money for the year, I guess you can't really just look at this specific time period for Dundee. Where did this rank for Dundee in terms of how much money he made during his career, booking Mid-South and 84? And if you know anything specifically about how the booker would have been paid around the last stampede? No, here's the thing. I did not have the seniority or the balls to ask Dundee how he was getting paid. And through history, different bookers have had different deals with different

promoters they worked for, depending on their relationships and success and whatever, whether it be a percentage of a town or you're already a top guy in the territory. So we're going to pay you like that. And here's this for booking on top of it. and a blah, blah, blah. And all I can say is I guarantee you that I would think that there would be no way that any individual wrestler made more money

than Dundee in 1984 working for Mid-South wrestling than Dundee did as Booker. So he was into six figures. because we made $90-something,000 where the fuck it is. But the Booker is more important and Dundee wrestled a number of times to fill in early in the year.

And then in mid-card matches, by the end of the year, he was working some. So, but the Booker is more important, especially in this year when he brought all this talent, than any particular guy, unless it was a junkyard dog or a dusty in Florida or who sometimes was the Booker,

or Lawler in Memphis, who sometimes was the Booker, et cetera, the Booker should be making more money than the boys. So he, I would think that Dundee had approached a hundred grand based on booking and working on top in Memphis, but I don't know that he would have exceeded it

because he didn't have an actual percentage of any of the towns or the whole company like Lawler did and later on would have more of. Is that a long winded answer to your question? It's an answer to my question, though, thank you. But that's, you know, again, this is, this was still the era

where if you made 100 grand or more in wrestling business you were considered you'd made it you were successful you were on to 100 grand a year you're on top whatever the fuck it's not today's economics but this also a lot of guys were starting to make more at that point in time and and a lot of this money to be doubled or tripled in the Crockett days etc with you know I've said and we'll get back to this schedule here for this weekend of insane but when we were hot with the Rocker Roll Express for Crockett and had a 40-something,

let's say $4,800 week in 1986, the same week, Dusty and Flair had been on top in world title matches, and I saw Flair's check in the office as it was laying on a desk, and it's not like I was snooping, especially because even then I was near-sighted, but it was just laid out there. and it was for 13 grand. So I'm like, okay, I'm thinking that Flair is making because he's the world champion and the top heel of a little over three, ten, and working single matches

in a lot of cases. He makes about three times as much as we do in the semifinals. That means Dusty is making even more than that because he's also fucking booking. So those guys were approaching, they were in the high six figures that year. And, you know, who knows whether they're kind of, Flair was still making outdates with big shows in Puerto Rico,

whatever the fuck that wouldn't even have been paid through Crockett. So blah, blah, blah. Are you ready to get to Easter weekend? And then we'll see what's going on. Because this is, again, we had our last day off on March the 6th. We're now at Saturday, April 21st. We're in the main event in Monroe, Louisiana, and that last stampede.

And Monroe was, again, it was a regular town. They'd been running Monroe as a town back to the old McGirk days and beyond, back to the old Fuller days, but not in the big civic center. And Monroe was a town that they just, they didn't draw a crowd that necessitated this civic center for anything in the way of wrestling. So we did $23,000 there. I don't know that it was the record.

I think it might have been the best we did all year in Monroe. But again, the diaper in the bottle is like the diaper and the bottle always comes up when it's a shit town anyway. But Monroe is a town. They ran every two weeks because it was its own television market. and they, you know, had a local guy there, whatever. So boom, and Watts had, he had slowly, with the exception of Shreveport, the municipal auditorium, I'm trying to think of, and Homa and Lorange, Louisiana, all the other towns that he ran,

every town in his market or in his territory that was its own TV market, they would run live events. and he had switched from the old building or the smaller building or the secondary building or whatever to the bigger buildings in town except for, as I said, Shreveport, God damn, not Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana was still the old building. But most of the centraplex now in Baton Rouge instead of whatever, they were weaning themselves off the downtown municipal auditorium in New Orleans

or would be here in the next couple months and starting to try to go more to the lakefront. So anyway, Monroe, 23 grand at the ticket prices, I would hope that was 2,500 people, and we made $400. But then here's the goddamn deal. the next day we're booked in Oklahoma City for a matinee and Tulsa at night and both of them are last stampede matches and then the next day Monday we're back in New Orleans and then we're goddamn in Little Rock, Arkansas, it's ridiculous

so instead of driving home to Alexandria from Monroe, which it's only like 90 miles to our homes and we could have slept in our beds, we've got to drive to Baton Rouge where we're going to fly the next morning from Baton Rouge because they have jets and direct service and we might actually get there alive. From Baton Rouge up to Oklahoma to make the rest of this loop. So Sunday, April 22nd, is a. Easter. We get up, we fly from Baton Rouge to Oklahoma City. And I've got plane ticket, $155. Coincidentally, you got $125 extra on your check for going on the Oklahoma loops plus your

payoff. And he said, well, you can either make money on gas or it almost covers the ticket. But we fly to Oak City. We get a fucking car. we goddamn go to the myriad it's the last stampede with the diaper finish the house is $97,000 and there was actually a goddamn computer glitch we would have broken $100 grand

because they turned once again according to Jack Curtis like 3,000 people away but it would have gone over a hundred grand but there was a computer glitch and they didn't sell a block of 200 fucking journal admission tickets or whatever the fuck it was anyway it's still almost 13,000 fucking people and we each get a $1,500 payoff that's like 40 so it's like drawing 300 grand

and we each got 4,500 bucks as a payoff for this thing they strip me down they put me in a diaper they feed me the bottle, they stick me with the safety pin, and that's the 3 o'clock show. I'm saying, it may have been 2 o'clock. Then we goddamn jumping our rental car, Brian, and we get on the highway between Oak City and Tulsa, which it's 100 miles over to Tulsa, and we rush over there.

And that's when Watts would always okay the guys in Oak City on the car, the underneath guys, they could leave because they had to head to Tulsa to make sure that the show could start on time because there's a 730 bell time. So since we were the last match, by the time we got to Tulsa 100 miles down the road, the show had already started.

And it's another one, this time the dress. But it's another last stampede match. And this was a complete sellout and a record gate and they turn more people away and another $50,000 house and a $750 payoff. So in one day on Easter Sunday, in two cities, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, they sold somewhere around 18, 19,000 tickets

and drew almost 150,000. During this period of time, you're always pretty conscious about what's happening and also how it stands in a historical context. What are you thinking? Are you smart enough? And I'm sure you were to understand that this couldn't last forever. But you are in the middle of the hottest year. It's not just the last stampede was hot. This is the hottest part of the hottest year.

Yes. Did you write to your mom and tell her, you know, seriously, we broke every record there was in every building. went to. Well, I didn't exactly write it to her because there was a thing called the phone even back then. Okay, okay. And remember, I brought her to the Superdome. She saw it. And that's the thing. She here, a month or even a few weeks or whatever, before I left the Tennessee territory, I'm working two or three days a week in like the National Guard Army in Glasgow or whatever. And I'm saying, yeah, I'm only making a couple of hundred bucks. And three months after I leave home,

she comes down and sees me in the main event in the Superdome in front of 23,000 people. So she knew, and then obviously when we did get a chance to speak on the phone, which there were no cell phones again, so when we're in the fucking car, nobody knows what the fuck's going on, and we're always in the car.

But no, I'm telling her, no, this is, I've made $4,770. this week because that's what I made that week, which is the equivalent, almost 15 grand today again for the youngsters out there. But I was making $200 a week for working four or five times in Tennessee right before I left. And I'm now making more than my father did to be the vice president of the fucking paper. So she was obviously, she saw those people. She was worried about my safety, but she was happy about my success.

And that's the thing. I knew, obviously, no, this is, how don't we've shot the hot angle? Watts has come out of retirement. And a lot of this is his gravy train, but we set it up perfectly, and I'm the fucking foil. So this can't just continue to happen all the time, but we've still got the Rock and Roll Express to go. And if we stopped here, Bobby and Dennis and I have had a remarkable turnaround in four months from those guys on the card barely getting booked to holy shit, this is the hottest fucking pop territory right now in the country.

And these guys that we never heard of are in the main events. Do you think your mom said anything to Christine Jarrett about how good you were doing? Oh, of course she did. Yes. Tini would still come and stay here sometimes on their way. to Lexington or whatever, even after I was gone just so they could visit. But yes, she was rubbing it in, not rubbing it in because it wasn't a teeny spot. But she definitely loved to bring up some of the high points to admit because she was mad at Lawler. My mom was mad at Lawler for not booking me, right?

And I'm like, I'm glad he ran me off. I wouldn't have this fucking spot. But, you know. Isn't that something to, like if you look at your 1982, the year you started your rookie year, you were still doing the photo. So really, if you look at the entirety of your career, 1983 was the hardest you were ever hit financially. Yes.

That's why I still don't eat Hamburger Helper ever, even though it's a junk food that you would think I'd like because there's hamburger and potentially cheese in it. But no, I was actually legitimately eating hamburger helper. It's not a fan. But nevertheless, so that week, again, but let me just add to a little, do a little mathematics here five and seven and eight and holy fuck where is that even a thousand

and twelve and thirteen and fifteen that's fifteen hundred miles in the car plus a flight to Oklahoma working every day again plus the long interview segment on Wednesday and a double shot on the Sunday where we set the alt and by the way they've never drawn that many people in in one day in the state of Oklahoma since and they'd never done it before so that was eight matches interviews flights you literally except for sleeping you were getting up and grabbing something to eat and eating in the car and headed toward the next fucking thing. It's amazing. The schedule is just, you know, when you think you finally heard it all,

and it's like this is the most complicated schedule there is, you just introduce another week into the picture. It's just more shows everywhere. And also really makes you appreciate how hard the wrestlers have it today. You know, sometimes there may not be a pillow when you go to sleep on the plane. You never know. catering may be out of Parmesan for the pasta. That's right.

And when the fucking massage therapist comes in, they may have a sprain themselves, may not be able to push hard enough. What if your tour bus loses a tire? What if your driver has to deal with your tour bus on the side of the road? Oh, Christ. Well, and I've told some road stories, and we'll get into a few more here as we continue this project. but no, it was, I've said we pulled up in Baton Rouge one time in the back of a chicken truck. Me and Bobby rode in the back of a pickup truck 90 miles from Monroe to Alexandria one time

with Dennis up in the cab with these two guys. They just picked us up because we were broke down and charitably drove us home. And they were some fucking Southern comfort motherfuckers. and every other we've we broke down on the side of the road one time with Carl Fergie and he's up on the on the shoulder of the road while we're kind of down on this little

dip area here that we've pulled off and he's as every truck goes by he's using the universal signal for wrench he's doing like the bushwhacker arm movement he got a wrench we can't get her tire off and it just and the one, when we get to the Little Rock last stampede, I'll tell you the story of the alternator lawnmowers repair shop in Star City, Arkansas.

I told it when we did the last stampede a few years ago, and somebody on goddamn, on a comment on the YouTube clip, said, they remember the day they were from Star City, Arkansas, and people talked about the day the Midnight Express and Cornette were, broke down there for weeks afterwards. That's amazing. But it's, but again, Watts

was injured, he pulled his own muscle, kicking people in a head too strenuously, and he'd been retired for like three years at this point or whatever. All these other guys are still active that are

on the cards and they're working every night and you're not getting a lot of injuries. You're not getting a lot of no shows. You're not getting a lot of people that I, you know, I can't make it tonight, boss. I mean, that card, and I'll give you this real quick and we've finished this week up so we will take a pause for commercial messages. But the April 15th card in Houston that I said set the record with Dog and Watts against us, here's the whole card.

Tony Torres beat Joe Savoldy Jose Lethario beat John King Buddy Landel Drew El Bracero Jose Martinez Terry Taylor beat Butch Reed on disqualification

The Rock and Roll Express beat Nikolai Volkov and the Russian invader who was bounty hunter Jerry Novak under the mask the gimmick he did in Tennessee Messiah Eto beat Hector Guerrero

in a Mexican death match. The Midnight Express beat Dundee and Pork Shop Cash, Mr. Wrestling 2 beat Magnum T.A, hacksaw Duggan beat Crusher Darso in a coal miners' glove match, and Doggin' Watts beat us. Now, really, if you take off pretty much the Hispanic talent

that was on the undercard specific to Houston, all those guys were making this fucking schedule. Duggan, Darso, 2, TA, the Midnight, rock and roll, Nicolai, Terry Taylor, Butch Reed, Buddy Landell. I mean, no wonder some of these guys were on fucking drugs. What were they doing in Houston

that set up Hector Guerrero versus Massa in a Mexican death match? Something that happened at the previous, on the previous show, because remember at that time, Houston wrestling was still 90 minutes on television. And since the Mid-South TV was 60 minutes, Bosch insisted on

some customization of the Houston cards featuring guys that were over there that may not be in the rest of the territory. And he had an extra 30 minutes to, here's what happened with Hector last week at the Sam Houston, and here's what he has to say about it. And he's already got the TV content.

He airs it. And those guys would come in and out, Jose, Hector Guerrero, Jose Martinez, Elbracero. And, you know, and that worked, and he had, because it was a, the last ampede card was a big one anyway, and all the Mid-South guys had to work, but plus Paul wanted his local fucking flavor, so he had an extra two or three matches there than what everybody else around the territory got. But anyway, and I'll give you a hint.

We're up to Monday, April 23rd, where we'll be back in New Orleans. But if you're into the next day off sweepstakes, don't pick April because it ain't going to happen. Well, there it is. Your schedule for Mid-South Wrestling, the middle part, I guess, of the month of April 1984. Hey, hey, it's the end of the year. It's the second and third weeks of April 1984.

How's that? Well, that's pretty good. And of course, Jim, we are here at the end of the year for the experience and the drive-thru coming up and the omnibuses are all abound. But this is, I would assume, the end of the program here. Well, I don't know. I'm just looking at, oh, we've got to do another one of these soon because I forgot we did this. We did a goddamn double shot on a Friday. They actually ran a show at a fucking school right after they let school out so the kids could go.

We did over five grand on a Friday, fucking afternoon. Anyhow, yes, more on that to come in the future, and until then, ladies and gentlemen, happy holidays and all the various festivities to go along with that. We hope you've enjoyed our trip down memory lane, and I'm surprised that I have any memory of it because I should be suffering from PTSD. And I guess we're all suffering from PTSD, so we'll get to re-wrack in the new, you. year. This is the last of the old year and the, it's going to be the start of the new year soon,

right, Brian, the next time we do this. That's right. A whole new year. Lots of action. Lots of things happening in wrestling. Lots of classic wrestling to discuss. And of course, we hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and we wish everyone a happy new year. This is your show. Well, that's just, that's just perfect. I can't add anything to it. Goodbye, everybody.