October 6, 2025 • 60 mins
#debbiecombs #coracombs #randysavage #gmbmpw
Welcome to Episode 19 of the Best Of jamesrockstreet Productions! Home to the Give Me Back My Pro Wrestling and Live and In Color with Wolfie D podcasts, Sheik's Shorts and more! So, sit back and enjoy as we bring you some of the very best stories, you'll never hear anywhere else! @GMBMPW @livewolfied @jamesrockstreet Everywhere!
Today we bring you the first half of episode 60 of Give Me Back My Pro Wrestling with Debbie Combs! We talk her start in the business, her early days, her mom and pioneer of women's wrestling, Cora Combs, Sherri Martel, what it was like to date the Macho Man Randy Savage, ICW and so much more! Enjoy!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey, this is Debbie Comes. Give me back my pro wrestling.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome toGive Me Back My Pro wrestling.
(00:41):
Hello. So don't know.
Now you know, baby, this is Hot Rod Bigs, Jared, Jimmy St.
We're going to take them to the limit.
One more time, baby, right here.I'll give me back my pro
wrestling ladies and gentlemen, welcome one more time to the
Give Me Back My Pro Wrestling podcast.
And I am here as always with my brother from the same father and
(01:02):
mother, the plastic sheet, JaredSt.
What's up, Sheik? How you doing?
I'm doing good, brother. How about yourself, man?
You know how it is, brother. Just, you know, got a lot of
stuff going on in our lives at this moment.
And this is an awesome episode, Sheik.
And I don't know if you're goingto go get tacos or what, but
(01:23):
yeah, we're, we've got an episode today with Debbie Combs,
the legendary lady superstar daughter of Cora Combs.
And, you know, she's, she's great, had a great history.
I mean, she wrestled for all thecompanies that you could wrestle
for, you know, the Pafos and, and WWFWCWNWA.
She's a former N.W.A women's champion.
(01:45):
She wrestled for Leia, Maya Villa out in Hawaii.
I mean, there's so many cool things that she can talk about.
And yeah, we're, we're excited to have her on and we'll, we'll
have, we'll have fun with it forsure, you know?
Yeah, man. So I've got a work commitment
that's not going to allow me to yeah, for the whole, for the
interview. But it is what it is.
(02:06):
Even even when you're work for yourself, you sometimes have to
be there when you don't want to be.
So right, That's probably you work harder probably when it's
for yourself. I would assume so.
He's like, I hate my balls. So wait, no, I don't.
And sometimes he's a jerk. Just kidding.
(02:27):
Yeah, but Debbie's awesome and II can't wait to get her on.
And thanks to Shane Morton for hooking this up.
But mostly this is actually a, you know, this is dropping the
May the 9th, right? And that is, you know, our
normal Thursday. But two days later, we're going
to actually be hanging out with a lot of our former guests.
(02:47):
So we are going to be spending the day in Columbia, TN.
What better place to be when you're a wrestling podcast in
Columbia? There's no better wrestling town
on the map in my opinion. And then Columbia, TN, they,
they love it and they care aboutit and they, they, they still
believe and that's what matters.So we're going to be there.
(03:10):
It's the mule town Mania fan fest and it's.
So basically the day is going tobe a long day for us for at
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. There's the right way reunion,
which includes all the wrestlersfrom near and far from that
area, you know, and this is something that Shane's been
putting on for the for the past six years or whatever.
And this one will be a blast. And this was the first one I've
(03:33):
been able to come to. And also with us is going to be
you, of course, the chic, you know, we're going to have our
little brother Mason with us andwe're going to have my son Cash
with us. So it's going to be a a day of
it now. Cash and Mason are going to have
to help us with the podcast, which is the one of the main
reasons is of course there's thethe reunion and then starts the
fan fest after that. And at 2:30 it opens up.
(03:56):
People can come in, get autographs, shake hands, take
pictures with all that. I think it's like more than 50
wrestling legends from that areaand new wrestlers, old
wrestlers, young wrestlers, wrestlers you don't like,
wrestlers you love. It's going to be a lot of fun.
And then at 4:30 on May the 11th, that's Saturday, May the
(04:18):
11th, we're going to do a live podcast Q&A with the Devil's
Disciples, Dante Mephisto and Damian Forsaken, whatever, Rick
Reynolds, whatever you want to call it, the Wild boys, Ben
Jordan and Steve Neely and the Mortons, Shane and Steve Morton.
So the tie in for most of you all, if you don't know out there
(04:40):
is that these teams were in a decades long blood feud with one
another. And the word blood does not let
me just say that the this is a real blood feud and these guys
fought each other tooth and nail.
I mean literally beat on each other for decades.
So anyway, we're going to focus on that.
And then later that night, I know you've heard us talk about
(05:02):
it, but it's Tristar Wrestling and and that's our buddy
Jablonski and he's going to havethe 14 person tag match with, I
mean, Jared. There's so many of our former
guests, Dante Mephisto in it. It's going to be Steve Neely.
Ben Jordan is in it. I mean, Scott Spade's in it.
Rick Reynolds is in it. I mean, Shane, Steve, so many
(05:24):
people. So anyway, it's going to be a
big day. Yeah, y'all should definitely
come on out. You know, I know it's two days
ahead of time, but if you haven't heard it on here
already, then you don't have anyexcuse.
So anyway, Long story short, Mania Fan Fest, if you want to
meet any of the wrestlers that you've heard on this podcast, or
if you just want to come by and for some reason want to meet us,
(05:47):
we'll be there and you should too.
So come on out and see us. And I say let's shut up and I'll
come back with Debbie Combs. How's that sound?
Sounds good, brother. All right, will you come back at
the very end? All right, we'll we'll figure
that out. Can I get the hot tag at the
end? And yeah, he'll get the hot tag
(06:07):
at the end, the Robert Gibson tag.
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
All right. Well, we'll be right back after
these messages with Debbie Combsare.
You, a pro wrestling fan? We'll stop by Captain's Corner,
where you can get autographed photos, cards, magazines, and
figures from all of your favorite wrestling superstars of
(06:30):
the past, present and future. You'll also be able to
participate in live signings in the weeks and months to come.
Make sure to stop by Captain's Corner on Facebook and give us a
holler. Remember, cheers to the working
man. All right, we are back with Give
Me Back My Pro Wrestling and man, oh man, as always, we've
(06:52):
got an awesome guest today. And I tell you, when I look into
stuff and I start doing my research, that's really when you
can tell the level of guest thatyou're going to get.
And I just couldn't stop findingstuff about this guest today.
So I'm going to shut up now and bring her on the absolute
salute. Very special guest Debbie Combs,
thank you for coming on the showtoday.
(07:13):
Oh, you're welcome. It's a pleasure.
Now, did I take you away from any of your bounty hunting
duties? That's awesome.
No, not today. OK.
My partner's busy today, so we're not allowed to go out
without. You have to have two people, so
my partner's kind of busy today.OK, well, when did you start
(07:35):
doing that? About seven years ago, I retired
from the Davidson County Sheriff's Office.
And then then I had to do something that was just as
interesting as wrestling. So bounty hunting is as close as
wrestling as you can get. Yeah, yeah, no doubt.
Yeah, so did it. It was basically a pretty easy
(08:00):
swap from careers in wrestling to bounty hunting.
Yeah, yeah, it's, it's pretty close.
That's wild. Well, you know, you're, you
know, I know we've had guests onthat could have been bounty
hunters and should have been bounty hunters, but I think
you're technically our first official bounty hunter.
So that's very cool. I mean, so he got to give you
(08:22):
credit for that. It's fun.
It's fun. I've been shot at.
I've been shot at. Yeah, it's interesting.
I've been knocked out. Wow.
Yeah, it's been, it's been fun. I love that you say that and
then you add fun to the end of it.
That's awesome. That's.
(08:43):
Great to professional wrestling as you can get.
Yeah, yeah. You never know what's going to
happen. Yeah, that's cool.
That's very cool. So, so we always start off every
show with this question. And this one is going to be a
little different than the normal1 to kind of give an idea to the
listeners and give us an idea ofhow, you know, the the choices
(09:04):
you make on this question, you know, kind of lets the listener
know a little more about you. And we always started off with,
you know, mostly men. Unfortunately, we've had one
other woman on this show. And it's a shame.
We we need to have more. But when it comes down to it,
you're Mount Rushmore of ladies wrestlers.
Who would you put on that Mount Rushmore?
My mother, Cora Combs. OK, I love it.
(09:26):
Who else would you put? Penny Banner.
Penny banner. OK.
Mildred Burke. Mildred Burke, yeah.
Yeah. Oh, there's so many.
You know, back in Billy Wuss days, you know, all all the true
legends come out of Billy Wuss Camp out of Columbus, OH, OK.
(09:49):
OK. And and that's, you know, I
wouldn't, I wouldn't put moolah on there because I yeah, I just,
I don't know. I just, you know, she started
out as a slave girl and up for the old Vince McMahon and I
just, you know, I wasn't one of her girls, so, you know.
(10:12):
Yeah, no, that and I've heard crazy stuff.
I mean, I know there was a dark side of the ring about Mola, but
that was, that was some pretty crazy stuff.
So did your mom guide you away from her perchance or?
She never really guided me towards Mullah because probably
the stories of Mullah is true and I didn't have to go into
(10:34):
that camp because, you know, I wasn't going to give Mullah 75%
of my pay. Oh man, yeah.
You know, so to work for her because and live on her her
land, because she took most of them girls this money and I
didn't have to do that, that youknow, we you know, I got myself
(10:55):
booked and them girls could haveshe's done the same thing, but
she had them brainwashed. So, you know, I just didn't have
that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.
And then that's that's actually very good that you didn't go
down that path. You had a stellar career.
So let me let me start at the very beginning.
Now, obviously you are a second generation superstar.
Your mom, Cora Combs, is one of the absolute pioneers of the
(11:16):
business as far as women's wrestling or wrestling goes.
You know, talk about growing up,you know, your younger days
growing up with a mom who is thename that she was, the legend
that she was. Talk about that.
Well, I mean, you know, she was a legend and I was a little,
little girl. I was in the dressing room and,
you know, I would sell her pictures when, you know, at the
(11:40):
matches, when she was on the shows and Ricky Morton and I
would compete on selling pictures.
And, you know, and I, I mean, I heard stories that when I was,
you know, little girl and I would the boys would watch me
back in the dressing rooms whileshe was, you know, wrestling.
So I mean, there's a, you know, Dick the Bruiser would watch me
(12:05):
and you know, there's all kinds of stories, you know, you know,
you know, in wrestling they taught Carney.
And so we would was on the trip going up to like Lexington, KY,
and they were talking Carney andI was saying I was trying to nod
my mother because I was real jealous.
(12:26):
And and she said, what do you want?
And because they had been talking Carney and I told her, I
said, you missed your exit way back there to Lexington.
I was trying to tell her that y'all had missed your exit, you
know, and and I said I don't know why y'all talking Carney
because I can understand everything I was saying, you
(12:48):
know, I had been around them, you know, all my life.
I'd learned to talk Carney or understand it.
So it, it was just a, you know, I just understood it.
So, you know, it's little thingslike that, just growing up
around the business and stuff. Yeah, Yeah.
That's awesome. So, I mean, I, I can imagine,
(13:10):
you know, like when a little kidyou're, you're wanting to
protect him and stuff and you, you start to let's go, you know,
do not talk about SEX or spell out a curse word, but instead
you're actually learning how to speak carny at the same time as
they're trying to hide what they're saying from you.
That's awesome. Right, right.
(13:31):
Now where were you born? I was born at Fort Campbell, KY.
My dad was in the military. He retired from the Army and I
had one brother and my dad got stationed over in Germany in
World War 2. So my brother was born in
Osburg, Germany, and then they got transferred back over and
(13:54):
they was stationed at Fort Campbell.
So I was born at Fort Campbell. Gotcha.
OK, OK. And now, did he have anything to
do with wrestling or was it solely your mom?
No, he never traveled with my mother and never had much to do
with wrestling with my mother. But when I started wrestling and
(14:14):
he would travel with me, but I had Rd. trips around here, he
would travel, he would travel with me.
OK. OK.
Kind of like a little bit of protector maybe like keep an eye
on you, make sure you're OK. Is that kind of the the deal?
No, not really. He would just, he just loved
traveling with me. And hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
(14:37):
You know, because he knew I could protect myself, but he was
just for support. Yeah, yeah.
Now were you? Would you say you were a daddy's
girl? Yeah, yeah.
Later on in years, I was my daddy's girl.
It was closer to my brother whenI was younger, but then later
on, in later years, yeah, I was a daddy's girl.
(15:00):
Well, where did you go to high school at?
I went to high school here in Nashville at Stratford High
School. Stratford High.
OK, Very cool. Yeah.
Did you play any sports while you're in high school?
No, I started wrestling when I was 15 years old.
Yeah. So that kind of cut all well, so
that is a sport. So technically you did, it just
wasn't through the high school. Right, so I started wrestling
(15:22):
and my first match was in Louisville, KY, Louisville
Gardens and one of the girl, it was the seven girl battle royal
and one of the girls didn't showup.
So they threw my ass in there and I was scared to death.
I was just petrified and but they threw me in there and there
(15:43):
I was. And then it hit and it was in my
blood. And that's that's the start of
my career in wrestling. That yeah, that that's the then
it's over with, right, Once you get it in your blood.
Yeah, it's, it's just over. Yeah, it's over.
They literally had to push me out of the dressing room though
in Louisville. Really.
Really. Yeah, yeah.
(16:03):
Because I was scared to death. I was real shy.
And you know, I didn't, you know, I was really shy.
So they ended up pushing me out of the dressing room and all the
girls got behind me and pushed me to the ring.
That's so Did your mom train youto get it to work or did?
She, you know, I was really around it all my life and I
(16:26):
would get in the ring and you know, when they, when they would
get in the ring and practice andtrain and, and all that.
So I just kind of like learned it along the way.
Yeah, OK, OK. Yeah.
So I learned it by getting in the ring with them and so I just
picked it up. All my life I just you would get
(16:46):
in there and play around with them.
Yeah, OK. OK.
So it was almost like you just knew it from the womb.
Almost. It was like you were just born
into it. That makes sense.
And so that first promotion, if I'm not mistaken, for your first
match, is one of my favorite topics.
We recently had George Weingroffon the show show and I, I can
talk ICW all day long. I guess before we get into the
(17:07):
question, you know, I'm going toask you about here in just a
second when it comes to ICW, talk about getting into ICW, the
Pafos, that kind of thing. And then we'll, we'll approach
that subject that you know, I'm definitely going to ask you
about. Right.
Well, you know, I mean, you knowwhy I was in I CW I mean, I
(17:28):
don't have to tell you why that was.
OK, so that was the real. OK, Yeah, got it.
That makes sense. So when did that start?
When did that romance start? Well, Randy was down here for
Nick Douglas and, and then I think what happened was the
papos was wanting to know probably where they needed to
(17:50):
move to, to get a promotion going.
And they were all discussing where to go.
And I said, well, how about Lexington?
And that's where they ended up moving to because I think it was
in transition of going from doulas to Jarrett in that time
(18:13):
zone. And, and I think that's where
they well, I know that's where they ended up moving.
Well, Randy and I had started seeing each other right it right
before they moved. OK.
That's how it blossomed. And then, you know, and then we
started dating. And so we ended up, we ended up
(18:36):
going together and in 5 1/2 years.
Yeah, yeah. So this is the $20 million
question here. What is it like to date the
Macho Man? I mean, I mean, it was, it was
wonderful for me. I mean, and you know, I mean, I
mean, he was just very jealous. He.
(18:57):
Was very jealous and that's the only thing that I can say bad
about Randy, you know. I mean, you know, a lot of
people can say a lot of bad things about Randy.
Randy never, you know, threatened to hit me.
Randy never, you know, he did have a temper, but he never, I
mean he never had a temper with me, you know, I never seen no
(19:23):
anger towards me. I never, you know, I don't, you
know I don't I, I don't have anybad things to say about Randy.
He was a good partner. All.
All but the jealousy, you know. And that's something that stayed
with him. You know, it's well known he was
very jealous of Liz. Also with that gorgeous George
(19:44):
girl, he had some problems that he was very jealous of.
And, you know, maybe that was just a thing that he had.
But do do you have any idea maybe where that came from?
It was it something to do with his family life?
Maybe that that turned him that way or.
Why he was jealous? Yeah, yeah.
I think probably just the insecurities.
(20:06):
OK, got it. That makes sense.
I think he was just insecure with his self maybe, and I don't
understand why that you know whyhe was, but you know, there's
there's several reasons why people are insecure with
themselves. Of course, I don't know why
would be, but I never gave him areason to be insecure.
(20:30):
But you know, you just sometimesyou are, you know?
Yeah, yeah. I mean, he'd lost his dream, you
know, with baseball, so. I'm going to tell you one reason
though. I was a jealous person too when
I started dating Randy, but I guarantee you that that sure
corrected me from being a jealous person after that.
(20:54):
Taught you you're like, this is not a good look.
I don't want to be like this. Yeah.
And I tell you one thing that could have been that could have
made him insecure. The pro, the Pro Football, I
mean the pro baseball because you know his grandfather, you
know about burning down the the clubhouse, you know.
(21:15):
Right, right. Yeah, It's an it's an amazing
story. Just talking about his his
baseball time. I'm Randy's one of my favorite
wrestlers of all time, and I'm sure that's a common thing with
most everyone you've probably talked to about this.
He was such a legendary figure in the business.
But you know, when it comes downto it, he was a real man.
And and he did have those insecurities.
(21:36):
And it's sad to say because you think of him as the macho man.
I mean, he's, Oh yeah, you know,that kind of guy and kind of
crazy. But the baseball, it's a crazy
story. And I know a little bit of it
where he basically blew out his shoulder.
It was a righty and he taught himself to throw lefty and kept
(21:57):
himself in the game and that's just crazy.
I mean, I can't, I look like a Sissy throwing with my left
hand, you know what I mean? So.
Right, right. Well, he loved baseball.
He did. He loved baseball and that was
his dream. Yeah.
You know, but, you know, Randy succeeded at anything that he
did. But, you know, but then he got
(22:18):
into the wrestling and that was his dream, you know.
But, you know, Randy, Randy didn't, you know, he didn't
live. He didn't talk like that.
And at home, you know, he didn'tlive that life at home, Right?
Right. Everybody wants to think that he
did, but he didn't. Yeah, you know, Randy was a
normal person. Right, right you.
(22:41):
Know everybody, you know, they might think that he did, and the
girls might say that he did, that He did not do that with me.
Yeah. OK, gotcha.
And now a word from our sponsor.Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to
(23:09):
Give Me Back My Pro Wrestling, the podcast that's based on the
old school but can still help you find the good stuff from
today. Jimmy St. and the Plastic Sheet
Jared are the undisputed tag team champions of the wrestling
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(23:31):
it all. And all they ask is give Me Back
My Pro wrestling every other Thursday, wherever you listen to
podcasts. And this is a personal question,
so please, you don't have to answer this, But what do you
think led to the breakup? May.
(23:54):
Yeah, with him. Yeah.
Well, I told Randy to never, ever bring a girl to a show that
all the other boys would see. OK, right.
And basically. They had a show in Cape
Girardeau the next night. We were in St.
(24:14):
Louis, MO, OK at the gardens andit was him and his dad Angelo
and she was the ticket seller inCape Girardeau, OK.
Now she. Was a big.
Heavyset girl, and I understood that she was the ticket seller,
but I didn't give a shit. Yeah, right.
(24:36):
And they? Walked all three of them walked
into the the Saint Louis. And when they did, I said this.
I am finished. Yeah.
And I told him right there in front of everybody, we are
finished. And he?
(24:56):
He blew his top right, and that's the only time that he
really got upset with me. And I said, I'm finished with
you. This is I'm over, it's over.
And so he got upset. I was upset.
And King Kong Brody. No.
Yeah, get. Get your.
(25:18):
Shit. And come into my dressing room
and I went into his dressing room and you know, of course
Randy wasn't gonna interfere with.
Right, right. So yeah.
So I was in that dressing room and so that was it.
That's it. OK.
Well, I mean, sound like he had his chance to not do something
(25:40):
stupid and unfortunately he messed that up.
But yeah, yeah. But I'm going to be honest with.
You, Randy, was my true love. Gotcha.
OK. Gotcha.
Maybe the one that got away, we were soul mates.
His mother. His mother.
Always told me that and but we were soul mates and it's not
like I didn't have another chance with Randy.
(26:03):
After him and Liz divorced, we were at a bar here in Nashville
and we were all me and my mother.
We were at the bar and I told mother, I said we were all
drinking together, Randy and allof us.
And we I said come on, we'll we're leaving.
(26:23):
And so we left and all of a sudden there was a car flying up
behind us. And I pulled over.
I said, who in the hell is this following us?
And it it was Randy. And I pulled.
Over and I said what are you doing?
You followed me home and he saidno I'm trying to get back to the
(26:43):
Red Roof Inn I said which one? And he said at River Gate.
And I said, well, you're going the wrong way, I.
Said. I'll lead you back to the
Interstate and then I'll get offand you need to go straight.
And so I did. I got him back, but he was
letting me know where he was staying.
Sure, right. If you want to drop by, yeah,
(27:07):
right, right. So.
But. I just, I just went back home.
Yeah, yeah. That was my mistake.
Well, and. So you regretted that?
Essentially, yeah. Yeah.
Well, you know, did you get along with the Lanny as well?
Oh yeah, I talked. To Lanny up until his death,
(27:28):
yeah, that's such a. Sad time when he he passed away
because, you know, he'd kind of helped cement the legacy of, of
Randy back with the WWE And thenhe he loses his life.
It was, it was sad, very tragic.When anybody passes, it's
tragic. But you know, I heard that, you
know, George has told stories several times to me about how,
(27:48):
you know, Laney really was kind of under their thumb.
Do you do you see that too underWWF?
No under this. His dad and Randy's thumb, in a
way, especially in ICW. Yeah, yeah, he was.
Yeah, he idolized Randy. Yeah.
Yeah. That makes sense.
That makes sense. Well, so when did you, when was
(28:11):
that? What year was that, that you had
your first match with ICW? Lord, have mercy.
I don't even have any idea. Would it be like 70?
5 or 76 something like that maybe or no, because I started.
Wrestling in 7075. OK, Gotcha.
OK. OK.
Well, I just know that there's abit of a time between that in 86
(28:32):
when you make it up to the WWFI.Guess talk a little bit about
that middle time between the ICWand WWF like when I started.
In WWF, yeah. Yeah.
Well, you know, Moolah called and wanted me to get in the WWF,
OK? And she wanted me to.
Go up there and work with her. And that was a.
(28:55):
Mistake on her part. I mean, I mean, she really, I
mean, she made a mistake there because when I went up there, I
told Vince and I love them aboutthe way she was tricked her
girls, you know, the way that she was not giving them the
money and all that. So that broke that all wide
(29:15):
open. Wow, OK.
I'm the one. Who did that?
And so the girls started gettingtheir own checks and all that.
But then when I got up there, I mean, I, I did the circuit with
Moolah first and then I started working some of the other girls
and stuff. So I mean, it was nice and
stuff. And, you know, and, you know,
(29:37):
and, you know, I ended up running into Randy, too, with
Elizabeth up there. And, you know, and there was one
day in Columbus, OH, that. But Randy had said, can I talk
to you for a minute? And I said yeah.
And I was back up against the, what, concrete wall?
I remember it. And he said you're making my
(30:01):
life a Peyton Place. And.
And I just looked at him in his eye and he hit the wall.
He hit the wall. And I just, like, scooted down
up underneath his arm and I justwalked away.
Yeah. And.
And, you know, and I mean, I don't understand why he was
(30:22):
saying that because, I mean, I stayed away from him.
Sure. Yeah.
But but that's the. Only time that he ever really
said anything to me about being up there in WWF.
OK, but, but I mean, you know, he still had feelings.
You could tell that they feel and you know, even though that
(30:43):
he was with Elizabeth, but I mean, but as far as working in
WWF, I mean, I loved it. I love working with the girls.
The, you know, I mean, I had a good run up there and I enjoyed
it. You know, I mean, they wanted to
drop the belt on me with Moolah and Moolah told me that I better
(31:08):
not take that belt and run, you know, because they Madison
Square Garden and I was a nervous wreck in Madison Square
Garden. I mean, I was a basket case.
Tell me about that. Oh God, I.
Was like, oh, I was like throwing up.
You know, that's the, that's thebiggest, you know, arena, you
know, that you could work. Amen.
(31:29):
Yeah. My mother.
Always told me you always respect the the older women, you
know, The Pioneers, the older women.
And you know, even though she was Muggla and I really did not
respect her, my mother always told me you respect the older
women or older girls in the business.
(31:50):
So, you know, so they had come in the dressing room.
They told us what we needed to do and all that.
So and then when they walked out, Pat Patterson, when he
walked out, Lila looked at me. She said you better not do it.
So I. Mean, you know, I well, here's
the the Booker and here's her. You know that Do not take that
(32:12):
belt and run. So I just didn't.
Yeah, you were. Up there during the time of that
Hulk Hogan's rocking wrestling. And was there ever any talk
about, hey, Debbie Combs, let's bring you on the show?
Did they ever maybe talk about because I know Wendy was focused
on and then I know there were some things about Wendy winning
the title and then Mula taking it off of her like the original
(32:34):
Montreal Screwjob, but did they ever talk to you about anything
like that, endorsements or action figures or anything like
that? No, I mean if.
They were. If they did talk about it, I was
never in on that talk. I know I was supposed to.
Been on Wrestle Mania 10 and Medusa refused to wrestle me
really well. I want to.
Get to that because I know you all actually worked together
(32:56):
before that. But so I guess let's let's pause
that for just a second. I want to get into Sherry
Martel, though, because you worked with her when you were up
there, correct? I worked with Sherry.
Up there and different. Sherry Martel was the last match
that I had before I retired. Oh yeah, OK.
OK, well, Sherry to me is one ofthe greats, man.
(33:18):
I mean, you know, she's one of the greatest managers.
I think she's highly underrated when it comes to manager talk.
And, you know, she turned her career around.
Did you by chance see that dark side of the ring about her?
No, I did not. Get to see it well when you can.
It's on YouTube, you can watch it on there.
I highly recommend it. It's heartbreaking because
there's a moment where she has ababy and she basically chooses
(33:40):
to go on the road because I guess she knew her future had to
be where it had to be. And, and that that just brings
up such a crazy thought in my mind when I saw that, you know,
I was like, golly, these ladies gave up so much to entertain us.
Not and, and some women, and please don't take this the wrong
way, but some women do not feel complete without a child, right?
(34:03):
You know, So I know that that has to be something that is
heavy on the women that are performing at that time.
And can you talk a little bit about that?
Well, I've never. Been married and never had no
children, so you know, but Sherry did have a relationship
with her son, right? Right And.
She would bring him on the road and stuff, but I guess, you
(34:25):
know, a lot of people were like,Oh my gosh, I can't believe she
would. But that just shows you how much
she knew she had to do the wrestling, you know, and, and
had to, you know, and that was her calling.
And you know, it's almost like when you're talking to a
minister or something and they're like, I got the calling
to go into preaching and stuff. It's like she had the calling.
She knew what she had to do and that that it was, it was
(34:47):
heartbreaking in one sense, but then again, you know, she did
build a relationship with him. So, you know, I, I think that it
kind of ended on a positive note, but it, it just opened my
eyes to some of the things that,you know, let's just say the
normal people in the world that didn't get in the wrestling
business could do. And, and it wasn't necessarily
an option for for a lot of the women, you know, it was well, I
(35:11):
just I. Just think that when it gets
into your blood that you know you have that that in your blood
and you just don't want to give it up.
You know, Sherry tried to get out of it several times and it
just didn't work for her, you know?
It's. Hard to get out of wrestling.
I mean, it, it was really hard for me in 2000.
(35:32):
I mean it, it's not easy to get walk away from wrestling.
You know, it's, it's not an easychoice to do.
I mean, it's hard and it's, it'snot an easy feat by no means,
right? Right.
It's you get withdrawals and everything.
And I did a little bit and I'm not claiming any kind of
(35:53):
actually anything close to you or many of our guests.
I did a small time in the Nashville wrestling scene
working for Tony Falk and TJ Weatherby and Bert Prentice and,
and, and I was a manager, local heel manager there.
And you know, it got into my blood even at that small level,
you know what I mean? And I'm are ever addicted to it
(36:14):
now because not only as a mark, as a fan growing up, you know, I
became, I actually got that injection of the crowd and, and
the whole thing. And so it's like, I do
understand. I think that's part of the
reason I continue with these podcasts now is because it gives
me the opportunity to learn fromthose that came before me, you
know what I mean? So yeah.
(36:35):
So if. If someone were to ask you a
simple question of like, Hey Debbie, describe Sherry to me in
like 10 words or so, what would you say?
If you could describe Sherry? What, what would it be?
A. Wonderful person, a fantastic
worker, great personality, fun to be around.
(36:56):
Yeah, I, you know, she was such a joy and would bring a smile on
anybody's face. I remember one time we was out
at the Cauliflower Alley Club and we were in, it was in Studio
City when we was out in California.
And she said, come on, Debbie, we're going to go.
(37:16):
We're going to go down to Hollywood.
So we got dressed. You know, Sherry was crazy as
hell and a partier. She partied and we went down.
We went into this bar. I don't know what the hell she
got my ass into. He always just laughed at
everything. We walked into this place and
(37:39):
I'm telling you, in one room they were doing all kinds of
drugs. This next room, they were fun
and. We just kept on.
Walking and she just laughing and grinning.
You can just see her face right now and.
And we just. Partied and, you know, and I
just got drunk and man, I remember the ride home over them
(38:00):
hills back to Studio City at thehometown Sportsman's Lodge.
It was just funny as hell. They were doing all kinds of
stuff in that damn club. She can.
Introduce you to everything. Oh wow, that's awesome.
Hey my. Name is.
(38:20):
Tammy Reynolds, I am the wife ofForsaken Rick Reynolds, that
super cool guy that everybody knows and loves.
And I represent West Side Sauces.
I make sauces. I bottle them, I seal them, I
sell them. I have a hot honey sauce.
I have a sweet sauce. I have a hot sauce.
(38:43):
I have a white sauce that's so yummy you can use it on
everything. They are absolutely amazing and
I'm so proud of them. We make them from scratch.
So go on our website, westsidesauces.com, check out
our products, read about our story and go online and order
(39:03):
you some of these yummy sauces. And Rick actually uses all of
the sauces because he is a die hard smoker and griller and so
he likes really good sauces and rubs and I make them.
So how convenient is that for him?
Go on our website, westsidesauces.com, order you
(39:23):
some samples and I think you'll thoroughly enjoy them.
Thank you guys. Be blessed so.
You end up becoming N.W.A women's champion in a is it in a
battle royal in Honolulu and then something happens and then
(39:43):
you actually win it again in Kansas City, but it was like you
didn't actually lose it. Talk about that a little bit.
Well there. Was some controversy.
I won it in the battle royal andHonolulu under mayor of the
Mabea. OK, Leia, Maia.
(40:04):
Yeah. And, and then, I don't know,
evidently they didn't really recognize her as an N.W.A
promoter. And then Harley Race was
promoting Kansas City. So he said, well, we'll have a
match and we'll, you know, and then and he was an N.W.A
(40:25):
promoter and so they had a matchthere and that they did the
match there. That's cool.
Like now. How does that feel?
I mean, how did that feel at thetime?
You know, being the N.W.A women's champion, I mean, that
means a lot, right? Oh yeah.
Yeah, it it meant a lot. Yeah, Yeah.
That's. Awesome.
Tell me a little bit about Harley Race.
(40:47):
I would love to hear something about how you working with
Harley Harley. I mean, I loved Harley.
I mean, he was a wholesome guy. I mean a family man.
I mean, he was one of the best champions that NFVA could.
You know, he was a great worker.I mean, you know, very few
(41:11):
wrestlers could go an hour, but Harley Race was one of them, you
know, I mean, you, you know, youcould grab a hoax and sell it
forever. And and that's one person that
me and Sherry Martel in Toronto,Canada, we had went an hour
because the flight was delayed getting Toronto.
(41:35):
So we ended up having to go an hour.
You know, very few workers can do that.
But but Harley Race was a tremendous person, Husband,
father, champion. Well, he.
Was he was the best N.W.A champion that they had?
(41:56):
Yeah, no doubt. Yeah, that, that's who I think
of. When you put that 10 lbs gold in
front of my eyes, I think of Harley, that's who.
Right, Right. You know, he was just, he was
just a perfect, you know, individual, I believe you know.
Yeah. Yeah.
Well. So you end up going up to
Minnesota with Vern in AWA and then you you meet up again with
(42:19):
Sherry and then is this when youkind of start tagging with
Medusa at that time? Yeah, yeah.
Talk about your going up to AWA I.
Mean I didn't travel up to AWA lot, but when I did, I usually I
usually wrestle with Sherry or Candy and then I tag with Medusa
(42:43):
up there some but that just lasted a little while.
But I would wrestle with Sherry and then I would wrestle with
Kathy, OK. You know, because Sherry.
Was living down here at one point and I I've had a lot of
good times with Sherry when whenever I start thinking about
(43:06):
Sherry I remember we were first class going to Minneapolis on
Christmas and drunker and shit we got there.
I'm. Just thinking of her, you know,
but and then she looking back incoach and saying we get almonds
instead of y'all getting peanuts, you know, just crazy.
(43:29):
Sherry's just crazy. But you know, but yeah,
Medusa's, you know, yeah, we tagged up there a lot more than
we never. I don't think I ever wrestled
her in Minneapolis. Gotcha.
OK. OK.
And then of course that does lead to WWF and 94 Medusa and
Alundra and then is that essentially when she declined to
(43:52):
work with you? Well, you know they.
Booked US against each other andwe wrestled some and then they
was for Wrestle Mania and that'swhen she declined.
I mean, it was booked. They advertised it.
There was Flyers. I was in the Wrestle Mania 10
booklet. And then she come off and did
(44:15):
not want to wrestle me in Wrestle Mania.
I mean, and all the, I mean all the advertisement and everything
and they had to replace me with Lalonik High, Yeah.
Yeah, who I'm sure you're friends with, right, Lalani?
Oh yeah, I love. Lalani.
Yeah. And she, she didn't understand
why neither. And I still to this day, I do
(44:36):
not understand why she did that.That's weird.
That's so. Weird.
Do you? I mean, is there any chance that
she might have thought you wouldhave outshined her by chance?
I mean, they were kind of putting it all on her, you know?
Well, I mean. It's possible, yeah, Yeah.
You know I never. Did I never did get a reasoning.
(44:57):
That's a hell of a payday. That she made you miss.
That's unfortunate. And have you guys seen each
other since then? Have you been cordial or is it
cool or well, I've not been. Cordial with her.
I didn't. I didn't expect you to be, but I
don't know if I've seen. Her since then, OK, you know.
(45:17):
And I don't know. If I could be cordial with her,
Yeah, understand. Understand, and that makes
sense. I mean, it's, you know, that's
that's just a hell of a payday and an opportunity especially.
I mean, I can imagine she must have had some sort of stroke to
be able to get that to happen because I if they've already
advertised you and everything, Ican't imagine them wanting, you
(45:40):
know, to not have you on the show.
But man right And she. Cannot deny it, right?
Right. No, it happened.
Yeah, no. And.
Everybody knows it. Lalani knows it, everybody knows
it, so she can deny it, right? Right, did that.
Put it, awkward situation with you and Lalani.
I'm sure you're cool about that.No, no, it did.
(46:01):
Not, you know, no, no, I love, you know, Patty is a you know, I
don't, you know, I can't blame Lalani, right?
Of course of. Course, so it brings you back
home and then you start up WPW Women's Pro Wrestling.
You've got ladies such as Candy Devine, Miss Jackie, Peggy Lee
Leather, Velvet McIntyre and so many more.
(46:23):
What led you to start your own promotion?
Well, Edward Pastana wanted to start an all girls promotion and
he was out of California and so I did and we started it and we
wanted to run military bases andwe did run some of them.
(46:43):
But, you know, he just didn't want to put enough money in it
to, you know, to, you know, really run it right, right,
like. It's been.
Ran Yeah, I mean, I just. Saw the names and I was like,
holy cow, this is this is your. This is the glow for girls who
could really go, you know what Imean?
(47:04):
Yeah, but. Honestly, to be able to you
know, to get a good promotion like you know, going, you have
to have like a money like glow does have, right, Of course,
exactly. A big time money backer?
Yeah. Did they?
Ever talk to you? About going to glow, no.
I didn't know. Yeah, no, I wouldn't want to go
(47:26):
to Glow. Right, Right.
Because it was not probably. I mean, your mom being Cora
Combs and the ladies who paved the foundation, I never saw any
of them at GLOW, you know? So it was.
Yeah. It was its own thing, I guess,
right. It was more like a TV show more
than anything, right? It wasn't.
(47:47):
Yeah, well, it was. It was the girls out there
wanting to just a stepping stoneto get into movies in Hollywood.
It's just like up in Vern Gonyo.One time he brought in, was it
Daisy Mae? I can't remember.
A little blonde with a little Daisy sports.
He he got her up there and I hada hell of a match with her.
(48:11):
I made her look like she knew everything.
It was up in Minneapolis and he said, I'm going to book you with
her out in LA, not LA Vegas where they did ESPN taping.
And so we went out there and he's, you know, OK, we'll get
out there and make her look goodand all this shit.
(48:33):
I went, I was not going to get on ESPN and make this girl look
like she knew what she was doing, right?
Right. Got out there.
And I pulled every hair extension out in her head.
And. I I just tore her ass up to
where she got out of professional wrestling.
(48:53):
Oh, wow. OK.
OK. And.
Vern said What the hell, Debbie?I said what?
What? Vern, I can't help, but I was
not going to get on ESPN and take my looks like a fool,
right? Exactly.
Yeah, Yeah. You had enough sense to know in
that situation exactly. Not going to, you know, it's not
(49:17):
me. I've been in this business too
long to put somebody like that over.
Yeah, yeah. Right.
Well, you know, and I remember I've seen you wrestle all
through your career growing up and stuff.
And then I remember on Nitro in 1997, you actually worked Akira
Hokuto. And I know that they were trying
to to make a a women's division and, but unfortunately it didn't
(49:40):
look like you stuck around long.What was the story with that I,
I. I don't know, Eric.
He he didn't like the women, youknow.
He. Never was a big fan of the
women, you could tell, yeah. You could tell, yeah, he did
not. Like the women's division.
And I don't never think that he really wanted that.
(50:03):
But I'll tell you, in that match, I had a broken ankle.
Oh wow. Yeah, I had a.
Broken ankle in that match and if anybody looked real close,
you could tell that my ankle waswrapped up OK and.
I had. Like a brace really on that
ankle. Yeah, that's.
(50:24):
That's wow. Did what happened to 'cause that
before you got there. What?
Where'd you break your ankle? Yeah, it was in.
Another match, but I didn't wantto, I didn't want to cancel
that, that show. So I went ahead, went in and did
it. You know, 'cause the show must
go on and the show must go. On exactly.
(50:45):
I mean, Carrie Von, Eric Krisel without a foot forever.
You could do that, right? I mean, you can you can wrap
your ankle and make it work, right?
I don't blame you. Yeah, like hell.
But I didn't. How did you find?
Akira how? How was she to work with?
Oh, she was great. Yeah, did she?
Speak English very little. Yeah, but just enough.
(51:08):
Yeah, very. Little I'm sure you were
calling. That match I would assume, well,
the best I. Could.
Yeah, right. You know, because.
You didn't understand a lot of English.
OK, gotcha. OK, yeah, that makes sense.
But good workers they can. They know what you're doing, you
know what I'm saying? You can work around that.
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, right.
(51:28):
Yeah. Well, you know, I know that it
ended up into 2000 where you youretired.
Talk about your your last match with us if you don't mind.
My last match was was. Was Sherry, and it was in
Baltimore, MD, and it was, of course, you know me and Sherry.
Thumbtacks, glass rolls. Oh, my God.
(51:51):
It was a hardcore match. And that's our match.
Was the last match up in Baltimore.
Yeah. Yeah, that shit.
And so did I Yeah. Yeah.
Did you know going into it that it was going to be your last
match? Yeah.
Gotcha. OK.
Yeah, that makes sense. Well, who better to do it with
than Sherry, right? Especially how much you cared
(52:13):
about her. Exactly.
Yeah. I.
Wish that I could get in touch with some of her family.
Yeah, yeah. Well, if anybody has any
contacts out there get with Debbie, you know, so yeah, well,
I do want to kind of lead into some other questions here.
So the the one question I want to talk about and, and was kind
of the one of the main things I wanted to talk to you about
(52:33):
today was the current state of women's wrestling.
I guess I would love to hear your thoughts on on the current
status of women's wrestling. What are your thoughts on it
right now? Well, I mean, you know, I don't
really, you know, I wish it would kind of go back to some of
the old style, some of these women.
(52:55):
I mean, you know they could not go 30 minutes, right?
That's less 60. Right, you know, and I don't
know if they know hope right you're.
You can tell, yeah, they only. Know flying, right and that is
(53:16):
not wrestling right, right, the old style, but I mean they're
very athletic and they're very high flying and I've you know,
you've got to give them props and they're very I mean they're
very good at what they're doing and they and they brought girl
wrestling, you know, but you've got to give it to the older
(53:40):
generation that we paid the way Amen, Amen.
Yeah, you know, and the. Only thing that that I, that,
you know, I've got to, I've got to say this, that WWEWWF,
whatever, I do not think that they give the older girls
Leilani, Malaya, Osaka. Well, I don't know, Penny, any
(54:07):
of the other other girls that the Santa Montagas, any of the
girls that work for WWEWWF credit and put them in the Hall
of Fame up there. Yeah.
That they deserve to be put in there too.
Not just the the newer girls or the girls that you know, you
(54:29):
know, we all deserve to be put in there too.
We pay into what? Amen.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. They need to go back to what you
were talking about on your MountRushmore.
Start there and start putting inthe the legends, the like you
said, the golden era of women's wrestling, you know, and, and I
mean the Trisha's and the Leda'sand all that, they're great and
(54:51):
talented girls, but at the same time, you can't forget where
those girls came from, you know,and.
Exactly, you know, And it wouldn't hurt to have the golden
error, right? It wouldn't.
Hurt to have. The older girls in there and
plus, you know, put, you know, you know, look how many men they
put in there. Yeah, exactly.
(55:12):
Exactly, you know, and then. They could put the golden arrow
in there of the women and then they could put the their little
newer women in there, right? Exactly.
Yeah, Yeah. I mean, and I mean there's years
that go by that, you know, like I think the midnight Express
need to be in there and you, youactually still have Dennis and
Stan. You can put them in there and as
(55:33):
a tribute to Bobby and bring Jimin, you know, but there's so
many things every year that theymiss.
I mean, you know, I, I think there's a, they call it a legacy
hall where they throw in some ofthe older, you know, the
legends, the, the like you were talking about the golden era.
But you know, when it comes downto it, to really have a
legitimate Hall of Fame and to really have that be something
(55:55):
special, you should go back and and put those original folks,
The Pioneers in, you know, right, You know they.
They they have a division up there that they induct the the
dead. I don't know what they call it.
I can the legacy I think. It's called legacy Hall, I
think. But my mother.
(56:15):
They inducted my mother and theydidn't even contact me.
Really. No, they didn't even contact me
or even invite me. Wow.
Holy cow, that was in new. Orleans, yeah, OK.
That's. Been a while, yeah.
Wow. And they could.
Have at least acknowledged or notified me that they were going
(56:38):
to induct her or even invited me, right?
Yeah, no. Kidding.
I mean they nothing to them. Yeah, they miss they.
Miss a lot, but that's that's huge.
I can't believe that. That's crazy.
That's, I don't even know what to say to that Debbie, honestly,
you know. I mean, I've never done nothing
to Vince. I mean, I don't know, you know?
(57:00):
And that's when he had it, right?
Right. Yeah, listen up you bunch of
slack jawed flea market freeloaders.
If you think you know Memphis wrestling, you don't know
nothing till you've heard the Retro Wrestling Review podcast.
Brother. Every week they're talking the
real stuff. Lawler, Jarrett, PG13, Yeah, and
even my Moon Dogs. Watch long stories from Rd.
(57:23):
interviews and folks who are in the thick of it, brother.
The blood, the beer and the bailmoney.
It's all on the Wrestle Copia podcast network.
Go to USW podcast.com or I'll come down there and I'll slap
taste out of your mouth. Hi, this is Mike Needham, host
(58:07):
of the Reckless Abandoned podcast with Mike Needham.
We invite you to jump on your favorite podcast platform and
search for the Reckless Abandoned Podcast and give us a
listen. I'm sometimes joined by a part
time podcaster, part time Co host and full time wife Kitney
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culture, we talk local events, local happenings in West
(58:29):
Tennessee, and a ton of other stuff.
But be sure to check out the Reckless Abandoned Podcast, find
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choices and always remember, no Dollar, no dice.
(59:01):
Ladies and gentlemen, this is Jimmy St. and that was episode
19 of the Best of James Rock St.Productions with the first half
of episode 60 of Debbie Combs onGive Me Back My Pro Wrestling.
Debbie was very sweet to come onand tell her story in her first
podcast interview ever. I hope y'all enjoyed hearing
from the second generation superstar as much as I did.
You can hear the full episode and more over on at G MB MPW or
(59:24):
Give Me Back My Pro Wrestling. Wherever you listen to podcasts
or simply click the link in the note, it's below.
We hope you've enjoyed a look back in the archives of James
Rock St. Productions.
Check us out next week to see what else we have in store.
Until then, follow at G MB MPW and at James Rock St.
everywhere. Peace with a tear in my eye.
(59:47):
This is the greatest moment in my life.
(01:00:19):
This has been a James Rock St. production.
Hey, this is Debbie Comes. Give me back my pro wrestling.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome toGive Me Back My Pro wrestling.
(00:41):
Hello. So don't know.
Now you know, baby, this is Hot Rod Bigs, Jared, Jimmy St.
We're going to take them to the limit.
One more time, baby, right here.I'll give me back my pro
wrestling ladies and gentlemen, welcome one more time to the
Give Me Back My Pro Wrestling podcast.
And I am here as always with my brother from the same father and
(01:02):
mother, the plastic sheet, JaredSt.
What's up, Sheik? How you doing?
I'm doing good, brother. How about yourself, man?
You know how it is, brother. Just, you know, got a lot of
stuff going on in our lives at this moment.
And this is an awesome episode, Sheik.
And I don't know if you're goingto go get tacos or what, but
(01:23):
yeah, we're, we've got an episode today with Debbie Combs,
the legendary lady superstar daughter of Cora Combs.
And, you know, she's, she's great, had a great history.
I mean, she wrestled for all thecompanies that you could wrestle
for, you know, the Pafos and, and WWFWCWNWA.
She's a former N.W.A women's champion.
(01:45):
She wrestled for Leia, Maya Villa out in Hawaii.
I mean, there's so many cool things that she can talk about.
And yeah, we're, we're excited to have her on and we'll, we'll
have, we'll have fun with it forsure, you know?
Yeah, man. So I've got a work commitment
that's not going to allow me to yeah, for the whole, for the
interview. But it is what it is.
(02:06):
Even even when you're work for yourself, you sometimes have to
be there when you don't want to be.
So right, That's probably you work harder probably when it's
for yourself. I would assume so.
He's like, I hate my balls. So wait, no, I don't.
And sometimes he's a jerk. Just kidding.
(02:27):
Yeah, but Debbie's awesome and II can't wait to get her on.
And thanks to Shane Morton for hooking this up.
But mostly this is actually a, you know, this is dropping the
May the 9th, right? And that is, you know, our
normal Thursday. But two days later, we're going
to actually be hanging out with a lot of our former guests.
(02:47):
So we are going to be spending the day in Columbia, TN.
What better place to be when you're a wrestling podcast in
Columbia? There's no better wrestling town
on the map in my opinion. And then Columbia, TN, they,
they love it and they care aboutit and they, they, they still
believe and that's what matters.So we're going to be there.
(03:10):
It's the mule town Mania fan fest and it's.
So basically the day is going tobe a long day for us for at
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. There's the right way reunion,
which includes all the wrestlersfrom near and far from that
area, you know, and this is something that Shane's been
putting on for the for the past six years or whatever.
And this one will be a blast. And this was the first one I've
(03:33):
been able to come to. And also with us is going to be
you, of course, the chic, you know, we're going to have our
little brother Mason with us andwe're going to have my son Cash
with us. So it's going to be a a day of
it now. Cash and Mason are going to have
to help us with the podcast, which is the one of the main
reasons is of course there's thethe reunion and then starts the
fan fest after that. And at 2:30 it opens up.
(03:56):
People can come in, get autographs, shake hands, take
pictures with all that. I think it's like more than 50
wrestling legends from that areaand new wrestlers, old
wrestlers, young wrestlers, wrestlers you don't like,
wrestlers you love. It's going to be a lot of fun.
And then at 4:30 on May the 11th, that's Saturday, May the
(04:18):
11th, we're going to do a live podcast Q&A with the Devil's
Disciples, Dante Mephisto and Damian Forsaken, whatever, Rick
Reynolds, whatever you want to call it, the Wild boys, Ben
Jordan and Steve Neely and the Mortons, Shane and Steve Morton.
So the tie in for most of you all, if you don't know out there
(04:40):
is that these teams were in a decades long blood feud with one
another. And the word blood does not let
me just say that the this is a real blood feud and these guys
fought each other tooth and nail.
I mean literally beat on each other for decades.
So anyway, we're going to focus on that.
And then later that night, I know you've heard us talk about
(05:02):
it, but it's Tristar Wrestling and and that's our buddy
Jablonski and he's going to havethe 14 person tag match with, I
mean, Jared. There's so many of our former
guests, Dante Mephisto in it. It's going to be Steve Neely.
Ben Jordan is in it. I mean, Scott Spade's in it.
Rick Reynolds is in it. I mean, Shane, Steve, so many
(05:24):
people. So anyway, it's going to be a
big day. Yeah, y'all should definitely
come on out. You know, I know it's two days
ahead of time, but if you haven't heard it on here
already, then you don't have anyexcuse.
So anyway, Long story short, Mania Fan Fest, if you want to
meet any of the wrestlers that you've heard on this podcast, or
if you just want to come by and for some reason want to meet us,
(05:47):
we'll be there and you should too.
So come on out and see us. And I say let's shut up and I'll
come back with Debbie Combs. How's that sound?
Sounds good, brother. All right, will you come back at
the very end? All right, we'll we'll figure
that out. Can I get the hot tag at the
end? And yeah, he'll get the hot tag
(06:07):
at the end, the Robert Gibson tag.
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
All right. Well, we'll be right back after
these messages with Debbie Combsare.
You, a pro wrestling fan? We'll stop by Captain's Corner,
where you can get autographed photos, cards, magazines, and
figures from all of your favorite wrestling superstars of
(06:30):
the past, present and future. You'll also be able to
participate in live signings in the weeks and months to come.
Make sure to stop by Captain's Corner on Facebook and give us a
holler. Remember, cheers to the working
man. All right, we are back with Give
Me Back My Pro Wrestling and man, oh man, as always, we've
(06:52):
got an awesome guest today. And I tell you, when I look into
stuff and I start doing my research, that's really when you
can tell the level of guest thatyou're going to get.
And I just couldn't stop findingstuff about this guest today.
So I'm going to shut up now and bring her on the absolute
salute. Very special guest Debbie Combs,
thank you for coming on the showtoday.
(07:13):
Oh, you're welcome. It's a pleasure.
Now, did I take you away from any of your bounty hunting
duties? That's awesome.
No, not today. OK.
My partner's busy today, so we're not allowed to go out
without. You have to have two people, so
my partner's kind of busy today.OK, well, when did you start
(07:35):
doing that? About seven years ago, I retired
from the Davidson County Sheriff's Office.
And then then I had to do something that was just as
interesting as wrestling. So bounty hunting is as close as
wrestling as you can get. Yeah, yeah, no doubt.
Yeah, so did it. It was basically a pretty easy
(08:00):
swap from careers in wrestling to bounty hunting.
Yeah, yeah, it's, it's pretty close.
That's wild. Well, you know, you're, you
know, I know we've had guests onthat could have been bounty
hunters and should have been bounty hunters, but I think
you're technically our first official bounty hunter.
So that's very cool. I mean, so he got to give you
(08:22):
credit for that. It's fun.
It's fun. I've been shot at.
I've been shot at. Yeah, it's interesting.
I've been knocked out. Wow.
Yeah, it's been, it's been fun. I love that you say that and
then you add fun to the end of it.
That's awesome. That's.
(08:43):
Great to professional wrestling as you can get.
Yeah, yeah. You never know what's going to
happen. Yeah, that's cool.
That's very cool. So, so we always start off every
show with this question. And this one is going to be a
little different than the normal1 to kind of give an idea to the
listeners and give us an idea ofhow, you know, the the choices
(09:04):
you make on this question, you know, kind of lets the listener
know a little more about you. And we always started off with,
you know, mostly men. Unfortunately, we've had one
other woman on this show. And it's a shame.
We we need to have more. But when it comes down to it,
you're Mount Rushmore of ladies wrestlers.
Who would you put on that Mount Rushmore?
My mother, Cora Combs. OK, I love it.
(09:26):
Who else would you put? Penny Banner.
Penny banner. OK.
Mildred Burke. Mildred Burke, yeah.
Yeah. Oh, there's so many.
You know, back in Billy Wuss days, you know, all all the true
legends come out of Billy Wuss Camp out of Columbus, OH, OK.
(09:49):
OK. And and that's, you know, I
wouldn't, I wouldn't put moolah on there because I yeah, I just,
I don't know. I just, you know, she started
out as a slave girl and up for the old Vince McMahon and I
just, you know, I wasn't one of her girls, so, you know.
(10:12):
Yeah, no, that and I've heard crazy stuff.
I mean, I know there was a dark side of the ring about Mola, but
that was, that was some pretty crazy stuff.
So did your mom guide you away from her perchance or?
She never really guided me towards Mullah because probably
the stories of Mullah is true and I didn't have to go into
(10:34):
that camp because, you know, I wasn't going to give Mullah 75%
of my pay. Oh man, yeah.
You know, so to work for her because and live on her her
land, because she took most of them girls this money and I
didn't have to do that, that youknow, we you know, I got myself
(10:55):
booked and them girls could haveshe's done the same thing, but
she had them brainwashed. So, you know, I just didn't have
that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.
And then that's that's actually very good that you didn't go
down that path. You had a stellar career.
So let me let me start at the very beginning.
Now, obviously you are a second generation superstar.
Your mom, Cora Combs, is one of the absolute pioneers of the
(11:16):
business as far as women's wrestling or wrestling goes.
You know, talk about growing up,you know, your younger days
growing up with a mom who is thename that she was, the legend
that she was. Talk about that.
Well, I mean, you know, she was a legend and I was a little,
little girl. I was in the dressing room and,
you know, I would sell her pictures when, you know, at the
(11:40):
matches, when she was on the shows and Ricky Morton and I
would compete on selling pictures.
And, you know, and I, I mean, I heard stories that when I was,
you know, little girl and I would the boys would watch me
back in the dressing rooms whileshe was, you know, wrestling.
So I mean, there's a, you know, Dick the Bruiser would watch me
(12:05):
and you know, there's all kinds of stories, you know, you know,
you know, in wrestling they taught Carney.
And so we would was on the trip going up to like Lexington, KY,
and they were talking Carney andI was saying I was trying to nod
my mother because I was real jealous.
(12:26):
And and she said, what do you want?
And because they had been talking Carney and I told her, I
said, you missed your exit way back there to Lexington.
I was trying to tell her that y'all had missed your exit, you
know, and and I said I don't know why y'all talking Carney
because I can understand everything I was saying, you
(12:48):
know, I had been around them, you know, all my life.
I'd learned to talk Carney or understand it.
So it, it was just a, you know, I just understood it.
So, you know, it's little thingslike that, just growing up
around the business and stuff. Yeah, Yeah.
That's awesome. So, I mean, I, I can imagine,
(13:10):
you know, like when a little kidyou're, you're wanting to
protect him and stuff and you, you start to let's go, you know,
do not talk about SEX or spell out a curse word, but instead
you're actually learning how to speak carny at the same time as
they're trying to hide what they're saying from you.
That's awesome. Right, right.
(13:31):
Now where were you born? I was born at Fort Campbell, KY.
My dad was in the military. He retired from the Army and I
had one brother and my dad got stationed over in Germany in
World War 2. So my brother was born in
Osburg, Germany, and then they got transferred back over and
(13:54):
they was stationed at Fort Campbell.
So I was born at Fort Campbell. Gotcha.
OK, OK. And now, did he have anything to
do with wrestling or was it solely your mom?
No, he never traveled with my mother and never had much to do
with wrestling with my mother. But when I started wrestling and
(14:14):
he would travel with me, but I had Rd. trips around here, he
would travel, he would travel with me.
OK. OK.
Kind of like a little bit of protector maybe like keep an eye
on you, make sure you're OK. Is that kind of the the deal?
No, not really. He would just, he just loved
traveling with me. And hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
(14:37):
You know, because he knew I could protect myself, but he was
just for support. Yeah, yeah.
Now were you? Would you say you were a daddy's
girl? Yeah, yeah.
Later on in years, I was my daddy's girl.
It was closer to my brother whenI was younger, but then later
on, in later years, yeah, I was a daddy's girl.
(15:00):
Well, where did you go to high school at?
I went to high school here in Nashville at Stratford High
School. Stratford High.
OK, Very cool. Yeah.
Did you play any sports while you're in high school?
No, I started wrestling when I was 15 years old.
Yeah. So that kind of cut all well, so
that is a sport. So technically you did, it just
wasn't through the high school. Right, so I started wrestling
(15:22):
and my first match was in Louisville, KY, Louisville
Gardens and one of the girl, it was the seven girl battle royal
and one of the girls didn't showup.
So they threw my ass in there and I was scared to death.
I was just petrified and but they threw me in there and there
(15:43):
I was. And then it hit and it was in my
blood. And that's that's the start of
my career in wrestling. That yeah, that that's the then
it's over with, right, Once you get it in your blood.
Yeah, it's, it's just over. Yeah, it's over.
They literally had to push me out of the dressing room though
in Louisville. Really.
Really. Yeah, yeah.
(16:03):
Because I was scared to death. I was real shy.
And you know, I didn't, you know, I was really shy.
So they ended up pushing me out of the dressing room and all the
girls got behind me and pushed me to the ring.
That's so Did your mom train youto get it to work or did?
She, you know, I was really around it all my life and I
(16:26):
would get in the ring and you know, when they, when they would
get in the ring and practice andtrain and, and all that.
So I just kind of like learned it along the way.
Yeah, OK, OK. Yeah.
So I learned it by getting in the ring with them and so I just
picked it up. All my life I just you would get
(16:46):
in there and play around with them.
Yeah, OK. OK.
So it was almost like you just knew it from the womb.
Almost. It was like you were just born
into it. That makes sense.
And so that first promotion, if I'm not mistaken, for your first
match, is one of my favorite topics.
We recently had George Weingroffon the show show and I, I can
talk ICW all day long. I guess before we get into the
(17:07):
question, you know, I'm going toask you about here in just a
second when it comes to ICW, talk about getting into ICW, the
Pafos, that kind of thing. And then we'll, we'll approach
that subject that you know, I'm definitely going to ask you
about. Right.
Well, you know, I mean, you knowwhy I was in I CW I mean, I
(17:28):
don't have to tell you why that was.
OK, so that was the real. OK, Yeah, got it.
That makes sense. So when did that start?
When did that romance start? Well, Randy was down here for
Nick Douglas and, and then I think what happened was the
papos was wanting to know probably where they needed to
(17:50):
move to, to get a promotion going.
And they were all discussing where to go.
And I said, well, how about Lexington?
And that's where they ended up moving to because I think it was
in transition of going from doulas to Jarrett in that time
(18:13):
zone. And, and I think that's where
they well, I know that's where they ended up moving.
Well, Randy and I had started seeing each other right it right
before they moved. OK.
That's how it blossomed. And then, you know, and then we
started dating. And so we ended up, we ended up
(18:36):
going together and in 5 1/2 years.
Yeah, yeah. So this is the $20 million
question here. What is it like to date the
Macho Man? I mean, I mean, it was, it was
wonderful for me. I mean, and you know, I mean, I
mean, he was just very jealous. He.
(18:57):
Was very jealous and that's the only thing that I can say bad
about Randy, you know. I mean, you know, a lot of
people can say a lot of bad things about Randy.
Randy never, you know, threatened to hit me.
Randy never, you know, he did have a temper, but he never, I
mean he never had a temper with me, you know, I never seen no
(19:23):
anger towards me. I never, you know, I don't, you
know I don't I, I don't have anybad things to say about Randy.
He was a good partner. All.
All but the jealousy, you know. And that's something that stayed
with him. You know, it's well known he was
very jealous of Liz. Also with that gorgeous George
(19:44):
girl, he had some problems that he was very jealous of.
And, you know, maybe that was just a thing that he had.
But do do you have any idea maybe where that came from?
It was it something to do with his family life?
Maybe that that turned him that way or.
Why he was jealous? Yeah, yeah.
I think probably just the insecurities.
(20:06):
OK, got it. That makes sense.
I think he was just insecure with his self maybe, and I don't
understand why that you know whyhe was, but you know, there's
there's several reasons why people are insecure with
themselves. Of course, I don't know why
would be, but I never gave him areason to be insecure.
(20:30):
But you know, you just sometimesyou are, you know?
Yeah, yeah. I mean, he'd lost his dream, you
know, with baseball, so. I'm going to tell you one reason
though. I was a jealous person too when
I started dating Randy, but I guarantee you that that sure
corrected me from being a jealous person after that.
(20:54):
Taught you you're like, this is not a good look.
I don't want to be like this. Yeah.
And I tell you one thing that could have been that could have
made him insecure. The pro, the Pro Football, I
mean the pro baseball because you know his grandfather, you
know about burning down the the clubhouse, you know.
(21:15):
Right, right. Yeah, It's an it's an amazing
story. Just talking about his his
baseball time. I'm Randy's one of my favorite
wrestlers of all time, and I'm sure that's a common thing with
most everyone you've probably talked to about this.
He was such a legendary figure in the business.
But you know, when it comes downto it, he was a real man.
And and he did have those insecurities.
(21:36):
And it's sad to say because you think of him as the macho man.
I mean, he's, Oh yeah, you know,that kind of guy and kind of
crazy. But the baseball, it's a crazy
story. And I know a little bit of it
where he basically blew out his shoulder.
It was a righty and he taught himself to throw lefty and kept
(21:57):
himself in the game and that's just crazy.
I mean, I can't, I look like a Sissy throwing with my left
hand, you know what I mean? So.
Right, right. Well, he loved baseball.
He did. He loved baseball and that was
his dream. Yeah.
You know, but, you know, Randy succeeded at anything that he
did. But, you know, but then he got
(22:18):
into the wrestling and that was his dream, you know.
But, you know, Randy, Randy didn't, you know, he didn't
live. He didn't talk like that.
And at home, you know, he didn'tlive that life at home, Right?
Right. Everybody wants to think that he
did, but he didn't. Yeah, you know, Randy was a
normal person. Right, right you.
(22:41):
Know everybody, you know, they might think that he did, and the
girls might say that he did, that He did not do that with me.
Yeah. OK, gotcha.
And now a word from our sponsor.Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to
(23:09):
Give Me Back My Pro Wrestling, the podcast that's based on the
old school but can still help you find the good stuff from
today. Jimmy St. and the Plastic Sheet
Jared are the undisputed tag team champions of the wrestling
podcast world. From thought provoking topics to
superstar interviews to action figure expertise, this team does
(23:31):
it all. And all they ask is give Me Back
My Pro wrestling every other Thursday, wherever you listen to
podcasts. And this is a personal question,
so please, you don't have to answer this, But what do you
think led to the breakup? May.
(23:54):
Yeah, with him. Yeah.
Well, I told Randy to never, ever bring a girl to a show that
all the other boys would see. OK, right.
And basically. They had a show in Cape
Girardeau the next night. We were in St.
(24:14):
Louis, MO, OK at the gardens andit was him and his dad Angelo
and she was the ticket seller inCape Girardeau, OK.
Now she. Was a big.
Heavyset girl, and I understood that she was the ticket seller,
but I didn't give a shit. Yeah, right.
(24:36):
And they? Walked all three of them walked
into the the Saint Louis. And when they did, I said this.
I am finished. Yeah.
And I told him right there in front of everybody, we are
finished. And he?
(24:56):
He blew his top right, and that's the only time that he
really got upset with me. And I said, I'm finished with
you. This is I'm over, it's over.
And so he got upset. I was upset.
And King Kong Brody. No.
Yeah, get. Get your.
(25:18):
Shit. And come into my dressing room
and I went into his dressing room and you know, of course
Randy wasn't gonna interfere with.
Right, right. So yeah.
So I was in that dressing room and so that was it.
That's it. OK.
Well, I mean, sound like he had his chance to not do something
(25:40):
stupid and unfortunately he messed that up.
But yeah, yeah. But I'm going to be honest with.
You, Randy, was my true love. Gotcha.
OK. Gotcha.
Maybe the one that got away, we were soul mates.
His mother. His mother.
Always told me that and but we were soul mates and it's not
like I didn't have another chance with Randy.
(26:03):
After him and Liz divorced, we were at a bar here in Nashville
and we were all me and my mother.
We were at the bar and I told mother, I said we were all
drinking together, Randy and allof us.
And we I said come on, we'll we're leaving.
(26:23):
And so we left and all of a sudden there was a car flying up
behind us. And I pulled over.
I said, who in the hell is this following us?
And it it was Randy. And I pulled.
Over and I said what are you doing?
You followed me home and he saidno I'm trying to get back to the
(26:43):
Red Roof Inn I said which one? And he said at River Gate.
And I said, well, you're going the wrong way, I.
Said. I'll lead you back to the
Interstate and then I'll get offand you need to go straight.
And so I did. I got him back, but he was
letting me know where he was staying.
Sure, right. If you want to drop by, yeah,
(27:07):
right, right. So.
But. I just, I just went back home.
Yeah, yeah. That was my mistake.
Well, and. So you regretted that?
Essentially, yeah. Yeah.
Well, you know, did you get along with the Lanny as well?
Oh yeah, I talked. To Lanny up until his death,
(27:28):
yeah, that's such a. Sad time when he he passed away
because, you know, he'd kind of helped cement the legacy of, of
Randy back with the WWE And thenhe he loses his life.
It was, it was sad, very tragic.When anybody passes, it's
tragic. But you know, I heard that, you
know, George has told stories several times to me about how,
(27:48):
you know, Laney really was kind of under their thumb.
Do you do you see that too underWWF?
No under this. His dad and Randy's thumb, in a
way, especially in ICW. Yeah, yeah, he was.
Yeah, he idolized Randy. Yeah.
Yeah. That makes sense.
That makes sense. Well, so when did you, when was
(28:11):
that? What year was that, that you had
your first match with ICW? Lord, have mercy.
I don't even have any idea. Would it be like 70?
5 or 76 something like that maybe or no, because I started.
Wrestling in 7075. OK, Gotcha.
OK. OK.
Well, I just know that there's abit of a time between that in 86
(28:32):
when you make it up to the WWFI.Guess talk a little bit about
that middle time between the ICWand WWF like when I started.
In WWF, yeah. Yeah.
Well, you know, Moolah called and wanted me to get in the WWF,
OK? And she wanted me to.
Go up there and work with her. And that was a.
(28:55):
Mistake on her part. I mean, I mean, she really, I
mean, she made a mistake there because when I went up there, I
told Vince and I love them aboutthe way she was tricked her
girls, you know, the way that she was not giving them the
money and all that. So that broke that all wide
(29:15):
open. Wow, OK.
I'm the one. Who did that?
And so the girls started gettingtheir own checks and all that.
But then when I got up there, I mean, I, I did the circuit with
Moolah first and then I started working some of the other girls
and stuff. So I mean, it was nice and
stuff. And, you know, and, you know,
(29:37):
and, you know, I ended up running into Randy, too, with
Elizabeth up there. And, you know, and there was one
day in Columbus, OH, that. But Randy had said, can I talk
to you for a minute? And I said yeah.
And I was back up against the, what, concrete wall?
I remember it. And he said you're making my
(30:01):
life a Peyton Place. And.
And I just looked at him in his eye and he hit the wall.
He hit the wall. And I just, like, scooted down
up underneath his arm and I justwalked away.
Yeah. And.
And, you know, and I mean, I don't understand why he was
(30:22):
saying that because, I mean, I stayed away from him.
Sure. Yeah.
But but that's the. Only time that he ever really
said anything to me about being up there in WWF.
OK, but, but I mean, you know, he still had feelings.
You could tell that they feel and you know, even though that
(30:43):
he was with Elizabeth, but I mean, but as far as working in
WWF, I mean, I loved it. I love working with the girls.
The, you know, I mean, I had a good run up there and I enjoyed
it. You know, I mean, they wanted to
drop the belt on me with Moolah and Moolah told me that I better
(31:08):
not take that belt and run, you know, because they Madison
Square Garden and I was a nervous wreck in Madison Square
Garden. I mean, I was a basket case.
Tell me about that. Oh God, I.
Was like, oh, I was like throwing up.
You know, that's the, that's thebiggest, you know, arena, you
know, that you could work. Amen.
(31:29):
Yeah. My mother.
Always told me you always respect the the older women, you
know, The Pioneers, the older women.
And you know, even though she was Muggla and I really did not
respect her, my mother always told me you respect the older
women or older girls in the business.
(31:50):
So, you know, so they had come in the dressing room.
They told us what we needed to do and all that.
So and then when they walked out, Pat Patterson, when he
walked out, Lila looked at me. She said you better not do it.
So I. Mean, you know, I well, here's
the the Booker and here's her. You know that Do not take that
(32:12):
belt and run. So I just didn't.
Yeah, you were. Up there during the time of that
Hulk Hogan's rocking wrestling. And was there ever any talk
about, hey, Debbie Combs, let's bring you on the show?
Did they ever maybe talk about because I know Wendy was focused
on and then I know there were some things about Wendy winning
the title and then Mula taking it off of her like the original
(32:34):
Montreal Screwjob, but did they ever talk to you about anything
like that, endorsements or action figures or anything like
that? No, I mean if.
They were. If they did talk about it, I was
never in on that talk. I know I was supposed to.
Been on Wrestle Mania 10 and Medusa refused to wrestle me
really well. I want to.
Get to that because I know you all actually worked together
(32:56):
before that. But so I guess let's let's pause
that for just a second. I want to get into Sherry
Martel, though, because you worked with her when you were up
there, correct? I worked with Sherry.
Up there and different. Sherry Martel was the last match
that I had before I retired. Oh yeah, OK.
OK, well, Sherry to me is one ofthe greats, man.
(33:18):
I mean, you know, she's one of the greatest managers.
I think she's highly underrated when it comes to manager talk.
And, you know, she turned her career around.
Did you by chance see that dark side of the ring about her?
No, I did not. Get to see it well when you can.
It's on YouTube, you can watch it on there.
I highly recommend it. It's heartbreaking because
there's a moment where she has ababy and she basically chooses
(33:40):
to go on the road because I guess she knew her future had to
be where it had to be. And, and that that just brings
up such a crazy thought in my mind when I saw that, you know,
I was like, golly, these ladies gave up so much to entertain us.
Not and, and some women, and please don't take this the wrong
way, but some women do not feel complete without a child, right?
(34:03):
You know, So I know that that has to be something that is
heavy on the women that are performing at that time.
And can you talk a little bit about that?
Well, I've never. Been married and never had no
children, so you know, but Sherry did have a relationship
with her son, right? Right And.
She would bring him on the road and stuff, but I guess, you
(34:25):
know, a lot of people were like,Oh my gosh, I can't believe she
would. But that just shows you how much
she knew she had to do the wrestling, you know, and, and
had to, you know, and that was her calling.
And you know, it's almost like when you're talking to a
minister or something and they're like, I got the calling
to go into preaching and stuff. It's like she had the calling.
She knew what she had to do and that that it was, it was
(34:47):
heartbreaking in one sense, but then again, you know, she did
build a relationship with him. So, you know, I, I think that it
kind of ended on a positive note, but it, it just opened my
eyes to some of the things that,you know, let's just say the
normal people in the world that didn't get in the wrestling
business could do. And, and it wasn't necessarily
an option for for a lot of the women, you know, it was well, I
(35:11):
just I. Just think that when it gets
into your blood that you know you have that that in your blood
and you just don't want to give it up.
You know, Sherry tried to get out of it several times and it
just didn't work for her, you know?
It's. Hard to get out of wrestling.
I mean, it, it was really hard for me in 2000.
(35:32):
I mean it, it's not easy to get walk away from wrestling.
You know, it's, it's not an easychoice to do.
I mean, it's hard and it's, it'snot an easy feat by no means,
right? Right.
It's you get withdrawals and everything.
And I did a little bit and I'm not claiming any kind of
(35:53):
actually anything close to you or many of our guests.
I did a small time in the Nashville wrestling scene
working for Tony Falk and TJ Weatherby and Bert Prentice and,
and, and I was a manager, local heel manager there.
And you know, it got into my blood even at that small level,
you know what I mean? And I'm are ever addicted to it
(36:14):
now because not only as a mark, as a fan growing up, you know, I
became, I actually got that injection of the crowd and, and
the whole thing. And so it's like, I do
understand. I think that's part of the
reason I continue with these podcasts now is because it gives
me the opportunity to learn fromthose that came before me, you
know what I mean? So yeah.
(36:35):
So if. If someone were to ask you a
simple question of like, Hey Debbie, describe Sherry to me in
like 10 words or so, what would you say?
If you could describe Sherry? What, what would it be?
A. Wonderful person, a fantastic
worker, great personality, fun to be around.
(36:56):
Yeah, I, you know, she was such a joy and would bring a smile on
anybody's face. I remember one time we was out
at the Cauliflower Alley Club and we were in, it was in Studio
City when we was out in California.
And she said, come on, Debbie, we're going to go.
(37:16):
We're going to go down to Hollywood.
So we got dressed. You know, Sherry was crazy as
hell and a partier. She partied and we went down.
We went into this bar. I don't know what the hell she
got my ass into. He always just laughed at
everything. We walked into this place and
(37:39):
I'm telling you, in one room they were doing all kinds of
drugs. This next room, they were fun
and. We just kept on.
Walking and she just laughing and grinning.
You can just see her face right now and.
And we just. Partied and, you know, and I
just got drunk and man, I remember the ride home over them
(38:00):
hills back to Studio City at thehometown Sportsman's Lodge.
It was just funny as hell. They were doing all kinds of
stuff in that damn club. She can.
Introduce you to everything. Oh wow, that's awesome.
Hey my. Name is.
(38:20):
Tammy Reynolds, I am the wife ofForsaken Rick Reynolds, that
super cool guy that everybody knows and loves.
And I represent West Side Sauces.
I make sauces. I bottle them, I seal them, I
sell them. I have a hot honey sauce.
I have a sweet sauce. I have a hot sauce.
(38:43):
I have a white sauce that's so yummy you can use it on
everything. They are absolutely amazing and
I'm so proud of them. We make them from scratch.
So go on our website, westsidesauces.com, check out
our products, read about our story and go online and order
(39:03):
you some of these yummy sauces. And Rick actually uses all of
the sauces because he is a die hard smoker and griller and so
he likes really good sauces and rubs and I make them.
So how convenient is that for him?
Go on our website, westsidesauces.com, order you
(39:23):
some samples and I think you'll thoroughly enjoy them.
Thank you guys. Be blessed so.
You end up becoming N.W.A women's champion in a is it in a
battle royal in Honolulu and then something happens and then
(39:43):
you actually win it again in Kansas City, but it was like you
didn't actually lose it. Talk about that a little bit.
Well there. Was some controversy.
I won it in the battle royal andHonolulu under mayor of the
Mabea. OK, Leia, Maia.
(40:04):
Yeah. And, and then, I don't know,
evidently they didn't really recognize her as an N.W.A
promoter. And then Harley Race was
promoting Kansas City. So he said, well, we'll have a
match and we'll, you know, and then and he was an N.W.A
(40:25):
promoter and so they had a matchthere and that they did the
match there. That's cool.
Like now. How does that feel?
I mean, how did that feel at thetime?
You know, being the N.W.A women's champion, I mean, that
means a lot, right? Oh yeah.
Yeah, it it meant a lot. Yeah, Yeah.
That's. Awesome.
Tell me a little bit about Harley Race.
(40:47):
I would love to hear something about how you working with
Harley Harley. I mean, I loved Harley.
I mean, he was a wholesome guy. I mean a family man.
I mean, he was one of the best champions that NFVA could.
You know, he was a great worker.I mean, you know, very few
(41:11):
wrestlers could go an hour, but Harley Race was one of them, you
know, I mean, you, you know, youcould grab a hoax and sell it
forever. And and that's one person that
me and Sherry Martel in Toronto,Canada, we had went an hour
because the flight was delayed getting Toronto.
(41:35):
So we ended up having to go an hour.
You know, very few workers can do that.
But but Harley Race was a tremendous person, Husband,
father, champion. Well, he.
Was he was the best N.W.A champion that they had?
(41:56):
Yeah, no doubt. Yeah, that, that's who I think
of. When you put that 10 lbs gold in
front of my eyes, I think of Harley, that's who.
Right, Right. You know, he was just, he was
just a perfect, you know, individual, I believe you know.
Yeah. Yeah.
Well. So you end up going up to
Minnesota with Vern in AWA and then you you meet up again with
(42:19):
Sherry and then is this when youkind of start tagging with
Medusa at that time? Yeah, yeah.
Talk about your going up to AWA I.
Mean I didn't travel up to AWA lot, but when I did, I usually I
usually wrestle with Sherry or Candy and then I tag with Medusa
(42:43):
up there some but that just lasted a little while.
But I would wrestle with Sherry and then I would wrestle with
Kathy, OK. You know, because Sherry.
Was living down here at one point and I I've had a lot of
good times with Sherry when whenever I start thinking about
(43:06):
Sherry I remember we were first class going to Minneapolis on
Christmas and drunker and shit we got there.
I'm. Just thinking of her, you know,
but and then she looking back incoach and saying we get almonds
instead of y'all getting peanuts, you know, just crazy.
(43:29):
Sherry's just crazy. But you know, but yeah,
Medusa's, you know, yeah, we tagged up there a lot more than
we never. I don't think I ever wrestled
her in Minneapolis. Gotcha.
OK. OK.
And then of course that does lead to WWF and 94 Medusa and
Alundra and then is that essentially when she declined to
(43:52):
work with you? Well, you know they.
Booked US against each other andwe wrestled some and then they
was for Wrestle Mania and that'swhen she declined.
I mean, it was booked. They advertised it.
There was Flyers. I was in the Wrestle Mania 10
booklet. And then she come off and did
(44:15):
not want to wrestle me in Wrestle Mania.
I mean, and all the, I mean all the advertisement and everything
and they had to replace me with Lalonik High, Yeah.
Yeah, who I'm sure you're friends with, right, Lalani?
Oh yeah, I love. Lalani.
Yeah. And she, she didn't understand
why neither. And I still to this day, I do
(44:36):
not understand why she did that.That's weird.
That's so. Weird.
Do you? I mean, is there any chance that
she might have thought you wouldhave outshined her by chance?
I mean, they were kind of putting it all on her, you know?
Well, I mean. It's possible, yeah, Yeah.
You know I never. Did I never did get a reasoning.
(44:57):
That's a hell of a payday. That she made you miss.
That's unfortunate. And have you guys seen each
other since then? Have you been cordial or is it
cool or well, I've not been. Cordial with her.
I didn't. I didn't expect you to be, but I
don't know if I've seen. Her since then, OK, you know.
(45:17):
And I don't know. If I could be cordial with her,
Yeah, understand. Understand, and that makes
sense. I mean, it's, you know, that's
that's just a hell of a payday and an opportunity especially.
I mean, I can imagine she must have had some sort of stroke to
be able to get that to happen because I if they've already
advertised you and everything, Ican't imagine them wanting, you
(45:40):
know, to not have you on the show.
But man right And she. Cannot deny it, right?
Right. No, it happened.
Yeah, no. And.
Everybody knows it. Lalani knows it, everybody knows
it, so she can deny it, right? Right, did that.
Put it, awkward situation with you and Lalani.
I'm sure you're cool about that.No, no, it did.
(46:01):
Not, you know, no, no, I love, you know, Patty is a you know, I
don't, you know, I can't blame Lalani, right?
Of course of. Course, so it brings you back
home and then you start up WPW Women's Pro Wrestling.
You've got ladies such as Candy Devine, Miss Jackie, Peggy Lee
Leather, Velvet McIntyre and so many more.
(46:23):
What led you to start your own promotion?
Well, Edward Pastana wanted to start an all girls promotion and
he was out of California and so I did and we started it and we
wanted to run military bases andwe did run some of them.
(46:43):
But, you know, he just didn't want to put enough money in it
to, you know, to, you know, really run it right, right,
like. It's been.
Ran Yeah, I mean, I just. Saw the names and I was like,
holy cow, this is this is your. This is the glow for girls who
could really go, you know what Imean?
(47:04):
Yeah, but. Honestly, to be able to you
know, to get a good promotion like you know, going, you have
to have like a money like glow does have, right, Of course,
exactly. A big time money backer?
Yeah. Did they?
Ever talk to you? About going to glow, no.
I didn't know. Yeah, no, I wouldn't want to go
(47:26):
to Glow. Right, Right.
Because it was not probably. I mean, your mom being Cora
Combs and the ladies who paved the foundation, I never saw any
of them at GLOW, you know? So it was.
Yeah. It was its own thing, I guess,
right. It was more like a TV show more
than anything, right? It wasn't.
(47:47):
Yeah, well, it was. It was the girls out there
wanting to just a stepping stoneto get into movies in Hollywood.
It's just like up in Vern Gonyo.One time he brought in, was it
Daisy Mae? I can't remember.
A little blonde with a little Daisy sports.
He he got her up there and I hada hell of a match with her.
(48:11):
I made her look like she knew everything.
It was up in Minneapolis and he said, I'm going to book you with
her out in LA, not LA Vegas where they did ESPN taping.
And so we went out there and he's, you know, OK, we'll get
out there and make her look goodand all this shit.
(48:33):
I went, I was not going to get on ESPN and make this girl look
like she knew what she was doing, right?
Right. Got out there.
And I pulled every hair extension out in her head.
And. I I just tore her ass up to
where she got out of professional wrestling.
(48:53):
Oh, wow. OK.
OK. And.
Vern said What the hell, Debbie?I said what?
What? Vern, I can't help, but I was
not going to get on ESPN and take my looks like a fool,
right? Exactly.
Yeah, Yeah. You had enough sense to know in
that situation exactly. Not going to, you know, it's not
(49:17):
me. I've been in this business too
long to put somebody like that over.
Yeah, yeah. Right.
Well, you know, and I remember I've seen you wrestle all
through your career growing up and stuff.
And then I remember on Nitro in 1997, you actually worked Akira
Hokuto. And I know that they were trying
to to make a a women's division and, but unfortunately it didn't
(49:40):
look like you stuck around long.What was the story with that I,
I. I don't know, Eric.
He he didn't like the women, youknow.
He. Never was a big fan of the
women, you could tell, yeah. You could tell, yeah, he did
not. Like the women's division.
And I don't never think that he really wanted that.
(50:03):
But I'll tell you, in that match, I had a broken ankle.
Oh wow. Yeah, I had a.
Broken ankle in that match and if anybody looked real close,
you could tell that my ankle waswrapped up OK and.
I had. Like a brace really on that
ankle. Yeah, that's.
(50:24):
That's wow. Did what happened to 'cause that
before you got there. What?
Where'd you break your ankle? Yeah, it was in.
Another match, but I didn't wantto, I didn't want to cancel
that, that show. So I went ahead, went in and did
it. You know, 'cause the show must
go on and the show must go. On exactly.
(50:45):
I mean, Carrie Von, Eric Krisel without a foot forever.
You could do that, right? I mean, you can you can wrap
your ankle and make it work, right?
I don't blame you. Yeah, like hell.
But I didn't. How did you find?
Akira how? How was she to work with?
Oh, she was great. Yeah, did she?
Speak English very little. Yeah, but just enough.
(51:08):
Yeah, very. Little I'm sure you were
calling. That match I would assume, well,
the best I. Could.
Yeah, right. You know, because.
You didn't understand a lot of English.
OK, gotcha. OK, yeah, that makes sense.
But good workers they can. They know what you're doing, you
know what I'm saying? You can work around that.
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, right.
(51:28):
Yeah. Well, you know, I know that it
ended up into 2000 where you youretired.
Talk about your your last match with us if you don't mind.
My last match was was. Was Sherry, and it was in
Baltimore, MD, and it was, of course, you know me and Sherry.
Thumbtacks, glass rolls. Oh, my God.
(51:51):
It was a hardcore match. And that's our match.
Was the last match up in Baltimore.
Yeah. Yeah, that shit.
And so did I Yeah. Yeah.
Did you know going into it that it was going to be your last
match? Yeah.
Gotcha. OK.
Yeah, that makes sense. Well, who better to do it with
than Sherry, right? Especially how much you cared
(52:13):
about her. Exactly.
Yeah. I.
Wish that I could get in touch with some of her family.
Yeah, yeah. Well, if anybody has any
contacts out there get with Debbie, you know, so yeah, well,
I do want to kind of lead into some other questions here.
So the the one question I want to talk about and, and was kind
of the one of the main things I wanted to talk to you about
(52:33):
today was the current state of women's wrestling.
I guess I would love to hear your thoughts on on the current
status of women's wrestling. What are your thoughts on it
right now? Well, I mean, you know, I don't
really, you know, I wish it would kind of go back to some of
the old style, some of these women.
(52:55):
I mean, you know they could not go 30 minutes, right?
That's less 60. Right, you know, and I don't
know if they know hope right you're.
You can tell, yeah, they only. Know flying, right and that is
(53:16):
not wrestling right, right, the old style, but I mean they're
very athletic and they're very high flying and I've you know,
you've got to give them props and they're very I mean they're
very good at what they're doing and they and they brought girl
wrestling, you know, but you've got to give it to the older
(53:40):
generation that we paid the way Amen, Amen.
Yeah, you know, and the. Only thing that that I, that,
you know, I've got to, I've got to say this, that WWEWWF,
whatever, I do not think that they give the older girls
Leilani, Malaya, Osaka. Well, I don't know, Penny, any
(54:07):
of the other other girls that the Santa Montagas, any of the
girls that work for WWEWWF credit and put them in the Hall
of Fame up there. Yeah.
That they deserve to be put in there too.
Not just the the newer girls or the girls that you know, you
(54:29):
know, we all deserve to be put in there too.
We pay into what? Amen.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. They need to go back to what you
were talking about on your MountRushmore.
Start there and start putting inthe the legends, the like you
said, the golden era of women's wrestling, you know, and, and I
mean the Trisha's and the Leda'sand all that, they're great and
(54:51):
talented girls, but at the same time, you can't forget where
those girls came from, you know,and.
Exactly, you know, And it wouldn't hurt to have the golden
error, right? It wouldn't.
Hurt to have. The older girls in there and
plus, you know, put, you know, you know, look how many men they
put in there. Yeah, exactly.
(55:12):
Exactly, you know, and then. They could put the golden arrow
in there of the women and then they could put the their little
newer women in there, right? Exactly.
Yeah, Yeah. I mean, and I mean there's years
that go by that, you know, like I think the midnight Express
need to be in there and you, youactually still have Dennis and
Stan. You can put them in there and as
(55:33):
a tribute to Bobby and bring Jimin, you know, but there's so
many things every year that theymiss.
I mean, you know, I, I think there's a, they call it a legacy
hall where they throw in some ofthe older, you know, the
legends, the, the like you were talking about the golden era.
But you know, when it comes downto it, to really have a
legitimate Hall of Fame and to really have that be something
(55:55):
special, you should go back and and put those original folks,
The Pioneers in, you know, right, You know they.
They they have a division up there that they induct the the
dead. I don't know what they call it.
I can the legacy I think. It's called legacy Hall, I
think. But my mother.
(56:15):
They inducted my mother and theydidn't even contact me.
Really. No, they didn't even contact me
or even invite me. Wow.
Holy cow, that was in new. Orleans, yeah, OK.
That's. Been a while, yeah.
Wow. And they could.
Have at least acknowledged or notified me that they were going
(56:38):
to induct her or even invited me, right?
Yeah, no. Kidding.
I mean they nothing to them. Yeah, they miss they.
Miss a lot, but that's that's huge.
I can't believe that. That's crazy.
That's, I don't even know what to say to that Debbie, honestly,
you know. I mean, I've never done nothing
to Vince. I mean, I don't know, you know?
(57:00):
And that's when he had it, right?
Right. Yeah, listen up you bunch of
slack jawed flea market freeloaders.
If you think you know Memphis wrestling, you don't know
nothing till you've heard the Retro Wrestling Review podcast.
Brother. Every week they're talking the
real stuff. Lawler, Jarrett, PG13, Yeah, and
even my Moon Dogs. Watch long stories from Rd.
(57:23):
interviews and folks who are in the thick of it, brother.
The blood, the beer and the bailmoney.
It's all on the Wrestle Copia podcast network.
Go to USW podcast.com or I'll come down there and I'll slap
taste out of your mouth. Hi, this is Mike Needham, host
(58:07):
of the Reckless Abandoned podcast with Mike Needham.
We invite you to jump on your favorite podcast platform and
search for the Reckless Abandoned Podcast and give us a
listen. I'm sometimes joined by a part
time podcaster, part time Co host and full time wife Kitney
Nicole. We talk wrestling, we talk pop
culture, we talk local events, local happenings in West
(58:29):
Tennessee, and a ton of other stuff.
But be sure to check out the Reckless Abandoned Podcast, find
us on Facebook. Also look up the micro group
Podcasting Family on Facebook and see some of our other
podcasts we have out there. Until next time, make good
choices and always remember, no Dollar, no dice.
(59:01):
Ladies and gentlemen, this is Jimmy St. and that was episode
19 of the Best of James Rock St.Productions with the first half
of episode 60 of Debbie Combs onGive Me Back My Pro Wrestling.
Debbie was very sweet to come onand tell her story in her first
podcast interview ever. I hope y'all enjoyed hearing
from the second generation superstar as much as I did.
You can hear the full episode and more over on at G MB MPW or
(59:24):
Give Me Back My Pro Wrestling. Wherever you listen to podcasts
or simply click the link in the note, it's below.
We hope you've enjoyed a look back in the archives of James
Rock St. Productions.
Check us out next week to see what else we have in store.
Until then, follow at G MB MPW and at James Rock St.
everywhere. Peace with a tear in my eye.
(59:47):
This is the greatest moment in my life.
(01:00:19):
This has been a James Rock St. production.
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Betrayal: Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a brand new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack. And make sure to check out Seasons 1-4 of Betrayal, along with Betrayal Weekly Season 1.