June 9, 2025 • 56 mins
#magnumta #powertown #prowrestling #gmbmpw
Welcome to Episode 2 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 19 of Give Me Back My Pro Wrestling with Magnum TA! We talk his start in the business, his early days, Andre the Giant, Dusty Rhodes, Powertown and so much more! Enjoy!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Megum TA here, and you're listening to Give Me Back My Pro
Wrestling. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to
Give Me Back My Pro wrestling. Now you know, baby, this is hot
(00:46):
Rod Bigs, Jared, Jimmy St. We're going to take them to the
limit one more time, baby, righthere.
Oh, give me back my pro wrestling.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome tothe Give Me Back my pro
wrestling podcast. And honestly, Jared today, you
know, it's this should be a holiday.
I think, you know, today we justhad Greg Gonya and we've had
(01:09):
Steve on for Powertown and Kaylaat Relativity.
Y'all are the best. Thank you so much.
But this right here. I mean, if the podcast were to
end, you know, obviously that would be not fun, but it could.
And we would have accomplished something with this because
we've got Magnum TA on the show today.
What do you think about that? Man, when I think about my our
(01:32):
childhood and, and getting into wrestling, I think of, you know,
Jim Crockett promotions and watching, you know, some of our
our favorites at the time, we were babyface guys.
So we like the Rock'n'roll Express, we like the Road
Warriors, we like Magnum and Dusty Rhodes.
I mean, it's it's, it's just amazing to get to talk to the a
(01:55):
childhood hero like this, that you don't think something like
this could ever happen. But but it is happening for us
today. There are some things that I
cannot wait to ask him. There's going to be some fun
stuff. The first thing I think you'll
hear in this one that you maybe didn't hear, and Greg, because
with Greg, honestly, when you hear Greg talk, it's like you
hear Vern, you know? Their voice is so similar to me.
(02:17):
And with Magnum, his voice is just his voice.
It's not Dusty's, it's not Rick's, it's Magnum.
And I can't wait to talk to him just about his promos, man, cuz
you know, his promos were fiery like a southern preacher, you
know? Yeah, you know who he reminded
me who his promos remind me of in a way.
Who's that? It's like he's a babyface
(02:38):
version of Jake the Snake Robertpromos a little bit in a way.
I don't know, It always remindedme of that.
The way they look into the cameras and not that they
sounded the same, but the way they delivered them or something
like. OK.
I can see that they're they're making eye contact with the
listener. Ton of eye contact and like I
feel like they're like peering into your soul a little bit.
Yeah, I mean, I just feel like, Can you imagine being one of
(03:00):
Magnum's kids and they get in trouble?
Like. He's cutting a promo on them and
they're just like, sorry dad, I'll never do that again, I
promise. Because our dad can cut a promo,
you know, so, so it's a. Prerequisite of being a dad,
right? Yeah, I think it is.
I need to figure that out. Actually.
I think it would help some things out with me and cash, but
no, I'm just kidding. But with Magnum, you know, he
(03:22):
obviously had that it, it was like a stern but strong, but
passionate, but powerful. Obviously we've, you know, we've
heard his promos a million times.
And there's, you know, he was standing beside Dusty, who was
like this, you know, cool, suave, like, I don't know, not
cool. Muhammad Ali type promo.
(03:42):
Very rapping kind of deal. You know, he was a Muhammad Ali.
He had a rap about him, almost. And with Magnum, it was smart of
Magnum to just be himself because it came across as
different than Dusty Dust is like this daddy.
Yeah, daddy. And then Magnum is like, listen,
you know, it's like super straight ahead, awesome,
(04:04):
powerful. His tone kind of keeps at an
even keel, but not monotone, Youknow, it reaches a level and it
stays there, but it's like the punch to the face, you know?
So yeah, anyway, you know, they're babyface promos that we
love, of course, the Road Warrior.
Wow. You know, and, you know, tell
them Hulk. Yeah, tell them Hulk.
(04:24):
And then Sting, of course had a great when his was a little more
animated. Dusty, of course.
But Daddy, then you know, those great rock'n'roll Express, I
feel, I feel like kind of Rickies is similar to Magnums at
a level, you know, Robert, Robert always talk like this.
Yeah, tell him Ricky, tell him Ricky.
And he's like, listen to you look at Chucky, Tennessee Skew,
(04:47):
you know, and I mean, but but Magnum, he just had that
powerful voice. He had a good voice.
You know, obviously a good promohas to have a good voice behind
it. So, you know, and plus he looked
cool. I mean, he was a badass, but he
also looked cool like the ladieswanted to be with him and the
men wanted to be him. And I think that's.
The trick? Perfect statement.
Yeah, because that's the perfectway to be a good babyface,
(05:10):
especially in the South, is, youknow, if you if you've got that
and then you've got him, you know.
So anyway, we want to thank you all for listening to the Cousin
Condrey episode, to the Greg Danya episode.
We've got some Jablonski is pissed off.
That's a new segment we're goingto be dropping.
It'll be a separate little show that we drop.
It's not going to be on a different feed.
(05:31):
It's just going to be its own thing.
Little 15 minute clips about Jablonski being pissed off.
We can't wait for you to hear the first one.
It's going to be a lot of fun. We hope you all enjoy those.
Those are there for you to enjoy.
Thank you, Mike, for being a part of us and helping out the
show with that, you know, but also with Kayla, Steve,
everybody at Powertown, at Relativity.
(05:51):
Thank you all so much for hooking this up with Greg.
And now it's leading into this one with Magnum.
So instead of me talking, which I know y'all get probably tired
of hearing me talk, let's talk to Magnum.
Absolutely. All right, we'll be right back
after these messages. Promotional consideration paid
for by the following. This is Kroll and you're
(06:13):
listening to Give Me Back My ProWrestling with Jimmy St. and
Jared the Plastic Sheet. Be sure to like, subscribe and
view all of our USWO and Saw wrestling content at Nashville
Wrestling Network exclusively onYouTube.
(06:39):
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Give Me Back My Pro
Wrestling. And I can't tell you, I honestly
can't say this with a straight. I cannot tell you that I ever
thought I would be talking to this gentleman on this show
because we had a dream for this podcast, my brother and I, that
we would get to talk to some wrestlers, get to talk about
(07:00):
wrestling and have a blast. But to be able to talk to one of
your childhood heroes is more than I could ever have imagined.
And honestly, if this podcast were to stop tomorrow, I would
be OK. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to
welcome to you, in my opinion, the United States heavyweight
Champion, Magnum TA. Magnum.
(07:22):
Welcome to the show my friend. Man, what an intro.
I don't know if I can follow that.
I'm sure you'll do OK. Thank you so much for coming on,
Sir. How are you doing today?
Hi, I'm doing just great. You know, 63 years old, twins,
boy, girl, twins in the ninth grade in high school, fully full
(07:45):
time, employed in the telecom industry and and this little
thing called Power Town going onin the background.
So yeah, I've got more balls in the balls in the air than a man
of my age and distinction shouldhave.
I mean, you know what, Hey, if there's anybody that can do it,
it's the great Magnum TA. So, you know, we believe in your
(08:07):
Magnum. We know you got this, especially
about the Power Town, but we want to get to that in just a
little bit because obviously, like I said, in the early 80s to
the mid 80s, you were a staple to us.
I mean, honestly, we felt you through the TV.
You were one of those performerslike Dusty Rhodes, like Ric
Flair, like all the greats that you could feel through the TV.
(08:30):
Now, we're Mid-Atlantic kids. We grew up in in southwestern
Virginia, really close to Bristol, in a town called
Lebanon, Virginia. And we grew up on you guys.
You all were our wrestling. Bob Coddle was our voice and
Magnum and Dusty were our heroes.
So I guess let's start with that.
I know you had a great career before then, but let me ask you
this. What is something that Dusty
(08:53):
told you at the start that you still hold on to this day?
Is there something that he said to you that you always will
remember? Well, I'll always remember the
call that I got in the middle ofthe night in 1984 as when I was
working for Bill Watts and I wasa North American heavyweight
(09:16):
champion over there and territory was on fire.
And I get a call and Bill Knight, him introducing me to
Jim Crockett and, and, and them laying out this blueprint for me
about what they envisioned and what they wanted to do with me
(09:36):
and the opportunity that they were going to give me that that
is unheralded. I mean the, the push of a
lifetime, as we call it in the business.
And, and I'll never forget that moment because it though I, I
had been working for about a year and a half and in the main
event mainstream, you know, for,for Mid South, having the
(10:01):
opportunity to come to work for the Crockettes.
And then, you know, then jumpingon a national platform rather
than a, a regional platform or something that, that right out
of a storybook. Because I, I graduated high
school in 1977, won state championship and in 1985 I'm
(10:23):
rustling Ric Flair for the world's heavyweight title in
front of us sold out Norfolk Scope Coliseum with those sets
of grandparents up in the standsand my mom and dad.
I mean, what, what, what fantasynovel does something like that
happen in in that short period of time?
Yeah, that's amazing. That's a turn around time for
(10:44):
sure. I mean, it almost makes me think
of, you know, like because I'm trying to think of what I was
doing at that time versus that. I mean, you were a man quick and
I assume you know it part of your raising LED you to that.
But what got you ready for that moment, do you think?
I, I think honestly that the foundations from amateur
wrestling, which was my passion,which I live, breathe and died
(11:09):
from the time I was in the ninthgrade through my senior year,
just put a a work ethic in me and a goal setting mentality in
me that, you know, had me believe that anything I set my
mind to and worked hard enough for I was achievable.
(11:30):
And so when I, I mean, when I broke in the, the wrestling
world, you know, into the pro wrestling ranks, I mean, my
immediate goal of my mind was not that I just wanted to figure
this thing out as I wanted to bethe world's heavyweight champion
one day. And I mean, I thought this week
one, yeah. So I had very high, I had very
(11:53):
high ambitions for myself when Idid didn't know, you know, a
wrist lock from a wristwatch. So but but again, I had, I had
come from that foundation of a kid that in the eighth grade was
laying on a gym floor, couldn't do 1 push up and, you know, went
on to be the state champion and outstanding wrestler in the in
(12:17):
the state tournament in 1977. So happy.
I believe the impossible was possible if you were willing to
make the sacrifices and put in the work to to achieve those
goals. Yeah, that's a playbook right
there of how you do that. You know, if you have the
determination and I I don't think anybody would ever
question Magnum's determination.So, Jared.
(12:40):
I was just going to ask you, I've read some about the origin
of your name with your ring nameand you know there is the
resemblance people say to Tom Selleck and the Magnum Pi
character. And then I I read that Andre
actually helped you with the name like told you to add.
No, it was totally, totally, yeah, totally Andre.
So OK, so I'm so I meet Andre the John in 1980 again, right
(13:06):
right off the bat, I'm I'm broken in 1980.
About two weeks after being in the business, Andre comes in the
territory and I had the biggest car.
So the guy with the biggest car,so did the giant around.
So I had that that great big Jelly fellow in the front of my
old 98 Diesel and we and we spent a great deal time together
(13:27):
for two solid weeks and I'm justbroke in.
And then I passed cross again 2 little over 2 years later and
I'm now in championship wrestling of Florida and I've
come light years in that 2 shortyears from where I was when I
just started to what he saw me then.
(13:50):
And back then I, I wore like, I had these TaylorMade Hawaiian
shirts that I wore and, and I had, I had shorter hair and I,
they still was blonde, but it was shorter than, than it, you
know, ended up being. And, and, and I can see where,
you know, you would, you would see that, that, you know,
comparison. And Andre was sitting there, we
(14:12):
were eating at a place called Fat Man's BBQ down there
somewhere around Tampa. And at 3:00 in the morning and
he said, he said, you're ready, you're ready for a break.
And I said, what do you mean? He said, all you need is a
handle. He called it like the CB
handles. You did a handle, the name.
And he came up with the Magnum TA right there sitting at
(14:33):
breakfast. He said we need to be Magnum TA
like Magnum Pi. And I said that sounds great.
So so he was going back to New York for Vince Senior and, and
the plan was he was going up there and tell Vince about me
and they were going to bring me in to WWF.
So fate being as it is, they also WWE, we had reached out and
(14:58):
and talked to Paul Warndorf and he leaves Mid South,
unexpectedly, goes to New York. That was a top spot.
Ernie Ladd was the Booker. He too had been watching me
because he came in and out of the Tampa territory and and he
caught, he calls me again the middle of the night.
(15:18):
I think all big deals. I got half of the middle of the
night and his kid, he said. I got the opportunity of a
lifetime for you, Paul. You know, Paul's left with spots
open and it's yours if you want it.
So before Andre could pull the trigger, Bill's organization
reached, reached out to me and, you know, I end up going left,
(15:39):
you know, left instead of straight north.
And and that's how it all happened.
Sorry to come to you and say hello, Magnum.
I'm just kidding. Sorry, that's my Andre accent.
Yeah, that would be well, we won't, we won't hang you for
that. It's OK.
So, so obviously, OK, if you hadit to do over again, would you
(16:03):
have gone right on that or did you do, were you preferring the
left still? Well, you know, at the time it
was the, it was the correct thing to do because though Andre
had given me the handle, yeah, Ididn't know what to do with the
handle. I didn't know what that meant.
OK, sure. I've worked.
I've been working mid card matches with in in Championship
(16:25):
Russellville, Florida, predominantly in tag teams and
Scott McGee and I and Brad Armstrong and I were the global
tag team champions there like a total of four or five times
together. And we were going out there
having long matches every night where guys like the Royal
Kangaroos and, you know, puttinga lot of ring time in.
So I had got a lot of experience, but working main
(16:48):
event and then also starting a new persona that you're
basically inventing from thin air where it was, you know, it
was the deal. So what happened?
I go and you know, I got this look and and and they I got this
name and they don't really know what, you know, what to do with
me. And I don't really know exactly
(17:09):
what to do to get myself where Ineed to be either.
So for six months they're givingme a push, but it's not like
really it's kind of floundering all over the place.
One week they say, Hey, I think you should wear three piece
suits. And I so I did that.
I'm comfortable in that. Then then they said, Hey, how
about, you know, more like, you know, punk rock clothes.
(17:30):
I, you know, I tried that and that wasn't working right.
I'm about I've been there six months just kind of, you know, I
mean, I'm having great matches with like Butch Reed and and,
and guys they've got there there.
I mean some great talent and tagwith Jim Duggan.
We were the tag team champions there for a little while, but
again, wasn't really getting anyreal direction.
So so Ernie comes to me and says, you know, kid, this really
(17:52):
isn't working out quite well. You know, like we were thinking,
I said, hey, you know, it's all good.
And I said, I've I've had a great time.
I said, you know, I called Dustyup.
Dusty said, well, he said he said they're they don't know
they're not using you right. And he and Dusty view that I
rode motorcycles. So I'd ridden bikes since I was
17 years old. And so he said go get you a
(18:14):
Harley. And he said, well, we're going
to come down here and we're going to bring you in and make
you the Magnum TA, that like thelone wolf, the motorcycle, you
know, riding this mysterious, you know, kind of guy.
And so, so, so I said, yeah. I said, Oh yeah, I'm feeling
that I could, I could feel that.So I go to town and I haven't
(18:35):
left yet, so I'm still working. And so I'm rustling in Baton
Rouge and I go down to Baton Rouge.
Harley-Davidson, Jim Duggan drives me down.
I pick up about a brand new Harley-Davidson, buy me a
motorcycle jacket, and I and I ride that to the town.
Well, man, I drive that into thetown all the way to matches.
The people are buzzing, everybody's going crazy.
(18:56):
I walk into the dressing room with that leather jacket on.
The whole room looks at me differently.
Everything pivoted and changed that instant.
And then Bill sees me in the whole get up in the deal and I
said, he said, man, that's crazy.
I said, yeah, well, I said I'm going down to Florida.
He said, Oh no, you're not goingdown the floor.
(19:17):
So Bill Dundee came in, took over the book and they started
letting me be me and let me, youknow, develop my persona based
on what I was comfortable in my own skid, which was this this
biker ish, you know, kind of lone wolfish type, actually a
heel babyface kind of guy. Somebody would fight from the
(19:40):
bottom up. People could cheer for for, but
somebody was just as happy in, you know, in a brawling match
as, you know, like a Ricky the dragon Steamboat, you know, arm
drag, you know, technical kind of wrestling match.
And and I and I was a very comfortable in that role and.
And but it took, again, it took six months to figure that out.
(20:04):
So had I gone to New York without it figured out?
It really made the right impression then.
So it was the exact right move to have gone to work for Mid
South, Yeah. Definitely, definitely.
What Magnum, what do you think about the what's, how would you
describe like the difference between like travel and Mid
South versus like Mid-Atlantic territories?
(20:24):
Well, when, when I, when I firstwe got to Mid-Atlantic before
we, you know, blew the roof off the place and then, you know,
went on fire. Then mid South was worse because
if we just traveled more miles, I mean an average, an average
trip was 400 miles round trip. 500 miles round trip was, you
(20:45):
know, not unusual either. We all lived in Alexandria, LA
because we were about 200 to 250miles away from everywhere.
The only place we flew would be Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
We'd fly out of we, we'd fly a little commuter plane up and,
and fly that trip because it wasso far.
(21:06):
But everywhere else we drove, itwas probably, you know, 3000
mile weeks for kind of the norm.And then and then, and then,
then when I got to, you know, the Mid-Atlantic, you know,
again, North Carolina, South Carolina into Virginia.
You know, we had some long trips.
So we had a longer trip. You know, we typically stayed
(21:28):
over somewhere, went on to another town the next day.
Where's the mid South? We hardly ever stayed over.
We're because we were the next day.
We were usually, you know, 250 miles in the opposite direction
of where we started. So you couldn't you couldn't
stay over it just it didn't it didn't make sense.
But but if they were similar, you know, in some degree miss
(21:50):
out definitely longer. But then when we we pop in the
territory and we started flying everywhere, the game just
completely changed them because then we were going all over the
country. Yeah, that to me is something
that I've heard other wrestlers talk about.
As far as the travel, do you think that was there more
thought put behind the shows in Mid-Atlantic or do you think it
(22:12):
was just that's how it had to bein Mid South?
There was just no way around that.
Yeah, I think, I think it was just the, the way it was laid
out. I mean, I don't think they like
took a, you know, 3 darts at a board to try to figure out what
towns to book because I mean, we, we would work the same
towns, you know, basically everymonth.
(22:32):
I mean, it was a circuit that you were working that we're
working 7 seven days a week. But but nonetheless it you know,
because we did, we did our television taping in Shreveport
and at the hours Mcdeals boys, boys center and you know, that
was not optional and that was there just nothing was
centralized about it. When you're covering, you know,
(22:55):
we're going into Texas, we're going into Houston and you know,
a couple, couple of those towns are all night side of Texas and
smaller towns and then all the way across.
I mean, the way Louisiana's laidout, you know, it's
demographics. So you, you, you've got to to go
where you got enough population to draw, draw a decent house and
(23:17):
and it was just spread out as all get out.
So I mean, you get there into Jim Crockett and you end up with
Wahoo McDaniel. Wahoo is actually the first
match I think I ever saw. It was him on TV, probably a
late 85, early 86. And this was the first wrestling
match that I remember. I remember promos a lot, you
know, like Ric Flair you. I mean, I remember a lot of the
(23:39):
powerful promos, but when it came down to the actual in ring
stuff, Wahoo I think is the first person I remember seeing
and paying attention to talk about Wahoo.
I mean one of the toughest. Right.
He was, he was a legend because I mean, I say I grew up watching
Mid-Atlantic to I'm from Chesapeake, VA and and so so
(23:59):
those were my earliest memories of television.
And my first match that I remember to this day was
watching Walter McDaniels and Johnny Valentine fighting for
the Silver Dollar Challenge whenthey had like $500 worth of
silver dollars in a fish bowl and they beat each other to
death. I mean, it was so physical and
(24:21):
brutal that I was like, Oh my gosh, you know, you know,
somebody hit me like that. I'm breaking a million pieces
not knowing that I would be, youknow, trading blows with this
guy, you know, 10 years down theroad.
But but yeah, I was, I was a huge fan of his.
And it was a weird angle to to to launch, you know, in a
territory with because Wahoo wasnot like some dastardly heel
(24:45):
that, you know, cowardly heel or, you know, I mean, you know,
he might do something and give you a cheap shot or went like
that. But he just was he was just a
big, rough, rugged, tough son ofa gun that everybody respected,
even as the fans, whether they cheered him or they booed him,
He he never had, you know, like heat, heat, like like a Tully
(25:06):
Blanchard. He just wasn't that that kind of
heel. So for me to go and have the
fans, you know, get behind me and, and be there and, and we,
we, we had, we had our US title match inside of the steel cage
in the old, you know, Charlotte Coliseum.
Now they're Bojangles and sold out crowd, 11,000 people and the
(25:30):
people were just magic. They were so into the match.
And I mean, he he passed the torch to me there right in the
middle of the ring with the belly to belly 123.
And you know, and it was a moment that I'll I'll never
forget because of my respect forhim, what he meant to the
industry, his heritage and Pro Football, just everything.
(25:50):
I mean, I felt like I was out there with, you know, like
probably like Hogan felt when hewas out there with Andre.
Yeah, yeah, you are the United States Plates heavyweight
champion. The one and only.
The only, yeah, I was telling a friend of mine the other day, I
was like, you know, that title, the US title, every time I see
it, I think they should just call it Magnum's title, the
(26:11):
Magnum title, because I mean, I'm just, you know.
I tell Luger that every time I see him there.
You go, there you go. Especially Luger.
Come on, man. I guess not to get too far
ahead, but, you know, they've obviously kept somewhat the
lineage of that United States title on up into the WWE.
(26:32):
I'm not sure where it deviates or if it even does deviate.
I know that they have a little bit of weird history on their
side of, you know, like where things start and end.
But to me, I mean, back then, that was the title that was
going to set you up basically for the world's title.
I wish that there was that kind of thing now with titles because
(26:54):
I felt like it was just so it was such a no brainer that it
was eventual, you know, OK, now he's got the US title.
That means he's automatically #1contender for the world.
That was so important. And I feel like that's something
they just don't do enough of these days.
No. And, and, you know, it's a
different time, a different era,a different audience.
They've been programmed differently.
(27:15):
But but you know, specifically when the N.W.A was what it was,
yeah. That title was automatically
instantly you became the US champion.
You were considered the number one challenger for the world's
heavyweight title. And the story, I mean, that's
that's what that title meant. I mean, you know, Wahoo had it
(27:37):
and Roddy Piper had it, Ricky Steamboat had it, you know,
Jimmy Snooker had it. I mean the list goes on and on
and on. And that was that wasn't like,
you know, say the Mid-Atlantic title or the, you know, I can't
can't think of other other, other titles.
But I don't think WWE ever got their Intercontinental title to
(27:58):
mean to to their world's title what the US title meant and then
N.W.A to the World's Heavyweighttitle.
I totally agree with that, absolutely.
And now a word from our sponsor.Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to
(28:27):
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team does it all. And all they ask is give Me Back
My Pro Wrestling every other Thursday, wherever you listen to
podcasts. Magnum I'm going to go ahead and
throw it out there. One of the greatest matches.
I I don't remember it from when I was young.
(29:11):
I was 4 at the time but after watch after watching it.
There's no watching it back. Yeah, after watching it back,
your I Quit match with Tony Blanchard at Starcade 85 has got
to be one of the greatest matches I've ever watched.
And people look at that card andit had Dusty and Flair and the I
Quit match is the one that people remember.
(29:33):
You all had such chemistry in the ring and it and it was
worked perfectly with you, the babyface and him, the heel.
And just just talk a little bit about that match.
Well, Kelly and I had known eachother since almost since I broke
in. I I went to work for his dad,
Joe, six months in the business and we met there and, and, you
know, I and I was, you know, really young and really green,
(29:55):
But I remember him telling me that, you know, he never wanted
to be anything but the best heelin the, in the, in the world.
He wanted to be the best heel. I didn't say the best champion.
He want to be the best heel. He's never one of those guys
that had some inner side of him that, you know, secretly wanted
to get the cheers. He wanted the booze.
He wanted to be hated. He wanted to be that master, you
(30:17):
know, that nasty guy that everybody want to see him get
his butt kicked. And, and so when, when we got
the opportunity, after I'd gone and, and, and really, you know,
hone my skills and, and gotten ready to, to perform on that
level, we were instantly, you know, attracted to the idea of
(30:39):
what we could do together. And, and, you know, kind of, and
I know he petitioned for it because he knew that there was a
huge opportunity and that I quitmatch was the end of a 8 month
feud, you know, 8 months. And you know, so telling a story
week in week out battles up downevery which way you could
(31:02):
possibly be. I mean, so I mean I win the
title from from Oahu in the in the Coliseum in Charlotte, I
defend against Tully, who had baby doll come down to the ring
dressed as a police officer slipping A roll of quarters.
He knocks me out or the referee doesn't see it.
(31:23):
Quarters go everywhere and he get and he gets the title.
And we fought week in week out, seven days a week, 8 months
straight. You know, all the things we did
in between till we got to down to that, that match and we had
so many epic matches. I'll be honest with you.
Had they had they had cameras everywhere we went, I would just
(31:46):
about bet you yeah, we had matches in arenas for for fans
somewhere that equaled that or were even way better.
Wow, wow. I just got chills just to know
that, you know. So I know that during this time
there was the I quit match at Starcade and stuff like that.
(32:08):
But also, and there's a rumor that's come about later on in
the more modern era that Dusty was actually talking about the
possibility of there being a movie about you or movie with
you. Do you remember?
Have you heard talk of this? I'm sure you have but.
Oh, he was. We had, we had visions of things
that nobody, nobody knew anything about, obviously.
(32:32):
But I mean, yeah, he'd written ascreenplay with a whole, with a
movie for me to be riding my motorcycle cross country on this
adventure. And I was going to have this
animated conscience named Gus, alittle mouse.
It would appear like on my shoulder.
And and, and Gus would be kind of like, like, kind of like the
(32:55):
devil on your shoulder, not really an Angel.
And and he's written a whole screenplay.
He had a whole story, had a whole thing.
And and because the wrestling thing as as we were doing it
then, as grand as it was, was not even remotely the the end
game, but where, where Dusty wanted to go and what he
(33:16):
believed that I can do with him.Yeah.
Was there even a rumor that maybe Sylvester Stallone playing
you, or were you going to play you?
No, this was before my accident.Now, no, this is me being in the
movie. OK, got you.
OK. Yeah, this wasn't a story about
my life. This was a story.
This was a Cecil B Demille's moment of Dusty's wanting us to
(33:38):
go to Hollywood. Yeah, OK, that makes sense.
OK, that makes sense. So you know, another thing that
best of seven with Nikita, I feel like in a way, you know,
beyond the years, you know, a lot of people have kind of
gotten negative on Nikita a little, whether it was the
Russian accent that he kept going or things like that.
But honestly, we thought Nikita was a monster.
(34:01):
We thought of Nikita in such reverence.
Now I've met Nikita later on. Great man, really, just really
pleasant, nice man to meet. He has a strong faith and to me,
you know, meeting him, it was just like this monster.
But he was a real man, you know,But you guys also had some great
chemistry, so. Great and so it it it it's so
(34:23):
you're really fortunate when anybody looks back on a career,
whether your career was seven years long or 37 years long to
have like defining moments that people will still talk about,
you know, ten 20-30 years down the road.
And and of course, the I quit matches.
Yes, the hands down number one thing people talk about, but the
(34:43):
second to it is definitely the best of seven series.
And it and it's so special to mefor a number of reasons.
But first of all, it was the first time that I was in a
program with somebody that I wasthe veteran.
I I was the veteran. I was the I was the lead, I was
the I was the general. I was the guy that everybody's
(35:04):
looking to to make sure that this thing was, you know, not
just good, but spectacular. And Nikita, Nikita was as far as
intensity goes, and I was intense.
Nikita, it was my equal in intensity as a girl.
And he was 290 lbs. I mean, big monster, menacing,
(35:29):
you know, everything. You know, he didn't have all the
Polish and things that, you know, somebody, you know, he's
been working on top for years, would have.
But he was so believable and hisstuff was so good.
Nobody ever looked at and said, Oh, well, you know, I don't
think that hurt because it was everything was very, very, very
(35:50):
solid. So for me, the body of work that
I had so much responsibility in and it was really, we had some
outstanding matches in that bestof seven.
Some of them went 30 and 45 minutes long that that I I've
got. I've got a lot of pride in that
because I feel like that really proved to me into the world that
(36:14):
that, you know, I could, you know, it's easy to go out there
and dance with somebody that's an expert.
To go out with somebody that's not and make it look that good,
then that's what you know, that's what it's all about.
While we're still talking about it, in that case, now we hear a
lot, you know, I listen to Ric Flair's podcast and Ric Flair
talks about, OK, I called this match or, you know, I let this
person call. Now, I don't think Rick let many
(36:35):
people call matches, but in thatregard, who's calling that match
between you? And I'll let all those, I'll let
all those matches. Yeah, I figured.
So yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, we, I mean, don't get me
wrong, we didn't have to talk that much, but if the tempo was
going wrong, if something, if, you know, if, if, if I need to
be in a certain place at a certain time or, or he need to
(36:57):
get more heat or, or whatever, you know, I was making sure that
that chemistry and that story was being told.
And, and it wasn't like the day of, you know, laying out a match
like these guys do today. I mean, we were doing this
improvisation lay on the fly every night.
We never had a, never had a planout outside of what the outcome
(37:18):
was. There wasn't anything talked
about prior to us going out there and doing it.
So that's what made it even morespecial because again, that was
the craft and the art of it backthen.
It wasn't, you know, a high spot, you know, fiasco of, you
know, 5000 things happening thatthat at the end of the day,
(37:39):
everybody just gets up and walksoff like, you know, they got hit
by a butterfly. Yeah, seriously.
Yeah. So, so, yeah, again, it was, it
was that that kind of thing. And that's where I felt like I
had, I had learned enough of thelessons I need to learn to be
(38:01):
able to go out there and do thatwith with pretty much anybody.
Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah.
I know that a lot of people see like Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair,
the Four Horsemen, everybody back in that time cutting a
great promo. I feel like sometimes you get
overlooked, but you had such a fiery promo and I feel like it
could always be maybe intimidating being around like
(38:24):
Flair or Dusty giving a promo. How did you how did you get past
that? Or was it just, were you just
comfortable with it and. And I was, I was comfortable
with, with, with my delivery and, and, and felt, you know, I
mean, I felt very good by it. I mean, you wouldn't ever go out
there with, you know, with Dustyand our tag team and you'd be
stupid to go out there and try to out out Dusty.
(38:45):
Dusty. I mean, that's just, yeah.
I mean, it's one thing when when, yeah, heels got in a promo
and then you're coming back and you're, you know, giving a
response. You know, obviously you can let
it fly then. But when you're out there
sharing a mic with, you know, Dusty Roads, who arguably is the
greatest in the greatest wrestling promo in the history
(39:06):
of the business, then then you've got to you've got to stay
in your lane and do what's complimentary to it and, and get
you and have your believability be on par with where his is.
But you don't try to out, you know, out talk, You know, I
mean, I, I can say things that would mess him up and, and I
(39:27):
didn't do it on purpose, but I would do it because because
he's, I just knew what would make him think, you know,
because he was always like that.I remember one time coming out,
we're on deep DBS and I said something about there's, you
know, there's a lot of variablesin the in this circumstance.
It's like amazing. What are variables?
(39:49):
Very thinkable, you know, it waslike it was fun and Dusty and I
were just such great friends that those times were all just
fun to me, you know, I mean, I wasn't out there trying to be in
a contest. Like I said, I know my work in
the ring combined with the fact that, you know, I said what I
(40:12):
meant and I did what I said I was going to do When I got in
there was, you know, what was telling the story I wanted to
tell on a. Little bit of a lighter note, I
remember there was a A tag team,the James Boys, that was feuding
with the Midnight Express. Did they ever find out who those
guys were? No, I think, I think they're,
they're out in Colorado somewhere still running
roughshod and and have yet to befound.
(40:36):
I've looked for interviews and podcasts about them and I, you
know, it's just like they reallywent totally under the radar.
It was just they were there. And they, you know, well, you
know, they're, they're lucky that that they probably did ride
off in the sunset. Had they had they resumed their
reign of terror, it could changethe whole wrestling landscape
(41:00):
because they played by differentset of rules.
They did. They did, absolutely.
You a pro wrestling fan? We'll stop by Captain's Corner
where you can get autographed photos, cards, magazines, and
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(41:22):
Make sure to stop by Captain's Corner on Facebook and give us a
holler. Remember, cheers to the working
man. You know, Speaking of those
guys. And then, yeah, of course you
were talking about Dusty there. Talk about those awesome fur
coats. I'm just saying those were
amazing. Oh yeah.
Didn't you know? Didn't really fit your gimmick
(41:43):
totally, but it did too. You know does that.
Make sense? You know, it was just, it was
just like, so yeah, we were all in Vegas and, and, and and
Flair's running around being Flair and and, and and we're all
being the boys. And Dusty and I, you know,
(42:04):
happen to like stroll by this first shop, Ray Lenoble furs and
and there's pictures in there of, of, of all these pro boxers
that he made coach for and Liberace.
And I mean just this goes on andon.
And Dusty said, you know what? He said we ought to just go in
here, get fixed up and just shutthat flare up first and
(42:28):
foremost. And so we go in and I think
there was a little alcohol involved.
And then the next thing I know that these furrier guys have
flown from from from Vegas to Charlotte, NC, to fit us for
these curts. They're making for us, by the
(42:49):
way, cost $7200 apiece in 1985, which was a whole lot of money
back. Yes, absolutely, yeah.
But but but they were. They were a they were unique and
it's so funny seeing them on theInternet because I, I mean, I
think that meme so funny is so you may be cool, but you're not,
(43:10):
you're not just cool. Yeah, exactly.
That's what I was going to say, because it's honestly so true.
I I just, it takes a certain kind of man, I'm just going to
say it and I'm not sure I'm thatman.
Takes a certain kind of man to pull off a fur coat and still
believe that he could knock yourteeth out.
You know what I'm saying? So, well, we come from that John
(43:30):
Wayne mentality, true. Yeah, hey, I love it.
And our father is a big John Wayne fan, so obviously we were
raised on the Searchers and the Rio Bravo, you know?
Yeah. Those are great.
Oh, True Grit cannot have Rooster Cogburn.
Yeah, those are great. We love, you know.
OK, so obviously Jared talked about the fiery promos and stuff
(43:52):
like that and you know it. It seems like today where
everything is so scripted and planned out for the guys that it
doesn't really seem that they get the opportunity to really
show that they can give those kinds of promos, even if they
have the ability or not. What could they do today to
allow for that to happen? I mean, if you were a guy coming
(44:14):
up today, would you just try to do it the same way or?
I don't know. I, I, I really don't know.
I think, I think Triple H is giving some of those that that
he knows have that kind of ability some leeway a little bit
to to, you know, I mean, like, you know, Edge can obviously.
(44:38):
You know, Oh yeah, totally can. Can, can, can, can deliver, you
know, like, like none other, youknow, and, and, and Randy Orton,
you know, same thing. I mean, there's, there's guys
there that, that, that have the skill sets.
I understand why they control the narrator the way they do or
(44:59):
they control the things that they do.
Because I understand enough about production now and, and
things of why is so important that they know what's going to
happen because what they do withtheir product is like, like I
went down and watched a taping that they did in in North
(45:19):
Carolina a couple years ago. And, and I watched it and it was
just, it was like, you know, it's like I watched AC, but I
would have called AC show back in the day.
And I came home and watched it on TV because it was being shown
that night. And what I saw on TV was 100%
different than what I had witnessed in the arena because
(45:40):
of the camera angles, the thingsthat they captured, the zoom
insurance or they got expressions on people's faces
and stuff. And so they've made a art form
out of there. They're making a movie.
They didn't turn into a product.They come and and they do it
great. It doesn't translate the same
watching it live as it does whatit comes across.
(46:02):
And that's where they make the bread and butter where we were
the exact opposite. He was, was the advertising tool
to get people to come into the arenas to pay their money to,
to, you know, to, to get the, the fruits of our labor, you
know, in the arenas. And now it's all turned around.
So I get why they did what they did, but somehow marrying up the
(46:25):
skill set so, so guys can find, you know, a, a character that
they're comfortable in and then they can make their own and and
certainly can't turn them loose to just go do something,
especially on live television that did, you know, mess up your
sponsors and this and that. I mean, so many things could go
wrong. I can't even count, you know, if
(46:47):
you had, if you had no early idea.
But to that point, like I was calling a match with, with Jim
Ross back in the day for WCW and, and they did and they
didn't do things like they do today.
They were, they just went out and had these matches and it was
a match with with all I rememberwas Sting, the Steiners, and I
(47:07):
don't know if Lugar was in it ornot, but they did a spot and the
Steiners were out on the floor and it was Rick and he was
backed all the way up to the barricade.
And Sting ran and jumped from the middle of the ring, clear
the top rope probably by four orfive feet and went all the way
to the floor where Steiner caught him and took a bump.
(47:29):
And it was the most it was like watching Michael Jordan or
something, the athleticism, whattook place.
And the director missed the whole shot because he did it
because he didn't know what was going to happen, right.
I mean, because I was watching just saying, Oh my gosh, I'm
having witness something that that, you know, I'm selling like
1,000,000 bucks that nobody got to see if you weren't in the
(47:51):
arena. And when you're so when you're
talking about 10,000 people seeing it or 10 million people
seeing it, you know, that's kindof a no brainer that you want to
make sure that the 10 million see what they're supposed to
see. Sure.
TV ratings, commercials, ads, you know all that.
So 1987, that was your year, right?
(48:12):
That was going to be, I don't want to put words in your mouth,
but it's all pretty much well known and assumed that you were
with the rocket on your back, literally going to go and have
the title. Am I correct about that?
Yeah, 100%. Yeah.
And I mean, you know, we've heard about your accident.
You know, it happened. Obviously, things happen that
(48:33):
alter our lives, but we like to play a little bit of what if,
You know, we knew that Flair kept the title for a long time
because Flair was willing to travel to Japan, Puerto Rico,
you know, Texas. He was willing to work the
entire territory or the entire United States as it were with
that title. I mean, obviously you being
focused on Mid-Atlantic and and Jim Crockett really at that
(48:55):
time, but would you have also just taken on that mantle and
gone with it like he did? Well, see, it was a different
game, so there's a couple dynamics that the general public
doesn't really see, and I think Rick's actually forgot because
I've heard him talk about it sometimes.
So, so the 10 lbs of gold, whichwas to me the last real true
(49:17):
world's heavyweight title was the N.W.A.
It was the N.W.A belt, OK, when the Crocketts.
So when the big gold came about,the big gold was didn't say
N.W.A, world's heavyweight champion, it said world's
heavyweight champion because they had to give the N.W.A 10%
of the gate. I mean 3%, the champion got 10%,
(49:41):
the N.W.A got 3%. So 13% of your gate's gone got
you. OK, so there was a kitten.
So, so when to when it started, yes, I was just in Jim Crockett
Promotions. But then when we became
worldwide, then all, every, every country, every, I mean,
(50:01):
every city in the United States was in our territory.
You know, we're wrestling in, inChicago one night, in LA the
next night, New Orleans the nextnight, or, you know, we're
bouncing around like Super Bowlsbecause we're going on planes.
So the only thing that Flair hadbeen doing was going, you know,
like to New Zealand or, or, or going to, you know, Japan or as
(50:24):
far as going out, there was no other territories.
By that point in time, Jim Crockett was the world.
So, so, so a couple of things. So then had I been carrying the
mantle and, and that title for the Crockett's, they would have
completely dictated everywhere Iwent and everything that I did.
(50:44):
There would be no conflict of, you know, interest of, of, you
know, do we let our champion go here?
Do we do there? Because they would be
controlling every show the champion was on.
Right. So it would be it been different
because I heard Rick say, you know, you know, Magnum would
have need to, you know, go work some of these other places and
down. But I think he's he's forgotten.
(51:07):
You know, it wasn't like, you know, he wasn't going to all
those places anymore either in that in back back in the in 86.
He wasn't up until 85. But when that thing changed, he
wasn't going all over the world anymore.
He was going where, where Jimmy booked him.
Yeah, it was, it was, it was a different game because we, we
(51:29):
ran, we ran all the little guys out of business.
Yeah, I mean, it, it they could,they couldn't compete.
And you know, the and I was supposed to go to Japan in
February of of 87 anyway. I was going with the Crockett
stuff again. They weren't just letting Magnum
be gone anywhere for for two weeks or two days, let alone two
(51:52):
weeks to go somewhere and and have everything, you know, in
limbo. So we were taking a tour over
there as a company. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, that's cool. That's cool.
I just feel like, you know, we actually have a series that we
do. We just recently kicked it off
with the in our opinion, how Sting and Hogan should have
finished with the NWO deal. But you know, you were on our
(52:14):
plate of a of a what if series, you know, and it's great we're
getting to actually do the what if with you.
Do you feel like. I mean, obviously 87 would have
been yours. I know that the WCW when Turner
took it over and went into fluctuation, I.
Don't think I would have gone toWCW.
Yeah. OK, there you.
Go, I think. I think that would.
I think that would have been theSegway because my, my allegiance
(52:36):
was to Jimmy and Dusty and and and and and that was that was my
the minute the Crockettes were not, it wasn't the Crockett
family unless they had offered me, you know, some astronomical
amount of money. I mean, it would have to been
like, I'm talking like 7 to $10 million kind of money.
(52:58):
They my would not been been intrigued by somebody, you know,
trying to run the wrestling business rather than somebody
who was an expert and running the wrestling business like you
know, the WWE was. Right, right.
That makes total sense in that you read my mind actually, which
is awesome. So I didn't know you had that
ability as well. Hey everybody, Jean Jackson here
(53:24):
inviting you to check out the Retro Wrestling review where
each week I'm joined by some great Co host to help me review
classic episodes of USWA Championship Wrestling.
And right now we are doing week by week reviews of 1993.
But we don't just do reviews. Sometimes we get a chance to
interview some of the people whowere there and lived it.
Plus do watch alongs. It's a lot of fun.
(53:46):
So check out new episodes that drop every Wednesday at
wrestlecopia.com and define links to everything being
associated to the podcast. You can go to uswapodcast.com.
Hi, this is Mike Needham, host of the Reckless Abandoned
podcast with Mike Needham. We invite you to jump on your
(54:07):
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 Tennessee and a ton of other
(54:27):
stuff. But be sure to check out the
Reckless Abandoned Podcast, findus 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. Hey hey y'all, Jimmy here.
(54:58):
And that was episode 2 of The Best of James Rock St.
Productions with the first half of episode 19 of the Magnum TA
episode on Give Me Back My Pro Wrestling.
We definitely hope you all enjoyed that.
I remember back when we had Steve Rosenthal from Powertown
Toys on the podcast and he offered us Magnum TA and Greg
Gonya. It was way early in the podcast.
(55:19):
Honestly, it was probably too soon for us to have a star such
as Magnum, but hey, we made it work and I think you guys will
enjoy it. If you want to hear the full
episode, you can head over to ATG MB MPW or Give Me Back My Pro
Wrestling wherever you listen topodcast.
Also, I'll have the link to the episode in the podcast notes.
We hope you guys enjoyed this Look back in the archives of
(55:41):
James Rock St. Productions.
Check us out next week to see what else we have in store.
Until then, make sure and followat G MB MPW and at James Rock
St. everywhere. Peace with a tear in my eye.
This is the greatest moment in my life.
(56:29):
This has been a James Rock St. production.
Megum TA here, and you're listening to Give Me Back My Pro
Wrestling. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to
Give Me Back My Pro wrestling. Now you know, baby, this is hot
(00:46):
Rod Bigs, Jared, Jimmy St. We're going to take them to the
limit one more time, baby, righthere.
Oh, give me back my pro wrestling.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome tothe Give Me Back my pro
wrestling podcast. And honestly, Jared today, you
know, it's this should be a holiday.
I think, you know, today we justhad Greg Gonya and we've had
(01:09):
Steve on for Powertown and Kaylaat Relativity.
Y'all are the best. Thank you so much.
But this right here. I mean, if the podcast were to
end, you know, obviously that would be not fun, but it could.
And we would have accomplished something with this because
we've got Magnum TA on the show today.
What do you think about that? Man, when I think about my our
(01:32):
childhood and, and getting into wrestling, I think of, you know,
Jim Crockett promotions and watching, you know, some of our
our favorites at the time, we were babyface guys.
So we like the Rock'n'roll Express, we like the Road
Warriors, we like Magnum and Dusty Rhodes.
I mean, it's it's, it's just amazing to get to talk to the a
(01:55):
childhood hero like this, that you don't think something like
this could ever happen. But but it is happening for us
today. There are some things that I
cannot wait to ask him. There's going to be some fun
stuff. The first thing I think you'll
hear in this one that you maybe didn't hear, and Greg, because
with Greg, honestly, when you hear Greg talk, it's like you
hear Vern, you know? Their voice is so similar to me.
(02:17):
And with Magnum, his voice is just his voice.
It's not Dusty's, it's not Rick's, it's Magnum.
And I can't wait to talk to him just about his promos, man, cuz
you know, his promos were fiery like a southern preacher, you
know? Yeah, you know who he reminded
me who his promos remind me of in a way.
Who's that? It's like he's a babyface
(02:38):
version of Jake the Snake Robertpromos a little bit in a way.
I don't know, It always remindedme of that.
The way they look into the cameras and not that they
sounded the same, but the way they delivered them or something
like. OK.
I can see that they're they're making eye contact with the
listener. Ton of eye contact and like I
feel like they're like peering into your soul a little bit.
Yeah, I mean, I just feel like, Can you imagine being one of
(03:00):
Magnum's kids and they get in trouble?
Like. He's cutting a promo on them and
they're just like, sorry dad, I'll never do that again, I
promise. Because our dad can cut a promo,
you know, so, so it's a. Prerequisite of being a dad,
right? Yeah, I think it is.
I need to figure that out. Actually.
I think it would help some things out with me and cash, but
no, I'm just kidding. But with Magnum, you know, he
(03:22):
obviously had that it, it was like a stern but strong, but
passionate, but powerful. Obviously we've, you know, we've
heard his promos a million times.
And there's, you know, he was standing beside Dusty, who was
like this, you know, cool, suave, like, I don't know, not
cool. Muhammad Ali type promo.
(03:42):
Very rapping kind of deal. You know, he was a Muhammad Ali.
He had a rap about him, almost. And with Magnum, it was smart of
Magnum to just be himself because it came across as
different than Dusty Dust is like this daddy.
Yeah, daddy. And then Magnum is like, listen,
you know, it's like super straight ahead, awesome,
(04:04):
powerful. His tone kind of keeps at an
even keel, but not monotone, Youknow, it reaches a level and it
stays there, but it's like the punch to the face, you know?
So yeah, anyway, you know, they're babyface promos that we
love, of course, the Road Warrior.
Wow. You know, and, you know, tell
them Hulk. Yeah, tell them Hulk.
(04:24):
And then Sting, of course had a great when his was a little more
animated. Dusty, of course.
But Daddy, then you know, those great rock'n'roll Express, I
feel, I feel like kind of Rickies is similar to Magnums at
a level, you know, Robert, Robert always talk like this.
Yeah, tell him Ricky, tell him Ricky.
And he's like, listen to you look at Chucky, Tennessee Skew,
(04:47):
you know, and I mean, but but Magnum, he just had that
powerful voice. He had a good voice.
You know, obviously a good promohas to have a good voice behind
it. So, you know, and plus he looked
cool. I mean, he was a badass, but he
also looked cool like the ladieswanted to be with him and the
men wanted to be him. And I think that's.
The trick? Perfect statement.
Yeah, because that's the perfectway to be a good babyface,
(05:10):
especially in the South, is, youknow, if you if you've got that
and then you've got him, you know.
So anyway, we want to thank you all for listening to the Cousin
Condrey episode, to the Greg Danya episode.
We've got some Jablonski is pissed off.
That's a new segment we're goingto be dropping.
It'll be a separate little show that we drop.
It's not going to be on a different feed.
(05:31):
It's just going to be its own thing.
Little 15 minute clips about Jablonski being pissed off.
We can't wait for you to hear the first one.
It's going to be a lot of fun. We hope you all enjoy those.
Those are there for you to enjoy.
Thank you, Mike, for being a part of us and helping out the
show with that, you know, but also with Kayla, Steve,
everybody at Powertown, at Relativity.
(05:51):
Thank you all so much for hooking this up with Greg.
And now it's leading into this one with Magnum.
So instead of me talking, which I know y'all get probably tired
of hearing me talk, let's talk to Magnum.
Absolutely. All right, we'll be right back
after these messages. Promotional consideration paid
for by the following. This is Kroll and you're
(06:13):
listening to Give Me Back My ProWrestling with Jimmy St. and
Jared the Plastic Sheet. Be sure to like, subscribe and
view all of our USWO and Saw wrestling content at Nashville
Wrestling Network exclusively onYouTube.
(06:39):
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Give Me Back My Pro
Wrestling. And I can't tell you, I honestly
can't say this with a straight. I cannot tell you that I ever
thought I would be talking to this gentleman on this show
because we had a dream for this podcast, my brother and I, that
we would get to talk to some wrestlers, get to talk about
(07:00):
wrestling and have a blast. But to be able to talk to one of
your childhood heroes is more than I could ever have imagined.
And honestly, if this podcast were to stop tomorrow, I would
be OK. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to
welcome to you, in my opinion, the United States heavyweight
Champion, Magnum TA. Magnum.
(07:22):
Welcome to the show my friend. Man, what an intro.
I don't know if I can follow that.
I'm sure you'll do OK. Thank you so much for coming on,
Sir. How are you doing today?
Hi, I'm doing just great. You know, 63 years old, twins,
boy, girl, twins in the ninth grade in high school, fully full
(07:45):
time, employed in the telecom industry and and this little
thing called Power Town going onin the background.
So yeah, I've got more balls in the balls in the air than a man
of my age and distinction shouldhave.
I mean, you know what, Hey, if there's anybody that can do it,
it's the great Magnum TA. So, you know, we believe in your
(08:07):
Magnum. We know you got this, especially
about the Power Town, but we want to get to that in just a
little bit because obviously, like I said, in the early 80s to
the mid 80s, you were a staple to us.
I mean, honestly, we felt you through the TV.
You were one of those performerslike Dusty Rhodes, like Ric
Flair, like all the greats that you could feel through the TV.
(08:30):
Now, we're Mid-Atlantic kids. We grew up in in southwestern
Virginia, really close to Bristol, in a town called
Lebanon, Virginia. And we grew up on you guys.
You all were our wrestling. Bob Coddle was our voice and
Magnum and Dusty were our heroes.
So I guess let's start with that.
I know you had a great career before then, but let me ask you
this. What is something that Dusty
(08:53):
told you at the start that you still hold on to this day?
Is there something that he said to you that you always will
remember? Well, I'll always remember the
call that I got in the middle ofthe night in 1984 as when I was
working for Bill Watts and I wasa North American heavyweight
(09:16):
champion over there and territory was on fire.
And I get a call and Bill Knight, him introducing me to
Jim Crockett and, and, and them laying out this blueprint for me
about what they envisioned and what they wanted to do with me
(09:36):
and the opportunity that they were going to give me that that
is unheralded. I mean the, the push of a
lifetime, as we call it in the business.
And, and I'll never forget that moment because it though I, I
had been working for about a year and a half and in the main
event mainstream, you know, for,for Mid South, having the
(10:01):
opportunity to come to work for the Crockettes.
And then, you know, then jumpingon a national platform rather
than a, a regional platform or something that, that right out
of a storybook. Because I, I graduated high
school in 1977, won state championship and in 1985 I'm
(10:23):
rustling Ric Flair for the world's heavyweight title in
front of us sold out Norfolk Scope Coliseum with those sets
of grandparents up in the standsand my mom and dad.
I mean, what, what, what fantasynovel does something like that
happen in in that short period of time?
Yeah, that's amazing. That's a turn around time for
(10:44):
sure. I mean, it almost makes me think
of, you know, like because I'm trying to think of what I was
doing at that time versus that. I mean, you were a man quick and
I assume you know it part of your raising LED you to that.
But what got you ready for that moment, do you think?
I, I think honestly that the foundations from amateur
wrestling, which was my passion,which I live, breathe and died
(11:09):
from the time I was in the ninthgrade through my senior year,
just put a a work ethic in me and a goal setting mentality in
me that, you know, had me believe that anything I set my
mind to and worked hard enough for I was achievable.
(11:30):
And so when I, I mean, when I broke in the, the wrestling
world, you know, into the pro wrestling ranks, I mean, my
immediate goal of my mind was not that I just wanted to figure
this thing out as I wanted to bethe world's heavyweight champion
one day. And I mean, I thought this week
one, yeah. So I had very high, I had very
(11:53):
high ambitions for myself when Idid didn't know, you know, a
wrist lock from a wristwatch. So but but again, I had, I had
come from that foundation of a kid that in the eighth grade was
laying on a gym floor, couldn't do 1 push up and, you know, went
on to be the state champion and outstanding wrestler in the in
(12:17):
the state tournament in 1977. So happy.
I believe the impossible was possible if you were willing to
make the sacrifices and put in the work to to achieve those
goals. Yeah, that's a playbook right
there of how you do that. You know, if you have the
determination and I I don't think anybody would ever
question Magnum's determination.So, Jared.
(12:40):
I was just going to ask you, I've read some about the origin
of your name with your ring nameand you know there is the
resemblance people say to Tom Selleck and the Magnum Pi
character. And then I I read that Andre
actually helped you with the name like told you to add.
No, it was totally, totally, yeah, totally Andre.
So OK, so I'm so I meet Andre the John in 1980 again, right
(13:06):
right off the bat, I'm I'm broken in 1980.
About two weeks after being in the business, Andre comes in the
territory and I had the biggest car.
So the guy with the biggest car,so did the giant around.
So I had that that great big Jelly fellow in the front of my
old 98 Diesel and we and we spent a great deal time together
(13:27):
for two solid weeks and I'm justbroke in.
And then I passed cross again 2 little over 2 years later and
I'm now in championship wrestling of Florida and I've
come light years in that 2 shortyears from where I was when I
just started to what he saw me then.
(13:50):
And back then I, I wore like, I had these TaylorMade Hawaiian
shirts that I wore and, and I had, I had shorter hair and I,
they still was blonde, but it was shorter than, than it, you
know, ended up being. And, and, and I can see where,
you know, you would, you would see that, that, you know,
comparison. And Andre was sitting there, we
(14:12):
were eating at a place called Fat Man's BBQ down there
somewhere around Tampa. And at 3:00 in the morning and
he said, he said, you're ready, you're ready for a break.
And I said, what do you mean? He said, all you need is a
handle. He called it like the CB
handles. You did a handle, the name.
And he came up with the Magnum TA right there sitting at
(14:33):
breakfast. He said we need to be Magnum TA
like Magnum Pi. And I said that sounds great.
So so he was going back to New York for Vince Senior and, and
the plan was he was going up there and tell Vince about me
and they were going to bring me in to WWF.
So fate being as it is, they also WWE, we had reached out and
(14:58):
and talked to Paul Warndorf and he leaves Mid South,
unexpectedly, goes to New York. That was a top spot.
Ernie Ladd was the Booker. He too had been watching me
because he came in and out of the Tampa territory and and he
caught, he calls me again the middle of the night.
(15:18):
I think all big deals. I got half of the middle of the
night and his kid, he said. I got the opportunity of a
lifetime for you, Paul. You know, Paul's left with spots
open and it's yours if you want it.
So before Andre could pull the trigger, Bill's organization
reached, reached out to me and, you know, I end up going left,
(15:39):
you know, left instead of straight north.
And and that's how it all happened.
Sorry to come to you and say hello, Magnum.
I'm just kidding. Sorry, that's my Andre accent.
Yeah, that would be well, we won't, we won't hang you for
that. It's OK.
So, so obviously, OK, if you hadit to do over again, would you
(16:03):
have gone right on that or did you do, were you preferring the
left still? Well, you know, at the time it
was the, it was the correct thing to do because though Andre
had given me the handle, yeah, Ididn't know what to do with the
handle. I didn't know what that meant.
OK, sure. I've worked.
I've been working mid card matches with in in Championship
(16:25):
Russellville, Florida, predominantly in tag teams and
Scott McGee and I and Brad Armstrong and I were the global
tag team champions there like a total of four or five times
together. And we were going out there
having long matches every night where guys like the Royal
Kangaroos and, you know, puttinga lot of ring time in.
So I had got a lot of experience, but working main
(16:48):
event and then also starting a new persona that you're
basically inventing from thin air where it was, you know, it
was the deal. So what happened?
I go and you know, I got this look and and and they I got this
name and they don't really know what, you know, what to do with
me. And I don't really know exactly
(17:09):
what to do to get myself where Ineed to be either.
So for six months they're givingme a push, but it's not like
really it's kind of floundering all over the place.
One week they say, Hey, I think you should wear three piece
suits. And I so I did that.
I'm comfortable in that. Then then they said, Hey, how
about, you know, more like, you know, punk rock clothes.
(17:30):
I, you know, I tried that and that wasn't working right.
I'm about I've been there six months just kind of, you know, I
mean, I'm having great matches with like Butch Reed and and,
and guys they've got there there.
I mean some great talent and tagwith Jim Duggan.
We were the tag team champions there for a little while, but
again, wasn't really getting anyreal direction.
So so Ernie comes to me and says, you know, kid, this really
(17:52):
isn't working out quite well. You know, like we were thinking,
I said, hey, you know, it's all good.
And I said, I've I've had a great time.
I said, you know, I called Dustyup.
Dusty said, well, he said he said they're they don't know
they're not using you right. And he and Dusty view that I
rode motorcycles. So I'd ridden bikes since I was
17 years old. And so he said go get you a
(18:14):
Harley. And he said, well, we're going
to come down here and we're going to bring you in and make
you the Magnum TA, that like thelone wolf, the motorcycle, you
know, riding this mysterious, you know, kind of guy.
And so, so, so I said, yeah. I said, Oh yeah, I'm feeling
that I could, I could feel that.So I go to town and I haven't
(18:35):
left yet, so I'm still working. And so I'm rustling in Baton
Rouge and I go down to Baton Rouge.
Harley-Davidson, Jim Duggan drives me down.
I pick up about a brand new Harley-Davidson, buy me a
motorcycle jacket, and I and I ride that to the town.
Well, man, I drive that into thetown all the way to matches.
The people are buzzing, everybody's going crazy.
(18:56):
I walk into the dressing room with that leather jacket on.
The whole room looks at me differently.
Everything pivoted and changed that instant.
And then Bill sees me in the whole get up in the deal and I
said, he said, man, that's crazy.
I said, yeah, well, I said I'm going down to Florida.
He said, Oh no, you're not goingdown the floor.
(19:17):
So Bill Dundee came in, took over the book and they started
letting me be me and let me, youknow, develop my persona based
on what I was comfortable in my own skid, which was this this
biker ish, you know, kind of lone wolfish type, actually a
heel babyface kind of guy. Somebody would fight from the
(19:40):
bottom up. People could cheer for for, but
somebody was just as happy in, you know, in a brawling match
as, you know, like a Ricky the dragon Steamboat, you know, arm
drag, you know, technical kind of wrestling match.
And and I and I was a very comfortable in that role and.
And but it took, again, it took six months to figure that out.
(20:04):
So had I gone to New York without it figured out?
It really made the right impression then.
So it was the exact right move to have gone to work for Mid
South, Yeah. Definitely, definitely.
What Magnum, what do you think about the what's, how would you
describe like the difference between like travel and Mid
South versus like Mid-Atlantic territories?
(20:24):
Well, when, when I, when I firstwe got to Mid-Atlantic before
we, you know, blew the roof off the place and then, you know,
went on fire. Then mid South was worse because
if we just traveled more miles, I mean an average, an average
trip was 400 miles round trip. 500 miles round trip was, you
(20:45):
know, not unusual either. We all lived in Alexandria, LA
because we were about 200 to 250miles away from everywhere.
The only place we flew would be Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
We'd fly out of we, we'd fly a little commuter plane up and,
and fly that trip because it wasso far.
(21:06):
But everywhere else we drove, itwas probably, you know, 3000
mile weeks for kind of the norm.And then and then, and then,
then when I got to, you know, the Mid-Atlantic, you know,
again, North Carolina, South Carolina into Virginia.
You know, we had some long trips.
So we had a longer trip. You know, we typically stayed
(21:28):
over somewhere, went on to another town the next day.
Where's the mid South? We hardly ever stayed over.
We're because we were the next day.
We were usually, you know, 250 miles in the opposite direction
of where we started. So you couldn't you couldn't
stay over it just it didn't it didn't make sense.
But but if they were similar, you know, in some degree miss
(21:50):
out definitely longer. But then when we we pop in the
territory and we started flying everywhere, the game just
completely changed them because then we were going all over the
country. Yeah, that to me is something
that I've heard other wrestlers talk about.
As far as the travel, do you think that was there more
thought put behind the shows in Mid-Atlantic or do you think it
(22:12):
was just that's how it had to bein Mid South?
There was just no way around that.
Yeah, I think, I think it was just the, the way it was laid
out. I mean, I don't think they like
took a, you know, 3 darts at a board to try to figure out what
towns to book because I mean, we, we would work the same
towns, you know, basically everymonth.
(22:32):
I mean, it was a circuit that you were working that we're
working 7 seven days a week. But but nonetheless it you know,
because we did, we did our television taping in Shreveport
and at the hours Mcdeals boys, boys center and you know, that
was not optional and that was there just nothing was
centralized about it. When you're covering, you know,
(22:55):
we're going into Texas, we're going into Houston and you know,
a couple, couple of those towns are all night side of Texas and
smaller towns and then all the way across.
I mean, the way Louisiana's laidout, you know, it's
demographics. So you, you, you've got to to go
where you got enough population to draw, draw a decent house and
(23:17):
and it was just spread out as all get out.
So I mean, you get there into Jim Crockett and you end up with
Wahoo McDaniel. Wahoo is actually the first
match I think I ever saw. It was him on TV, probably a
late 85, early 86. And this was the first wrestling
match that I remember. I remember promos a lot, you
know, like Ric Flair you. I mean, I remember a lot of the
(23:39):
powerful promos, but when it came down to the actual in ring
stuff, Wahoo I think is the first person I remember seeing
and paying attention to talk about Wahoo.
I mean one of the toughest. Right.
He was, he was a legend because I mean, I say I grew up watching
Mid-Atlantic to I'm from Chesapeake, VA and and so so
(23:59):
those were my earliest memories of television.
And my first match that I remember to this day was
watching Walter McDaniels and Johnny Valentine fighting for
the Silver Dollar Challenge whenthey had like $500 worth of
silver dollars in a fish bowl and they beat each other to
death. I mean, it was so physical and
(24:21):
brutal that I was like, Oh my gosh, you know, you know,
somebody hit me like that. I'm breaking a million pieces
not knowing that I would be, youknow, trading blows with this
guy, you know, 10 years down theroad.
But but yeah, I was, I was a huge fan of his.
And it was a weird angle to to to launch, you know, in a
territory with because Wahoo wasnot like some dastardly heel
(24:45):
that, you know, cowardly heel or, you know, I mean, you know,
he might do something and give you a cheap shot or went like
that. But he just was he was just a
big, rough, rugged, tough son ofa gun that everybody respected,
even as the fans, whether they cheered him or they booed him,
He he never had, you know, like heat, heat, like like a Tully
(25:06):
Blanchard. He just wasn't that that kind of
heel. So for me to go and have the
fans, you know, get behind me and, and be there and, and we,
we, we had, we had our US title match inside of the steel cage
in the old, you know, Charlotte Coliseum.
Now they're Bojangles and sold out crowd, 11,000 people and the
(25:30):
people were just magic. They were so into the match.
And I mean, he he passed the torch to me there right in the
middle of the ring with the belly to belly 123.
And you know, and it was a moment that I'll I'll never
forget because of my respect forhim, what he meant to the
industry, his heritage and Pro Football, just everything.
(25:50):
I mean, I felt like I was out there with, you know, like
probably like Hogan felt when hewas out there with Andre.
Yeah, yeah, you are the United States Plates heavyweight
champion. The one and only.
The only, yeah, I was telling a friend of mine the other day, I
was like, you know, that title, the US title, every time I see
it, I think they should just call it Magnum's title, the
(26:11):
Magnum title, because I mean, I'm just, you know.
I tell Luger that every time I see him there.
You go, there you go. Especially Luger.
Come on, man. I guess not to get too far
ahead, but, you know, they've obviously kept somewhat the
lineage of that United States title on up into the WWE.
(26:32):
I'm not sure where it deviates or if it even does deviate.
I know that they have a little bit of weird history on their
side of, you know, like where things start and end.
But to me, I mean, back then, that was the title that was
going to set you up basically for the world's title.
I wish that there was that kind of thing now with titles because
(26:54):
I felt like it was just so it was such a no brainer that it
was eventual, you know, OK, now he's got the US title.
That means he's automatically #1contender for the world.
That was so important. And I feel like that's something
they just don't do enough of these days.
No. And, and, you know, it's a
different time, a different era,a different audience.
They've been programmed differently.
(27:15):
But but you know, specifically when the N.W.A was what it was,
yeah. That title was automatically
instantly you became the US champion.
You were considered the number one challenger for the world's
heavyweight title. And the story, I mean, that's
that's what that title meant. I mean, you know, Wahoo had it
(27:37):
and Roddy Piper had it, Ricky Steamboat had it, you know,
Jimmy Snooker had it. I mean the list goes on and on
and on. And that was that wasn't like,
you know, say the Mid-Atlantic title or the, you know, I can't
can't think of other other, other titles.
But I don't think WWE ever got their Intercontinental title to
(27:58):
mean to to their world's title what the US title meant and then
N.W.A to the World's Heavyweighttitle.
I totally agree with that, absolutely.
And now a word from our sponsor.Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to
(28:27):
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,
the superstar interviews to action figure expertise, this
(28:48):
team does it all. And all they ask is give Me Back
My Pro Wrestling every other Thursday, wherever you listen to
podcasts. Magnum I'm going to go ahead and
throw it out there. One of the greatest matches.
I I don't remember it from when I was young.
(29:11):
I was 4 at the time but after watch after watching it.
There's no watching it back. Yeah, after watching it back,
your I Quit match with Tony Blanchard at Starcade 85 has got
to be one of the greatest matches I've ever watched.
And people look at that card andit had Dusty and Flair and the I
Quit match is the one that people remember.
(29:33):
You all had such chemistry in the ring and it and it was
worked perfectly with you, the babyface and him, the heel.
And just just talk a little bit about that match.
Well, Kelly and I had known eachother since almost since I broke
in. I I went to work for his dad,
Joe, six months in the business and we met there and, and, you
know, I and I was, you know, really young and really green,
(29:55):
But I remember him telling me that, you know, he never wanted
to be anything but the best heelin the, in the, in the world.
He wanted to be the best heel. I didn't say the best champion.
He want to be the best heel. He's never one of those guys
that had some inner side of him that, you know, secretly wanted
to get the cheers. He wanted the booze.
He wanted to be hated. He wanted to be that master, you
(30:17):
know, that nasty guy that everybody want to see him get
his butt kicked. And, and so when, when we got
the opportunity, after I'd gone and, and, and really, you know,
hone my skills and, and gotten ready to, to perform on that
level, we were instantly, you know, attracted to the idea of
(30:39):
what we could do together. And, and, you know, kind of, and
I know he petitioned for it because he knew that there was a
huge opportunity and that I quitmatch was the end of a 8 month
feud, you know, 8 months. And you know, so telling a story
week in week out battles up downevery which way you could
(31:02):
possibly be. I mean, so I mean I win the
title from from Oahu in the in the Coliseum in Charlotte, I
defend against Tully, who had baby doll come down to the ring
dressed as a police officer slipping A roll of quarters.
He knocks me out or the referee doesn't see it.
(31:23):
Quarters go everywhere and he get and he gets the title.
And we fought week in week out, seven days a week, 8 months
straight. You know, all the things we did
in between till we got to down to that, that match and we had
so many epic matches. I'll be honest with you.
Had they had they had cameras everywhere we went, I would just
(31:46):
about bet you yeah, we had matches in arenas for for fans
somewhere that equaled that or were even way better.
Wow, wow. I just got chills just to know
that, you know. So I know that during this time
there was the I quit match at Starcade and stuff like that.
(32:08):
But also, and there's a rumor that's come about later on in
the more modern era that Dusty was actually talking about the
possibility of there being a movie about you or movie with
you. Do you remember?
Have you heard talk of this? I'm sure you have but.
Oh, he was. We had, we had visions of things
that nobody, nobody knew anything about, obviously.
(32:32):
But I mean, yeah, he'd written ascreenplay with a whole, with a
movie for me to be riding my motorcycle cross country on this
adventure. And I was going to have this
animated conscience named Gus, alittle mouse.
It would appear like on my shoulder.
And and, and Gus would be kind of like, like, kind of like the
(32:55):
devil on your shoulder, not really an Angel.
And and he's written a whole screenplay.
He had a whole story, had a whole thing.
And and because the wrestling thing as as we were doing it
then, as grand as it was, was not even remotely the the end
game, but where, where Dusty wanted to go and what he
(33:16):
believed that I can do with him.Yeah.
Was there even a rumor that maybe Sylvester Stallone playing
you, or were you going to play you?
No, this was before my accident.Now, no, this is me being in the
movie. OK, got you.
OK. Yeah, this wasn't a story about
my life. This was a story.
This was a Cecil B Demille's moment of Dusty's wanting us to
(33:38):
go to Hollywood. Yeah, OK, that makes sense.
OK, that makes sense. So you know, another thing that
best of seven with Nikita, I feel like in a way, you know,
beyond the years, you know, a lot of people have kind of
gotten negative on Nikita a little, whether it was the
Russian accent that he kept going or things like that.
But honestly, we thought Nikita was a monster.
(34:01):
We thought of Nikita in such reverence.
Now I've met Nikita later on. Great man, really, just really
pleasant, nice man to meet. He has a strong faith and to me,
you know, meeting him, it was just like this monster.
But he was a real man, you know,But you guys also had some great
chemistry, so. Great and so it it it it's so
(34:23):
you're really fortunate when anybody looks back on a career,
whether your career was seven years long or 37 years long to
have like defining moments that people will still talk about,
you know, ten 20-30 years down the road.
And and of course, the I quit matches.
Yes, the hands down number one thing people talk about, but the
(34:43):
second to it is definitely the best of seven series.
And it and it's so special to mefor a number of reasons.
But first of all, it was the first time that I was in a
program with somebody that I wasthe veteran.
I I was the veteran. I was the I was the lead, I was
the I was the general. I was the guy that everybody's
(35:04):
looking to to make sure that this thing was, you know, not
just good, but spectacular. And Nikita, Nikita was as far as
intensity goes, and I was intense.
Nikita, it was my equal in intensity as a girl.
And he was 290 lbs. I mean, big monster, menacing,
(35:29):
you know, everything. You know, he didn't have all the
Polish and things that, you know, somebody, you know, he's
been working on top for years, would have.
But he was so believable and hisstuff was so good.
Nobody ever looked at and said, Oh, well, you know, I don't
think that hurt because it was everything was very, very, very
(35:50):
solid. So for me, the body of work that
I had so much responsibility in and it was really, we had some
outstanding matches in that bestof seven.
Some of them went 30 and 45 minutes long that that I I've
got. I've got a lot of pride in that
because I feel like that really proved to me into the world that
(36:14):
that, you know, I could, you know, it's easy to go out there
and dance with somebody that's an expert.
To go out with somebody that's not and make it look that good,
then that's what you know, that's what it's all about.
While we're still talking about it, in that case, now we hear a
lot, you know, I listen to Ric Flair's podcast and Ric Flair
talks about, OK, I called this match or, you know, I let this
person call. Now, I don't think Rick let many
(36:35):
people call matches, but in thatregard, who's calling that match
between you? And I'll let all those, I'll let
all those matches. Yeah, I figured.
So yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, we, I mean, don't get me
wrong, we didn't have to talk that much, but if the tempo was
going wrong, if something, if, you know, if, if, if I need to
be in a certain place at a certain time or, or he need to
(36:57):
get more heat or, or whatever, you know, I was making sure that
that chemistry and that story was being told.
And, and it wasn't like the day of, you know, laying out a match
like these guys do today. I mean, we were doing this
improvisation lay on the fly every night.
We never had a, never had a planout outside of what the outcome
(37:18):
was. There wasn't anything talked
about prior to us going out there and doing it.
So that's what made it even morespecial because again, that was
the craft and the art of it backthen.
It wasn't, you know, a high spot, you know, fiasco of, you
know, 5000 things happening thatthat at the end of the day,
(37:39):
everybody just gets up and walksoff like, you know, they got hit
by a butterfly. Yeah, seriously.
Yeah. So, so, yeah, again, it was, it
was that that kind of thing. And that's where I felt like I
had, I had learned enough of thelessons I need to learn to be
(38:01):
able to go out there and do thatwith with pretty much anybody.
Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah.
I know that a lot of people see like Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair,
the Four Horsemen, everybody back in that time cutting a
great promo. I feel like sometimes you get
overlooked, but you had such a fiery promo and I feel like it
could always be maybe intimidating being around like
(38:24):
Flair or Dusty giving a promo. How did you how did you get past
that? Or was it just, were you just
comfortable with it and. And I was, I was comfortable
with, with, with my delivery and, and, and felt, you know, I
mean, I felt very good by it. I mean, you wouldn't ever go out
there with, you know, with Dustyand our tag team and you'd be
stupid to go out there and try to out out Dusty.
(38:45):
Dusty. I mean, that's just, yeah.
I mean, it's one thing when when, yeah, heels got in a promo
and then you're coming back and you're, you know, giving a
response. You know, obviously you can let
it fly then. But when you're out there
sharing a mic with, you know, Dusty Roads, who arguably is the
greatest in the greatest wrestling promo in the history
(39:06):
of the business, then then you've got to you've got to stay
in your lane and do what's complimentary to it and, and get
you and have your believability be on par with where his is.
But you don't try to out, you know, out talk, You know, I
mean, I, I can say things that would mess him up and, and I
(39:27):
didn't do it on purpose, but I would do it because because
he's, I just knew what would make him think, you know,
because he was always like that.I remember one time coming out,
we're on deep DBS and I said something about there's, you
know, there's a lot of variablesin the in this circumstance.
It's like amazing. What are variables?
(39:49):
Very thinkable, you know, it waslike it was fun and Dusty and I
were just such great friends that those times were all just
fun to me, you know, I mean, I wasn't out there trying to be in
a contest. Like I said, I know my work in
the ring combined with the fact that, you know, I said what I
(40:12):
meant and I did what I said I was going to do When I got in
there was, you know, what was telling the story I wanted to
tell on a. Little bit of a lighter note, I
remember there was a A tag team,the James Boys, that was feuding
with the Midnight Express. Did they ever find out who those
guys were? No, I think, I think they're,
they're out in Colorado somewhere still running
roughshod and and have yet to befound.
(40:36):
I've looked for interviews and podcasts about them and I, you
know, it's just like they reallywent totally under the radar.
It was just they were there. And they, you know, well, you
know, they're, they're lucky that that they probably did ride
off in the sunset. Had they had they resumed their
reign of terror, it could changethe whole wrestling landscape
(41:00):
because they played by differentset of rules.
They did. They did, absolutely.
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
the past, present, and future. You'll also be able to
participate in live signings in the weeks and months to come.
(41:22):
Make sure to stop by Captain's Corner on Facebook and give us a
holler. Remember, cheers to the working
man. You know, Speaking of those
guys. And then, yeah, of course you
were talking about Dusty there. Talk about those awesome fur
coats. I'm just saying those were
amazing. Oh yeah.
Didn't you know? Didn't really fit your gimmick
(41:43):
totally, but it did too. You know does that.
Make sense? You know, it was just, it was
just like, so yeah, we were all in Vegas and, and, and and
Flair's running around being Flair and and, and and we're all
being the boys. And Dusty and I, you know,
(42:04):
happen to like stroll by this first shop, Ray Lenoble furs and
and there's pictures in there of, of, of all these pro boxers
that he made coach for and Liberace.
And I mean just this goes on andon.
And Dusty said, you know what? He said we ought to just go in
here, get fixed up and just shutthat flare up first and
(42:28):
foremost. And so we go in and I think
there was a little alcohol involved.
And then the next thing I know that these furrier guys have
flown from from from Vegas to Charlotte, NC, to fit us for
these curts. They're making for us, by the
(42:49):
way, cost $7200 apiece in 1985, which was a whole lot of money
back. Yes, absolutely, yeah.
But but but they were. They were a they were unique and
it's so funny seeing them on theInternet because I, I mean, I
think that meme so funny is so you may be cool, but you're not,
(43:10):
you're not just cool. Yeah, exactly.
That's what I was going to say, because it's honestly so true.
I I just, it takes a certain kind of man, I'm just going to
say it and I'm not sure I'm thatman.
Takes a certain kind of man to pull off a fur coat and still
believe that he could knock yourteeth out.
You know what I'm saying? So, well, we come from that John
(43:30):
Wayne mentality, true. Yeah, hey, I love it.
And our father is a big John Wayne fan, so obviously we were
raised on the Searchers and the Rio Bravo, you know?
Yeah. Those are great.
Oh, True Grit cannot have Rooster Cogburn.
Yeah, those are great. We love, you know.
OK, so obviously Jared talked about the fiery promos and stuff
(43:52):
like that and you know it. It seems like today where
everything is so scripted and planned out for the guys that it
doesn't really seem that they get the opportunity to really
show that they can give those kinds of promos, even if they
have the ability or not. What could they do today to
allow for that to happen? I mean, if you were a guy coming
(44:14):
up today, would you just try to do it the same way or?
I don't know. I, I, I really don't know.
I think, I think Triple H is giving some of those that that
he knows have that kind of ability some leeway a little bit
to to, you know, I mean, like, you know, Edge can obviously.
(44:38):
You know, Oh yeah, totally can. Can, can, can, can deliver, you
know, like, like none other, youknow, and, and, and Randy Orton,
you know, same thing. I mean, there's, there's guys
there that, that, that have the skill sets.
I understand why they control the narrator the way they do or
(44:59):
they control the things that they do.
Because I understand enough about production now and, and
things of why is so important that they know what's going to
happen because what they do withtheir product is like, like I
went down and watched a taping that they did in in North
(45:19):
Carolina a couple years ago. And, and I watched it and it was
just, it was like, you know, it's like I watched AC, but I
would have called AC show back in the day.
And I came home and watched it on TV because it was being shown
that night. And what I saw on TV was 100%
different than what I had witnessed in the arena because
(45:40):
of the camera angles, the thingsthat they captured, the zoom
insurance or they got expressions on people's faces
and stuff. And so they've made a art form
out of there. They're making a movie.
They didn't turn into a product.They come and and they do it
great. It doesn't translate the same
watching it live as it does whatit comes across.
(46:02):
And that's where they make the bread and butter where we were
the exact opposite. He was, was the advertising tool
to get people to come into the arenas to pay their money to,
to, you know, to, to get the, the fruits of our labor, you
know, in the arenas. And now it's all turned around.
So I get why they did what they did, but somehow marrying up the
(46:25):
skill set so, so guys can find, you know, a, a character that
they're comfortable in and then they can make their own and and
certainly can't turn them loose to just go do something,
especially on live television that did, you know, mess up your
sponsors and this and that. I mean, so many things could go
wrong. I can't even count, you know, if
(46:47):
you had, if you had no early idea.
But to that point, like I was calling a match with, with Jim
Ross back in the day for WCW and, and they did and they
didn't do things like they do today.
They were, they just went out and had these matches and it was
a match with with all I rememberwas Sting, the Steiners, and I
(47:07):
don't know if Lugar was in it ornot, but they did a spot and the
Steiners were out on the floor and it was Rick and he was
backed all the way up to the barricade.
And Sting ran and jumped from the middle of the ring, clear
the top rope probably by four orfive feet and went all the way
to the floor where Steiner caught him and took a bump.
(47:29):
And it was the most it was like watching Michael Jordan or
something, the athleticism, whattook place.
And the director missed the whole shot because he did it
because he didn't know what was going to happen, right.
I mean, because I was watching just saying, Oh my gosh, I'm
having witness something that that, you know, I'm selling like
1,000,000 bucks that nobody got to see if you weren't in the
(47:51):
arena. And when you're so when you're
talking about 10,000 people seeing it or 10 million people
seeing it, you know, that's kindof a no brainer that you want to
make sure that the 10 million see what they're supposed to
see. Sure.
TV ratings, commercials, ads, you know all that.
So 1987, that was your year, right?
(48:12):
That was going to be, I don't want to put words in your mouth,
but it's all pretty much well known and assumed that you were
with the rocket on your back, literally going to go and have
the title. Am I correct about that?
Yeah, 100%. Yeah.
And I mean, you know, we've heard about your accident.
You know, it happened. Obviously, things happen that
(48:33):
alter our lives, but we like to play a little bit of what if,
You know, we knew that Flair kept the title for a long time
because Flair was willing to travel to Japan, Puerto Rico,
you know, Texas. He was willing to work the
entire territory or the entire United States as it were with
that title. I mean, obviously you being
focused on Mid-Atlantic and and Jim Crockett really at that
(48:55):
time, but would you have also just taken on that mantle and
gone with it like he did? Well, see, it was a different
game, so there's a couple dynamics that the general public
doesn't really see, and I think Rick's actually forgot because
I've heard him talk about it sometimes.
So, so the 10 lbs of gold, whichwas to me the last real true
(49:17):
world's heavyweight title was the N.W.A.
It was the N.W.A belt, OK, when the Crocketts.
So when the big gold came about,the big gold was didn't say
N.W.A, world's heavyweight champion, it said world's
heavyweight champion because they had to give the N.W.A 10%
of the gate. I mean 3%, the champion got 10%,
(49:41):
the N.W.A got 3%. So 13% of your gate's gone got
you. OK, so there was a kitten.
So, so when to when it started, yes, I was just in Jim Crockett
Promotions. But then when we became
worldwide, then all, every, every country, every, I mean,
(50:01):
every city in the United States was in our territory.
You know, we're wrestling in, inChicago one night, in LA the
next night, New Orleans the nextnight, or, you know, we're
bouncing around like Super Bowlsbecause we're going on planes.
So the only thing that Flair hadbeen doing was going, you know,
like to New Zealand or, or, or going to, you know, Japan or as
(50:24):
far as going out, there was no other territories.
By that point in time, Jim Crockett was the world.
So, so, so a couple of things. So then had I been carrying the
mantle and, and that title for the Crockett's, they would have
completely dictated everywhere Iwent and everything that I did.
(50:44):
There would be no conflict of, you know, interest of, of, you
know, do we let our champion go here?
Do we do there? Because they would be
controlling every show the champion was on.
Right. So it would be it been different
because I heard Rick say, you know, you know, Magnum would
have need to, you know, go work some of these other places and
down. But I think he's he's forgotten.
(51:07):
You know, it wasn't like, you know, he wasn't going to all
those places anymore either in that in back back in the in 86.
He wasn't up until 85. But when that thing changed, he
wasn't going all over the world anymore.
He was going where, where Jimmy booked him.
Yeah, it was, it was, it was a different game because we, we
(51:29):
ran, we ran all the little guys out of business.
Yeah, I mean, it, it they could,they couldn't compete.
And you know, the and I was supposed to go to Japan in
February of of 87 anyway. I was going with the Crockett
stuff again. They weren't just letting Magnum
be gone anywhere for for two weeks or two days, let alone two
(51:52):
weeks to go somewhere and and have everything, you know, in
limbo. So we were taking a tour over
there as a company. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, that's cool. That's cool.
I just feel like, you know, we actually have a series that we
do. We just recently kicked it off
with the in our opinion, how Sting and Hogan should have
finished with the NWO deal. But you know, you were on our
(52:14):
plate of a of a what if series, you know, and it's great we're
getting to actually do the what if with you.
Do you feel like. I mean, obviously 87 would have
been yours. I know that the WCW when Turner
took it over and went into fluctuation, I.
Don't think I would have gone toWCW.
Yeah. OK, there you.
Go, I think. I think that would.
I think that would have been theSegway because my, my allegiance
(52:36):
was to Jimmy and Dusty and and and and and that was that was my
the minute the Crockettes were not, it wasn't the Crockett
family unless they had offered me, you know, some astronomical
amount of money. I mean, it would have to been
like, I'm talking like 7 to $10 million kind of money.
(52:58):
They my would not been been intrigued by somebody, you know,
trying to run the wrestling business rather than somebody
who was an expert and running the wrestling business like you
know, the WWE was. Right, right.
That makes total sense in that you read my mind actually, which
is awesome. So I didn't know you had that
ability as well. Hey everybody, Jean Jackson here
(53:24):
inviting you to check out the Retro Wrestling review where
each week I'm joined by some great Co host to help me review
classic episodes of USWA Championship Wrestling.
And right now we are doing week by week reviews of 1993.
But we don't just do reviews. Sometimes we get a chance to
interview some of the people whowere there and lived it.
Plus do watch alongs. It's a lot of fun.
(53:46):
So check out new episodes that drop every Wednesday at
wrestlecopia.com and define links to everything being
associated to the podcast. You can go to uswapodcast.com.
Hi, this is Mike Needham, host of the Reckless Abandoned
podcast with Mike Needham. We invite you to jump on your
(54:07):
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 Tennessee and a ton of other
(54:27):
stuff. But be sure to check out the
Reckless Abandoned Podcast, findus 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. Hey hey y'all, Jimmy here.
(54:58):
And that was episode 2 of The Best of James Rock St.
Productions with the first half of episode 19 of the Magnum TA
episode on Give Me Back My Pro Wrestling.
We definitely hope you all enjoyed that.
I remember back when we had Steve Rosenthal from Powertown
Toys on the podcast and he offered us Magnum TA and Greg
Gonya. It was way early in the podcast.
(55:19):
Honestly, it was probably too soon for us to have a star such
as Magnum, but hey, we made it work and I think you guys will
enjoy it. If you want to hear the full
episode, you can head over to ATG MB MPW or Give Me Back My Pro
Wrestling wherever you listen topodcast.
Also, I'll have the link to the episode in the podcast notes.
We hope you guys enjoyed this Look back in the archives of
(55:41):
James Rock St. Productions.
Check us out next week to see what else we have in store.
Until then, make sure and followat G MB MPW and at James Rock
St. everywhere. Peace with a tear in my eye.
This is the greatest moment in my life.
(56:29):
This has been a James Rock St. production.
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