So Many Memories!

Getting ready to announce a match with Iron Mike Sharpe in Vicksburg, Ms mid 70's

I have so many memories from the days of true professional wrestling and being so fortunate of being a part of it. I grew up in the country in Vicksburg, Mississippi, worked on our farm raising Black Angus cattle from a very young age, realized as I got older that my father was a wrestler, his half brother and two of my older cousins were wrestlers, and one day I would become involved in the business! Not as a wrestler, but on the promotional end of the business with my father. It was an experience that you can only appreciate if you were part of it. The best professors in the world cannot teach you about what life is like on the road six nights a week, dealing with so many people in so many towns, learning a business from the ground up and I was only involved in one state! The experiences, the stories and the memories that last a lifetime. The brotherhood. I would not change a thing! Unfortunately, so many from those days have passed on, I still keep in touch with those I knew, but those days are gone. I am finishing up my book on those days and hope that by sharing those memories you will appreciate them and have a better understanding about what those days were like. I was blessed! Stay Tuned!!!
 

Just a quick post

From one of our programs when we were promoting ICW in Mississippi. Tom Jones was a true legend in professional wrestling and Tom "Boogaloo" Shaft was one of the best talkers around on the mic and also one tough, legit man that believe me, you did not want to mess with! These two appealed to wrestling fans of every age and color and were truly two of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet! Before Shaft got into professional wrestling he was a boxer and told stories about sparring with Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), and later compete in many Tough Man competitions being held around the country before they were banned. RIP my friends. Was an honor knowing you both and traveling many miles together.

Rings and Not

There were many times we would have minor things happen, like a top rope popping out in one corner from one of these big guys being thrown hard into the turnbuckles, but things like that were usually easily fixed, even while the match is going on. Then there are the other times like what happened in Hattiesburg, Mississippi one night at the National Guard Armory. It was during a match with Gene Lewis and someone, I cannot remember who for the life of me. I was walking in the back headed for one of the dressing rooms when all of a sudden there was a huge, loud explosion that sounded like a bomb, and I believe the building actually shook. I looked around real quick and saw that everyone had jumped to their feet except for three people. Those three people were Gene Lewis, his opponent and the referee. The damn ring had collapsed big time! I saw a huge puff of dust in the air, the referee hanging onto the sagging ropes trying to pull himself up out of the hole in the center of the ring, but no sign of Gene or the other wrestler. As I was running towards the ring, fearing the worse, I see the two wrestlers heads and shoulders pop up. Thank God they are alive!

Another little tease from my upcoming book

Security was on their toes stationed between the dressing room and the ring watching for signs of trouble when here he comes, Bobby bolting out of the dressing room running straight towards the ring. The crowd was on their feet yelling and screaming and it seemed for a moment he had made it there safely and security was prepared to get all involved safely back to the dressing rooms. As Bobby hit the ring the referee was calling for a disqualification, the time keeper was ringing the bell, then it quickly became obvious that there was quite a bit of blood on the ring canvas. Someone was bleeding very badly, but who? About as soon as Jack and Bobby jumped out of the ring there was no doubt. It was Bobby with blood gushing out from what appeared to be between his legs! As soon as he got back to the dressing room, leaving a trail of blood from the ring, he was immediately rushed to the emergency room. I don't think anybody knew exactly what happened, not even Bobby, but later it became clear. At some point during the excitement someone had slipped underneath the ring, right behind the ring post where they knew Bobby would be coming, and as he was jumping into the ring they thrust a knife upwards into him, catching him with one leg in the air as he jumped! The knife had hit a artery on the inside of his upper thigh, about as close as it could come to where I think you can imagine the assailant intended, then he or she vanished into the crowd and out the door. It all happened so quickly. That was a night when a fan's emotions could have easily become deadly.

A bit more from the upcoming book

The referee could not control it or get them to leave. They would just shove him away. Then, next thing you know there were several other wrestlers that had come from the dressing rooms and my father in the ring, trying to restore some kind of order. Bell still ringing. Things had gotten out of hand. There was pushing, pulling and shoving going on trying to pull everyone apart and at some point my father got shoved by Miller. He let that one slide. Heat of the battle. Then with the bell still ringing away, more wrestlers in the ring pushing, pulling and shoving, Miller turns around and shoves my father hard. Really intentional and much harder this time and I guess that was sorta a breaking point. If you knew my father you knew he always wore a suit for business and was very serious and professional about anything he did. When he threw his jacket off the crowd started going a bit crazy, the ring was full of guys and they ended up having to try and separate Miller and my father, Whew, what a night! Did not see that one coming.

What a Night in Natchez, Mississippi!

When I went over his match he stopped lacing his boots and just sat there for a few moments not saying anything. Then he looked up at me and said “I'm not going to do it. I'm not putting that son of a bitch over”. As you can imagine I was a bit stunned and after a moment I said something like hey, I'm just the messenger and so forth which didn't change things at all and he said that Johnny would know why. I will tell you at this point Frankie had quite a reputation in the wrestling business as not only a really tough guy that had basically come up on the streets, boxing at a very young age and wrestling in carnivals taking on all challengers. He had also been known to punch out a promoter or two over disagreements of some sort and was even “blackballed” from the wrestling business at some point, but he had always been very nice to me and easy to get along with. With this in mind I left the dressing room and thought for a moment of what to do.

Stay tuned!!

From the Upcoming Book

I explained this to Bill but he wasn't really in the mood to talk I guess. I figured after a while it would all be forgotten and maybe even share a good laugh about it. It never was brought up again, to me anyhow, so I assumed it was all forgotten but never shared the laugh. Several years ago someone told me that Bill thought I did that intentionally. I assure you I did not. Why would I? Oh well, at least one of us can laugh about it. Y'all just should have been there and seen those faces! Priceless memory!

Can You Believe This??

BREAKING NEWS...... I'M BACK!!!!

Finally in the home stretch of finishing my book that I have worked on, scratched, worked on and scratched again the given up for dead! Finally got re-focused and should be out in about a month or so. Will keep you posted. Stay Tuned!!!!