APRIL 2014 Issue
TERRY TAYLOR THE 2014 CAC IRON MIKE AWARD HONOREE!
Also in this issue…
The REMAINING REUNION HONOREES, plus lots of other reunion news
A CAC interview with TERRY TAYLOR
Part II of RON HUTCHISON’s excellent Sully’s Gym list
MIKE LANO on pro wrestlers in the media and 2012 CAC honoree Dan Haggerty 2014 Thesz Honoree Michael Hayes
Gold Coast Hotel / Las Vegas, Nevada
Baloney Blowout: June 3, 2014 Banquet: June 4, 2014
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This June at our Las Vegas banquet, the Cauliflower Alley Club will take great delight in honoring the one and only Terry Taylor with the 2014 Iron Mike Mazurki Award!
A top talent of the mat for two-and-a-half decades, Terry Taylor was a star wherever he went, and he remains a star today. Without question, he was one of the premier in-ring workers of his era, respected by his peers and admired by his fans. In the days before Wrestlemania and sports entertainment, he was a standout in the singles ranks, having held some of the iconic belts of the territory years like the Southern title in Memphis, the North American title in the Mid-South and the Southeastern title in Knoxville. But he also excelled in the tag team ranks, enjoying title runs with Bob Brown (the Central States tag team championship in Kansas City), Hacksaw Duggan (the old Bill Watts UWF tag team championship) and Steve Keirn (Memphis’ Southern tag team championship).
When the territories were overtaken in the mid-80’s by the dueling World Wrestling Federation and Crockett National Wrestling Alliance companies, the result for Taylor was the same: more titles and more glory. In this era, he and Greg Valentine captured the WCW U.S. tag title, while Taylor had a great run on his own with the National heavyweight title, an accolade that at the time was featured each week on Jim Crockett’s Superstation WTBS TV show.
Over the years, Taylor proved to be an impressively versatile performer. He shined in roles as diverse as a straight-up wrestling technician in the old Mid-South to the outrageous “Red Rooster” character in the then-WWF, easily displaying a high Terry Taylor, babyface superstar, in 1984 quality of ring work in both situations. He had the looks of a Hollywood actor and the charm of a Casanova, which made him a natural favorite of the fans. And yet, he wielded a broad knowledge of ring psychology that allowed him to raise the ire of even his most ardent fans, as he made clear during his memorable heel runs in the middle part of the 80’s and the early 90’s. But whether you loved him or you hated him, you couldn’t deny his formidable talent.
Regardless of what side of the fence Taylor sat, he had a flair for drama that saw him engage in some top-flight ring rivalries. For instance, he had a long-running feud with Chris Adams that was so strong it became a rare example of a feud that spilled from one territory (Mid-South) into another (World Class), and it never lost an ounce of steam in the transition. He had many other notable arch-enemies over the course of his career, including major names like Nikita Koloff, Buddy Landel and 2010 CAC Iron Mike honoree Ted DiBiase.
But perhaps the thing that stands out the most about Terry Taylor is what a genuinely soft-spoken and ego-free man he is. Sure, he could brag if he wanted to, having had the kind of career that most of the men and women in the wrestling profession can only dream about. However, he was humble enough to recently tell Ear editor Eric Chmiel that when he first began associating with the top stars in the business back in the 1970s, “I was like a little kid…..I couldn’t believe I was accepted by these guys. For some reason…..they couldn’t see that I didn’t belong.”
And to that, the Ear says, “Terry, you belong!” In his career, nobody embodied the spirit of wrestling, nobody belonged in the ring, more than Terry Taylor. He was and is the consummate pro wrestler.
Congratulations to 2014 CAC Iron Mike Award winner Terry Taylor!
So far, both earlier in this issue and in the last issue, we have announced the following CAC award honorees for the 2014 Cauliflower Alley Club banquet and reunion in Las Vegas, which will run from June 2nd to June 4th:
The Iron Mike Award—Terry Taylor
The Lou Thesz Award—Freebird Michael Hayes Men’s (Retired) Wrestling Award—Buddha Khan Men’s (Active) Award—Adam Pearce Special Trainer’s Award—Ron Hutchison Red Bastien Friendship Award—John Arthur Lowe
Below, we present the remaining honorees for the 2014 reunion. Order your tickets to the Tuesday Baloney Blowout and Wednesday Banquet with the form on the inside cover of this issue. Other details on the reunion appear later in this issue. The great
The CAC will present this year’s Women’s (Active) Wrestling Award to the talented “Cheerleader” Melissa Anderson.
The daughter of grappler Doug Anderson, Cheerleader Melissa’s rise through the ranks of women’s pro wrestling has been steady and impressive. In 2004, the CAC recognized her with the “Future Legend” Award. Now, a decade later, she’s come full circle. She was recently honored by Pro Wrestling Illustrated as the top female performer in the business, garnering the number one slot in that newsstand magazine’s first annual “PWI Female 50” ranking. Over the past few years, she’s reached nearly universal acclaim as one of the most gifted, toughest and hardest working wrestlers to be found anywhere in the world. She’s now a polished veteran, having been in the business for a decade and a half. Through her career, she’s done star turns in TNA and Japan, and she remains one of the great talents on the North American independent scene.
The CAC congratulates Cheerleader Melissa Anderson, the
recipient of the 2014 Women’s (Active) Wrestling Award.
The CAC will present this year’s Women’s (Retired) Wrestling Award to the outstanding Debi Pelletier, better known to wrestling fans the world over as “Debbie the Killer Tomato.”
Pelletier never had any intention of becoming a pro wrestler. In fact, her first match came about by accident. Her late husband, longtime CAC member and ring legend Jay “The Alaskan” York, was called upon to find a late replacement for a no-showing participant in a ladies match scheduled at the famed Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles back in 1983. Despite having no training, Pelletier took the match and performed so well that wrestling soon became her full-time occupation. Her unforgettable “Killer Tomato” moniker made her an instantly recognizable and memorable star of the ring.
She wrestled in such far-flung places as Indonesia, Mexico and
Verne Gagne’s old AWA promotion out of Minnesota, where she feuded over the AWA ladies title with Sherri Martel. She also did a stint wrestling under the name “Dallas”, doing a successful Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader gimmick in the 1980’s GLOW promotion.
Congratulations to Debi Pelletier, the recipient of the 2014 Women’s (Retired) Wrestling Award.
This year’s CAC Men’s (Active) Wrestling Award will go to the talented Dan “Short Sleeve” Sampson.
In a business where very few little people are able to make a full-time living, Dan “Short Sleeve” Sampson has had a long run of tremendous success. Starting his career in 1999, he has risen steadily up the ladder and now boasts an impressive résumé. His legitimately outstanding ring skills have seen him work for TNA and WWE on several memorable occasions. In WWE, he has portrayed mini versions of such superstars as Kurt Angle and Undertaker, worked angles with the likes of John Bradshaw Leyfield and Viscera, and did a juniors division match against Pitbull Patterson on Smackdown. In TNA, he has done storylines involving the likes of major stars like Chris Sabin and Kevin Nash. In addition, he has worked extensively for Hulk Hogan’s Micro Championship Wrestling promotion, which has produced a regular series of TV shows for the TruTV cable network. Sampson has more recently branched out into acting, appearing in the 2013 film “Solitaire” as well as a short film called “Umbrellas.”
Dan “Short Sleeve” Sampson
The CAC is proud to recognize a standout wrestler and budding actor, Dan “Short Sleeve” Sampson, with the Men’s (Active) Wrestling Award.
The CAC will present this year’s Jason Sanderson Humanitarian Award to the distinguished Sean “Massive Damage” Dunster.
Named for Archbishop Jason Sanderson—the CAC Board member whose charitable works have become the thing of legend—this award goes each year to the person who, through his or her efforts or resources, has endeavored to improve their community and the lives of others, thus elevating the perception of pro wrestling and its participants. We all know Sean Dunster well from his memorable 2011 wedding ceremony held at the CAC reunion, where he married his fellow worker and CAC member Tanya Lavigne (aka Sexy Samantha). But there is much more about Sean and his bride that you probably don’t know. The man who goes by the name “Massive Damage” has done extensive charity work on behalf of the Fight For Sean Dunster, aka Massive Damage Life program, which battles youth substance abuse. Sean has committed many hours of his personal time to address young people in classrooms and Children’s Hospitals across western Canada, sharing his experiences about friends he’s lost to addiction over the years, and spreading hope to those who may be in danger of becoming embroiled in their own substance issues. Truly, this remarkable man’s charitable work has been both selfless and admirable.
Congratulations to Sean Dunster, the recipient of the 2014 Jason Sanderson Humanitarian Award.
The CAC will also bestow two other honors at the 2014 reunion in Las Vegas: the Golden Ear Award (won last year by David Cantu) and the Future Legend Award (won last year by Bobby Sharp). And be ready, because there may be a few big surprises as well!
The 2014 CAC banquet & reunion goes from June 2nd to June 4th in Las Vegas at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino. See below for info on attending, and how to get the best deal on everything!
PLEASE DO NOT WAIT TO BUY YOUR BANQUET TICKETS OR MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATIONS FOR LAS VEGAS! Remember this important date: Tuesday, April 29. That’s the final day you can book your room reservations at the Gold Coast Hotel if you plan to take advantage of the CAC’s heavily discounted rates – and who wouldn’t want to? The daily rate for Sunday, June 1 through Thursday, June 5 is only $36.00 standard and $42.00 premium (single or double), which is far below the room rates in any large hotel both on and off The Strip. The earlier you book the better, as our block of rooms at these special rates is limited. Don’t wait until after April 29 and be disappointed, as regular room rates will be in effect from April 30th forward. Here’s what you need to know:
*HOTEL ROOM: The Gold Coast has guaranteed the CAC an even better rate than last year on a premium room, and the same great rate as 2013 on a standard room. Rooms are available for just $36 (standard) or $42 (premium) per night. To book, call the Gold Coast Central Reservations hotline at 1-888-402-6278 (toll-free) to reserve your room. To receive the special discounted rate, you should ask for Group Reservation ID (or Group Code) ACAC49A, or reserve online at http://www.goldcoastcasino.com/groups by using the code above. These rates are good from the day before the reunion begins (Sunday, June 1st) to the day after it ends (Thursday, June 5th). These rates now include in-room WIFI internet service! Cut-off date for discounted reservations at the above rate is April 29, 2014, but we’re limited to a certain number of rooms under the special rate, so don’t wait to book! If you have a Players Club card or are eligible for discounts by any other means, please advise when you book your room that you are with the Cauliflower Alley Club so that you will be placed on a master list of
CAC members, which will help out the club a lot. 2013 CAC banquet (photo by Scott Romer)
*BALONEY BLOWOUT and BANQUET: For tickets to Tuesday’s Baloney Blowout and Wednesday’s Banquet, please cut or photocopy the order form found on the inside cover of this issue and mail or fax it to the CAC (see form for details) with you payment. You can also pay for your Blowout and Banquet tickets through Paypal. See www.caulifloweralleyclub.org for details on using Paypal to buy tickets.
*MERCHANDISE TABLES: If you’re interested in renting a table to sell merchandise in the nostalgia room, please contact Scott Hosey at shosey@powerplaysportscards.com as soon as possible.
*RENTAL CARS: Budget Rental of Vegas has provided a great deal on car rentals for CAC members the week of the reunion. For rates, or to make a reservation, call the Budget hotline at 1-800-922-2899, or call Budget’s Vegas Office at 1-702-730-0156. Or, book online through www.budgetvegas.com. When making reservations, you MUST use promotion code R443300 in order to guarantee the low CAC rates
*BANQUET PROGRAM ADVERTISING: The CAC is now accepting advertising for our 2014 Reunion Banquet Program, which will be distributed to an estimated 500 to 600 people. Not only will your ad be targeted to wrestling fans and workers, it will also help support the CAC. Remaining available advertising space for single color ads: full page $200.00, half page $125.00, and quarter page $75.00. You can also buy a sponsorship ad for $75.00 (this type of ad goes across the program page of the honoree and helps to cover the expense of the plaques that are given to the honorees). To reserve your ad now, contact the Banquet Coordinator Morgan Dollar at morgan@caulifloweralleyclub.org with your art work by April 1st. Payment will be due April 15th. Support the CAC by buying a program ad!
Several classic paintings created by the great mid-20th century wrestler Lord Carlton will be on display at the 2014 CAC reunion in Las Vegas, courtesy of his daughter.
Lord Leslie Carlton was among the major stars in the wrestling business for many years, touring the world and becoming a top name in the Northeastern U.S., where he headlined New York’s Madison Square Garden numerous times in the 1940s and 1950s. He was also a major presence during the Golden Era of early TV, battling such luminaries as Argentina Rocca and Johnny Barend.
A 1970’s Lord Carlton original: Hulk Hogan vs. Tony Atlas (image courtesy of K.K. Carlton)
Outside the ring, Carlton, who died in 1988, pursued a different passion: painting. His works are quite highly regarded today, thanks to the efforts of his daughter K.K. Carlton, who has begun a campaign to make the world aware of her father’s artistic accomplishments. She inherited over 100 of his original oil works when he passed.
“He was very involved in painting,” says K.K., “and he got a lot of publicity for that. But I’m trying to kind of resurrect this, to bring it out into the public, for the first time in years. These paintings have been locked up for 40 years.”
As a superstar wrestler, Lord Carlton had a lot of friends in the entertainment and sports worlds.
As a result, he often created portraits of other famous people, like actor Peter Falk (TV’s “Columbo”) and NFL star Lyle Alzado, among others. He also painted wrestling scenes, plus works with spiritual themes. You can view paintings like these at the reunion.
K.K. has a long history with the CAC, although she has not attended a club event in years. “I attended the reunions when they were at Sportsman’s Lodge in Studio City,” she says. “That was back in the day. I was really just a kid. This will be my first time in Las Vegas for the CAC. I’m really looking forward to going and seeing what it’s like.”
Aside from the paintings, K.K will be bringing some one-of-a-kind memorabilia items from her father’s collection. She has championship belts, her father’s monocles, some robes, postcards from other superstar wrestlers sent to her dad, and a plethora of other pieces. Anyone interested in wrestling history should stop by and see the display, because it really promises to be something special.
This issue, let’s reach all the way back to 1995, when the Cauliflower Alley Club still held its reunions at the Sportsman’s Lodge in Studio City, CA. Do you recognize these guys? From left to right, we’ve got the great referee (and CAC t-shirt designer) Charlie Smith, who hasn’t changed a bit in 20 years; the very legendary Sputnik Monroe; one of the all-time notable journeymen in Mike Paidousis, who worked for years in the old WWWF for Vince McMahon Sr.; and Ken Ramey, the great manager for whom the CAC’s annual bowling tournament is named, and who we still hope to see again at a reunion someday, his health permitting. What superstar quartet will be photographed at this June’s reunion?
By Ron Hutchison
In this issue, The Ear continues with 2014 CAC Trainer’s Award honoree Ron Hutchison’s entertaining list of his favorite memories from his days at the numerous incarnations of Sully’s Gym in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where he trained so many greats for the ring. Picking up with memory #3…….
3) The Wrestling Show Another one of my favorite Sully's Gym memories is of a somewhat historical nature. Historical, because I had never staged a show within the confines of the gym walls before or since, and because this night in June of ‘95 also marked the very first match of Jay Reso, the man who would go on to become Christian, although at that time he preferred “Christian Cage.”
The night wasn't billed publically as a live wrestling show, although I had every intention of running an angle or two to turn it into one. Rather, it was billed as a Sully's Gym "open house" where we would have an evening of Japanese hardcore—read: Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling (FMW)—tape viewing. It was a first, and it was a big success. A capacity gym crowd of about 50 people munched their way through hot dogs, drank soda pop and watched Japanese pro wrestling tapes before we ran an angle to, essentially, lock the In this grizzled photo-of-a-photo from Sully’s, if you look close you’ll door and let scores be settled live in the seeEdge, Christian, Ron and Trish Stratus (photo by Ron Hutchison) ring that was permanently standing in Sully's. Yeah, THAT ring. The ring that Adam Copeland had described at my CAC seminar last year, and in his biography, as a ring that made each bump feel like you were landing on the floor.
Off the top of my head, I also remember the impromptu card as featuring a grizzled veteran named Alexander "The Great" Girard. Like many old school boys, Alexander enjoyed a little liquid refreshment prior to and especially after his matches. This night, he worked with a gentleman who I had my own first match with back in the day: "Outlaw" Teddy Marshall. Also working was Joe E. Legend, who at that time was just back from a tour of Japan’s Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling (the same promotion we were watching on tape) and now was working as "Cowboy" Billy Johnson, a name he hates to this day. Legend wrestled Niagara Falls, New York's Johnny Paradise, who went on to fame as Johnny Swinger. Jay Reso's debut was against another young trainee who worked as Zakk Wylde, in tribute to the famous guitar player. Most versions of Internet history would have you believe Christian won on that warm June Saturday night. Truth be told, he didn’t. He was pinned by Wylde in front of the enthusiastic gathering of hardcore wrestling fans, including his lifelong friend Adam "Edge" Copeland, who was sitting at the back of the gym because I did not have an opponent ready to work with him that night.
4) Taking It To The Edge Reflecting back, I would be remiss if I didn’t include my memories of a young Adam Copeland making his way to Sully’s for an interview that would lead to his training and launch his ring career as Edge. As I conducted countless interviews over the years, this was just one among many and it doesn't particularly stand out in my mind. My favorite enrollment interview ever was held on the night Trish Stratus had her own interview, not necessarily because of Trish but rather because of the local stripper who was also in for an interview on the exact same night. Ask me about that one at the bar in June and I will be sure to reminisce about it for you! Still, Adam's interview was unique. He was invited into the gym as a finalist in an essay contest that I had arranged through the Toronto Star newspaper where the winner would receive free wrestling training by penning an essay titled, creatively enough, "Why I Want to Be a Pro Wrestler.” I remember Adam coming to the interview with his mom and grandfather and taking in the action in the ring in bright-eyed wonderment.
In my opinion, he looked pretty much the same as he did when he was riding high in his WWF/E run: a
tall, lean and blonde kid who had the long mullet thing going on. He was a guy I immediately thought had a chance to make an impact. He was very enthusiastic, and he had the height. He was a little on the skinny side, but at that young age he could definitely fill out. I thought the girls would love him as a babyface. Little did I know that not only would the women love him, but through his hard work and dedication, he would go on to capture the hearts, imaginations and souls of wrestling fans the world over, becoming one of the industry’s biggest stars as well as the CAC's 2013 Men’s (Retired) Wrestling Award winner.
5) Michael Levinsky No story about my memories of the late 1980s and early 1990s Sully's could ever be complete without mentioning Sully's resident “caretaker” Michael Levinsky. Mikey was already a fixture at the gym when I first The only way to train: That’s Edge on the stained mat at Sully’s, arrived there to train back in 1981. He had suffering through an armbar (photo courtesy of Ron Hutchison) to be in his early or late 60's at that time, a slight gray-haired old man with sparkling eyes who never really used to say a lot. As the story goes, the proprietor of the gym, Earl "Sully" Sullivan, took over The Toronto Youth and Athletic Club from its former owner Deacon Allen. Before passing over the gym to "Sully," the Deacon made Sully promise that he would look after Mikey. Mikey was a homeless man who Deacon reportedly found curled up on the door step of the gym one morning upon opening up for business.
I'm not sure exactly what year Michael came onto the scene but, as I said above, he was firmly entrenched and living in the gym when I first started out there. He did a lot of odd jobs around the place, such as washing the towels. When he wasn't shuffling around the gym, in the winter he liked to watch his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team on the old black and white television set that Sully had set up for Mikey. Sully, a longtime friend of Maple Leaf Gardens owner Harold Ballard, also had original seats from the old Maple Leaf Gardens in the gym, and the gym itself was painted in the Leafs’ signature blue, courtesy of the generous Mr. Ballard. Many a night, I would arrive at the gym and spot Mikey's lively eyes staring at the television screen watching that night's hockey game. "What's the score Mikey?," I would always ask him. One particular night, he replied "2 -1.” When I asked who’s winning, “Two” was his reply.
Michael Levinsky passed away during the time I was training young wrestlers out of Sully's. He was always a very pleasant, harmless gentleman that added to the color, legend and character of the famous west end gym. Sully had Mike cremated, and after his cremation he was You may not believe it, but this handsome young brought back to the gym. Many of my students were guy is……Ron Hutchison! (pic by Ron Hutchison) a little bit spooked to learn that Mikey had never really left the place. I often talked about Mikey to my students, as his ashes were entombed for all to see. To this day his urn sits in the main office of the gym, to be joined in 1998 by the ashes of Sully himself.
I have lived a pretty charmed life, and being associated with Sully's for so many years has been a very big part of it. Sully's and gyms like it, such as the Kronk gym in Detroit, Gleason's in New York City, etc. are part of a dying breed of inner-city youth clubs that mainly exist, or existed, to help the youth of the day keep out of trouble while giving them an avenue to at least pursue if not excel at the athletic endeavors of their choosing.
by Eric Chmiel
When Ear editor Eric Chmiel interviewed Terry Taylor for the piece that follows below, it was striking how humble Mr. Taylor is, despite his numerous achievements in the ring and out. It was also striking what a sharp mind he has for the business, and how he still seems eager to continue learning about it even today, after 35 years in pro wrestling.
It’s qualities like these that have helped Taylor excel at every facet of the industry that he’s ever attempted. He was a star in the territory days, and also after the territories went away. He was a bright mind as a wrestler and a TV writer, and he continues to be so today as a trainer of future stars for WWE. He was great in front of the camera as an in-ring talent, and also behind the microphone as a commentator. As Taylor’s own career has proven time and again, when a quality human being remains hungry to keep learning, regardless of his position, and he is willing to work hard, there will always be opportunities for that person to keep growing and moving forward in their chosen profession.
It was a pleasure speaking to a guy with such a storied history in wrestling, and who’s always successfully tackling a new challenge. The editor hopes you enjoy reading the Terry Taylor, 2014 Iron Mike Award winner conversation below as much as he enjoyed having it.
The Ear: Who trained you for the ring?
Terry Taylor: Nobody. I’ve never had a lesson. Kind of ironic, isn’t it, that I chose wrestling as my living and I’ve never had a lesson?
Ear: Yes, it sure is! So how did you end up getting into the business?
Taylor: Well, I went to college in Greensboro, North Carolina. I had a friend named Steve Musulin. He wrestled as Steve Travis. He had some rough luck. He got on drugs and crippled himself in a real bad car wreck. But before that, he knew I was a big wrestling fan. I was going to the Greensboro Coliseum back then, watching this real young guy named Ric Flair, who was teaming with Rip Hawk. I was just fascinated with the whole deal when I was kid. When I got older, I was fortunate enough to wrestle in college. Steve had an opportunity to do a tryout with the IWA. A guy named Einhorn had started a new wrestling promotion. He had Johnny Powers, Mil Mascaras and a bunch of big names.
Ear: Yep. At that time, that company was a really big deal in the business.
Taylor: Before his tryout, Steve told me, ‘Show me what you know.’ Well, I really didn’t know anything. But Steve and I got in there at the YMCA and beat each other half to death. Then he
had his tryout and he made it. I didn’t see him for two years. After I graduated, I went to West Palm Beach, Florida. I went to the matches there, and who’s wrestling? It’s Steve! He took me back to the locker room. Now, if you think about it, in 1979 there was an unwritten code in wrestling, a secret fraternity, and nobody cracked it. You couldn’t get into the business without somebody breaking your collar bone or something. They would mess up people pretty bad that wanted to get in. Well, Steve took me and introduced me to all these larger than life characters, Jack Brisco, Pat Patterson, Dusty Rhodes, Pak Song. I think Ole was there. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I was like a little kid. I couldn’t believe I was accepted by these guys. For some reason, they didn’t see that I was a phony. They couldn’t see that I didn’t belong. Steve told me, ’Come to our TV taping on Wednesday morning, you can see how we do all this.’ I went to the taping, just to watch. Well, I got a tap on the shoulder and this guy said to me, ‘You got your stuff, kid? You’re on third with Bugsy.’ I said, ‘No, I don’t have my stuff.’ Steve said, ‘Oh yes, you do!’ The guy was Eddie Graham, the owner of the promotion. So I said, ‘Okay, I have my stuff.’ I borrowed some tights, and my first match was on TV with Bugsy McGraw.
Ear: That’s an amazing story, because I’ve talked to a lot of guys who came up through Florida. Usually the story is the same: Hiro Matsuda, or
Eddie Graham, or the Briscos, or Bob Roop, or some combination thereof, would give most guys a beating for a few months before they even let them get near an actual match, let alone on TV. And that was if they didn’t injure you outright.
Taylor: Yeah, it was a God-send. There’s no way in the world those guys should have let me in like they did. But God paved a path, and they didn’t know that I didn’t belong. They still don’t know I don’t belong.
Double TV champion for the Crockett NWA and the UWF during the 1980’s merger
Ear: You keep saying you didn’t belong, but I think there are a lot of people who would disagree. You’ve proven yourself for a lot of years now, in the ring and working behind the scenes. You don’t know the kind of respect you have from your peers.
Taylor: Well, thank you. I’m fortunate, because I’ve gotten to do the thing that I love most in life.
Ear: And it shows in the way you’ve performed.
Taylor: Thanks, I appreciate that. Yeah, I had about five or six matches on TV in Florida, and did a few house shows. Back then, there were no contracts. It was $50 a match. If you did well and moved up, you made more. Gerry Brisco pulled me aside one day and he told me, ‘You know, you have an opportunity to make a living in this business. But if you stay here and keep getting beat in 15 seconds by everybody, that opportunity is going to disappear. Let me call Louie Tillet in Knoxville and get you booked.’ So he did. I borrowed $400 from my dad and drove to Knoxville on a Friday, and spent Friday night
in my car. Then I wrestled on Saturday morning at the TV tapings, as a heel. That was when my wrestling career started to take off. I was there about six months. It was Randy Savage’s father Angelo Poffo. He was running opposition at the time, but then the territory closed. I got a call from Jim Barnett, he asked me to come to Atlanta. That was when I won the TV title there, and had a short run before going to Kansas City. I wrestled pretty much just about everywhere in the Southeastern United States.
Ear: How did you get in with the Crocketts in the Mid-Atlantic?
Taylor: When I was in Atlanta, they had an agreement where if you were in the Mid-Atlantic, you could also appear on the Superstation in Atlanta. They were kind of working together. I got in with the Crocketts that way. But I also had worked for Jerry Jarrett in Memphis from 1981 to 1984. After that, I went to work for Bill Watts in Mid-South.
Ear: And the Mid-South is where I remember you really becoming a star. You were only in the business five years at that point and you’d really earned a name for yourself already.
Taylor: You know Eric, I was fortunate to have had guys like Dennis Condrey and Dutch Mantell who would help me and teach me. Also Geoff Portz and Gordon Nelson, the older guys who could’ve beaten me up and abused me, but they treated me very well. They were in their 40’s when I worked with them. They’d had their run. They were English shooters, and they could’ve killed me. But they helped me instead. They taught me a lot, right as we worked. We’d be in
the ring and they’d say, ‘Not yet,’ or ‘Slow down.’ I could hear the reaction of the people when I did something right, and I started to figure out that it was about getting the crowd to react to you, not about getting all your moves in. I consider Steve Keirn a mentor. He gave me some great advice. He told me to watch every match. It doesn’t sound like much, but when you watch every match, you see what works and what doesn’t work for the other guys. I saw Barry Windham showing fire and anger and emotion one night, and I wasn’t doing that. So I started to try to incorporate that into my matches. I learned, and I wanted to learn, because I wanted to be in control of my own career. I wanted to learn how to call a match. I was a very quiet and shy, but these guys gave me opportunities to grow. Kevin Sullivan really opened my eyes to the booking side. He really knew how to talk to the talent.
that way. But they had a very good working relationship because Watts was open to Dundee’s ideas. Dundee liked to make the good-looking smaller guys into babyfaces and the big ugly killers into heels. It was the other way around when I first got there. More people say to me that Mid-South was their favorite wrestling. I’m happy to have been a part of it.
Ear: It was a very successful time for you personally. You got the North American title. That was the top title there in the days before the Mid-South became the UWF.
Taylor: They treated me well, considering they had so many other guys who could’ve been wearing that belt, like JYD and Duggan and Magnum. They had so much talent, but they chose to give me that title. They really gave me the opportunity to shine.
Ear: What stands out to you the most about working for Watts?
Taylor: Probably the trips. We were wrestling nine times a week, every weeknight and then twice on Saturdays and Sundays. You had to be in Shreveport on Wednesday morning after having been in Baton Rouge Tuesday night. Those trips were tough. We worked hard. You’d put on 3,000 miles a week. I’d tell people I got my oil changed every Friday. They’d laugh, but you’re supposed to change your oil every 3,000 miles, and that was one week of driving for me.
Ear: How was it working for Watts himself?
Taylor: It was a party lifestyle, but Watts treated it like a business and he demanded that we did the same. He made sure we were on time and did what we were supposed to do and acted like professionals. Bill Dundee and Watts were great at booking. Dundee had a lot of creative ideas from his time in Tennessee. Watts was like a big man’s booker, and he was conditioned in
Ear: And you were back on the Superstation again, because Watts had the WTBS slot right before Crockett got it. It would’ve been interesting to see what might have happened had Watts not lost that slot to Crockett.
Taylor: It’s funny. Dusty Rhodes was booking for Crockett at the time. The guy who gave me my start, Eddie Graham, taught both Watts and Dusty how to do that episodic, cliffhanger-style booking. They learned from Eddie. So the Crockett promotion that Dusty was booking and the Watts promotion, they both had a similar approach. Dusty didn’t call it booking though, he used to say he was making movies. He was brilliant. He booked stories with heroes and villains and twists and satisfying conclusions.
Ear: Michael Hayes was such a huge part of the UWF with Watts, and he’s also being honored by the CAC in June as well.
Taylor: I worked with the Freebirds a bunch, mostly Buddy Roberts because we were going
back and forth over the TV title. Michael was the charismatic leader. Terry Gordy was the big heavy who dropped the hammer on you. And Buddy was the sneaky rat who’d cheat and steal his way to a win. They had great chemistry. The idea of having three guys who do tag matches in any combination, it was revolutionary at the time.
Ear: Crockett not only got the WTBS time slot from Watts, but eventually he wound up buying the UWF outright. How did you fit into that? You seemed to stick with Crockett for only a short time after the sale.
Taylor: To be honest, I had a lot of loyalty to the UWF. We just got overextended or whatever and Watts had to sell. When that happened, there was some legitimate competition between the Crockett guys and the UWF guys. You had 45 or 50 guys moving into a territory that already had a full roster. The Crockett guys were thinking, ‘Hey, these guys are coming in to take our spots.’ In baseball, there are nine positions on the field, and you can’t have twelve or thirteen guys playing at once. Same thing with this situation. You have 50 spots on the roster, and all the sudden all these other guys show up. There’s going to be hard feelings. And I was like a lot of guys. There were some sleepless nights where you were wondering if you were gonna make the cut.
Ear: This whole situation sort of indirectly led to you working for the Von Piledriving Tom Zenk Erichs’ promotion in Texas.
jobs and having to take care of a new baby.
Ear: What were the Von Erichs like when you worked down there?
Taylor: They weren’t bad guys. Their territory was, at one time, one of the best in the country. The Freebirds, Devastation Incorporated, the Von Erichs, Gino Hernandez. When I got there, it was in a downswing. The Von Erichs were stiff but they were athletic. Kerry was like a gorilla. His legs were like trees, and he was ungodly strong. He had an idea of what he was gonna do in the ring, and if you had a different idea, well, there wasn’t much stopping him. Kevin had terrible knees but was very athletic. We disagreed on some of the stuff that we did, but they weren’t bad guys.
Taylor: Well, after the whole thing ended with Crockett, I felt like it was time for a change. The office told us when we were with Crockett that the Crockett company was becoming ‘The Wrestling Network,’ which would be based out of Dallas. So I moved my wife and my boys out to Dallas. We had another son while we were living there. When the Crockett thing didn’t work out for me, I started with the Von Erichs because I was already living in Dallas. But the territory was down by that time and there just wasn’t a lot of money to be made. My wife was working two
Ear: You must have been delighted when you got into the WWF.
Taylor: Oh, yeah. It’s a weird story, but I just started calling Pat Patterson, trying to get a spot up there. I called Pat every single Friday at noon for nine months. I would leave a real positive, upbeat message saying, ‘I’m not looking for a guarantee, I’m just asking you respectfully for an opportunity. If you don’t like what I do, let me go and I’ll never bother you again.’ Finally, after nine months, he answered the phone. He said, ‘If you promise to never call here again, I’ll give you a shot.’
Ear: You were not The Red Rooster when you started, if I recall. Were you ‘Scary’ Terry Taylor?
Taylor: Well, that was later. When I first came in, I came in with Curt Hennig, at about the same time. We were just Terry Taylor and Curt Hennig. We were trying to find our way in this company that had Macho Men and Akeems and Hulks and Hillbillies. Vince at the time was into creating characters. He pulled me into his office one day and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got a great idea for you.’ If you know Vince at all, you know when he’s 100% committed to a character, and that’s how he was with the Red Rooster. He was flapping his arms and bobbing his head and clucking. I thought he was gonna hurt himself! Well, here’s the way I
felt: it was his company and it was my job to do what he wanted me to do. At the time, I couldn’t understand it, coming from a Bill Watts UWF background, a wrestling background. But I had a family, and I did what I was asked to do. You know, if you’re a catcher but your team needs a first baseman, you can’t refuse to be a first baseman. They really treated me good, but I was really just selfish at the time. I just didn’t get it, and after about a year I asked to be released. They were kind enough to let me go, but they wound up bringing me back a few years later. It really is a great company for second and third chances. Vince truly believed in the Red Rooster character, but my heart wasn’t in it.
Ear: Did you feel more comfortable going to WCW, where you did more of a wrestling-based persona with the York Foundation?
Taylor as the Red Rooster in the WWF, spiked hairdo and all
Taylor: Well, I didn’t understand the Red Rooster. So going to WCW, with Dusty booking, and being more of a traditional wrestler….you know, I grew up in Florida watching Jack Brisco and guys like that. I never watched WWF wrestling until I got into the business. I saw all the character-based personas, and I didn’t understand it. So going back to being the type of wrestler I grew up watching, it was a lot easier for me to transition into that.
Ear: You’re back with WWE again today. What are you doing for them now?
Taylor: I’m at the WWE Performance Center. It’s a 30,000 square foot facility with eighty to a hundred prospective wrestling talents that we’re
preparing to be the next WWE Smackdown or Raw superstar. We have seven trainers, and it’s incredible. The facility is like the Starship Enterprise. There is no angle of talent preparation that we don’t do there. I was thinking about this tonight. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins came through there. Big E. Langston, all the Wyatts, Xavier Woods, Emma. There’s probably 20 talents who are now on the Raw or Smackdown roster. It’s very satisfying.
Ear: Do you ever miss being in the ring?
Taylor: No, sir! I’ve been out of the ring since 1994. That’s 20 years. No, sir.
Ear: I know you had some neck problems.
Taylor: I’ve got all sorts of problems. I’ve had 34 surgeries. I’ve done the knee replacements, two back surgeries, four neck surgeries. I’ve been put back together a few times. So now, it’s about giving back and passing on knowledge to the next generation so they can have a good career. If I can help someone who’s just coming up to have a great run, to get to the next level, that’s what it’s about for me.
Ear: The CAC honored Bill DeMott awhile back, and he says the same thing. He’s done a lot of training with WWE’s up and coming wrestlers, and a lot of them have become stars.
Taylor: You talk about Bill DeMott. He’s my boss right now. He’s brilliant at organizing and training. He’s got the Performance Center humming. There’s different classes and different levels, and the talent has to graduate from one level to get to the next. It’s a testament to Bill’s commitment and hard work that we keep churning out great talent.
Ear: Did you ever get ribbed by the other boys, especially when you started out?
Headlining in a tag bout in the Memphis territory in 1981
Taylor: Oh, sure. Steve Keirn used to rib me a lot. One time Jacques Rougeau and I were riding back from Evansville, Indiana with Steve, and we were bickering and complaining like an old married couple. Jacques and I were a young babyface tag team. He thought he was the more important member of the team, and I thought I was. We were arguing and drinking. Well, it was probably midnight, and we had to go to the bathroom. We pulled over to take a whizz, and when we got out, Steve just drove right off without us, and he didn’t come back. He never came back at all! Well, Jacques and I are walking down the side of the road. If you thought we were mad at each other before, you should have seen us after Steve left us! The ring truck finally came by and picked us up an hour or so later and took us to where our cars were parked. We got there, and my bag was on the hood of my car, and Jacques’ bag was on the hood of his car. I was ready to fight Steve the next day, I was so mad. He said, ‘What, I’m supposed to sit there and listen to you two haggle at each other? That’s disrespectful to me. It’s my car. You should have the courtesy to act like professionals.’ And he was right.
Ear: Can you say a few words about some of the guys who have been coming to the CAC reunions in recent years, starting with Jim Ross?
Taylor: He was the voice of WWE during the hottest period ever in the business. Every time you think about a big moment in WWE, you hear his voice. If somebody didn’t get an emotional charge out of his commentary, then they don’t have a pulse. Like when Undertaker threw Mick Foley right off the top of the cage. (doing a Jim Ross impression) ‘With God as my witness, he’s killed him!’ He’s like the fan who sat next to you at the matches who felt the same way you did. He verbalized it. He never had to fake his enthusiasm. J.R. is like the voice of that golden era of WWE. When my wife died, he called me and sent me a very nice text, and he helped me get through that time. I have a lot of admiration and respect for him. I knew him 30 years ago in Mid-South.
Ear: Another guy you’ve had some contact with over the years is Gerry Brisco.
Taylor: We’re not close, but every time I see him, we’re like buddies. He’s so polite. He’s kind and he’s always laughing. He’s starting to feel better now too. He’d been sick, but he’s starting to get his spark back, which is so great to see. He’s a great guy.
Ear: You’ve also worked with Mick Foley.
Taylor: Mick and I have a very unique relationship. We get along great, you know? But he and I have had some run-ins here and there when he was a wrestler and I was the office guy. He was always careful to say, ‘It’s not you I’m talking to right now, Terry. It’s the talent relations manager I’m talking to.’ We’d get mad at each other when we couldn’t work something out, but it was never personal. I saw him about 30 years ago working with Shane Douglas for Watts. He was killing himself with those crazy bumps even back then. I used to tell him, ‘Kid, you got talent. But you better slow it down, you’re not gonna make it ten years in this business.’ Well, after he made thirty seven zillion dollars in wrestling and had forty best sellers or whatever, he’d come up to me and say, ‘Hey, remember when you told me I had talent?’ Mick’s a good guy.
Ear: Ted DiBiase?
Taylor: Teddy gave me some of the best matches I ever had when we were working for Watts. We traveled together. We lived a similar lifestyle, partying and having fun. I loved his wife and his kids. We’re both Christians, and now that’s something we share. He’s doing great, and I get to see him every now and then. When we get together, it’s like no time has passed, except we’re both a little grayer. Well, not him. He dyes his hair! Okay, I said it! (laughs) But we’re pals.
By Mike Lano
---Like everyone, I was sad to hear of the passing of Johnnie Mae Young. Mae was the original trainer and lifelong friend of Fabulous Moolah—“Lil” as we called her—and helped transform her from a valet called “Slave Girl Moolah” into the in-ring legend and female promoter/power broker she later became. Both Mae and Moolah were fixtures at CAC reunions in the 90's. Mae said to me when she appeared on my old Canvas Cavity TV show that she always loved performing and riling the people up. “I was a better heel,” she told me in 2003, “but I had fun doing what we did for Vince later in my life. That's what we all live for. That's who I am to the core. You can't take it away from us." She was an amazingly gifted athlete. The fact that her public persona shined brightest in her later WWF years brought her a lot of joy, as she found herself loved by fans who'd heretofore never even heard of her. She became a legend all over again, even though she'd really already been one for most of her life.
---Also sad to hear of Memphis native Nelson Frazier Jr.’s passing (aka Mabel, Big Daddy V and Viscera). He was a great big teddy bear of a guy. He had a bleached mohawk and wore scary-looking contacts, Mae Young, far left, at the 1996 CAC reunion with (l to r) Shawn but he said he had the most fun doing a Mayne, Red Bastien, Moolah and Ray Stevens (pic by Mike Lano) Teddy Pendergrass/Barry White “lover man” tribute in a robe for comedy with Lillian Garcia. A legit tough guy when pressed, he was indeed a loving man, born on Valentine’s Day. He’d recently celebrated his 43rd birthday.
---Some younger fans may think Andre the Giant appearing on The Tonight Show and The Mike Douglas Show in the 1970’s was among the earliest major mainstream appearances of its type by a pro wrestler. But that would discount the numerous TV and radio appearances that Gorgeous George made decades earlier. Lou Thesz and Buddy Rogers also did various local and national shows. In 1961, KTLA-5 in L.A. aired an hour special on Thesz and Fred Blassie, with appearances by stars like Fritz Von Goring, Mr. Moto and Jules Strongbow. Blassie, of course, was a guest many times on Regis Philbin’s various TV shows right into the 1980s. Of Gene LeBell’s many TV and movie gigs, a favorite of many is his appearance taking on Count Billy Varga on a 1962 episode of The Jack Benny Show. One of the “holy grails” for mainstream pro wrestling publicity can be viewed at New York’s famous television museum. It’s a lengthy David Brinkley Journal NBC primetime special on Antonino Rocca from circa 1957, showing Rocca dining in Little Italy, attending the opera and teaming with Miguel Perez at Madison Square Garden.
---2013 CAC honoree Jake Roberts was the star of WWE’s Nelson Frazier at his lone CAC reunion several RAW “Old School” episode in January. He’s made such several years ago (photo:wrealano@aol.com) great health strides thanks to Diamond Dallas Page. Page’s latest “DDP Yoga” infomercials have been the talk of th e Direct Marketing industry lately for their innovative techniques and strong sales. Here’s a big CAC shout-out to DDP for all he does!
---I saw a crazy story about the famed “Bunny Ranch” brothel outside of Las Vegas, not far from where our annual reunions are held. One of their girls, Holly Brooks, who is also a XXX star, met a customer recently, and within 4 hours they decided to get married! That’s crazy enough, but guess who’s officiating the ceremony this month? None other than 2012 CAC Reel Award honoree Dan Haggerty, aka Grizzly Adams. It just so happens that Dan is a licensed wedding priest.
In this issue, sadly, we say goodbye to 18 of the boys and girls who traveled the roads with us and made their mark, however big or small, on the business. For more (including bios of all names who have passed from the wrestling fraternity going back to 2005), you can find detailed obituaries on the CAC website, www.caulifloweralleyclub.org, under 2013 Finishes (RIP) on the home page.
Viscera / Mabel
(Nelson Frazier Jr.)
February 18, 2014
Age 43
El Brazo
Don Chuy
(Donald John Chuy)
January 6, 2014
Age 72
Mini Chessman / Espectrito Jr. (Juan Alvarado Nieves) (Valentin Aguilar Garcia)
October 16, 2013
Age 52
January 29, 2013
Age 46
Luis Martinez Ryu Nakata
September 2013
Age 90
(Pro Wrestling NOAH executive)
February 15, 2014
Age 51
Doug Gilbert Vic Rossitani (Douglas Lindzy) (Victor Bobby Rossitani)
November 4, 2013
February 11, 2014
Age 75
Mae Young
Dave Shade (Johnnie Mae Young)
January, 2014
George Scott
January 20, 2014
Lung Cancer
Age 84
Also passing away recently:
January 14, 2013
Age 90
Tom Ugly (Thomas J. Burnell), November 2, 2013, age 90
Johnny Czeslaw, January 4, 2014
Gloria Barattini
January 27, 2014
Age 84
Madman Mahoney (Mark Everett Stamper), January 4, 2014, age 58
Jonas the Giant / Juggernaut (Michael S. Jonas), January 5, 2014, age 41
Dangerous Dale Hernandez (Clyde Hatcher), January 14, 2014, age 45
Tom Barbola (Thomas David Barbola), February 3, 2014, age 85
George Scott, the great wrestler and booker, was honored by the CAC in 2001. Mae Young had a stellar ring career long before she became a modern star in the ‘90’s doing comedy—and even wrestling—for the then-WWF. She is believed to have tied the late former CAC President Lou Thesz as having wrestled in the most decades with seven, and she had been an active member of the CAC over the years.
In these pages in the past, we have extolled the virtues of Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screw Jobs: The Untold Story of How Montreal Shaped the World of Wrestling, the 2013 book co-authored by Bertrand Hebert and our regular Ear contributor Pat Laprade. It really is one of best wrestling books we’ve ever read. So The Ear is pretty excited to hear that this stellar writing team of Bertrand and Pat has been tasked by a French-language publisher in Montreal called “Libre Expression” to write a biography of the late Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon, who passed away late last year. Pat was involved in organizing a memorial for Vachon in Montreal, and you can see his article on the topic in the February 2014 issue of The Ear. Somehow, Bertrand and Pat hope to have their Mad Dog bio ready for release in early 2015. It seems like a Herculean task to write a book that quickly about a figure with such a lengthy and accomplished career as the Mad Dog, but if anyone can do it, it’s Bertrand and Pat! There’s isn’t an English-language version of the book planned just yet, but we hope that will Pat Laprade gives a speech at the Mad change, because if this book is even half as good as the last Dog memorial (pic by Pat Laprade) one these two put out, it’s going to be a legitimate classic.
Like Mexican Lucha Libre action? Then the CAC’s own Kurt Brown, aka Vandal Drummond, has just the prescription for you: his outstanding weekly LuchaWorld podcast, where he and his Lucha cohort Fredo Esparza tackle all the latest Mexican ring news, as well as general wrestling tidbits covering the past and present from all around the world. To hear this awesome show—in which Kurt and Fredo display quite the robust and enjoyable sense of humor when it comes to happenings in the squared circle—just go to Luchaworld.com and select the podcast option from the “LuchaWorld Content” menu at the top of the screen. We promise, you will not be disappointed!
The CAC welcomes a new member in Canada’s Ross Learn. Ross’ joining of our ranks is notable because he lives in Iqaluit, the capital of Canada’s newest territory Nunavut, which was split off from the Northwest Territories in 1999. Iqaluit is some 2,280 miles northeast of Seattle and is actually not very far from the North Pole! Congratulations, Ross. This makes you the northernmost CAC member in the history of the club. If Ross comes to the reunion in Vegas this year (and we hope he will), he’ll have to travel about 4,400 miles, a trip several hundred miles longer than if you were travelling to Las Vegas from New York, and about the equivalent of traveling to Vegas from Honolulu, Hawaii.
2013 CAC Men’s (Active) Wrestling Award honoree Matt Riviera runs one of the finest independent promotions in the nation in the form of Traditional Championship Wrestling (you can check out their awesome weekly TV show at tcwwrestling.com, this is one of the best independent wrestling TV programs currently on the air). Come April 4, 2014—which just happens to be the Friday right before this year’s big Wrestlemania show—Matt will present what promises to be an awesome “Mid-South Legends Fanfest” in Chalmette, Louisiana at the Sigur Center at 8245 West Judge Perez Drive, right smack dab in the heart of the classic old Mid-S outh territory that was once run by Bill Watts. Speaking of which, Mr. Watts himself will be making an appearance at the event, among a number of others who certainly qualify as a “Who’s Who” of superstars from the territory’s past, such as Jim Cornette, Pork Chop Cash, Bill Dundee, Bobby Eaton, Bushwhacker Luke and a whole host of other major names. If you’re anywhere in the area that
weekend, be sure to check out this great event.
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