Backstage Stories of Pro-Wrestling!!!

[Rob34207]

I was in the business at one time and have kept up with it. Some stories you mightve heard elsewhere. Yeah theyre that good.

B Brian Blair said on a Radio-Show - "(time-period was mid 70s in Florida where Dusty Rhodes was HUGE Ba Dum Ch), Dusty Rhodes, Blair, Andre the giant are driving in one car which is modified in the back seat to give Andre room. Theyre all piss-drunk, and it's the middle of the DAY. Rhodes was also the "Booker" at that time too (One who makes stories, match-ups, who wins, etc...). So they have this cooler in the back seat with bottles of piss cause they HAVE TOO make it too this City for a show. Of course theres a seperate cooler of beer on Andres other side too.

Blairs driving and he says "Out of the fn'blue this Deer comes tearingass right across the road in front of the car....I swerve hard and missed it, but the cooler of Beer flies forward drenching me. Rhodes started screaming very hyperly "Oh my god you got pizz on the dream! Damn you BB Im gonna make you pay! I'm a superstar oh mercy! Etc.." The Piss cooler had drenched Dusty Rhodes, B Blair said Andre was laughing so-hard (of course the volume), car was shaking, and tears were coming out his eyes.

Not even a week later the three were driving somewhere but its Pitch-Black at night, and being drunk again they gotta gotake a piss. No coolers for obvious reason. They haul their butts out of the car, and cant see shit. Theyre in the middle of nowhere so theyre holding their arms out waving so they dont walk into something....B Blair says he sees a tree...so he whips it out and starts peeing. All of a sudden he hears right in front of him "Not again! Oh no Im jobbin ya BB! The Dream gets pizzed on two times in one week! Oh ill etc...." B Blair was mistakingly pissing on Rhodes leg. He could hear Andre laughing so loud in the woods.

[Rob34207]

Anyone remember JYD, The Junkyard Dog?!

I could get REALLY detailed in this story because the "flavor" of the time was incredible (If I did Dave Meltzer would sue me btw, He's the foremost historian on ANYTHHING to do with "Wrestling" (including MMA) and did the most incredible bio on Dog when he died. To you Dave I just try and recall your story, and omit anything I didnt know and keep in what the general public knows. Go to Dave and get it cause its WAY more awesome than anything I'd write - Wrestlingobserver.com ).

Ok. Back in the early 80's again. This is before Vince McMahon put the "Death Knell" on the wrestling industry dispelling making the public believe "wrestling was real". The territory Dog was in Easily was the poorest Demographic in the country for the business. This is Mid-South Territory Louisiana and surrounding states. JYD was selling out 30,000 seat auditoriums....WEEKLY. The public adored him fiercely, and again realize, the public believed Pro-Wrestling to be real. It was so rough the security for that company was stuff of legend. Bill Watts the promoter even had a place called the "room" where people that jumped a wrestler were taken too, beaten, and by Watts sometimes too. This all happened.

JYD had a program against The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, and Buddy Rogers). Make long story short - Michael Hayes has this cream that magicians use to create fire (Y'all DON"T KNOW just how much money that magicians cream made for wrestling btw), and he throws it in JYDs' face. Big Ol Fireball goes into Dogs face, and he sells it well. The audience is freaking, and the Freebirds run like madmen into a car that speed them out of the building. This was typical back then in this territory cause fans of JYD would wait outside the auditorium to beat-up JYDs opponents.

The Junkyard Dog is Blind! He'll never be able to see! His career is over! The public outcry was overwhelming. The big sell for the auditorium was JYDs farewell speech. Complete almost instantaneous sell-out.

Audience that night is SOBBING when he's led out to the ring. Selling it all, Dog has the dark glasses on and is holding onto a guys shoulder in front of him being led. Theyre in the ring finally, Security in the place is on High-Alert. Dogs talking - then all of a sudden the "Freebirds" show up.

Place is absolutely Out-of-control! Freebirds get in the ring where JYDs standing there by himself. What happens next was not "planned") They get in the ring, and "Bam" Some brotha dressed like "Dolemite" jumps two rows and is in the ring in-between Dog and The Birds. With a gun outstretched right at Micheal "P.S." Hayes. "I GOT YOUR BACK DOG! DOG I GOT YOUR BACK!!! For a few brief seconds Hayes thinks himself a dead man, and Dog has the gunman right in front of him, but he can't "see" remember. So he is unable to help because he CANT RUIN THE ANGLE!

Like Ants security swarms this guy! They tackled him hard simultaneously! Reports were he was elevated even in the air from impact like the Iwo Jima flag, and then smothered him like Secret Service. The Freebirds run like madmen into a car that speeds them out of the building.

[Rob34207]

Heres an American Dream Dusty Rhodes story again. I was a little kid (1979) down here in Florida, and for my 10th birthday my parents took me to a Pro-Wrestling show. Main Event was Dusty Rhodes vs Joe LaDuc (A french canadian lumberjack strongman with hair all over him).

My parents never did this before, and didnt know what to expect. Nothing could prepare them. Back then like the JYD Territiory ProWrestling was "real" for the crowd. The crowd was WILD. I remember Sweet Brown Sugar, Jack + Jerry Brisco, Sonny King, and Mike Graham.

My mom recalled seeing this pretty early 20s girls seated in front of her, and her guy was this Grizzly Biker. Well some chaos or another was going on in the ring, and my Mom said she NEVER heard a girl screaming that loud before. My Mom closes her ears, and the young girl looks right at her and smiles. My Mom doesnt know what to think and smiles back. Then the Pretty early 20s girl takes her Dentures out of her mouth, and turns back screaming Louder than before. My mom died laughing.

My Dads story is where some "Bad Guy" Wrestlers (heels) were putting the boots to Mike Graham in the ring. Graham's laying there, the helpless victim getting booted. Then he says Dusty Rhodes comes busting out of the locker-room absolutely soaked and sudsy like he was supposed to be in the shower. Its an old wrestling spot where the crowd believes the hero is in the shower when hearing the news of a friends beating, and the hero ONLY has time to put wrestling trunks on to run + rescue. Well that's how it's supposed to go.

So picture Dusty Rhodes about 295lbs of wet soapy flab w/no boots or anything on but trunks. He even had the shampoo suds in his hair, and he's running to the ring for the rescue. Then this near equally sized black woman LAUNCHES herself (airborne) and grabs on to Dusty in an Elvis Death grip she had him. Woman was in hysterics screaming, "I love you Dream!!! I want your child Dream!!! Kissing and never letting go. WSecurity is having one monumenrtal time gettiing her off.

My Dad looks at the wrestlers in the ring, and said he could see the bad-guy wrestlers in ring putting the boots laughing way hard. One of them yelled down to Mike Graham what was happening, and Graham was laughing while having the boots put to him.

[Rob34207]

Cmon guys! 19 views and no one wants to talk? Say someting at least pick on my spelling...

Anybody have a story they heard read or went thru?

[Rob34207]

Abdullah the Butcher had to be one of the fattest pro-wrestlers ever. He was supposedly arabic, acted like a crazed-madman, and bled from the forehead like nobodies business. There was SO-MUCH scar tissue on his forehead Abby would joke around and have needles, pins, etc... in his forehead while playing cards or whatever

So theres this wrestling-show being held in this huge bar/restaurant. They book Abby in the Main-Event vs some guy. Whats funny is this "bar" is more of a Family restaurant than anything so theres lots of little kids. Anyway the two start fighting in the final match, and fall out the ring. They start hitting each other with chairs, brawling through the crowd...to the back, and go thru the Double-Doors leading into the kitchen.

All the little kids go running to the doors to see what happens. Nothing for a bit (building anticipation), and then ALL the little kids scream out and are running full-speed away from the doors.
Here comes Abdullah staggering out of the double-doors, bleeding with a Dinner Fork sticking out of his forehead.

[Rob34207]

Ok quick "Sabu" story. This is back in the REAL ECW (not that BS ECW on now) about 1996.

They were doing a show somewhere and Sabu was fighting Somebody (going for full emersion here, eh). Anyway a long announcers table ends up in the middle of the ring with all legs up in air.

Sabu climbs the top rope to do a Randy Savage "flying elbow" to an opponent laying in the ring. He flies off the top rope and coming down his face connects with the leg of the table sticking up, and literally goes into his mouth and ripped his cheek apart from his mouth to about the side of his face.

This is the good part. Sabu gets up, and even though his cheek is hanging from the side of his head w/ teeth exposed he continues AND finishes the match. Even the incredibly jaded ECW fans are in shock. Incidents like this is how Sabu (nephew of the legendary "Shiek" from the 50s) became a legend in ECW.

What the fans didnt know is when he gets to the locker room Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer are insisting he get in an ambulance to go to Hospital, but Hospitals cost money! Sabu stubbornly refuses and proceeds to take some super-glue and seal his face shut. He never got stitches, and the scar is obvious. True Story. Read it in Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

[Rob34207]

Of all the stories ill tell this one will seem the most impossible. I read it in the "Wrestling Observer Newsletter" written by Dave Meltzer 17 yrs ago.

Remember Haku back in the early WWF days. He later became Meng in WCW. A somewhat big, thick, and muscular Samoan (not as big as Umaga). Looked and acted pretty mild mannered, and funny. He had a run vs Andre at one time.

Anyhoo this is going back about 17 years when he was with the then named WWF. He was in this Bar somewhere in Hawaii. He was loaded Drunk, and these 3 guys were lippin off at him. They werent that much smaller than him, but jumped him, and he literally started beating the snot out of all three.

They had two buddies jump in and it truly didnt matter a damn cause no one could slow Haku down. It gets better. The establishment calls the Police. In the meantime he BIT-OFF one of his attackers nose! Two cop cars get there (4 cops) and immediately pull Baton and Jump him. The Patrons of the Bar said it looked like a B-Rated Movie how Haku was Throwing Cops around the Bar.

There was a Cop onsight that was a Golden-Gloved Boxer at one time quoted as saying that he was never hit so hard, and never seen someone ignore his punches to such a degree. They hit Haku with a Taser, and you guessed it - nothin.

Haku was a local and a celebrity so they did not want to shoot him. They called two more cars. When it was all finally over there were 4 Cop Cars, 8 Cops, they hit him with the Tazer a total of three times, someone missing a nose, and they group/gang had to carry him and Push him into the Wagon.

What added to the Myth was when he arrives at the Station he's fine. He's laughing kidding and joking around. He never even had to go to the Hospital. Word travelled in the locker-room fast!

When everybody was being laid-off in droves by the WCW at their end - Haku/Meng was able to last 2 more years than his peers making no draw, and no possibility of one. Terry Taylor said it was because "the suits" were afraid of him (Haku) too much to fire him.

[Rob34207]

This is a short but dramatic story of something that happened in the WCW Heyday w/FIRST NWO.

Ok Scott Hall aka Razor Ramone in WWF has a terrible Pill Addiction, and was well loaded on alot of the Promos you saw. To say his demeanor was unprofessional was an understatement in the Locker Room. There was alot of underlying tension between the Hogan Old-School WWF Guys, and the Bischoff/Hall/Nash NWO guys, and Scott Hall getting away with freakin muder wasnt helping.

Well Meng/Barbarian, Nasty Boys, and Hall/Nash had a three way tag team match-up going. I dont remember if it was Saggs or Nobbs of the Nast Boys, but they had a Cuncussion. This was a bad one of a series that hed endured, and specifically told/asked everyone not to hit him in the head.

The Match is on! About midway thru the Match Nash/Meng/Barbarian/and the healthy nasty (That sounds neat - Healthy Nasty) Boy are all brawling outside the ring. Theconcussed Nasty boy is looking at them, and Hall from the other side of the ring throws a chair that nails him right in the head sideways! The concussed nasty is OK, but is so pizzed that he charges Hall, tackles him down, and starts literally beating the living sh1t out of Hall!

The others outside the ring see whats going on with the legit/non-bladed blood coming from Hall. Realize Kevin nash is legitimately 6'10" Tall, and when he hears Meng (aka Haku) say "Let them fight it out!" Nash fell in line with the others and continued the Match while Concussed Nasty puts serious beat-down on Hall.

After the match Hall was so beat up they said his teeth went thru his lip, wide open cuts, and it was ugly to see. Nash mans-up, grabs Stings old black bat he uses, and storms into the Showers for the Nasties. Hacksaw Duggan was in there and all witnesses to the scene said his hasty exit from the showers was priceless. They all just yelled back-n-forth, and that ended it. I leave the story with that visual.

[Rob34207]

Sid.
Sid Viscious, Sid Justice, Psycho Sid. Coming into the busines at near 7' tall 300 lbs of sheer ripped muscle. He was more impressive appearances wise than Luger in his Prime, and couldnt even work as good as Luger. Yeah that bad.

The infamous Arn Anderson/Sid story. When Sid came back to WCW from WW"F" he was put with "The Four Horseman" (Flair, Arn, Windham, and Sid). Sid epitomized everything in the business which Arn + Flair did Not represent. He couldnt work At All, would hurt guys legit in his matches (quick one - I saw on a broadcast on his first run ever with WCW him Military Press a Jobber over his headin the ring, backed up, and dropped the Jobber thereby him falling to the concrete. Sick.), was overpaid for what he put forth in professionalism, and you just get the idea.

I personally saw a match w/Sid, Flair, and Arn were tagged against El Gigante, JYD, and Luger. When Sid would miss his spots Arn, and at another time Flair, would just literally shake their heads in disgust. Not even a month after came the infamous incident.

Arn and Sid were sittingt in a Hotel Bar having some drinks. The two were having a serious argument - Arn saying how Sid craps on the business, and Sid retorting how much he "drew" vs Hogan at Wrestlemania.

Well it got heated, and A. Anderson left. Arn goes up to his Hotel room to cool-off, and hears a pouunding on his door. Arn opens the door, and Sid in a roid rage attacks Arn. The two tear-into one another completely. Idk if Arn was beating Sid or not (could happen...Ill tell a story one time about Paul Orndorff whoopin Vader), but Sid grabs a pair of Scissors. Sid then began to stab Anderson severely puncturing his lung.

Arn was rushed to the hospital, and when Sid came out of it he called to make apologies. Amazingly enough regardless of Main-Event status or not when the investigation by the company was finished...Sid was released from his contract.
Years later he was brought back in (NWO years) with Arns blessing. They arent friends, but Roidraging isnt rare and business is business.

[Dylanfsd]

Oh...Oh....my god...

[Rob34207]

Yeah everyone knows about Sid and Arn. Telling the story feels like youre breaking the news JFK was shot

[Rob34207]

double post

[Rob34207]

Triple post

[Rob34207]

130 views and no post in reply?! WTF?!

[CT Styles]

Holy Shit Psycho Sid was actually a Psycho Sid

[The Rated R CMStar]

The Sabu story is brutal. I had heard something about Sid and Arn, but never reall knew what was it. Damn! Sid is mental

[Rob34207]

Sid explains his version of the story in a RF Video shoot interview (they pulled it from YouTube. He actually is a nice guy, but you can tell his memory is damaged too.

The more you learn about this business behind the scenes the more incredible it seems. Rob Russen is a promoter down here in Florida for like 25-30 years, and he always wanted to write a book about wrestling. His title is perfect "This circus has no tent". This guy knew alot, and actually brought Eric Bischoff into wrestling. He was Russens assistant, and tried to network (weasel) Russens contacts away. Russen pinned him by his throat against a wall making it crystal clear thats a no-no.

[O-Prime]

These are really interesting stories. I'm surprised theres not a lot of comments. Just thinking about the Sabu story is frightening. The Haku story seems like a bit of a stretch though.

[Rob34207]

Check out his wikipedia. Ill find the link. I read it in the Wrestling Observer. It was in the newspapers too yknow.

[Airfixx]

Sweet thread... Props to ya, Rob!


Trying hard to recall another Haku story I'd heard (He was blatantly one bad-ass motherfucker!)... Grrrrrrr, damn the puff!

@ Sabu's cheek tale: Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez!!! uch: