Just kidding - I don't smoke and haven't for over 12 years. I can't say I still don't have the urge now and then. I guess it will always be like a recovering alcoholic. Fag means cigarettes in London but here in the U.S., it is slang for gay.
The guy above was a wrestling machine. To the best of my knowledge he didn't take steroids. After a certain age in life, I am not even sure he even lifted weights. It didn't matter! This guy was box office and could work with a broom or mop. He would have fit in Northern Californi perfectly today in the 21st century because as best I can see, most of the guys in these backyard promotions in Northern California have the ability of a broom or mop! Even with no television, this guy could take Indy crowds from 70 range to 1,000 fans because he was a WORKER! By the way, for the idiots that have no pro wrestling history, Ray Stevens is the guy on the left...
I want to thank Viktor Berry for use of the pictures. For those that don't know Viktor, he was a great photographer for Roy Shire in the 60's and 70's and still is a great photographer. I want to also direct fans from that era that want to be educated to go to: http://homepage.mac.com/viktor2/btw/index.html
Viktor did an outstanding job with this website and I personally thank him for making these memories be relived every time I visit the site. He has some great history and pictures about Northern California. I only wish he had videos on his website for all fans to watch and young wrestlers today to learn.
Now, on to my topics this week. Here is what I will try to cover.
1. Gays in pro wrestling - Do they belong?
2. Drugs and Alcohol in pro wrestling and how it might not kill the sport but it is killing its participants
3. IDIOTS... I always try to talk about my favorite topic - IDIOTS!
GAYS - I don't know how many follow the NBA as religiously as I do but I am an NBA mark. Off and on when time permits, I have been a Golden State Warrior season ticket holder for 15 of the last 30 years. This year, it has been fun and I don't know whether they will make the playoffs but prior to the All Star Break a former NBA player came out of the closet and said he was gay. I believe he played in the 70's but don't ask me his name. He was writing a book so you can understand his timing of coming out of the closet. Many had comments about what they thought about this topic including some huge stars like LeBron James and even former stars like former GS Warrior guard, Tim Hardaway. Tim said, "I don't like gays and I wouldn't want them in my locker room during my playing days". It caused a stink and he was in Las Vegas at the time for All Star weekend and the NBA Commissioner, David Stern didn't take to strongly to the comment and although Timmy was a great player in his day and an important ambassador during this weekend, he was sent home. Why? Timmy probably would feel uncomfortable walking around a locker room naked knowing there was a gay fellow teammate possibly staring at his package. What do you think? Recently, pro wrestling even had a former WCW star come out of the closet and state he was gay. He was another no-name and his statement didn't carry much impact. It is a known fact Pat Patterson, former pro wrestler and VP of Titan Sports and WWE was gay. I wonder how the boys felt in the 70's when they knew he was gay and they were walking around the locker room naked after a shower after their match? I used to hear some of the boys always bad mouth him for being gay but they all respected his in-ring abilities. Why? He was good in the ring and he was the booker for Roy Shire in Northern California. Pat was not the greatest wrestler in the ring. His fundamentals like arm drags and dropkicks sucked but he knew the business. He was a mastermind at psychology and was over as a heel or babyface. The boys respected him. I wonder how they handled him in the locker room? Pat was a tremendous draw and talent in the 70's for Shire and later for Verne Gagne and the AWA teaming with Ray Stevens and continuing the success they had in San Francisco. Pat later went to WWF and was a huge draw and later took over as a ring announcer for television and did interviews. Why wasn't there such an uproar back then. I know had I been a wrestler, I would have befriended the guy and tried to pry as much knowledge as possible from him and it wouldn't have mattered if he were gay or not to me. I learned alot watching the guy work and the fact he was gay never bothered me but then again, I wasn't walking around the locker room naked with him staring at my package. Pat Patterson is an asset but What would your thoughts about him being gay with his presence in the locker room while you walked around naked after a shower?
DRUGS and ALCOHOL and STEROIDS - I must have smelt the heavy news this week when I announced this would be my topic this week. I don't know if I ever did steroids although in the 70's when I wanted to be a pro wrestler, the popular steroid was dyanabol. Most of the boys in the 70's partaked in dyanabol. I know so little about it, I don't know if it was in pill form or if you shot it in your ass. If you could take it in pill form, it is possible I took it by having one of the boys slip it in my shake as a rib. I certainly never realized any gains from it. I have never been a believer in steroids but I must admit when I was a kid, I was always in awe of those big arms and chests on pro wrestlers and a part of me wanted to be a pro wrestler for the very same reason. I guess because I was the little guy that lettered in basketball and although I was 3rd string, I still lettered my junior year. I wasn't supposed to make the team and that could be why I have always rooted for the underdog and small guy. When I founded Pacific Coast Sports in 1991, I always had a dream of producing small wrestlers that could wrestle and didn't have the body. What causes the business to require that look? Is it the fans that demand that look or the promoters that feel they can't make money with ordinary looking bodies with talent. What many young people don't realize is you can't build a body on steroids alone. You still have to lift weights and eat right and do supplements. It is obvious the wrestling body takes lots of punishment and especially when you do it night in and night out and I know the other part of steroids is how it might make the body recover in time. The problem with steroids or any drug is it becomes lethal when you mix it with other drugs and/or alcohol. I believe that is where pro wrestlers have their problem. Being on the road is tough and it can be a lonely time even when you have DVD players, women, X-Box, play stations etc... The guys tend to drink. When you can't get painkillers prescribed to you, they are not cheap on the black market. I hear many stories about how the boys drink and mix it with painkillers so they don't have to spend as much on painkillers and they can take less of them. Now add steroids to the mix and this is when it becomes lethal. I am no expert but I believe those that are dying young are doing so because of the above. The lucky ones die later but still too young. How can pro wrestling avoid this problem. It seems the other sports have taken care of the problem or at least know how to punish for the problem and are willing to. Until only recently, it seems the wrestling business has rarely addressed the problem. Where does the problem lay? Would wrestling fans still continue to follow wrestling if there were talented wrestlers but they didn't have the chiseled look? This is a problem that needs to be addressed probably moreso than is it okay to have gays in locker rooms. In APW, we don't try to tell anyone what they can do in their spare time. I know wrestlers like to party and always will. We just don't feel it is a good thing when a wrestler does any drugs, smokes pot or drinks 4 hours prior to a match. Remember, this business is about trusting your body to your opponent and it wouldn't be possible for an opponent that has partied prior to the match to be safe with someone in a competitive wrestling match. What do you think the solution is? I am curious to hear your comments on these topics...
I ran out of time and don't have time to discuss idiots. You know - idiots like those that post on the NorCal boards.
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