Dr. Tom Prichard PART 1

Summary

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The Steve Austin Show

Episode: Dr. Tom Prichard Part 1
Released October 7, 2025 – PodcastOne

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Episode Overview

In this vibrant and nostalgic episode, WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin reconnects with his longtime friend and mentor Dr. Tom Prichard, chronicling their intertwined journeys through the wild world of pro wrestling. The first half of their chat is packed with tales from the road, reflections on wrestling’s gritty past, and plenty of candid insights about learning the craft—plus details about Prichard’s new wrestling academy in Knoxville. It’s a deep dive into wrestling lore, filled with both heartfelt gratitude and offbeat humor, all delivered in the distinctive, no-BS Austin style.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Steve Austin’s Personal Update and Media Rumors

• Nevada Life & Wildfires in California
  Austin opens from Nevada, relishing the “fresh air” at the Broken Skull Ranch 2.0, far from the “devastation and destruction” of California wildfires. He urges listeners, “if you’re told to evacuate, man, please get your ass out of there.” (03:05)
• Getting Taken Out of Context
  Clarifies rumors about his sobriety after a podcast remark was “spun out of control.” “Did I quit drinking temporarily? Yeah, I did… but I never said I was giving up alcohol permanently.” (08:35)
  Quote:

  “I hate getting taken out of context. I hate being misquoted.” (09:40)

2. A Friendship Forged in Wrestling

• Meeting Dr. Tom and Early Days
  Austin recounts crossing paths with Tom Prichard in 1990 in USWA, Nashville:

  “The first few rides together were very awkward and very silent... Eventually, the ice was broken and we became, dare I say, very good friends.” (11:38)
  Prichard becomes a mentor, always explaining the “why and how” of wrestling.

• Career-Altering Favor
  Austin credits Prichard for tipping him off about WCW interest, leading to a career breakthrough:

  “If it hadn’t been for Tom, I would have never known they were interested in me.” (12:10)

3. Highlighting the New Wrestling Academy

• JPR Wrestling Academy
  Austin plugs Prichard’s new school with Glenn Jacobs (Kane) in Knoxville:

  “There’s only a few guys out there I would recommend… If Dr. Tom Prichard and Glenn Jacobs are starting up a wrestling school, I highly recommend it.” (13:00)

  • Open house: Jan 3, D1 Sports, Knoxville (7pm)
  • Website: JPRWrestlingAcademy.com
  • Training: 5 days a week, 4 hours/day—20 hours a week, “compared to my two to three.”
  • Prichard praised for “a wealth of information,” calling the program “outstanding” for aspiring pros.

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Main Interview: Wrestling Stories & Reflections

4. Wrestling History, Territories, and Bloodbaths

• Blood and Blades in the Old Days:
  Austin and Prichard swap stories about the days when blood (“color”) was a wrestling necessity.

  Austin: “You had an open wound on your forehead and it was every night… looked like damn near a maxi pad stuck on your forehead.” (18:15)
  Prichard remembers, “How insane or crazy do you have to be to actually go in there and do that… for $40 a night?” (20:12)
  “It just comes out to it that you’re insane and crazy for being in the business back then.” – Prichard (20:50)
  Both reflect on how blading became a “rite of passage” and its changing place in the industry.

• Wrestling’s Early Appeal
  Prichard describes the mystique:

  “The dirt, the grime, the grit... the gypsy lifestyle… that mystique that went along with how do these people exist on a daily basis?” (24:00)

5. Upbringing, Breaking Into the Business, Paul Boesch

• Grew Up in El Paso and Houston
  Prichard details being raised among legends: the Funks, the Von Brauners, and more.

  “You could go out there and these guys did anything they wanted... just looked, it was that attraction.” (27:15)

• Entering the Business, Iron Sheik, and Office Work
  At 16, he left selling shoes for a $75/week job as Paul Boesch’s assistant in Houston.

  “I got to be a second… walk the guys to the ring. Didn’t let me in the dressing room right away…” (33:32)
  The Iron Sheik—then “Mohammad Farouk”—brutally trained Prichard.
  “He says, now I might turn him, just get down all fours. So he, to this day, I don’t know what kind of hold he had me…” (34:11)
  Paul Boesch initially discouraged him but later admitted, in print, he had misjudged Prichard’s drive.

  Life Lesson:

  "You need to take care of the people who are going to take care of you." – Prichard on Boesch’s business ethics (38:51)

6. Gino Hernandez and Houston Legends

• Great Gino Hernandez stories and denial of longstanding rumors that Paul Boesch was Gino’s father:

  “She just laughed… people confused her and Valerie, his wife, all the time…” (40:36)

7. Territory Tales: LA, Continental, Portland, USWA

• Describes wrestling in LA’s Olympic Auditorium, “freaks and geeks” on Hollywood Boulevard, and life in the Milner Hotel and Van Nuys.
• Says Continental (Gulf Breeze, Pensacola) was his favorite, with “no pressure” and “a cool vibe.”

  “You’re gonna have a whole lot of fun.” (45:55)

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Wrestling Psychology, Learning, and Styles

8. Wrestling Styles and Influences

• Prichard credits Terry Funk as his prime influence, admiring “how unorthodox and out of the ordinary” Funk was, along with Johnny Valentine and Dick Murdoch.

  “Terry Funk told a story even when there wasn’t one to tell… Everything he did meant something.” – Prichard (49:30-49:50)

• Dory Funk Jr.

  “When I first started, I did not understand it... once I gained experience... this friggin’ Dory Funk Jr. is really, really good.” – Austin (51:16)

9. Promos and Character Development

• Prichard found his heel persona more natural, shaped by life’s “left turns.”

  “I just felt more natural because smiling and doing all that stuff, I wasn’t feeling at that time, man.” (53:41)
  “Just going to the ring… that’s when you really feel comfortable.” – Prichard (54:32)

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Formative Years Together: USWA and On the Road (Big Laughs, Cautionary Tales)

10. First Impressions and Sharing the Road

• Austin’s first territory experience in Nashville:

  “I was a new guy… you were an established vet… When the man gives you a job, you know… there I was on my way…” (57:45)
  They both lived in the infamous Congress Inn, scraping by on “$15 or $20 a night.”
  “Tony Anthony’s [Dirty White Boy] 1978 Toyota Tercel… broke down… all of a sudden, Tom’s out of a ride… They said, ‘Steve, can you start riding with Tom?’” (58:18)

• Hilariously, their first car rides were silent and awkward:

  “It was complete silence… I wanted to ask a million questions, but you seemed like you didn’t want to talk to me.” – Austin (61:09)

• Prichard admits,

  “That’s where I get very misunderstood… I could just be like this… just having fun, but not everybody knew how to take me.” (58:50)

11. Learning on the Job

• The intimidating, rough environment for a “greenhorn” in a veteran locker room.

  “You’re with guys that go out there and work their asses off... I was learning from most of them.” – Austin (67:00)
  Prichard reassures,
  “I didn’t see you scared at all… it was you trying to be you, then trying to find you.” (66:15)

• Austin recalls his rapid education:

  “When I got to the USWA and we were working at least six days a week, I picked up the business faster than any other place I’d ever been.” (71:56)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “How insane or crazy do you have to be to actually go in there and do that for $40 a night?” – Tom Prichard (20:12)
• “You don’t even think about the health ramifications back then… but how wicked is that when you think about just the aspect of show business and instead of doing it the hard way… cut yourself open… like it’s pretty damn insane.” – Steve Austin (23:19)
• “To be part of that group of individuals that would drive all night and go to some town and do these insane things… with these weird characters… that’s how I was thinking of it.” – Prichard (25:45)
• “You need to take care of the people who are going to take care of you.” – Prichard, on lessons from Paul Boesch (38:51)
• “When you get to the ring, that’s when you really feel comfortable… it was better going to the show with people I liked… let’s have a good time.” – Prichard (54:32)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------|--------------| | Steve on CA wildfires & personal update| 03:05 | | Rumors about his sobriety | 08:35 | | History with Dr. Tom | 11:38 | | Plug for JPR Wrestling Academy | 13:00 | | Blood/blading in wrestling history | 18:15–25:00 | | Prichard’s wrestling upbringing | 27:10–28:33 | | Starting under Paul Boesch, Iron Sheik | 32:16–36:46 | | Working in Houston / the Gino rumors | 40:06–41:36 | | Territory road stories, LA & beyond | 42:33–48:26 | | On Terry Funk, influences, psychology | 49:28–51:07 | | Promos & character, being a heel | 51:50–54:25 | | Austin’s early days, riding with Tom | 57:44–66:15 | | Learning on the job in USWA | 67:00–71:56 |

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Final Notes

In this freewheeling, nostalgia-rich conversation, Steve Austin and Tom Prichard lay bare what made old-school wrestling so gritty, difficult, and beloved for those who lived it. The episode is loaded with helpful advice, road wisdom, and respect for the generations that shaped sports entertainment. It’s a must-listen for fans of wrestling history and those who appreciate no-frills, honest storytelling.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where they’ll get deeper into the Knoxville wrestling academy and more road stories.

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Resource Links

• JPR Wrestling Academy: jprwrestlingacademy.com

Notable Sponsors Mentioned: (Skip content for summary)

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Transcript

[A]

The following Program is a podcast ONE.com.

[B]

Production from Hollywood, California, by way of.

[A]

The Broken Skull Ranch. This is the Steve Austin Show.

[B]

Give me a Hell yeah. Hell yeah.

[A]

Now here's Steve Austin.

[B]

All right, everybody. Welcome to Steve Austin Show. I am coming to you from the Silver State. I'm in the broken score ranch 2.0 out here in Nevada. And I've been out here for a couple of weeks now and really been enjoying my stay. The temperature has really cooled off and dropped down. Hell, it's usually about 12 or 15 degrees in the mornings and. And man, I tell you what, when the sun goes down behind those mountains, man, all of a sudden there's a temperature drop of about 15 degrees, although it is still broad daylight. So it's been fun, it's been a really good time. Had a great time on my mule deer hunt. Obviously, like I said, didn't get anything. But we're heading back to the mean streets of Los Angeles on Wednesday and getting back to the grind. Hopefully I'll get a chance to talk to some of the people, the WWE Superstars that are coming through town, book a couple of podcasts, knock some down and shoot the Br. Some of the cats that out there on the road. And it's going to be interesting going back to Los Angeles because I've been watching from afar all the devastation from the fires that are in the Thousand Oaks, Malibu area. They've evacuated. Calabasas manages lots of devastation, destruction. So many people have lost lives, lost their homes, lost everything. So, man, it is a crazy situation over there. As long as I've lived there and I used to live in Malibu and I don't know that the home we used to live in is still there, but I, I never thought all that area would be in harm's way from a fire. And boy, I tell you what, it is hard to watch. I feel for them people out there and man, if you're told to evacuate, man, please get your ass out of there. My thoughts are with everybody that lost loved ones and lost everything they had, man, that's a bad deal. I guess, man, no matter where you're at, where it's east coast or down there south in the Gulf coast region, man, we get the hurricanes and tornadoes out there on the west coast, man, we got earthquakes and fires. No matter where you at, you know, in the middle Midwest, I mean, that's all that tornado alley stuff. I mean, it just doesn't seem where wherever you live, something's going to get you. So if you've been Told to evacuate. Hopefully you got out and wish everybody all the best in these dire circumstances. Situation. Man, that's the shits. But nonetheless, man, I've been having a nice time out here in Nevada. It's good to get out of the city. It's good to breathe some fresh air. I've been able to ride my four wheelers and my buggies and been able to go on that wonderful mule deer hunt. And I didn't get. But, man, I had a good time being out in the middle of nowhere. Cali and Moolah absolutely love it out here just because the facility or the yard is a hell of a lot bigger than our little ass yard in Los Angeles. And these dogs get a shit pile more exercise than they normally get. So they're pretty happy. Callie's over here in the command center here with me. Go to sleep, Callie. Before I get to my guest today, and my guest today is Dr. Tom Pritchard, I'm gonna give you a little history on my relationship with Dr. Tom Pritchard here in a second. I'm gonna cover subject matter here real briefly, and I'll cover it on my Thursday open extensively. So I can use all the language I want. Man, I tell you what, I was talking on a podcast a couple of weeks ago, and I was talking about, you know, my eating program, working out and eliminating alcohol from my diet. And, man, I just. Just said it just like it was. I was on a diet. Because what happens is a lot of times I'll get in shape and then I'll get out of shape. So it's kind of a cycle, a yo yo, if you will. And all of a sudden I just said, hey, I stopped drinking for a little bit to get my diet under control. So I'm going to go into more specifics of that. But it got picked up as clickbait. Everybody from around the world said, hey, Steve Austin got sober. People are rioting me. Congratulations on my sobriety. I traded alcohol for medicinal marijuana. What was some of the other ones? Well, I am doing DDP yoga, and that's working gangbusters. And so that was great. But I never said I was giving up alcohol permanently. I never, ever said I was turning to medicinal marijuana in place of alcohol. I don't smoke dope. I stated that clearly. It was a story about a truck stop in West Texas. Anyway, it got all spun out of control. So, hey, yeah, did I quit drinking temporarily? Yeah, I did. Because when you're on a diet, and if your diet is 2700 calories, let's call it 300 grams of protein, 160 to 180 grams of carbs, and 60 grams of fat, you're roughly going to be at 2700 calories. So if that's your caloric limit, which is going to put you at a deficit and able to burn fat, there's no place for alcohol. What are you going to do? Take out 150 grams of protein or 150 grams of carbs and say, here's where the booze goes? It doesn't work like that because alcohol always jumps to the front of the line because the body treats it as a poison. So you no longer burn fat. You're burning the alcohol acetate out of your system. And then it's a relentless cycle that goes over and over and over until you get off the booze. So I hate getting taken out of context. I hate being misquoted. Sometimes I'll make a comment about, you know, my thoughts on the wwe, and all of a sudden they'll say, stone Cold bashes this, that, or whatever. No, all I made was an observation, a statement. There's a few things I know about in this world. One of them is pro wrestling. I'm not bashing anything. I could bash anything I want, but I'm not bashing anything WWE related. Those are merely observations. So anyway, this whole thing got taken way out of context, got blown way out of proportion all over the world, and I just could not believe it. A lot of people say, hey, man, Steve, congratulations on getting sober. I've been there. Yeah, man, you know, hell, I drank a lot of whiskey, vodka and beer and bullshit myself. And I'm not quitting booze permanently. I'm just trying to drop a few LBs to go watch my niece graduate from college. Pretty damn simple story. Anyway, get into this more and more on the Thursday podcast, but my guest today, without any further ado, is a longtime friend of mine, Dr. Tom Prichard. And the history between myself and Dr. Tom Pritchard goes way back to about 1990 in Nashville, Tennessee, in the USWA territory. Tom and I ended up staying at the Congress Inn on Dickerson pike in Nashville, Tennessee. Tom had his own car. He was borrowing dirty white boys. 1978 Toyota Tercel. I had my own car. 1988 Hyundai XL. $154 a month on those payments. Barely could pay that car off. Wasn't making any money. Dutch Mantel, the booker, and Chris Champion, who was no longer with us, were my riding partners. At some point, something happened, and me and Dr. Tom Prichard were. Were forced to ride together. The first few rides together were very awkward and very silent because we didn't know each other, and Tom was in a different place and I was in a different place, but there we were, together in the same place. Eventually, the ice was broken and we became, dare I say, very good friends. And Tom was the guy. Whenever I asked him a question, he always had a very logical answer and a very easy way of just breaking down what was happening, telling me what I was doing, doing right, wrong, how, when, what, where to do things. And he really was one of the mentors in my early wrestling career. And I've always thanked him for being so generous with his time and his observations and his wrestling iq. We started riding together and we rode together for a long time. And then one time, and we don't cover this in the podcast, but one time, we're riding down the road and Tom says to me, hey, because I had no way of knowing. I had no contact with the WCW offices, but he goes, hey, I guess he was in touch with either Dusty or he's in touch with Magnum ta. And he says, hey, these guys are showing some interest in you. You need to give Dusty a call. So I gave Dusty a call. They offered me a job. I went down to Atlanta, met with Dusty Rhodes, the man himself, the American dream, a man that I have always looked up to, and he offered me a job, and I took it there on the spot. Hell, if it hadn't been for Tom, I would have never known that they were interested in me. So I went over to WCW and Tom went about his business, and we would cross paths again in the WW when he got up there, when I got up there together. But through all these years, and we see each other from time to time, but I'm out on the west coast, he's down there in Tennessee. But we see each other every now and then, and it's always good to see someone who is so influential and so helpful for you in your career. And so the first hour of this podcast, I Talked to Tom, Dr. Tom Pritchard, for about an hour and 40 minutes on this podcast. We're going to talk for about an hour, and then I'm going to stop it. And then on Thursday, we're going to pick up the second half of the podcast, which is 40 minutes in length, and I'll answer some Q and A questions to take up the rest of the time. We'll play the remainder of that interview first, and then I'll get into some Q and A because I want to make sure the spotlight is shined on Dr. Tom Prichard. And one of the biggest reasons he came on the show, it was great to talk to him, it was great to catch up with him, but he came on the show so he could promote his wrestling school that they are starting up in Knoxville, Tennessee. And so even though you won't hear about the wrestling school in this hour, you will hear about it in the Thursday show. But I want to drop the information right now because if you're interested in a career in professional wrestling, sports, entertainment, there's only a few guys out there that I would recommend as far as training goes. And I get asked this all the time. And if Dr. Tom Prichard and Glenn Jacobs, Kane, are going to start up a wrestling school, I highly, highly recommend. If you are interested in a career in a squared circle, then. And if you're in the Knoxville area or a couple of hundred miles from Knoxville or, hell, anywhere in the United States, this is going to be an awesome place to learn the business because Tom has a way. And if Glenn Jacobs is involved, Kane, then he has a wealth of information. Jesus Christ. That guy has been around forever at the top level. So let me read this. The open house for this wrestling school is going to be at D1 Sports in Knoxville January 3rd at 7:00pm That's D1 Sports in Knoxville January the 3rd at 7:00pm the first class will be January 7th. All of the information for the school is available on this website. JPRrestlingAcademy.com JPRrestlingAcademy.Com hey, man, what they're going to do, and we're going to talk about this on the second hour, but I'm going to drop it for you here. You'll be working out five days a week, four hours a day, one hour strength conditioning, three hours of training. Let me tell you something. When I learned how to work and the gentleman Chris Adams Wrestling School, we worked out one day a week. Saturday after the television taping, maybe two hours. It might have been three. I was split in the ring with 25, 30 other cats and two instructors one time a week for two to three hours. This is five times a week, four hours a day. That's 20 hours in a week compared to my two to three. And that wasn't even solid ring time. So you're going to get a wealth of information from two very savvy veterans who know how to manage the system, navigate the system, tell a story, get over, create a character work, mechanics, psychology, the whole, the whole thing. Everything you need to know. So anyway, it was great catching up with Tom. I wish I could have talked to him one on one in person. I'm trying to get away from Skype interviews, but sometimes, you know, you just got to do what you got to do. And I wanted to help Tom out and promote a school and I wanted to talk to him because he is a guy that's very easy to talk to. But this is going to be an outstanding place if you want to learn about the business. And I am headed back to Los Angeles in a couple of days. Make sure you stay in tune as I do my close to the show. I'm going to tell you about this wrestling school again on Thursday. We're going to get into the school, we're going to tell a few more stories, but I want to make sure I drop all the 411. I'm going to take care of this podcast, get out there, do some work and get out there in the great outdoors. I love it out here in Nevada and once again my thoughts are with everybody being devastated by the California wildfires. I'll be back in town on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see the mood and the smoke and all of the calamity that's going on in that city. And I don't mean that in a good way. I just mean that as a curious way because I've been out there for damn here 15 years and I consider Texas my home. But Cali has been good to me and I wish everybody all the best. Let's get into Dr. Tom Prichard and tell some old wrestling stories right now.

[C]

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[A]

This is the Steve Austin show man.

[B]

I was doing some research before we started talking and I'm talking to Dr. Tom Pritchard. I covered this on the opening of the show, Tom, but anyway I was reading some of The Wikipedia stuff. So I can just get some basic facts because I forgot half the stuff I did, especially a lot of the times way back in the day in the USWA. That was back in 89, 90, 91.

[A]

If you were looking at Wikipedia, I can tell you half that stuff isn't.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Here's what I was trying to remember. We started a heel faction. I guess it was myself, you, and was it Eric Embry? I didn't know I was in a heel faction now. I thought it was just kind of like a solo act. And every now and then I would do a six man with Dutch and he would rib me and tell me to pick up Soul Taker and slam him. But I don't ever remember being in a faction. Were we a faction?

[A]

I don't recall that either, except I think it was the Texas guys versus Tennessee guys back then. So I don't know that. It was never necessarily called anything, but. But. But the Texas bunch or whatever it was. I don't. I don't remember the name either, man. I mean, I got to tell you, I've seen some pictures and I've seen some matches that I couldn't remember. I mean, the same thing. I just thought, holy Christ. I didn't remember that at all. And people told me I worked with. Oh. And I can't even tell you who it was now. So never. I never had a match. And they pulled it up. Pulled it up and actually showed it to me, and I went, holy Christ. But that was about par for the course.

[B]

Hey, were you a part of that bloodbath we had in the Sportatorium one night? We always worked at the Sportatorium on Friday night. And then we got on the bus and drove back to do Memphis live TV on Saturday morning. And I guess Eric Emory had the book. And I think it was like five people on each side. It was Texas versus Tennessee, and the handcuffs got busted out and all of the baby faces were bleeding like stuck pigs. We was handcuffed to the ropes. Anytime you break out handcuffs in a match, most of the time, bad shit is going to happen. I think it was probably my first or second blade job. I forget who told. I think Chris or somebody told me how to make a damn blade. Were you a part of that match?

[A]

I don't think so, man. I mean, once again, I might have been, because if Eric was booking and it was going on during that time, I was. I was part of that Texas deal. But I don't remember the. We did so many blood baths. You Know, I mean, we got. We were cutting every night, seemed like. Or every other night at least. Yeah, I might have been, but I couldn't. I mean, I really can't remember either. I. My, you know, you're talking about getting hit with the head chair. Yeah, I hit myself in the head a few times, you know, with a blunt. So, yeah, I was.

[B]

I got. I want to get to the history of how Tom and I met here in just a minute in the podcast. But I was listening, I was doing some research on you, and I've known you forever. And you were very instrumental in my career in helping me learn a lot of stuff. And there were so many great guys on that USWA crew in Tennessee that helped me out as well. I'm laughing because I'm trying to kind of halfway prepare some notes and have some questions, even though I've known you so well for so long. So I watched your interview for 2015 with Hannibal from Great North Wrestling, and of course he always does a very in depth, a lot of research interviews. I just threw away half my damn notes because half the question I was going to ask you was some of the stuff he asked you. So go to YouTube and watch that interview with Tom Pritchard. There's some great 411 on it. But he asked you a question about the Blade, Tom, and you said, you know, in today's day and age, I mean, you just really can't use it that much, if any, and, you know, booking yourself into, you know, cage matches, gimmick matches and stuff, matches where you bleed, just because I don't know whether it's the political landscape or the time period we're in now. But going back, I don't want to discuss that with you, but I do want to discuss when you and me first started kind of hanging out or when I first came to the territory. Maybe you were already there or you had come in from somewhere, but I just remember you being in a feud. I don't know if it was Jarrett, Dundee Lawler who it was you were feuding with, but, dude, going back to the Blade, you had an open wound on your forehead and it was every night because it was the same old towns every single night of the week. You know, the schedule. And then towards the end, I mean, dude, we started riding together and you just had this looked like damn near a maxi pad stuck on your forehead. And you didn't even need a blade at that point to get color. I mean, all of a sudden your band aid would come off from the match. And it was a big ass band aid and basically your opponent could just thump you with his finger or just, it would just start bleeding. But dude, I remember that open wound because it seemed like it lasted for months. When you think about not really being able to do color these days, but how the territory thrived on blood back in the old days. Do you remember that time?

[A]

You know what? I do remember that time. And I remember hearing a story a long time ago about Danny McShane making the blade famous and being known. I don't know if he invented it, but he was one of the guys he attributed to using a lot. And then in Tennessee, man, it all started when those guys started doing hard ways against each other. And nowadays you have MMA and all this other stuff that people can watch and see guys actually get punched in the face for real. And that's what my dad always told me when we were watching these matches. He said, how can you get punched in the face five times in a row and there's no mark, there's no blood, there's nothing. So in Tennessee, I think that was part of the lure, you know, because they knew, boy, if we go down to the WrestleMania, they gonna be some blood. Damn on. I mean, that's. And that's kind of what, what it was same thing in Texas, man. You know, we grew up on the same wrestling in Texas and it was a lot of blood and guts. But once I got. Yeah, you're right, man. And once we got to Tennessee and we started in Memphis, and if you gig Monday night, you're probably gonna gig Tuesday night. Or if you didn't, if you did good enough Monday night, he wouldn't have to just thump you like you said. But I remember those times too. And looking back on them, Steve, if you really think about it now, and maybe this is the way to think about it, I don't know. But how insane or crazy do you have to be to actually go in there and do that? And then you think back and it just kind of trickles down how insane and crazy you have to be to do that for 40 bucks a night. How insane and crazy do you have to be to stay at a place like the Congress in. You know, how insane and crazy. Well, it just comes out to it that you're insane and crazy for being in the business back then. You know, it was a lot of crazy, insane stuff going on with a lot of crazy, insane people, you know, And I. And I don't think that could go on today because of the way the world is and the way things are. But a perfect example of using the blade the correct way, the right way, and nobody could know how this could end up is when Brett had you in the sharpshooter and all of a sudden that blood comes trickling down. There was no way to frame that. It was just. That's the way it was supposed to be, and that's the way it ended. So, you know, that was the correct way in using blades instead of doing it every night. Every night. Every night.

[B]

You know, you get into wrestling business, hell, I don't know what your perspective was. You're going to give it to me because I'm going to ask you. Man, I just fell in love with wrestling. I've been watching since I was 7 or 8 years old. I was watching, you know, my mom was reading her Red Book magazine. I was watching Houston wrestling. I think it was Dusty. I think he's bleeding like a stuck pit in the middle of the ring. They just had that rope banister, smoky Sam Houston Coliseum. And the security guard was walking around. He had a pistol sidearm on his hip. And it was beating the dog shit out of Dusty, and Dusty was bleeding. I looked over my mom and I said, man, Mom, I said, why don't that security guard help Dusty? You know, Because I figured, you know, hell, he's getting hell beat out of me, Bleeding like a stuck pig's hating. At least a security guard could, you know, go help her brother out. So she rolled her eyes. And maybe it wasn't Dusty, but that's in my memory, that it was Dusty going back to the blade. So finally, after all those years, I just wanted to be a pro wrestler. And then all of a sudden, you get that call, or not that call, you're talking with the book and said, hey, we need to get you a little. We need you to get a little color tonight. Well, if you're a virgin and you ain't never got no color, well, how do you do that? Because they don't teach you that in wrestling school. Or at least Chris Adams didn't teach me that. And you learned from the Iron Sheik. And I'm guessing he didn't teach you that. But all of a sudden, you go in there and you make your first hatchet and you pull it and you do it. But, dude, whether it was the first time or the last time, it's just when you think about it, it's kind of sickening, but it's kind of like a rite of passage and you're proud to do It. And you don't even think about the health ramifications back in the, you know, this is late 80s, into the mid-90s, into the 2000s. And when you and I were down there between 90 and 91, 92. But when you first stick that point into your skin, it just kind of pops and cracks a little bit. And then you drag it, hopefully horizontally. Some people did the vertical drag. I was taught to go with the grain, but dude, it's a weird, weird feeling. And all of a sudden you just think, hey, this is what it's like to be a pro wrestler. This is what you're supposed to do. So you don't think anything of it. Now when I look back, I mean, because you hear about all these people that like cutting and, you know, just cut themselves for the hell of it. I mean, I understand that's a serious problem with some people who do things to themselves, but dude, how wicked is that when you think about just the aspect of show business and instead of doing it the hard way to bust out a bl. Cut yourself open like it's pretty damn insane.

[A]

Well, I got to tell you, see the appeal of this business, Every part of it, the dirt, the grime, the grit, you know, the bright lights, the dim lights, you know, the sportatoriums, the high school gyms, the arenas, the coliseums, all of that just kind of encompass this certain group of people and gypsy lifestyle. That mystique that went along with how do these people exist on a daily basis? I mean, and how could the referee be that stupid when they get run ins almost every week or the guy cheats and finds something in his trunks, you know, and then all of a sudden they're busting each other open and there's real blood. And then when you get into the business, you find out how the blood's produced. I kind of thought like you did, except I said, man, this has got to be the coolest shit, because nobody else in their right mind would do it. So you're swimming in this, in this pool of insanity with these guys. That's how I was. I was thinking of it. And that's, you know, I grew up training with Mark Lewin in the gym in Houston. At 16 years old, I met Mark in the gym. Well, he was only wrestling in Houston. You know, I kind of got indoctrinated to the wrestler's lifestyle of the 70s, you know, and it was like, whoa, because Mark's a heavy guy. Have you ever had the opportunity to meet Mark?

[B]

No, I've never met the guy, obviously, you know, when he was Purple Haze or whatever, I followed Maniac Mark Lewin, all of his different incarnations. But just listening to the guy talk again, I mean this with respect, he seems like a guy in any of his tales. I know him and Gary Hart were very close. That it's pretty far out there.

[A]

Yeah, Mark was way far out there. And, you know, when I met Kevin Sullivan, he and he and Mark were very good friends, too, so that we had that commonality as well. And, you know, just thinking about the rituals back then and thinking about the way the blood was got, and thinking about making a blade for yourself to slash. And some guys, I mean, I used to watch Abdullah the Butcher, you know, he would make trips to Houston in the ring, and you just knew it was a bloodbath. And he would cover the ring with bl. Cover people that got close to him with blood. And I just thought, to be as sick, as twisted as this sounds, but to be a part of that group of individuals that would drive all night and go to some town and some people were crazy, some people want to attack them and go to the next town and do these insane things, do these crazy things in the. These. In these. With these weird characters. You know, you had the Infernos with a loaded boot, and their manager, JC Dice, at ringside would have a flashlight to give them signals, and then the fans would bring flashlights to give them signals, and then they get confused and mess up the spots, you know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And how insane was that? But how ingenious is that, too, dude?

[B]

What got you hooked on the wrestling business? Because you grew up 100 miles from me, I guess born in Pasadena and you grew up in Houston.

[A]

No, I was actually born in El Paso, so we were born in West Texas.

[B]

Were you?

[A]

Yeah, yeah, we got the Funks, man, in West Texas. And I gotta tell you, those are the guys I watched growing up was Terry Dory and Dory Senior and Mike DiBiase. Murdoch was just starting. My God, the Infernos. JC Dykes and the Infernos, Saul Weingroth and the Von Braunners. And think about this. This was in the early 1960s, and World War II, I guess had been over 20 years by then, but it was still a lot of. A lot of heavy feelings you had. Saul Weingroth, a Jewish gentleman, managing two Nazis in 1960s, in the mid-60s, late-60s. And I didn't understand that then, but looking back on it, I thought, my God, what heat those guys had. And I didn't realize that there was not just the wrestling heat, they had real heat. But that got me hooked, just seeing the villains, the baby faces. You could go out there and these guys did anything they wanted. And it just looked, it was that attraction, you know, if you dig it or not. And that was just something that came out.

[B]

When did you end up in Houston? Because I thought you grew up there. I mean, man, when you're growing up with a background of Funks and everybody else, man, that's heavy duty, you know, hall of Fame type stuff. Yeah, and so much history. When did you get to Houston and start watching Houston Wrestling with Paul Bosh?

[A]

Well, my dad got a new job in Houston in 19. Gosh, it was late 69. It was right after Dory Funk. Dory Funk just won the belt. February. So I guess we went about the summer of 1969 to Houston and just happened to be turning the channels and saw in the paper it was Houston Wrestling on Saturday nights. Had Johnny Valentine, Wahoo McDaniel and the great Malenko, Bull Curry, you know, those kind of guys. And we just saw this huge building on TV in El Paso. They just taped in a studio and that was still cool. But now we're watching this on the screen. It's a huge, huge arena. And they had the live matches on Friday night and they showed it back on Saturday and Sunday night and Sunday morning. So, you know, that's when we found Paul and we found all the. Gary Hart was there at that time too. I remember that. And the Moon man, I mean, there's a great story about him too, if you know anything about Texas wrestling. But that was, you know, thank God, real quick story. I don't know if I make quick or not. When we were about to leave El Paso, Grizzly Smith had just come into the territory. Riz's gimmick was you could not hurt his stomach. And he got on the promo interview with Nick Roberts and he said, I don't care if you get a 15 foot ladder, you can't hurt my stomach. And guess who came out. Harley Race came out the next week and said, hey, I got my ladder out here, Smith, why don't you come out here and show me you're not a coward. So Grizzly came out after the break, laid down on the mat, Harley set his ladder up, had two guys holding it on each side. And he gets up into the ring lights. And Nick Roberts asked everybody in the studio for a complete silence so he can concentrate. And Harley comes off that ladder with his knee right across Grizz's neck. And, man, everybody's upset and booing. And Harley comes over to Nick Roberts and says, yeah, there's your coward in the ring right there. And he walks off. Nick Roberts calls for an ambulance. Not an ambulance, but we need an ambulance. Ladies and gentlemen, please. We need an ambulance. Seriously. They get the ambulance, they roll up the door, the TV studio. Grizz has his tongue hanging out, man. They don't know what's going to happen. He could be seriously injured. His larynx is crushed. Oh my God. What's going to happen? Well, we got to leave and go to Houston. This lady is going to send me all the cards and results that were still in the paper. Just tell me what's going on. So we get to Houston, the new guys are wahooing Valentine and all this other stuff. And we were there about five weeks, I guess two months or about a month. And we hear on the TV and we see in the newspaper, it says, coming back for revenge for Johnny Valentine. Coming off the second rope across his neck is Grizzly Smith. Next week he'll extract revenge and all this other stuff. So they have the match and Grizz goes over well, at the same time, he's coming back for revenge on Harley in El Paso in that west Texas area too. So I kind of got the idea that. And I told Harley this later on too. I said, you know, you're responsible for Smart Meal for the business because you guys did the angle in El Paso and Johnny Valentine did the angle with him in Houston. And I told Grizz about that. And Grizz says, yeah, I had a six week trip to Japan. So we did the angle both places. You could do that back then, but now with the Internet and everybody knowing everything, there's no way. But that's the way business was done, man. You could do something in one town and not expect anybody to know about.

[B]

So you got smartened up pretty quick then.

[A]

I thought so, man. Yeah, man, in Texas, you know, they work tight, they work solid, and a lot of some of them work stiff. But I mean, Wahoo and Johnny, they, they just, they would beat the hell out of each other. But it was just so, so great. Different style of match, but. But the timing was there. And you believed it because they believed it.

[B]

Dude. How did you get to work with Paul Bosh? Because didn't you work for him for like from age 16 to 20?

[A]

Yeah, sure. Did we actually my brother Ken got me a job at Montgomery Ward selling shoes during the summer. Okay. And I'm 16 years old. Just gotta get a driver's license. And I used to go by the office to pick up the tickets on a Friday. I'm there talking to the ladies at the front desk, and I'm telling them about how horrible this shoe job is, because it's just not what I want to do. I'm 16, and I hate people, and I hate the ladies coming in there. Oh, my God, it's miserable. So I'm laughing with them about it. And Paul had walked out of his office. And he says, well, that job will probably give you enough stories for a lifetime. And then he said, how would you like to work here now? They had just moved to a new office from 1919. Caroline to the. At the corner of Pierce to 2020. No, from 2020. Such as 2020, Santa Gray to 1919. Caroline and I helped him move from one office to another. But then he says, how would you like to work here for the Summit? And I went, well, yeah, that'd be great. He paid me 75 bucks a week. But I mean, again, I'm 16. I'm living.

[B]

That's good money.

[A]

You ain't kidding. And became his assistant on Friday night. Because Gino had just started working at that time, too. I think this was 76. Yeah. Going on 77. And Gino was doing some of that stuff. And I told Paul, if there ever came anything available, I'd like to be a second. I'd like to be a referee. And I got to do that, too. I got to be a second, you know, walk the guys in the ring. Didn't let me in the dressing room right away. I had just put the jacket on the chair outside, but. But, you know, I was around the guys. And finally when Paul offered me the job, you know, then I started going in every morning and. And I always brought gear, man. I always brought workout gear, just in case. Just in case. And that case came up when a football player wanted to learn how to wrestle. And the Iron Sheik was in territory at that time. And Gary Hart used to come down with Bronco every Friday morning, go over the matchup Nepal. Then he'd go have lunch, go to. Go to the show that night. This wrestler wanted. Or this football player wanted to learn how to wrestle. Gary brought the Iron Sheik with him. His wrestler's Mohammed Farouk back then. Yep. So the guy Paul said, you can go with him if you want, take him to the Coliseum. You can work out with him if you want. Said, oh, man, this is great. This is great. So we went down To Coliseum. And finally I get to go in the dressing room with Sam Houston Coliseum and I'm going to get dressed to train with the, with Mohammad Farouk. He's a real wrestler. He's from Iran, you know, and he's an amateur wrestler. He's been on the Olympic team in Iran and he don't take kindly to people thinking it's easy. And so I was a young buck and hell, I thought I knew this stuff and I'm working for the promoter, so I pretty much was in, man. And this football player, I don't think he had a clue either. So we, we went to the ring and Kosra made us squat a little bit and do some push ups. He says, okay, now you can't turn me over. And he got down into all four stance and I'm about a buck 65, man, you know, are you kidding me? So I go to turn him over and he just turtles on me. He didn't have to even do that, but he did. He just laid flat and I couldn't do anything. He's about, he's about 245 at this time too, and he's just rock hard. Yeah, a football player tried the same thing. So anyway, after both of us failed, miserable goes, okay, now I might turn him, just get down all fours. So he, to this day, I don't know what kind of hold he had me as if he was bending my neck back and stretching me. He says, now scream. I said, okay? He goes, no, louder, louder, scream. And I said, okay, okay, okay. Kind of pushed me aside like a Get out of here, you puss. And then he did the same thing to the football player. And then he wanted us to wrestle each other and we did for a little bit, but neither one of us knew what we were doing. And that was one Friday. The next Friday the guy came one more time and he was sore and Khosrau. Well, actually the first time when I forgot about this, when I locked up with Kai, hit him in the left ear for the right ear, you're supposed to lock up collar and elbow. Well, I went ear and elbow. He slapped me right back and told me how stupid I was. You know, that was part of working with Paul, though. But anyway, the next week we came back and this guy, that was his last trip back there, I think we went back to Coliseum, I think maybe twice alone like that. So.

[B]

So how long did you work with the Iron Sheik who was working under a different name? Did you just keep training with him for months and Months at a time or did other guys jump in and help you train?

[A]

It was about a month, man, because he realized the football player wasn't coming back. And I don't believe they were gonna. They had any clue that I was. Had a chance to get in this business because they kept telling me, no, no, no, no. Paul kept saying, no, you don't want to do this. So, no, I really do want to do this.

[B]

So why did he. Why did he say, no, you don't want to do this because you was a buck 65.

[A]

Well, you know what he wrote? He actually wrote a story about that in the San Antonio program, you know, about how he was wrong, because he really did. One thing I've learned, not only in this business, but just in life, you know, you can't listen what people say. You can't. Paul was always discouraging, I think, because he knew what kind of business it was maybe at that time, and maybe it wasn't a whole lot of money. It wasn't a big guy. That's where the business was at. Big men, you know, you had smaller guys, but, you know, you had to fight and claw to get in. And I don't think he was ready to smarten anybody up either. I kind of got smart by osmosis, being around the office and not acting like a complete idiot remark. I think he was just. I don't know if he was trying to save me from it, because that's what a lot of people told me too. Later on, after I, after I started wrestling, said, well, we just didn't want you to be disappointed. I thought you had no idea. You really had no idea. So you have to have confidence in yourself and you have to believe in yourself. And I did. And once I got in the business, it was like, wow, that was the accomplishment to me. I never anticipated going to Madison Square Garden. I never anticipated going anywhere else except where I could go. And in fact, the last run that we had in Tennessee, you know, before you left for Charlotte, I was going to be content to just end my career there and do what I could do wherever, until fate had other plans. So I don't know why Paul discouraged it as much as I think he just didn't know how to encourage me because I don't think he saw me as a money making guy.

[B]

What did you learn from that guy? Just from the four years you spent just working there on summers or whatever, because he wasn't smarting you up about the business, but obviously he was a very smart, successful guy, very Smart, successful.

[A]

And he always said every time the bills came in, he paid the bills first and always made sure those were taken care of. Of. And that was the first thing he always said about the mail. I want the mail when it gets here on my desk, and no problem. I didn't see Paul negotiate with too many people because I think he was a lot more fair than. No, no, he was. He was. He was more fair than most promoters. And I learned that the way he treated everyone who came in that office as somebody special. He was a celebrity in town. He was an intimidating guy, especially for a kid like me watching him on tv. And all of a sudden, I'm driving him to his meetings, I'm dropping him off, places he needs to go, walking with him around downtown. He could have been a very different person to his fan base and to his paying customers, but he realized how important they were, and he took care of him. And I got that from him. I mean, that was something that meant everything to him, because without them, he wasn't going to be successful. So I learned that you need to take care of the people who are going to take care of you. This is the Steve Austin show, man.

[B]

You brought up Gino Hernandez's name while ago, and he was hot in the Houston area. Came down to Dallas. He was hot there. And then whatever happened, he's no longer with us. Was Paul Bosch his father?

[A]

It's funny you should ask that, because they're doing. And it's supposed to come out either now or soon. Vice, I think, is doing a documentary on Gino. And the speculation has been all these years that Paul and Gino's mom, who was a beautiful lady, had an affair or whatever. And come to find out, I heard that these Vice network people asked Gino's mother, they interviewed her about his death. They're doing a show about Gino and asked him. Asked her point blank, was Paul Gino's father? And she just laughed. She had letters from Gino's real dad when he died, and she showed him that. And she said people confused her and Valerie, his wife, all the time because Valerie had red hair and they did look similar. So they just thought that they were doing the same, and she rebuffed that. So, I mean, I don't know. I mean, there was a time. There's no reason for her to not tell. Now everybody's gone. But she didn't. So, I mean, I used to think that. And then again, only. Only Paul and her know.

[B]

Was Gina already a known entity at that time? Because I mean, when was it then? Shit, I got my notes here. But when did you head to Los Angeles? It was 79 to 86. You was up there working for Gene and Mike LaBelle. So did you start in Houston and work a little bit there or was LA your first promotion?

[A]

No, I started in Houston, actually. I had my first match in Bryan, Texas. It was October 20, 1979. And then next, Boyd Pierce used to be the ring announcer in Houston. He used to also announce for Bill Watts in Shreveport on tv. And the next week, the week after I had my match, Boyd asked me if I'd be interested in doing some TV work in Shreveport, Louisiana, Oklahoma for Leroy McGurk and Arkansas, a month from October. December. I had my last shot in Houston in January, flew to Fresno, started working.

[B]

For you formed a tag team up there with Chris Adams, correct?

[A]

Yes, yes, yes.

[B]

Was this before he was a gentleman?

[A]

Well, he was a gentleman there too. He was gentleman Chris Adams there and he had just, I think, come to the States. I think that might have been his first territory.

[B]

Dude, what was the LA scene like back then as far as wrestling? Because you guys work in the Olympic auditorium a lot.

[A]

Yes, yes, it was for. I was supposed to go to Portland, but it was Gary Hart fixed, worked the LA thing out and Chava Guerrero was a booker. The wrestling had been down so many years for a 20 year old kid from Texas to go to Los Angeles, California, you know, meet Dr. Jerry Graham, my first night in. And Dorie and Terry Funk were making regular shots there to try and help the territory. But it was just so dead. I mean it really was dead. But I got to become good friends with the Guerreros. Chris Al Madrill was there And Al was 30 years old and just miserable, man, just a miserable guy the whole time. But the wrest we were wrestling maybe three nights, sometimes four nights a week. Whereas if I went to Portland, I would have gone seven nights a week. And I kicked myself in the butt for not doing that that year. But. But you know, I was having a great time. I was, I was in a big city and I'd go down to Hollywood Boulevard, you know, it was just freaks and geeks, man.

[B]

Where were you living in Los Angeles? Because I mean it's high now. I'm sure it was high back then as well. I mean, promotion's down, I don't imagine the money's just rolling in, but you're working, you've got the territory may be down, but man, y' all had a lot of big stars over there. A lot of great talent. Where did you live and how did you adapt to the west coast lifestyle? When you come out of West Texas, then go to Houston, then haul ass out there to la? A little bit different taste.

[A]

It's a different taste. I don't know if it's still there, but I'll bet it is. It's called the Milner Hotel on 8th and Flower street by the Figueroa. And there was a restaurant there called the Fig where everybody went after the mountain matches. But I stayed in the Milner Hotel when I first got there. And then Bob Bockwinkle, Nick's brother, his younger brother, had a place in Van Nuys, and he had built a duplex behind it. He rented that to me, you know, while I was there. So I stayed in Van Nuys for most of my time there. It was a nice little. Nice little place for me again, 20 years old, living life the way I wanted to live it, and not bad.

[B]

You stay there for about four years and, dude, you end up in Continental. So if you leave la, if you're working on the west coast, and then you go down, where were you living when you went to Continental?

[A]

Well, I mean, after Los Angeles, I came back to Texas for a little bit, and then I went to Atlanta. And then I think after Atlanta, I had a stay in Memphis and went to Continental. I was living in Gulf Breeze, which is right outside of Pensacola, in Continental when I first got there. And then we moved up to Birmingham, you know, and that's. That's a territory nobody really likes or likes to talk. Well, I won't say nobody, but, you know, you weren't gonna get rich, but you were gonna be on the beach. You had the Armstrongs, you had the full Jimmy Gollum. There was a lot of Southern guys there that just. You didn't have to leave till three in the afternoon. You could go to the gym, go to the beach, do whatever you wanted as long as you're there an hour ahead of time. You know that again, in a business sense, you weren't gonna make a whole lot of money, but. But you're gonna have a whole lot of fun.

[B]

What was the difference in work style between working in Los Angeles and going down and then uswa? Because the Tennessee stuff, I mean, I don't know how to even phrase it. How would you phrase it?

[A]

The USWA work style back in the day, Borderline wrestling? Hokey.

[B]

But I think when I say hokey, I mean it with respect.

[A]

Me too.

[B]

Me too. But definitely hokey.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, you know, it was. You would have a typical wrestling card. I'm not saying that's bad because that was what it was back then. And you have to. Did you ever see any of the classic Lawler Dundee matches?

[B]

Oh, dude, you kidding me, man? Those are some of my favorites, right?

[A]

So I mean they would actually put that kind of stuff on, so. But at the same time they would have Dr. Frankenstein or Leatherface or something like that and it would be. Sometimes it could be a little hokey. So. And I mean that with respect to. Because I had a great time, you know, I did have a good time in uswa. It's one of those things too where it was double edged sword on a lot of reasons, a lot of, lot of fronts.

[B]

So dude, you're somewhat, I mean you're a student of the game, you can work any kind of style. I mean you're a pro wrestler's pro wrestler. Out of all the territories that you worked, whether it was down in Houston, California, Continental, uswa, so some NWA or wcw, wwf, where did you enjoy your stay the most? Or the style of work or just the lifestyle that went along with it? Just that gypsy life that is the life of a pro wrestler.

[A]

Well, I gotta tell you, probably my favorite, there's. There's two of them. Portland number one. Because Portland was just right up in the northwest and it kind of tucked away and it wasn't, it was one of those territories where you stayed at, one of those places where all the guys stayed at and it was that lifestyle but. And I have some good friends working there at that time too. But probably the number one favorite would have to be Continental because the Armstrongs, you know, Brad was the one who called me to bring me in. Brad had. And just being around, you know, I had a condo in Gulf Breeze and Brad Hill right next door. So we got to hang out in kayfabe, you know, over there. And that was just a cool vibe and a cool place to hang out because no pressure at that time in my life. That's kind of what I was looking for, man. It's just to be somewhere where I can belong and live that lifestyle because that's what attracted me.

[B]

Did you have anybody that really influenced your style of work or what would you end up starting with the finished product? Or like maybe when I met you in 1990, just to me, I mean, just straight up badass worker. Because when I think of the Iron Sheik teaching you, I'm thinking, okay, here's this shoe dangerous stretch you. But when he worked he was a gimmick guy, and it was just a different kind of match. So just along the way, as you being such a fan of the business, was there anybody that you kind of said, okay, I like this, and I'm kind of basing my style off of them or, you know, for me, for many years, I tried to be Ric Flair. I was a big failure at being Ric Flair, but, you know, he was an inspiration early on in my career. And then I found the brawling style which lended itself to me. And I was trying to be in USWA when I met you. Hell, I was just trying to learn the ropes. But just a veteran like yourself, who were some of the factors, or was there anybody that influenced you?

[A]

Yeah, Terry Funk. I mean, the Funks, all of them were great workers, but Terry just stood out because he was so unorthodox and just so out of the ordinary. And later on, watching a guy like Valentine, I could appreciate his work. Back then, I wasn't sure what he was doing, but later on, when I really got to watch it and talk to him a little bit, I got it even more. He was one of those guys who loved the lifestyle and just loved to get hit and get in the ring. And some of those guys were like that. Some of the guys just like to get in there and just knock the hell out of each other. But Terry Funk told a story even when there wasn't one to tell. He made it. He made everything he did mean something. And that just, you know, he worked even when he wasn't on camera. He was working the whole time, and he was having fun. And that was another thing, man, when I used to watch him, once I got in the business, and he'd be on the car and I'd watch him in the dressing room, he's messing with everybody, you know, and just having fun, just having fun. A lot of those West Texas guys really, really influenced me. Murdoch was another one.

[B]

God dang. Murdock was such a good worker. You know, when talk about your heavy Terry Funk influence, obviously, I'm a big, huge Terry Funk fan, but Dory Jr. Was one of those guys where back when I was younger in the business, I was like, man, I don't really get this guy. It's kind of slow. He worked real tight, no gaps, no nothing. Once I gained experience in the business, I was like, man, this frigging Dory Funk Jr. Is really, really good. When I first started, I did not understand it. Tom.

[A]

Right, Right. Well, I'd watched him since, again, when he Was young, so I got to see him in his 20s. But all three of the Funks were pretty good. Even. Even Dorie Senior in their day. But, yeah, Junior, I gotta say that he was one of the top. When they talk about the NWA champ, Flair, modern day and race, you know, and those. Your. Those are NWA champions that pretty much define what the world champion was in that era. Man, in that era, it was still treated as a contest. And they were putting it, hey, you know, this is a contest. And people say, well, their first matches ain't real, but when they fight for that world championship, you know, And I thought, yeah, okay, I get it. And then I'd watch the match, and it was great. That was. That was my biggest influence.

[B]

How long did it take you to develop a promo?

[A]

Ooh, you know what? I started out, I think, okay. But then after a while, I just. I didn't know anymore. And then I started, you know. You know, people said I copied Piper a lot, and maybe I did. Maybe it was that. That influence of Roddy because he. It was just more of a natural thing because Rotten was such a great guy. To hear him and then watch him, you know, you're not sure. But then you meet him and he's. He was such a great guy. And I think it was when I got a chance to talk as a heel, it came a little more natural because that's the guy I admired as a heel, was Roddy. He wasn't a big guy always, but you believed him when he went through the ring, when he said something. So I think it took me a while. It took me a good five, six years before I could really think I could talk.

[B]

Did you prefer working heel or baby heel? Why?

[A]

Tell you why? Some things that happen in your life, and I always tell kids this, I ask them, why are you a heel? Why are you a baby face? Are you just playing? I mean, did you have a good home life? Was your mom and dad together? Did they buy you a car when you were 16? You know, when you're out there playing bad guys, why. But, you know, some people might have lived in a broken home or abuse or just have things that happen in their life, and you drop from that and, you know, then you have something to be mad about. So there were. There were things in my life, not that I was abused or anything like that, but there were things in my life that took a left turn and, you know, I would go to the ring like that every night, night. And Bill Watts was the guy. He's a guy I Got a lot of respect for and wish I would have gotten known a lot better. But he was the guy who came to me and said, hey, have you ever thought about being a heel? And I looked at him and said, every day. He says, yeah, you got an attitude, so we're going to turn you heel. So he did that, and it felt a little more natural. I don't know. I just felt more natural because smiling and doing all that stuff, I wasn't feeling at that time, man. And I'm sure you knew, too. I never got real close to a lot of people, and that was just it because. And people weren't always sure what to think of me. And then all of a sudden they're going, well, that's good, because I don't want you to know what to think of me. And. And then it kind of backfires because you wind up with no friends. That was my Persona. I just didn't trust a lot of people, just due to a lot of things that happened to fall my way. And going out there and not having a smile or not having to kiss babies and whatever, you know, it was. Was great. It was because you can kind of let loose, I thought. Thought.

[B]

But so then if you didn't let people get close to you, then was going to the ring and being in the ring kind of therapeutic for you?

[A]

And being a heel, of course. I think just going to the ring, that was the only place. And you've heard this before, people say that's when you really feel comfortable. You know, you go there, but then, you know, you get out of your element. It's just. It's hard to. It's hard to, I guess, relate. I don't know if that's the right word or not, but it was hard for me to, you know, there was. There were some people that kind of got it and got me, but those who did, those who did, didn't, you know. But, yeah, it was better in the ring. It was better going to the show with people I liked. And, you know, not everybody liked me. I get that I wasn't always the guy that you wanted to ride with, but I. You know, when I would go to a show with a cool person, somebody got. Got it and understood that life's not so serious. Let's have a good time. It was cool, man.

[B]

I remember when I first came up there, to Tennessee. I started working in Dallas, and I want to tell my story for my fan base. Five years in the podcast, I've told the story a million times. But you were Directly in the story. So I'm starting off in Dallas. I got five months of training. One day a week, 25 people, one ring, two instructors. Not a lot of reps. I'm green as grass. The hills come into Dallas on Friday nights. Saturday mornings beat the trash out of me because I'm a white meat. Baby face. Get some heat. I'm just paying my dues. All of a sudden, Jerry Jarrett buys the territory, the Dallas end from Fritz Von Erich. And all of a sudden it's based out of Tennessee, you know, the Loop. And then you got the Dallas shot. So I'm working on a freight dock. I buy a 1988 Hyundai Excel. I tell Jerry Jarrett, man, when do you think I can start working full time? He says, hell, Steve, I think you're ready now. Well, as we know, I wasn't really ready. But nonetheless, when the man gives you a job, you know. I quit Watkins Motor Lines, and there I was on my way to the Mid South Coliseum. Dutch Mantell was booking. He didn't know I was going to show up. We come up with the Steve Austin name, or he did. He would later come up with a snow stunning Steve Austin name. And what do you do when you're a new guy in a territory? Well, you got to find a place to live. So someone had smartened me up about this shithole on Dickerson pike called the Congress Inn. And way back in the day. And I don't know if you got there by this time, but a guy named a couple, Shane and Sonny hall, were the people that were running the Congress Inn back in the day. Out of all the things I've forgotten in my career, I remember those two people. Sometimes I'd be sick as a dog with the flu. I was making either 15 or $20 a night working all those shots. And I couldn't pay my rent on time. And they would just let me pay whenever I had the money. And I was riding with Dutch Mantell and Chris Champion. We were riding in my car and things were great. And we'd stop at McDonald's. They'd go buy a hamburger and I'd sit in the car or we'd go through the drive through. But I wouldn't eat shit until we got back because I didn't have no money. Well, it comes down, I guess you'd already been into Territory Town, but you moved into the Congress in as well. And as I was in about the middle of the building on that main wing, you were down there in the corner, kind of parallel with the office. And we were probably six or eight rooms apart. We were on the same squad, USWA travel team. I mean, you sound like a professional sports team here.

[A]

Yes, sir.

[B]

But, you know, I was a new guy in the territory. You were an established vet. You were doing your thing. You had that big ass cut on your head. He was helping draw the houses. Territory wasn't in the greatest shape at the time. When I got there, you know, like I said, I wasn't making shit. And you can jump in here now that I've kind of laid out the story. But I just remember at the time, I guess Dutch and Chris had started doing something else. I was still driving my Hyundai. And I guess Dirty White Boy Tony Anthony, who's a hell of a hand, had gone to Puerto Rico or something. And you were driving his 1978 Toyota Tercel. I guess it was brown.

[A]

Shit brown.

[B]

Yes, shit brown.

[A]

Yes, it was.

[B]

It was shit brown. But, I mean. And the Tercel is a great car. But anyway, it broke down. And so someone approaches me. I don't know if it was Dutch or was you or someone said, hey, man, white boy's car broke down. Tom's out of a ride. You think you and Tom can start riding to the towns together? Was that you that posed that question or was that Dutch Mantel? Because you and I just didn't decide to hook up and start riding together because we liked each other.

[A]

I think that that must have been Dutch, because I don't know that. I think it was. I don't think that I would want to impose myself on anybody just because I knew that. I go off on a tangent. And if you didn't know that I was working just to work, just having fun, then that could be kind of a bad ride because not everybody knew how to take me. And sometimes I would. I would be in that mood, wouldn't have anything to change it. And. And I could just be like this. So that was probably Dutch on a couple for a couple reasons, maybe to help me out as well as you. And I don't know why he would try to torture you like that or not, because Dutch knew I was out there. Dutch knew I like to have fun. But, I mean, nobody ever. Brad Armstrong was the only guy who knew I was working from day one. Man. Got it. And that's. That's why, you know, we went through a lot of similar stuff and in and out of the business, and that's why I can have that bond with him. But you are different. Especially that day that we took White Boy's car. I mean, I think we drove through McDonald's or something like that and couldn't stop laughing enough to order. So.

[B]

Yeah, but I remember on the first. I remember on the first few rides. Yeah, because I remember you, you were telling a story about on Great North Wrestling, the time we were riding down the road. I guess I'd probably been there a couple of weeks. This is after we bonded to a degree. And yeah, we were riding down the road and we're like, you know, I'm the greenhorn, you're the vet. Like, yeah, man, we're effing pro wrestlers. We're like a couple of rock stars who were driving a shit brown 78 Toyota Tercera. And I'm starving to death. Yeah.

[A]

No air conditioning, couldn't afford a hamburger. You have a dip, a skull in your mouth, your hair is blown wild. That's what looked at you. Yeah. And a beautiful girl drove by too, I think in a college.

[B]

I remember that. Yeah.

[A]

So, yeah, big pro wrestlers.

[B]

And she kind of looked at us like these two bags of shit. And this Toyota Tercella, you had your shirt off.

[A]

I think you have some dribble coming down your lip. And she just kind of looked at her and smiled. She's thinking, oh, my God, dude.

[B]

On one of those. On one of those first trips, I think it was we were going to Memphis or somewhere. It was a pretty good Drive. It's 205 miles from where we was at on the Congress end and. And we took off and I think I forgot some at the hotel and I actually had to go back and you were in the car with me. But, dude, the first few times we rode together, it was complete silence.

[A]

I think it's because you had the music up loud.

[B]

It might have been before I turned the music on because I would have been respectful enough to ask you, hey, man, if you want to listen to some music. But, you know, those first few trips are a little awkward. And then whatever happened, I mean, then we kind of started to understand each other, but it was the feeling out process. And it was a little bit awkward to begin with because I was green as grass. I wanted to ask a million questions. But then you had you. It was kind of like you were in your own world, doing your own thing. And I'm like, man, I don't want to intrude on this guy or ask him a million stupid questions. There's a lot I'd like to know, but he doesn't seem like he wants to talk to me.

[A]

Well, that's not it. See, that's not it. That wasn't it at all. That's what I'm saying. That's where I get very misunderstood. But, you know, I remember. I remember a time at the gym and this, this kind of enters my mind on occasion too, because I was. And I don't know why I did it, but we were trying. We were working out together. One time you said, man, I want to do some rear delts. And I looked at you, just ribbon. I said, yeah, you look like your rear delts really need work. Which, you know, you're again, 265 and look pretty like a damn brick house in. And you looked at me and said, well, look at your delts or rear delts. Oh, hey, man, I was just ripping. And then I would take off the weights and I would rack them back. Even though we had two more sets to do. He says, why do you keep racking the weights? I thought, well, I don't know, man, I just thought I'd get them out of the way. But, you know, there were little irritant things I would do, you know, just. Just to not even realize that. Not even realize they would irritate anybody else. But that was part of my, you know, I had my pre workout routine and my pre workout powder too. Right? Yes, yeah, of course. So, I mean, that was, you know, the, the congressman demanded that. So you were in a different mood.

[B]

When we got to the gym than I was.

[A]

I sure was. And then that was, that was why I went to the gym back then. So, you know, it was because there was a time when I didn't. But. But that was a business end. That's. That's not the way it is today.

[B]

Yeah, I would get to that stage of the business as well later on in the business. Chris Champion was like Nostradamus when he called it. We were driving, driving down the road one day, he goes, brother, do you do. He named these three things. And I said, no, no, no. He goes, oh, and in a year you'll be doing all three. A year later, I was doing all three.

[A]

All three?

[B]

Yeah, and then some.

[A]

And then some. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

But I look back at my formative years and, you know, because I've heard Dutch and you know, I love Dutch to death, and he was so helpful to me. But, you know, you know, like he says, I mean, I guess when I came in, I think I was very intrigued, intimidated, because, man, you got just a lot of guys on that roster that have been in the business 10 to 15 years. I come out there. I've got two months in the business. I'm a greenhorn. And so it's an intimidating process, but you got to stand your ground. And I just got finished playing college football. So on one hand now, dude, I was lucky to have a scholarship at a Division 2 school, okay? But the fact of the matter was, you know, I was a little bit on the jack side. So I, I was thinking, hey, man, I'm just a pro wrestler, you know? But in that locker room, I was like, hell, I ain't nobody. I'll never forget. I asked, who was that guy? Kenny Wayne or that wasn't Kenny Wayne, I don't know, dude. I had a cassette tape with Van Halen unchained on it because I needed some entrance music. Everybody that went out had entrance music. And then so I'm thinking to myself, okay, I can't work. I look okay, I've got long blonde hair. After I start eating potatoes. Then I started losing weight, weight and stop doing push ups. But I remember going up to one of those guys who used to play the music and I said, hey man, when I go out, could you play this song for me? And he looked at me and he cussed me up and down. He goes, man, he goes, we got guys working here 10 years. He goes, you've been working here a couple of months. You want some music? He was lucky enough. I mean, I was lucky enough that he played the music for me. But as intimidating as the process was, I guess, you know, like in asking you about the weights or some of the things that I told D. Dutch, I don't know, maybe I was a handful myself as far as I wasn't an asshole. Well, I think I was an asshole to some people, but I guess it was in my quest to try to learn the business, but I wasn't going to get left on the back burning, you know what I mean?

[A]

Right, right, right. But my. See, here's, here's. I think everybody's impression, especially when you first started, there's potential there. There's obviously, there's potential there. And I think, think especially at that time, it was a different era. You know, you got to think, man, now, especially after, after all these years and what you've done, thinking about where you came from, because that's one thing you never forgot, I think, is, is you. You remember what it was like being a young guy. You remember what it's like being in all those guys. So now, after all you've accomplished, I mean, think about it. You're Part of the pop culture of that time. So. So to realize that from eating potatoes in the Congress in Nashville, Tennessee, to live in Los Angeles and wherever you're living now, being able to go mule deer hunting whenever you want to do, pretty much being able to do whatever you want to do, whether it's in business or whatever now you know how important it is to be respectful and cordial to the young guys coming up because they will be in awe. You know what it's like to be that scared. So I think seeing you, we didn't see you scared. I didn't see you scared at all. I was an equal opportunity offender, I guess, man. I wasn't trying to mess with anybody. I just, you know what I mean? It wasn't anybody, anything intentional. I don't think you're an asshole at all that time. I just think it was, it was you trying to be you and then trying to find you. It was like, you know, we saw stunning Steve Austin. Then when you went to Atlanta, everybody saw a different side of Steve Austin. And then finally when you came to the, to New York and WWF and then we saw that different side which, you know, and you found out too, and everybody either does or doesn't that it's up to you to make that change or make. Make the right decision. And so, I mean, everybody knew you had something.

[B]

Yeah, but you know what? I was, it was an intimidating process, you know, because you're with guys that go out there and work their asses off. Man, we had some great hands on that crew, you know that. And I was learning from, you know, most of them were giving me 411.

[A]

You were.

[B]

And I guess the biggest thing was being. It was being. It was nerve wracking being in front of people, trying to do the job that you wanted to do since you were a kid. And I'll never forget one of the first matches that I had up there after I debuted at the Mid South Coliseum. We was working, I guess it was Lebanon, Tennessee and you know, Dutch said, hell, I was working with one of the. Was it Eddie Gilbert's father? Dude worked under a hood.

[A]

Tommy.

[B]

Tommy. Anyway, he says, hey man, go out there with Tommy and go about eight minutes. And of course I can't remember who went over, but all of a sudden Tommy giving us these instructions to grab this match. And I'm sitting there thinking, as he's talking, I'm sitting there thinking, what am I gonna do for eight minutes? Yeah, that's a lot of time. What am I gonna do with eight Minutes. That's, that's the fear like now. I mean, once you get your chops up, I mean, dude, you could warm up and walk around in a circle, circle for eight minutes, right?

[A]

But you know, there again you can tell about experience, but you can't teach experience. And the only way you're going to learn that is by getting in the ring of feeling it. And this is a feeling business. I mean, you can, you can talk about it all day long and you can go over moves all day long, but it's what you do in between the moves. Like you said, you can walk and talk for eight minutes, but it's how you walk and talk and what you say during those eight minutes, all the mannerisms, you know, know, it's that, it's the it factor. And some people get it and some people don't, but I mean, you know, and that is the what separates guys like you or Rock, you know, from guys like me or Zack Ryder, which I don't mean any disrespect to Zach at all. I'm just saying there's a reason that people are attracted to that. And, you know, that's the nerve wracking process that every performer, I think, goes through through. You know, even the kids today, they just go through it a different way. But back then, you know, you had guys who didn't want young guys in the business. You had guys who were fighting for spots. You had guys, yeah, you know, you were a threat to everybody because you did look good because you were an athlete. You had played college ball. I mean, so everybody knew your credentials. And then they were going to say, well, you know, you're six, what, six to 260, man, and just look, looked capable and looked the part. And at that time, you know, there were some guys going to the gym, some guys weren't. It wasn't really, especially in Tennessee. Are you kidding me? What? So, yeah, I mean, it's gonna be intimidating because you got Jerry Lawler there too, because, you know, he had already been around. Big star and. Yeah. You know, but then you find out they're not any different. They all had the same dreams and hopes and, you know, hopefully you get. Some of the guys will figure that out and help you.

[B]

All right, let's give a shout out to my man Diamond Dallas Page and DDP Yoga. Hey, I've been doing my regular workouts with the DDP Yoga now app for months and man, I'm feeling the difference, folks. I'm feeling a big difference. More limber, more loose than ever before and I feel great. Have you been looking to get on board with DDP Yoga? Well, ain't no excuse not to because Dallas has given you seven days free to try it out. Now listen to me, that is the one week seven days to try out the program, explore the app and own your life. And it's completely free. All you got to do is commit. DDP Yoga can work for all ages, all weights, all fitness levels. It's kick ass cardio workout that will dramatically increase your flexibility and strengthen your core like never before. And this is all done with minimal joint impact. Just for listening to the Steve Austin show, you can save 20% off all DVDs and annual memberships for the DDP Yoga now app. Go to ddpyoga.com Austin to get started and check us out. DDP's upcoming book Positively Unstoppable the Art of Owning it is now available for pre order. Filled with lessons from Page's life that share his own struggle to find his calling, overcoming one obstacle after another, Positively Unstoppable is a bible for anyone who needs to be re inspired to follow their dreams and take real action towards the things that matter most to them. Positively Unstoppable will be released January 15, 2019 and is available for pre order anywhere books are sold. All right everybody, listen to pause button. As far as this conversation goes, right here, right now, Thursday. The podcast will be a continuation of my conversation with Dr. Tom Pritchard as we get into some more stories from the road. Stories and knowledge about the business and getting into the wrestling academy starting up down there in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you're interested in getting into a career inside the squared circle, I couldn't recommend a better place than this one. The open house is going to be at D1 Sports in Knoxville January 3rd at 7pm the first class will actually be on January 7th. All information that you need is going to be on this website. JPRWrestlingAcademy.com JPRrestlingAcademy.com this is going to be an awesome camp. Five days a week, four hours a day. If you're trying to learn the business, repetition, consistency and obviously commitment is key. Man, when I got to the USWA and we were working at least six days a week, I picked up the business faster than any other place I'd ever been because I had some great guys to ask questions. We worked every single night of the week. Damn near. And you had to change your matchup every single night because a lot of marks would follow that tour around. So you were forced to always elevate your game. Always be thinking, always be creative. But as Tom will say next week, it's all about fundamentals. It's all about the mechanics and then where you take it from there. But anyway, they're giving me the Go home cue catch up part two of my conversation with Dr. Tom Prichard this Thursday. Hey man, if you guys are thirsty, I got a badass IPA for you. It's called Steve Austin Broken School IPA from El Segundo Brewing Company. Yes, I will still drink my own beer. More on that note. On Thursday. You can find broken skull IP@ Whole Foods and Total Wines. If you live in Cali. If you ain't in Cali, you might be shit out of luck. If you're looking to get a badass pocket knife, I got two for you. Cold steel, Broken Skull knife and a new Working man knife. Get them at my new Amazon store. Amazon has the best price on both knives. Just go to Amazon.com shop steveaustin or go directly to the Cold Steel Knives website and check out all of their badass knives. If you need more info on my sponsors, check out the show description to this episode for details. Until then, my name is Steve Austin and I will catch your ass down the road. This has been a Podcast one production.

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