Terry Taylor's Perspective 8/8/02

I coulda' been a contender!”

Many of you know my background and some of you do not. I have been in the wrestling business for 23 years. The first 16 years were as a wrestler and the last 7 years were in the TV production and writing divisions of both the WWF and WCW. Wade Keller owns the Pro Wrestling Torch, which is a very good ‘insider’s’ periodical that gives people who are not in the industry, a detailed look at the inner workings of the wrestling business. He covers match results, talent movement, and gives expert commentary on these subjects. Wade interviewed me a year ago and in the interview called me “the Forrest Gump of the Wrestling Business.”  I didn’t know how to take it at first, but when I thought about it – the nickname fit.

I know, I know, somebody is going to say I have the same IQ and after you read this piece – you may think the same thing. Wade was alluding to the fact that I have been in or around almost every major wrestling story for the past decade. The story I’d like to tell you now has a very important message for EVERYBODY! I only wish I’d have learned the lesson I’m about to teach you. 

As most of you know, I broke into the wrestling business on a fluke. I had a huge college buddy who wasn’t a fan, but because of his size lucked into a tryout with a new wrestling organization. He asked me to teach him what I knew. All I knew was what I saw on TV, so I showed him the moves I learned from watching TV.  Somehow by the grace of God – HE MADE IT!

I didn’t see him for 3 years because he graduated ahead of me.

I was living in Florida and went to the West Palm Beach Auditorium, as I did with my brother and dad every Monday night to watch wrestling live! My friend, Steve was on the card (billed like I was very so very much of my career as – “plus many others!”) and he invited me to Tampa to watch how the wrestlers lived and worked. I readily accepted.

I got a freak break the next day because Chick Donovan missed his flight from Atlanta. I took Chick’s place and my career was started!

The point to all that back-story was to tell you that because of all this I met my hero – Dusty Rhodes!

I loved Dusty. He was funny, charismatic, and never lost! We knew when Dusty fought the top “bad guy,” the bad guy was going to get his butt whipped. Dusty was so cool – I wanted to be just like him. Meeting Dusty was a dream come true. (Get it? ‘Dream’ come true? - Sorry) In 1979, wrestling in Florida was red hot. Dusty was the booker of Florida Championship Wrestling under the watchful eye of Eddie Graham. At the time, I didn’t know what a ‘booker’ was or that he wrote the story lines and television shows.

Dusty was good to me. As a matter of fact, everybody was good to me. Maybe that’s why I didn’t understand the treatment I received in the WWF’s locker room twenty years later. (I understand now. When a young wrestler looks good and is used to make other older wrestlers look good – he’s not a threat, so everybody ‘likes’ him) Dusty booked me on the weekends so I could keep my day job and gave me my first win six months later! I always felt a warm place in my heart for Dusty because of the way he treated me when I started.

One of Dusty’s greatest characteristics is one of the things about which he’s most sensitive. Dusty loves the limelight, but never really liked the boys imitating his speech. He is one of the most imitated stars the business ever had. In the 80’s, everybody did a Dusty Rhodes imitation!

I can honestly say I do a great Dusty Rhodes impersonation!

I remember one time in particular when I used my skills to entertain the boys at Dusty’s expense. But Dusty wouldn’t mind, would he? After all, he was good to me when I first started and must have liked me, right?

We were all getting on a Southwest Airlines flight at 6:00 AM after working late and driving until 2:00 AM. We were all exhausted and with Southwest there are NO assigned seats.  It’s first come – first served. The plane was boarded in 3 waves: rows 1 through 30 went first, then rows 31 through 60, and lastly 61 through 90. If you’re late to get a boarding pass, you get wave three. Dusty and I were numbers 89 & 90, so you can imagine the seats that were left.

The seats we got weren’t even as good as middle seats. If you’ve ever flown, you know middle seats – suck. The passengers on either side of a middle seat are all elbows – literally fighting for the armrest. It’s brutal, you can’t even ‘lean’ away from the rude person. Dusty and I were in luck! The only seats worse than middle seats are towards the back - and face each other! There is NO leg room what so ever. So Dusty was facing me and I was facing him. We had to negotiate where to put out knees, feet, and legs.

Dusty had on his big cowboy hat and a walkman underneath listening to some country music. I saw the little wheels spinning, so I thought I’d entertain the boys. I broke into a full Dusty impersonation, “Live, in color, in pul-lick, IF YOU WIIILL!” Dusty looked up, took off the headset, and asked me what I had said.

I told the truth, “Nothing, sir” as I chuckled looking around the plane for approval from the other wrestlers.

Dusty said, “OK” and put his headphones back on. I saw I had gotten away with it, so I continued my performance. He looked up a couple of times and only smiled.

I never thought about it again.

As time went on, I worked for promotions where Dusty was the booker at least 4 or 5 times in the 80’s. I never knew why Dusty always booked me in a way to make other guys look good at my expense. I never won, was never in a story line, and was always made to look weak. That doesn’t matter if you’re a bad guy, but it kills a good guy. I never confronted Dusty about it, I just did my job. The truth was, I was beginning to get resentful towards Dusty. I had my pride. As my resentment went up – so did my smart alec comments just out of Dusty’s range of hearing. I got bolder and bolder, but never got caught, because after all – he was still my boss. It did feel good to get over on the great Dusty Rhodes.  

Many years later, Dusty and I were at a party at Diamond Dallas Page’s house. We were both much older and laid back towards life and in the twilight of our careers. He was cordial and we exchanged small talk. I had grown in confidence and didn’t fear him or what he could to me anymore. I was brash and didn’t hold back my snappy comments or back off when I could see he was getting flushed. After all, what could he do to me now?

What could he do? Only change my perception of why my career went the way it did. Dusty leaned forward and whispered where only I could hear. The next 5 words out of his mouth changed my life forever.

He calmly said, “The volume was never on.”

Until next week,
Terry Taylor