I have been a fan of Pro Wrestling my entire life -- in fact I attended my first live match at the ripe old age of six weeks. Championship Wrestling from Florida, hosted by Gordon Solie, was a weekend happening at our house. I grew up watching such greats as Eddie Graham, Sam Steamboat, Boris "The Great" Malenko, Don Curtis, Hero Matsuda and many others too numerous to mention. What a shame that so many of the greats of yesteryear have gone on to meet their maker. Well maybe not such a shame, because most of the them would probably hang their head in shame at the shambles that has become professional wrestling of the 90's.
Championship Wrestling from Florida saw the emergence of such superstars as Barry and Kendall Windham, Mike Graham and Steve Keirn, Dusty Rhodes, Dick Murdock, Dory and Terry Funk and dozens more of the best wrestlers that ever donned a pair of wrestling boots.
As the technological revolution finally hit, the age of the satellite dish came into view. The wonders of being able to watch wrestling from other areas was amazing. Championship Wrestling from Georgia, hosted by a familiar face in Gordon Solie; the American Wrestling Association featuring such greats as Larry the Ax Henning, Verne and Greg Gagne, Scott Hall (when he was a real man), The Rock and Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson), The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey); Smokey Mountain Wrestling with such greats as Jerry the King Lawler, Superstar Bill Dundee, and Bob Armstrong; Universal Wrestling Federation with superstars like Steve "Dr. Death" Williams, Sting, Cowboy Bill Watts, Ric Flair, Rick Steiner, Rick Steamboat. This is but a very small list of all of the wonderful superstars that have graced the ring over the last thirty-five years.
In the early 80's I had the privilege of meeting some of the nicest people in the business. Ole and Gene Anderson, Paul Orndorff, Ted Dibaise, Buzz and Brett Sawyer, and my personal favorite Tommy "Wildfire" Rich.
In October 1983 in Tallahassee, Florida, back in the good ole days when you could actually talk to the wrestlers, I got to talk to Tommy and meet his wife Terri and their one year old daughter Amanda Rose (Mandy). She was probably the prettiest baby I had ever seen. I was able to talk to Terri for a little while during the matches. I was even lucky enough to get to hold that precious little girl.
I'll always remember that night for one other reason, that is the night that Buzz Sawyer and Tommy Rich finally ended their feud. This is also the night that Buzz finally admitted to the world that Brett Wayne was actually Brett Sawyer, Buzz's little brother. Two of the greatest battles that I ever had the pleasure of witnessing were between Buzz Sawyer and Tommy Rich and Brett Sawyer and Jake "The Snake" Roberts, what bloody battles they were.
It is said that you can never go back home again to the way things used to be. Boy can that be said for the wrestling world of today. What a joke!!! First their is Vince McMahon, the biggest joke of all. His father would probably roll over in his grave to see the circus side show that his son has created with the business that he built. The thrill of seeing Stone Cold Steve Austin put the "Stone Cold Stunner" on him was unreal. Now, don't get me wrong, I have never been the type to like to see the big brawny guys beat up on some little twit. But in Vince McMahon's case I'll make an exception.