Bob Roop, Olympian

I have had the pleasure during the past few months to meet with some of the greats of our business, including Bret Hart, Larry "The Axe" Hennig, Nikita Koloff, and the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, just to name a few.

The man that most impressed me and, in my opinion, a man that should have been honored a long time before he was, was Bob Roop.

Bob had a humble beginning in Blacksburg, Virginia, just 15 miles from Jimmy Valiant's wrestling camp in the beautiful mountains just off I-81. At age 7, his family moved to Lansing, Michigan, where his father began work in the Engineering department of Michigan State University.

After wrestling in the national tournaments for several years and doing well, Bob tried out for the Olympics in '64 and was an alternate. For the 1968 year of competition, he had trained hard for over two years. He had wrestled most of the top heavyweights in the country, so Bob had an idea of the competition and had a realistic goal in my mind of what he could accomplish.

Speaking about the Olympics, Bob said it was the opening ceremony of the games in Mexico City “that really stands out for me. It was pretty spectacular; the entry into the stadium the first day was pretty overwhelming ... it was just awesome, a very nice feeling.”

Because the Greco-Roman events took place during the last week of the Olympics, he found himself training instead of socializing in the Athlete's Village. "We spent most of our time there training twice a day, so there wasn't a lot of time.

“You got up, had breakfast, and trained in the morning and then came back and rested and had lunch, then wrestled some more at an afternoon training. In the evening, we had the chance to socialize. All the athletes would get together in the community hall and swap pins and get to know one another."

Roop was 25 and weighed 270 pounds entering the Games in Mexico City in 1968. Believe it or not, he was a small heavyweight. Roop finished in seventh place in Mexico City, losing to a seven-foot, 340-pound Russian named Aleksander Medved, who went on to win the gold medal.

During his last year of college, his coach at Southern Illinois convinced him to train down to a lighter weight of 220 pounds. "That spring, I entered my last national tournament before turning pro, the national AAU at Greco-Roman at 220, and I won that one. It was the first one I even won. I had taken second and third a couple of times," Roop said.

Armed with a new goal, and his BA to fall back on if need be, Roop accepted an offer from Florida Championship Wrestling promoter Eddie Graham to come down for a visit. "I was given the chance to watch the match and see what was going on, get a feel for things and then to make a decision. The main thing for me was the money they guaranteed me to start. It was a guarantee, I didn't have to earn it."

He turned pro in 1969 and wrestled until 1988, when a car accident damaged his neck. But still he kept involved and worked as a promoter and as a trainer in Florida. In fact, it's likely you've heard of at least one of his students--Larry Pfohl, a/k/a Lex Luger.

Roop estimates that he wrestled over 3,000 matches in his career and was a heel for a good part of them. In his best year, he figures that he made $80,000, but most years were in the $50,000-$60,000 range. On five occasions, he fought for the World Title but never came out on top.

In Florida, he was the state champion on numerous occasions and formed a successful tag team with Bob Orton Jr., second generation wrestler and father of Randy Orton.

In the mid-'80s, he agreed to try something new. Kevin Sullivan was putting together a 'Cult' in Florida, and, together, they came up with the idea of Roop converting into Maha Singh.

Others in Sullivan's Army of Darkness included Sullivan, Purple Haze (Mark Lewin), Luna Vachon & Lock (Winona Littleheart), Kharma (Gene Lewis/Gene Petit) and Fallen Angel (a/k/a Nancy Sullivan, Woman).

Things didn't go as planned for the identity change; Sullivan double crossed him as he had done others in the past. He wanted to do all the talking himself, so he didn't want Bob Roop on the scene. Three months later, Roop was made booker and matchmaker for the Florida territory. "When I got the book, I fired him!" he said laughing.

Bob has just recently finished another milestone in his life, as he has completed college courses and will be a teacher full time in the Lansing area. He has recently finished another new book entitled "Death Match."

He has three sons and a beautiful wife, to compliment his every move.

Bob and I went to Corunna, Michigan this past weekend, where the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he was introduced. Bob spoke for a few minutes, telling the folks a few stories of his personal and professional life.

He also told them that he was very honored to come to be a part of the LWA card and would enjoy it if they invited him back in the future. The audience erupted in another standing ovation, and, as he left the ring, he was surrounded by autograph-hunting wrestling fans that turned out in the near 90 degree heat.

After the matches, Bob and I returned to his home near Lansing, and I bid him good wishes until the next time.

Thank you, Bob Roop, for a wonderful day and moments in my life that I will treasure until the time I can't any more.

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers

2003 BWC Hall of Fame Inductee
2004 CAC Hall of Fame Inductee
2006 LWA Hall of Fame Inductee