On May 8, 1971, I was just a 15 year old kid living in Santa Maria, Ca. I was flipping channel on t.v. one evening and came across Mike LeBell's NWA wrestling on channel 5 KCOP. An interview started, conducted by the legendary Dick Lane. He was talking with Classy Freddie Blassie. Fred was receiving a Wrestler of the Year Award, and out of nowhere, "The Golden Greek" John Tolos came running into the interview area and threw the famous "Monsels Powder" into Blassie's eyes. Blassie hit the floor in pain while Dick Lane was yelling and screaming for some help for poor Freddie. This set up one of the biggest feud in pro wrestling history! I was sold that very moment on pro wrestling. I set my sights on a career as a pro wrestler from watching that historic moment on t.v.! On a side note, 11 years later, I began wrestling for Mike LeBell at the Olympic Auditorium. Mike is still one of my most respected friends. John Tolos and I wrestled each other a few times in the mid 1980s before John finally hung up his boots for good. I see Tolos each year at the Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion in Las Vegas. He is 72 years old and still in fantastic shape. As for the late great Freddie Blassie, I was honored to have been the ring announcer in 1988 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena giving Freddie a plaque in the ring for 50 years of professional wrestling service! A photo of us appears on my website at: BIG BILL ANDERSON - WRESTLING MEMORIES
I had my first match on June 16, 1974 in Tucson, Arizona. It was against a veteran wrestler named Buddy Rose, not Playboy Buddy Rose (Paul Pershman). We went to a 20 minute draw!
3. Where did you get your training, and by who?
I was trained by Kurt Von Steiger in Arizona in 1973. Others in my class were "Hangman" Bobby Jaggers, and Afa & Sika, The Wild Somoans.
In thinking back through nearly 30 years in the business, many come to mind. In Arizona it would be: The Lumberjacks, Marcel Bovee, John Ringer, Jody Arnold, David Rose and the late Eddie Sullivan. In Tenn., it would be with Jackie, Don and Roughhouse Fargo. In MExico, it would be Tinieblas, Los Villanos, Los Brazos, Mil Mascaras, Atlantis & El Rayo De Jalisco Jr. In California, it would be with "Wildman Jack Armstrong, Pistol Pete, Buddha Khan, Tim Patterson, Mickey Doyle, Chief Jay Strongbow Jr., Professor Toru Tanaka, and Mando, Chavo and Eddie Guerrero. These are some that come to mind through the years!
5. How was it difficult being you, Bill, in the ring, than some of the characters you
have portrayed (such as Mercenary #1)
That's a great question! I have worked in all facets of the wrestling business. As a wrestler, I have been both "Heel" and "Face". I remember in 1989, in a one week period of time, being a bleach blond heel wrestling in Hawaii against Rocky Johnson, having brown hair as a ring announcer at the San Diego Sports Arena for WWF, wrestling as the Black Knight under a mask at WWF tv tapings in San Francisco and wrestling as Billy Anderson, brown haired baby face in Palm Springs, Ca. Those kinds of things happened frequently in my career. Since I always considered myself a nice approachable guy, it was sometime hard yelling at fans as a heel. I always signed autographs, no matter what. I always believed in that. Despite some big name heels saying I was making a mistake being nice to the fans! I was one of the few heels when I worked in Japan on 5 tours for FMW that posed for photos and talked with the fans. I always considered it an honor for someone to want my signature!
6. What was probably your favorite match you wrestled in?
Without a doubt, my favorite match was in 1986 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena for the WWF. It was a sold out event with 17,000 in the house. I was scheduled to wrestle my good friend 'Wildman" Jack Armstrong. The agent for the show Chief Jay Strongbow came up to us before the show and told us to go about 8 or 9 minutes. We said fine. But when we got out there, we were so pumped up, and we definately had our working shoes on that night. Jack and I loved wrestling each other. I was the babyface, he was the heel, and the fans knew us for years in the area. We ended up wrestling a little over 19 minutes of a 20 minute time limit. The fans were into our match, as we did high spot after high spot. I did a tope through the ropes and Jack hit his head on the guard rails. We tore the place down. Jack finally pinned me and we walked the long walk down the isle to the dressing room. Fans were patting us both on the back for having entertained them so great in the opening match! As soon as we hit the dressing room door, Chief bagan yelling at us for steeling the show. Iron sheik came walking by and called us both some names I won't print here. Even Hulk Hogan was upset with us. It wasn't our fault others on the show did not want to work as hard. Needless to say, Jack and I were never booked again together on a WWF show. We see each other a couple of times each year, and still laugh about how great that match was!
That's a tough one, a few match's come to mind. In early 1983 I was booked by WWF to wrestle Paul Orndorff at the L.A. Sports Arena. This was before Paul came into WWF as "Mr Wonderful". Pat Patterson was the road agent at the time. Paul was a champion for the NWA on TBS at the time, I was just the baby face local boy. Pat told Orndorff that since he was not with the company full time to put me over clean in the middle of the ring to keep me strong to the Southern Ca. fans. It was another sell out, as they usually were in those days! We went about 17 minutes really giving the fans their monies worth, before i pinned Paul with my finishing move at the time, the Sunset Flip (Yes, that was a finisher in those daysof wrestling). THe crowd went crazy when the ref counted to three. It was a tremendous win for my career. I had people come up to me for the next 10 years and tell me "I was there the night you pinned Orndorff". That's always been a cool thing that happened in my career.
8. What would you say has been your biggest acheivment in wrestling?
My biggest acheivment in wrestling would be the countless friendships I have made and maintained in my involvement in wrestling. My friends are my life! Also it would be the fact that I have traveled to so many countries, like Japan, Mexico, France, England, Egypt, Turkey, Korea, Afghanistan, Venezuela and many others!
9. You have been running your wrestling school for quite some time now, and you have had a hand in the training of many wrestling stars, such as Sting and the Ultimate Warrior, who are some of the other notable stars you have trained?
I have trained literally hundreds of guys 1n a 18 year period of time, some were the Angel of Death (Dave Sheldon) Strangler Steve DiSAlvo, Magnificent Mimi, Missy Hyatt, The Wonder Years actor, Jason Hervey, Frankie Kazarian, Puma Boy, Rocky Romero, Rickey Reyes, Maxx Payne (Darryl Peterson), Chris Jerich and The Godfather (Papa Shango) trained with me awhile. But the greatest of them all, the late Louie Spicoli. He was my best friend, tag team partner and most loyal student until his untimely death in 1998.
10. What advice could you give to other newcomers, aspiring to be the next wrestling superstar?
Stay humble, remember your roots. Like the old saying goes, "Be kind to the people you meet on the way up, as they are the same people you meet on the way down". Also, "Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You". That's in the ring and out! If you have a dream, you can accomplish it with hard work. Stay away from steriods and other drugs that will end your career and eventually your life!
Thank you for the opportunity to express myself with this interview. Please check out my website at: BIG BILL ANDERSON - WRESTLING MEMORIES