Nick Roberts

Lubbock, Texas was always a great town to go and wrestle in. Promoter Nick Roberts was a good mat wrestler himself and had a fine mind for promoting. I had a few bouts with him and can speak from experience that he was a tough character when he had to be. I didn't especially like his Texas way of treating me or getting his point across to the fans that looked up to him as an outstanding citizen of Lubbock.

The night I am going to tell you about is one that I can vividly remember and can say that I wouldn't want to ever do again.

Bobby Hart (The Patriot) and I had traveled back to Amarillo the night before from a grueling four-day trip that had us in Colorado Springs, Albuquerque, El Paso, and Odessa. We had both been in matches of various natures because of non-caring promoters who were, in fact, one sided. Most of them would steal mice from blind cats and thought nothing of what they might do to the greatest wrestling manager in the world, Percival A. Friend. It was Wednesday, and that meant a trip to the coliseum in Lubbock, Texas. It wasn't something that I looked forward to, but I had to go, as it was in the best interests of The Patriot to keep his winning streak going in matches held there. He had met and defeated everybody who had come in contact with him using a patented hold that I was responsible for inventing. It was a rolling reverse knee lock that we called "The Watergate Roll." As you know through history, nobody escapes from Watergate … not even a President.

We left my home at around 5 p.m. for the two-hour trip to Lubbock. The road, for the better part, was a TEXAS Interstate road … a two-lane, undivided cow path that had a combination of dirt, asphalt and concrete as its base. I had gotten used to this road as a means of travel between most of the cities we were booked in as time went on, but I was not happy about it. Bobby had slept most of the way from Amarillo, trying to conserve most of the energy he would need for the Main Event tonight against Terry Funk.

We arrived at the coliseum and were met by a few fans who voiced their opinions towards us as we got out of Bobby's custom built Chrysler Station Wagon. Texas fans are a one-of-a-kind breed that would just as soon try and take you apart as look at you. They are very loud in their expressions and are very supportive to their favorites.

We went in and started doing warm-ups to loosen the trip out of our bodies. Most guys used this as a way of getting rid of the anxiety of the road, while some used it to relieve the loneliness of being away from loved ones. Bobby did it so he wouldn't get hurt … a smart move on his part.

The opening match had Buck Robley facing the Viking. They went to a 30-minute draw and had the fans almost climbing into the ring with them. Neither man was well liked, and they let the fans know that they didn't care for them, either.

The second match had Alex Perez facing Dick Murdoch. What a barn-burner this turned out to be. Dick had a way with the Texas fans, as he was a natural-born Texan, and the fans loved this big ol' boy. Murdoch could do all the moves that a light-heavyweight could do. He could dropkick your ears off and flying head scissors you from any point in the ring. He could leap off the top ropes into the first or second row of spectators to get to you if he had to. He could also take you to the mat and grind you into a skinned up, bloody mess ... if he wanted to. He had a good teacher; his father was a superstar in his days of mat glory. After 45 minutes of battle, Alex ended up getting disqualified for use of a foreign object that he opened up Murdoch's head with.

The third match was a tag-team match with Hurricane Hank James, the younger brother of Bobo Brazil, and Chunky Washington facing The Kozak Brothers, Nick and Jerry. I could not put enough words together to describe the moves, the holds, and the antics that went on in the ring during this match. Hank James was the leader for his team and tried to outwrestle Jerry, but he had a lot of problems with the fiery little guy. Every time Hank thought he had Nick or Jerry in a pinning predicament, they would amaze him with counter holds and moves that had not been thought of before. They were an exciting team that gave 110% of their energy to the fans. The Kozak brothers finally pinned Chunky Washington in a little over 25 minutes of mat action.

The main event had The Patriot facing Terry Funk, with me handcuffed to Nick Roberts. Nick went on TV and said that I had injected myself into the match the week before, and the only way that The Patriot would be allowed into the building to wrestle would be to have me handcuffed to him at ringside.

I didn't want to be made to look like a common criminal, but the only reason I let that happen to me was the money that I demanded up front for being humiliated by the incident. I was a gentleman and didn't need to be treated like this.

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
2007 TCCW Hall of Fame Honoree