The Nature Boy has a flair for the dramatic

[Double Gator Dad]

I get it. I was a kid when Championship Wrestling from Florida was on each week. Gordon Solie. Eddie Graham. The Great Malenko (the hated Russian) Dusty later on. Joe Scarpa with the deadly sleeper hold that put people unconscious (like Spock grabbing the side of your neck). I loved it. Looked real ,good vs bad was obvious. Then my buddy's brother came home from Viet Nam. Took us to the Miami Beach Convention Hall. Steel Cage match. Jerry Brisco. Malenko. Maybe Dusty R.
1967. Ringside seats. My heroic visions were dashed. They never hit each other. They spit fake teeth. Then I found out the ones that hated each other the most practiced together and even had family gatherings together..............but it was great till I was 12. Flair had a flair for all of that..............fwiw,..........I believe Durty's story. Alex is a poop head..........

That was a mythical place in my mind. I always heard about the matches down in Tampa. My brother in law had Solie's daughter for a secretary.............does that rank anywhere in our personal wrestling lore? :)

This flier is AWESOME!

Almost all of the big names of the time are on there. I was trying to remember some more and all I have so far: Pak Son (The Korean Giant) , Dale Lewis, and Hiro Matsuta. I know there are more. What great memories, nothing like Gordon Solie when you were 10 or 11 years old.
To this day I am reminded of his close 'So long form the sunshine state" every Saturday

 

[AlexDaGator]

fwiw,..........I believe Durty's story. Alex is a poop head..........

Alex.

 

[Mr2Bits]

Saw another story today that when he had the plane crash, he regained consciousness just long enough to have the paramedics get a women’s phone number out of the shaving kit so wife wouldn’t find it.

Or the story when he was at an Italian restaurant standing on the table screaming about how his rolex was 30k and he had 15 of them so he threw it in someones bowl of spaghetti only to have to dig it out of the dumpster later that night....I want to be like Flair when I grow up

 

[stephenPE]

Pak Son (The Korean Giant) , Dale Lewis, and Hiro Matsuta. I know there are more. What great memories, nothing like Gordon Solie when you were 10 or 11 years old.
To this day I am reminded of his close 'So long form the sunshine state" every Saturday

EXACTLY.........Two good stories DGD.......I swear one time the Asian guys karate chopped some guy in the mouth and blood was gushing from his mouth/throat.. ......I was 11 so it was freaky ....#2..........Gordon was at the desk and was interviewing Malenko with his new student wrassler,. A huge monster looking guy that could not talk. Malenko slapped his protege a few times and then the monster started bashing Malenko's head onto the table while Solie calmly did his "So long from the Sunshine State,,,,,,,,,,,it was hilarious...............

 

[stephenPE]

Alex.

I FINALLY RENDERED OUR SAGE SPEECHLESS..................this is monumental...............or as Alex my imply to me in 6 paragraphs....."coach is mental"................

 

[Since65]

I can still hear Dusty Rhodes shouting "Let me tell you somethin', Gordon Solie"!

I even remember Haystacks Calhoun.

 

[gingerlover]

I can still hear Dusty Rhodes shouting "Let me tell you somethin', Gordon Solie"!

I even remember Haystacks Calhoun.

Man Haystacks was before my time.

 

[cover2]

I can still hear Dusty Rhodes shouting "Let me tell you somethin', Gordon Solie"!

I even remember Haystacks Calhoun.

"Gaw-don" Solie :)



Haystacks was a biggun! Seems like there was rush of big farm boy types. I remember the Pascagoula Plowboy and Big Jake the Kentuckian.

The Plowboy

 

[GatorRaz]

My dad's uncle George had a heart attack watching wrasslin' one night in his home because he got so torn up about one guy cheating and beating his favorite Dusty Rhodes. Then when the news got out about George having a heart attack some guys were poking fun at him about it being fake and he beat the crap out of those 2 at the feed store.

 

[gingerlover]

My dad worked out at a golds gym in Atlanta back in the 70s and used to see all those guys. Dusty was his favorite and met him a few times and said he was nice as could be.

I️ only ever got to meet Few growing up around where the WCW guys lived but never anyone that was as big a star as them.

 

[GMDGator]

 

[Gator_Chompz]

Hung out with Flair and he is great. This is a pic of me, Ric and Gators coach Jim Collins whose daughter i dated during my Marine Corps days. Enjoyed those all access passes and hearing Coach Spurrier pep talk at halftime during the FL/GA game in 2000.

 

[Durty South Swamp]

nice pants, were those jncos?

 

[Double Gator Dad]

I can still hear Dusty Rhodes shouting "Let me tell you somethin', Gordon Solie"!

I even remember Haystacks Calhoun.

You left out the pronunciation......."Let me tell you somethin' Gardin Solie"

 

[Gator_Chompz]

nice pants, were those jncos?

Actually Tommy Hilfiger carpenter jeans

 

[Since65]

You left out the pronunciation......."Let me tell you somethin' Gardin Solie"

The 30 for 30 on Flair was excellent, one of the best they've done. He was arguably the greatest pro wrestler ever.

That being said, when it comes to smack talk and promotion of the sport there is no one I'd rather listen to than Dusty Rhodes.

 

[GMDGator]

The 30 for 30 on Flair was excellent, one of the best they've done. He was arguably the greatest pro wrestler ever.

That being said, when it comes to smack talk and promotion of the sport there is no one I'd rather listen to than Dusty Rhodes.

his lisp was ridiculous

 

[Since65]

his lisp was ridiculous

His whole shtick was ridiculous but it was great!

 

[GMDGator]

His whole shtick was ridiculous but it was great!

i dug it because he was from Marietta, Jawja... not far from where i was at the time....

 

[gingerlover]

The 30 for 30 on Flair was excellent, one of the best they've done. He was arguably the greatest pro wrestler ever.

That being said, when it comes to smack talk and promotion of the sport there is no one I'd rather listen to than Dusty Rhodes.

I️ liked dusty but his best stuff was before me. Grew up with savages crazy promos, pipers funny ones, and jake the snake scaring small children.

Flair was a genius though and this was a great watch.