Scott Bowden discusses wrestling’s untimely deaths, Sputnik Monroe and Bull Nakano

HENNIG
I still do the gum-slap, too. Sad: Pillman, Davey Boy, Rude, Eddie Gilbert, Hennig, Gordy, etc. -- enough for a decent WWA or NWA/TNA card. Evidently, something is at work for these “chiseled” guys (not Gordy) to die early while Abdullah the Butcher still rolls (quite literally) along.

If you want to write a movie, why not do an ED WOOD-style movie on Sputnik Monroe, exploring the racial divide in Memphis at the time, and how he almost single-handedly broke down the color barrier in Memphis.

--David

Bowden: It was nice to see Chris Jericho’s homage to Curt, slapping the gum at the end of his backstage segment on RAW. I did the gum-slap the other day, and I couldn’t help but get a bit sentimental -- sounds ridiculous but it’s true.

It’s easy to judge the boys’ lifestyles and question their decisions, especially when they lead to an early death. I think some look at it as a Catch-22: a variety of drugs are necessary to not only look the part but also to tolerate the pain of taking “holy-shit” bumps to pop the marks. Life on the road doesn’t help either. Really, I don’t see how the WWE boys do it -- and the schedule’s not even nearly as bad as it was in the mid-’80s. The saddest part is that I’m afraid more of the boys will be taken from us far too soon.

While Jerry Lawler was/is one of Memphis’s biggest celebrities, no wrestling personality ever captured the imagination of the city’s faithful quite like Sputnik Monroe -- the Diamond Ring and Cadillac Man.

Monroe initially built a strong following with black fans, who were forced to sit in the nosebleed section at Ellis Auditorium. He not only used his popularity with black fans to singlehandely integrate seating at the matches, but he also served as a role model for white youths who viewed him as a rebel. A number of teens even put a bleached-blonde streak in their hair to emulate their hero. Sputnik later teamed with black grappler Norvell Austin for a while, making them quite possibly the first interracial tag-team in the South. At one point, there were rumors that Sputnik was Austin’s father. Now that’s heat where I come from. Actually, now that I think about it, Sputnik’s story is a hell of a lot more interesting than my screenplay.

And now for a letter concerning another Memphis wrestling legend’s effect on race relations in the city.

LAWLER
In your article on the portrayal of minorities in Memphis wrestling, you included Lawler’s comment that he would read Alex Haley’s ROOTS to Rocky Johnson “backwards so that it has a happy ending.” All I have to say is that there is a special place in hell for Lawler.

That being said, this piece in its entirety should be published elsewhere as well. It is a great social commentary even outside of rasslin’. You should think about expanding its range of publication.

--Kris

Bowden: Or maybe I’ll just write that screenplay about Sputnik Monroe. Hmmm … you think Lawler’s place in hell will be in the nosebleed section?

SCREENPLAY
I remember reading about you in the Apter mags. (I grew up in Boston, so we didn’t get the Memphis shows ... we barely got any NWA actually.) I also live in Los Angeles and am a screenwriter (my main trade is professional standup comic ... a profession not unlike the wrestling biz, without the chairshots.) In fact, I have a feature-length screenplay about a pro wrestler ... kind of a Bull Durham-type thing. How’d you get involved with the Kevin Smith crew?

--John

Bowden: No chairshots? Apparently you’ve never seen my friend Dan Warner’s act. Regarding your screenplay, you change the story to a Bull Nakano-type thing, and you’ve got something. Nakano was wildly over at one point in Japan, during a time when women’s wrestlers were worshipped like rock stars. Nakano’s finisher was a legdrop off the top turnbuckle; she once performed it off the top of an 18-foot steel cage. Last I heard, she had slimmed down and was pursuing a career as a professional golfer. Now, see, that’s a movie.

I landed the Poop Shoot gig after winning a battle royal with all the other Internet wrestling columnists, outlasting the likes of Jess “Madman” McGrath and “Dapper” Dave Meltzer.

MEMPHIS RASSLIN’ DVD
I started watching Memphis wrestling around 1982, and little did I know that it would be a major part of my life ever since. My first live card was Jan 1986 in Evansville, Ind., Lawler/Dundee Loser Leave Town, with Lawler losing. I was hooked. My question to you is what is the status of all the wrestling tapes from WMC-TV & Monday night shows? Do you ever see this stuff making it to DVD? To me this footage is a complete gold mine, and I always thought that Jarrett or Lawler would want to preserve it.

--Darin

Bowden: For some reason, no one has quite taken advantage of the opportunity of selling DVDs of classic footage from territories like Memphis and Georgia, although Kevin Von Erich is reportedly working on a DVD series featuring World Class wrestling. Memphis and Georgia are especially unique because no one’s quite sure who owns the footage. I know for a fact Lawler doesn’t have much, but I was never really able to get a straight answer as to why. Jerry Jarrett might very well have it under lock and key, but I’ve heard that he denies it as well. I even heard a story that Lance Russell has tons of footage stashed away in Florida. The only reason some Memphis action is on the WRESTLING GOLD DVD collection is because Angelo Poffo (Randy Savage’s father) sold footage that he had borrowed from Jarrett.

Although Vince McMahon received a lot of old WCW tapes with his acquisition of the company, the classic stuff from the late ’70s and ’80s was long gone, presumably with Ole Anderson. But again, somebody’s working somebody here ‘cause no one seems to know exactly where the tapes are, but most suspect they can be found in Anderson’s attic. Granted, back in those days, they usually taped over old shows to save money, but I’ll bet there’s plenty still in existence. At least one person had to see the potential value, right?

Vince, who recently purchased Verne Gagne’s old AWA tapes, appears to be rounding up tons of footage, but no one’s sure what his plans are. Up until this point, he hasn’t seemed anxious to sell videos and DVDs featuring old WW(W)F action -- a task that just got more difficult because of the World Wildlife Fund’s lawsuit. From what I understand, Vince has to ensure that the WWF initials are edited out of all old footage. (I see where they’re already distorting the WWF logo when showing old stuff.) There’s always talk of the McMahons being interested in a 24-hour wrestling channel, but I personally can’t see that happening.

ANDRE
I was wondering if you could settle a bet I made with my boss. He claims that he saw Andre the Giant perform a kip-up on multiple occasions during the late ‘60s and ‘70s. I’ve been a fan for about 20 years now and I only know Andre from highlight reels and his ‘Mania matches, in which he was lumbering and slow. My boss tells me that at one time Andre was an exceptional athlete, fast and agile. Still, he’s been known to pull my leg and I just can’t imagine a man of that size and girth performing a kip. I’ve got one month's pay riding on this one, so if you can settle this I'd be greatly appreciative. Keep up the great work with the column. I always look forward to your insight and wit.

--Mark

Bowden: Always nice to hear from an appreciative Mark. From what I understand, Andre was indeed far more mobile and athletic (“agile” might be a stretch) earlier in his career. Still, I seriously doubt that Andre ever performed a kip-up, although I believe he did have a way with ketchup. If your boss wants to stand by that claim, you tell him that I’ll put my hair on the line in saying that Andre could never pull that off.

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