Ep. 437: The Complete Hulk Hogan | Memphis (Part 1)

become in so many ways. And we talked to over the break here with none other than Charlie Platt, the voice of Southeastern Wrestling. It was our distinct pleasure to bring you that interview as you really put us on the front row seat of what it was like to see Terry Boulder come off the Cocoa Beach run and

find out what the Hulk was going to be. All of a sudden, He's in Memphis, and we know that there was some connective tissue between the Alabama and Memphis offices at the time, But we didn't get a whole

lot into it. Because if we're going to talk about nineteen seventy nine in the life of Terry Boulder or Terry Bolea, Ry God Terry oh Man, I had it, Terry, Terry Boldrea, Terry Boldrea, We've got to slice and dice this thing a million different ways, and we've got to play around with the timeline just a little bit.

said about Terry Bolea is said. And Memphis was key, but also brief, perhaps even briefer than the things we talked about in our last installment that he did in the Alabama Pensacola Gulf Coast area because it was coming to Jerry Jarrett and Jerry Lawler, who were running c W a Continental Wrestling Association the Memphis territory at the time.

It is a dizzying year not to use upon on the future name for Ed Boulder Dizzy Hogan, which we'll get to.

on television? And it was hard. It was hard to pin down where there is no match result in nineteen seventy nine in the Alabama territory where I had shared the ring with Hulk, but he was clearly living with him, and they were doing the beach lifestyle in Pensacola with the van and all that stuff and involved in some other activities, as the great Charlie Platt brought to our attention, and I say, yeah, they.

at his time on Earth. Going back to their partnership in the gym on Cocoa Beach, they both got gassed hard, hit the weights and hit the Lloyds as hard as they could until they couldn't be denied as attractions. Because one of the key lessons of The Complete Hull Cogan is that if you roid the fuck up, people.

Fare hug people to blood comes out of their mouth, and just do the most basic things you want to be Goldberg, Yes, that's the supreme That would have been the supreme irony of Hulk Hogan didn't do business with Bill Goldberg in nineteen ninety eight, he would have been He would have been protesting a push that mirrored precisely how he became the biggest box office attraction in the history of wrestling.

took their try at it with Hulk Hogan. And then as soon as they tried that with Hulk, he found a way to leverage that for a better pay day elsewhere Fuller did it with him. Suddenly he's playing off Memphis and getting a higher pay day there. As we've already alluded to in prior episodes of The Complete Hullkogan,

and we'll get into a bit more detail here. He's going to do the same thing to Jerry and Jerry Lawler and find his way over to vern Gania eventually in the AWA as well as Vince mcmahnon Senior in New York. And then he's gonna do the same thing to vern Gania to make his way over to Vince McMahon Junior. And he's gonna play Japan off of Vince McMahon Junior and Vince McMahon and he's gonna play the WWF off WCW. He's gonna keep you lying it's fine. I don't see what you're who is.

truth telling. Okay, tremendous amount of truth telling. And then we dropped on you an interview with Kit Parker of the Wrestling Gold Series. You mentioned having that Hulk Hog and Jerry Lawler match from Memphis on PHS Boss.

out in the Bay Area in California. We welcome them for a special interview that we shared with you over the holiday break as well to color in how as best we could. This hul Cogan Andre footage made it to the surface, yet we don't have anything else from that time period. Memphis is a little different because, for whatever reason, it was a territory where I don't know,

maybe VCRs were more replete. You can tell that the nineteen seventy nine Memphis footage that survives of Hulk, Hogan and all the rest is taped off of television, unlike the Gulf Coast Andre footage, which appears to be off the Masters. This is clearly just stuff that's on YouTube and taped off TV, and it's been seen a lot.

the stuff we need to feel the most. Like the Dothan match with Harley, I think the homie Matt put it well, Dothan Forever. I think, oh yeah, definitely a takeaway thus far right.

but it's it's definitely Memphis time. And I think we've gotten the pump primed with the aforementioned interview series that we did with folks who played no small part and why we're able to not only read about and learn about, but you know, feel and re experience what it was like for those earliest days before the whole world was hip to the fact that Terry Bolea was about to become the biggest box office attraction the pro wrestling industry had ever seen. Now that isn't all that we delivered.

And we had a not only Christmas movie season, but a season of sequels as we charted h A Jingle all the Way to Die Hard, to Die Harder, and Home Alone two, Lost in New York, the New Batch, and you know, we we got to we got to kind of dig in a little bit on on that on on Donald Trump and his kind of is is some wacky I mean, listen, his whole affiliation with the ww' is whacky, but some other like something like some things, like you you hadn't heard about the gangrel story that

we talked about, and and and there there were some things in there that I just thought were It's just wild. It's just wild to think that that you know, that there were so many other stories besides the ones that we knew from him being on TV. But yeah, I'll tell you what, I'm very excited. I'm not gonna I'm not gonna blow the lot off of yet, but I think I think we're going to be in for quite

a treat twenty twenty six. We got something. I got something that's been cooking for quite a while, and I'm very, very, very very excited to drop it on you this week.

I was trying to think here what they just what you just would have seen, oh, you would always a good sign when simply reading the title of the episode, const you would have just heard me and my mom watch the debut of the shock Master. That's how we start twenty twenty six. Yeah, okay, by stumbling through a hole in the wall, through all on the walls how I started my year two and uh and we go.

We go back to basics for my mom. Actually, this is the next one coming up for those who may be uh, who may still be a little like on the fence. You want to hear my mom go back to like her her fandom days, like her warm and fuzzies. We get to tell, we get watch a match with the Haystax Calhoun and Tony geriad taken on Tanaka and Fuji. That's about as northeast as it gets. Haystax Calhoun is just the one that you know, my mom gets a big thrill out of that. And Killer Kowalski, the Polish guy,

obviously Polish exponent. So yeah, just because the holiday season is behind us doesn't mean that the warm and fuzzies of the living room carpet have to be behind you. If you're Remote tier member at Patreon, shared the carpet with Mamasarrow and the Boss as they take in the wrestling matches of yours all the more difficult access now as Peacock has taken down the entire archive, and it appears that Netflix is going to at least or has already put up all the WWE pay per views in

the past. But all that means, you know what that means nice, All that matters is we keep track of what we don't have, right That's the only thing anyone's going to talk abou yep, yep. And you know, I do feel very lucky that we do have. We have a significant archive, you know, elapsed archives.

in the chamber. Uh fool proof, risk proof, not a problem as you as you would have expected. By now you talk about what a fucking shit show. I can't believe, you know, it's funny. I actually haven't even been on on on Pecock in a while, and it says, what a what a what a what a fucking I mean, you know, the whole fucking what a mess? What a mess? That like, they can't I'll tell you what here, here's where them and the gran I know they don't care.

They don't care, number one, that's the bottom that's really the bottom line. They don't care. But my biggest issue is like why couldn't they have Why couldn't they have like all the things like warmed up in Netflix? Why do they have to just wait? You know, like why couldn't they have everything loaded up? Obviously don't don't, don't drop it when you know, until you until you have

the legal rights to do so. But like, why couldn't they have everything that they have on Peacock or god forbid, the fucking network and the old network and just let it, you know, like have it ready to go and then all of a sudden you drop it and boom, there it is. But you know, it's all anybody would be talking about. I know, the first of the year. I know.

gonna get a little silly, little as you can imagine. Yes, So, as a precursor to to the next remarks about what to expect from a programming announcement perspective on our live calls and such, we should share with the Solar System some exciting news. Boss for those approximate to Broadway. You you're going to be taking the stage.

from Brooklyn who bakes and eats. So I guess they just looked at me and we're like, oh, okay, we got you. Good.

And the fun thing about are about this particular this particular production is that there will be a guest baker every show really and so there will be like you know, there'll be an array of of of of treats and whatnot every every show. Like they've I got the list right here, we got the uh Invictus Bakery. I'm not sure some of these are all these are most of them are local, obviously, I should take that back. All of them are local, uh New York places. Actually a

former uh you know, she's a friend. I'll just call her a friend, Alison Mahoney. She's called the Singing Baker. She's going to be a guest baker on February eleventh, Junior's Oh fucking Juniors Cheesecake is going to be there. Fuck it fuck it, send e nest to go pick up some of that that's already tasty. This is the

it's it's it's definitely worth it. If even if you don't like musical theater, come for the food and you know, come to see me play this kind of like the podcast, you know, yeah, right, eat, you don't like us, come for the food. Puns man, right, if you don't like wrestling, stay for the other stuff. There's plenty of that. So yeah, just dessert. It's a musical bake off, very fun, exciting CoA chairs no send us an email LAPS fan at

gmail dot com. If boss Man can expect you, I'm sure will be three yes, please do already know some members of the Solar System are making plans. I do. I've gotten quite a few dms on Instagram specifically, we had a couple of Black Friday deals and what not going right around Thanksgiving and in the holidays, and some people a message thing they already got their tickets and I really appreciate that, so you know, come on out,

come on out. But you know, given that the dates that we have there, it does create some conflict, not not too much, but to it, we do want to get word out early and often, so Roller Rumble this year is in fucking Saudi Arabia, So it's going to be on at two o'clock in the afternoon, which is already bullshit and already sucks and already gives us all the cover we need to just not do it live. But because of the show schedule, we're not going to be able to do the Word Rumble until the Sunday night.

It's a Saturday afternoon on the East Coast this year. I got I got a two show day that day, so unfortunately, I will not be able to do it to do it live as I have I have that fucking one. I gotta have it. You're not willing to make it a three show day, that's for sure. Well, hey, you know, I wouldn't mind doing it, but we wouldn't be starting till eleven o'clock at night. Okay, I'll do it, all right, I'll do it. I'll do it o'clock all right.

So maybe maybe we'll hate you with the surprise, but we want to prepare you for it the very least. The fact that the Royal Rumble this year, which is only appropriate because if they're gonna do something as goofy as bring it to Saudi Arabia that we can do whatever the fuck we want when we said is going to at least not be live as far as that afternoon. Every time they've done a premium live event in the afternoon on a Saturday, we all kind of understand that

you're really reaching the bottom of the barrel. I mean, what are you willing to give their whole Saturday away for what you have? I'm fucking doing for God's sakes? Like what a rumble? What a dumb ass fucking thing, Like you know, I you know what, why even bother? I mean, I know people are like, you know, you want the live stream and whatever. I know, it's not like ninety two or you can settle with a delay. You're not gonna get any news, but you know, come

the fuck on, like, why do that? Why have it live live for people who are gonna be you know, fucking hu, who's listen? No one's gonna fuck it? I mean, I know, I know, I'll a lot of people are not going to sit there and fucking watch that thing live. I'm sure if you were able to look at the numbers for United States viewers, let alone people like on the West Coast where it's going to be on at eleven am, Like, what the fuck? What's the matter with them?

You make an interesting point, like you know, it's one thing when they go to Perth, Australia or Paris, France, yes, or any of these markets on a Saturday afternoon where you know you're not going to be able to stop people from taking video in the arena and uploading it to Twitter and everyone getting spoilers. Saudi Arabia, though, I don't know, call me, you know, color me prejudicial, but I'm pretty sure there's a way to stop people from taking video inside of the arena and sharing it of

all the arenas, of all the countries. It might not necessarily be legal, but I'm sure that there are ways to stop people from taking.

not hard, I think I am. I am a I think I am at testment to the fact that it is not hard to get to not miss spoilers, wait wait to miss spoil It's not hard to miss spoilers basically because I don't even I don't even think about it. You know, I don't even think about it. When we have a delayed call and I just go and then it's like, oh yeah shit, I didn't even I didn't nothing came up. I don't even have to hide anything.

my peacock anyway. But man, what the fuck all it is now is Saturday Night's made event and nxt P l E S no no archives, that's it.

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and silver Japan gear that he would wear. So it's not this brief cup of coffee that him and Ed Boulder had as the Bolder brothers in nineteen seventy nine with the aforementioned vignette and stuff that everyone talks about, but it is part of the Memphis story because it kind of brings us back to a lot of the things that we set the foundation for here on this

leg of the journey. So we will actually, in the spirit of trying to deal with how unwieldy nineteen seventy nine was for Terry Bolea, we will kind of spin the clock forward a little bit on this Memphis installment of things to get to that nineteen eighty one time period, because he comes back to the Mid South Coliseum, the Staple Wrestling Arena in the Memphis circuit Monday nights at the Mid South Colisseum was wrestling for people in and around Memphis, and he wrestles Jerry Lawler one on one

after becoming a substantial name in the industry and having already gone through the w WWWF and Wrestling Andre the Giant Shay Stadium, making an impact Japan, making an impact in the AWA. What do you remember about that match? How did you come into possession of it?

of the TV on. No clicker, Yes, I guess most importantly, but you took it in at a time where it was simply revolutionary to see Hulk Cogan do anything that wasn't in the red, white and blue ropes. Not only that, but it was revolutionary to see Hulk Cogan as a heel. Come on, now, that's the part that really concerned me, and I remember being nervous watching it. Nervous. It was one of the those tapes because I can't. I can't. I couldn't handle hul Cogan being a bad guy, right,

I couldn't handle it. You know this is so that also puts it in obviously pre ninety six, so we're talking. It must have been ninety two ninety three. That's when I got this tape. I get ninety two ninety three, and it was you know it was. I remember putting it in being feeling very nervous because I number one, if I have this tip, I want Hulk Hogan to win.

Number two. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about Hulk Hogan being being a heel like this match that Hulk Hogan doesn't want you to see that whole thing. It's kind of funny, it's kind of funny. You know what match actually, I think he probably really doesn't want you to see is him facing Andrew the Giant fucking Alabama. That's the match he really doesn't want you to see, apparently because he doesn't want to talk about it ever.

Having happened exactly, that would have been the fucking the real uh, the real gem is to have that fucking match. And uh but I remember, I remember putting in, I remember watching I remember how bad the quality, you know, like more or less the quality not compared to ww releases at the time, and we weekly television, And yeah, I'm sure I watched it with one of my friends who I forced to be wrestling fans. Yes, And you know I I because I also I hated Lawler at

the time. I mean, I've always hated La Lawler. I don't ever liked Lawler, but I really you know he was he was I would have so again, this puts it in the in the place it would have been nineteen ninety three because I knew who Lawler was and The only reason I knew who Laler was was from really from his I first met Lawler so to speak, doing commentary on Superstars in ninety two, and then through the magazine, through the aftermags and learning about the USWA

and whatnot, So I couldn't fathom a Lawler Hogan thing either, let alone the fact I had no idea about like Andy Coffin, and I didn't know what the fuck that was. I did no clue about that at this point, and I had no clue about any other territories. So it was all it was all mind blowing to really see this, And I wouldn't doubt that there's a part of me that probably thought this was WWE at some point. I

wouldn't doubt that. I wouldn't doubt that there was a part of my mind that thought that this tape was a WW match that somehow somebody found and released on their own, despite having no you know, despite it not being a WW release. Do you know what I mean?

take your point. And yeah, it was just such an interesting time because everybody was releasing these VHS's because the WWF on Hogan's back had had so much success, as we've talked about on the the Scene collection in another forums with Kit Parker through eighty four, five, six, seven, eight, that everybody that could release anything that had anything to do with the hot ticket wrestling acts before they were in the WWF was figuring out ways to package it

and sell it on vhs, even over and above the seasoned desist protestations of the WWF in many cases. And so this is definitely a holy grail because by this point, you know, this is around Super Clash eighty eight, This is around all the guys that Vince you know, took all their lunch money and pissed on them. We're all getting together pretending they could do something. Most prominently Jerry

Jarrett Memphis. You know, we talked about all that during the life and death of the AWA, and you know, Nick Bockwinkle's coming in through Memphis quite a bit, and they're kind of framing the AWA World Champion as a bigger deal than even the NWA World Champion, even though

the Memphis territory was part of the NBA circuit. And you know, Dusty and the Crockets feeling some kind of way about the dominance of Vince McMahon, and so this you can see a tape like this being part of the right part of the strategy, like, yes, we got we've got their guy, We've got their Golden Goose on tape getting a shit beat out of him by Jerry Lawler, and we can just you know, show the clips of him beating the shit out of Hogan with of course

a match in totality. And in fact, it's interesting because in eighty one there was quite a fuss made on television, both in Florida where the match played, as well as in Memphis about the nature of this finish. Even before Hulk Hogan went on to bigger and better things. Hogan would go on television as well as we'll address and get to on on Champions pressing from Florida in eighty one, after we'd already been through AWA and WWF for a bit and talking about how Lawler's doctoring the footage up

in Memphis. Lawler's doctoring footage this match to make it seem like he did a lot better against Halt than he actually did, and the finish being vita qualification as well.

developed the look that would be his signature. But he started in Memphis under Jerry Lawler, as we'll talk about it, became acquainted with Hulk Cogan for the first time during the run we're about to talk about, which is wow, massively significant for you know, the rest of Hulk Hogan's life and career. As we've talked about endlessly on the show over the years, Hulk and Jimmy till Hulk's dying day were locked at the hip in so many ways.

Then that starts here in Memphis, So all of that is going on on the videotape, and there's volleying back and forth on television about Lawler doctoring the footage, and then they rematch do Hogan and Lawler on a show that was not videotaped later on in the summer of eighty one. But we're here in seventy nine and before it's Hogan versus Lawler. I think you'll be surprised to find boss. It's Hogan and Lawler as a tag team.

seeing what they do with him. Need to reset the table a bit and revisit some of the things we've already established, because you know, in describing how these two Hulk and Eddie ended up in the Pensacola Gulf Coo Southeastern Territory, we also had to say quite a bit about how Memphis was at the table at the beginning, according at least to Brutus Beefcake.

that we really probably wouldn't you know. Of course, if TLF played out per traditional format, it would have been hard to ever take a time to say, all right, now's the time to start at the beginning for how Memphis came to be Memphis for instance. You know we're not going to go that deep, but we are going to go deeper than I think we ever had plans to, uh to properly contextualize how Terry Bollett comes up in

this circuit. So as Bruce beef Cake said in his book, remember uh, Whitey up in Cocoa Beach, Okay, Whitey Bridges who own the Anchor Club and who opened up the gym, and Terry and Ed he gets married, and he closes the gym that they founded, and closes the Anchor Club and has Don the Dragon Wilson talked to us about for many reasons, not just that a business wasn't well had to get on fire, but federal agents may have

been sniffing around too. So that that ends, and Terry and that are going to head back to Tampa, both being Tampa boys. And yeah, of course Ed ed Leslie in his book takes the credit for suggesting to Hulk that maybe we should give wrestling another try, and had shown interest in it. Hulk could already wrestle a few matches, has talked about in seventy seven in Florida Super Destroyer and Gordon ed. Hulk quickly admitted, yeah, you know, I'm

getting the itch back myself. Let's try this, Harley had called them. Harley raised his book.

But at the same time, you know, when Harley gets wind of what Hulks are doing in Alabama, he comes out and has no problem and not only putting him over that first time, but when Hogan showed up as the replacement to save Ron Fuller. But of course, you know, going against him for the world title just six months under the run. Seven months under the run, I wouldn't be seven months because he started in March and it was in July that the match was.

the Florida episodes. It's here where they come up. They did to call themselves the Bolder Brothers. You know, this idea that people will fuck with us in the business like they used to if they have to fuck with both of us. And so ed Leslie Royd's hard he grows the handlebar mustache just like Terry.

father of Jeff Jarrett. And there's one condition, according to ed Leslie, these two the bolder brothers, have to polish up the act that they're trying to sell Jerry on elsewhere in another territory before he'll bring them into Memphis. He doesn't say go to Ron Fuller and Pensacola specifically, but as we're going to get to it might stand to reason why it would make the most sense to go there if you're going to, you know, be somewhere

that has connective tissue to Jerry Jarrett. So Ed claims that Terry was working a little here and there with him while they were running the bar in the gym as far as showing him the ropes and how to wrestle, and showed him pretty much everything he had learned. And he also claims that they got in touch as Ed Leslie with Bob Rup down in Florida. Of course we

heard from Bob Rup in his podcast Last Time. He says he never heard another word from Terry Bully ever after being asked to stretch him in the gym in seventy seven when he was breaking in. So I don't know how he could then swing around and be part of trying to get Terry Bulea to come back to Florida afterwards, if that was true. But anyway, there was involvement with Bob Roop and Jim Barnett as well and the according to Ted Leslie, and they sent them to Pensacola.

So the way Ed kind of tells it, it was sort of like Bob Roup and Jim Barnett liked the potential of these two and directed them to Ron Fuller in the Southeast Gulf Coast territory. So you take your pick as to who you believe. And if there was this sort of Memphis pre animal to the whole thing, we all know that there's you know, you could just just just close your eyes and point that's you're true.

the Hulk from day one in Alabama. However, if they went to Alabama kind of at the direction of Jerry Jarrett, is it possible to say that that was also sort of part of the Memphis run, because it's just a matter of months before Hogan is taking these side quests off to Memphis, and we'll get into all of the Perhaps the duplicity of one Louis to lay how that Louis was not above serving two masters at the same time without bler masters necessarily not knowing about it or

signing off on it, And so that might be a part of the puzzle here as well. It's curious considering Jim Barnett did end up calling Hulk Terry Boulder for someone who was so interested in him at the beginning, Jim Barnett or even use ed Bolea. It appears if he, as Ed Leslie says in his book, fell in love with the look of the Boulder brothers. He never used Dad, And when he got his hands on Terry, he called

him Sterling Golden and call him at Boulder. But this is of course where Ed and Terry get the brown Winnebago with the custom air brushing from Whitey Bridges, and they installed the bed in there where the weightlifting equipment used to go that they would transport to the gym.

Hulk says he called superstar Billy Graham, who referred him to Louis Tillett. But there's no mention of Memphis sending them there first to Louis toi Lett to find polish, no mention of Harley getting in touch first and playing Harley off Jeff Jarrett. There's no mention of all of that in Hult's versions of the story. Hulk says in his book that he wasn't exclusive to Louie Tillette, so he started wrestling for some other outfits, including the Memphis Territory.

During the course of nineteen seventy nine, which which definitely tracks when you look at the you know, the public record of his matches like Wrestling data dot Com and in the other data basis of all of Hogan's matches, it's definitely very clear. As we'll talk about here when he sort of branches off and tests the waters in Memphis. The agree to which he did that with Ron Fuller's okay is I think kind of up up for debate.

Even hearing Ron Fuller go through it on this podcast, I was still left wondering, like, did he did he okay it or not? You know, was this kind of like something that certainly a lot of his wrestlers were going to Memphis because his brother Rob, the future Colonel Robert Parker was booking up there. But you know, was he giving the okay for Terry Boleya to test those waters? I'm not really sure that was the case, considering how much effort he was putting into the Hulk at that

particular point in time. This is what makes fucking wrestling so fucking hard sometimes true, because there's just no it's just there's just so much you know, bullshit, whether it's ego, whether it's it's everyone having a claim to be the one Ah that is owed to the credit for someone else's success.

what happened. So it's like, you tell me, that's why tof exists because we just have the free format to tell you everything, and you make your choice because it's not going to do you any good to pretend that you can land on a truth here.

It's like, there's no Charlie Platt said it to us when we talked to him. He was never called Sterling Golden in Southeast He does not remember that name at all. And he was the guy announcing all the television shows, booking a lot of the towns for Ron Fuller and really presiding over the immersions.

and won my first heavyweight championship belt. Not really, well wait was Terry was he?

You think it's gonna be, You think it's something also, like I don't know, like you know how how Bischoff can't ever say that it was it was you know that the nWo was was at post toly we like because of the legal thing, Like so.

it doesn't stretch that much further back. I mean, it's all in seventy nine. It's not like if he acknowledges Alabama happened all of a sudden, there's three four more years of IP violations that he's presiding over. But I mean, it's as clear as day when you look at the newspapers. Man, I mean, he's fucking he's called the Hulk from day one all over the place and advertised it such. You've established that beyond a reasonable doubt, and so beyond any doubt,

fuck reasonable doubt, it's right there. He says, I wasn't Hulk Cogan quite yet, but I was getting there. It was also in Tennessee that I started using a boot in the face and a leg drop as a finish. This, of course is not true. He would drop the leg, but it was not his finish, as we're about to make very clear. Yes, if I'm not mistake, and if you remember Boston, that Wrestling Gold eighty one match with Lawler at the Mid South Coliseum, I think he drops the leg as well, and it's not the finish.

You're too green to do much else. And he starts getting getting a little bit of an itch to try more as he starts to develop. Here in seventy nine, he writes, the leg drop also protected my left knee, which had been a nagging problem for me ever since junior high school. It would get a lot worse as time went on, So even before Matt Souder broke it.

He he comes back in seventy nine and he's he's instantly getting all kinds of you know, all kinds of incredible feature feature roles and all kinds of incredible you know upside And he's immediately being positioned to somebody who has to do barely nothing, learned, barely anything about being in the ring and headlining a territory against some of the biggest names in the industry, including the NBA champion.

So if he starts his life and his career only at Memphis, now he's the Boulder Brothers and while he he's close to the main events in Memphis, he's still kind of being introduced as you know, a tag team act. It still seems like he has yet to taste singles glory.

It can feel like he's still paying his dues. But if you have the full sense as we do now of what he did in Alabama before he came to Memphis, you know, in a coincident with his very first brief trip to Memphis and the first seven months of seventy nine, you know that it's total bullshit that he's paying his dues. He's fucking getting the prince treatment. He is getting the best push I've ever heard of.

agreeing with you. I don't think it's happened.

something like that. Yeah, Now what he says is, you know, he was talking on a video about how Brett Hart never drew one hundred fifty thousand of the Buddhacon Oh right, that's what yep, yep.

and two on Sunday. And the biggest check I ever got for a whole week was one hundred and twenty five dollars my mom's kitchen. I was Terry Bulea.

So in the second book, he says, a few months out of this routine, this is to say, this is part of what we've already talked about, the routine of going back and forth with Louis Toilette and Alabama about how strong he's going to be booked. Because, to make it abundantly clear, in his second book, he does talk about Alabama. He doesn't talk about ever wrestling. Andre does never talk about wrestling Harley or any of the m key stuff. But he does talk about it. He acknowledges

it happened. And why do we just decide why he like or do we hypothesize rather why he would not talk about wrestling Harley? No, I'm just wonrying why that? You know, it's one thing Andre, I get the Andre story. You want to make it seem like, you know, they didn't wrestle until w W and that was the first time in But why Harley, why?

is there all of a sudden? I mean, obviously the the Rocky you know movie is is a huge thing, but I don't know, I'm wondering why. That's the only thing I can think of. Why Why why Harley Race has never mentioned because you'd think that would be a big fucking deal to talk about, considering he never wrestled them ever, maybe as the King, maybe on a Sataennus madehim in or something like that, but not Harley in his prime, Like i'd fucking talk about that. Yeah, I think.

stories to tell whenever Harley Race came up. And so the story continuing on that Harley had to come to work for WWF and wrestle Hulkan in WWF and and sort of come under the tent and under Hulk's thumb, I think is a much more satisfying way for help to talk about Harley then to acknowledge that Harley did a lot for him early on, and they were not chummy but certainly understood each other's drawing power, and that he had had plenty of cooperative, mutually beneficial arrangements with

Harley Race before this this conflict and this confrontation in the WWF. So you can't, like, I think, to keep alive the electricity of the story that Harley showed up with the gun and was this outsider. He's got to make Harley kind of like this guy that hated him from the minute he got into the business, you know, because he would talk, he would he would allude to Harley being among the people that were kind of hard

on him when he first got in the business. So it doesn't really compute then to go on and say, well, you know, he he gave you a title shot when you were three months into the business and has sold out football stadium. You know, he sold out Saint Louis with you for the NBA Championship. There was clearly a lot of apparently he was interested in booking you when

you came off Coco Beach. According to ed Leslie, so how does this, you know, how does all this animosity that you're talking about and all this fear that you're talking about that he that he got across compute with the fact that you know, you knew each other extremely well by this point in time. That's just my guess.

was Louis to let himself boss. Okay, who says I want you to go to Memphis? Okay, wasn't Ron Fuller saying it was Louis Tillett. So that's Hogan's version of how he ended up going to Jerry Jarrett, none of this pretense of like Jerry sent us here to polish the gimmick up. By this time, I had started to understand the wrestling business a little more, Hulk writes. I had picked up on things. I didn't have those.

did you go home and say fuck the business? Or were you thinking this is a way to get to New York? It can't be both? What why not who said it's both? Who who said it's not both? Who's who says brother? I mean, I'm just Bro, I'm just I'm just I'm just trying to make a living, dude, trying goodbye. Maybe John can help us.

this all came together. Surely, his book The Best of Times, he has very detailed recollections, and he's very detailed in his recollections of how he handled the biggest box office attraction out boss.

the results would have been the same. In spring nineteen seventy nine, Louis Tillette called me and said he had a giant of a man in Florida who wanted to become a professional wrestler. Louis said the man was currently playing bass in a band in Tampa. I asked, stop doing that. I mean, Jesus Christ like that. That's that's not even that's not even hard to figure out. For God's sakes, it stopped all that night running the Anchor Club. Oh, he was working the bar whatever I mean. I don't

think he was doing any rock and roll with that. No, I don't think everyone seemed to think it was say it was over you know. I asked him how much experience the guy he's had, and Louis said none. That is why I'm calling you, I replied. I replied, thanks, but no thanks. Louis then got my attention. He said, Jerry, this guy has more potentially than anyone I've ever seen the business. You can make a millions after you teach

him the fundamentals, just say I look at him. Terry is willing to drive to Hendersonville just to just for you to look at him. Well, what can I lose with this proposition? So we set a date in time. I was sitting in my home on the lake in Hendersonville, and Deborah was at the sink in the kitchen, not Deborah, Michael. Deborah was at the sink in the kitchen. Okay, from the window at the sink, one could see the driveway

in front of our house. Deborah said, Jerry, a big blond headed guy that is bigger than Andre at the giant is standing in the front of our house. Brother. What Brother? I went out and was impressed beyond belief, was impressed beyond what Louis. I went out and was impressed beyond what Louis had expected. What that makes no sense. We walked into the house and sat down at the table and I began to get to know Terry. After about an hour of conversation, he said he had not

eaten all day. Wow, where did you think this was going? Well? You got food, dude, food dude, the food dude, Terry Boley, Terry Bowlia they I mean, look, if I wouldn't do uh postumania, I would do like you know, bowle a like absolutely, yes, yes, yes, yes, Terry Terry and a bolia is what I would definitely call it a lotting all day dude.

I think that's a key find. Yes, yes, Terry Boulder loved whoppers. Oh, absolutely, look, he would fall in love with whoppers for the rest of his life. Listen, listen, I mean that's honestly, that should have been his nickname. He ate him and he told him that's the damn right he he he ordered six whoppers. He also told six whoppers while they were waiting for the food. I love him over ordering. Oh my god, that's it. That's perfect. It's perfect. Just you just imagine like the flame broiled

patty like and the onion seeping into his steroided body. Dude, get me hungry, for God's sakes, like a big fucking hulking, like muscled up like I mean, I mean, it's smelling like a whopper. Look, I can tell you right now. Okay,

like I the I've never ordered two whoppers. Okay, I've had a double whopper and I have even had a triple whopper back in the day when they had it that this is a fucking thing that Omar and I would get, would get a fucking triple whopper something over Thanksgiving to kind of like expand our stomachs for the fucking for the big day. Would get a triple whopper

the night before Thanksgiving. But like, I've never ordered you know I can at least I can at least rationalize the idea of a double whopper because you're getting at least two two beef patties. You're not getting two sandwiches. You know, you're getting the sand amunt of bread you will, but you're getting double the beef. He's ordering six, thank you, So basically twelve slices of bread, if you will, all right with six burghers. He didn't say if they were

with cheese, though, so I'm very curious. I think they were. I'm sure they were. I always hated that whopper with cheese. Like they asked you, if you want cheese, of course you want fucking cheese. I know, what are you fucking? What are you fucking rates in a barn? Just have me say, without cheese, cheese, right exactly, assume assume you want the cheese, Like, no, no, fucking no, fucking you know, self respecting individual goes and gets a whopper without cheese.

Fuck's sake? What is wrong with people? Six whoppers? Six whoppers? I laughed and told him that other than Andre Andrea, I'd never seen I've never eaten with a giant. I called Mike Shield, our cameraman, who ran up. I got a guy here was eating six whoppers for God's sake, got a goddamn camera over. We gonna film the shit. He said that, he said, called my child cameraman, who ran our production department and acts hip, to bring his

equipment and come to the house. Yep. After dinner, Mike, Terry and I went downstairs, and flying off the cuff, produced one of the best videos I had made up up to that time. Later Lance Russell added audio, and that video alone sold out the Mid South Colisseum. The very first time Hulk Hogan appeared, we simply began the shot at his feet and slowly brought the camera up, and then a wider shot in which Terry did his poses, flexing his muscles. These poses later became the trademark when

he entered the ring. I hired Terry that day at the house, and he returned to Florida to get his clothes. We took the fucking walk up there naked. He took the tape to me. We took the tape to Memphis, added music and the voiceover, and as they often say, the rest is history. After we felt that Hulk had his had run his course in Tennessee. I explained that because of his size, it would be difficult to stay

forever in a territory that has small wrestlers. I explained that Vince mcmahonsior a WWE had big men, and I felt he would do great up there. I called Vince send in the video. After a short run for Vince Senior and a longer run with Verne Gagny's a Toba, Vince Junior brought Hulk back into the w W and as they say, the rest is history. So okay, So so.

burgers or sesame seed buns or something like that. Yeah, I think the sesame seed bun is kind of an important thing to think about when we picture the state of the man. So if you can just move, I'm going to make sure we have the same video here and that we're starting at the same point. Yeah we are, okay,

so Wi you go ahead to six seconds. So this video premiered, as we'll get to in more detail later on this episode or in this installment of the complete Hulk Cogan during a Lance Russell interview at the WMC TV studios with Eddie Boulder, as we'll get to eventually, Eddie Boulder makes a television appearance here first before this Hulk Cogan vignette airs, And what's asked backwards about what Jerry Jared is saying is that this vignette premiered after

after Hulk had already done his initial appearances and matches in Memphis.

But this idea, they had already talked about Terry the Hulk Boulder in Memphis television. He had already tagged team with Jerry Lawler, for Christ's sakes, So it's not like people hadn't heard of this guy before. But here we go at the six second mark, and you can find this very easily on YouTube. Sure, this is the vignette that Jerry Jarrett was describing, and we can hit play in three two one.

inch fists. This magnificent body tapers off to only a thirty four inch waste. The Hulk is supported by treelike legs that can leg press over nineteen hundred pounds. Combine these amazing measurements with more brute strength than you can imagine, and you have the.

You just his his eyes are heavily shadowed and whatever. And he's just posing. He's doing the Hull Cogan. I mean, he's doing a mix of Hogan posing but also doing the your your your typical body building competition posing, right, He's not doing the stuff he do in WWF. Would like the hand out stretched with the cuffed hand next to that he did Oh no, well no, he kind of did that. He kind of did that that kind of It's not the posing, it's not the baby face

posing routine. It's the look at this monster.

if you have any doubt about that. As we get into some of the materials we've gathered for this installment of the complete Hulk Hogan, particularly some of the artwork that would appear on some of the Memphis programs, the Hulk was appearing on the typeface that they would use for Hulk leaves absolutely no doubt that they were just like, let's do a television version of the Hulk. At Ron Fuller and Charlie Platt said they did the same thing.

So it's not like Memphis was the first, despite the representations that we've conveyed already on this episode, to really lean into presenting this guy is essentially the Hulk from television. Memphis was famous for this. They were famous for using copyrighted music and music videos without any semblance of permission or licensing. You got to remember, I mean it's it's operating in one television market in one part of the

country relative to the major media markets. It's a small market, though very powerful when it came to influencing the local populace, and the share ratings were out of this world in terms of how much of the city of Memphis was watching a lot of this Saturday Morning wrestling on WMCTV, and you know, you just have a situation where they can get away with it.

stretch of the imagination. That was a local radio voice it's still active in the area in Alabama, called Michael Saint John Really Yeah. Upon the passing of hul Hogan, he was interviewed by one of the local stations out there recollecting what it was like to put this famous video together.

of how they would introduce new acts. I don't know if you've ever seen this before, boss, but one of them think so. One of the other acts that the Jerry Jarrett Jerry Lawler Memphis promotion is credited with bringing to the four is Kamala, which, of course that would go on to be one of Hulk Cogan's best drawing opponents in the WWF in the earliest stages of his nineteen eighty four campaign. And it started here in terms of cross pollinating in the same territory and area as Kamala.

And here is the video that they produced in Jerry Jared's backyard, I believe, as opposed to his basement or Kamala, voiced over as well by Michael Saint John. It's on YouTube and so if you have it, I have it.

John laying down the track. There's one more I want to look at it, and it's not because he became any kind of big opponent to Hultkoguner became famous, but just because I think you're really going to enjoy the visage of a character that was briefly introduced called Apocalypse. Similar vignette. So if you've pulled up that video, I have it, we'll play it, and I want you to pay close attention to what you're about to see, Okay, for the visuals and extact what you're about to see

three two one play Apocalypse. Yes that's on YouTube as one. Okay, Apocalypse. Wow, that's what they're going to be saying. I want you to take a look at this guy jar Yard's backyard again. Yep, no permission is this music at all? Exactly? Oh no, it's like a guy in the camera.

he's obviously the whole thing is Apocalypse now. The whole fucking thing is Apocalypse now, because I mean it's essentially the whole the you know, he's crazy, like like Marlon Brando is in the movie and the whole Jesus Christ I got. I'm I'm I'm at a loss at that. I see that face and they whispered Apocalypse and they show his face. It's all I can think of, is you, it's something else, It's something you would not be able

to go to sleep after scene. No, I mean, honestly, like how the I don't know what like that is. That is disturbing. It is disturbing. I mean because the whole you know, I mean again, it's it's all like the end of the movie. That's all like the end of end of h Apocalypse now, like it's a mix of of everything. But I mean, obviously the the the Wagner music, plus you got the marine thing like that.

Not to mention, I imagine that it is somebody who who you know, when they created that character, someone was was obviously on drugs, yeah, which also a a you know, another fucking you know theme of them of the movie. Jesus fucking that is disturbing. So you know, if you think Vince created cartoons and wrestling, like I know, obviously weren't wrestling then in Memphis, And funny, isn't that funny?

How like enough that I'm you know, Vince made his fair share of cartoons, but like, you know, it's kind of funny when you really really think about it, like there's there you know, there there was some there was some pretty fucking goofy shit going on. You didn't create Kamala. Jerry Jarrett did, right, And I think it makes all the sense in the world in ninety four and Vince was going down that he handed the reins to Jerry Jarrett. Yep.

an affinity and a working relationship. The us WA was what you might consider the first territorial pardon me, the first developmental territory the ww have had with Rock and so many others coming through there. Sure, and you know

when Jerry Lawler comes in ninety two, that's huge. I mean the way that they worked hand in glove with them and Smoking Mountain Wrestling, it was like those were the sort of the preferred promotional and developmental partners of the WWF in the nineteen nineties for Vince, So you can definitely see him, you know, he had those Jerry,

Jerry stuck about those hours long conversations. They would have Vince and Jerry Jared on the phone on Sunday nights talking about the business and how to go about it and how to approach it. And he calls him in when he needs someone perhaps run the show if he goes to jail. So I think a lot of the

things that you can paint the WWF with. When Vince finally gets his hands on the controls and gets Hulk in there, Jerry Jarrett had already run a ton of dry runs that procrrectly this is how it looks and feels. Jerry Jarrett was essentially one of the first innovators with the aforementioned Mike Shield of music videos set to highlights

of wrestlers to introduce them. Wonderful way to introduce he set them to a popular pop song, which again he had absolutely no permission to use, and it made these guys sensations before they even came into the territory because people saw them not just wrestling, but you know, sort of living in the world, driving a car, you know, getting attention from girls. World Class picked it up as well and did quite a few very successful music videos with the free Birds and the von Erics and.

know who would fit the bill. Sure sure comes to this guy, and he did do something similar with Jerry Lawler way back when Jerry Lawler first became a superstar in Memphis as a babyface. Lawler had been introduced to Jerry Jarrett by Jackie Fargo, who was of course the big territorial suit superstar in Memphis and innovator of the Fargo strut which would lead to the Rick Flair strutt

and many other struts. And Jackie Fargo was an idol of Jerry Lawler's growing up watching wrestling on television in Memphis. Of course, he was an artist and once got on Memphis television to present some of his art at a very young age. I think he was like seventeen or something, and they said, we've got Jerry Lawler here, Lance Russell in studio to show us some of his drawings of some of the great Memphis wrestling lenonds. And that was kind of his foot in the door for Jerry Lawler,

and eventually, you know, he got started. Lawler just like Hogan went to Alabama first. You believe, wow, I did not know that their career has mirrored each other in a lot of ways. And Fine Tune did a bit before he came and truly set down roots and as we'll get to, you know, buying into the Memphis office to the point where it never made any sense for Lawler to go full time anywhere else besides Memphis because he was winning on the back end profits. He was

going to make more money there than anywhere else. And Jerry Jared has said that there was a riff over Jerry Lawler not wanting to work a far away town, that Jerry had sent him to Montgomery, Alabama actually and bringing him back. So it's just all these cross currents with how Holt came up as it regards Alabama, and you know, further to the point, it's not like there was an arm's length difference as we've talked about between the Memphis and Alabama offices. Anyway, this also from Jerry

Jarrett's book. He says from his actions Nick Golis did Do you know who Nick Goulis is?

intro into the wrestling business. His mother basically took a part time job working for the wrestling company running the ticket sales. And yeah, as a young boy, Jerry Jarrett would be in the office kind of observing and eavesdropping on how the wrestling business worked. But to hear Jerry Jarrett tell it, Nick gulas For as notorious as he was and hated as he was, was part of a good cop bad cop dynamic in the Memphis wrestling office

at the time. And do you know who the good cop side of the Nick Goulas bad cop side was?

ever be the bad guy to them. In case you ever want to do business with them again, you can just claim your deputy was the bad guy and it was all a misunderstanding, so that that really, at least according to Jerry Jarrett's description, is really what Nick Goulas was, And eventually Jerry Jarrett boss is going to close in on it. Of course's action or fucking believe it. Of course, of course, a lot in past episodes of The Complete

How there was a clear Southeastern Memphis talent exchange. In fact, Ron Fuller sent a lot of guys up there that he considered pretty important in the beginning stages of his brother booking that territory, Rob Fuller booking Memphis until there was the falling out we talked about the according Ron Fuller, at least the dispute over how much of a percentage goes to the boys. Of course, you have to take

that with a grain of salt. That uh right, He left the He left the territory because he didn't think the boys were getting paid enough. That would doesn't sound like a wrestling promoter to me, But let's not forget Roy Welch, his grandfather essentially was involved over there forever and was basically running the territory. We talked about how Roy Lee Welch, he was the grandson I think, and Ester Welch had also helped out getting Hulk Hogan over in Alabama. I remember by coming to the TV and

taking a bear hug leading from the mouth. To say nothing of Wayne Ferris, Jerry Lawler's cousin. He was also in Alabama in the very earliest days of Hulk Hogan arriving there in nineteen seventy nine as Punk Rock Wayne Ferris, and eventually Jerry Jarrett opens what would be known with

c WA instead of just Memphis Wrestling. Is how to think about the delineation in seventy seven, when it starts to be called c w A, that's when you know that Jerry Jarrett has eventually taken the territory essentially, I should say, taken the territory and is now running it with Jerry Lawler. But there had to be a split between Nickolas and Jerry Jarrett and a bit of a promotional war before that fully took place. Let's go back to nineteen sixty just get a sense of how far

back this all goes. This is a clipping from the Memphis Press Scimitar, which is newspaper out there from nineteen sixty, and this is where Fuller is getting some pressure around his license. Because we're already we're already starting the gamesmanship in this territory. Fuller has had his I think this is Buddy Fuller. Let me make sure I get the right. I'm sure I'm talking about the right Fuller. Yeah, Buddy Fuller.

So that is Ron Fuller's dad. Okay, he's promoting in the area, but he gets his license pulled by the state Athletic Commission. In nineteen sixty.

personal involved in this case. It seems to me that someone on the commission is more interested in getting my license than my money.

God forbid. Right, But after all, this happens in nineteen sixty where Buddy Fuller, the father of Ron Fuller, has his license revoked to promote in the area. All of a sudden, this hits the papers. The promotion of professional wrestling in Memphis last night was passed on to Nick Goulis and Roy Welch, veteran Nashville promoters. They will be in charge of the shows staged under the sponsorship of

Memphis Post number one of the American Legion. Wiss and Welsh succeed Buddy Fuller, who had his license revoked by the Tennessee Athletic Commission last week. Fuller had been wrestling promoter here the past two years. Fuller is Welsh's son, Okay, so.

that to a pretty significant degree. The article concludes. The announcement of the change was made by Fred Lassiter of Nashville, chairman of the Tennessee Athletic Commission, who met here with Malcolm Forrester of Yorktown Commissioned Secretary, along with Goulis Welch and Tony Laiwoe, Memphis commission Member. The first show for the new group at Ellis Auditorium will be December nineteenth.

It will be staged for the Press, Scimitar, Goodfellows and Commercial Appeal American Legion Christmas Funds.

not appear on the Ellis Auditorium program Monday. He is under suspension by the Tennessee Athletic Commission and it is not allowed to participate in matches. About that.

detrimental to the best interest of wrestling? Love to know what the fuck that's supposed to mean.

Wikipedia and elsewhere. There was complaints, apparently to the United States Department of Justice over these attempts to buy a lack of scrutiny of what they were doing. You can't forget the NWA was investigated as essentially a racket, essentially, you know, something where people were blackballed if they didn't participate in this monopolistic activity. You know, the NWA. It

didn't just exist to benefit the members. That existed to make sure nobody else ran in the cities that NWA members operated in, and if you did try to run opposition, they would flood the market with some of the top talent the NBA had to offer so that the wrestling fans would, you know, eventually just not patronize your shows

and shut you down. And these practices over time pissed off enough people that they went to the FBI and a federal investigation was launched and they basically, you know, found enough to put pressure on the NWA to sign a consent decree, which is essentially like I'm going to do all these things and I'm going to keep all these business practices in line, and if I don't, I agree that the Department of Justice is going to charge me with a crime. Essentially, it's almost like a list

of things you must do to not get charged. Okay, that's like one step away from actually being charged. Because you know, the NBA was a monopoly. It's very simple, and so it's not like he got shut down or dismantled, but they did have to have kind of a little dalliance with the Department of Justice about what they could and couldn't do. That's why there's so much boss that's public record about, you know, the interoffice memos and stuff.

That's why we have like all these memos from Sam Muchnick's office to all the promoters and everything over the years because it was all collected as part of this dj antitrust investigation in the fifties.

Of course, we turned to Chokehold Pro Wrestling's real mayhem out the book from Weldon Johnson and former wrestler Jim Wilson, who was one of the guys who really tried to take on the NWA stranglehold on the territory because he

basically blamed that dominance from a former football player. Was Jim Wilson from becoming a wrestling star and basically devoted the rest of his life to fighting all these promoters in court and wrote an incredible book that has a ton of detail about how the NWA came to be the NWA, and how they exerted control and influence and how they kept basically an iron grip on how pro wrestling was to work and who was to succeed as

pro wrestling promoters and owners for decades and decades. The book reads in between skirmishes in the Battle Atlanta, Okay, So Jim Barnett went up against Anne Gunkle for control of Atlanta Wrestling in the early seventies and they battled it out like crazy.

control of the Omni and Boss. It's Barnett winning this battle that puts him in prime position to develop the relationship with Ted Turner, thus leading to Georgia Championship, becoming, you know, the dominant promotion on what was the earliest days of cable and WTBS and eventually becoming WCW with Jim Barnett involved the whole way. Well, if you don't count the temporary ouster that Oliott Anderson was able to engineer leading to Black Saturday. But that's all we do

to ramp up Georgia Championship's booking clout. Barnett had replaced Bill Watts. Bill Watts was booking Georgia at the time as booker with who who did Barnett install as booker for Georgia Championship in this war?

At the time, Jarrett was just promoting small in Louisville and Kentucky small towns and Jim Barnett tapped him and said, you're gonna book Georgia Championship Wrestling, and Jarrett brought heel manager Gary Hart, the three Garvins, Jerry Lawler, and Dick the Bruiser to the OMNI for matches with the n WA Georgia standbys like Tim Woods, Mister Wrestling Too, and Ron Fuller. Ron Fuller was we talked about this.

months later Jarrett left Georgia championship. So Jerry Jarrett didn't book Georgia for very long, but he booked it at a very important time in terms of establishing credibility connections with the NWA, the kind of cloud it would take to unseat someone like a Nick Goulis who had been owning the territory via Bloodbath since the sixties, since nineteen sixty, So Jerry Jarrett is really establishing himself with the power structure of the NWA, as evidenced by Jim Barnett picking

him to book Georgia. And so Jarrett left Georgia when he was offered half ownership in the Gulis Welsh promotion that did the Tennessee shows Kentucky, parts of Indiana, Mississippi and Arkansas as well. And who replaced Jerry Jarrett in Georgia when he went to take over half of ten See Louis Toillette.

incumbent Nick gool Wow. Jerry's mother, Christine, as I mentioned, was really the first Jarrett entree into the wrestling business. Used to sell tickets for the Goulis Welsh operation and that's where is mentioned. Glis eventually gives young teenaged Jerry jarreted a job, first selling programs and then eventually promoting some towns. And as you write in his book, Jerry Jarrett does one day and I don't remember why, I took the money and report to the wrestling office myself,

that is to say, you know, the gate receipts. Roy Welch was there in the office with Nick. This is the day I realized that Nick had a partner. Roy asked if I would mind calling him each time I went to check up and give him a report on how I liked the matches. I enjoyed watching the matches, so I told Roy that it would be a pleasure. But now bear in mind, boss, this is according to

Jerry Jarrett, before he knew wrestling was fake. Okay, so a teenager selling programs and working doing work for the office, still.

and I'm quite sure they faked the match. Wow. Roy asked me to explain, Well, mister Welch, they just acted like they punched each other and they would fall down and fake getting hurt. All the wrestlers had to dress in the same big room and I'm guessing they made a deal to not hurt each other. Roy advised that he would look into the matter. That's fucking funny. Can you imagine that. It's like, I think I think it's fake. Well, i'll tell you, young man, if that's what you think,

I gotta do something about it. And what happens is a real consequence. I imagine Roy Welch picks up the phone and goes, you motherfuckers are mailing it into the point that this kid can tell it's not real. This this idiot says it's fucking fake. Now I know it's fake. You know it's fake, but they can't know it's fucking fake. That's not how the Welches run a wrestling business. Boss,

you better get real, right boys. So funny, I like this kid, like the consequences for these guys are real for making it look fake.

on them. It got it got serious though, as Jerry began, you know, trying to take over more and more in the territory and become the the the made man. He's a guy named Mario Galento who was on kind of the goolest Welsh side of things, who attacks Jerry Jarrett during jer.

definitely somebody that had run into the law. At one point, Jerry Jarrett and Jerry Lawla are wrestling each other and Mario Glento hits the ring and attacks Jerry Jarrett for real and later shows up with a gun at one of their matches. This, according to Jerry Jarrett, is just part of a campaign to intimidate them out of taking too much of the territory. Yes, gun, that's correct. Okay, listen, you get it.

by going into business myself. Roy had come from a background in the wrestling business in which it was not uncommon for a booker to break away and start a promotion. Sound like a plan b boss, It sounds like a plan A to me. I mean that is no wonder. Ron Fuller was so paramoised about this something. Yeah, his whole family's history in the business was bereft with stories of talent trying to open up an office to run opposition to them and take the territory. And in some cases, like.

he talks a lot more about this. But Roy Welch at this point had started to kind of slip mentally and so but in wrestling, it that's always a that's always an ailment of convenience, right right, he was always mind heart attack.

It's not unlike Hulk citing lou for Rigno having the speech impediment and the deafness in an ear as to why he wouldn't have necessarily picked up on that infamous studio host saying that Terry Bolea was bigger than Lufa. Rigno was the real Hulk. Whenever he told that story, he'd always Hulkwood fold in the fact that Figna had the hearing issue in my mind, so that if anyone ever questioned it in the future, I could say, well, of course, that brother, God forbid, he didn't fucking remember

he was actually there. Mark James co authored the book with Jerry Jarrett and did a lot of great books with Memphis wrestlers, and he fixes an editor's note to the end of this chapter about what we just read with Mario Galento. He writes, as a fan watching wrestling. This was an extremely weird time. The promotion always tried to make wrestling as real as possible and make it easy for the fans to believe it was real. This incident with Mario Gleno crossed that line, and it was real.

There's no telling what would have happened on the show that Saturday morning if Jerry jareded had not gained quick control of the situation. That is to say, Mario Glento hitting the ring and trying to rip his face off, basically without being invited to do so and not being part of the show. This happened, and when Jerry Jared told the story on Tales from the Territories on Vice TV, he had to think about how he basically ripped Galento's eye out of his fucking head because he just went

prime on him trying to stop this guy. Christ their fans were treated to a real situation and thought it was nothing out of the normal. Again, and then the studio audience thinks it's normal, you know, they just think it's a run in. Well, yeah, although they don't know who this Mario Glento is.

made Jerry the Memphis booker. That's what makes this whole situation so strange. I know that Alzheimer's is an awful disease, but I still wonder what Roy was thinking in his whole state. But no, Jerry is a He's gaining more and more control, he's getting more and more credibility to the NWA, and he's buying. He's going to buy out Roy Welch's shares and go fifty to fifty within the Gulist or.

with these towns. I was just a local promoter. However, having a ten percent ownership in Gooulish Welts in the Gouleist Welsh territories, that's he starts with just ten percent. Okay, just know that meant I had a member of the men. I was a member of the fraternity. I had attended NWA meetings, but had no standing prior to this ten percent ownership. Roy Welch's health continued to deteriorate to the point where after having an operation, he never really recovered.

Does Verne get ninety per to ownership? Earns got one hundred percent ownership of And while he's kind of like you know, he goes to the NBA conventions and the NBA promoters are in the Wrestler movie. I remember that pool Side. He doesn't really no fuck with this whole NWA thing. He's got his own situation there with the AWA the incident. Okay, At Roy's death, I this is Jerry. Jarrett gave Nick Goulas fifty grand and became a fifty

percent owner in the business. A company attorney, Cecil Brandstetter, drew up the ownership papers, so he gets ten percent while Roy Welch is still alive and apparently sicking Mario Galento on him. And then Roy Welch dies and Jerry gets the rest of Welch. So now it's it's Jarrett Goulis instead of Welch Goulss okay, which as we mentioned, started in nineteen sixty taking over from taking Buddy Fuller Sears away. So it's like it didn't didn't really leave

the family that much. Now Jarrett is truly outside the Welsh family running the show. This is this is back to the Jim Wilson book. So you know I mentioned the bribery thing. Yes, amazing, all right, So a guy named Don Prewitt, who worked for Goulish and Welsh for fifteen years as a wrestler and later referee and local promoter ends up suing Goulss in Welsh over basically the com Wilson Welsh that sounds like a fucking uh I know, I got like a law firm and prewit. That also

sounds like a fucking lawyer. Doesn't sound like yeah right, It doesn't sound like the guys they sued. It sounds like the firm they used to suit exactly.

lose from an investigation of their business tactics. One of their conversations overheard by a third party. Uh oh, hey, I heard third party here? I come, is there a third party involved?

he is leaving to catch an airplane right away. We better get that money up there. Do you want to give him a cash or check? Gulis asked, hell, no, give him cash. Weld replied, oh my god.

grip on power and prices and whatnot. And so here we have a guy saying in his lawsuit against Gougliss and Welch, the Gougless and Welsh were arranging for a payoff to this senator so that he wouldn't scrutinize their business practices in his own backyard at Tennessee. I mean, this goes up to some pretty high levels. This wrestling business bullshit.

of commission for the arts. But they're going back and forth according to this Don Pruitt about getting a bribe over to this senator and Don Prewitt, the book continues, drove Nick Goulass and Roy Welch to the Jackson Hotel where the drop to United States Senator Estescafavre was made. It should be noted here the book notes that Tennessee's US Senator Carrie Estescaffavre was a powerful figure in Washington, d C. In the nation from nineteen forty nine to

the time of his death. The nineteen sixty three Caafavre ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination twice. I didn't know that he ran for president in nineteen fifty two and nineteen fifty six after gaining national attention in nineteen fifty as chairman of the Nationally Yeah These hearings were nationally televised. Boss that he had against monopolies, so a huge deal for the Special Committee on Organized Crime and

Interstate Commerce, better known as the Kafavre Committee. When Prewitt recounted the above conversation under oath, he added the purpose for this there was an investigation of the National Wrestling Alliance. That was their part that they kicked in to get the investigations stopped. So not only according to Don Pruitt and sworn testimony, did Nick Gulis and Roy Welch facilitated payment to this senator to keep scrutiny off their business practices.

It was actually just a small part of the money. All the promoters in the NWA were asked to chip in to deflect scrutiny from their business practices. So fucking thumbs up in terms of a history that Terry Boulder is walking into. I I mean, it's amazing how the wrestling business just never ceases to amaze in terms of how like bald faced but inventive right their schemes can get just unbelievable.

found out he owned none of Welch's shares. Goulis says, you know what you thought you bought fifty percent. You thought you obtained all fifty percent of Roy Welts's shares when he died. Jerry, Well, guess what if you read the contract, all you ever had was an option. If you read the fine print, all you ever had was an option to buy those shares. Yes, and the date by which you had to exercise that option has passed, my friend.

for our business to spotlight him just because he's your son. Well, well, obviously Nick Goulass is going to would burn the world to the ground before he's told now on something.

as a fucking business partner. So it's like, forget it, Like I don't even want to fight this battle. I'm just going to withdraw entirely. Now you can have whatever. Roy Welch left behind, and I'm going to start my own company. Jerry Jared is going to start the CWA, and not only is he going to start it, he's going to pull Jerry Lawler, who's quickly becoming the hottest attraction away from Nick Goulis to his side of the fence. He starts rounding up talent. He calls Eddie Graham down

in Florida, and there they are again, the Fullers. Okay, Jerry Jared Fuller shits. I then contacted the wrestlers and told them that I would open a business in a few weeks and anyone who wanted to work for me was welcome, and I would understand if someone did not want to take the risk with a new promotion and instead wanted to stay with Nick Goulis. Every single wrestler told me to just tell them what to do and

they would do it. I advise them to take directions from Eddie Marlin, who is Jerry Jared's business partner, and work as hard as possible to keep the business good. I then called my friend Eddie Graham to see if he would support me. Eddie said he was offended that I would even ask. He suggested that I make some kind of a deal with Buddy Fuller. It comes all the way back around from getting his license revoked in nineteen sixty so his dad can get the promotion along

with So would he have gone? Would he have gone? Hold on? So back up, he refused to help because he was asked who refused to add? Oh, no, Eddie said that you would even ask I'm offended. Of course I'm with you. Oh yeah, like I thought he likes, well, I would have helped you. But then you have offended that you even asked me. Yeah, but you felt how to do that, So fuck you. I definitely see how you get interreted that way. So in artful phrasing there

in the book, for sure. But no, yeah, that's what he means, like, of course I'm with you, because you know they had no love loss for Nick Goolas either, and if Welch was dead, apparently that was the only reason anybody respected Nick Goulas anyway, was because they had respect for the Welches, and one's Welch's out of the equation.

Fuck this so so yes, Jerry Jarrett certainly round up political support and hilarious that Eddie Graham's got just the guy for you, Jerry, get back into business with the guy that Goulis took the license from in the first place in nineteen sixty Buddy Fuller, of course, fucking just a I mean yeah, of course is the father of Ron Fuller. With Buddy Fuller because that would help with the NWA politics, Jarrett wrote, because of Roy's previous ownership, I called Buddy and made a deal with him for

ownership and my new promotion. This is the editor's note here from Mark James on this chapter. Buddy Fuller had been in Memphis on and off since the late nineteen fifties, when Nick Gulas and Roy Welch bought the city's promotion from less Wolf. Buddy's real name was Edward Welch, and he was the son of Roy Welch. That family name carried a lot of weight in the South during the nineteen sixties. Buddy had been a major player back in those days. Fast forward to the late nineteen seventies, and

the playing field had changed. Roy Welch passed away in late nineteen seventy seven and Nick Gulis was all but out of the business. By the same time, the old guard was changing and Buddy's living off the past finally caught up with him. So now the Fullers and Terry's old friend Eddie Graham Boss and that crew were tied in once again as well. And the key thing, one of the key things that Jerry Jarrett is able to

do is Channel five in Memphis WMCTV. This is the time slot and this is the channel that drew those incredible shares. This is the channel where the stuff like the Kamala stuff we just looked at all premiere and this is the station that everyone who grew up in Memphis loving wrestling in the seventies and eighties remembers being where you had to be parked on Saturday mornings, your absolutely classic signature studio wrestling show that drove ticket sales,

particularly Monday night at the Mid South Colosseum. It was on a different station than at Gulas and Roy welch Ran, but it was Jerry Jarrett who brought it to w MC. Just soak this, soak this in.

with Jerry Jarrett. They also bring over Lance Russ and Dave Brown, who were well known to Memphis folks because they were news anchors and weathermen on the same w MC Channel five that aired the wrestling. We've seen this in other markets where you know the local wrestling announcer. It's not unlike Charlie Platt, who is known down there as well from his TV exploits. You bring in someone

that's known to the market. It would be like, I don't know, Boss Mike Lynch doing the studio wrestling every Saturday in Boston, right, Oh my god, think about that. Or the weatherman Dick Albert also wrestling on Saturday mornings. Shot Love Him Studio that they did the local news every every night. I mean, talk about the place to be as a wrestling fan. The era you want to cook in in Cimmarren instead of the w CVB Channel five coverage. You can count on cover covers, you can

count out covers. You can count out, yeah, coverage, you can count two and a half two. Bob Coddle was the same thing, you know he was. He was a Charlotte area news personality, and Lance Russell and Dave Brown certainly in that category, as well ed Whalen Up in Calgary I think was much the same. So now Jerry Lawler's in business and also owning part of the promotion. Was Jared's mother, but she didn't own the Memphis part. She owned twenty five percent of Louisville, Evansville and Lexington.

And so now Jerry, Jared's in business with Buddy Fuller. Let me make no mistake about it. Okay, he splits ownership now with Buddy Fuller in this new operation, and the income was huge. The income was big. He says in his book Jerry Jarrett that his share soon reached an excess of a million dollars per year in nineteen seventy seven. That's big fucking money, especially for one little market. Yeah, seriously,

that's crazy. Of course, this being wrestling. Eventually, Jerry Lawler threatens to break off and go off on his own with Lance Russell because Jerry Jarrett didn't boost his ownership percentage as originally agreed, past the five percent. So Jerry Jarrett says he forgot, okay, he forgot that he had made that deal with Jerry Lawler, and fine, I thought you were making so much money Jerry, that I didn't think money was an issue between us. But fine, I'll

up your stake from five percent to twenty five percent. Jared, let me teach you something here, Okay, money is always an issue, always an issue, exactly. Always pay someone more, it becomes even more of an issue. Yep. Now, I mean, did Jerry Jarrett confront Jerry Lawler in company with a gun over this dispute?

warring against each other. A crowd of only four hundred and eighty four attended wrestling last night at the Mid South Colosseum, where Jackie Fargo won the NWA Central State Crown from the Russian Stomper and other matches. Don Kent at George defeated William Stone and Mark Roberts Tojo Yamamoto beat Doctor x Pez Whatley and Hank James defeated John and Rick Davidson and Crazy Luke Graham and Ripper King

Collins defeated Don Green and Wayne Petty. The attendance was the worst for the Nashville based company run by promoter Nicholas since it began encountering competition from a new company run by Jerry Jarrett two months ago. Jared Hog will be held at the Colisseum tomorrow night at eight and then Lawler working for Jerry Jarrett's drawing Big. Here's a headline,

Lawler draws big against two Well. He retained his National Wrestling Alliance out the Southern Heavyweight Belt by defeating Robert Fuller before a crowd of four thousand and eight eighty seven as opposed to four.

big talent for Jerry Jarrett at this point in time. Now, Buddy Fuller, Yes, after having been smarted out of the territory in nineteen sixty, finding his way back in in seventy seven when Jerry Jarrett won the Power Struggle. Do you think he's content to just sit back and collect a percentage of Jerry Jarrett's success? Absolutely? What I mean, why why wouldn't you.

do something more hands on. He went on to explain that our business was so good here in Tennessee that sometimes he felt guilty when he got.

His plan was to used some of the Tennessee talent to get started, but he and Louie would start producing television and generate income so he could send me a check the other way. Said it sounded good to me. I began making calls. I not only made calls, but by networking with my existing station managers and a couple of trips to Ohio, I had television time in Cincinnati, Columbus,

and one small market I can't recall. I also booked three buildings in the television markets, Yeah, three buildings in the television market markets, and reported to Buddy my success and told him to prepare to move. We ran our shows about eight weeks and booked the first tour of towns. Buddy and Louis moved to Ohio and found a couple of spot shows so the crew had a full week. And imagine that Boss Louis Tillette. He's just moving all around. He's in Atlanta, he's in Ohio, and then he comes

to Alabama. That's insane. Buddy and Louis moved to Ohio, found a couple of spot shows, so the crew had a full week. At the time, we were drawing huge gates in Tennessee, so I had no trouble booking a good card and still left more than enough talent to keep the houses good in Tennessee. I sent superstar Bill Dundee to handle the matches and to the cards. Bill had served as my assistant booker, so he was very capable. After the first event in Ohio, Dundee called me and said, Boss,

I don't know exactly what's going on here. I don't know full of well enough to know if he's joking or not. But if he is not joking, we're in trouble. I asked the source of his concern. Bill advised that the house was ninety percent full and Buddy had come to the dressing room looking very concerned. So Bill asked him,

what's the trouble mate. Bill said Buddy had told him that he and Louie had not hired enough security, and he found a door in a hall and hundreds of people were streaming in before he could get the door closed and a guard stationed on the door. Bill laughed and advised, I've not heard this one since my early days in Australia. Wow. I told Bill, thanks for the heads up and keep me posted. Bill would call me after each event and give me his estimate of the gates.

At the end of the tour, I had still not heard from Buddy. At the beginning of the next week, Buddy called to say that he and Louie were not coming home for a couple of weeks because they had a lot of work to do in preparation for the next week's show and to begin lining up future towns. I asked Buddy how the towns had done, and he said not very well.

me the next day. I began to get concerned about Bill Dundee's warnings. The next morning, Buddy called and gave me the amounts of the gates. The amounts Buddy gave me were less than half of Bill's guests Bill Dundee's guests, and this threw up a very red flag. Wrestlers are amazing at their ability to guess the gates in wrestling. Yes, of course, they got paid in those days based on

the gate, and most had worked for dishonest promoters. I could understand if Bill was off by ten percent, even twenty percent, but I was sure he was not off by fifty percent. I got on the phone began calling each building manager myself. I told him to please not report my call to Buddy Fuller, a Louis Tilley, simply because I was trying to determine if they were honest people. Louis Toillette, Buddy Fuller, honest people.

numbers were about half the box office reports. I was much more hurt than I was mad. So you understand here, You understand this. What's happening here is they're making all kinds of money, and Buddy's saying we're not making a lot and putting write the rest in his pocket. That's what Jerry is in insinuating here. I had sent Buddy Fuller tens of thousands of dollars each month since we went in business. His share of the month we were in was almost eighty grand. I drew up our divorce

papers and waited for him to call me. He said he wanted me to meet him at Shoney's Restaurant in Hendersonville. This seems strange because my house was only ten minutes from Shoney's. I put the fat box office report and a folder along with the papers I had drawn up to separate our partnership. I met Buddy and acted as if all was well. He began to pull his reports out and go over each one. I asked why there was no backup documentation with the reports. He claimed he

did not know they were necessary. I calmly explained that our uncle Sam did not want to have to take our word, and that we would have to have a box office report attached. He went to reach town report and then began pulling out a bunch of wadded papers that he claimed were receipts for expenses for himself and Louis. He then tried to hand me a check for twelve

hundred dollars in change. I didn't take the check. I stared at Buddy and told him how hurt I was that he would steal from me at the first chance. I'd expected him to at least to pull a macho bluff and raise hell about me calling him a thief. But there was nothing, not a word. He just looked down at the table. I then folded opened my folder and pushed the box office reports across the table and told him that the managers had faxed them to me.

Still nothing, not a word. I then pushed the contract in front of him and said he had two choices. He could accept my offer to settle our partnership, or we could just have a winner takes all for the territory. Not a single word but he picked up the pin. A winner take all for the territory. Yeah, yeah, I guess he means I'll run an opposition to you, and I went all the fans over and you'll have to close. Not a single word, but he picked up the pin and turned to the last page and signed his name

on the line. I told him that I would make new reports based on the box office reports, and I would deduct the wrestler's pay, insurance and my half from his money due from today back to the start of the month. I slid out of the booth and stood by the table for a moment. I asked, buddy, did he not have anything to say? Finally looked up from the table and simply said, I'm sorry. My partnership ended.

The only person I called to report the situation was Eddie Graham, who of course had suggested that he worked with Buddy Fuller in the first place. Oh, maybe that's what that commissioner member was talking about, boss when he said things that were not in the best interest of wrestling were happening under Buddy Fuller's launch. Oh maybe did that description of the discrepancy and ticket counting and these floods of people who got in without paying sound familiar

at all to you? Yeah, sounds like kind of what Bob rup was alleging Ron Fuller was doing. And yes, yes, turned back to Bob's podcast quickly, just to close that loop as he describes. And you tell me if this doesn't sound like the exact same playbook that Jerry Jared alleges Buddy Fuller was running.

such a thing. But Ron also claims that in fact, he wasn't even involved in deciding who collected tickets and took tickets and took ticket money at this particular building in Knoxville anyway, that the coliseum handling them, we went through all that shit. I'm reaching the limits of my interest in this thing. But if we're going to talk about out the history with Jarrett and Fuller and going back and forth and exchanging Hull cog and it might

be important to understand. So back to Bob Roup describing what he observed in seventy nine in Knoxville while Hogan was working over on the Gulf Coast side.

She would tear the tickets, hand it to the guests, to the spectator, and then put the torn half in the machine.

and she tore her stay. She tore fifteen tickets, well, seven or eight. She didn't tear single tickets. So after there was a lull in people coming in. She walked up to the desk or her mom was selling. She laid down on the desk on the side of her that. Uh boy, she could put her hand right hand right in front of her mom. But she put her hand on the table and her mother reached out almost. I thought, my boy, she want to hold hands with her, And

the daughter opened her hand. As soon as she pulled her hand away, Mom's hand was there and Mom all of a sudden has something in her hand. So I'm watching now. What happened was that it looked like were double selling ticket. So or two weeks later we had a show and the other one't azard. We had one in Orland. I was the area of the building where I could see it, and the same thing.

they have evidence of. But if you never put one half of the ticket in there, you can take the money for that ticket put in your pocket and there's no proof because that ticket wasn't torn, so it doesn't look like it was sold right, and that was the scam. And it's both sides, it's every side that alleges something

similar happens. So I just thought that was unbelievable that like that, that Jarrett essentially alleges the Fuller is a different Fuller did the same thing to him, or at least presided over the same thing.

lips directly. Yeah, he did a shoot interview along extended one that I'd highly recommend with Hannibal before his passing at his home in Tennessee, talking about a lot of this stuff, and of course in particular the arrival of Hulk. Some of this will kind of retread that the passage we read from the book when Hulk comes to visit has the whoppers and stuff, but there's a bit more to to chew on and it's always great to hear

the voices come to life. So here from the Hannibal shooting interview, Jerry Jarrett talking about Louis till that's involvement in Hulk coming in.

we did that. I call my production people and we did that first video where we started at his feed pan, the camera had him pose and.

and I think that's what Senior noticed. You know, he don't really think of himself as a wrestler. I think it happened when he was overworking for Verncarna. I think it dawn know him I am a wrestler.

it was fucking crazy. But I mean for doing nothing though, that's the thing. He did nothing. He did nothing, and he was waant. I love also heard that. I don't know if I ever heard the word wet with two syllables waat and he was wimped wm h fucking Jared's Jarrett. I'm I'm left and awe just I just picture him leaving this puddle. Oh yeah, I mean I listen, like every step he takes like just a little couple of droplets.

Oh he was waat. They're on their way to wrestle Oh my god, Terry and Eddie are on their way up to Memphis to give this thing a shot. And uh, before we leave, Jerry, or at least uh these clips, we got to get to a couple of things. Okay, First, I would ask you to read this passage. This is from Hogan's second book. They're on the road bus and they're headed to Memphis. Heading to Memphis, way we get wet.

So Bruce and I drove to Memphis with this one night to wrestle as the Boulder Brothers, and we put on a hell of a show. I know because Jared, Because Jared and Lawler pulled me aside immediately after the Mattress City. Terry, we wanted to come up work work here. I told him I couldn't. I was committed to the Alabama territory, you know. Louis to Ledgid giving me a break when I really needed it, and I couldn't let him down. Then they asked me how much money I

was making one five a week. I said, well, we'll give you eight hundred dollars or a week guarantee. Oh I was shocker. So I wasn't as much of a mark as I used to be. But I wasn't totally disloyal either, So I played real cool and I told him I needed to get back and talk to Tilled about it. I'm not exactly what I did. I went back to Alabama and confronted to let you know, I'm rustled seven days a week for you and bolder brothers were making a name and drawing audiences. How come I

only making one to seventy five tops. His response that all the year worth and all you desire. So I hit him with the eight hundred a week guarantee. I've just been offered Memphis and said, Ed and I were leaving and just about shit a brick, and he called Jared Lawler Memphis Screening. How come you ste your talent? I did you a fair for one night, and this is what happens. How can you do this? So I thought he was in on funneling these guys. You know,

he was pissed, dude. It didn't matter. You know, Bruce and I already had one foot in the van at that point. We were on our way to the big time and we knew it. You know, the offer came at the perfect moment because just as we were rolling to Memphis, the motor blew out of the gold van. You know, not only was that was that van our home, but it was it was the only transportation we had to get to wrestling gigs. No one flew in those days,

and the matches were all over the place. Boss. I'm left to wonder, did Jerry just grab Hulk just to fuck Louis Toilette for being involved that? I would love that. I would love that. We have to consider the possibility, you know, like it was Splitsville because he was like, fuck these two you know me in Ohio totally and they're they're doing well with this Hulk guy down there. Let me see what I can do about doubling his money. Yep,

I believe that quadrupling his money actually more like it. Yeah. Yeah, Memphis Territory. You know, it'll be a two hundred mile drive to Nashville and one night than two hundred and fifty miles to two below Mississippi the fix, you know, the next followed by Evans, Indiana, nine hours away. The venues. You were never lined up up in a road to make it easy. Nobody planned like that, so you were literally all over the map. You imagine if the van

had broken down. While we were broken living in the beach, what would he had done? As soon as we rolled into Memphis, Jared took me straight out and bought me a big green Lincoln Continental. I'll pay him back for it, but he was more than happy to front me the money. He treated me like his like one of his own right away, and since he was paying me eight hundred dollars a week, I didn't need a van of sleeping anymore.

As I started rising to Memphis, Jared asked me to go to go on TV now and then to promote matches. And I go certainly talk the talk. You know, all after all those years listening to Dusty Rhoads and interacting with audiences and all those bands, I was a natural. I also said, hey, brother in that real Hulk Cogan style stuff quite yet, but I could say, Hey, this is Terry Boulder, and I wanted you to come down to the Mobile Civic Center where you'll see the greatest

wrestlers in the world. One day, I went on a local talk show and wound up sitting on air right next to Loof for Rigno. That's right, the guy who's who played the incredible Hulk, who was all over people's TV with his green body makeup. At the time, he was a real nice guy and everyone was so impressed by how huge he looked with those big, bulging muscles. The thing was sitting next to me at that point in my life. The guy looked kind of small, and

that blew Jerry jard away. I got back to the dressing room after the show and Jerry was like, no, good God, Terry, you were sitting on TV and you were bigger than the Hulk that moment on Jerry Jared started billing me as Terry the Hulk Boulder wherever I wrestled. I would like to know if anyone had the opportunity to confront Hulk Hogan about with news articles. I'm sure no one did, but the news articles clearly calling him

the Hulk way before he was there. Fuck that. How about confronting him with what Jerry Jared himself said to the Hannibal.

South Coliseum. As we get into what it looked and felt like as Terry Bolea takes to Memphis Television next time on the Complete Hulk Hogan.