(August 2011) One of the greatest wrestling t-shirts ever designed hit the NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest in Atlanta. It photographically depicts the various emotions of the one and only Ole Anderson. Except that each photo placed above each listed emotion is the exact same photo.
Joy, sorrow, excitement…same photo of Ole. It is brilliant and captures Ole Anderson to a tee.
Scott Teal of 1wrestlinglegends.com and crowbarpress.com designed the shirt. Scott co-wrote Ole Anderson's auto-biography a few years back.
Brad Anderson saw the photo of the shirt on Facebook and loved it. Brad is the son of Ole's long time Minnesota Wrecking Crew tag team partner Gene Anderson.
"That's so great," Brad related. "Ole not selling anything!"
Brad was reminded of something his father taught him, both as it related to wrestling, and everything else in life:
"Never let 'em see you sell, kid," his Dad taught him.
Gene obviously once taught Ole Anderson that lesson well.
(Edited from an original post on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway, August 2011.)
Don Holbrook related a story to me about a fellow named Jim McNerney in Greenville who was writing and submitting articles to the wrestling magazines back in the day. He had done one on Wahoo McDaniel, and wanted to show it to Wahoo before submitting it. So one Monday night at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium, he handed it to him and asked him to look it over. Wahoo took it downstairs to the locker room.
A bit later he came back up and walked over to Don and asked him, "How long is a decade?" Don told him it was 10 years.
Wahoo paused for a moment, as if thinking about this and then said, "I thought it was 25 years." Don laughed and told him he was pretty sure it was 10 years, so Wahoo handed the paper with the article back to McNerney and told him he thought it was OK.
Turns out one of the first lines in the article read something like, "For more than a decade now Wahoo McDaniel has been a top star in professional wrestling."
After McNerney walked off happy that Wahoo had blessed his article, Wahoo came close to Don and said "I don't want people thinking I'm older than I already am! You better be right; that decade sh*t better mean 10 years and not 25!"
Originally Published in April 2016 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway
Originally published April 2016 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway
"Cokes and Popcorn" are little stories of humor and respect that I come across along the way of putting this website together, and they are little stories I want to hang onto. Not sure where the name of the section comes from; I just find these little stories refreshing.
by Dick Bourne Mid-Atlantic Gateway Edited From the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Archives / Cokes & Popcorn
Roddy Piper once told a story which illustrated what old-timers did to protect the business back in the day. In his day, they sometimes would go to extremes to make sure fans completely bought into an angle. It was all about "protecting the business."
In the audio clip below, Roddy is discussing the famous 1982 angle where he and Ric Flair engaged in an amateur wrestling contest. After Piper embarrassed Flair by pinning him both amateur and professional style, Flair and his cohort Greg Valentine attacked him and ground his face into the cement floor of the WPCQ TV studios in Charlotte.
In a radio interview in 2011 promoting an upcoming NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest, Piper discussed what we didn't see during the commercial break to make sure fans bought into the angle:
Roddy Piper discusses Gene Anderson Rock 100.5 Atlanta's Rock Station
Piper mentions he was taken to the back after the angle during the commercial break, and Gene Anderson rubbed sandpaper on his face to create the abrasion you see in the photo below and to help sell the angle to fans. After the facial "alterations", Anderson looked at him and said, "Tough kid." Piper said it was one of the greatest compliments he had ever received.
Roddy Piper 1982 Photograph by Eddie Cheslock
This photo above (taken by magazine photographer Eddie Cheslock in Richmond, VA) was shot in 1982 following the angle between Ric Flair and Roddy Piper which led to the sandpaper treatment he describes receiving in the video from Gene Anderson.
Ricky Steamboat 1978
The 1982 Flair/Piper angle was basically a repeat of an angle four years earlier between Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat, except the 1978 angle didn't involve an amateur wrestling contest.
On a 2015 appearance on Ric Flair's old podcast WOOOOO! Nation, Steamboat recounted how the same thing has been done to him to help get the angle over.
From the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Archives / Cokes & Popcorn Also republished in June of 2015 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway
Don Holbrook related a story to me about a fellow named Jim McNerney in Greenville who was writing and submitting articles to the wrestling magazines back in the day. He had done one on Wahoo McDaniel, and wanted to show it to Wahoo before submitting it. So one Monday night at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium, he handed it to him and asked him to look it over. Wahoo took it downstairs to the locker room.
A bit later he came back up and walked over to Don and asked him, "How long is a decade?" Don told him it was 10 years.
Wahoo paused for a moment, as if thinking about this and then said, "I thought it was 25 years." Don laughed and told him he was pretty sure it was 10 years, so Wahoo handed the paper with the article back to McNerney and told him he thought it was OK.
Turns out one of the first lines in the article read something like, "For more than a decade now Wahoo McDaniel has been a top star in professional wrestling."
After McNerney walked off happy that Wahoo had blessed his article, Wahoo came close to Don and said "I don't want people thinking I'm older than I already am! You better be right; that decade sh*t better mean 10 years and not 25!"
Originally published April 2016 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway
"Cokes and Popcorn" are little stories of humor and respect that I come across along the way of putting this website together, and they are little stories I want to hang onto. Not sure where the name of the section comes from; I just find these little stories refreshing.
Edited From the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Archives / Cokes & Popcorn Originally published June 29, 2015
Roddy Piper once gave a great example of what old-timers did to protect the business back in the day. In his day, they sometimes would go to extremes to make sure fans completely bought into an angle. It was all about "protecting the business."
In the audio clip below, Roddy is discussing the famous 1982 angle where he and Ric Flair engaged in an amateur wrestling contest. After Piper embarrassed Flair by pinning him both amateur and professional style, Flair and Greg Valentine attacked him and ground his face into the cement floor of the WPCQ TV studios in Charlotte.
In 2011, Piper discussed what we didn't see during the commercial break to make sure fans bought into the angle:
Roddy Piper discusses Gene Anderson Rock 100.5 Atlanta's Rock Station
The interview was part of a promotional appearance for the 2011 NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest in Atlanta, GA.
Piper mentions he was taken to the back after the angle during the commercial break, and Gene Anderson rubbed sandpaper on his face to create the abrasion you see in the photo below and to help sell the angle to fans. Anderson looked at him and said, "Tough kid." Piper said it was one of the greatest compliments he had ever received.
Roddy Piper 1982
This photo above (taken by magazine photographer Eddie Cheslock in Richmond, VA) was shot in 1982 following the angle between Ric Flair and Roddy Piper which led to the sandpaper treatment he describes receiving in the video from Gene Anderson.
Ricky Steamboat 1978
The 1982 Flair/Piper angle was basically a repeat of an angle four years earlier between Flair and Ricky Steamboat in 1978 (except the 1978 angle didn't involve an amateur wrestling contest.)
From the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Archives Cokes & Popcorn
Want more watered-down Cokes and stale popcorn like we used to get at the wrestling shows? Visit the Cokes & Popcorn page on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Archives. These are little stories of respect I want to hang onto.
Don Holbrook related a story to me about a fellow named Jim McNerney in Greenville who was writing and submitting articles to the wrestling magazines back in the day. He had done one on Wahoo McDaniel, and wanted to show it to Wahoo before submitting it. So one Monday night at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium, he handed it to him and asked him to look it over. Wahoo took it downstairs to the locker room.
A bit later he came back up and walked over to Don and asked him, "How long is a decade?" Don told him it was 10 years.
Wahoo paused for a moment, as if thinking about this and then said, "I thought it was 25 years." Don laughed and told him he was pretty sure it was 10 years, so Wahoo handed the paper with the article back to McNerney and told him he thought it was OK.
Turns out one of the first lines in the article read something like, "For more than a decade now Wahoo McDaniel has been a top star in professional wrestling."
After McNerney walked off happy that Wahoo had blessed his article, Wahoo came close to Don and said "I don't want people thinking I'm older than I already am! You better be right; that decade sh*t better mean 10 years and not 25!"
Republished in April of 2022 on the mid-Atlantic Gateway.
"Cokes and Popcorn" are little stories of humor and respect that I come across along the way of putting this website together, and they are little stories I want to hang onto. Not sure where the name of the section comes from; I just find these little stories refreshing.
Edited From the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Archives / Cokes & Popcorn
Roddy Piper once described what old-timers did to protect the business back in the day. In his day, they sometimes would go to extremes to make sure fans completely bought into an angle. it was all about "protecting the business."
Roddy is discussing the famous 1982 angle where he and Ric Flair engaged in an amateur wrestling contest. After Piper embarrassed Flair by pinning him both amateur and professional style, Flair and Greg Valentine attacked him and ground his face into the cement floor of the WPCQ TV studios in Charlotte.
In 2011, Piper discussed what we didn't see during the commercial break to make sure fans bought into the angle:
Roddy Piper discusses Gene Anderson Rock 100.5 Atlanta's Rock Station
Piper mentions he was taken to the back after the angle during the commercial break, and Gene Anderson rubbed sandpaper on his face to create the abrasion you see in the photo below and to help sell the angle to fans. Anderson looked at him and said, "Tough kid." Piper said it was one of the greatest compliments he had ever received.
Roddy Piper 1982
This photo above (taken by magazine photographer Eddie Cheslock in Richmond, VA) was shot in 1982 following the angle between Ric Flair and Roddy Piper which led to the sandpaper treatment he describes receiving in the video from Gene Anderson.
Ricky Steamboat 1978
The 1982 Flair/Piper angle was basically a repeat of an angle four years earlier between Flair and Ricky Steamboat in 1978 (except the 1978 angle didn't involve an amateur wrestling contest.)
On a recent appearance on Ric Flair's podcast (WOOOOO! Nation), Steamboat recounted how the same thing has been done to him to help get the angle over.
- Dick Bourne
From the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Archives Cokes & Popcorn
Want more watered-down Cokes and stale popcorn like we used to get at the wrestling shows? Visit the Cokes & Popcorn page on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Archives. These are little stories of respect I want to hang onto. FB Video
One of the greatest wrestling t-shirt designs ever conceived of first made its way on the scene at an Atlanta fan convention in 2009. It photographically depicts the various emotions of the one and only Ole Anderson. Except that each photo shown above each listed emotion is the exact same photo. Joy, sorrow, excitement…same photo of Ole. It is brilliant. It is wonderful. And it captures Ole Anderson perfectly.
Scott Teal of 1wrestlinglegends.com and crowbarpress.com designed the shirt. Scott co-authored Ole Anderson's auto-biography.
Brad Anderson recently saw a photo of the shirt on Facebook and loved it. Brad is the son of Ole's long time Minnesota Wrecking Crew tag team partner Gene Anderson.
"That's so great," Brad related. "Ole not selling anything!"
Brad was reminded of something his father taught him, both as it related to wrestling, and everything else in life: "Never let 'em see you sell, kid."
Want more watered-down Cokes and stale popcorn like we used to get at the wrestling shows? Visit the Cokes & Popcorn page on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Archives.
