BOOK DETAILS Kindle edition: 333 pagesPublisher: Crowbar Press Item #: cbp12-bd-kindle Price: $9.99
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According to Bill De Mott, he was just a "fat kid from Jersey who had never been out of the country," but his introduction to professional wrestling in 1988 has allowed him to travel all over the world. Since then, he has been a professional wrestler, a color commentator on the WWE Velocity television show, the head trainer for Deep South Wrestling (WWE’s developmental territory), a trainer on three seasons of the television reality show, Tough Enough, and now the owner of his own wrestling school and promotion — New Energy Wrestling.
The stories of Bill’s life on the road are both hilarious and entertaining, and at other times, they are sad and insightful. He tells about his introduction to the world of wrestling at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, where he wrestled for almost two years before he was given an opportunity to work for small promotions in Puerto Rico, Japan, and Mexico. It would be five more years before he would reach what rookie wrestlers call "The Big Time" and join the ranks of World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment.
Bill’s life has been filled with more backstage drama than is found in all the afternoon soap operas combined, and he doesn’t pull any punches in the telling of his story. He relates how he was introverted as a child, escaping from the realities of a childhood without a father by turning to drugs and alcohol. Not much changed when he became a "famous" wrestler. In fact, he stepped up the pace and filled his life with anything that would allow him to escape the reality of the world.
Bill leaves no subject untouched. He discusses the origins of his many characters: Big Sweet Williams, Crash the Terminator, Crash the Eliminator, The Man of Question, Hugh Morrus, and General Rection. He talks about taking (and failing) drug tests. Bill doesn’t hesitate to criticize himself, either, and relates his shortcomings. He talks candidly about making bad choices in life and his search for closure. He tells about being a member of the Chubba Bubbas, a group of wrestlers which included Rocco Rock, Johnny Grunge, Devon Storm, and Joe D’Acquisto, whose primary goal was to party and have fun … and, more often than not, get into trouble in the process. He shares behind-the-scenes stories about many of his peers, as well, including Mil Mascaras, Kevin Sullivan, Chris and Nancy Benoit, the Boogeyman, Johnny Ace, the Great Khali, Van Hammer, and Chavo Guerrero, Jr.
Considered by many to be a taskmaster with high expectations for his students, a softer side of Bill also reveals itself as his story unfolds. He speaks passionately about life on the road and how he missed seeing his two daughters grow up. In addition, Bill shares the actual notes from the journals he kept during his time on the road.
A fascinating memoir from one of pro wrestling’s unique characters.
Get information about the print edition HERE.
Excerpt from Chapter 1: Car Tipping
Copyright © Bill De Mott and Scott Teal
During the last week of the summer session and on the night before our final exams, several of us decided to go downtown to a local bar. I was only seventeen years old at the time. From what I can recall, I had one too many. Okay, I was drunk. At some point, we decided to leave the bar (which was located on the main street) and go "cow tipping." I didn’t know what that was, but we never got that far. As we walked out of the bar, the first thing we saw was a car, so someone decided we would have a contest to see who could do the most damage to cars (that’s plural) with their body, head, feet, or hands. And, of course, being the "psycho," I had to live up to the challenge.
We did an amazing amount of damage to windshields, trunks, doors, and hoods. As the night went on, "damaging cars" turned into "turning cars over." We called it "car tipping," which was our alternative to "cow tipping." As the night wore on, we made our way back to campus ... one car at a time. We finally decided to move a car into the cornfield behind one of the dorms, oblivious to the fact that we were making enough noise to wake the dead. The last thing I remember (actually, the last thing I was told) was getting a car in my sights ... at the same time a cop had me in the sights of his pistol. One thing led to another and we were all handcuffed and taken to jail.
Excerpt from Chapter 4: Dog Meat
Copyright © Bill De Mott and Scott Teal
Puerto Rico was where I got my real education in "heat" and fan reaction. When I worked independent shows at home, the fans would yell "yay" or "boo," but the fans on the island either loved or hated us. If they hated us, they would throw things. The worst heat I had experienced in the States was at an independent show when my Pop was with me. The fans got so mad at "Big Sweet Williams" that they waited after the matches and threw stones at our car. That was when Pop said, "Holy sh—! This is real!"
That was nothing compared to what took place in Puerto Rico. The fans were constantly drenching us with cups of urine, and it wasn’t unusual to get hit in the mouth with batteries. I had trouble with the islanders even when I was away from the arenas. The Power Twins and I had rocks thrown at us, and there were a few times when people tried to flip over our van … with us in it. I’m not complaining. We considered that to be "good" heat. That changed one night when someone fired a gun at me … while I was in the ring! I was ready to leave the island, but Chicky Starr talked me out of it. The next night, I got shot at again. Those fans lived and breathed wrestling. To them, it was real. And perhaps it was. It was sure real to me. The last time I checked, I don’t remember hearing about anyone shooting a gun at Hulk Hogan.
Excerpt from Chapter 5: Urinal Balls
Copyright © Bill De Mott and Scott Teal
My first appearance for W*ING was on September 18, 1992. I wrestled a young Japanese boy named Masaru Toi. I don’t remember what we did in the match, but I do remember Toi being pissed about having to put over "the new guy." Fortunately, I remembered conversations I had with Japanese wrestlers in Puerto Rico. They told me the Japanese boys would work stiff and hit hard in order to determine what kind of heart you had. I went to the ring that night intent on sending a message: Crash the Terminator isn’t a guy you can mess with!
The office put me in matches with young Japanese boys who were machines and I spent the whole tour fighting for whatever I wanted to get. I didn’t give any quarter, but in the back of my mind, there was the niggling, "I don’t know about this." By the end of the tour, I put my own twist to the Golden Rule: Do unto others before they do unto you.
Mickey Ibaragi was the boss, but as far as I could tell, even though he was the majority owner, he was just a figurehead for the company. I believe he made occasional decisions on the style of the matches, or a finish now and then, but Victor Quiñones was the "go-to guy" who ran the day-to-day operations of the company. Victor was a merchandising genius, but he had his hands in everything. He booked the talent, made the travel arrangements, and scheduled the TV programs. Victor also was the person who booked me, so he was the guy I answered to. I worked for him for almost three years, and in all that time, I never had to buy a plane ticket or pay for a hotel room. Whenever I traveled by bullet train or subway, they would always reimburse me. I was very well taken care of while I was there.
Excerpt from Chapter 6: Batteries and Pesos
Copyright © Bill De Mott and Scott Teal
The ECW show, which was called UltraClash, took place on September 18, 1993, during the time before Eastern Championship Wrestling was renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling. When I asked Eddie if he would let us do something Japanese style, he was all for it. We decided to do a barbed-wire baseball-bat match, the first of its kind to be held in the ECW Arena, with Miguel and me against the Headhunters. We had done that gimmick in Japan many times.
When we got there, we were told the person in charge of bringing the barbed wire had forgotten it, so we asked one of the "girls" who "helped" the boys to go get it. The boys watching in the back couldn’t believe what they were seeing as we wrapped the barbed wire around the bat. During our match, the four of us beat each other all over the building and we got four-way juice. For fat guys, the Headhunters were good workers. They could do some agile stuff. The rest of their stuff sucked, but it was amazing to watch 400-plus pounds guys do things like moonsaults and diving leg drops.
I remember being outside the ring with one of the Headhunters and knocking him through a wall. As he fell, he knocked Abdullah the Butcher off his chair and onto his ass. That was cool to see. Where else but ECW could someone like me get away with knocking Abdullah on his ass and have him look up at me with a smile on his face? The people in the audience had never seen anything like that. They were on their feet.
Excerpt from Chapter 7: The Man of Question
Copyright © Bill De Mott and Scott Teal
I had been watching WCW Saturday Night for a long time, so when I walked into the theater, I was completely taken by surprise to realize the auditorium was no bigger than a movie theater. Some of the greatest wrestlers of all time had wrestled there, and now … I was going to work there. What an incredible feeling that was. I was at Center Stage with a "Who’s Who" of wrestling: Eddy Guerrero, Meng, Jim Duggan, Bubba Rogers, Lex Luger, Road Warrior Hawk, Scott Norton, Mike Rotunda, Alex Wright, and Paul Orndorff. I was even in awe of the guys whose only purpose for being there was to "do a job" in order to help someone else get over.
The members of the Dungeon of Doom — Taskmaster [Kevin Sullivan], Meng [Haku], Shark [John Tenta], Zodiac [Ed Leslie] — came to the ring during my match. That really got my blood flowing. They were cats I had watched on TV for a long time. I always enjoyed listening to King Curtis Iaukea, the "Master" of the Dungeon of Doom, who opened his promos with "Sullivan, my son." He had such a distinctive voice.
After my match with Randy Savage, I was told I would be given future opportunities to talk. Unfortunately, politics reared its ugly head, as it often does in the wrestling business. People wanted to know what the "new kid" had done to deserve to get air time. After that, I did a few segments with Mean Gene Okerlund and David Penzer for commercial spots and fillers which were specifically designed to introduce the "Laughing Man" to certain markets. They also flew me to Atlanta to do a commercial for a pay-per-view where I played a prisoner in a jail cell. That was easy. I had real-life experience playing that part. But other than those few occasions, I wouldn’t find myself doing promos again for four years, which was a long, frustrating time. That was politics, though, a game I’ve never played well.
The main problem was I never knew what I was going to be allowed to do. Sting had the "Stinger Splash," which was a lot like a move I called Squishers, which was actually a running splash in the corners I couldn’t do the "elbow off the top rope" move because Randy Savage used it. I was a 300-pound guy doing dropkicks, spin kicks, and moonsaults … and that ruffled feathers. Kevin sat me down and told me I was strictly a "punch-kick guy." "Hey, when the time is right, we’ll turn you loose. Until then, hang tight. We know what you can do." That didn’t sit well with me because I had learned several different forms of my craft: Japan, Mexico, European, and American. But what could I do? I did what I was told.
Excerpt from Chapter 8: The Chubba Bubbas
Copyright © Bill De Mott and Scott Teal
Unfortunately, not too long after Pillman left for the WWF, another work/shoot took place between Kevin Sullivan and Chris Benoit. I can only speak from what I know (or think I know) when I talk about the situation. Chris became the fourth member of the Four Horsemen in 1995, which at the time was comprised of Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, and Brian Pillman. When Pillman signed a contract with the WWF, Chris took Pillman’s place and became embroiled in an on-air (worked) feud with Kevin. At the time, Kevin’s wife Nancy, using the stage name Woman, was managing the Four Horsemen. In late 1996, a storyline was developed in which Nancy was supposed to be having an affair with Chris, which lent more interest to the feud between Kevin and Chris. The on-screen relationship, which required them to travel together, developed into a real-life affair off screen. The joke going around was that "Kevin Sullivan had booked his own divorce." That was the general picture of what went down.
Chris and Nancy were, indeed, spending a lot of time together, and no doubt, their closeness was what brought them together. Chris would later confide in me that the relationship between Kevin and Nancy hadn’t been all "wine and roses" even before they got together. I don’t know if that was the case or not. As with anything, there are usually two sides to a story, but in this case, there were three. All I knew was that I loved all three of them: Kevin, Nancy, and Chris.
I was amazed, however, at how fast things got complicated. The vignettes which showed Chris and Nancy together began to take on a more "personal" flavor, like sharing wine in a restaurant, and being together in a house. Wrestling being wrestling, storyline became reality and the talk in the dressing room began. I can’t give an exact time of when the sides were drawn, but coalitions were formed with Benoit’s buddies on one end and Sullivan’s on the other … or so it seemed. As always, when the boys were with Sullivan, they were "pro-Kevin," but when they were around Chris and Nancy, they were "pro-Chris." That was the way it was in wrestling.
Whereas before, where the Dungeon and the Horsemen worked snug with each other, everybody began tightening up. We really let the hammer drop when we worked with Chris. We had never worked as stiff with the Horsemen as we did that night, especially with Chris. To be honest, it was understood by both sides that we preferred to work stiff, and everyone involved like it that way, but "stiff" took on a new meaning that night. Not only that, but it gave Kevin and Chris license to beat the hell out of each other — legally. Chris was a big fan of "working snug" and believability. He expected to receive as much as he dished out.
Excerpt from Chapter 9: The Chemist
Copyright © Bill De Mott and Scott Teal
I don’t want anyone to think I take the issue of drugs lightly, or that I’m proud of what I did in those days, but I can’t undo what happened. I can’t and won’t speak for everyone, but I was well-versed in recreational drugs. Working, bumping, traveling, and partying took a toll on my body and my mind. I found a way to lay down and get up each day (and every day) by using Soma [a muscle relaxer] and narcotic pain relievers like Nubain, Vicodin, and OxyContin. I would take something to keep going all night, and something else to bring me down and help me relax. I didn’t necessarily take anything to sleep, but I just needed something to take off the edge caused by the other drugs. As soon as I finished wrestling, I would get my bag and pop ten Somas into my mouth. I would chew them, wash them down with vodka and grapefruit juice, take a shower, and get ready to party. I never got on a plane without being drugged up in some way, shape, or form. I would get on the plane to leave the country with a pocketful of cocaine and a bottle of Somas and assorted pills. Guys who would come off the road with a one-day turnaround needed something to help them pass out on the plane so they could be rested and somewhat normal for the short time they had to spend with their family. When we made an overseas trip, we would stock up on pills and our "choice" of medicine.
There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t take and nothing I wouldn’t mix. Stupid, I know, and I have to repeat that I’m not saying this to brag. For all intents and purposes, I should have died ten different times, but there is a purpose to this story. The fact that I’m still here makes me realize I was saved for a reason. I want everyone who reads this to know that drugs will make you think you need them to get through life, but they will kill you. Too many of my friends said "that won’t happen to me," but in many cases, it did. I know full well that it is only by the grace of God that I am still around to tell my story. I carried around the torch of stupidity, selfishness, and disregard for my friends and family. I never stopped to think about how my actions affected them. It wasn’t my intention to hurt anyone, but at the time, like everyone else, I thought I was invincible.
Strangely enough, whenever I was injured and required surgery, I was terrified. That seems stupid considering the drugs I took and the things I did, but I always worried about not waking up from the anesthesia. Even after the surgeries, I wouldn’t use the prescribed medications because I was afraid of how my body would react to them. How ridiculous is that? I did and took everything under the sun without giving it any thought, but when something was legal and prescribed to me, I was scared about what might happen.
Wrestlers aren’t bad people. We are family men and women, and speaking for myself, I never looked at drugs as hurting anyone other than myself. I used them in order to survive the pain, the headaches, and the pressure (that I put on myself), but I used them to excess. I’m sure the long-term effects of the drugs have taken their toll on my body and only the future will tell what troubles are in store for me. However, I was a chemist, and that made me more dangerous than most. I knew what to take, how much to take, and when to take it. I knew how to keep conscious long enough to get through whatever situation I found myself in. I knew what I needed to take to get "up" the next day. I even knew what foods to eat to make the drugs more potent. I reached a point where I didn’t even have to think about it. It became a part of my routine.
For the most part, I was always under the radar. The boys who were close to me knew I was a mess and a party machine, but I never found myself in the headlines as "one of those guys" who acted up in airports, passed out in restaurants and parking lots, or pissed my pants in a hotel lobby. I knew what I could handle and still stay out of the limelight.
Excerpt from Chapter 11: The Invasion
Copyright © Bill De Mott and Scott Teal
Nobody knew anything until the night of March 26 when we were booked to wrestle in Panama City, Florida.
Johnny Ace, who was an agent with WCW at the time, called and told us to be there early for a pre-show meeting. As Chavo and I walked through the backstage area, we noticed some of the doors had WWF signs and WWF names on them. We didn’t put it past WCW doing that to work us over, so we weren’t sure what it all meant, but it sure started a buzz. The guys who normally talked and discussed things might have known something, but nobody was saying much of anything. Everybody simply went straight to catering and waited for the "meeting" to begin. The whole crew was there: workers, referees, and agents.
The funniest thing about the whole setup was that most of the guys came into the room with their typical "who cares" attitude … until Pat Patterson, Shane McMahon, Jerry Brisco, Johnny Ace, and Bruce Prichard all walked into the room. All of a sudden, they were sitting up straight and paying attention. You could have heard a pin drop. Most of the guys sat there with a look of "What the fu—?" on their faces, and there wasn’t a person in the room who didn’t pay strict attention when the WWF brass began talking and explaining how things were going to work.
Everybody knew there was a chance they might be losing their jobs. The ones who sweated it out the most were the guys who had burned a bridge with Vince McMahon (especially when WCW was on top and they tried to shove it up Vince’s ass). The guys with talent knew they would likely be hired by the WWF because they could be useful to the company, but for the most part, the guys who were "on top" were the most uncomfortable because they knew it was going to be almost impossible to topple people like Steve Austin, the Rock, Undertaker, Triple H, and Kurt Angle from their spots.
Excerpt from Chapter 13: Tough Enough
Copyright © Bill De Mott and Scott Teal
What should have been the biggest story of TE3 was the meltdown of a contestant named Lisa. When it came to training, Lisa was the biggest screwup of the season. She would miss moves and laugh about it, which didn’t sit well with the trainers or her fellow contestants. During the second week of training, she lost her mind. I mean, she literally lost her mind. One afternoon, Big received a phone call from the production crew who were working the night shift. They said Lisa was wearing a dress and jumping on the roof of the house. The biggest problem with that was, the side of the house on which she was jumping was a one-way ticket to the bottom of a canyon. She had blown a circuit and nobody knew what to do. By the time Big arrived at the house, the producers had talked her down. When John walked over to her, she pushed him against the wall and said something like, "They are going to get you, too … he is going to get you."
While I was driving to the studio the next morning, Big called to tell me what happened. What he told me was so crazy that I had to pull over to the side of the road so I could concentrate. Lisa was diagnosed with having suffered a psychotic breakdown and was to the "rubber room" at UCLA (I think) for her own safety. She was held there for three days before being released to her parents, who had flown in from New Mexico to take her home. When she saw them, she physically attacked them and claimed they weren’t her parents. After they arrived at Los Angeles International Airport, she escaped custody and a wing of the airport was shut down until she was located and subdued. She was again hospitalized, only to check herself out a short time afterwards, whereupon she contacted the Tough Enough producers to tell them she was ready to return to the show.
None of this information was released to the general public and the TE contestants (and, subsequently, the audience) were told she had decided wrestling "wasn’t the right career for her."
The next time anyone heard from Lisa, she appeared at the OVW training center and said Al Snow and Big had sent her for additional training. During the week of September 21-24, she talked her way backstage at a series of WWE house shows in California, and was even allowed to assist with pyro for the wrestlers’ entrances at the TV taping. Someone said she had a face-to-face conversation with Vince McMahon, who was unaware of her situation with the Tough Enough program. Her photo was later circulated to security personnel and she was barred from backstage areas. Her picture also hung in the MTV studios with a note that said, "Do not give this person access to any part of the studio."
It was said I was pretty hard on her, and to this day, Al often speaks of how I "drove that poor girl crazy." I just look at it as one of those incidents that enhanced my reputation, and apparently, she just wasn’t "tough enough." Bad humor, I know.
Excerpt from Chapter 17: The Heat Guy
Copyright © Bill De Mott and Scott Teal
When we all trained together at Gold’s Gym, nobody complained about anything. We worked those kids for two to three hours a day and nobody grumbled or whined. However, on our first day in the new building, those problems began … in spades. When we were working at Gold’s Gym, everyone was blowing up, but that was a good thing because nobody was really in great cardio shape. When the time came for everyone to show what they could do in the ring, the kids were quickly separated into two groups: "those who could" and "those who couldn’t." As soon as the dead weight began to realize they weren’t as good as they thought, and they couldn’t hang with some of the others, they began making phone calls and sending e-mails to WWE to complain about their "mistreatment." In most cases, they blamed me for asking them to do things they shouldn’t have to do.
The intensity of the workouts dictated how the "problem children" handled themselves. Whenever we had a particularly grueling workout, I knew I would be getting a call from the office asking me to explain why I was doing something or another. It became absolutely ridiculous to have a really good day of training, only to get a phone call at the end of the day with someone telling me so-and-so was complaining about being thrown out of the ring. Other complaints ran the gamut:
"We’re expected to do too much each day." (we trained four days a week for "maybe" three hours a day)
"The conditioning is too much for us to handle."
"We have to begin training too early in the morning." (eight o’clock)
"Bill plays favorites and doesn’t push them as hard as he does the rest of us."
"Bill brought in some of his friends to intentionally hurt the people he doesn’t like."
"Bill talks nice to some people and treats others like dirt."
"Bill took so-and-so out for a drink, but didn’t invite me."
"Bill invited a group out to his house for dinner, but didn’t invite me."
Bill gets in the ring and stretches the guys he doesn’t like."
The list of complaints was endless. At one time, we had too many kids in the building at the same time, so we had to split the training into two sessions (that was about the time Dave Taylor was brought onboard as the second trainer) so everyone could get more training and ring time. One group was "rewarded" and called the "A Team," while the others, the "B Team," had to train with me as "punishment." It was simply a rib. One of the guys in my group came up with the idea for a t-shirt and we asked everyone (from both sessions) if they wanted to participate and order a shirt. The response from both groups was unanimous: "Yes." Printed on the front of the shirts was — I’m just happy to "B" — and on the back was — HERE! It was just a play on words about the "A" and "B" team bullsh—.
Even that warranted a call to Talent Relations. Someone called to say they hadn’t been asked to participate and they didn’t get a shirt. I got a call from Dreamer that night and was told we were no longer allowed to wear the shirts because it offended some of the trainees. I was told if they did, they would be fined. When I hung up the phone, I said to myself, "Fu— that," and I continued to wear it. The students continued to wear them every chance they got — to the gym, to Saturday workouts, and out on the town. They were proud to be known as the "B Team."
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Foreword by Les Thatcher
Acknowledgements
1 Cow Tipping
Interacting with fans at conventions … Bill’s childhood in Paramus, New Jersey … Family life … Playing football … Growing up without a father … Dealing with his mom dating … Learning the work ethic … Attending Kutztown University … Earning the nickname "Psycho" … Car tipping … Handcuffed and taken to jail … Overview of his college days
2 Learning to Crawl
Working various jobs … Coaching Pee Wee football … Discovering professional wrestling … Visiting Gleason’s Gym and meeting Johnny Rodz … Paying to be trained … Meeting and training with wrestlers … Training regimen … Training, partying, and lack of sleep … Learning the business from the ground up … Getting "the talk" from Johnny Rodz … Exit Bill De Mott, Enter Big Sweet Williams … Wrestling debut against Bialo the Giant … Selling tickets … Wrestling in the main event against Johnny Rodz … $200 payday
3 Key to the City
Wrestling for the World Wrestling Federation ... Tag teaming with Mondo Kleen ... Chief Jay Strongbow, the arrogant a—hole ... $20 payoffs ... Wrestling Tommy Dreamer in Dreamer's debut match ... Big Vito wrestlers out of his clothes ... Thoughts on Kid Krush and D-Von Dudley ... Working for Dennis Galamb and Joe Savoldi ... Tito Santana "teaches Bill how to work" ... Threatened by Tommy Savoldi ... Working independent dates ... Being given the Key to the City of Paramus ... Appearing on "Good Day, New York", a mainstream TV show ... Meeting Eddie Mansfield ... Going on a European tour with Ted Petty ... Shaving his head ... Working as Crash the Eliminator
4 Dog Meat
Hercules Ayala invites Bill to work in Puerto Rico ... Mondo Kleen pulls a no-show ... Bill's manager, Chicky Starr ... Traveling with the Power Twins ... The wrong side of town ... Learning the local cuisine; pizza, chicken, and dog ... Working with Steve Strong ... Rooming with Tom Brandi ... An education in "heat" and fan reaction ... Knives and guns ... Trouble on the homefront ... Living with David Heath and Luna Vachon ... Invited to work for Carlos Colon by Eddie Gilbert ... Introduction to the blade and juice ... Super glue ... Fan appreciation from groupies and arena rats ... The 50-mile rule ... The fruit girl ... Tiger Jackson's third leg
5 Urinial Balls
Working for the W*ING promotion ... Ribbed by Miguel Perez Jr. and Ricky Santana ... Wrestling young Japanese boys ... Mickey Ibaragi, the boss ... Working for Victor Quinones ... Bill's first guarantee ... Dealing with the long plane flights ... Booze and pills ... Mike Kirchner, aka Leatherface, goes to jail ... The language barrier ... Being worked by the Japanese boys ... Communicating finishes in Japan ... Winning his first title, the W*ING tag team title, with Mr. Pogo ... Kevin Sullivan eats a urinal ball ... Sullivan gets his revenge on Bill, Mike Kirchner, Jimmy Delray, Doug Gilbert and Steve Collins ... Missing the birth of his first daughter
6 Batteries and Pesos
Wrestling in Mexico ... Being the only "gringo" on the tour ... Wrestling two-out-of-three fall matches ... Attacked by Mexican women ... Drenched in urine ... Working under a mask ... Mil Mascaras, "the biggest asshole in the world" ... Bill's plane ticket goes missing ... Stranded in Mexico ... Riding on a bus with goats and chickens ... Invited by Eddie Gilbert to work for Eastern Championship Wrestling [ECW] ... Barbed wire match ... Heat with Paul Heyman ... Working as Mikey Whipwreck's bodybuard ... The $25 lesson
7 The Man of Question
Back home in New Jersey ... A call from Kevin Sullivan ... Invited to tryout for WCW ... Meeting with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan ... Bill's WCW debut ... Learning to moonsault ... Kevin Sullivan gives Bill a choice ... Meeting "friends" in the Ramada Inn lounge ... The Man of Question ... Doing a promo on Randy Savage ... Wrestling Cactus Jack ... Joining the Dungeon of Doom ... The Laughing Man ... A punch-kick guy ... Advice from One Man Gang ... A boat ride with Dick Slater ... Winning (and not winning) the WCW world tag team title ... Arn Anderson bitch-slaps Disco Inferno ... Bobby Eaton gets locked into the airplane bathroom ... Memories of Bobby Duncum Jr. ... Chad Brock, from wrestler to country-music artist ... A check for $12,000 ... A summons from Hulk Hogan
8 The Chubba Bubbas
Hanging with Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge ... Devon Storm joins the Chubba Bubbas ... The McDonald's drive-through ... "Borrowing" the WCW van ... Johnny gets busted ... Getting fired by Kevin Sullivan ... Brian Pillman refuses to sell for Sullivan ... Reinstated by Eric Bischoff ... SWAT team ... Sullivan and Bischoff pull a rib on Johnny Grunge ... Arn Anderson kicks Meng in the nuts ... Sleeping with the producer ... Kevin and Nancy Sullivan ... Behind the scenes of a real-life soap opera ... Sullivan books his own divorce ... The Dungeon (Sullivan) vs the Horsemen (Benoit) behind the scenes ... Brawl in the bathroom ... A note to wrestlers regarding their wives/girlfriends ... Joe D'Acquisto joins the Chubba Bubbas ... Monkey juice, aka GHB, runs rampant in the company ... Dave Penzer cleans the room in Sturgis, South Dakota ... A joke gets amplified in the Mount Rushmore amphitheatere ... Tattoos ... Konnan and Rey Mysterio Jr. become honorary Chubba Bubas ... The "Skinny-Guy" clause ... A drug dog eats Chavo Guerrero Jr.'s doughnuts ... Bill loses his cool ... Being honest with Kevin Sullivan ... Meng does the Macarena
9 The Chemist
The journeyman wrestler ... Appearing in the movie "The Waterboy" with Adam Sandler and Henry Winkler ... The Dungeon of Doom is dismantled ... Jimmy Hart's "First Family" ... A lesson about drugs ... Introduction to steroids ... Easy availablility of drugs ... Surprise drug test ... The dreaded FedEx overnight letter from WCW ... Ordered to make a 90-day in-house rehab visit ... Faulty testing procedures ... Asking Eric Bischoff for a raise ... Getting a rare win on "WCW Monday Nitro" ... The new contract ... Diagnosed with clinical brain damage ... Kevin Sullivan is ousted as booker ... Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff take over ... Appearing on "The Family Feud"
10 Misfits in Action
The "Misfits in Action" ... Hugh Morrus becomes Hugh G. Rection ... Captain Rection takes over the Misfits ... Major Gunns ... Van Hammer resents being called Private Stash ... Booker T and Jerry "The Wall" Tuite join the Misfits ... Selling F.U.B.A.R t-shirts ... 43-cent royalty check ... Winning the U.S. title and then losing it to Lance Storm ... Shane "French Fry" Douglas
11 The Invasion
Spending time doing charity work and visiting children's hospitals ... Tryout with the WWF ... A surprise in Panama City, Florida ... The WWF takes over ... Meeting with Johnny Ace and J.R. ... Appearing at "WrestleManis XVII ... Shawn Stasiak queers the deal ... WCW "invades" the WWF ... Edge gets hurts and Bill gets blamed ... Locker room heat between WWF and former WCW talent ... Curtain calls ... Shane Helms and Buff Bagwell get into an altercation ... Buff disrespects Pat Patterson ... Wrestlers' court ... The unwritten rules of traveling ... Bill Silverman takes a deal ... The one-legged wrestler disrespects the boys ... Russ McCullough tells Tommy Dreamer to quit eating Twinkies ... Bob Holly beats Billy Gunn in a dropkick competition
12 On the Sidelines (again)
September 11, 2001 ... Traveling with Chavo Guerrero Jr. ... Bodyslamming Big Show ... Crash Holly applies for a job at Wal-Mart ... Thoughts on Al Snow, Billy Gunn, and Tommy Dreamer ... Bill's personal journal notes ... Working for Les Thatcher's Heartland Wrestling Association ... Bill's guarantee is cut in half ... Backstage politics and the WWF's 2002 "draft" ... The downside guarantee
13 Tough Enough
Invited to be a trainer for "Tough Enough 3" ... "Hugh Morrus" is fired ... Working with MTV producers ... The truth behind the confrontation between Bob Holly and Matt Cappotelli ... Bill drives a contestant "crazy" ... The Christian-stripper ... Jonah plays a huge rib on his fellow contestants ... The contestants get their revenge ... Relationships with Tough Enough contestants
14 Lacey
Bill meets Lacey Storey ... Separating from his wife and the problems being on the road plays on a marriage ... Jim Duggan's wife "bans" Bill from hanging out with Jim ... Bill's daughters meet Lacey ... Divorce proceedings ... Injuries catch up to Bill ... Training students at Ohio Valley Wrestling
15 The Doody Man
Commentating on "WWE Velocity" ... Losing friends ... Injury diagnoses ... Served with divorce papers ... Getting married again ... Filming "Tough Enough 4" ... Marty Wright, the "Doody Man" ... Danny Inferno knocks out Marty Wright's teeth ... Dividing his time between "Velocity," "Million Dollar Tough Enough," and Ohio Valley Wrestling
16 Jackass of All Trades
A change in plans ... Moving to McDonough, Georgia ... Running the Deep South Wrestling [DSW] training facility ... Meeting with Johnny Ace and Tommy Dreamer at Titan Towers ... Information on the Internet causes problems ... Trouble between Joe Hamilton and Bill Behrens ... Behind the scenes of the operation of Deep South Wrestling ... Taking heat for decisions made by everyone ... Training the kids at Gold's Gym ... Moving into the new training center ... Deep South TV tapings ... Joe Hamilton threatens to "shut this fu—ing place down" ... Neal Pruitt takes Bill Behren's place ... Visits from WWE executives and road agents ... "Promo Day" ... A promise from Johnny Ace
17 The Heat Guy
Pushing the DSW students to their limits ... The competitive spirit at DSW ... Saturday morning training sessions ... The problem children ... The list of complaints ... A-Team and B-Team ... Phone calls to Talent Relations ... "Make-A-Deal Friday" ... Babysitting 101 ... Paid to train ... Telling students to "Get the fu— out of my ring! ... Taping training sessions ... Johnny Ace reads the students the riot act ... Cliques ... Greg Gagne's speech ... The letter-writing campaign
18 Crybabies and Complainers
The Bill De Mott bashers ... critique of the complainers ... Dave Taylor is brought in as an additional trainer
19 The Go-To Guys (and Girls)
Bill throws a knife at Brett Majors ... Bill's "headhunters" ... Eric Perez gets chopped in the ring ... Freakin' Deacon swooshes jelly doughnuts ... Angel Williams, the first DSW diva ... Shantelle Taylor wins "WWE Fan of the Month" contest ... Lacey puts The Miz in his place ... Overviews of Brett and Brian Majors, Derrick Neikirk, Mike Knox, Eric Perez, Freakin' Deacon, Mike Taylor, MVP, Brian Mailhot, Mike Mizanin (The Miz), Matt Cappotelli, and Elijah Burke
20 Falling Up the Wall
Working with Afa Anoa'i Jr. ... Sonny Siaki's sacrifice ... Tony Santarelli falls up the wall ... David Heath scares the developmental talent ... Mack Johnson sits on a rail ... Matt Striker's package ... Kofi Kingston loses his accent ... Overview of Big Vito, Tony Santrelli, Bradley Jay, Claudio Castagnoli, Cru Jones, Damian Steel, Heath Miller, Danny Gimondo, Frankie Coverdale, George "G-Rilla" Murdoch, Jack Swagger, Mack Johnson, Antonio Mestre, Lawrence Tyler, Johnny Curtis, Johnny Parisi, Matt Striker, Keith Walker, Robert Anthony, Kid Cash, T.J. Wilson, Ray Gordon [Terry Ray Gordy Jr.], Roughhouse O'Reilly, Tommy Suede, and Ryan Reeves
21 Deep South Divas
Overview of Daisey Mae, Kristal Marshall, Luscious, Michelle McCool, Rebecca DiPietro, Melissa Coates, Tracy, Krissy Vaine, and Natalie Neidhart
22 Attack of the Killer Squats
Training the Great Khali ... The complaints begin ... Khali refuses to do anything physical ... Bill is released from his WWE contract ... Joe Hamilton comes clean ... Tom Prichard takes Bill's place ... The taped training session ... WWE severs ties to DSW ... Bill counts his blessings
23 A Real Job
Wrestling on the independent circuit ... Wrestling for Ronnie Gossett and not getting paid ... Moving to Georgia ... Applying for a job with FedEx ... The band of gypsies ... Forming a new company, New Energy Wrestling ...
24 Billy De Mott, Celebrity
Meeting celebrities: ZZ Top, Kid Rock, Joe C and others ... Disappointment with the band KISS
25 The "Real" First Family
Life after wrestling ... Bill becomes a father, again
Addendum: Another Last Laugh
The phone call ... Invited to be a trainer on "Tough Enough 5"
Index
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$1,000,000 Tough Enough, 170, 195-196, 201, 204, 213
101 Reasons Not To Be a Pro Wrestler, 111
20/20 (TV show), 35, 44
Ace, Johnny (see Laurinaitis, John)
Acolytes, The, 120
Adams, Brian, 67
Adams, Brooke, 196
Albert (Matt Bloom), 127
All Japan Pro Wrestling, 53, 110
All Star Wrestling, 42
Alliance, The, 122
American Wrestling Association, 192
Anderson, Arn, 35, 43, 66, 71, 76-77, 80, 88, 102-104, 152, 159, 181, 192
Angle, Kurt, 115, 151, 160, 167, 197
Animal, Road Warrior, 36
Anoa’I Jr., Afa, 206
Anoa’I, Afa, 36
Anthony, Robert, 211, 219
Armstrong, Brad, 198
Atlas, Tony, 33
Aunt Carol, 15
Austin, Steve, 115, 159-160, 239
A-Wall, Sgt. (see Tuite, Jerry "The Wall")
Awesome, Mike, 104, 116, 119-120
Ayala, Hercules, 38-41, 45
Aykroyd, Dan, 60
Azzolino, Rose, 22
Bachia, Paul, 17, 22
Badd, Johnny B (Mark Mero), 69
Bag Lady, The (Melissa Coates), 201, 215
Bagwell, Buff, 119-122
Banks, Antonio, 185, 202
Barbarian, 69, 79, 81, 91
Barbed wire match, 61
Basham, Doug, 169
Batista, 214
Batts, Mikey, 184-185
Bauer, Charlie, 15
Beefcake, Brutus, 68, 73
Behrens, Bill, 175, 178-180
Bennett, Reggie, 62
Benoit, Chris, 80-81, 85, 89-90, 102, 118, 160, 162, 191
Benoit, Nancy, 54, 80-81, 162, 215
Bernard, Gigante (Matt Bloom), 127
Bialo the Giant (Allen Bialo), 27
Big Brother, 139
Big Bubba, 81
Big Show, 126, 128, 152
Bigelow, Bam Bam, 102, 114
Biggers, Trenesha, 197
Bischoff, Eric, 8, 63-64, 77-78, 92, 97-99, 101-102, 104, 107, 112
Blackman, Steve, 118
Blading, 35, 44-45
Blood (see blading)
Bloom, Matt, 127
Bonham, Bob, 24-25
Bonnie, Grandma, 169
Boogeyman, The (see Wright, Marty)
Boone, Johnny, 152
Boricuas, Los, 61
Bostonian, Ms., 15
Bradley, Steve, 130
Bradshaw (see Layfield, John)
Brady, "Diamond" Jim (Steve Cooper), 24
Brandi, Tom, 36, 42-43, 46
Brisco, Jerry, 115-116
Brock, Chad, 72
Bucci, Mike, 179, 181, 196, 215, 220-221
Buck, Tylene, 105-106, 111
Bull, Jack (Greg Groothius), 194, 214
Burke, Elijah, 205
Burnett, William, 9
Butcher, Abdullah the, 48
Butcher, Abdullah the, 61
Byrd, Adrian, 63-64
Byson, Chris, 227
C, Joe (Joseph Calleja), 230
Cade, Lance, 130
Cajun, Corporal (see LeRoux, Lash)
Cangimilia, Tommy, 17
Canon, Palmer, 185, 203, 217
Cappotelli, Matt, 137, 140, 144, 159, 205
Cash, Kid (David Cash), 211
Castagnoli, Claudio, 208
Castillo, Hurricane, 45
Century Wrestling Alliance, 33
Chase, Chevy, 60
Chicago Slaughter (football team), 89
Christian (William Reso), 119
Chubba Bubbas, 74, 76, 78, 81-82, 84-87, 89-90
Clark, Bob, 155-156, 158, 160, 163, 165
Clay, Brodus (see Murdoch, George)
Coates, Melissa, 201, 215
Collins, Steve, 54
Colon, Carlos, 38-39, 41-42, 44, 48
Comcast Sports South, 179
Cooley, Wendell, 42
Cornette, Jim, 99, 159
Coverdale, Frankie (Francisco Ciatso), 209
Crash the Eliminator, 36-37, 60
Crash the Terminator, 36, 39, 49, 51, 55, 64, 67
Crockett, David, 76, 78
Crockett, Jim, 62
Crowbar (see Ford, Chris)
Cruiserweight title, 110
Curtis, Johnny (Jonathan Curtis), 210
Cyberslam, 77
D’Acquisto, Joe, 81, 83, 85
Davis, Danny (Dan Briley), 159, 175, 177, 191
De Mott III, William Charles, 10, 17-18, 142, 231-233, 236, 238
De Mott Sr., William, 14
De Mott, Alice (see Galligan, Alice)
De Mott, Casey, 10, 17, 50, 55-56, 63, 142-143, 145, 147, 149-150, 153-155, 157, 169-170, 203, 205, 232-236, 238
De Mott, Darryl, 10, 15, 19-20, 125, 166, 169
De Mott, Debbie, 10, 16
De Mott, Keri, 10, 18, 56, 63, 142-143, 145, 147, 149-150, 153-155, 157, 169, 203, 205, 232-236, 238
De Mott, Lacey, 10, 17, 86, 140-151, 153-154, 157-158, 160-161, 165-171, 173-175, 183, 202, 204-205, 207, 209, 219, 222, 224, 226, 231-238
Deacon, Freakin’ (Drew Hankinson), 172, 183, 185, 201, 217, 219
Dean, Simon (see Bucci, Mike)
Deep South Wrestling (DSW), 110, 168, 171, 174-223, 226, 234, 238
Delray, Jimmy, 54-55
Demento, Damien (see Kleen, Mondo)
Demon Jr., Blue, 60
Detroit Tigers, 199
Deville, Lorian (Freakin’ Deacon), 201
Devon, Brother, 32, 172
Dillinger, Doug, 78
Dillon, J.J., 97, 99, 176
Dingman, Kathy, 87
Dink the Clown, 46
DiPietro, Rebecca, 214
Disqo (see Inferno, Disco)
Divas, Deep South, 214-216
Dixon, Cal, 227
Douglas, Shane, 110
Dr. Pain (movie character), 91
Dreamer 31-32, 124, 127, 130, 172, 175-177, 179-181, 185-190, 192, 197, 210-211, 217
Droese, Duke "The Dumpster", 114
Drug tests, 95
Drugs
— Advil, 97
— antidepressants, 155
— Clenbuterol, 94
— cocaine, 95, 98
— morphine, 95
— narcotics, 95
— OxyContin, 94-95, 98
— Percoset, 94
— Soma, 94-96, 155
— steroids, 93-94, 132
— Valium, 94-95, 97-98, 155
— Winstrol-V, 94
— Xanax, 155
Dudley Boyz, 172
Dudley, Bubba Ray, 32
Dudley, D-Von, 32
Dudley, Spike, 126
Duggan, Jim, 68, 84, 91, 102-103, 109, 113-114, 150, 167
Duncum Jr., Bobby, 71-72
Dungeon of Doom, 68-69, 72-73, 76, 79-80, 88, 91
Dungeon, The (Ramada Inn), 64, 66, 69, 83
Dunn, Kevin, 117, 135-136, 146, 163, 237
Durham, Mike (see Grunge, Johnny)
Earthquake (see Tenta, John)
Eastern Championship Wrestling, 61
Eastwood, Clint, 108
Eaton, Bobby, 71
Edge (Adam Copeland), 119, 151, 160
Entenmann’s Bakery, 18
Estrada, Jose, 31
Express, Rock ‘n’ Roll, 211
Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), 32, 50, 61-62, 77, 122, 127, 132, 195, 200, 210-212
Fabiano, Louis, 162
Family Feud, 102
Fatu, Eddie, 130
Ferrara, Ed, 92, 104, 107
Fertig, Kevin, 172
Festus (Drew Hankinson), 201
Filthy Animals, The, 111, 156
Finkel, Howard, 128
First Family, The, 9, 91, 152, 154, 233
Flair, Ric, 66, 80, 101
Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), 192, 196, 200, 206, 210-211, 213, 227
Flynn, Jerry, 91, 152
Foley, Mick, 126
Ford, Chris, 74-76, 114
Four Horsemen, The, 80
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW), 50
FUBAR, 108
Funaki, Shoichi, 164
G.I. Bro (see T, Booker)
Gaburick, John "Big", 135-138, 146, 237
Gagne, Greg, 177, 181, 192-193, 196, 215
Gagne, Verne, 192
Galamb, Dennis, 32-33
Galligan, Alice (Bill’s mother) , 10-11, 14, 16, 18, 20, 23, 148, 152, 154, 169, 178
Galligan, John, 18-20
Gallows, Luke (Drew Hankinson), 172, 201
Gallows, Mike, 222
Ganette, Tommy, 32
Gang, One Man (George Gray), 70
Gangrel (see Heath, David)
Georgia Dome, 99
Giant, The (Paul Wight), 91
Gilbert, Doug, 51, 54, 61
Gilbert, Eddie, 44, 61, 162
Gill, Dwayne, 69
Gimondo, Danny, 172, 208
Gleason’s Gym, 23-24, 27-28, 31-32, 35-36, 74, 211
Gloria (office manager), 40-41, 43
Gold Club, Atlanta, 83
Gold’s Gym, 178, 186, 202, 226-227, 234
Goldberg, Bill, 102, 109
Goldust (Dustin Runnels), 234
Good Day, New York, 35
Good Intentions, 204
Gordman, Black, 38
Gordy, Ray, 212
Gossett, Ronnie, 223-224
Gowen, Zack, 123
Gray, George (see Gang, One Man)
Green, Mike, 227
Grignon, Shawn, 21
G-Rilla (see Murdoch, George)
Grunge, Johnny, 36, 74-76, 78, 83-85, 102
Guerrero, Chavo, 85-89, 105-108, 110-111, 116, 125-126, 132, 230
Guerrero, Eddie, 68, 85, 88-90, 118, 162, 230
Guidettie, Bobby, 17
Gunn, Billy, 124, 126, 164
Gunns, Major (see Buck, Tylene)
Haiti, Mr., 43
Halicion, 94
Halloween Havoc 2000, 109
Hamilton, Joe "Jody", 175-177, 179-180, 182, 190-191, 193, 197, 201, 210, 212, 214, 219-221
Hammer, Van, 104-106
Hankinson, Drew (see Deacon, Freakin’)
Hardy, Matt, 215
Hart, Jimmy, 35, 69, 86, 88, 91-92, 99, 102-103, 152, 233-234
Hawk, Road Warrior, 68, 161-162
Hawkins, Curt, 199, 222
Hayes, Michael, 192, 212
Hayward, Jay, 14
Headhunters 54, 61-62, 65-66
Heartbreak Ridge, 108
Heartland Wrestling Association, 130, 133, 185, 199
Heath, David, 43, 209
Heck, Larry, 119, 155
Helms, Gregory, 126
Helms, Shane, 107, 119, 121
Hennig, Curt, 100, 105, 131-132
Hennig, Joe, 212
Hennigan, John, 159
Heyman, Paul, 24, 62, 122, 177, 179
High Impact, 207, 215
Hildebrand, Brian, 130
Hogan, Hulk, 8, 64, 69, 72-73, 80, 101, 108
Holly, Bob (Robert Howard), 124, 137, 152, 198
Holly, Crash (Mike Lockwood), 124, 127, 133, 155, 160-163, 165
Honky Tonk Man, 26
Horner, Tim, 198
Hornidge, Mike, 17, 25
Horsemen, The Four, 76
Houston, Barry, 65
Hughes, Devon, 32
Hurricane (Gregory Helms), 126
Iaukea, King Curtis, 68
Ibaragi, Kiyoshi "Mickey", 48-49, 54
IFBB, 24
Indoor Football League, 89
Inferno, Danny (see Gimondo, Danny)
Inferno, Disco (Glen Gilburdy), 70-71, 77
Invasion, The, 112-124
Ivory (see Moretti, Lisa)
IWA, 50
IWCCW, 81
IWF, Florida, 38
Jack, Cactus (Mick Foley), 68
Jackson, Tiger, 36, 46
Jakked, 125
Jamie (Tough Enough contestant), 139
Japan 50-52, 55-57, 64-65, 68, 70, 94
Jarrett, Jeff, 87, 114
Jay, Bradley (Brad Bradley), 207-208
Jay, Mickey, 85, 89
Jericho, Chris, 83, 85, 87, 89, 118, 196
Jho, Dr., 159, 162, 166-167
Jill (Tough Enough contestant), 139
Jindrak, Mark, 70, 116, 121, 164
Johnson, Mack, 209-210
Jonah (Tough Enough contestant), 139-140
Jones, Cru, 208
Jones, Nathan, 151-152
Jones, S.D., 43
Jovica, Victor, 48
Juster, Gary, 97, 99
Justin (Tough Enough contestant), 140, 144
Kalksma, Paul, 17
Kane (Glenn Jacobs), 119-120, 126
Kane, Imposter (Hankinson, Drew), 201
Kanyon, Chris, 119, 121
Keibler, Stacy, 116
Keirn, Steve, 181, 192, 219-220
Kelly (Tough Enough contestant), 140
Kenyon, J Michael, 9
Khali, The Great (Dalip Singh Rana), 217-218
Kid, Cheetah (Ted Petty), 36
Kid, Inferno (see Gimondo, Danny)
Kidd, Tyson (Theodore Wilson), 212
Kidman, Billy, 119, 128, 184
King, Rex, 41
Kingston, Kofi, 212
Kirchner, Corporal (see Kirchner, Mike)
Kirchner, Mike, 51, 54-55
KISS, 230
Kleen, Mondo, 30-31, 38-39
Knobbs, Brian, 91, 102-103, 152
Knox, Mike, 183, 185, 199-200, 210, 217, 222
Konnan [Charles Ashenoff], 81, 85, 89
Korakuen Hall, 54
Kozlov, Vladimir, 195
Kreuger, Freddie (see Gilbert, Doug)
Krush, Kid, 32
Kutztown University, 19
Ladd, Ernie, 117
Lancaster, Frankie "The Thumper", 42
Lane, Michael, 36
Lanza, Jack, 118
Laughing Man, The (Hugh Morrus), 69, 73
Laurinaitis, Joe, 36
Laurinaitis, Johnny, 115-118, 121, 123, 128-130, 130, 133, 159-161, 172, 174-176, 179, 181-183, 185, 189-192, 194-195, 197, 212, 217-221, 237
Lawler, Jerry, 119
Layfield, John "Bradshaw", 188, 203
Leatherface (see Kirchner, Mike) |
Leave It To Beaver, 10
LeRoux, Kat, 36
LeRoux, Lash, 105, 107-108, 110, 127, 226
Leslie, Edward (see Beefcake, Brutus)
Lesnar, Brock, 128
Lisa (Tough Enough contestant), 137
Lita (Amy Dumas), 215
Loch Ness Monster, 72
Loco, Lieutenant (see Guerrero, Chavo)
Longest Yard, The, 217
Love, Angelina (see Williams, Angel)
Lozanski, Mike "Canadian Tiger", 51-52
Luger, Lex, 68-70, 80, 108, 114
Luscious (LaQuanda Woodard), 214
M*A*S*H, 137
Madden, Mark, 101
Madison Square Garden, 120-121
Mae, Daisy (Jennifer Thomas), 214
Mailhot, Brian, 202-203
Majors, Brett, 185, 199, 219
Majors, Brian, 185, 199, 219
Malenko, Dean, 83, 89, 118, 132, 181, 192
Malone, Karl, 230
Man of Question, The, 67
Mansfield, Eddie, 35-36, 38
Marshall, Kristal, 197, 214
Marvez, Alex, 111
Mascaras, Mil, 59-60
Mathews, Josh, 161, 164
Matsunaga, Mitsuhiro, 54
Matthews, Darren (see Regal, William)
Matthews, Kevin, 188, 196, 198, 213, 215
Maven (Maven Huffman), 140
MavTV, 182
McCool, Michelle, 214
McCullough, Russ, 124
McMahon, Shane, 115, 117-118, 122
McMahon, Stephanie, 122. 160, 163, 179, 202, 220
McMahon, Vince (Jr.), 32, 86, 97, 112, 115-117, 127, 136, 163, 197, 217-218
McMasters, Luke, 72
McMichael, Mongo (Steve McMichael), 85, 89
Meadowlands Arena, 62
Meng (Tonga Fifita), 68-69, 79, 81, 83, 89
Meow, Leia (Kristina Laum), 106
Mero, Mark, 69, 215
Mestre, Antonio, 210
Mexico, 13, 36, 46, 50-52, 57-58, 59-61, 67, 81
MGM Studios, 64, 88, 97
Miani, Tommy, 17, 23
Michaels, Shawn, 192
Midgets, 23
Millennium Germany, 70
Miller, Ernest, 161
Miller, Heath, 197, 208
Minus, Senor, 59
Misfits, The, 104-112, 128, 165, 234
Mitchell, Nick, 196-197, 222
Miyamoto, Koji, 9
Miz, The (Michael Mizanin), 140, 170, 188, 204
MMA, 170
Monday Night RAW, 132
Morales, Pedro, 23
Moretti, Lisa, 135-137
Morgan, Matt, 172
Morrison, John (John Hennigan), 140
Morrus, Hugh, 69
Morton, Ricky, 211
Mr. Perfect (see Hennig, Curt)
MTV, 134, 137-138, 146, 204
Murdoch, George, 209, 220
Mutoh, Keiji, 65
MVP (see Banks, Antonio)
Mysterio Jr., Rey, 85. 87, 239
Nash, Kevin, 91, 101
National Physique Committee, 24
Natural Born Thrillers, 111
NCW Pro Wrestling, 223
Neidhart, Natalie, 216
Neikirk, Derrick, 183, 185, 199-200, 210, 219
Network, The, 203
New Energy Wrestling (NEW), 224-226, 238
New Japan Pro Wrestling, 53, 70, 127, 202
Newton, Wayne, 64
Nick (Tough Enough contestant), 139
Niemi, Ron, 209
Noble, Jamie, 116, 155
Norton, Scott, 68, 79
Nubain, 95
NWA Anarchy, 180
O’Brian, Conor, 213
O’Haire, Sean, 70, 116, 119-120, 155
O’Reilly, Roughhouse, 183, 196, 212-213, 215, 219
O’Reilly, Ryan (see O’Reilly, Roughhouse)
Odd Couple, The, 180
Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), 130, 138, 158-160, 164, 171-175, 177, 181, 185, 192-194, 196-197, 201, 203, 205, 208-210, 212-213, 220
Okerlund, Mean Gene, 68, 109
Omega, Kenny (Tyson Smith), 193, 196, 213, 222
Ono, Sonny, 70
Onoa’I, Matt, 130
Orndorff, Paul, 26, 63, 68
page, 108
Page, Diamond Dallas, 69, 91, 102, 119-120
Palumbo, Chuck, 70, 116, 120, 164
Paramus, New Jersey, 13
Parisi, Johnny (Joseph Dorgan), 210
Patrick, Nick, 123
Patterson, Pat, 34, 115, 121
Penzer, David, 68, 83-84, 141, 162
Perez Jr., Miguel, 45, 48, 51, 58, 61, 65
Perez, Eric, 183, 185, 200, 217, 219
Perez, Melina (Tough Enough contestant), 139
Petty, Ted, 32, 36-37, 48, 74-76, 78, 83-85, 87, 98, 102
Pillman, Brian, 76-77, 79-80, 130
Playboy, 214
Pogo, Mr., 54, 65-66
Poling, Al, 62
Porter, Montel Vontavious (see Banks, Antonio)
Power Twins, The, 36, 38-40, 43
Presley, Elvis, 64
Prichard, Bruce, 115-116. 192, 221
Prichard, Tom, 159, 219-220
Pro Wrestling Noah, 211-212
Prudius, Oleg, 194-195, 198
Pruitt, Neal, 180, 211
Public Enemy, 74, 85
Puder, Daniel (Tough Enough contestant), 170
Puerto rico 13, 36, 38-49, 64-65, 67-68, 94, 129, 162
Punk, CM, 208
Putski, Ivan, 33, 107
Quiñones, Victor, 8, 45, 48-51, 57
Race, Harley, 194, 211
Ram, Randy the, 213
Raven (Scott Levy), 130
RAW is War, 125, 195, 197, 200, 211-212
Ray, Brother, 172
Ready to Rumble (movie), 102
Real World, 204
Rebekah (Tough Enough contestant), 138
Rection, Hugh G., 105
Reeves, Ryan, 172, 213
Regal, Steven (see Regal, William)
Regal, William (Darren Matthews), 71
Renegade, 67
Rhodes, Dustin, 234
Rhodes, Dusty, 181, 192
Rhymes, Busta, 230
Rhyno (Terry Gerin), 160
Richards, Ray, 57
Richards, Stevie, 130, 133, 161-162, 169
Riggs, Scotty, 102-103, 160
Rivera, Jose Luis, 31
Rivera, Juan, 61
Road Wild, 83
Roadblock, Rochester, 81
Robinson, Charles, 124
Robocop, 103
Rock, Kid, 229
Rock, Rocco (Ted Petty), 74
Rock, The (Dwayne Johnson), 115
Rodimer, Daniel, 195-196, 210, 222
Rodz, Johnny, 8, 23-31, 34-36, 38, 52, 94, 196, 211
Rogers, Bubba (Ray Traylor), 68, 79-80
Rombola, Chris (Christopher Rombola), 193-194, 213, 222
Romero, Steve, 164
Ross, J.R. (Jim Ross), 116, 119, 123, 134
Rotten, Axl, 61
Rotunda, Mike, 68-69
Rourke, Mickey, 213
Rumble, Tony, 33
Runnels, Terri, 118
Russo, Vince, 92, 101-102, 104-105, 107, 112, 156
Ryder, Zack, 199, 222
Sable (Rena Mero), 215
Sammartino, Bruno, 23
Samoans, The, 26
Samson, Keith (see Walker, Keith)
Sanders, Mike, 110, 116
Sandler, Adam, 91
Santana, Ricky, 45, 48, 51, 65
Santana, Tito, 33-34
Santarelli, Tony, 183, 207, 215
Saturn, Perry, 118, 131-132
Savage, Randy, 67-69, 72, 80, 102
Savinovich, Hugo, 41
Savoldi, Joe, 32-33, 35, 81
Savoldi, Tommy, 34
Sawyer, Bart, 152
Schiavone, Tony, 101
Scott (Tough Enough contestant), 140
Serving Sara, 142
Shark (John Tenta), 68-69
Sharp, Alan, 113
Sherrod, Nigel, 181
Siaki, Sonny, 206
Silverman, Billy, 122-123
Simmes, Misty Blue, 36
Sincere, Salvatore, 42
Six Flags Over Georgia, 181
Skiba, Eddie, 34
Skiba, Joey, 34
Skipper, Ellix, 70
Skynyrd, Lynyrd, 83
Slamboree, 104
Slater, Dick, 70
Slater, Heath (see Heath Miller)
Slaughter, Sgt., 26
Smackdown, 125, 133, 146, 149, 151, 156, 163, 195, 200, 203-204
Smith, Mike, 227
Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW), 43
Smothers, Tracy, 51
Snow, Al, 127, 135-140, 145, 169-170, 172-174, 177, 191
Snuka, Jimmy, 26, 33
Sontag, David, 36, 38, 40
Sontag, Larry, 36, 38, 40
Spangler, David, 15
Spies Like Us, 60
Spirit Squad, The, 197
Starr, Chicky, 38-41, 43-45
Starrcade 2000, 124
Stash, Private (see Hammer, Van)
Stasiak, Shawn, 70, 105, 116-117, 124, 130-132, 215
Steamboat, Vic, 33
Steel, Damian (Damien Dothard), 208
Steiner, Rick, 105, 110
Steiner, Scott, 104
Sting, 67, 69, 80, 102., 108
Storey, Lacey (see De Mott, Lacey)
Storm, Devon (Chris Ford), 74
Storm, Lance, 70, 109-111, 114, 116, 118, 156, 171
Stratus, Trish, 118, 239
Striker, Matt (Matthew Kaye), 211, 222
Striker, MVP (see Banks, Antonio)
Strong, Steve, 41-42
Strongbow, Chief Jay, 30-31
Suede, Tommy (Thomas Farra), 213
Sullivan, Kevin, 8, 43, 54-55, 63-68, 72-74, 76-81, 87-88, 92, 99, 215
Sunday Night Heat, 128, 210
Survivor, 135
Swagger, Jack (Jacob Hager), 209
Swinger, Johnny, 178-179, 210-211
T, Booker (Booker Huffman), 104, 107, 119, 121, 239
Taskmaster (Kevin Sullivan), 68
Tatanka, 114
Taylor, Dave, 186-187, 191, 196, 198
Taylor, Mike (Mike Sharrer), 183, 185, 201-202, 207, 215, 219
Taylor, Shantelle, 185, 204, 214, 219
Taylor, Terry, 67-69
Teal, Scott, 8-9, 156
Team Canada, 111
Team Elite, 199
Tenta, John, 68, 79, 118
Thatcher, Les, 130, 199
The Millionaire’s Club, 101, 104
The New Blood, 101, 104
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 51
The Waterboy, 91
Thiessen, Ken, 197-198
Three-Minute Warning, 130
Thunder, 99
Titan Towers, 120, 175, 192
Toi, Masaru, 49
Total Nonstop Action (TNA), 32, 204, 206, 210, 212, 203
Tough Enough 3, 134-135, 137-138, 140, 142-146, 154, 159,
Tough Enough 4, 170-173, 182
Tough Enough 5, 237-238
Tough Enough, 12
Tracy (Tracy Castillio), 215
Triple H (Paul Levesque), 71, 115, 188, 192
Tuite, Jerry "The Wall", 107, 110, 124, 162, 165
Turner Broadcasting, 115
Twilight Zone, The, 100
Tyler, Lawrence (Lawrence Boyer), 210
U.S. heavyweight title, 110
U.S. Kick-Boxing Association, 194
UltraClash, 61
Undertaker, The (Mark Calloway), 115, 120, 126, 152, 192, 217-218
Universal Championship Wrestling, 223
Universal Studios, 74, 78, 91, 238
USA Network, 237
Vachon, Luna, 43
Vader (Leon White), 63-64
Vaine, Krissy (Kristin Eubanks), 196, 212, 215, 219
Valentine, Greg, 26
Vampiro, 58-59
Vaughn, Taylor, 87
Velocity, 146, 160, 163, 170, 172, 181
Ventura, Jesse, 23
Viewer’s Choice, 113
Vito, Big (Vito LoGrasso), 32, 206
Volkoff, Nikolai, 26
W*ING 45, 48-50, 54, 57, 62, 65-66, 70
Walker, Keith, 211, 219
Wallstreet, V.K., 69
Ware, Koko B., 26, 33
WCW Monday Nitro, 70, 76, 99, 104-105, 230
WCW Nitro Grill, 103
WCW Saturday Night, 68-69
WCW Superbrawl IX, 141
Weller, Peter, 103
Western Wrestling Alliance, 107
Whipwreck, Mikey, 62
Wight, Paul (see Big Show)
Wildside, 180
Williams, Angel (Lauren Williams), 178, 185, 199, 203-204, 214, 219
Williams, Big Sweet, 27-28, 32, 35, 39, 43
Williams, Luke (Brian Wickens), 27
Williams, Steve, 192, 201
Wilson, David (aka Pop), 11, 16, 18-20, 23, 25, 27-28, 36, 43, 94, 148, 166, 169, 178, 235
Wilson, T.J. (Theodore Wilson), 212, 216
Wilson, Torrie, 119, 122
Winkler, Henry, 91
Winters, Brendon, 17
Winters, Debbie, 17
Winters, Jesse, 22
Woman (see Benoit, Nancy)
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) 8,32, 35, 43, 46, 61-116, 206
World Gym, 227
World League Wrestling, 211
World Wrestling Council, 38
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), 8, 30, 32, 34, 41, 61, 67, 71
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. [WWE], 133
World Wrestling Federation (WWF), 80, 87, 112, 114-115
World-Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), 23, 32
WrestleMania XVII, 116
Wrestler, The, 213
Wright, Alex, 68, 70, 107
Wright, Marty, 171-172
WWC 41, 48
WWE Magazine, 204
WWE NXT, 208-209, 211, 213
WWE Velocity, 161
WWF draft, 132
WWF Entertainment, Inc., 110
Xtreme Pro Wrestling, 111
Young, Danny, 100
Youngblood, Dr., 160, 163
Zayak, Elaine, 35
Zodiac (Ed Leslie), 68-69, 79
ZZ Top, 229 |
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Please send your reviews and/or comments to us at:
I just finished Bill DeMott’s book, and let me just say, it’s another job well done. While I read in the forward that it took some convincing to co-author a book by a wrestler of a different generation then you are used to, I’m glad you did. Sadly, I’m not old enough to have experienced the glory days of the '60s, '70s and early '80s. However, your books really put in perspective a time that never could be recaptured.
With that being said, I’m glad you helped with Bill’s project because this was the first one of your books that focused on my era in the 90’s. I remember reading about Bill as "Crash The Terminator" in the old Apter mags and was able to follow his entire career through WCW, WWE, and finally, his role on "Tough Enough." Bill’s honesty about the drugs, extra-martial affairs and adventures with the "Chubba Bubbas" were great reads. I also enjoyed reading the insights about the botched "invasion" angle of 2001 and the role Chavo helped play in his life during the 9/11 attacks. This is all stuff that I remember clear as day and it’s nice to have an insider perspective.
One last thing I’d like to add is that I was absolutely floored when Bill talked in depth about an October 2001 spot show in Valparasio, Indiana. Valparaiso happens to be the town I currently reside in and his comments about the atmosphere couldn’t have been more true! I was at that very show and remember the Spike/Show match that he discussed. In fact, somewhere, I do believe I have pictures from that very match! I’ll try to locate them and, if they are found, I’d love for you to send them to Bill!
Again ... excellent job! Keep up the great work!
Josh Harvoth
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