Keep in mind this is not a full razor blade we are talking about, just a piece of one, cut off with tin snips. You wanted to be inconspicuous when blading, so that’s why the blade was always small. I wore it taped to my wrist, and pulled it out when it was the right time. I slipped into my trunks after cutting east to west, going with the grain of the skin. It was safe – never had a single accident occur in all my years in the business.

A lot of the wrestlers (and fans) don’t like Hulk Hogan for one reason or another, claiming he was too selfish, didn’t want to pass the torch, etc. What is your opinion of this? What was your relationship with Hogan like?

Hogan was (and is) one of the best businessmen wrestling has ever seen. He did things for this business that no other man had ever been able to achieve, and few (if any) have been able to duplicate his incredible success.

I have always gotten along with Terry. Our friendship goes back to his days in the AWA. In early 1983 I was passing through Minneapolis on my way back home to Portland from the WWF. I met Terry at his apartment. Gene Okerlund was there, as was a young man named Kevin Kelly, who was thinking about becoming a wrestler.

As a trivia note, we were a tag team in Japan just a day after he won the WWF World Heavyweight Title from the Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden.

I was wondering about the actual ring in the Portland Sports Arena. That ring saw some wild, bloody action over the years, and from what I could tell from TV and going to the matches year after year, it was the same one every night. What was it like to work in that ring? I imagine rings are different in every venue. Aren't some hard as rocks and others a little more forgiving? Don't those ropes burn like crazy if you're not careful or are still a little green? The Portland ring sure didn't look like it was forgiving. The turnbuckles looked like they could really do a number on someone; the mat must have soaked up gallons of blood. Sorry to ramble but the ring itself always fascinated me. I always wanted to at least get a chance to step into the ring and see what the wrestler's perspective.

Eugene had a ring, Seattle had one – there were 4 or 5 different rings in the region. The one at the Portland Sports Arena was always up, even during Sandy Barr’s Flea Market (the event was just worked around it). Every ring is different, but you just learn to adjust. I could wrestle in any ring in the country without any trouble because of my training. It just becomes instinct after a while.

How and where did the “Slim Trim 217” gimmick start?

The “Slim Trim 217” gimmick came about when the fans started to chant "whale on the beach" during my matches in Portland. This was around 1980 or so. Every week I would come out and supposedly be a few pounds lighter. I’d say, “This week I’m down to a slim, trim 219 pounds.” This went on until I found the weight that worked – 217 pounds -- and I stuck with it from that point on. The audience knew it was a joke, but I played it off like I was being serious. I would further illustrate my physical prowess by doing the one-arm pushups and nip-ups from my back to my feet every night. I tell you, it was a real heat-getter.

I’ll admit I never had a classic wrestler’s body, but I was still in great shape. The wrestlers used to test each other with 50-yard dashes, and I could out-run just about any of them. For a very long time, I was undefeated. I did a shoot race with a fan from the audience when we did an outdoor show at a high school. I had no idea he was the star of the track team, but that didn’t help him anyhow. In front of more than 1,000 people, I beat the kid right there on his home track.

Why was your run in Florida so short, and why were you not given more of a push? You were one of the top stars from that time period.

I think I had a great push and I was very happy with the way everything turned out. I was a member of the Pringle Dynasty, managed by Percival Pringle III. I left after I was made a better offer to go elsewhere. You always have to go to the highest bidder in the wrestling industry.

What was it like to have to walk through the crowds in the Portland Sports Arena to get to the ring and back, or up to the Crow's Nest and back? I would guess it wasn't much better in the other venues you worked over they years, but it always seemed to me that the Portland fans were allowed to get awfully up close and personal. I've heard many wrestlers say they felt much safer once they made it to the ring, sort of a "safe haven."

It was very safe because we had security all around us. Portland was nothing compared to the Cow Palace, Madison Square Garden or countless venues around the world. Remember, I have wrestled everywhere, and I can honestly say Portland was a walk in the park. The close proximity of the fans to the ring just made them feel more involved in the action. Portland fans were no trouble at all.

Looking back, who could you count as your toughest opponent?
-- John Bowers

My toughest opponent was really my easiest opponent: Andre the Giant. I call him my toughest opponent because he was legitimately the toughest man I have ever had to face, even though he was never a problem for me at all. If you treated him right, he did the same for you. People only had problems with Andre when they tried to test him or make him look bad. In my case, I just looked at Andre as a professional, and we got along beautifully. We made a lot of money together.

I remember listening to your morning radio broadcasts here in the Portland area. Very entertaining. Can you tell us how that came about and why you discontinued the show?
-- Joel

In 1994 I was the first wrestler to do radio in the Pacific Northwest. It was an all-sports show which included professional wrestling. I enjoyed it very much because I am an avid sports fan and love to engage in conversation about any sporting event, past or present. I did this, off and on, for over six years. After that, I wanted to move on and explore other avenues. Many others tried to follow in my footsteps, but no one came close to the high ratings I had with the Lone Wolf Brian Bennet.

Can you tell us how your baseball team, the Sassy Chassis, came into being, and how you managed to play a regular season AND wrestle at the same time? It always seemed to me like you must have been running yourself ragged.
-- Francis Gael

I started playing softball at age seven. I had played softball on the weekends since I was sixteen years old, in double elimination tournaments. This was just something that was a part of me. It was nice to have a regular sport outside of the wrestling business, and it never interfered once with my career. I’d play hard on Saturday afternoon (and Sunday mornings), then put in 100% that evening at the Portland Sports Arena. I wasn't tired at all. In fact I was around 240 pounds and winning the most Valuable Player awards in many of the tournaments that I was in.

Another sport I enjoyed and had success in was hockey. I even scored a goal against one of the top NHL goalies once.

Was there any reason why you and Doug Sommers did not bring your team to other territories after you left the AWA? You had a lot of national exposure, produced some of the best tag matches of the mid-to-late 80s, and got tons of heat.

Easy question, easy answer. If I had to bring every partner I had success with to all the territories I worked, it would have been impossible. That was just one of my successful runs. It worked just right for that territory and that time period.