No problems at all. There are a lot of left-handed people in wrestling, and just like with everything else in this world you learn to adapt. Harley Race Terry Funk and Jack Brisco are all left-handed -- it didn't seem to affect their careers any!

If you were a promoter in Portland back in the day and had access to all of the 1970s stars from around the country (excluding yourself), what wrestlers would you would hire and why.
-- Rob

I honestly can say that the ones I helped bring to the Pacific Northwest were some of the best that ever the graced the wrestling industry, and I would name them in a heartbeat. Rick Martel, Roddy Piper, The Sheepherders, Jay Youngblood, Curt Hennig, Larry Hennig, Ricky Romero, just to name a few.

I'd like to ask how you kept your hair so white. I'm a wrestler, myself, and I just recently bleached mine. My hair is now white, but I know it will not stay like that. I need to know your secret!
-- Chris Steele

You need to color again around every three weeks, my friend.

You have worked with a lot of the World champions from your era. In your opinion, which of the NWA World Heavyweight champions was better to work with, Harley Race or Ric Flair?

Harley Race because he operated like I did: we liked variety in our matches, Harley and I liked to give the fans a "different" match every night, instead the same old formulaic match that Flair still does to this day.

I had a question about Roddy Piper. He never was one of the bigger guys in the ring, but always seemed pretty tough. I recently learned he was trained by "Judo" Gene Le Bell, who has always had a tremendous rep for turning out legit fighters. I was just curious if Piper was a guy you would have felt comfortable watching your back in a real bar fight.
-- Paul Pressley

Roddy had a legitimate boxing career in the Golden Gloves before he ever wrestled. He could take care of himself, no doubt about it. The only person the could hurt Roddy was Roddy, himself, otherwise he was great to work with.

How far in advance would you folks plan a wrestling match? Specifically, did all of the wrestlers (Portland wrestling or other) sit down and plan how a particular night would end (winners/losers), or did you folks improvise the matches?

We planned out some programs the night of the shows. We could tell by by the attendance where to go with a program -- we'd play out a bigger angle to a bigger crowd. Some of the programs were planned out a year in advance because we knew they were going to draw big time no matter what. The hair matches were always set up in advance because we knew they'd sell out and the angle could run for a year.

What motivated you to perform night after night (besides money)?

I was trained by two of the best in the business, Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson. They demanded a certain level of dedication and quality in my work, otherwise I never would have made it into the business. We were trained to be able to do our very best night after night for years without hurting ourselves or others in the process. That is what separates us from the wrestlers of today who only work about 150 times a year (if they are lucky), many of which get injured or get hurt permanently because of today's style. We worked 365 days a year for years. The pro wrestling I knew is a lost art these days.

Do you ever think someone overstepped the bounds to prove that they were a heel?
-- Marvin

Not that I can recall. Everyone knew their roles and we all worked together for a common goal: MONEY.

You have talked about how tough Verne Gagne was during your training. I was wondering if he was just as tough on you when you were in the ring, in front of an audience.

No he wasn't, because that would of been a "SHOOT," and we learned to "WORK" every night to make a good living for years and years.

One wrestler you like to mention who gets far too little recognition from today's fans is Buddy Wolfe. I know you have said he was a big influence on you in your early career, and I was wondering if you had any stories you wanted to share with the class.
-- Loren J.

I spoke at the last CAC reunion in Las Vegas about my good friend Curt Hennig, who we tragically lost at the start of the year. I mentioned some of my biggest influences in the business -- the people who taught me so I could be an influence on Curt's career -- and one of them was definitely Buddy Wolfe. I had no idea Buddy was even there, but he heard my speech and said he really appreciated my words. We played blackjack before the ceremonies. He looks great and is doing very well.

Buddy Wolfe was a great worker. He had good runs in both the WWF and AWA and could main event anywhere in the world.

Here's a story I will never forget. Maybe -- just maybe -- some wrestlers can learn from this, as Buddy Wolfe did. He was going to wrestle Crusher one night in St. Paul, MN back in 1973-74. Buddy was going to carry a little gimmick to the ring to get some heat on the Crusher. When he asked if he should use the gimmick to get some heat, he was asked if he was winning or losing the match, and he said Crusher was going over. He was told NOT to use the gimmick under any circumstances because if he couldn't beat Crusher with a gimmick, and still put the Crusher over, he was SERIOUSLY going to look even worse then ever before. Bottom line: If you can't win with a "gimmick," don't use one.

Hey Buddy, when two guys are wrestling, and one should sustain some type of injury -- say a broken bone, or torn muscle, something serious -- how would this be communicated from wrestler to wrestler? Has this ever happened to you or an opponent, do you have some sort of contingency plan? Is there a set way to wrap up a match in a hurry so whoever got hurt, wouldn't be injured even more seriously?

We could improvise without losing a beat. Working on someone who was hurt legit was very easy to do, and we did it with respect. We would make sure that we proceded properly and in the best interest of the person who was hurt, as well as the fans. I have a million stories I could tell you about my personal injuries, my opponent's injuries, and about other related injuries over the three decades that I worked. Keep watching out for the "BOOK!"

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't you the true originator of the DDT? I remember during one of your AWA bouts back in the mid 80s the announcer said that the Playboy is going to use his new finishing maneuver today. And the Playboy did however it wasn't called the DDT it was called "Hitting the JACKPOT!" That was the first time I ever saw that maneuver and you demonstrated it with much finesse! As you did with all of your maneuvers. Oh by the way, of course you did win that match!

I believe that the DDT was already out there for a few years. They used it in Mexico for a while and I recall seeing it in Southwest. I just called it a different name because the fans didn't see it done in the territories that I was working at the time.

I did use an off-the-top Bombs Away sometimes, a Billy Robinson Backbreaker and The Superplex off the top rope.

Bobby Heenan said to me back in the early 1970s, when I broke into the wrestling Industry, that the best finisher to use was the most simple finish to do, that way you could do it to anybody for years and years. You'd never worry about injury and you could do it until you were a 100 years old, with less wear and tear on the not only the body, but the opponent's body, too. He was right, because the finshes today are going top be very hard for many of the wrestlers to do when they get a few years older.

Is there any chance at seeing you Wrestle in Wrestlemania 20? A lot of your fans would love to see you wrestle as the Great Playboy Buddy Rose in Wrestlemania! Or any WWE pay for view event! I wish this would happen!

I am going to be at the Wrestlemania 20 reunion, thank you for asking. I will be signing autographs and and anwering questions. You can read all about it at www.fanslamwrestling.com