Thank you for your fond memories. The first red robe I had was made by Rocky Johnson's wife, Ata. She made it for me in 1976, just before I left Dallas, Texas for the great Pacific Northwest. I wore it for the first time in the Portland Sports Arena, August 1976, teaming with Jesse Ventura against Jimmy Snuka and Dutch Savage. We won the Pacific Northwest Tag Team championship my very first night there.

I’m not sure what white robe you are referring to. This historical red robe said Playboy Buddy Rose in sequins on the back. It is reversible, with a floral pattern on the inside, and I sometimes wore it that way. The robe is still in great shape and going up for auction in the near future. It could be yours for the right price.

The next robe my wife had made, the black one I wore when I went to the WWF in 1982. I sold this robe back in the mid 1990s, and it stands preserved in a prominent sports bar in the San Francisco area with a pair of my wrestling boots in a display case for the fans to view. I’m very proud of this. So let me or my webmaster Kurt Nielsen know if you are interested in the red robe that The Rock’s mom made for me when he was 2 years old. You would be the sole owner of some true wrestling history.

My question is as I read your site, why do you not mention Billy Jack Haynes? You have a long history of working together.
-- Gary

I have mentioned Billy many times on the different wrestling message boards. He was great when he first started, and could have had a great career; instead it was up and down like a yo-yo and things never changed. Billy made numerous mistakes, but promoters kept giving him a break because of his look. He ended up ruining it all when he tried to run against the hand that fed him, the man who gave him his start, Don Owen. We all know it, he could have “been a contender.”

I started watching PNW in 1978 after we finally got Cable TV in my town near the California border. One of the most exciting matches I ever saw you in was with Bad News (Killer) Brooks. You had a Texas Chain match with him. I think the match came to a draw. Do you remember that match? It was Saturday night and on TV. What was it like for you to wrestle Brooks in a brutal match like that?
-- Dan

We were on the live feed in the Portland Sports Arena from 8:30 until 10pm. The head of Channel 12 at the time saw the blood and was very upset, so he moved the show to tape delay from 10pm until 12:30 am back around 1979. Don Owen though it was going to kill his television ratings -- on the contrary, it boosted the rating because the fans packed the Portland Arena even more then ever before because they could go home and watch themselves on the taped delayed feed. It was a blessing in disguise!

Killer Brooks was a pleasure to work with – a real professional. The gimmick matches (like cage and dog collar) might seem brutal, but they are much easier to work then regular wrestling matches. Despite his “madman” gimmick, Brooks is a great guy who was easy to work with. I know Brooks is doing great and I’ve seen him at CAC events and autograph fairs in Texas. Looks like the same ol’ Killer Brooks.

Do you watch WWE programming today, and if so, who would you like to have run a program against today, if you had had the chance?
-- Matt S. Toronto, Ontario

I not only watch, I have attended a few Raw and Smackdown tapings in my area, usually going to the shows in the early afternoon to just reminisce with everyone from Vince Jr. to Flair, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold, Hunter, Duane (The Rock), Lesnar. The guys I spoke to were very respectful, as I was to them. I would go home most of the time before the shows started, because I have been there and done that for so many decades. I was asked to work the last few times I went by Pat Patterson and one time Triple H. They wanted me to work the Tacoma Dome but I did not bring my gear, and I honestly didn’t want to work. Still, it’s an honor to be asked every time I made an appearance

If I was going to work with anyone it would have to be with the wrestlers that know how to work: Michaels, Flair, Undertaker and Duane, just to name a few.

Many people are down on wrestling lately. How do you feel about the current state of wrestling?
-- Joe in Cleveland

Joe, I'm not down on Wrestling, and as everyone knows, it's made more millionaires then ever before. The territories are gone, but the legacy of the old school wrestling will live forever, especially through my DVD sales, and the upcoming 24/7 wrestling network

This has probably been asked but I'll take a shot. How do you feel about all the wrestling web sites "leaking" information about the insides of the business?
-- Michael Holderman

Mike, the information doesn't affect the paychecks of the wrestlers today. They are on contracts and even the some of the different companies leak the information on purpose. Surprised you with that answer, I bet. But it's true.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you briefly advertised to be in the 1991 Royal Rumble? I don't remember you being in it. What were the circumstances behind that? Also, I remember you were the opponent for Kerry Von Erich's WWF TV Debut on Saturday Night's Main Event. In your opinion, do you think he wrestled just as well with his foot prosthetic then before he lost his foot?

-- Rich

Rich, I was in the WWF back in 1991, but I don't remember being announced to work that show. Sorry.

Kerry was very brave and quite agile to be able to work with the prosthesis. In my opinion, Kerry could work just as well as he did before the accident. He had a lot of heart.

Who are your favorite wrestlers of all time? Thanks for answering, I am a huge fan.
-- John

I grew up watching Blackjack Lanza with Bobby Heenan, Verne Gagne, Crusher and Dick the Bruiser. I was in the AWA territory, and that’s what I cut my teeth on. Fortunately, I got a chance to work with many of the men I admired in my youth.

Jay Youngblood, Piper, Martel, Curt Hennig and Snuka, were all fun to work with. One of my favorite workers ever is Bob Orton, Jr. – he was about the best I have ever seen. Ed Wiskoski was my favorite tag team partner, and we still work together in our wrestling school.

What is your view on the WWE show Tough Enough? Do you feel they exposed the business more then they should've?

-- F.S.

They don't expose anything more then WWE already had done in the past. Tough Enough is like going to Disneyland compared to what it was like to go through 300 hours in the barn with Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson. They led by example, whereas Taz rode in the truck instead of running with the students like Verne and Billy did with Flair, Brunzell, Slaughter, me, The Iron Sheik, Greg Gagne, and all of the students that came from Verne's camp.

What happened to Ron Starr, who you wrestled against many times back in the late 1970s?

Ron Starr was great to work with. He was still doing indy shows up until a few years ago in the southeast. Don't know for sure, but I think he is retired now.

I know you wrestled Kevin Von Erich in his debut, but did you also wrestle Kerry Von Erich in his debut? I ask this because "the Apter mags" had you listed as Kerry's debut opponent and knowing you were Kevin's, I didn't know if the magazines confused the two.
-- John Dananay

John, I trained and wrestled Kevin Von Erich in his first match ever at the Sportatorium in Dallas, Texas, and I wrestled Kerry Von Erich in his debut in the WWF on Saturday Night’s Main Event , on NBC!