Quotable Memphis/CWA, Part Two, 1983-1989

By 1983, professional wrestling was in the process of changing dramatically. While the business had drawn well for years it was falling under the spell of changes driven by technology and cable television. Technology would make the visual presentation of wrestling’s video product more eye-catching and in the process more appealing to a younger generation, a generation more attracted to the visual aspect of the presentation. Cable television would be the new means of presenting the product to the masses replacing loosely strung together syndicated networks and local studio shows. This would take the business away from small cities and towns and the territorial system and into an age where the business played out mostly on a national stage. The in-ring product of the times also varied greatly from a more traditional style grounded in mat wrestling to an emerging explosive style gaining in popularity in Japan by stars such as Tiger Mask and The Dynamite Kid to a wild, brawling style to a mixture of the three.

Some things about professional wrestling though remained constant despite the changes. At some point during a TV show, a wrestler still stood behind a microphone and talked or barked or yelled in an effort to get across how tough he was or how mad he was or how determined he was. Those comments were generally directed toward someone he was in conflict with in some manner. He also still tried to be convincing enough to make the viewers part with some of their hard-earned money to see him in person.

This article looks back at the years 1983-1989 in the old Memphis/CWA territory and some of the words, from one-liners to diatribes, that were offered up in the name of a professional wrestling interview. While what follows (or preceded in the previous article) isn’t a definitive list of great interviews or one-liners from the area, it is a good sample of what could be heard week-in, week-out and is a part of the reason the promotion survived as long as it did in the midst of the national expansion.  

Jos LeDuc, 1984:

“People say I’m crazy. Do I look crazy to you?” 

Jimmy Hart, 1984, as The A-Team attacks Norvell Austin & Stagger Lee and spray paints their backs yellow:

“It’s paint up, clean up, fix up week, baby. From now on, nobody leaves the First Family. You know I’ve said it time and time again, baby, the Family don’t get mad, we just get even. Look at those big sissies, look at them, you gutless wonders. Nobody leaves the Family from now on, baby!”   More...