Bill Dundee Tells Crazy Story of Putting a Gun to Randy Savage’s Head
Show: Interactive Wrestling Radio
Guest: “Superstar” Bill Dundee
Date: 08/09/19
Your Host: James Walsh
Can you believe this is the first time we’ve ever had Bill Dundee on the show? How did that happen considering our love for the legends and his unbelievable ability to tell stories?
Well, he’s here with us this week for a great conversation you might have to just listen to in order to believe! Dundee covers ground highlighted below in our write up including the infamous parking lot shoot fight with Randy “Macho Man” Savage resulting in Dundee putting a gun to Savage’s head, his time in WCW as Sir William, his real life relationships with Jerry Lawler and son JC Ice of PG-13, and more. We even, in not transcribed quotes, talk about Ole Anderson, Bill Watts, Steve Austin, and more. Lots of gems here both in the transcript below and in the adio you can listen to.
“Superstar” Bill Dundee’s autobiography “If You Don’t Want the Answers, Don’t Ask the Questions” was published a few years ago. The “Superstar” asked us to provide his cell phone number for his fans who want to call him and order a personal copy of the book. He does advise that he will screen your call and only answer during logical times. The number, to order a copy of “Superstar” Bill Dundee’s autobiography, is (901)356-0387. Tell him the Epicenter sent you!
To listen, visit www.WrestlingEpicenter.com. If you use this content on your site, please do link back to our site.
BILL DUNDEE:
On still getting in the ring in 2019 at the age of 75:
“Yeah. But, it is nothing like the good old days. I don’t mean this bad but the kids today, it is nothing to do with wrestling. On these local indy shows, they haven’t got a friggin’ clue. But, you’ve got to go and do the best you can with what you’ve got, right?”
On being 5’7 and considered small back then:
“That is how I got over back in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. I told everybody how small I was. I was little compared to the other guys. But, David whooped Golliath, so, that didn’t matter. You know what I mean?”
On the smaller guys being the norm in modern wrestling now:
“I really don’t have any f’ing idea about that. When I did it, I went from Judo to Professional Wrestling. So, Most of the guys in my generation could do something different and they could all shoot – Billy Robinson, Tony Charles, Adrian Street… That was a gimmick with Street. He was a tough son of a bitch. We could all shoot!”
On what he sees at shows he works now:
“Today, the kids jump into the 3rd row, off the top rope, and do all this silly shit. It ain’t what I did. So, I don’t really pay attention. I just go in, do my thing, get paid, and go home.”
On how Tennessee became his home:
“Bobby Shane came to Australia. He said “You and Barnes would get over huge in Tennessee. I know the booker. Nick Gulas owns it but Jerry Jarrett is the booker, I’ll call him.” People had told us things like that 10 times and nothing had happened. But, Shane made good on his word. So, in January 1975, we arrived here. I just liked it. I didn’t want to go anywhere else. Again, back then, I was a smaller guy. The people here seemed to like smaller guys. So, I just stayed here. Bought a house… Here I am!”
On why “Australians” Tag Partner George Barnes left Memphis fairly quickly:
“Oh! He hated all you Yanks, as he would call them. He didn’t like America or Americans. So, he just went home. I stayed. Worked out good anyway!”
On why he never left:
“As soon as I left, I knew I was never going back. I brought my wife – Jamie’s mother, and my son and daughter over. Barnes didn’t bring his family over. But, I knew I would be here to stay. I got my Green Card. The rest is history, as they say.”
On what made Memphis Wrestling special:
“We just did what we did and we were every good at what we did. It was real to us and we were trying to convince you it was real too. Jerry Jarrett is one of the smartest people ever in the wrestling business. Don’t ever let anyone tell you he’s not! He built Memphis Wrestling or whatever you want to call it. He hired Jerry Lawler, he hired Bill Dundee. So, there’s two smart moves right there! (laughs)”
On his real relationship with Jerry Lawler back in the day:
“He (Jerry Jarrett) kept the thing going like me and Lawler didn’t like one another because it was money. The people were like, “They don’t like one another” which wasn’t all together true. We never went out to eat or did nothing together and all that. But, we were good as a tag team, we were good against each other. And, he (Jarrett) said “Lawler said this, Dundee said that” and he kept it stirred up. But, it was fun!”
On he and Lawler’s relationship now:
“About the same as it was in 1975. He was the King! And, I never wanted to be in the top spot. I would like to be in one of them because it pays more. But, I was happy to do tag team and happy just to be in the wrestling business. Lawler was the King. That was his forte. But, we got along good either as a tag team or against one another. It clicked! But, Jerry Jarrett… He kept that little ball rolling!”
On his pulling a gun on Randy “Macho Man” Savage after a parking lot ambush:
“(laughs) The only one I got along with was Lanny. He’s the only one that seemed to have a brain in his head. Angelo was a goof… Randy was a goof. He (Randy) lived his gimmick. (Doing an impression) “Ooh yeah, “Macho Man” Randy Savage” (losing the impression) That was a bullshit story. He wasn’t near as tough as he thought he was but that’s another story. When you have a pistol at a guy’s head and he knows you’re not joking, that is how that fight ended. He didn’t want to find out how brave he was. He’s a goof. It was in the morning… George Weingeroff and, what was that other kid’s name, Rip Rogers! They came walking. I knew them so I said, “Hey Rip” as I was leaning on the car. From the side, I hear BAM! He (Randy) sucker punched me. I said, “You son of a bitch!” So, we hook up and roll around on the ground like 2 old women. I thought, “Well, this isn’t going to go anywhere. But, if I get to the back of that Cadillac, I’ll restore order.” So, I got to the back. In those days, there was no button that you push. You had to put your key in. Well, anyways. I grabbed my 38, I cocked it and put it to Randy’s head and told Angelo, the father, “If you don’t tell your f***ing son to leave, I’m going to kill him right here.” So, Randy went, (Randy impression voice) “You’re crazy! Mother f***er!” And, he took off! So, when I get home, there is a police man at my door with a warrant for my arrest. I said, “For MY arrest?” He said, “Bill, the Poffo’s did this.” I said, “Randy Savage and his father?” He said, “Yeah. They have you for assault with a deadly weapon.” I said, “Yeah, it is a deadly weapon. It is a 38.” So, we go to court. They’re all there – The Poffo’s. Little old me and my lawyers show up. Angelo comes up to me and says, “We need to throw this thing out.” I said, “Throw it out? No! I will win it!” But, I called Jerry Jarrett and told him they want to throw it out. He said, “Well, we’re getting a little bit of bad publicity from it but it would be good for Bill Dundee. Throw it out.” So, we threw it out. I haven’t seen Randy Savage since that day.”
On the infamous concession stand brawl:
“Do you know how that came about? We didn’t plan it. It just happened. Jerry threw a pickle jar at his cousin’s (Wayne Ferris, Honky Tonk Man) so hard, if it had hit him, it would’ve killed him. (laughs)”
On if he’s surprised so many people remember him as Sir William from WCW:
“(laughs) Yeah, but it was the last part. Bill Dundee never got the coverage that he should have gotten if he didn’t live in Memphis. The name Bill Dundee out there and Sir William are in a different light.”
On his current relationship with son JC Ice Jamie Dundee of PG-13:
“(laughs) Is he still living? Yeah, that good. I don’t know what Jamie’s problem is. He doesn’t talk to anyone from the good old days… He doesn’t even talk to Wolfie! I have no idea what makes Jamie tick.”
On the passing of Brian Christopher:
“I never had a cross word with the boy. He was in the same business we were all in. Yeah, he could be a little quick tempered with some people and not others. But, we got along good. It was sad the way he went. I don’t know what really happened. Was he wild? Yeah. But, weren’t we all at that age? All I know is I got along with him and I liked him.”
On if he wants in the WWE Hall of Fame:
“It’s a work! What do you have to do to get in? Somebody has to like you. It isn’t on what you do. Somebody has to like you and put your name in it. It isn’t like a football player who goes out and kicks ass for 5, 10 seasons. It isn’t like NASCAR where you win a lot of races. Wrestling, somebody says, “Hey, put him in.” What the f*** does that mean? Nothing! I don’t care about the Hall of Fame!”
On scripted versus unscripted promos:
“I believed it was real. I believed I could beat Jerry Lawler. So, when I cut a promo, I did the best I could without cursing on TV to piss him off. I wasn’t going to say he was built like a Greek God when he was a pudgy guy from Memphis, Tennessee. You know what I’m saying? So, your promos were more real than they are today. I haven’t got a clue what they do today.”
On having dinner with the McMahons once but not getting hired:
“(laughs) Yeah, they were interviewing me for a job but the Undertaker didn’t want me to have that job… Well, he and a couple other people. But, I think Undertaker did the most of it. I have no earthly idea why he don’t like me. He used to know a young lady and that ought to let you know some kind of idea. She gave him a version of me. But, I don’t know why he doesn’t like me. But, I saw a picture of the old f***er and he doesn’t look like the same Mark now, does he? He’s shrinking away to nothing. Well, when he gets down to about 210 pounds, maybe we’ll see how bad he is. (laughs)”
On why he feels wrestling is dead:
“The magician can’t teach you how to do a trick and it still be a trick.”
On the birth of AEW under Dusty’s son Cody:
“Well, if the young Rhodes boy is running it and it is wrestling as we call it wrestling, I’ll watch. But, I wouldn’t watch Vince’s show if it was the last one on the face of the Earth.”
On his book “If YOu Don’t Want the Answers, Don’t Ask the Questions”:
“I’m going to write a second one and I’ll answer the questions a little more real than the first one.”
