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Chappell: You mentioned
that you traveled with the boys,
and that probably helped you
develop the good rapport that came
across on TV.
Landrum: Yeah, it led to
some great friendships. There were
a lot of guys that I really
thought a lot of.
Chappell: Who did you
travel with most? I think you
mentioned Gene Anderson earlier.
Landrum: Gene a lot. Ricky,
and Jay Youngblood. Occasionally
with Piper.
(laughs) Piper…what a trip he was!
Chappell: (laughs) Yes, I’m
very glad you survived those
trips, and are still with us!
Landrum: Yeah…me too!
Piper would stop and say, ‘I gotta
stop, and put water in the
rad-iador.’ I said, ‘In the what?’
Chappell: (laughing)
Landrum: He said, ‘The
rad-iador.’ And get some ‘filum’
for the camera.
I said, ‘Okaaay Roddy.’
Chappell: You REALLY did
get to know these guys by
traveling with them! I’m assuming
most of the boys acted normal most
of the time, with some streaks of
craziness mixed in?
I can only imagine that the grind
of the business made everybody a
little crazy at times!
Landrum: Yeah, that’s
right. It was just fun, and a lot
of interesting conversations. Half
the time you were taking a nap,
and then you’d do a switch, and
someone else would drive.
Chappell: And luckily for
you, you didn’t have to travel as
much as the boys did. But still,
the travel gave you a chance to
really get to know the wrestlers.
Landrum: And when we were
doing part of the show in
Charlotte and part in Raleigh,
that was more travel for me. The
back and forth with that.
Chappell: Like most top
notch announcers, I have memories
of several phrases you said that
always stuck with me. I guess I
should call them ‘Rich-isms!’
Landrum: (laughing)
Chappell: One, as you’ve
mentioned earlier, dubbing Johnny
Weaver as the ‘Dean of
Professional Wrestling.’
Another, during a tag match, when
one guy got caught in the area of
the other team’s corner…being in
‘no man’s land.’
Ricky Steamboat was the, ‘Hawaiian
Punch.’
Also, your standard show openings
and closings were always
memorable.
Landrum: Well, thank you.
Chappell: Do those things
and phrases that the folks got to
know and associate with you,
continue to stick with you?
Landrum: They do. The ‘no
man’s land,’ somebody else wrote
about that. I can’t remember who
now, but it was on one of the web
sites. Mitchell…
Chappell: Bruce
Mitchell…with the ‘Pro Wrestling
Torch?’
Landrum: Right…he
remembered that a lot. And
something else I did with Paul
Jones…and I can’t remember what
that was.
Chappell: I’m drawing a
blank on that one too, Rich.
Bruce, if you read this, please
refresh our memories!
How did these ‘Rich-isms’ come
about?
Landrum: They were things
that just kind of evolved. They
just came out, and sounded good,
and I just said, ‘I think I’ll
sick with that one!’
Chappell: Who stands out as
easiest to interview, and
conversely who was your toughest
interview?
Landrum: Regarding the
latter, John Studd. John Studd
could not cut a promo. He had it
all worked out in his mind before
he got up there…
Chappell: He tried hard!
Landrum: He tried. And he’d
get rolling, and somewhere along
the line he’d lose track of where
he was.
Chappell: (laughs)
Landrum: Bless his heart…I
really liked John.
And he knew he’d lost track, and
of course the fans knew it. And
that’s the way it went with John.
Chappell: So, what did you
do as an announcer in those
circumstances?
Landrum: I’d try to jump
in, and do what I could without
making it look too obvious.
On that 1978 highlight show video,
seeing Orndorff and Snuka, they
were a couple that were not real
strong either.
Chappell: That whole time
frame, was not strong on the
babyface side of the ledger as far
as promos goes.
Landrum: On one of the
interviews on that highlight show,
Orndorff kept going and I was
tapping him on his side with my
finger letting him know we were
running out of time…I gotta close
the show!
Chappell: Who were the
easiest to interview?
Landrum: Flair, shoot, just
start him in the right direction
and he’d do it!
Let’s see, Ernie Ladd, he was
good. You just head him in the
right direction…but you had to
shut him up, though. I’d have to
whisper, ‘Ernie, you’re runnin’
over.’
Chappell: Mr. TV Announcer!
Landrum: Yeah, ‘Mr. TV
Announcer.’
Chappell: I loved Ladd…I
wish he had spent more time in the
Mid-Atlantic area.
Landrum: Uh huh, uh huh.
Wahoo…Wahoo was good. For the most
part he was really good.
For the most part, all of them did
pretty well. I mean, sometimes it
was like pulling teeth to get the
interview.
Chappell: Even guys like
Orndorff and Snuka were able to
get their points across. They
weren’t polished certainly, but I
don’t think you really got extra
credit for style points back then.
Landrum: I felt like some
of them, I needed to help them
work on their grammar a little
bit…but that was them, you know?
But, David, talking about Snuka
and Orndorff…I thought the Snuka
and Orndorff thing should have
gone longer than it did.
Chappell: It was pretty
short with them…only about six
months.
Landrum: It was too short…
Chappell: They turned Snuka
after Orndorff left, and put him
with your friend Buddy Rogers.
Landrum: Snuka and Orndorff
were really over. I mean, to me,
it was unlimited to go for a tag
team.
Chappell: Why did they end
it?
Landrum: I don’t have a
clue…haven’t a clue.
I really thought that was going to
go a whole lot longer than it did.
Chappell: So, it sounds
like on some of these things, like
the ending of a major program, you
didn’t find that out immediately?
Landrum: Sometimes it was
way after the fact.
Chappell: Going in the
other direction, did you think
there were some programs that
dragged on for too long?
Landrum: Oh yeah, there
were things that went too long.
You remember the thing going, the
feud between Mulligan and Paul
Jones?
Chappell: Oh yeah,
definitely.
Landrum: I went back and
looked at the records one time. We
ran that match 42 consecutive
weeks in Richmond as the Main
Event. 42 consecutive weeks…I
mean, that’s what the State
Athletic Commission records
showed!
42 out of 52 weeks, we ran that as
the Main Event? It always ended as
a DQ, or was a broadway and went
the whole time limit.
Chappell: (laughs)
Blackjack and Paul wrestled a lot,
but I think the Commission got
some hiccups in those records!
Wahoo and Ric were going at each
other strong then, too.
But, no doubt, Blackjack and Paul
were at it for a long time…about
18 months or so if I recall. I
liked that program a lot though…I
thought they did a great job
considering the size difference.
Landrum: They did…but that
(program) got old to ME!
Chappell: (laughs)
Landrum: I’m sitting there
going, ‘No, not again.’
But these guys worked their hearts
out…don’t get me wrong. But I was
thinking, ‘How long can we run
this??’ But give them credit, they
continued to draw with it.
Chappell: That was unusual,
for a program like that to linger
for so long.
Landrum: But George always
had something up. He was either
building for something, or this
was the stall until he could get
to wherever he was going.
Chappell: There was a
method to his madness.
Landrum: There was. And you
look back and you try to second
guess it, and you can’t.
Chappell: How did you get
along with the people we all
remember as part of Jim Crockett
Promotions during your World Wide
days?
Landrum: There were some
that were standoffish, and you
knew that and accepted that. But
I’d say about 90 percent of them,
we all got along and didn’t have
any problems.
I remember Flair and I had a
disagreement one time, and to this
day I can’t even remember what it
was over. It was something that
happened in Richmond. Maybe he
asked me what I thought of a
match, and I was too honest. And
it was like six weeks before he
spoke to me, other than in an
interview. Not that I didn’t
try…but I didn’t let it stand in
the way.
And, all of a sudden, everything
was over with and was okay and we
were back to normal again.
Chappell: Rich, it sounds
like what you’re describing is
pretty much the norm in most
workplaces. For the most part
everyone gets along, but
periodically there are some rifts
between people.
Landrum: That’s right.
Ah, then there was somebody like
Wahoo. You never knew what he was
gonna be like day to day. And I
hate to say this about anybody who
is deceased, but in his cocaine
era you NEVER knew what he was
going to do from one minute to the
next.
He hit me one night in Richmond in
the dressing room, with one of his
chops…
Chappell: Do what?? And
you’re still here to talk about
it?
Landrum: We had gotten into
it verbally, so he wasn’t playing
around.
It definitely hurt, and I went
back a little, and I stood there
and looked at him, and I said, ‘If
that’s the best thing you’ve got
old man, my wife hits harder than
that!’
He’s huffing and getting all blown
up, and I said, ‘But I’m gonna
tell you this, if you ever do that
again…I’ll kill you. Don’t you
EVER do that again.’ He said
something and I said, ‘Did you
hear me? Is there something about
that you didn’t understand? I will
kill you…I don’t mean I’m going to
wrestle you. I’m gonna kill
you…I’ll shoot you. You ain’t
gonna outrun a bullet!’
Chappell: (laughs) What was
Wahoo’s response to THAT?
Landrum: He huffed and
puffed, and I walked on out of the
dressing room.
Chappell: Was this during
Wahoo’s 1974-78 stint, or the
later one from 1981 on?
Landrum: It was the later
one.
Mulligan came over to me later
that evening and said, ‘It was a
good thing you did that.’ I went,
‘Really?’ He said, ‘Yeah, because
if you hadn’t, he’d have been on
you the whole time he was here.
Now, he respects you.’
I told Greg (Valentine) about that
incident when he was at my show in
Colonial Heights with Nikita
Koloff’s group last summer. Greg
said he was wrestling Wahoo one
night in Richmond, and Wahoo was
hittin’ him with everything he
had, hittin’ him in the face,
hittin’ him in the head…you didn’t
know what he was gonna do. Greg
just finally got out of the ring,
and stood there looking at Wahoo,
and said, ‘Have you lost your
mind?’
Chappell: It must have been
bad for Greg to have bailed out.
Landrum: I remember this
match…Wahoo was just standing
there---slobbering. Wahoo was
stoned. He had no clue what he was
doing.
Chappell: Geez…that’s
scary.
Landrum: It was terrible to
see somebody that way.
But, he was a man’s man. You know,
all the wives knew it too!
(laughs)
Chappell: (laughs)
Landrum: If he said he was
goin’ fishing, and they wanted him
to do something else, he’d say,
‘Hit the door.’
All of this plays a role in
everybody’s health. You look at
what happened to Jay
Youngblood…between the steroids
and the drugs.
Rich
Landrum interviews Jay Youngblood
Chappell: Did you see that
side of Jay…the steroids and the
drugs?
Landrum: Ah, no, not
initially. I saw it later, because
we were always together, you know?
I won’t say that I didn’t do
anything, and I never did any of
the hard stuff…I tried it once or
twice. I said, ‘You guys are
crazy, this stuff don’t do
anything.’ All it ever did was
lower my voice, and I didn’t need
a lower voice!
Chappell: (laughs)
Landrum: But, yeah, I
didn’t see it then. But later on,
when we traveled, I realized that
Steamboat was babysitting him.
Chappell: I’ve heard that,
through others.
Landrum: Yeah, it was like
you had to keep an eye on him.
Chappell: It always seemed
like when Jay was with Ricky in a
tag team program, he appeared to
be in better shape. When he was
solo, he never looked to be in as
good of physical condition.
Landrum: That’s right. And
Jay was always conscious that he
was smaller than a lot of guys. He
was not big physically, and he was
doing steroids to try and get
bigger. That in itself, back then,
was not a big deal because it was
happening to some degree.
If Jay had left well enough alone
and just gone on with what he was
doing, he would have been fine. He
made up for his lack of size with
his speed, his charisma and his
looks. That was it, he didn’t need
any more.
Chappell: This is a
hypothetical, but do you think Jay
would have had anywhere near the
success he had without Steamboat?
Landrum: He was solo for a
while, and then they put him with
Rick.
(pauses) No, I don’t think he
would have. Ricky and he made a
great team, and there was a
constant there that really helped
him, that really put him over. So
that when he did do a singles
match, win, lose or draw, he was
over.
Chappell: Yep…he certainly
got instant credibility being with
Rick.
Talking about Wahoo and his
problems, I’ve heard all kinds of
things as to why he left the area
in 1978 for about three years.
That he was involved in an assault
and battery, and things related to
his drinking, etc. What was the
story there?
Landrum: I heard the same
things, but I don’t know if any of
them were true.
I saw him in a match five or six
years ago, at an Indy show, at
Fort Lee, Virginia. He was blown
up two minutes into the match…but
he was way up in age then, let’s
face it.
Tony Atlas, I saw him…and I
wouldn’t have recognized him at
the time. You could tell what the
steroids had done.
Chappell: I saw Tony last
year at the first Fanfest in
Charlotte, and he really looked
great. And I had heard about all
the problems he had over the
years...after he left Crockett.
He seemed to be enjoying himself
as much as anybody at Fanfest. He
was having a ball!
He even did a second autograph
session for the fans, when he
wasn’t even scheduled.
Landrum: Bless his heart,
and I don’t doubt any of
that at all. But to be honest with
you, back in his heyday he
wouldn’t have done that.
Back then, he was one that I
avoided. For whatever reason, and
I don’t know why it was, it didn’t
go well with us. We could be out
at dinner before a show,
Steamboat, Youngblood and myself,
and he would show up and he’d join
us…and he was always right at me.
Chappell: Really? On your
case?
Landrum: Yeah. And I
finally said, ‘Hey, if that’s what
it takes to put you over, go
ahead…because it’s my job to put
you over on the air.’ So, I think
finally, Rick may have said
something to him. It was just one
of those things.
Chappell: I’ve always found
it odd, but people have told me
that a lot of the babyfaces in
that time frame were not actually
overly friendly, while a lot of
the heels were! Did you find that
to be the case?
Landrum: It was, to some
degree. Tony was okay at a show,
but somewhere else…no. Flair was
good…Flair was always Flair no
matter what! He lived the
lifestyle he portrayed.
In his book, he said if he made
$3,000, he spent $5,000. That’s
true.
Chappell: Speaking of
Flair’s book, what did you think
of it?
Landrum: I finally read
it…I got it for Christmas.
(laughs) I’m reading it, and all
of a sudden I go, ‘Hey, I’m in
here!’
Chappell: (laughs)
Landrum: I didn’t know
it…no one had told me! He mentions
me in there…doing an interview.
For the most part, and people have
asked me about it before, I would
say 80-85 percent of [the book] is
on target. The rest of it is
hyperbole…and I would have
expected that. The fact that he
shared what was going on in his
personal life, and the struggles
of being a Champion…some of that,
by accident, I was privy to and
know how it affected him.
He was a fun guy to work with.
There were times where I often
wondered what was going on in his
head…
Chappell: (laughs)
Landrum: But…that wasn’t up
to me to judge. He was fun to
party with…you never bought a
drink if you went out with Flair!
Chappell: (laughs) I
believe that!
Landrum: And don’t try to
out drink him either!
Chappell: (laughing hard) I
believe that even more!
Landrum: His son David, I
worked that show last October in
Waynesboro, Virginia with him, and
I had a lot of fun with him.
Chappell: Marvin Ward’s
benefit show…
Landrum: Right.
I remember David Flair when he was
very, very young…but that’s all. I
hadn’t seen him in a long, long
time. And I tell you, he really
impressed me in Waynesboro…he
really did. I thought, ‘Wow, this
kid’s got it.’ And if he wants to
continue, he’ll do all right.
Chappell: They do a great
job with that annual event in
Waynesboro. I’m really sorry I
missed it this past October. Did
you do any of the announcing at
that show?
Landrum: I did some…I
didn’t do it all. I mainly did
some guest appearance stuff in the
ring with it. Matter of fact, I
introduced David Flair, and we did
an interview in the ring with it.
Chappell: That would have
been great to see!
Landrum: We did a little
gimmick where they came in and
‘Pearl Harbored’ him, and that
sort of thing.
But, that whole show was great! It
was a sellout…I was shocked when
we got up there. Got there about
5:30, my wife was with me, and she
said, ‘What time does the show
start?’ I told her about 8:00. And
then she said, ‘Look at the line!’
The line was two blocks down the
street, waiting to buy tickets and
get in!
Chappell: They’ve drawn
some unbelievable crowds the last
two years. Seeing that line must
have brought back some memories
from the Mid-Atlantic days?
Landrum: It did…it sure
did.
PART
EIGHT
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