PART FOUR

 

 

 

 

 


PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

PART FOUR

PART FIVE


 RETURN TO THE GATEWAY LOBBY

 

RETURN TO THE INTERVIEW INDEX

Chappell: You used a devastating hold in many of your matches…the piledriver. What are your thoughts on that maneuver? And today, people just jumping right up from a piledriver!

 

Hawk: Well, they don’t jump up if it’s put on right!

 

Chappell: (laughs) You definitely looked like you put it on right, Rip! Where did you get the idea to use the piledriver?

 

Hawk: The way I got the piledriver was from a wrestler, Wild Bill Longson. He was out in St. Louis a long time…he actually had a partnership in that promotion. He used the piledriver for years. I was in St. Louis one night, and [Longson] said to me, ‘Why don’t you use the piledriver.’ I told him, ‘I wouldn’t know it if I saw it!’

 

Chappell: (laughing)

 

Hawk: He said, ‘Well, I used it here and they outlawed it all over the country…because it was such a dangerous hold.’

 

Longson took me in the locker room and showed me how to use it. He said, ‘Go ahead and try it.’ So, I did it in St. Louis…for the first time. They hadn’t seen it there in years. The Commission out there took the match away from me, because the hold was banned and they said I shouldn’t have used it.

 

But…I just kept using it from then on!

 

Chappell: I remember in the Crockett territory, there were periods when the piledriver was banned…and periods when it was legal. I think the ‘banned’ periods were the most interesting…the thought that you might defy the Commission and still use the banned hold!

 

Hawk: Some of those Athletic Commissions were really strict…and pretty much every state had an Athletic Commission.

 

Chappell: And during those days, they really regulated wrestling, didn’t they?

 

Hawk: They sure did…

 

Chappell: So when you speak of the piledriver being banned, it REALLY was banned!

 

Hawk: It was banned in St. Louis and Indiana…all through there. All of Missouri and Illinois. California and New York were tough…big-time tough.

 

Chappell: Yeah, I’ve heard some stories about the New York State Athletic Commission!

 

Hawk: California was just as bad!

 

Chappell: Were you thinking of the dangers of the piledriver when you put it on somebody?

 

Hawk: Oh yeah…you could have broke their neck.

 

Chappell: Have you ever had anything go amiss when you put the piledriver on somebody?

 

Hawk: I’ve hurt a couple of guy’s heads. You know, big guys who went down too hard and I got the top of their heads. But nothing terribly serious…they got over it.

 

Chappell: One of my favorite moves that you and Swede did, was what I call the ‘perpetual tag.’ Do you know what I’m trying to describe?

 

Hawk: (laughs) Yeah…I sure do!

 

Chappell: You all would have the opponent right in your corner, and you both would keep tagging each other immediately…almost in a circular motion! One in and one out every second or two. It was great…the guy never got a chance to get a breath!

 

Hawk: We did that often…I just started that with Swede one night. We would just tag in and tag out, tag in and tag out.

 

Chappell: Yep!

 

Hawk: I figured that would drive the people crazy!

 

Chappell: It did!

 

Hawk: The people hated it…they wanted the poor guy getting double-teamed to get a break! I knew everybody would hate that…and they did! (laughs)

 

 

Chappell: Perhaps this question should have come at the outset…but better late than never!

 

Your fans know you as Rip “The Profile” Hawk. How did you get that name? It’s a long ways from your real name, Harvey Evers! (laughs)

 

Hawk: (laughs) Let’s start with ‘Rip,’ okay?

 

Chappell: Good place to start!

 

Hawk: My sister came up with ‘Rip.’ She started calling me that when I was very young.

 

Chappell: It’s amazing how a nickname can come about out of the blue…and stick with you forever!

 

Okay, then…where did ‘Hawk’ come from?

 

Hawk: An early promoter I dealt with out in the Midwest asked me what my name was, and I told him ‘Rip Evers.’ The promoter came up with the ‘Hawk,’ as he said my nose was sharp and that I had movements like a hawk!

 

Chappell: (laughing) You move like a hawk? I guess you swooped down on your opponents?

 

Hawk: Apparently so!

 

Chappell: Well, whatever, it’s a great name for a wrestler!

 

So, how did you become ‘The Profile?’

 

Hawk: Well, David , this one will be harder to explain. (laughs)

 

Chappell: I’m ready! (laughs)

 

Hawk: John Barrymore was ‘The Profile’ in the movies years ago. I’m talking like the 1920s and 1930s. He died a long time ago. I met John Barrymore, Jr. out in California….and it dawned on me one day---I could make a lot of people mad by calling myself ‘The Profile’ too! That’s when I started doing that…I’d get up there and stick my nose up, and have them take that side shot of me. And everybody got mad! So, I just kept doing it!

 

Chappell: It really stuck!

 

Hawk: But that’s how it started. I loved Barrymore, Jr.

 

 I remember one night in Hollywood, Barrymore, Jr. and I were in a club. There was a comedian there by the name of Jack Carter…remember him?

 

Chappell: Yeah, he was a real wise-ass if I recall. I never liked him.

 

Hawk: Yeah, he was a first class jerk. So, we’re in this club in Hollywood drinking…it was me, Cowboy Bob Ellis and Barrymore. And Carter said something about us wrestlers…he got me hot, and I said I was going to go up there and kick his ass!

 

Chappell: (laughing)

 

Hawk: Barrymore said, ‘No, I’ll handle him.’ I told him I’d take care of it….I mean, he was just a little skinny guy! But Barrymore was insistent.

 

Chappell: What happened?

 

Hawk: Barrymore went up to Carter and said, ‘These are my friends…you keep your mouth shut, or you’re gonna get your teeth knocked out!’

 

Chappell: (laughing)

 

Hawk: Barrymore was a good guy…we were real tight for a while.

 

Chappell: It’s really something that your nickname ‘The Profile’ has those Hollywood roots!

 

Hawk: I know…it is!

 

Chappell: I remember when you were doing your promos as ‘The Profile,’ you would often have a cigar in your mouth. What was the significance of that? Or did you just smoke? (laughs)

 

Hawk: Yeah…I used to smoke cigars. I used to go through about 25 in a week’s time. I enjoyed them, but they smelled terrible!

 

Chappell: (laughs) Did the cigars ever come into play in the ring? You know, cigars have certainly played their way into wrestling angles over the years!

 

Hawk: No, they didn’t. You know, a lot of people didn’t like guys smoking cigars…guess it reminded them of gangsters or something!

 

Chappell: I remember when Wahoo McDaniel first came into the area in the summer of 1974, you said you were going to make that ‘Cigar Store Indian’ hold your cigar!

 

Hawk: (laughs) Then, David , that’s about as close as my cigars ever came to the ring!

 

Chappell: In the early 70s, the territory started to move away from its emphasis on tag team wrestlers. You said earlier that you actually had a role in that. How, and why, did that come about?

 

Hawk: We were trying to get singles in there then…

 

Chappell: And, as you said before, you were assisting with booking the territory for a time in the early 70s.

 

Hawk: Yes. But when George Scott was made the booker, he really, really wanted to push that…and it went all down that road from then on. This was after Mr. Crockett had died.

 

Chappell: When did Jim Crockett, Sr. pass away?

 

Hawk: In April of 1973.

 

Chappell: So, that was the time when John Ringley, his son-in-law, was in charge?

 

Hawk: Yes…Ringley was running it. Then Jimmy Crockett, Jr. decided he was going to run it---and he ran it into the ground.

 

Chappell: How would you compare Jim Crockett, Jr. with his father?

 

Hawk: Jr. was a nice kid; don’t get me wrong. But he wanted be known as being big-time, you know. He was going to run for public office…state Senate I believe.

 

He could be swayed very easily…

 

Chappell: How so?

 

Hawk: Someone would come to him with an idea, and sometimes he’d go with that idea whether he really liked it or not. It would hinge more on who was doing the talking.

 

Chappell: I’ve certainly heard that same criticism of Crockett, Jr. from others, but it was in the context of about a decade later when Dusty Rhodes came in as the booker.

 

I’ve heard a number of people say that Dusty had that sway over Crockett…and that led, as you said, to the promotion eventually drowning in a sea of red ink.

 

Hawk: I never much cottoned to Dusty Rhodes. He had a big head, and always thought he was a lot better than he actually was. He was a lousy worker.

 

Chappell: I get the sense that a lot of wrestlers that I interview still choose their words carefully when talking about Dusty. Maybe they can’t shake the control he had over their lives years ago, or maybe it’s because he’s still semi-active in the business today. Whatever the reason, I have a strong sense that many share the same opinion about Dusty as you do---they just won’t say it publicly.

 

Hawk: A lot of the guys won’t admit it and say anything bad about Dusty…but I don’t care!

 

Chappell: Around the time of the passing of  Mr. Crockett, Sr., you were embroiled in a great singles feud with Jerry Brisco over the Eastern Heavyweight Title. This was a rare singles program for you. Tell us about that feud and Jerry Brisco.

 

 

Hawk: I actually brought him in earlier…talked him into coming. Jerry was in for a long time.

 

Chappell: Jerry initially came in during the late 1970, early 1971 time period?

 

Hawk: Right…I believe so.

 

But Jerry and I were wrestling for the (Eastern) Title around the time Mr. Crockett, Sr. died, and we did good business. He was a nice kid. I got along with Jerry real well…never had a problem with him.

 

Chappell: What did you think of Jerry’s brother, Jack Brisco? Jack was also in the area during portions of this same 1971-73 time period.

 

Hawk: I thought he was great…I still do. Both Jack and Jerry were outstanding people.

 

Chappell: In that same time frame, I remember you teaming with Rock Hunter a little bit. It seemed real strange to see you teaming with somebody besides Swede!

 

Hawk: Yeah…Rock Hunter. I haven’t seen him in years…haven’t thought about him for a long time. A lot of people probably don’t remember it, but he and I went up to Toronto, Canada one time and teamed up there.

 

Chappell: This was around the time the Royal Kangaroos were in. I liked them, particularly Jonathan Boyd.

 

Hawk: They were different. But they were nice, and I liked them, though I didn’t spend a whole lot of time with them.  

 

Chappell: In the 1973-74 time frame, Jim Crockett Promotions was really changing. As you said, George Scott was given the book, and a number of you mainstays from the 60s were being de-emphasized. And guys like (Super Destroyer) Don Jardine and Johnny Valentine were brought in…

 

Hawk: David , let me tell you how that all started.

 

Chappell: Okay…please do.

 

Hawk: Ole Anderson got a hold of Jim Crockett, Jr. He started in on Crockett, Jr., and kept telling him, ‘We need a new booker, we need a new booker.’ Well, Ole pushed it so hard…that he got to Ringley and Crockett, Jr. and Davey (Crockett). And that’s when they got George Scott to come in (as booker).

 

Chappell: At the time, what was your reaction to all this?

 

Hawk: It didn’t bother me at all, because I didn’t really care. You know, that took a lot of problems off my plate…that I didn’t have to deal with anymore.

 

Chappell: So what you’re saying Rip, was that Ole Anderson was the instigator to a lot of the changes in the promotion at this time?

 

Hawk: Yes. Ole called me a few years later and said, ‘Rip, let’s bury the hatchet.’ I told him that there was no hatchet to bury.

 

So, he knew he was wrong. It’s that simple.

 

Chappell: Any thoughts on why Ole pushed to get you out of your spot?

 

Hawk: I don’t know…maybe he didn’t think he was getting enough Main Events. He wanted to be a big superstar, I guess, and he thought he’d get it that way.

 

He was able to get into Ringley’s ear, and Jim Jr.’s ear.

 

Chappell: Very interesting. I’d like to get your opinions on some of the new guys that came in and were pushed by George Scott…really at the expense of veterans like you and Swede. What about Don Jardine, Johnny Valentine and Wahoo McDaniel?

 

Hawk: Yeah…Jardine first came in during 1973. He was in before George really got going good. He got pushed, but you know, he was good. He drew money.

 

And Valentine…he was a big money maker. I worked with Valentine a lot in St. Louis.

 

I knew Wahoo from way back…when he was playing pro football and wrestling in the off-season. He was great…a nice guy.

 

All those guys had a lot of talent.

 


CONCLUSION