SANDY SCOTT
Sandy Scott’s career is a perfect prism
through which to view the history of wrestling in the Mid-Atlantic.
Consider a sampling from his experiences in the Carolinas as part of
more than 40 years in the business:
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In the 1950s and 1960s, Scott and
brother George headlined cards as “The Flying Scotts,” one of
the most important tag teams in the most important tag team
territory in the country.
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In the 1970s, he lent his expertise
to up-and-coming stars like Jerry Brisco, and added tag combos
with the likes of Nelson Royal and Bearcat Wright to his résumé.
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In the 1980s, he was a key front
office executive for Jim Crockett Promotions, booking towns and
venues, handling TV ads, and keeping a lucrative business
thriving.
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In the 1990s, he worked for World
Championship Wrestling and watched in dismay at the “suits” in
Atlanta mismanaged the company on its road to ruin.
But here’s the most amazing part of it
all — Bob Caudle, the voice of Mid-Atlantic wrestling, who worked
with Scott on TV, said he didn’t even recall the transplanted
Canadian uttering a cuss word. “He was such a clean-cut guy and a
down-to-earth honest guy,” said Caudle, who will induct Scott into
the Hall of Heroes. “He had a great sense of humor and he’s a
terrific storyteller. I used to hook up with him in Charlotte when
we were riding to Spartanburg or some other place, and Sandy would
be telling stories about what happened up in Canada in the winter,
traveling from city to city in the ice and the snow.”
Angus Mackay Scott was born in 1934 in
Hamilton, Ontario, where he wrestled at a local YMCA, played a
little football, and worked out ― with more of an eye toward
bodybuilding ― with wrestler Mike Sharpe. He got his start in the
pro ranks in 1954, when older brother George brought him into the
Calgary territory for promoter Stu Hart. The pair won the Canadian
tag title titles within months of their debut as a tag team. “They
were a little different, but they were right sharp. I thought they
were both good wrestlers,” said Canadian legend Yvon “The Beast”
Cormier. Based out of Calgary for about six years, the Scotts
appeared briefly in the Carolinas in 1957 and by the early ‘60s were
fixtures on the Southern circuit. In 1959, the Petersburg, Va.,
Progress-Index took a stab at describing a young Sandy’s in-ring
style, calling him “a brilliant offensive wrestler. His aerial
attacks are devastating, with solid flying tackles, vice-like head
scissors and fast dropkicks.”
Scott said he enjoyed the tag team work
more than singles competition. “We knew each other pretty well,
George and I. We could do things just automatically. We knew what
each other was going to do.” His travelogue also includes places
like Japan, Australia, Europe, but Crockett territory remained
Scott’s home base. “Jim Crockett had a very, very good name,” he
explained. “If he told you something, that was it. In our business,
you don’t find guys like that too often.” Scott transitioned into a
front office role for the office and frequently appeared on TV as a
representative of the National Wrestling Alliance. He hooked up with
WCW when Ted Turner’s company took over Jim Crockett Promotions, and
knew things were going downhill when Jim Herd, who lacked a
wrestling background, assumed control of the operation. “I don’t
know how he ever got in there but he did, and you see what
happened,” Scott laughed. After the WCW fiasco, Scott was one of the
driving forces behind Smoky Mountain Wrestling, the last of the
old-school promotions. He’s still living in the area, in Roanoke,
Va., where some things haven’t changed from his days in the car with
Caudle, Gene Anderson, and others — he still has to explain to
southerners about snow. “I tell them we’ve seen snow as high as the
telephone poles up in Saskatchewan, and have to take a train to get
through to Saskatoon, and they think I'm kidding,” he said.
- Steve Johnson |