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Chappell:
Was it originally the plan for you to stay in
the Mid-Atlantic area longer than you did?
Raschke:
I don’t remember all of the details, but
basically I was just homesick. I wanted to go home.
It was all right with Crockett…so I did.
Chappell:
I can certainly understand your reasons for not
staying at that point, but the angle with you and
Charlie Brown was some great stuff! And having a
manager, Gary Hart, was something new for Crockett
fans to see.
Raschke:
Yes, but I had managers before in other places.
Bob
by Hennan was my manager in Indianapolis, and then
later on in New York, Freddie Blassie was my manager
for a little while.
As
far as Gary Hart in ‘83…it was just something a
little different. Gary and I had been in Texas
together at the same time.
Chappell:
I never felt you needed a manager. You were very
skilled with your interviews, and you never seemed
like a wrestler who needed someone else to talk for
him.
Raschke:
Thank you.
Chappell:
Did you see your interviews as being a strength
for you?
Raschke:
For some reason, I was always a real shy
person…
Chappell:
(laughs) No way…that’s hard to believe!
Raschke:
It probably is…but everything I was, Baron Von
Raschke wasn’t---he really became my alter ego.
When I got into character it was real easy for me to
think on my feet and respond to questions, ad lib,
and go with it.
That’s
what the Baron does…can do, did do and probably
will keep doing!
Chappell:
And as he has shown us this evening…the Baron
is just as good as he ever was!
Raschke:
I try! (everybody laughs)
Chappell:
As you mentioned briefly just a moment ago, your
last run with Crockett was in the mid 80s. The
business was certainly changing a great deal by the
1986 time frame.
You
had been in the AWA again after the brief 1983
Mid-Atlantic stint, and you and the Crusher had lost
the AWA World Tag Team Titles to the Road
Warriors---a new breed of tag team. Wrestling had
changed considerably from the last time you wrestled
for Crockett in 1983.
Raschke:
This all runs together for me a little bit, but
I think in the last [Crockett] run Ivan and Nikita
Koloff had a third partner who broke his leg…
Chappell:
Right…Krusher Khrushchev.
Raschke:
Yes…and he broke his leg, and I got a call
that [the Russians] needed a partner to replace him.
I think there was an upcoming six-man against Dusty
(Rhodes) and the Road Warriors…or something like
that. So, I was elected. That was my final run in
there with Crockett.
Chappell:
Towards the end of that final run, I remember
you wrestling as a babyface again. And even teaming
up with another great veteran and Mid-Atlantic
legend, Chief Wahoo McDaniel!
I
remember you and Wahoo teaming up in the 1987
Jim
Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tournament.
Raschke:
Yes, we did. Wahoo was one of my favorite
people.
Chappell:
Really?
Raschke:
Oh yeah. He was a great guy and a great
athlete…he was a great credit to the business. He
was just a good person…really a big-hearted guy.
Chappell:
You and the Chief butted heads in your first run
with Crockett. It was really something to see you
all teaming together during that final stint!
Raschke:
There you were with a tag team…one guy with a
headdress of Eagle feathers, and the other guy
looking like a Bald Eagle!
Chappell:
(laughing) Something to behold!
Raschke:
Actually, those were turkey feathers…after the
dog got a hold of the turkey! (everybody laughs)
Chappell:
After your last run with Crockett, didn’t you
go to the WWF briefly…when they were gobbling up
all the talent in sight in the mid/late 80’s?
Raschke:
Yeah,
Vince
(McMahon) was good…he flew me in just to fire me!
Chappell:
Gee…
Raschke:
At great expense.
Chappell:
At that time, didn’t
Vince
have you managing some people up there?
Raschke:
Yeah…tried to.
Chappell:
That didn’t last long, did it?
Raschke:
It didn’t last long at all.
Chappell:
I guess the last time I remember seeing you on a
wrestling program was when the AWA was in its dying
days, but their show was still running on ESPN. If I
recall, you were involved in a Team Challenge Series
as the AWA was about to peter out in 1990.
Raschke:
I was, and then I did a little wrestling for
small promotions for a while after that.
Chappell:
Do you watch any professional wrestling today?
Raschke:
I do not.
Chappell:
None?
Raschke:
Very, very rarely. It’s not fun for me to
watch.
Chappell:
Tell us some things about the
Baron…post-wrestling.
Raschke:
Well, my wife and I bought a gift and souvenir
shop and ran that for a time. And right about then,
that’s when I started teaching school again. I
also worked for the Minnesota Zoo for a while. Even
during this time, I was still into wrestling a
little bit.
I
was way up in northern Minnesota when we ran the
gift shop…where it’s still cold and snowing as
we speak! We stayed up there six or seven years with
the gift and souvenir shop.
Chappell:
You must have worn a winter coat all year round
up there!
Raschke:
That was about 300 miles from where we live now.
Chappell:
What is the Baron up to presently?
Raschke:
Actually, I’m in between bookings right now.
I’m looking for work.
Chappell:
I know one ‘booking’ that Mid-Atlantic fans
are hoping that you will be a part of, is the
Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends Fanfest in Charlotte
over Thanksgiving weekend! Might we see you there?
Raschke:
I’ve been contacted about that, but nothing
has been set yet. I’m considering it, but due to
careful planning I can’t afford to retire until
I’m (age) 105!
Chappell:
(laughs) Tell me about that, too! Obviously we
would love to see you at Fanfest, but logistically
you are a long haul from Charlotte.
But
I hope it works out; we’d love to see you there.
Raschke:
I’d love to come.
Chappell:
Are you currently doing any more substitute
teaching?
Raschke:
No, my wife had me give that up a couple of
years ago. When we moved down here, I didn’t
resume that.
Chappell:
Where are you living presently?
Raschke:
We’re down the (Mississippi) River now,
David
. We live seven miles from where the Mississippi
River starts. We live near the river, though, in
Wabasha, Minnesota.
Chappell:
That’s beautiful country up there…
Raschke:
It really is.
Chappell:
Just a couple of final things as we wrap up
Baron…
Raschke:
[Editor’s Note: The Baron Is Again In
Character Voice Here!]
‘WE’RE
NOT DONE YET???!!!’ (laughs)
Chappell:
(laughing) Soon!
Since
you’ve lapsed back into character, how did your
famous catch-phrase ‘Dat Is All Da People Need To
Know’ come about?
Raschke:
That particular one, came out of a thing with
Marty O’Neill, who was an announcer in Minnesota.
He was a small man, a short man, and all of the
wrestlers towered over him. Even Mad Dog Vachon!
But
Marty was a great, great announcer and interviewer.
And he called me up to the mic one time to be
interviewed, and as you know, the interviews usually
lasted two or two and a half minutes. Of course, I
take my glasses off…and I can’t see two feet in
front of me!
Chappell:
I know all about that!
Raschke:
Usually, there’s a guy out there that gives
you a wind-up signal…you know, a cue that it’s
time to quit talking.
Anyway,
Marty calls me up and I’m talking about whatever
I’m talking about…blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
I’d finished what I was talking about, but I
couldn’t see anybody winding us up! Marty, being
the pro that he was, asked me another question…and
I didn’t have an answer for it!
Chappell:
(laughs)
Raschke:
So I said, ‘DAT IS ALL DA PEOPLE NEED TO
KNOW,’ and I stormed off!
Chappell:
(laughing)
Raschke:
Marty was such a good announcer…and he loved
that! He thought it was great, and he asked me to do
it again when we did another interview. And again,
and again.
Pretty
soon, the promoter would say, ‘You gotta do that;
you gotta do that!’ So, that’s how that phrase
started…and continued!
Chappell:
That’s a great story! That phrase is forever
part of wrestling lore!
Raschke:
(laughs)
Chappell:
How difficult was it living your wrestling life
in the persona of a hated German? I imagine at some
points in time that had to wear on you?
Raschke:
I just sort of dealt with it. The Baron was such
a nasty, vicious and despicable character…
[Editor’s
Note: The Baron Is Again In Character Voice Here!]
‘I
JUST COULDN’T LIVE LIKE THAT 24 HOURS A DAY!’
Chappell:
(laughing)
Raschke:
But anyway, the Baron turned out to be all
right. He’s kind of like me…to know me, is to
love me!
I
could separate my personal life from the Baron.
Chappell:
During your time in the Mid-Atlantic area, what
were some of your favorite towns and places?
Raschke:
Well, I really enjoyed the Mid-Atlantic
territory…the towns were all great. Your hometown
Richmond was a great place…
Chappell:
Richmond loved the Baron too! At times, we loved to hate
you, but you know what I mean!
Raschke:
(laughs) Yes, I do!
Norfolk,
Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Charleston…they
were all great. Great fans…great towns. I just
have a lot of good memories from the Charlotte
territory. Just a real good run there.
Chappell:
When you think about the times you wrestled in
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, what are the
first things that come to your mind?
Raschke:
I think back on all of the great talent that I
worked with there, and the business like approach
the Office had. The fans were great. I just have a
good feeling about the Charlotte territory, and
Mid-Atlantic Wrestling.
Chappell:
In closing, Baron, anything you’d like to say
to all of your Mid-Atlantic fans out there?
Raschke:
[Editors Note: The Baron Is Again In Character
Voice Here!]
‘The
Baron hopes that some day, things will work out
where I can come down and see all of my fans and
friends from the Mid-Atlantic area.
‘Until
that happens, I look forward to my next
opponent…who’ll probably be the toughest one.
‘AND
DAT IS ALL DA PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW!!!!!!’
Chappell:
(laughing) What a perfect way to finish up!
Well,
Baron, you have been as entertaining tonight as you
were during all your great years in the Mid-Atlantic
area! Thank you for being so generous with your time
this evening…it’s been great talking with you.
Raschke:
Good talking to you,
David
. You have a good evening, and continued good luck
with the web site.
And that REALLY is all you need to KNOW!
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