Chappell:
How did your announcing work in
wrestling come to a conclusion?
Caudle:
The year or two after Turner took it
over from Crockett, there was so much
traveling involved. If you wanted to do
anything, you had to fly out of Atlanta.
Everything worked out of Atlanta
then—there was nothing out of Charlotte
anymore.
By
that time you had Ross and Schiavone there
working full-time…Turner hired them both
in to work full-time. There were several
others in there as well. At that stage, I
guess I was the old odd-man out and sort of
didn’t fit in with that crowd. So we just
kind of drifted apart.
I
think then they really wanted to go with the
younger guys, like Ross and Schiavone. They
were there full-time and they were in on
everything. They were at all the meetings
and knew what the angles were going to be.
You see, I just went in for the matches and
had no idea what was going on at that stage.
We were just going in opposite directions.
Chappell:
What was your last job announcing
wrestling?
Caudle:
Smoky Mountain Wrestling in the early
1990s was the last show I did.
Jim
Cornette called me and asked me if I’d do
that. He did his shows in the little arenas
and gyms, and eventually the remote
facilities were so expensive that they were
just busting him. It was costing them a ton
of money to get their shows taped. So,
unfortunately, they didn’t last all that
long.
Chappell:
We’ve gotten you to the end of your
wrestling and legislative careers now Bob,
but I understand you’re coming out of
retirement, in a manner of speaking, on the
weekend of January 31st for the
upcoming Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends
Convention and Fanfest in Charlotte?
Caudle:
I’m really looking forward to coming
to that event. It’s going to be a great
chance to reacquaint myself with a lot of
the guys that I was really close to and
really liked. I always enjoyed being around
the guys, and I can’t think of ever having
a cross word with any of them. If I had,
I’d have been running at the time!
(laughs) But seriously
David
, I always felt that if anything bad ever
happened to me, that any one or all of them
would be right there in front of me
protecting me from anything and everything.
Chappell:
I hope as part of Fanfest, you will give
us your standard show opening and show
closing! How did your show opening and
closing come about?
Caudle:
You mean, ‘That’s it for this week.
Until next week fans, so long for now.’
Chappell:
Man, does that sound good to hear you
say that! (laughs)
Caudle:
(laughing) That just sort of came
naturally…and I always used that ending.
But I didn’t say, ‘Hey, this is a good
ending,’ or anything like that, you know,
when I started doing it. It felt comfortable
for me to end the shows that way, so I just
continued to do it over the years.
Bob
Caudle show closing, October 1976.
Chappell:
Okay…you have to do the show opening
for me now! (laughs)
Caudle:
(laughing) ‘Hi wrestling fans, welcome
to another action packed hour of
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. We’ve
got action for you tonight. I’m
Bob Caudle
and here’s
David
Crockett. And
David
, so and so and so and so.’
Chappell:
Bob, you’ve got me believing this is
1975…not 2004! (laughs)
Caudle:
(laughing) That’s about the way they
went back then! That’s just about the way
it was. I never knew people even remembered
that…I can’t imagine that, really.
Chappell:
Believe me, people remember it…and
remember it fondly. And real soon, you’re
going to experience a lot of that from your
fans at Fanfest!
Caudle:
I think it’s going to be a great
weekend in Charlotte.
Chappell:
To conclude Bob, what are the most
lasting memories you have of your long
association with
Jim
Crockett Promotions?
Caudle:
The memories I have are of the good
times with the guys. Several times I
remember riding with Arn and Flair, and
they’d stop and get a six-pack, and we’d
just have a beer together and spend some
time together.
The
Christmas parties we had in Raleigh every
year when we were taping out of the studio
there were special too. It was a time when
everybody could get together. It was at a
really nice motel there, and all of the
heels would be in a dining room on one side,
and all of the babyfaces were on the other
side…we didn’t mix them. I remember one
year the booze was flowing pretty good, and
[Baron Von] Raschke actually bet somebody
there that he could run right through the
wall of that restaurant…and he was getting
ready to do it! (laughs)
Chappell:
No way!
Caudle:
You have to remember, a little booze was
involved!
(laughs)
Chappell:
What happened?
Caudle:
Raschke kept yelling, ‘I bet you I
can, I bet you I can!’ The promoters had
to REALLY quickly calm that thing down in a
hurry! (laughs)
There
were some great personalities and characters
back in those days…and that always made
things interesting and fun.
In
Charlotte, when we would tape down there, a
bunch of us would get together and go to a
bar at night and get a drink and a little
something to eat. Just socialize a little
bit…those are the times I remember best
about the guys, not really the times in the
ring.
Chappell:
It sounds like a lot of great times over
a lot of years!
Caudle:
I wish it was still like it was back
then, because it was a lot of fun. Wrestling
is so different now.
Chappell:
Well Bob, you certainly made watching
professional wrestling in the Mid-Atlantic
days a real pleasure for all of us. And
it’s been a real pleasure to get your
memories and insight about those great times
in
Jim
Crockett Promotions. Thanks so much for your
time this evening.
Caudle:
Enjoyed it
David
, really enjoyed it. Really look forward to
seeing you in Charlotte [at Fanfest].
Chappell:
Same here. And as I guess you would say,
‘Until then, so long for now!’
Caudle:
(laughing) That didn’t sound half-bad!
See you in Charlotte.
INTERVIEW
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