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Chappell: Who were some
of the guys you first worked
with when you began wrestling in
the arenas and coliseums?
Kernodle: Not too long
after I started, [Jim Crockett
Promotions] wanted Ole and Gene
to get out of here for
awhile---that was when George
Scott came in. [Ole and Gene]
went down to Georgia, and were
booking down there. They got me
to go down there with them.
Chappell: So you followed
Ole and Gene down to Georgia…I
think that would have been
during part of 1974?
Who did you wrestle down in
Georgia?
Kernodle: Randy Poffo was
down there---before he became
Randy Savage. And Richard Blood
was down there, right after he
got in the business. Do ya’ll
remember Richard Blood?
Chappell: Tito Santana!
And he wrestled underneath for
Crockett also.
Kernodle: Me and Randy
had a lot of great matches. A
lot of 30 minute draws on Friday
nights at the Atlanta
Auditorium.
Chappell: The City
Auditorium?
Kernodle: Yeah…and me and
Randy would steal the crowd!
We’d be about the fourth or
fifth match, and we’d steal the
show!
Going down to Georgia was a
learning experience. There were
different styles. And it was
good in another way, because it
was a short trip territory. It
was fun to go down there. Me and
Tito had some great matches,
too.
Chappell: It sounds like
your most notable early opponent
was the future Randy Savage!
Kernodle: Randy, boy, he
became a great worker. We’d have
a 30 minute draw, and then we’d
get into it again, and I might
backdrop him over the top
rope…just great stuff that
people had never seen.
And he would call it…set it up.
He honed his craft down there
really good.
Chappell: Learning down
there like you did.
Kernodle: And like I
said, Tito and I had some great
matches too.
One time I went in the office
and Gene had a picture of
Richard Blood on his desk. And I
said, ‘Who is this guy?’ And
Gene said, “Hee, hee, hee…don’t
you worry, you’ll be knowing him
pretty good right quick! You’re
gonna be wrestling him 30
minutes every night!”
Chappell/Bourne:
(laughing)
Kernodle: But that’s how
you really learn. When we went
to the wrestling matches as a
fan, we might have seen these
two young guys get in there and
have a clean match for 20
minutes…and thought it was
boring. But, see, that’s how you
learn.
Chappell: Certainly a lot
of the opening matches did go
the 20 minute time limit.
Kernodle: They could have
had them work for five minutes,
but if you work in there for 20
minutes…that’s four times the
ring time. So, they had the
draws, basically, to get time in
the ring in front of people.
Bourne: Plus, you’re
working six/seven nights a week.
Kernodle: That’s where
you learn. If you’re in there
six times for 20 minutes, that’s
120 minutes---that’s four half
hours in a week. That’s why you
see that…it gives the guy time
in the ring. Plus, it takes time
in the show…and lets the main
eventers go a little shorter.
Bourne: And looking back
on it, you don’t want all that
faster or higher style until the
end…it makes it more special at
the end.
Kernodle: You can sit
here and talk about wrestling
all you want to, and you can
think you know a lot about it,
but it’s nothing better than
getting in the ring in front of
a crowd…not just out there in
the gym. But to get in front of
a crowd…and see the crowd’s
reactions.
Chappell: That has to be
real important.
Kernodle: Then Ole and
Gene started bringing me along
about how to do the promos, and
stuff like that. They would make
me get in front of a mirror and
do them, where you could see
yourself.
And Ole would tell me to use
your whole body when you talked.
And you watched yourself in the
mirror. And that really helps
you. They were masters of that
stuff.
Chappell: And later on,
when the Anderson Brothers left
the Mid-Atlantic area, I believe
Johnny Weaver was a big
influence on you.
Kernodle: Weaver and I
became really good friends. I
probably have ridden with Weaver
more than anybody in the
business. I became best friends
with Weaver.
Chappell: Johnny Weaver
was amazing in so many ways.
Kernodle: Johnny Weaver,
man, he taught me more about
professional wrestling than
anybody.
As Ole and Gene went on, I was
here and Johnny and I rode
together…as good guys. We rode
together about every day…he’d
drive and then I’d drive. We’d
talk about the business. We
smoked cigars back then. I mean,
it was amazing.
Chappell: With all
Johnny’s knowledge, I’m sure you
were soaking it up like a
sponge!
Kernodle: Johnny Weaver,
man, he was a master. He was a
master. He knew more about
wrestling than anybody!
Chappell: Since you were
a good guy back then, you really
couldn’t ride around with Gene
and Ole the way you did with
Johnny.
Kernodle: Yeah, yeah. So
that’s how that started. Johnny
and I became really good
friends…and he just knew so much
about wrestling.
Bourne: To have two
people really break you in like
Ole Anderson and Johnny
Weaver…it’s hard to get much
better than that!
Kernodle: Couldn’t ask
for any better!
Chappell: When you were
still new in the business, only
a couple of years in, there was
the terrible plane crash in
October of 1975. What do you
remember about that tragedy in
Wilmington, North Carolina?
Kernodle: I was on the
card that night. That afternoon,
I drove straight from here in
Burlington to Wilmington. But a
number of them flew.
The matches were being held in a
football stadium---American
Legion Stadium in Wilmington. It
was sold out…people everywhere.
Chappell: When did you
find out about the crash?
Kernodle: When I got to
the stadium I was asked about
the plane crash. I said, ‘What
plane crash?’ So then I was told
about it.
I was told David Crockett was on
the plane, and that Ric Flair
was on the plane. They pretty
much told me who was on board.
Chappell: I imagine
people were in a state of shock.
Kernodle: Pretty much.
But we still put together a
show…we wrestled. We had a
show…we filled in as best we
could with the guys missing.
Chappell: The show must
go on…
Kernodle: I went to the
hospital later and saw Flair…he
had a broken back. The pilot…he
ended up dying. Johnny Valentine
and Bob Bruggers never wrestled
again.
Chappell: What did you
hear about how the crash
happened?
Kernodle: What it was…the
pilot tried to overcompensate
for the weight of the wrestlers
and their bags by not putting as
much fuel in the plane. They
were in sight of the airport
when they went down.
Chappell: I remember they
were very close.
Kernodle: The pilot was
trying to coast it in. And they
got almost there, and hit a
railroad embankment. They were
lucky anybody survived.
Flair broke his back, and he was
never able to gain any weight
after that. Flair weighed about
285 when he first came in here.
After he broke his back, he was
never really able to get back
big again. He didn’t really want
to be that big again---but he
lost a lot of weight with the
crash.
Chappell: Since we’re
talking about Flair, are there
any thoughts on the young Ric
Flair that you’d like to share
with us?
Kernodle: Flair came in
here weighing about 285.
Sergeant Slaughter and Flair
knew each other in
Minnesota…going way back. They
used to play softball against
each other.
Chappell: I bet Ric was a
sight on the softball field!
Kernodle: Way back then,
Flair weighed over 300 pounds.
He weighed 325-330. He was a
power lifter. He met Ken Patera,
and got real big from power
lifting. The power lifters were
real big back then…not great
bodies, just real big and
strong.
Chappell: Hard to imagine
Flair that big.
Kernodle: Talking about
Flair playing softball, Sarge
told me that one time Flair hit
a ball out into left field, and
the left fielder would throw him
out before he got to first base!
Chappell/Bourne:
(laughing)
Kernodle: He definitely
couldn’t run fast!
Chappell: Not at that
size!
Kernodle: Flair came in
and got over really good. They
teamed him up with Rip Hawk at
first.
Flair was Crockett’s boy. He
groomed him. The reason that
Flair is the greatest
professional wrestler of all
time, the reason he held all
those championships, is because
he was Crockett’s baby.
He got all the promo time. They
groomed him to be what he was…in
my opinion, he was the greatest
professional wrestler ever.
Chappell: And Flair
certainly took full advantage of
the push Crockett gave him.
Kernodle: When you have
all that behind you, and you win
all those belts, and you have
all that promo time…you’re in a
great situation.
Chappell: In Flair’s
early years, the mid 70s, Ric
was billed as being the cousin
of Gene and Ole Anderson. Did
the Andersons help Ric like they
helped you?
Kernodle: Ole helped Ric
a lot. So did Weaver. They
helped him become what he was.
I guess you guys know that back
then all the NWA promoters voted
on who would be the World
Champion. You had to put up a
big bond, and all that stuff to
be champion. Way back in
wrestling, most of the champions
were involved in the
promotions…Strangler Lewis, Gene
Kiniski, Pat O’Connor and the
Funks. They were promoters. So,
naturally they got the power…so
they’re gonna be the champions.
Chappell: I guess it’s
fair to say that everyone had to
get help somewhere along the
way.
Kernodle: Everybody
worked real hard to help me, and
I had a lot of great teachers.
Made a lot of great friends over
the years.
Bourne: During the 70s
you were in Jim Crockett
Promotions for the most part,
but you did work some other
territories on occasion. Tell us
about those. I know you were in
Memphis for a short period of
time.Your first title was in
Memphis, is that right? The
Mid-American Tag Team
Champions.
Kernodle: Yeah, me and
Randy Fargo…Sonny’s and Jackie’s
nephew.
Bourne: Was he their
legit nephew?
Kernodle: Yeah…Faggart is
their last name. Randy died not
too many years after that.
Anyway, I wrestled here and in
1973, Tom Renesto, who was one
of the Bolos, was the booker in
Atlanta, had me down there some.
So, I was really here, but
sometimes they’d send me to do
Atlanta TV. And I’d also do the
Columbus, Georgia TV and
Carrollton also. Did both.
Bourne: Did Fred Ward do
his own TV show? Was it Columbus
or was it Macon?
Kernodle: Columbus, but
he did one in Macon, too.
Columbus was on Saturday
afternoon, and then we’d go to
Carrollton. But Macon…that
seemed like it was on a Tuesday
night.
Bourne: So you did
Atlanta TV that Saturday
morning, the Columbus TV that
afternoon, and then Carrollton
or somewhere that night!
Kernodle: Yeah!
Chappell: A triple shot!
Kernodle: I did that, and
Watts was the booker down there
just a little bit later…and I
worked for him down there.
Khosrow Ali Vaziri [the Iron
Sheik] came in here…he weighed
about 190 pounds! He was in
great shape. They were booking
me and him down in Georgia some.
I remember I’d have to drive,
and take him down there with me.
So, I wrestled here and in
Atlanta.
Chappell: When we get to
1976, did you take another stint
outside the Mid-Atlantic area?
Kernodle: In 1976 I
separated from my wife, and left
Burlington and moved to
Nashville, Tennessee. So I
wrestled in Nashville…
Bourne: Gulas?
Kernodle: Gulas…and Jerry
Jarrett. And Christine Jarrett.
I wrestled in Nashville and
Memphis. And when I left there,
I went over to Knoxville for Ron
Fuller in 1977.
Bourne: I remember that -
I grew up in Kingsport,
Tennessee, and I saw some of
that Knoxville stuff.
Kernodle: Did you go to
Dobyns-Bennett High School? We
wrestled there. Nice gym…real
nice gym. That big dome!
Art Nelson was booking in
Amarillo and my friend Irvin
Smith…Rich Smith, great amateur,
he was out there---he called and
wanted me to come out there.
Bourne: And that’s when
the movie deal happened, right?
Kernodle: Went out there
mainly because it was a chance
to work on top, basically. And
if you went to work with the
Funks, you’d get a trip to
Japan!
Chappell: Nice!
Kernodle: So I did
that…and Terry did the movie.
But the trips were so long out
there, and the money wasn’t too
good. Didn’t really like it out
there.
Bourne: You did go to
Japan, though?
Kernodle: Oh yeah. Went
to Japan.
Soon after that, I came back
here…and pretty much stayed
here. Then I got hooked up with
Sergeant Slaughter when he came
in here in 1981.
Chappell: Before we get
into your first push in the
Mid-Atlantic area with Sergeant
Slaughter, I’d like you to run
us through that great boom
period of Mid-Atlantic
Championship Wrestling under the
booking of George Scott.
You worked underneath during
that period in the mid and late
70s when the Mid-Atlantic area
was the greatest territory in
the country. I’d like to throw
some names out there, and get
your responses to them.
Kernodle: Sure thing…fire
away.
Chappell: I think it’s
fair to say that the
Mid-Atlantic territory really
caught fire in the mid 70s when
George Scott came in as the
booker. And this was pretty
close in time to when you broke
in. Tell us your recollections
of George Scott.
Kernodle: I watched
George Scott when I was a kid,
and I thought he and his brother
Sandy were a great tag team.
Chappell: The Flying
Scotts!
Kernodle: When George
became booker here, he took
pretty good care of me. I mean,
I wasn’t on top, but I made a
lot of money. I like George
Scott…I have a lot of respect
for him.
Chappell: Tell us a
little more about your good
friend, Johnny Weaver.
Johnny was still on top when you
broke in the business in 1973,
but soon after that started
transitioning to mid-card and
being a TV announcer with Rich
Landrum as the “Dean of
Professional Wrestling.”
Kernodle: Johnny Weaver
was one of the greatest friends
you could ever have. He wanted
to help everybody. He was a
hero. He not only was a hero
wrestler, but he served the
state of North Carolina as a
deputy sheriff for 20 years,
which is not an easy job.
Chappell: That’s for
sure.
And how about that journal of
wrestling finishes that Johnny
kept?!
Kernodle: Johnny Weaver
knew more damn finishes than
anybody in the business…he
didn’t forget anything!
You know, David, everybody liked
Johnny…he was a friend to
everybody. He was probably one
of the nicest men I’ve ever
known. I really loved Johnny, in
every way.
Chappell: A man that came
on the scene late in 1973 soon
after you debuted, and who had
some classic matches with
Weaver, was Johnny Valentine.
What stands out to you about
“The Champ?”
Kernodle: I hadn’t been
in the business long when Johnny
came here. I became good friends
with him.
I’m the only guy, he told me,
that ever countered his suplex!
Chappell: And back then,
the suplex was THE hold!
Kernodle: He suplexed me
on TV, and somehow when I hit,
my knee came up and hit him in
his face…and knocked him cold as
a cucumber!
Chappell/Bourne:
(laughing)
Kernodle: The finish was,
he was supposed to suplex me,
give me the elbow…and pin me. He
gave it to me and I’m laying
there…but he’s laying there too!
Chappell/Bourne:
(laughing)
Kernodle: (laughing)
We’re on Raleigh TV, and I’m
thinking, ‘What the hell?’ So
finally, he gets up…it took
awhile because he was knocked
out. Somehow, when he dropped me
back, the recoil of my knee hit
him right in the face and
knocked him out!
He said that had never been done
to him before…he liked it! He
shook my hand!
Chappell: (laughing) I’m
sure he did! Valentine on his
promos used to say that he liked
pain…and he could take it!
Kernodle: (laughing)
Yeah, when he got up he was
staggering all around, back and
forth, and he finally dropped
down and fell on me and beat me
one, two, three.
I didn’t know what to do there
for a minute. He was the United
States Champion…I didn’t know if
I could beat him or what. I said
to myself, ‘PLEASE GET UP,
PLEASE GET UP!’
Chappell/Bourne:
(laughing)
Chappell: Another veteran
that was winding down when you
broke in was Rip “The Profile”
Hawk. You talked about Rip a
little earlier, but give us a
few thoughts on Hawk, who exited
the territory at the end of
1974.
Kernodle: I liked Rip a
lot, and he liked me. Like you
said, Rip didn’t stay in the
area much longer after George
Scott came in as the booker. He
got gone pretty quick after
that.
When I went down to Amarillo,
Rip was out there. He was
promoting in Albuquerque, and I
saw him out there. But I liked
Rip Hawk. He’s a smart guy, and
at that time he was a really
good wrestler, and he had a lot
of heat.
Chappell: Oh yes…Rip was
pretty much a heat magnet!
Kernodle: He used that
profile thing, you know, to get
heat. He was a smart-ass like
me! Swede [Hanson] was the big
tough guy…
Chappell: That brings me
to the big Swede! Swede was on
top when you broke in, but he
stayed around through the 70s
working underneath. So you had a
lot of opportunities to deal
with big Swede!
Kernodle: Swede could hit
harder than any damn body I’d
ever seen in my life!
Chappell/Bourne:
(laughing)
Kernodle: He’d knock the
hell out of you! Like in a
battle royal he’d hit you in the
back, and it was like lightning
striking you! You knew it was
Swede, and you’d turn around and
he’d laugh at you! He knew he’d
set your ass on fire!
Chappell: One of the guys
that Swede feuded with in 1974,
and he hung around until the
summer of 1975, was the Super
Destroyer, Don Jardine.
Kernodle: I didn’t know
him really, really, really well.
I liked him, and he was a great
worker and everything.
I did see one thing with him at
Raleigh TV one time. He came in
one night and Wahoo [McDaniel]
and I were talking, and he
dropped his bag and punched
Wahoo. Man, Wahoo turned around
and beat the dog crap out of
him!
Chappell: I remember
hearing stories about how those
two got into it, and Wahoo got
the best of it!
Kernodle: Got them
separated…Swede was involved in
that. After we had them
separated, Wahoo jumped on his
ass again!
Bourne: Do you know what
it was over?
Kernodle: Something that
happened the night before.
And they had to work that night
on TV!
Chappell/Bourne:
(laughing)
Kernodle: They went out
that night and worked on TV, and
nothing happened in the ring.
Everything went like it was
supposed to.
Then they came back to the back,
and Wahoo went off on his ass
again. Wahoo beat the hell out
of him!
But I liked Don Jardine okay. I
just didn’t know him very well.
Chappell: We’ve been
talking about Wahoo. He came
into the territory in 1974, and
was a mega star in the 70s and
beyond. Tell us about the big
Indian Chief.
Kernodle: (laughs) Wahoo
was a TOUGH guy…
Chappell: Just ask Don
Jardine!
Kernodle: He was a great
athlete. Great in football, golf
and wrestling. Wahoo got over
because he was mean and tough.
And buddy, his work was tight.
Like those big chops…you could
hear them all over the arena!
He was a great guy, and a great
competitor…tough guy.
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