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In
1974, they had a contest on Mid-Atlantic TV for “Outstanding
Wrestler of the Year”. And what’s so neat about this, and
it will never happen again, but this was actually an legitimate
contest, and they were going to give this thing to the guy that
actually got the most votes. And of course, I voted 3 million
times (laughs). But that was rare and most things they did like
that weren’t legit contests. It would go to who they wanted to
win for an angle or storyline. But this was an actual legit
contest. They actually counted the votes and Bob Caudle said they
actually updated the legit vote totals on TV, this went on for a
month.
And
as a kid, that’s what I went by. If I saw Paul was behind, I
would go buy another stack of post cards, and I’d get my grandma
to mail them. I remember calling her at work and asking her did
she remember to mail those postcards. And she would get on to,
“you can’t call me at work for that!” (laughs) They actually
presented it to him on TV, Bob Caudle gave it to him, and this is
that very watch. And the vote total wound up not even being close
with all my voting. I sent so many cards in. (See
Paul with watch, circa 1975.)
So
one day I went by to visit Paul when he owned his garage, and he
had a little office in there. And I was sitting there with my son
Garrett on my lap, and Paul opened his desk drawer and said “You
remember this?” and threw it at me. I dropped poor Garrett, but
I caught the watch! (laughs) And even though it had been 20 years,
I knew right away what it was. I was sitting there shaking holding
it, and said “Of course I know what this is” and he said
“Well, you can have it.” I couldn’t believe it. All I knew
was I had to get out of there before he changed his mind. And he
ribbed me, I went out to leave and got in my van, and he had never
walked me to my car before, and he said “George, I need that
watch back.” And I of course freaked out, and he just laughed
and said go ahead and take it. And brother, I got out of there
before he could change his mind again.
The
hard part is, when I’m dead and gone, the kids are already
arguing over who is going to get that.
-George
South
The
above was transcribed from discussions Dick Bourne and David
Chappell had with George as he took us on a tour around his
wrestling room at his home in Concord, NC., August 20, 2003.
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