Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
This is the 431st installment of the ‘Wrestling with Sin‘ series. A group of stories that delves into the darker, underbelly of pro wrestling. Many of the stories involve such subjects as sex, drugs, greed and in some cases even murder! As with every single story in the Sin series, I do not condone or condemn the alleged participants. We simply retell their stories by researching interviews, newspapers, magazines and various other sources of media.
Snake bit
Back in their WWF days, a young Undertaker was eager to “learn” from the veteran Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts by working and traveling with him. As it turned out, the real reason according to Roberts, was because the Undertaker knew Jake Roberts had the inside scoop on all the best strip clubs across the country.
During a tour where the WWF was in Houston, Texas…Jake and the Undertaker went to a strip club together. Jake said the hottest stripper in the club came up to them and asked what they did for a living. When Jake told her they were professional wrestlers, Jake claims the stripper laughed at them and told them everything they did was fake. The stripper apparently recognized Jake Roberts for his snake gimmick and said his snake was as fake as his wrestling.
Jake insisted his snakes were very real, but the stripper wasn’t buying it. The Undertaker told Jake to get the snake which was in the trunk of their car. Jake presented the King Cobra (the same cobra that bit Randy Savage in that infamous angle) and showed it to the dancer. She proceeded to take the snake and begin to dance…the cobra then bit her square on her breast. She began to scream, as staff tried to release the snake from her chest. The Undertaker and Jake laughed throughout the entire incident.
A Vicious Cycle
William Regal recalled an incident that occurred while competing in WCW in the early 1990’s. Regal was backstage chatting with manager Colonel Robert Parker, when out of nowhere Sid Vicious attacked him unprovoked. According to Regal, Sid grabbed him by the back of his neck screaming and cursing at Regal.
Regal was able to grab Sid by his hair and flip him over his shoulder. He then proceeded to put a submission maneuver on Vicious . Regal said he had every intention of breaking Sid’s nose, but was stopped by Sid’s manager Col. Robert Parker. To this day, Regal has no idea the reason why Sid Vicious did what he did that day.
What Can Brown Do For You?
Orville Brown is recognized as the first ever NWA world heavyweight champion…winning the title in 1948. About a year later, Brown was forced to forfeit the title after suffering career ending injuries in a car crash. After retiring as a wrestler, Brown got involved promoting. He controlled the Kansas City, Missouri territory with his group called Midwest Wrestling Association.
One of Brown’s main attractions for his promotion was midget wrestling. In particular, a female midget wrestler called Baby Doe was a star for the MWA. So much so, wrestler/promoter Tommy Zaharias allegedly kidnapped the midget wrestler to perform for his touring promotion.
Orville Brown became incensed and filed a police report and brought Zaharias on charges. A warrant for Tommy Zaharias arrest was issued. Zaharias finally surrendered to police and Baby Doe was returned to Brown and his promotion.
Over The Sledge
Brian Campbell, better known in wrestling circles under the name of ‘Sledge,’ has wrestled for promotions like Impact, the NWA and Ring of Honor. Sledge has also battled drug and alcohol addiction his entire pro career. He admits his drinking began at the age of 13, after his father passed away. After training at becoming a pro wrestler, Sledge was introduced to the world of pills and hard drugs.
Sledge’s addictions caused him to be homeless, arrested and sent to jail, involved in toxic relationships with women and affected his career as a pro wrestler. Sledge recalled waking up every morning and vomiting blood. He said he hit rock bottom after a match at an independent show. He admits being drunk and all “pilled out” on somas and Vicodin. After barely getting through the match, the promoter of that show decided to send out video tapes to several other promotions across the country.
Sledge said he lost most of his bookings and was left practically penniless. He realized that he had two choices…continue to be miserable drunk and high or get help. Thankfully, he sought out treatment and rehabilitation and got himself clean and sober. He still wrestles to this day, but also has been involved in motivational speaking.