WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.540 Welcome to the deep dive. I am absolutely thrilled 00:00:03.540 --> 00:00:05.780 you're joining us today because we're looking 00:00:05.780 --> 00:00:09.240 at a story that honestly, it completely rewrites 00:00:09.240 --> 00:00:12.320 a massive piece of pop culture history. It really 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:14.480 does. It changes the entire perspective. Yeah. 00:00:14.500 --> 00:00:17.059 So I want to start by asking you, the listener, 00:00:17.300 --> 00:00:19.640 a question, and I want you to picture this really 00:00:19.640 --> 00:00:22.329 clearly in your head. Think about professional 00:00:22.329 --> 00:00:25.149 wrestling in the 1980s. Right, the big boom period. 00:00:25.710 --> 00:00:28.230 Exactly. When you think of the absolute peak 00:00:28.230 --> 00:00:31.390 of that mountain, the global face of the industry. 00:00:31.719 --> 00:00:34.600 You almost certainly picture Hulk Hogan. Unquestionably. 00:00:34.759 --> 00:00:36.640 You picture the, you know, the bleach blonde 00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:40.479 hair, the massive pythons and two very specific 00:00:40.479 --> 00:00:43.060 universally recognized trademarks. A pose in 00:00:43.060 --> 00:00:45.979 the name. Right. The word Hulkamania and that 00:00:45.979 --> 00:00:48.600 iconic pose where he cups his hand to his ear, 00:00:48.600 --> 00:00:51.119 listening to the crowd roar. It's totally etched 00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:53.460 into the bedrock of American pop culture. But 00:00:53.460 --> 00:00:56.140 what if I told you that Hulk Hogan didn't invent 00:00:56.140 --> 00:00:58.259 either of those things? This is where it gets 00:00:58.259 --> 00:01:00.979 crazy. What if I told you that in a twenty twenty 00:01:00.979 --> 00:01:03.539 three interview on the Joe Rogan experience. 00:01:04.180 --> 00:01:06.920 Hulk Hogan flat -out admitted that he took the 00:01:06.920 --> 00:01:09.519 cupped ear pose and the concept of Hulkamania 00:01:09.519 --> 00:01:12.599 from a regional Mid -South wrestler. A guy who 00:01:12.599 --> 00:01:17.000 called his own movement Idle Mania. Yes. I don't 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:19.200 mean it. It's one of those admissions that forces 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:21.519 you to completely reevaluate the timeline of 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:23.799 wrestling history. It really is. You're looking 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:26.439 at the foundational elements of a billion dollar 00:01:26.439 --> 00:01:29.340 global phenomenon and you realize they were lifted 00:01:29.340 --> 00:01:31.980 directly from a guy operating in a highly localized 00:01:31.980 --> 00:01:34.680 regional market. Exactly. And today we're going 00:01:34.680 --> 00:01:37.420 to unpack exactly who that guy was. The universal 00:01:37.420 --> 00:01:40.260 heartthrob. We are looking at the extensive biographical 00:01:40.260 --> 00:01:43.120 and historical accounts detailing the life, the 00:01:43.120 --> 00:01:45.780 career, and the unbelievable legacy of Michael 00:01:45.739 --> 00:01:48.040 McCord. Far better known to the world as Austin 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:51.180 Idol. Right. And our mission today is to figure 00:01:51.180 --> 00:01:53.819 out how a construction worker from Florida survived 00:01:53.819 --> 00:01:57.040 a catastrophic deadly plane crash. Which we'll 00:01:57.040 --> 00:01:59.859 get into. It's harrowing. Yeah. Completely rebuilt 00:01:59.859 --> 00:02:03.340 his shattered body and his persona and used an 00:02:03.340 --> 00:02:06.739 absolute master class in psychological manipulation 00:02:06.739 --> 00:02:09.699 to become one of the greatest regional villains 00:02:09.699 --> 00:02:11.400 in the history of the business. And you know 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:13.810 what's fascinating here is that You don't even 00:02:13.810 --> 00:02:15.969 need to be a wrestling historian to appreciate 00:02:15.969 --> 00:02:18.110 the mechanics of this story. Not at all. This 00:02:18.110 --> 00:02:20.509 is a profound case study in the art of the career 00:02:20.509 --> 00:02:23.169 pivot. Yeah. It's an exploration of the sheer 00:02:23.169 --> 00:02:26.110 power of charisma and psychological manipulation 00:02:26.110 --> 00:02:30.580 over over pure technical ability. Over just doing 00:02:30.580 --> 00:02:33.159 the moves. Right. And perhaps most interestingly, 00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:36.159 it's a look at how severe personal limitation. 00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:39.740 Like a phobia. Exactly. A massive trauma -induced 00:02:39.740 --> 00:02:42.659 fear of flying can inadvertently carve out a 00:02:42.659 --> 00:02:45.719 legendary, highly focused niche. Because he couldn't 00:02:45.719 --> 00:02:48.689 travel. Austin Idle is a man who was forced by 00:02:48.689 --> 00:02:51.449 circumstance to operate within incredibly strict 00:02:51.449 --> 00:02:53.430 geographical boundaries. He had to stay close 00:02:53.430 --> 00:02:56.569 to home because of that. He had to maximize his 00:02:56.569 --> 00:02:59.699 impact in a way that modern. globally touring 00:02:59.699 --> 00:03:02.259 superstars rarely have to think about. Right. 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:03.960 He couldn't just leave town when the audience 00:03:03.960 --> 00:03:06.560 got bored of him. He had to keep reinventing 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:09.780 the wheel to keep them furious. OK, let's unpack 00:03:09.780 --> 00:03:12.180 this from the very beginning, because Michael 00:03:12.180 --> 00:03:15.020 McCord's origins do not immediately scream, you 00:03:15.020 --> 00:03:18.680 know, flamboyant wrestling mastermind. No, not 00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:21.080 at all. He was born in Tampa, Florida in October 00:03:21.080 --> 00:03:24.099 of 1949. We were up right there. Yeah. Graduates 00:03:24.099 --> 00:03:28.000 from Robinson High School in 1966 and immediately 00:03:28.009 --> 00:03:30.669 goes into construction. Heavy blue -collar work. 00:03:30.909 --> 00:03:33.229 He's a working -class guy building things with 00:03:33.229 --> 00:03:36.710 his hands, doing grueling physical labor under 00:03:36.710 --> 00:03:38.610 the Florida sun. Which builds a certain type 00:03:38.610 --> 00:03:41.610 of toughness. Definitely, but he has this intense 00:03:41.610 --> 00:03:44.550 burning interest in becoming a professional wrestler. 00:03:44.710 --> 00:03:47.169 The bug bit him. And he eventually persuades 00:03:47.169 --> 00:03:50.009 a man named Mike Graham to train him. Which is 00:03:50.009 --> 00:03:52.389 a huge deal. Right. For anyone who knows Florida 00:03:52.389 --> 00:03:54.789 wrestling, Mike Graham is royalty. He's the son 00:03:54.789 --> 00:03:57.550 of Eddie Graham. The fiercely powerful promoter 00:03:57.550 --> 00:03:59.569 of championship wrestling from Florida. Yes. 00:03:59.830 --> 00:04:02.009 But the training he undergoes, it isn't just 00:04:02.009 --> 00:04:04.430 learning how to properly run the ropes or take 00:04:04.430 --> 00:04:08.310 a theatrical fall. Oh, no. Not in that era. McCord 00:04:08.310 --> 00:04:12.009 is thrown to the wolves. He is stretched by legendary 00:04:12.009 --> 00:04:15.509 tough guys like Bob Roop, Hiro Matsuda, and Jack 00:04:15.509 --> 00:04:18.490 Briscoe. The absolute enforcers of the territory. 00:04:18.709 --> 00:04:22.069 Break down what it actually meant to be stretched 00:04:22.069 --> 00:04:25.329 in the early 1970s Tampa scene. Well, to understand 00:04:25.329 --> 00:04:27.709 stretching. You really have to understand the 00:04:27.709 --> 00:04:30.709 immense paranoia of the territory era locker 00:04:30.709 --> 00:04:33.449 room. They were very protective. Fiercely protective. 00:04:33.949 --> 00:04:36.149 The promoters and the established veterans were 00:04:36.149 --> 00:04:39.350 heavily guarding the illusion or kayfabe that 00:04:39.350 --> 00:04:42.629 what they were doing was legitimate. un -choreographed 00:04:42.629 --> 00:04:44.709 combat. Right, they couldn't let just anyone 00:04:44.709 --> 00:04:47.850 in. Exactly. If an outsider, especially a powerfully 00:04:47.850 --> 00:04:49.930 built construction worker who thinks he's tough, 00:04:50.389 --> 00:04:52.129 walks into the gym, they don't teach him the 00:04:52.129 --> 00:04:53.910 choreography. They don't just hand him a script. 00:04:54.069 --> 00:04:55.850 They break him down to see if he'll quit. Wow. 00:04:56.089 --> 00:04:58.089 When we talk about guys like Hiro Masuda and 00:04:58.089 --> 00:05:00.769 Jack Berthka, we are talking about world -class 00:05:00.769 --> 00:05:03.189 legitimate amateur catch wrestlers. Well, they're 00:05:03.189 --> 00:05:05.850 tough guys. Masuda, in particular, is infamous 00:05:05.850 --> 00:05:08.470 in wrestling history. He was the gatekeeper of 00:05:08.470 --> 00:05:10.850 Florida wrestling. His reputation was terrifying. 00:05:11.189 --> 00:05:13.569 His philosophy was essentially to physically 00:05:13.569 --> 00:05:17.470 torture trainees to weed out the weak ones. Literally 00:05:17.470 --> 00:05:20.410 torture them. He would trap guys in excruciating 00:05:20.410 --> 00:05:24.019 submission holds. Legitimate joint locks. cross 00:05:24.019 --> 00:05:26.920 faces, neck cranks, and apply real pressure. 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:29.420 Just crank on it until they gave up. If a trainee 00:05:29.420 --> 00:05:32.860 panicked or cried or quit, they were thrown out 00:05:32.860 --> 00:05:35.279 and told never to come back. So it was a hazing 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:37.839 ritual, but with a very real threat of bodily 00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:40.439 harm. Precisely. I mean, Mitsuda would literally 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:43.019 break people's bones if he felt they didn't respect 00:05:43.019 --> 00:05:45.800 the business. Wait, really? Look at Hulk Hogan's 00:05:45.800 --> 00:05:48.420 own entry into the business. Mitsuda famously 00:05:48.420 --> 00:05:51.050 broke his leg on his first day. On his first 00:05:51.050 --> 00:05:54.149 day? That is insane. So the fact that Michael 00:05:54.149 --> 00:05:56.750 McCord survived being trained by the Graham family 00:05:56.750 --> 00:05:59.569 and stretched by Matsuda implies that he possessed 00:05:59.569 --> 00:06:02.269 an immense reservoir of physical resilience. 00:06:02.550 --> 00:06:05.709 He had to be incredibly tough. This was a painful, 00:06:06.089 --> 00:06:08.189 exhausting gauntlet. The fact that he made it 00:06:08.189 --> 00:06:10.589 through tells us he had extraordinary, legitimate 00:06:10.589 --> 00:06:13.050 toughness before he ever put on a pair of wrestling 00:06:13.050 --> 00:06:14.910 boots. He didn't just walk in and get handed 00:06:14.910 --> 00:06:17.850 a gimmick. He earned their respect not by being 00:06:17.850 --> 00:06:20.620 flashy. but by suffering in silence. It sets 00:06:20.620 --> 00:06:23.040 up this incredible baseline of toughness for 00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:25.480 him. It really does. So he survives this torture 00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:28.959 chamber, debuts around 1972, wrestles a bit in 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:31.660 Florida and Alabama, and then fast forward to 00:06:31.660 --> 00:06:35.439 1973. He heads north. Right. McCord finds himself 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:38.540 in the Northeast, working for Vincent J. McMahon's 00:06:38.540 --> 00:06:42.139 WWWF. The precursor to modern WWE. He adopts 00:06:42.139 --> 00:06:45.540 this rugged tough guy persona. Iron Mike McCord. 00:06:45.639 --> 00:06:48.800 A very standard 70s gimmick. And he is given 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:52.199 a mouthpiece, the legendary manager Lou Albano. 00:06:52.339 --> 00:06:55.860 There is a very specific, incredibly chaotic 00:06:55.860 --> 00:06:57.959 match highlighted in the accounts from Madison 00:06:57.959 --> 00:07:01.300 Square Garden in July 1973. This is a wild story. 00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:04.899 McCord is facing Chief Jay Strongbow. A massive 00:07:04.899 --> 00:07:07.300 star at the time. Strongbow gets McCord in a 00:07:07.300 --> 00:07:10.279 sleeper hold, and Lou Albano, who is ringside, 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:13.550 interferes. As managers do. Albano takes a solid 00:07:13.550 --> 00:07:16.670 cast and absolutely smashes it over Strongbow's 00:07:16.670 --> 00:07:18.829 forehead. Brittle. McCord gets disqualified, 00:07:19.170 --> 00:07:22.410 but Strongbow is cut wide open, bleeding profusely 00:07:22.410 --> 00:07:24.410 in the middle of Madison Square Garden. It's 00:07:24.410 --> 00:07:27.509 a huge angle. This is a massive spot. McCord 00:07:27.509 --> 00:07:31.529 is wrestling the top guys. He's challenging Pedro 00:07:31.529 --> 00:07:34.350 Morales for the WWF Championship. He's in the 00:07:34.350 --> 00:07:36.829 main event picture. He's on the absolute biggest 00:07:36.829 --> 00:07:39.709 stage in the country, positioned as a top tier 00:07:39.709 --> 00:07:42.819 threat. making great money, getting huge exposure. 00:07:43.040 --> 00:07:47.439 And then in January 1974, he just leaves. Just 00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:51.100 walks away. He abruptly quits the WWWF. And the 00:07:51.100 --> 00:07:53.480 reason... This is the best part. He hated the 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:55.620 cold weather in the Northeast. It is an incredibly 00:07:55.620 --> 00:07:58.279 jarring career move. Wait, let me push back on 00:07:58.279 --> 00:08:00.800 this for a second. Yeah. Isn't that just incredibly 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:03.240 short -sighted? To us, yes. I mean, I have to 00:08:03.240 --> 00:08:06.620 ask you, the listener, have you ever quit a potentially 00:08:06.620 --> 00:08:10.220 massive lucrative career opportunity just because 00:08:10.220 --> 00:08:12.420 you couldn't stand having to scrape ice off your 00:08:12.420 --> 00:08:14.639 windshield in the morning? It sounds crazy. It 00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:16.600 seems insane to walk away from Madison Square 00:08:16.600 --> 00:08:18.560 Garden main events because you don't like snow. 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:20.939 It does sound absurd to our modern sensibilities, 00:08:21.040 --> 00:08:23.560 absolutely. But if we connect this to the bigger 00:08:23.560 --> 00:08:26.540 picture of the territory system, it makes perfect 00:08:26.540 --> 00:08:29.639 economic sense. Okay. How so? Today, there's 00:08:29.639 --> 00:08:32.200 a massive corporate monopoly in professional 00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:35.340 wrestling. Walking away from the global juggernaut 00:08:35.340 --> 00:08:39.240 usually means a massive step down in pay, prestige, 00:08:39.480 --> 00:08:41.000 and visibility. Right. Where else are you going 00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:43.899 to go? But in the 1970s, the National Wrestling 00:08:43.899 --> 00:08:46.820 Alliance oversaw dozens of regional promotions 00:08:46.820 --> 00:08:49.759 all across North America. They were everywhere. 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:52.500 Vince McMahon Senior's WWF was just one of those 00:08:52.500 --> 00:08:55.320 territories. Yes, it was highly lucrative and 00:08:55.320 --> 00:08:57.139 centered around the massive New York market, 00:08:57.139 --> 00:08:59.940 but it wasn't the be all and end all of the industry. 00:09:00.179 --> 00:09:03.179 Right. He had options. Exactly. If a wrestler 00:09:03.179 --> 00:09:05.519 like McCord decided he despised the freezing 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:08.059 winters of New York and Pennsylvania, he had 00:09:08.059 --> 00:09:10.299 the luxury of simply packing his bags and driving 00:09:10.299 --> 00:09:12.419 back down to Florida or Georgia. And they would 00:09:12.419 --> 00:09:14.500 just hire him. The promoters in the South would 00:09:14.500 --> 00:09:17.149 gladly book him. And in fact, they would pay 00:09:17.149 --> 00:09:19.190 him top dollar because he brought the credibility 00:09:19.190 --> 00:09:22.210 of having just main evented Madison Square Garden. 00:09:22.570 --> 00:09:24.409 Oh, that makes sense. He had that New York shine. 00:09:24.750 --> 00:09:27.169 He was a fresh face with Northeast main event 00:09:27.169 --> 00:09:30.230 credibility. So while leaving over the weather 00:09:30.230 --> 00:09:32.929 highlights a certain quirky, independent streak 00:09:32.929 --> 00:09:35.590 in McCord's personality, it perfectly illustrates 00:09:35.590 --> 00:09:38.110 the immense freedom and leverage that wrestlers 00:09:38.110 --> 00:09:40.549 possessed during the territorial era. They really 00:09:40.549 --> 00:09:42.710 were their own bosses. They were independent 00:09:42.710 --> 00:09:45.710 contractors in the truest sense, and their mobility 00:09:45.710 --> 00:09:48.970 was their greatest negotiating tool. That context 00:09:48.970 --> 00:09:51.250 changes the entire framing. He wasn't throwing 00:09:51.250 --> 00:09:53.830 his career away. No, he was just changing offices. 00:09:54.169 --> 00:09:56.429 So McCord goes back down to the warmth of Florida 00:09:56.429 --> 00:10:00.730 in January 1974. He wrestles under a hood as 00:10:00.730 --> 00:10:03.970 a masked villain called the Super Texan. A classic 00:10:03.970 --> 00:10:05.950 wrestling trope. He hangs out in Georgia for 00:10:05.950 --> 00:10:08.549 a bit and everything seems fine. Until it isn't. 00:10:08.710 --> 00:10:12.389 And then we hit February 20, 1975. A very dark 00:10:12.389 --> 00:10:14.330 day in wrestling history. And the tone of our 00:10:14.330 --> 00:10:16.809 story has to violently shift here because this 00:10:16.809 --> 00:10:18.990 is where everything changes forever. Completely 00:10:18.990 --> 00:10:21.789 alters his life. The accounts detail a completely 00:10:21.789 --> 00:10:25.570 tragic event. McCord along with legendary manager 00:10:25.570 --> 00:10:28.210 Gary Hart and a very promising young wrestler 00:10:28.210 --> 00:10:31.350 named Bobby Shane are passengers on a Cessna 00:10:31.350 --> 00:10:34.529 182 Skylane. A very small plane. The plane is 00:10:34.529 --> 00:10:37.980 being piloted by another wrestler. Buddy Colt. 00:10:38.279 --> 00:10:42.200 They are flying from Miami to Tampa. Just a puddle 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:44.360 jumper flight, really. The conditions that night 00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:47.799 are atrocious. Heavy fog, terrible visibility. 00:10:48.019 --> 00:10:50.679 The worst possible flying weather. And as they 00:10:50.679 --> 00:10:53.200 attempt to land at Peter O 'Knight Airport, the 00:10:53.200 --> 00:10:57.299 plane crashes directly into Tampa Bay. The specifics 00:10:57.299 --> 00:11:00.149 of the crash are deeply harrowing. I can't even 00:11:00.149 --> 00:11:02.590 imagine. You have to imagine the sheer terror 00:11:02.590 --> 00:11:05.710 of that moment. You are in a small cramped single 00:11:05.710 --> 00:11:08.529 engine aircraft. You are disoriented by the fog. 00:11:08.629 --> 00:11:10.769 You can't see anything out the windows. The plane 00:11:10.769 --> 00:11:13.210 impacts the water with incredible violent force 00:11:13.210 --> 00:11:15.750 and immediately the cabin begins filling with 00:11:15.750 --> 00:11:17.929 the freezing waters of Tampa Bay in the dead 00:11:17.929 --> 00:11:20.789 of night. The toll is devastating. Bobby Shane, 00:11:20.990 --> 00:11:22.649 who many believed was on his way to becoming 00:11:22.649 --> 00:11:24.870 one of the biggest stars in the business, is 00:11:24.870 --> 00:11:27.190 killed. A massive tragedy for the industry. The 00:11:27.190 --> 00:11:29.710 others are injured, but McCord suffers horrific 00:11:29.710 --> 00:11:32.590 physical trauma. Life -altering injuries. He 00:11:32.590 --> 00:11:35.190 sustains two broken ankles, several severely 00:11:35.190 --> 00:11:38.289 broken ribs, and deep traumatic lacerations to 00:11:38.289 --> 00:11:40.610 his feet. His lower body was basically crushed. 00:11:40.830 --> 00:11:42.690 He is pulled from the wreckage of this plane. 00:11:43.169 --> 00:11:46.389 Incredibly lucky to be alive. But his body, the 00:11:46.389 --> 00:11:48.789 very instrument he uses to make his living, is 00:11:48.789 --> 00:11:51.590 completely shattered. The physical and psychological 00:11:51.590 --> 00:11:54.830 trauma of an event like this simply cannot be 00:11:54.830 --> 00:11:57.309 overstated. It had to be a nightmare. From a 00:11:57.309 --> 00:12:00.450 purely physical standpoint, McCord is completely 00:12:00.450 --> 00:12:03.210 incapacitated. He couldn't even stand up. Right. 00:12:03.490 --> 00:12:06.029 For a professional wrestler, your feet and your 00:12:06.029 --> 00:12:08.269 ankles are your foundation. You need them for 00:12:08.269 --> 00:12:10.490 everything. You need them to base yourself, to 00:12:10.490 --> 00:12:13.190 run the ropes, to pivot, and most importantly, 00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:16.899 to properly absorb the impact of taking a bump. 00:12:17.179 --> 00:12:20.480 Actually hitting the mat. Exactly. Taking a bump 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:23.019 without destroying your spine requires strong 00:12:23.019 --> 00:12:26.200 ankles and legs. With two shattered ankles, his 00:12:26.200 --> 00:12:29.019 career was ostensibly over. People probably thought 00:12:29.019 --> 00:12:31.379 he'd never wrestle again. He is inactive for 00:12:31.379 --> 00:12:34.659 months, undergoing grueling, agonizing rehabilitation. 00:12:35.480 --> 00:12:37.259 The wrestling community recognized the sheer 00:12:37.259 --> 00:12:39.970 willpower it took. just to learn to walk properly 00:12:39.970 --> 00:12:42.490 again. Which makes sense. Which is why Pro Wrestling 00:12:42.490 --> 00:12:45.470 Illustrated named him their most inspirational 00:12:45.470 --> 00:12:50.049 wrestler of the year for 1975 simply for attempting 00:12:50.049 --> 00:12:52.690 a return to the ring. Just for trying. But the 00:12:52.690 --> 00:12:55.450 ripple effects of this crash were massive and 00:12:55.450 --> 00:12:58.549 twofold. First, because the profound physical 00:12:58.549 --> 00:13:01.970 inactivity, the inability to train, and the stress 00:13:01.970 --> 00:13:05.409 of recovery, McCord's weight ballooned. How heavy 00:13:05.409 --> 00:13:08.690 did he get? By 1977, he was carrying around 300 00:13:08.690 --> 00:13:12.639 pounds on his frame. 300 pounds. He had entirely 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:15.100 lost the rugged athletic physique that he had 00:13:15.100 --> 00:13:17.259 suffered so much under Hiro Matsuda to build. 00:13:17.440 --> 00:13:19.799 And the second ripple effect. I have to imagine 00:13:19.799 --> 00:13:22.000 the mental toll was even worse than the physical 00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:25.200 one. The second and arguably much more historically 00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:27.679 significant consequence was the psychological 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:29.480 scarring. Which is completely understandable. 00:13:30.019 --> 00:13:32.539 Unsurprisingly, surviving a fatal plane crash 00:13:32.539 --> 00:13:36.340 caused McCord to develop severe crippling aviophobia. 00:13:36.539 --> 00:13:39.559 An intense paralyzing fear of flying. Exactly. 00:13:39.740 --> 00:13:42.059 This phobia fundamentally altered the landscape 00:13:42.059 --> 00:13:43.820 of professional wrestling history. Because he 00:13:43.820 --> 00:13:46.559 wouldn't get on a plane. Because McCord adamantly 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:48.980 refused to get on an airplane for regular travel, 00:13:49.419 --> 00:13:52.279 he effectively localized his career. He couldn't 00:13:52.279 --> 00:13:54.460 go back to New York. He couldn't jump on a flight 00:13:54.460 --> 00:13:56.659 to work a quick tour in California or head up 00:13:56.659 --> 00:13:59.419 to Calgary or seamlessly return to the Northeast 00:13:59.419 --> 00:14:01.940 on a regular schedule. He was stuck driving. 00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:04.580 He restricted his career almost entirely to the 00:14:04.580 --> 00:14:07.779 Mid -South region, territories he could comfortably 00:14:07.779 --> 00:14:10.789 reach from behind the wheel of a car. like Tennessee, 00:14:11.429 --> 00:14:15.190 Alabama, Georgia, and Texas. He effectively boxed 00:14:15.190 --> 00:14:18.149 himself in. He did. If we connect this to the 00:14:18.149 --> 00:14:20.909 bigger picture, this fear prevented him from 00:14:20.909 --> 00:14:23.830 ever becoming a touring national or global star 00:14:23.830 --> 00:14:26.350 during the impending national expansion of the 00:14:26.350 --> 00:14:28.850 1980s. When Vince Jr. took over and went national? 00:14:29.049 --> 00:14:31.610 Right. But conversely, it forced him to pour 00:14:31.610 --> 00:14:33.730 all of his immense talent and creative energy 00:14:33.730 --> 00:14:36.590 into a hyper concentrated geographic area. He 00:14:36.590 --> 00:14:38.409 had to make it work where he was. It allowed 00:14:38.409 --> 00:14:41.649 him to maximize his impact locally. He became 00:14:41.649 --> 00:14:44.590 a regional deity because the fans in those specific 00:14:44.590 --> 00:14:46.950 towns saw him constantly. Okay, let's unpack 00:14:46.950 --> 00:14:48.789 this transformation because this is where the 00:14:48.789 --> 00:14:51.750 legend of Austin Idol is truly born. The Metamorphosis. 00:14:51.870 --> 00:14:55.580 We are looking at a guy who is pushing 300 pounds, 00:14:55.919 --> 00:14:58.980 he's traumatized, he refuses to fly, his ankles 00:14:58.980 --> 00:15:01.600 have been surgically repaired. Not exactly a 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:03.759 prime candidate for super startup. Right. He 00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:05.740 drops off the radar for a couple of years and 00:15:05.740 --> 00:15:09.200 then he re -emerges in March of 1978 in Fritz 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:12.259 Von Erich's NWA big time wrestling promotion 00:15:12.259 --> 00:15:14.600 down in Texas. World class championship wrestling 00:15:14.600 --> 00:15:18.080 later on. Exactly. But he doesn't come back as 00:15:18.080 --> 00:15:20.679 Iron Mike McCord. The tough guy is gone. The 00:15:20.679 --> 00:15:24.220 300 pound, dark haired, rugged guy is dead and 00:15:24.220 --> 00:15:27.460 buried. He entirely reinvents himself as the 00:15:27.460 --> 00:15:29.940 universal heart prob Austin Idol. Or the greatest 00:15:29.940 --> 00:15:32.779 names in wrestling. And the look. The visual 00:15:32.779 --> 00:15:36.120 contrast is staggering. He has dropped a massive 00:15:36.120 --> 00:15:37.940 amount of weight. Got completely shredded. He 00:15:37.940 --> 00:15:41.220 has completely rebuilt his physique into a chiseled 00:15:41.220 --> 00:15:44.700 bodybuilder aesthetic. He bleaches his hair bright, 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:47.960 obnoxious. He starts wearing these incredibly 00:15:47.960 --> 00:15:50.639 flamboyant, tight -eyed ring outfits, and his 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:53.220 entrance alone becomes this meticulously crafted 00:15:53.220 --> 00:15:56.919 spectacle. You read the accounts of guys watching 00:15:56.919 --> 00:15:59.440 him walk to the ring, step through the ropes, 00:15:59.539 --> 00:16:01.240 and he wouldn't just take his robe off. Oh no, 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:02.960 it was the whole production. He would step to 00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:05.799 the center of the ring, slowly outstretch his 00:16:05.799 --> 00:16:09.080 arms into a perfect crucifix position, deliberately 00:16:09.080 --> 00:16:12.039 flexing every muscle in his torso, and then he 00:16:12.039 --> 00:16:15.500 would do these excruciatingly slow, arrogant 00:16:15.500 --> 00:16:19.059 hip swivels as he continued to disrobe. So obnoxious. 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:22.600 It was pure theater. It was an absolute masterclass 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:25.559 in character reinvention. completely shed his 00:16:25.559 --> 00:16:28.100 past identity. Just erased Mike McCord entirely. 00:16:28.419 --> 00:16:30.860 And what's fascinating here is the underlying 00:16:30.860 --> 00:16:33.639 psychology behind this new gimmick. Let's look 00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:36.240 closely at the evaluations from wrestling journalist 00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:38.899 Dave Meltzer and legendary manager Scott Bowden 00:16:38.899 --> 00:16:42.279 regarding Austin Idol's actual mechanical wrestling 00:16:42.279 --> 00:16:43.899 ability. Because he couldn't wrestle the same 00:16:43.899 --> 00:16:46.720 way anymore. Bowden describes Idol as a marginal 00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:48.960 worker who was somewhat limited in the ring. 00:16:49.059 --> 00:16:51.940 Right. Meltzer echoes this sentiment precisely, 00:16:52.559 --> 00:16:55.460 stating flatly that Idol was not considered a 00:16:55.460 --> 00:16:58.159 strong worker. Now, for the listener, a worker 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:00.779 is the industry term for someone who mechanically 00:17:00.779 --> 00:17:03.779 executes the physical moves, holds and sequences 00:17:03.779 --> 00:17:06.880 of a match. The actual athletics. They are both 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:10.180 saying that, technically speaking, Austin Idol 00:17:10.180 --> 00:17:13.279 was not putting on 45 minute technical grappling 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:16.200 clinics like a Ric Flair or a Ricky Steamboat. 00:17:16.299 --> 00:17:19.779 Not even close. However, They immediately follow 00:17:19.779 --> 00:17:23.160 that up by explaining exactly why he was a massive 00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:25.220 ticket -selling superstar. Which is the most 00:17:25.220 --> 00:17:27.700 important part. Meltzer points out he got over 00:17:27.700 --> 00:17:30.099 on his looks and his arrogant interviews. To 00:17:30.099 --> 00:17:32.359 get over, meaning to connect with the crowd, 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:36.720 make them care. Yes. Bodhi notes he had an excellent 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:40.200 grasp of psychology and was great on the stick, 00:17:40.859 --> 00:17:42.700 meaning he was a virtuoso on the microphone. 00:17:42.809 --> 00:17:45.210 Great on the stick. I love that phrasing. It's 00:17:45.210 --> 00:17:47.170 classic terminology. But let me challenge you 00:17:47.170 --> 00:17:49.410 on this. Are we giving him too much credit? What 00:17:49.410 --> 00:17:52.670 do you mean? Was he actually a genius of psychology, 00:17:52.809 --> 00:17:54.569 or was he just really good at hiding the fact 00:17:54.569 --> 00:17:56.569 that his ankles were ruined and he couldn't wrestle 00:17:56.569 --> 00:17:59.069 a fast -paced match anymore? That is the exact 00:17:59.069 --> 00:18:01.990 genius of it. The limitation birthed the innovation. 00:18:02.150 --> 00:18:05.599 Oh, I see. Wrestling psychology. At its core 00:18:05.599 --> 00:18:09.339 is the ability to elicit a specific visceral 00:18:09.339 --> 00:18:12.119 emotional response from the audience. To make 00:18:12.119 --> 00:18:14.619 them feel something. To make them invest deeply 00:18:14.619 --> 00:18:17.619 in the narrative of the conflict without necessarily 00:18:17.619 --> 00:18:20.299 relying on complex physical maneuvers. You don't 00:18:20.299 --> 00:18:22.740 need a thousand flips if they already hate you. 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:25.920 Idle realized a profound truth about the entertainment 00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:29.660 business. Emotional investment will always trump 00:18:29.660 --> 00:18:32.579 athletic exhibition. People pay you to see a 00:18:32.579 --> 00:18:35.039 fight they care about. He knew his body couldn't 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:36.759 handle doing a hundred high impact wrestling 00:18:36.759 --> 00:18:39.259 holds every night. So he adapted. He talked them 00:18:39.259 --> 00:18:41.359 into the building. He understood that if he spent 00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:43.859 five minutes on a microphone explaining exactly 00:18:43.859 --> 00:18:46.920 why he was physically superior, genetically blessed 00:18:46.920 --> 00:18:49.720 and universally desired by women while insulting 00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:51.880 everyone in the crowd, simultaneously insulting 00:18:51.880 --> 00:18:53.740 the intelligence and hygiene of the hardworking 00:18:53.740 --> 00:18:56.200 local audience, he would generate immense heat, 00:18:56.680 --> 00:18:58.960 which is the industry term for crowd anger and 00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:02.019 hostility. He weaponized his own vanity. Exactly. 00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:04.400 By the time he actually stepped into the ring 00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:07.359 and did his slow, arrogant crucifix pose and 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:10.660 those hip swivels, the audience was already in 00:19:10.660 --> 00:19:13.960 an absolute frenzy of hatred. They were foaming 00:19:13.960 --> 00:19:16.980 at the mouth. They despised his arrogance so 00:19:16.980 --> 00:19:19.500 deeply that they would pay top dollar at the 00:19:19.500 --> 00:19:22.359 box office just for the chance to see the gritty 00:19:22.359 --> 00:19:25.880 local hero punch him right in his perfectly bleached 00:19:25.880 --> 00:19:28.410 jaw. They wanted to see him destroyed. He hid 00:19:28.410 --> 00:19:31.450 his physical limitations behind an impenetrable 00:19:31.450 --> 00:19:35.410 wall of pure, unadulterated charisma. It's brilliant. 00:19:35.630 --> 00:19:38.210 He understood that anticipation, character work, 00:19:38.349 --> 00:19:40.829 and emotional manipulation are often far more 00:19:40.829 --> 00:19:43.069 powerful and memorable than the physical action 00:19:43.069 --> 00:19:45.500 itself. That is just brilliant. He figured out 00:19:45.500 --> 00:19:47.700 how to work smarter, not harder. Absolutely. 00:19:47.900 --> 00:19:50.259 And there is absolutely nowhere he utilized the 00:19:50.259 --> 00:19:52.579 psychology more effectively than in Memphis, 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:54.599 Tennessee, working for the Continental Wrestling 00:19:54.599 --> 00:19:57.519 Association or the CWA. The defining territory 00:19:57.519 --> 00:19:59.940 of his career. We have to talk about his defining 00:19:59.940 --> 00:20:03.160 rivalry, the feud that cemented his legacy. This 00:20:03.160 --> 00:20:06.009 is the stuff of legend. If Austin Idol is the 00:20:06.009 --> 00:20:08.589 flamboyant, arrogant, bleach blonde outsider, 00:20:09.250 --> 00:20:12.190 then his perfect foil, his ultimate arch nemesis, 00:20:12.730 --> 00:20:16.210 was Jerry Lawler. The king. Lawler was the gritty, 00:20:16.410 --> 00:20:19.730 working class, hometown hero in Memphis. He was 00:20:19.730 --> 00:20:21.950 literally the king of Memphis. Nobody was more 00:20:21.950 --> 00:20:24.359 beloved there than Lawler. When Idol arrived 00:20:24.359 --> 00:20:28.319 in December 1978, he almost immediately defeated 00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:31.299 Lawler for the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. 00:20:31.640 --> 00:20:34.259 Struck gold right away. And from there, they 00:20:34.259 --> 00:20:36.319 kick off a feud that defines the territory for 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:39.200 the better part of a decade. Ten years of drawing 00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:42.599 massive houses. What was it about the dynamic 00:20:42.599 --> 00:20:45.240 between these two specific men that made it so 00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:47.990 incredibly potent? It's the classic, timeless 00:20:47.990 --> 00:20:51.009 dynamic of archetypal opposites. If you analyze 00:20:51.009 --> 00:20:53.529 the demographics of Memphis in the late 1970s 00:20:53.529 --> 00:20:56.849 and 1980s, you have a very passionate, blue -collar, 00:20:56.890 --> 00:20:58.549 working -class audience. All right, working people. 00:20:58.869 --> 00:21:01.650 Jerry Lawler was their avatar. He wasn't a chiseled 00:21:01.650 --> 00:21:03.609 bodybuilder. He had a very average physique. 00:21:03.769 --> 00:21:05.589 He looked like a guy you'd see at a local bar. 00:21:05.970 --> 00:21:08.809 Exactly. But he was incredibly tough. He threw 00:21:08.809 --> 00:21:10.890 arguably the best working punch in the history 00:21:10.890 --> 00:21:13.390 of the business, and he constantly defended the 00:21:13.390 --> 00:21:16.789 honor of his city. He was Memphis. Then you introduce 00:21:16.789 --> 00:21:20.410 Austin Idle. Idle bills himself as being from 00:21:20.410 --> 00:21:23.990 Las Vegas, Nevada. Sin City. A city synonymous 00:21:23.990 --> 00:21:27.289 with glitz, glamour, money, and superficiality. 00:21:27.450 --> 00:21:30.390 The exact opposite of Memphis. He has the bleached 00:21:30.390 --> 00:21:33.369 hair, the deep tan, the enormous muscles, and 00:21:33.369 --> 00:21:36.410 an ego the size of the Mississippi River. He 00:21:36.410 --> 00:21:39.150 represents everything the local audience distrusts. 00:21:39.230 --> 00:21:42.089 The arrogant outsider. When Idle cut a promo, 00:21:42.589 --> 00:21:44.549 he wasn't just threatening to beat Jerry Lawler. 00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:47.339 He was insulting the very lifestyle of the people 00:21:47.339 --> 00:21:50.180 sitting in the arena. Calling them fat, lazy, 00:21:50.619 --> 00:21:53.480 poor. The chemistry was explosive because they 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:55.440 perfectly understood their roles within that 00:21:55.440 --> 00:21:58.099 sociological framework. Lawler was the emotional 00:21:58.099 --> 00:22:01.039 anchor of Memphis and Idol was the invading force, 00:22:01.119 --> 00:22:03.480 the arrogant interloper who desperately needed 00:22:03.480 --> 00:22:05.759 to be humbled. And the lengths they went to in 00:22:05.759 --> 00:22:08.220 order to try and humble each other are just staggering. 00:22:08.359 --> 00:22:11.000 The angles were insane. The specific storylines 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:13.660 they ran were wonderfully chaotic and deeply 00:22:13.660 --> 00:22:18.079 personal. Let's jump ahead to 1981. Okay. Jerry 00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:21.740 Lawler is embroiled in a bitter feud with a legendary 00:22:21.740 --> 00:22:24.259 manager named Jimmy Hart. The mouth of the South. 00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:26.900 Jimmy Hart decides he needs to eradicate Lawler 00:22:26.900 --> 00:22:29.839 once and for all, so he starts bringing in bounty 00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:32.579 hunters. Hiring mercenaries. And one of the most 00:22:32.579 --> 00:22:35.019 lethal bounty hunters he brings in is Austin 00:22:35.019 --> 00:22:37.160 Idol. The returning villain. They have a match. 00:22:37.579 --> 00:22:40.299 And Idol manages to trap Lawler in his finishing 00:22:40.299 --> 00:22:42.940 submission move, which he called the Las Vegas 00:22:42.940 --> 00:22:45.140 leg lock. Essentially a variation of the figure 00:22:45.140 --> 00:22:47.220 four leg lock. Lawler is trapped in the center 00:22:47.220 --> 00:22:49.440 of the ring. He's in utter agony. His shoulders 00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:51.920 are about to be pinned. So what does the heroic, 00:22:51.960 --> 00:22:55.039 honorable hometown good guy do? He resorts to 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:57.319 extreme measures. He reaches into his trunks, 00:22:57.460 --> 00:23:00.259 pulls out flash paper and a lighter, and literally 00:23:00.259 --> 00:23:02.980 throws a fireball directly into Austin Idol's 00:23:02.980 --> 00:23:05.970 face, supposedly burning his neck. Just a massive 00:23:05.970 --> 00:23:08.950 explosion of flame. It is so incredibly over 00:23:08.950 --> 00:23:11.609 the top. It is extreme, but it serves a very 00:23:11.609 --> 00:23:14.710 specific, calculated narrative purpose. It sets 00:23:14.710 --> 00:23:17.710 a tone. Throwing a fireball is a highly visual, 00:23:18.029 --> 00:23:21.569 deeply shocking act. It establishes to the audience 00:23:21.569 --> 00:23:24.910 that the hatred between these two men has escalated 00:23:24.910 --> 00:23:27.089 to a point where the normal rules of athletic 00:23:27.089 --> 00:23:30.170 competition no longer apply. It's not a wrestling 00:23:30.170 --> 00:23:32.509 match anymore. This is a blood feud. It also 00:23:32.509 --> 00:23:34.900 serves a practical booking purpose. It gives 00:23:34.900 --> 00:23:37.420 Idol a legitimate reason to retreat from the 00:23:37.420 --> 00:23:39.960 territory, sell the severity of the burn injury, 00:23:40.380 --> 00:23:42.880 and plot his revenge. He has an excuse to leave 00:23:42.880 --> 00:23:44.980 TV for a while. Which, of course, sets up one 00:23:44.980 --> 00:23:47.299 of the most brilliant slow burn long cons in 00:23:47.299 --> 00:23:50.200 wrestling history. Yes. The Mexican luchador 00:23:50.200 --> 00:23:52.519 angle. Oh, this is a masterpiece. Here's where 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:54.960 it gets really interesting, and I want you, the 00:23:54.960 --> 00:23:57.440 listener, to picture the television studio where 00:23:57.440 --> 00:23:59.720 Memphis Wrestling was broadcast every Saturday 00:23:59.720 --> 00:24:02.359 morning. Because now it's at you. It's the WMC 00:24:02.359 --> 00:24:05.900 TV studio. It's not a massive arena. It's a small, 00:24:06.220 --> 00:24:08.400 intimately packed studio filled with a couple 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:11.380 hundred screaming fans right up against the ring 00:24:11.380 --> 00:24:13.720 guardrails. Very tight quarters. The legendary 00:24:13.720 --> 00:24:16.140 announcer Lance Russell, who is the voice of 00:24:16.140 --> 00:24:19.119 reason and trust for that audience, is standing 00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:21.920 at the podium. The fans hung on his every word. 00:24:22.140 --> 00:24:25.099 He announces to the crowd with total sincerity 00:24:25.099 --> 00:24:28.519 that he has received an official telegram from 00:24:28.519 --> 00:24:31.880 Salvador Lutteroff. Now, for the wrestling purists, 00:24:32.200 --> 00:24:34.940 Salvador Lederoth was a very real, incredibly 00:24:34.940 --> 00:24:38.539 powerful promoter who founded the EMLL promotion 00:24:38.539 --> 00:24:41.460 down in Mexico. It grounds the story in reality. 00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:44.039 You're very smart. Lance Russell reads the telegram, 00:24:44.220 --> 00:24:46.500 which states that Jerry Lawler has been voted 00:24:46.500 --> 00:24:49.519 the absolute most popular wrestler in all of 00:24:49.519 --> 00:24:51.960 Mexico City. Massive honor. The studio crowd 00:24:51.960 --> 00:24:54.619 is cheering wildly. They love this international 00:24:54.619 --> 00:24:57.019 recognition for their hometown boy. They're eating 00:24:57.019 --> 00:24:59.980 it up. Lance Russell then introduces a masked 00:24:59.980 --> 00:25:03.019 Mexican luchador named Black Diamond who has 00:25:03.019 --> 00:25:05.259 supposedly traveled all the way from Mexico City 00:25:05.259 --> 00:25:07.599 just to present Jerry Lawler with a beautiful 00:25:07.599 --> 00:25:09.460 commemorative plaque on behalf of the Mexican 00:25:09.460 --> 00:25:12.400 fans. A beautiful gesture. So Black Diamond comes 00:25:12.400 --> 00:25:14.740 out wearing a traditional mask carrying this 00:25:14.740 --> 00:25:18.059 large wooden plaque. He steps into the ring and 00:25:18.059 --> 00:25:20.660 hands it to Lawler. Lawler is totally unsuspecting. 00:25:20.759 --> 00:25:23.680 Lawler is smiling, waving, the crowd is applauding 00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:26.839 warmly. And then, without any warning whatsoever, 00:25:27.500 --> 00:25:29.380 Black Diamond grabs the plaque and violently 00:25:29.380 --> 00:25:32.259 smashes it right over Jerry Lawler's head. Just 00:25:32.259 --> 00:25:34.359 obliterates him with it. Lawler crumbles to the 00:25:34.359 --> 00:25:36.759 mat in a heap. Black Diamond stands over him, 00:25:36.819 --> 00:25:39.660 grabs his own mask, rips it off. And the reveal. 00:25:39.740 --> 00:25:42.019 And it's Austin Idol. The crowd goes ballistic. 00:25:42.180 --> 00:25:44.539 The studio crowd absolutely loses their minds. 00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:47.859 It is a masterpiece of shock and awe. It is a 00:25:47.859 --> 00:25:51.200 phenomenal example of narrative misdirection. 00:25:51.960 --> 00:25:53.920 Let's break down the mechanics of exactly why 00:25:53.920 --> 00:25:56.400 that works so flawlessly. These do. First, they 00:25:56.400 --> 00:25:58.700 grounded the angle in reality by using the name 00:25:58.700 --> 00:26:02.099 of a real respected Mexican promoter, Salvador 00:26:02.099 --> 00:26:04.640 Luteroff. Like we said, it added that layer of 00:26:04.640 --> 00:26:07.279 trust. It added a vital layer of legitimacy that 00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:10.480 bypassed the fans' natural skepticism. Second, 00:26:10.619 --> 00:26:12.420 they played directly to the audience's pride. 00:26:12.579 --> 00:26:15.000 The Memphis Pride. Telling the Memphis fans that 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:17.359 their local hero was internationally beloved 00:26:17.359 --> 00:26:20.299 in Mexico lowered their guard. They wanted to 00:26:20.299 --> 00:26:22.359 believe it, so they accepted the premise. They 00:26:22.359 --> 00:26:25.539 bought into the feel -good moment. Idle. Understanding 00:26:25.539 --> 00:26:28.579 crowd psychology perfectly allowed the positive 00:26:28.579 --> 00:26:31.039 emotion to build in the room. He didn't rush 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:33.720 the attack. He let it simmer. He let Lawler enjoy 00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:36.400 the applause. He let the fans feel a moment of 00:26:36.400 --> 00:26:39.779 genuine joy and pride. And then he violently, 00:26:40.359 --> 00:26:42.480 unexpectedly shattered it. Ripped the rug right 00:26:42.480 --> 00:26:44.819 out from under them. The juxtaposition of the 00:26:44.819 --> 00:26:47.839 heartwarming presentation and the sudden brutal 00:26:47.839 --> 00:26:50.589 betrayal. generated a level of heat that you 00:26:50.589 --> 00:26:53.009 simply cannot get from a standard wrestling match. 00:26:53.130 --> 00:26:56.029 It was pure evil. It was deeply personal, highly 00:26:56.029 --> 00:26:59.250 theatrical, and flawlessly executed. It's the 00:26:59.250 --> 00:27:01.829 ultimate bait and switch. And that hatred just 00:27:01.829 --> 00:27:04.309 simmers and boils for years. They kept it going. 00:27:04.430 --> 00:27:06.990 They feud on and off, but it reaches an absolute 00:27:06.990 --> 00:27:09.970 boiling point in April of 1987. With a cage match. 00:27:10.269 --> 00:27:12.710 They're booked in a steel cage match. But it's 00:27:12.710 --> 00:27:14.809 not just any cage match. The stakes are raised 00:27:14.809 --> 00:27:17.630 to the absolute limit. It is a hair versus hair 00:27:17.630 --> 00:27:19.970 match. The ultimate humiliation stipulation. 00:27:20.170 --> 00:27:23.130 Whoever loses has their head shaved bald right 00:27:23.130 --> 00:27:25.059 there in the middle of the ring. Now, Austin 00:27:25.059 --> 00:27:29.059 Idol is famous for his beautiful, flowing, perfectly 00:27:29.059 --> 00:27:32.099 quaffed, bleached blonde hair. It's his trademark. 00:27:32.460 --> 00:27:34.700 It's central to his vanity. And Jerry Lawler 00:27:34.700 --> 00:27:38.599 has his own iconic regal look. They battle inside 00:27:38.599 --> 00:27:41.339 this steel cage at the Mid -South Coliseum in 00:27:41.339 --> 00:27:44.359 front of a sold -out, rabid crowd. Over 10 ,000 00:27:44.359 --> 00:27:47.880 fans. And Idol wins. Which nobody expected. But 00:27:47.880 --> 00:27:51.160 of course, he doesn't win cleanly. He only wins 00:27:51.160 --> 00:27:54.079 because his ally, a very popular wrestler who 00:27:54.079 --> 00:27:56.240 had recently turned villain named Tommy Rich, 00:27:56.640 --> 00:27:59.339 interferes. Wildfire, Tommy Rich. But Tommy Rich 00:27:59.339 --> 00:28:01.720 didn't just run down the aisle and break into 00:28:01.720 --> 00:28:04.740 the cage. No, that would be too simple. The incredible 00:28:04.740 --> 00:28:08.079 detail here is that Tommy Rich had secretly hidden 00:28:08.079 --> 00:28:10.660 underneath the wrestling ring for the entire 00:28:10.660 --> 00:28:13.180 event. This is legendary. He crawled into the 00:28:13.180 --> 00:28:15.259 floorboards before the doors even opened and 00:28:15.259 --> 00:28:18.160 he sat in the dark in the dust for hours just 00:28:18.160 --> 00:28:20.509 waiting for the main event. He had to stay completely 00:28:20.509 --> 00:28:22.750 silent while matches were happening right above 00:28:22.750 --> 00:28:25.029 his head. He pops out from under the ring, slips 00:28:25.029 --> 00:28:28.390 into the cage, and helps Idol absolutely destroy 00:28:28.390 --> 00:28:30.769 Lawler. A two -on -one beat down inside a locked 00:28:30.769 --> 00:28:34.009 cage. And then Idol and Rich physically beat 00:28:34.009 --> 00:28:37.269 Lawler down, strap him to a chair, and shave 00:28:37.269 --> 00:28:39.410 his head bald in front of his hometown fans. 00:28:39.769 --> 00:28:42.710 The heat was nuclear. The crowd in the Mid -South 00:28:42.710 --> 00:28:46.250 Coliseum was so enraged by this injustice that 00:28:46.250 --> 00:28:49.730 it nearly incited a full -blown riot. The logistics 00:28:49.730 --> 00:28:52.309 alone of Tommy Rich hiding under the ring for 00:28:52.309 --> 00:28:55.470 a multi -hour event demonstrate the extreme lengths 00:28:55.470 --> 00:28:58.130 they were willing to go to protect the surprise 00:28:58.130 --> 00:29:00.730 of the angle. They commit it to the bit. Completely. 00:29:01.170 --> 00:29:04.329 But let's focus on the emotional outcome. Shaving 00:29:04.329 --> 00:29:06.970 a wrestler's head, particularly a deeply beloved 00:29:06.970 --> 00:29:10.509 hero like Jerry Lawler, is a ritualistic humiliation. 00:29:10.670 --> 00:29:13.210 It's very visual. It is a visual stripping of 00:29:13.210 --> 00:29:15.779 his dignity and his power. The Memphis audience 00:29:15.779 --> 00:29:17.759 viewed Lawler as an extension of themselves. 00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:20.180 An attack on him was an attack on Memphis. Exactly. 00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:23.700 So when Austin Idol and Tommy Rich unfairly cheated 00:29:23.700 --> 00:29:26.960 to win and then violently publicly humiliated 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:29.640 Lawler, the fans didn't just feel disappointed 00:29:29.640 --> 00:29:32.339 that their guy lost a match. They felt personally 00:29:32.339 --> 00:29:34.740 violated. They wanted blood. The threat of a 00:29:34.740 --> 00:29:36.920 riot was very real in territorial wrestling. 00:29:37.019 --> 00:29:39.339 This wasn't modern, sanitized sports entertainment. 00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:42.009 Fans were dangerous. Fans would throw chairs. 00:29:42.049 --> 00:29:44.210 They would try to jump the barricade with weapons. 00:29:44.269 --> 00:29:46.869 They would slash tires and attack the wrestlers 00:29:46.869 --> 00:29:49.450 in the parking lot. Idle actually needed a massive 00:29:49.450 --> 00:29:51.569 police escort just to get out of the building 00:29:51.569 --> 00:29:55.589 alive. The fact that Idle and Lawler were able 00:29:55.589 --> 00:29:58.410 to manipulate the emotions of 10 ,000 people 00:29:58.410 --> 00:30:02.170 to the point of genuine dangerous near violence 00:30:02.170 --> 00:30:06.009 is exactly why the Wrestling Observer newsletter 00:30:06.009 --> 00:30:08.710 rightfully awarded them the Feud of the Year. 00:30:08.960 --> 00:30:11.940 for 1987. It totally deserved it. It was the 00:30:11.940 --> 00:30:15.240 absolute zenith of emotional storytelling in 00:30:15.240 --> 00:30:17.420 that era. It's just staggering to think about 00:30:17.420 --> 00:30:20.039 the absolute psychological control they had over 00:30:20.039 --> 00:30:21.859 that audience. They held them in the palm of 00:30:21.859 --> 00:30:24.220 their hands. And Idol was doing incredibly innovative 00:30:24.220 --> 00:30:27.519 things outside of Memphis too. Let's look at 00:30:27.519 --> 00:30:30.000 his time in the Carolinas, working for Jim Crockett 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:33.619 promotions between 1981 and 1982. A very traditional 00:30:33.619 --> 00:30:35.599 wrestling territory. There's a specific tactic 00:30:35.599 --> 00:30:37.359 he used that I think is just brilliant and it 00:30:37.359 --> 00:30:40.240 shows how far ahead of his time he was. The camera 00:30:40.240 --> 00:30:42.900 gimmick. Austin Idol started bringing an 8mm 00:30:42.900 --> 00:30:45.319 film camera down to ringside. Just walking down 00:30:45.319 --> 00:30:47.490 the aisle with it. While other wrestlers were 00:30:47.490 --> 00:30:50.049 having their matches, Idol would stand on the 00:30:50.049 --> 00:30:53.029 floor holding this camera and physically record 00:30:53.029 --> 00:30:54.789 them. Pointing it right at them. And you read 00:30:54.789 --> 00:30:56.890 the accounts from guys in the locker room back 00:30:56.890 --> 00:30:59.809 then? The other wrestlers were genuinely furious 00:30:59.809 --> 00:31:02.410 about this. Oh, they hated it. Now, in today's 00:31:02.410 --> 00:31:05.529 world, everyone has a 4K camera in their pocket. 00:31:05.670 --> 00:31:08.470 We are constantly recording everything. But in 00:31:08.470 --> 00:31:11.829 1981, this was a massive deal. Why was this such 00:31:11.829 --> 00:31:14.589 an effective way to get under both the fans and 00:31:14.589 --> 00:31:16.730 the wrestler's skin? What's fascinating here 00:31:16.730 --> 00:31:19.730 is how it played on the specific paranoia of 00:31:19.730 --> 00:31:24.029 the era. The KFA protection again. Yes. In 1981, 00:31:24.490 --> 00:31:27.509 video equipment was bulky, expensive, and generally 00:31:27.509 --> 00:31:30.569 restricted exclusively to the television production 00:31:30.569 --> 00:31:32.970 crew. He didn't just carry a camera around. By 00:31:32.970 --> 00:31:36.509 bringing his own 8mm camera to ringside, Idol 00:31:36.509 --> 00:31:38.930 was violating the unwritten rules of the locker 00:31:38.930 --> 00:31:42.170 room. In the kayfabe reality of the show, it 00:31:42.170 --> 00:31:44.630 was viewed as a massive invasion of privacy. 00:31:44.890 --> 00:31:46.990 He was crossing a line. He was effectively saying, 00:31:47.230 --> 00:31:49.650 I am scouting you. I am studying your weaknesses. 00:31:49.890 --> 00:31:51.950 I am looking for your flaws so I can exploit 00:31:51.950 --> 00:31:54.269 them and take your championship. And he didn't 00:31:54.269 --> 00:31:56.869 care who saw him doing it. It projected an immense 00:31:56.869 --> 00:31:59.109 amount of arrogance because he wasn't even bothering 00:31:59.109 --> 00:32:01.509 to hide his intentions. He was doing it right 00:32:01.509 --> 00:32:04.369 in their faces. It's incredibly disrespectful 00:32:04.369 --> 00:32:07.430 in the context of the sport. Furthermore, It 00:32:07.430 --> 00:32:09.990 created a visually unique silhouette for the 00:32:09.990 --> 00:32:12.269 television viewers. Oh, visually. Yeah. When 00:32:12.269 --> 00:32:16.009 fans saw Idol at ringside with a camera peering 00:32:16.009 --> 00:32:18.549 through the lens, it immediately communicated 00:32:18.549 --> 00:32:21.210 that he was up to something devious and calculating. 00:32:21.289 --> 00:32:24.329 He looked like a spy. It was a subtle, nonviolent 00:32:24.329 --> 00:32:27.690 way to generate immense dislike, proving once 00:32:27.690 --> 00:32:30.769 again that his grasp of psychological manipulation 00:32:30.769 --> 00:32:33.890 was far superior to his physical wrestling abilities. 00:32:34.029 --> 00:32:36.250 He was playing 3D chess while everyone else was 00:32:36.250 --> 00:32:38.250 just practicing headlocks. That's a great way 00:32:38.250 --> 00:32:40.250 to put it. And speaking of doing the unexpected, 00:32:40.329 --> 00:32:42.349 there's another detail in his career map that 00:32:42.349 --> 00:32:44.650 seems completely contradictory. And I really 00:32:44.650 --> 00:32:47.549 want your take on this. The Japan trips. Yes. 00:32:47.789 --> 00:32:50.369 We spent a lot of time talking about how the 00:32:50.369 --> 00:32:55.190 1975 plane crash left Austin Idol with a severe, 00:32:55.410 --> 00:32:58.349 crippling fear of flying. The defining limitation 00:32:58.349 --> 00:33:00.549 of his career. It kept him locked in the Mid 00:33:00.549 --> 00:33:04.319 -South territories. But. His career record clearly 00:33:04.319 --> 00:33:06.799 shows that he embarked on multiple tours of Japan. 00:33:06.839 --> 00:33:09.619 He sure did. He wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling 00:33:09.619 --> 00:33:15.069 or AJPW in 1980, 1987 and 1988. Now, last time 00:33:15.069 --> 00:33:17.670 I checked a map, you cannot drive a Ford pickup 00:33:17.670 --> 00:33:20.190 truck from Memphis, Tennessee to Tokyo, Japan. 00:33:20.349 --> 00:33:22.269 No, you certainly cannot. He had to have gotten 00:33:22.269 --> 00:33:25.089 on an airplane. He did. He's over there teaming 00:33:25.089 --> 00:33:28.829 with massive hard -hitting stars like Stan Hansen, 00:33:29.009 --> 00:33:31.690 facing guys like Jumbo Saruta and the great Kabuki. 00:33:31.910 --> 00:33:34.380 Legendary Japanese and foreign talent. He and 00:33:34.380 --> 00:33:37.440 Hanson even win the PWF World Tag Team Championship 00:33:37.440 --> 00:33:41.039 in 1987. How on earth does a man with severe 00:33:41.039 --> 00:33:43.759 aviophobia, who refuses to fly from Memphis to 00:33:43.759 --> 00:33:46.619 New York, manage to fly 14 hours across the Pacific 00:33:46.619 --> 00:33:49.019 Ocean? It is a remarkable contradiction, and 00:33:49.019 --> 00:33:51.460 it highlights a very pragmatic human element 00:33:51.460 --> 00:33:53.740 of the wrestling business. The fear of flying 00:33:53.740 --> 00:33:57.299 was very real, and it demonstrably dictated 95 00:33:57.299 --> 00:34:00.119 % of his career choices and limited his national 00:34:00.119 --> 00:34:02.400 exposure. However, the financial incentives offered 00:34:02.400 --> 00:34:05.390 by Japanese prom - during the 1980s were astronomical. 00:34:05.630 --> 00:34:08.010 They paid incredibly well. All Japan Pro Wrestling, 00:34:08.409 --> 00:34:10.969 run by the legendary Giant Baba, paid incredibly 00:34:10.969 --> 00:34:14.170 well, treats a foreign talent like absolute royalty, 00:34:14.769 --> 00:34:16.750 and offered a level of prestige that was hard 00:34:16.750 --> 00:34:19.070 to ignore. You could make a year's salary in 00:34:19.070 --> 00:34:21.789 a few weeks. We can only speculate on the exact 00:34:21.789 --> 00:34:24.650 mechanics of how he managed it, but it is highly 00:34:24.650 --> 00:34:27.980 likely that Idol simply gritted his teeth. perhaps 00:34:27.980 --> 00:34:30.800 utilized heavy medication or severe mental conditioning 00:34:30.800 --> 00:34:34.139 to endure those excruciating 14 -hour flights 00:34:34.139 --> 00:34:37.239 strictly for those massive concentrated paydays. 00:34:37.599 --> 00:34:39.440 So everyone has a price for facing their worst 00:34:39.440 --> 00:34:42.219 nightmare. Exactly. What this tells us is that 00:34:42.219 --> 00:34:44.539 while his phobia was a massive limitation, he 00:34:44.539 --> 00:34:47.079 possessed the sheer willpower to override it 00:34:47.079 --> 00:34:49.320 when the stakes or the paycheck were high enough. 00:34:49.380 --> 00:34:51.320 He forced himself to do it. And what's equally 00:34:51.320 --> 00:34:54.239 impressive... is his success once he got there. 00:34:54.480 --> 00:34:56.860 How did his style translate? Well, the Japanese 00:34:56.860 --> 00:34:59.340 fans during that era strongly preferred strong 00:34:59.340 --> 00:35:02.760 style or royal road wrestling, highly legitimate, 00:35:03.019 --> 00:35:05.219 hard hitting, technically proficient grappling. 00:35:05.500 --> 00:35:08.139 Very serious athletic competition. Idol style 00:35:08.139 --> 00:35:10.519 was the exact opposite. It was all stalling, 00:35:10.599 --> 00:35:13.460 posing in Memphis theatrics. Walking around the 00:35:13.460 --> 00:35:16.380 ring, arguing with the referee. Yet winning a 00:35:16.380 --> 00:35:19.719 major tag team title alongside a legendary brawler 00:35:19.719 --> 00:35:22.960 like Stan Hanson. proves that his charisma and 00:35:22.960 --> 00:35:25.880 character work translated across vast cultural 00:35:25.880 --> 00:35:28.019 and language barriers. They didn't even speak 00:35:28.019 --> 00:35:30.519 English, but they understood the arrogance. The 00:35:30.519 --> 00:35:33.860 Japanese fans still responded to the sheer magnetism 00:35:33.860 --> 00:35:37.019 of the universal heartthrob. That is just incredible. 00:35:37.179 --> 00:35:40.280 He faces his ultimate terror, flies across the 00:35:40.280 --> 00:35:42.619 world, wins a championship doing his arrogant 00:35:42.619 --> 00:35:44.159 gimmick in front of a crowd that doesn't even 00:35:44.159 --> 00:35:46.340 speak his language, and then flies right back 00:35:46.340 --> 00:35:48.719 to Memphis to keep terrorizing Jerry Lawler. 00:35:48.800 --> 00:35:51.650 A truly unique career path. So we move into the 00:35:51.650 --> 00:35:54.889 late 1980s and the 1990s. The territory system 00:35:54.889 --> 00:35:57.909 starts to collapse entirely as the WWU goes national 00:35:57.909 --> 00:36:01.599 and buys up all the local television time. Idle 00:36:01.599 --> 00:36:04.320 starts winding down his in -ring career. He wrestles 00:36:04.320 --> 00:36:06.739 less frequently, does some shows for the USWA, 00:36:06.980 --> 00:36:09.000 and officially retires from active competition 00:36:09.000 --> 00:36:12.300 in 1998. Steps away from the ring. And what does 00:36:12.300 --> 00:36:14.840 the universal heartthrob do when he hangs up 00:36:14.840 --> 00:36:17.500 the tie -dyed boots? Something completely different. 00:36:17.699 --> 00:36:19.900 He becomes a real estate investor. Which is pretty 00:36:19.900 --> 00:36:22.039 fine. Which honestly feels like a very fitting 00:36:22.039 --> 00:36:24.420 career for a guy who knows how to sell a big 00:36:24.420 --> 00:36:27.019 idea and negotiate a deal. He was always a great 00:36:27.019 --> 00:36:29.300 salesman. But the story doesn't end there, does 00:36:29.300 --> 00:36:32.300 it? Because there is an entire Idolmania renaissance 00:36:32.300 --> 00:36:35.239 that takes place in the modern era, proving that 00:36:35.239 --> 00:36:38.079 his mind for the business never dulled. Indeed 00:36:38.079 --> 00:36:40.599 there is. Idol transitions out of full -time 00:36:40.599 --> 00:36:43.159 wrestling, but his legacy and his ability to 00:36:43.159 --> 00:36:45.639 communicate never faded. He stays connected to 00:36:45.639 --> 00:36:49.019 the fans. In 2011, he breaks his retirement for 00:36:49.019 --> 00:36:52.010 a single night. winning a five -way match just 00:36:52.010 --> 00:36:54.289 to prove he still could. Just a cameo, really. 00:36:54.510 --> 00:36:56.750 He starts dipping his toes back into the industry 00:36:56.750 --> 00:36:59.409 through media, launching a radio show in 2012, 00:36:59.829 --> 00:37:02.070 and eventually hosting his own show, Austin Idol 00:37:02.070 --> 00:37:04.909 Live, in 2017. Getting back on the microphone. 00:37:05.170 --> 00:37:07.550 But his most significant modern contribution 00:37:07.550 --> 00:37:10.690 begins in 2017 when he returns to television 00:37:10.690 --> 00:37:13.599 as a manager. first for Nick Aldis, and then 00:37:13.599 --> 00:37:16.920 forming a massive dominant faction in the modern 00:37:16.920 --> 00:37:19.039 incarnation of the National Wrestling Alliance, 00:37:19.480 --> 00:37:23.239 the NWA. Yes, Idolmania Sports Management. This 00:37:23.239 --> 00:37:26.400 part of his career completely blew me away. It's 00:37:26.400 --> 00:37:29.440 a great late career run. In 2021, he founds the 00:37:29.440 --> 00:37:32.679 stable in the NWA. He is the mouthpiece, the 00:37:32.679 --> 00:37:34.900 mastermind, the overarching architect. Doing 00:37:34.900 --> 00:37:36.980 what he does best. He takes a wrestler named 00:37:36.980 --> 00:37:41.190 Tyrus. a massive, imposing, heavily tattooed 00:37:41.190 --> 00:37:45.050 guy, and manages him all the way to the NWA World's 00:37:45.050 --> 00:37:47.690 Heavyweight Championship. The top prize. He brings 00:37:47.690 --> 00:37:50.570 in a masked wrestler named Sion, who is portrayed 00:37:50.570 --> 00:37:53.489 in the storyline as Idol's own son, and helps 00:37:53.489 --> 00:37:55.349 him win the National Heavyweight Championship. 00:37:55.630 --> 00:37:57.630 Keeping it in the family, so to speak. At one 00:37:57.630 --> 00:38:00.570 specific point, between November 2022 and February 00:38:00.570 --> 00:38:04.210 2023, Idol's stable held nearly every single 00:38:04.210 --> 00:38:07.050 men's championship in the NWA. Complete dominance 00:38:07.050 --> 00:38:09.590 of the promotion. He is in his 70s, and he is 00:38:09.590 --> 00:38:12.909 still orchestrating total dominance. It really 00:38:12.909 --> 00:38:14.670 serves as a reminder to you listening right now 00:38:14.670 --> 00:38:17.030 that true talent, especially the ability to speak, 00:38:17.210 --> 00:38:19.590 to manipulate a crowd, to understand exactly 00:38:19.590 --> 00:38:21.409 what people want to see that doesn't age out. 00:38:21.510 --> 00:38:23.750 It's a timeless skill. Your knees might give 00:38:23.750 --> 00:38:26.559 out. Your impaired ankles might hurt. But if 00:38:26.559 --> 00:38:28.699 you have a great mind for the psychology of your 00:38:28.699 --> 00:38:31.920 industry, you can remain relevant forever. That 00:38:31.920 --> 00:38:34.780 is precisely the takeaway. Austin Idol in the 00:38:34.780 --> 00:38:37.960 2020s is utilizing the exact same psychological 00:38:37.960 --> 00:38:40.719 tools he developed in 1978. The same playbook. 00:38:40.920 --> 00:38:42.579 He doesn't need to take a bump or run the ropes 00:38:42.579 --> 00:38:45.579 anymore. He stands at ringside, commands attention 00:38:45.579 --> 00:38:48.019 with his voice and his presence, draws the ire 00:38:48.019 --> 00:38:50.639 of the crowd, and elevates the wrestlers under 00:38:50.639 --> 00:38:53.260 his charge. He takes the heat off them and puts 00:38:53.260 --> 00:38:56.119 it on himself. He contrasts Tyrus' silent physical 00:38:56.119 --> 00:38:59.199 menace with his own loud flamboyant arrogance. 00:38:59.800 --> 00:39:01.659 It proves conclusively that the foundation of 00:39:01.659 --> 00:39:04.860 his legendary status was never his physical athleticism. 00:39:04.960 --> 00:39:08.019 It was always his intellect and his deep understanding 00:39:08.019 --> 00:39:10.820 of human emotion. So what does this all mean? 00:39:10.920 --> 00:39:12.699 When we pull back and look at the entirety of 00:39:12.699 --> 00:39:15.480 Michael McCord's life, what is the ultimate legacy 00:39:15.480 --> 00:39:18.099 of Austin Idol? If we synthesize everything we've 00:39:18.099 --> 00:39:20.199 discussed today, Austin Idol is the ultimate 00:39:20.199 --> 00:39:22.440 example of the power of pivoting in the face 00:39:22.440 --> 00:39:25.500 of disaster. Surviving and adapting. He faced 00:39:25.500 --> 00:39:29.400 a devastating, life -altering event in the 1975 00:39:29.400 --> 00:39:32.719 plane crash. It shattered his body, and the resulting 00:39:32.719 --> 00:39:35.840 phobia severely restricted his geographical mobility. 00:39:36.099 --> 00:39:38.880 It should have ended his career. For the vast 00:39:38.880 --> 00:39:41.119 majority of athletes, that would be the definitive 00:39:41.119 --> 00:39:44.960 end of the road. Instead, he completely reimagined 00:39:44.960 --> 00:39:47.550 his physical presentation. He became a new person. 00:39:47.989 --> 00:39:50.250 He recognized his own newly acquired technical 00:39:50.250 --> 00:39:53.510 limitations and consciously chose to master the 00:39:53.510 --> 00:39:56.349 psychological aspects of wrestling. The promos, 00:39:56.429 --> 00:39:58.230 the character work, the emotional manipulation. 00:39:58.389 --> 00:40:00.809 He turned his weakness into an absolute weapon. 00:40:00.969 --> 00:40:03.210 Because he couldn't travel the world, he focused 00:40:03.210 --> 00:40:05.989 his immense energy intensely on a single region, 00:40:06.170 --> 00:40:08.869 the Mid -South, and cultivated a rivalry with 00:40:08.869 --> 00:40:11.369 Jerry Lawler that became the stuff of absolute 00:40:11.369 --> 00:40:13.760 legend. He turned a massive career restriction 00:40:13.760 --> 00:40:16.599 into a focused laser -like beam of success. I 00:40:16.599 --> 00:40:18.579 love that. He took the strict boundaries that 00:40:18.579 --> 00:40:20.880 were forced upon him by trauma and he built an 00:40:20.880 --> 00:40:23.559 absolute empire inside of it. An empire of heat. 00:40:23.739 --> 00:40:25.900 Which brings us to a final lingering thought. 00:40:26.320 --> 00:40:28.019 I want to take you back to the very beginning 00:40:28.019 --> 00:40:31.679 of this deep dive to that 2023 Joe Rogan interview. 00:40:32.019 --> 00:40:34.599 Tell me full circle. Hulk Hogan, the undisputed 00:40:34.599 --> 00:40:38.449 global icon of the 1980s wrestling boom. openly 00:40:38.449 --> 00:40:40.949 admitted that he watched Austin Idol. He was 00:40:40.949 --> 00:40:43.230 taking notes. He saw the bleach blonde hair. 00:40:43.289 --> 00:40:46.070 He saw the unmatched charisma. He heard the term 00:40:46.070 --> 00:40:49.590 Idol mania. He saw the crowd erupt when Idol 00:40:49.590 --> 00:40:52.449 cut his hand to his ear to draw out the booze. 00:40:52.530 --> 00:40:55.489 And he took it. And Hogan took those exact elements, 00:40:55.989 --> 00:40:58.949 flipped them to make himself the hero, put them 00:40:58.949 --> 00:41:01.909 on a national television platform with the expanding 00:41:01.909 --> 00:41:05.389 WWE and became a billionaire pop culture deity. 00:41:05.690 --> 00:41:08.050 It's the ultimate butterfly effect. So I want 00:41:08.050 --> 00:41:10.130 to leave you with this provocative question to 00:41:10.130 --> 00:41:13.190 mull over. If Michael McCord had never gotten 00:41:13.190 --> 00:41:16.110 onto that Cessna in February of 1975, if the 00:41:16.110 --> 00:41:18.269 weather was clear, if that plane had landed safely 00:41:18.269 --> 00:41:20.889 in Tampa and he had never developed a crippling 00:41:20.889 --> 00:41:23.849 fear of flying, would Austin Idol have eventually 00:41:23.849 --> 00:41:26.570 taken that flamboyant act back to New York? It's 00:41:26.570 --> 00:41:28.269 entirely possible. Would he have been the one 00:41:28.269 --> 00:41:30.030 to capture the imagination of the world instead 00:41:30.030 --> 00:41:32.550 of Hulkamania running wild? Would the entire 00:41:32.550 --> 00:41:35.309 1980s have been defined by the global dominance 00:41:35.309 --> 00:41:38.389 of the universal heart grab? We will never know, 00:41:39.030 --> 00:41:41.610 but it is fascinating to consider. It is truly 00:41:41.610 --> 00:41:44.469 one of the greatest what ifs in the history of 00:41:44.469 --> 00:41:46.570 entertainment. Thank you so much for joining 00:41:46.570 --> 00:41:49.289 us on this deep dive. Keep questioning the narratives. 00:41:49.489 --> 00:41:51.650 Keep looking for the true origins of the pop 00:41:51.650 --> 00:41:54.090 culture you love and keep exploring the hidden 00:41:54.090 --> 00:41:55.409 histories all around you.