WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.399 Welcome to the deep dive. We have an absolutely 00:00:02.399 --> 00:00:04.519 incredible journey lined up for you today. We 00:00:04.519 --> 00:00:08.039 really do Today we are using a really detailed 00:00:08.039 --> 00:00:11.240 Wikipedia article to pull back the curtain on 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:14.779 the life The sprawling career and the many many 00:00:14.779 --> 00:00:17.199 reinventions of a professional wrestler named 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:20.620 Pesa Van Wally or as he was universally known, 00:00:21.019 --> 00:00:23.140 Pez Whatley. Right. Now if you're familiar with 00:00:23.140 --> 00:00:26.280 the territorial days of the 1970s and 80s, you 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:28.359 know it's just the absolute Wild West out there. 00:00:28.559 --> 00:00:30.859 Oh, totally. Dozens of promotions, those grueling 00:00:30.859 --> 00:00:34.890 travel schedules. Exactly. a constant burning 00:00:34.890 --> 00:00:37.950 need for performers to just evolve, just to keep 00:00:37.950 --> 00:00:40.229 their spot on the card. So we are looking at 00:00:40.229 --> 00:00:42.070 Whatley's career today, not just as a standard 00:00:42.070 --> 00:00:44.729 biography, but really as an absolute master class 00:00:44.729 --> 00:00:48.049 in adaptability, psychological showmanship, and 00:00:48.049 --> 00:00:50.130 breaking barriers in an industry that, let's 00:00:50.130 --> 00:00:52.609 be honest, rarely handed out favors. Okay, let's 00:00:52.609 --> 00:00:55.250 unpack this. To really grasp the magnitude of 00:00:55.250 --> 00:00:57.789 Whatley's survival and how he ultimately thrived 00:00:57.789 --> 00:01:00.590 in that ecosystem, I want you to imagine navigating 00:01:00.590 --> 00:01:03.070 a career where your job description fundamentally 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:05.560 demands that you completely reinvent your personality 00:01:05.560 --> 00:01:08.280 on a whim. Sounds exhausting. Right. Just think 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:10.260 about your own professional life. Imagine having 00:01:10.260 --> 00:01:12.760 to change your overarching goals, your alliances, 00:01:13.140 --> 00:01:15.840 your daily demeanor. And even your physical appearance. 00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:18.659 Exactly. Just because you changed zip codes, 00:01:18.700 --> 00:01:20.959 or because the boss decided the crowd needed 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:23.920 something fresh, that was the daily reality of 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:27.359 the territorial wrestling industry. Yeah. Pesuali 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:29.579 didn't just survive that chaotic environment. 00:01:29.799 --> 00:01:33.109 He mastered the art of the pivot. than almost 00:01:33.109 --> 00:01:35.810 any one of his generation. He really did. And 00:01:35.810 --> 00:01:37.969 he had an incredibly solid foundation before 00:01:37.969 --> 00:01:41.230 he even laced up a pair of wrestling boots. Pizzavan 00:01:41.230 --> 00:01:44.049 Watley was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee on 00:01:44.049 --> 00:01:47.049 January 10, 1951. Right in the heart of wrestling 00:01:47.049 --> 00:01:50.730 country. Yep. And he possessed legitimate top 00:01:50.730 --> 00:01:53.629 -tier athletic credentials long before he ever 00:01:53.629 --> 00:01:56.230 learned how to work a crowd. He was a standout 00:01:56.230 --> 00:01:59.090 football player and an accomplished amateur wrestler 00:01:59.090 --> 00:02:01.689 at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga. He 00:02:01.689 --> 00:02:03.650 then took those formidable talents over to the 00:02:03.650 --> 00:02:05.670 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Which 00:02:05.670 --> 00:02:08.710 brings us to a massive historical milestone right 00:02:08.710 --> 00:02:11.870 out of the gate. Whatley was UTC's very first 00:02:11.870 --> 00:02:15.069 African -American wrestler. Wow. Yeah. Stepping 00:02:15.069 --> 00:02:17.090 into that collegiate athletic environment as 00:02:17.090 --> 00:02:19.349 the first to break that color barrier required 00:02:19.349 --> 00:02:22.270 a profound level of mental toughness. Oh, absolutely. 00:02:22.310 --> 00:02:25.030 That trailblazing spirit, that ability to walk 00:02:25.030 --> 00:02:27.210 into a space where you are the only one and still 00:02:27.210 --> 00:02:29.389 completely hold your own. That set the template 00:02:29.389 --> 00:02:31.810 for his entire professional life. And he didn't 00:02:31.810 --> 00:02:33.889 jump straight into the ring after college either. 00:02:34.129 --> 00:02:37.229 No, no, he didn't. He had a brief run as a powerlifter 00:02:37.229 --> 00:02:40.789 first, which built the immense physical foundation 00:02:40.789 --> 00:02:44.729 he would need when he finally in 1973 for the 00:02:44.729 --> 00:02:47.189 original Sheik's big -time wrestling up in Detroit, 00:02:47.490 --> 00:02:50.110 which is just starting out in the Sheik's territory. 00:02:50.210 --> 00:02:52.909 In the early 70s meant you were thrown right 00:02:52.909 --> 00:02:55.569 into the deep end of gritty, violent crowd heat. 00:02:55.590 --> 00:02:59.509 Trial by fire. Seriously. But he took that powerlifting 00:02:59.509 --> 00:03:02.210 strength and parlayed it into this explosive 00:03:02.210 --> 00:03:04.969 rise when he made his way down to Georgia Championship 00:03:04.969 --> 00:03:07.349 Wrestling. That Georgia run is iconic. It really 00:03:07.349 --> 00:03:09.949 is. There is a legendary television angle from 00:03:09.949 --> 00:03:13.340 that era that... perfectly encapsulates how electric 00:03:13.340 --> 00:03:17.090 he was. So. Whatley is confronted by the junkyard 00:03:17.090 --> 00:03:19.050 dog who just straight -up slaps Whatley across 00:03:19.050 --> 00:03:21.949 the face. The disrespect is palpable. Oh, completely. 00:03:22.530 --> 00:03:26.069 So Whatley is so enraged by this that he goes 00:03:26.069 --> 00:03:27.949 out for a scheduled match against Buzz Sawyer, 00:03:28.210 --> 00:03:31.250 and he doesn't just beat him. He pins Buzz Sawyer 00:03:31.250 --> 00:03:34.669 twice. Twice. Twice in a single broadcast. From 00:03:34.669 --> 00:03:36.870 a booking perspective, giving a guy a double 00:03:36.870 --> 00:03:39.930 pin over an established talent like Sawyer is 00:03:39.930 --> 00:03:43.009 a massive rocket strapped to his back. It's brilliant, 00:03:43.289 --> 00:03:45.599 high -octane storytelling. Because you rarely 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:47.780 see a double pin because it runs the risk of 00:03:47.780 --> 00:03:50.960 burying the opponent. But the sheer adrenaline 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:54.080 of Whatley avenging that slap justified it to 00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:56.719 the audience. That moment cemented him as an 00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:58.860 absolute top tier threat. Put him on the map. 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:02.159 Yeah. From there, he is thrust into these high 00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:04.800 profile violent feuds against Paul Ellering's 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:07.759 Legion of Doom. He's working intricate psychological 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:10.039 matches against a young Jake the Snake Roberts. 00:04:10.259 --> 00:04:12.680 Some heavy hitters. Oh, the biggest. His drawing 00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:14.939 power reached a fever pitch when he secured a 00:04:14.939 --> 00:04:16.920 United States heavyweight championship match 00:04:16.920 --> 00:04:19.579 against Greg Valentine at the Omni in Atlanta. 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:22.199 And the Omni was essentially the Madison Square 00:04:22.199 --> 00:04:25.389 Garden of southern wrestling. Exactly. Main eventing 00:04:25.389 --> 00:04:27.230 a title match in that building meant you were 00:04:27.230 --> 00:04:30.470 undisputed box office material. He was arguably 00:04:30.470 --> 00:04:32.930 one of the most popular baby faces in the entire 00:04:32.930 --> 00:04:35.350 state of Georgia before taking his momentum to 00:04:35.350 --> 00:04:38.250 Florida Championship Wrestling in 1984. Where 00:04:38.250 --> 00:04:41.189 he captured the Southern title twice. Yep. Now 00:04:41.189 --> 00:04:44.529 here's where it gets really interesting. Because 00:04:44.529 --> 00:04:46.790 what Lee could have easily coasted on just being 00:04:46.790 --> 00:04:49.930 the fiery powerhouse athlete. He had the physique 00:04:49.930 --> 00:04:53.220 for it. He did, but he had this phenomenal comedic 00:04:53.220 --> 00:04:57.259 timing and a total willingness to just embrace 00:04:57.259 --> 00:05:00.399 the absurd for the sake of heat. He goes to work 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:04.180 for Angelo Poffo's ICW. Which was already a rogue 00:05:04.180 --> 00:05:07.399 outlaw promotion known for wild ideas. Oh, completely 00:05:07.399 --> 00:05:09.600 outlaw. And Whatley ends up forming a faction 00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:12.220 called the Convertible Blondes with Rip Rogers 00:05:12.220 --> 00:05:15.060 and Gary Royal. The sheer arrogance of this gimmick 00:05:15.060 --> 00:05:17.709 is hysterical. I love this part. Whatley is in 00:05:17.709 --> 00:05:19.829 a trio called the Convertible Blondes, and he 00:05:19.829 --> 00:05:21.810 doesn't even bother to dye his hair blonde. Not 00:05:21.810 --> 00:05:23.730 even a little bit. No. He just walks out there 00:05:23.730 --> 00:05:26.050 completely straight -faced, demanding to be treated 00:05:26.050 --> 00:05:28.850 as part of this elite blonde stable. What's fascinating 00:05:28.850 --> 00:05:31.529 here is how that willingness to look ridiculous 00:05:31.529 --> 00:05:34.850 fed directly into his mastery of ring psychology 00:05:34.850 --> 00:05:37.910 and crowd manipulation. Right. The apex of this 00:05:37.910 --> 00:05:41.709 in ICW was the infamous Mophead storyline. He 00:05:41.709 --> 00:05:44.410 gets into a feud with Ron Garvin, and they book 00:05:44.410 --> 00:05:47.709 a match with a unique stipulation. the loser 00:05:47.709 --> 00:05:51.329 has to wear a mop wig. The literal mop on his 00:05:51.329 --> 00:05:54.230 head. Yeah. So Watley takes the loss, and he 00:05:54.230 --> 00:05:56.569 is forced to wear this humiliating mop until 00:05:56.569 --> 00:05:58.790 he can secure a victory in his next match. Now, 00:05:58.850 --> 00:06:00.629 in modern booking, that's a one -week payoff. 00:06:00.810 --> 00:06:03.089 You lose on Sunday, you wear the mop on Monday, 00:06:03.269 --> 00:06:05.389 you win your match, you take the mop off. Exactly. 00:06:05.810 --> 00:06:08.610 But Garvin and Watley stretch this out with phenomenal 00:06:08.610 --> 00:06:11.439 narrative discipline. Garvin would intentionally 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:13.439 interfere in Whatley's subsequent matches. Oh, 00:06:13.459 --> 00:06:15.519 that's smart. He would run down to the ring and 00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:18.399 attack whoever Whatley was wrestling. The referee, 00:06:18.540 --> 00:06:20.740 seeing the interference, would throw the match 00:06:20.740 --> 00:06:23.000 out and disqualify Whatley's opponent. Meaning 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:25.319 Whatley technically won? He technically won the 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:28.879 match via DQ, right? But the stipulation explicitly 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:31.639 required a clean pinfall or submission victory 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:34.379 to remove the mop wick. So Whatley is trapped. 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:38.500 He is stuck in this agonizing, months -long technical 00:06:38.500 --> 00:06:41.259 losing streak, forced to wrestle night after 00:06:41.259 --> 00:06:43.560 night wearing a mop on his head, while the crowd 00:06:43.560 --> 00:06:46.040 gets hotter and hotter wanting to see him finally 00:06:46.040 --> 00:06:48.399 get his revenge. You just have to think about 00:06:48.399 --> 00:06:51.100 the immense dedication to the crap that requires. 00:06:51.740 --> 00:06:54.540 In a business entirely built on physical aesthetics, 00:06:55.000 --> 00:06:57.959 looking tough and, you know, protecting your 00:06:57.959 --> 00:07:00.600 aura, would J. Lee agree to sacrifice his own 00:07:00.600 --> 00:07:02.860 image and look completely foolish for months? 00:07:03.100 --> 00:07:05.939 checked his ego right at the door. Totally. Just 00:07:05.939 --> 00:07:08.240 to build the anticipation for the eventual payoff 00:07:08.240 --> 00:07:11.339 with Garvin. It really speaks volumes about his 00:07:11.339 --> 00:07:13.060 understanding that the story is always bigger 00:07:13.060 --> 00:07:15.040 than the individual performer. And that lack 00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:18.360 of ego made him incredibly versatile. By 1985, 00:07:18.699 --> 00:07:21.439 he shifts over to the NWA for Jim Crockett promotions. 00:07:21.480 --> 00:07:23.899 The big leagues. Yeah. He comes in as a fiery 00:07:23.899 --> 00:07:26.519 baby face, teaming up with the immensely popular 00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:28.600 Jimmy Valiant to wage war against Paul Jones' 00:07:28.779 --> 00:07:31.379 army. But the territory needed a shakeup, and 00:07:31.379 --> 00:07:34.160 Whatley executed a flawless heel turn. Just completely 00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:37.199 flips the script. He completely betrays Valiant, 00:07:37.540 --> 00:07:39.720 aligns himself with the very villains they had 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:41.920 been fighting monsters like the Barbarian and 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:44.639 Baron von Raschke, and he completely overhauls 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:46.920 his in -ring style. He didn't just start breaking 00:07:46.920 --> 00:07:50.399 the rules. He made it visceral. He adopted this 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:54.019 incredibly nasty, disrespectful habit of spitting 00:07:54.019 --> 00:07:56.879 on his opponents during matches. It was such 00:07:56.879 --> 00:08:00.399 a gritty, degrading tactic that guaranteed deafening 00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:03.980 boos from the Crockett crowds. This bitter rivalry 00:08:03.980 --> 00:08:06.670 with his former friend ultimately culminates 00:08:06.670 --> 00:08:09.689 in a massive hair versus hair match against Jimmy 00:08:09.689 --> 00:08:12.490 Valiant. A classic stipulation. Yep. Well, he 00:08:12.490 --> 00:08:14.790 takes the loss and gets his head shaved bald 00:08:14.790 --> 00:08:16.730 right there in the middle of the ring to track 00:08:16.730 --> 00:08:18.889 his evolution from the beloved hero double pinning 00:08:18.889 --> 00:08:21.430 Buzz Sawyer to the comedic heel in a mop wig 00:08:21.430 --> 00:08:24.290 to this despised spitting villain getting his 00:08:24.290 --> 00:08:26.629 head shaved. It is just a clinic in character 00:08:26.629 --> 00:08:29.800 work. That evolution leads us directly to 1986, 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:32.740 which features a highly significant unscripted 00:08:32.740 --> 00:08:34.519 moment that really shifted the atmosphere of 00:08:34.519 --> 00:08:36.860 the broadcast. This was the era when Dusty Rhodes 00:08:36.860 --> 00:08:39.559 was standing tall as the NWA World Heavyweight 00:08:39.559 --> 00:08:42.240 Champion. Wetley is out there cutting a live 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:45.259 television promo and he appears to completely 00:08:45.259 --> 00:08:47.700 freelance his material. He goes completely off 00:08:47.700 --> 00:08:50.470 script on live television. Yeah. If we connect 00:08:50.470 --> 00:08:52.809 this to the bigger picture, you have to remember 00:08:52.809 --> 00:08:55.509 how intensely protected the kayfabe illusion 00:08:55.509 --> 00:08:58.809 of 1980s wrestling television was. Everything 00:08:58.809 --> 00:09:00.990 was designed to keep the audience invested in 00:09:00.990 --> 00:09:03.490 the fabricated rivalries. Nobody broke character. 00:09:03.710 --> 00:09:06.669 Never. But during this live promo, Whatley looks 00:09:06.669 --> 00:09:09.009 into the camera and explicitly states that he 00:09:09.009 --> 00:09:12.149 wants to become the first black NWA champion. 00:09:12.429 --> 00:09:15.789 Wow. the television announcers immediately became 00:09:15.789 --> 00:09:18.590 visibly uncomfortable. It is a profound piece 00:09:18.590 --> 00:09:21.769 of television history to look back on. Whatley's 00:09:21.769 --> 00:09:24.870 raw ambition pierced right through the theatrical 00:09:24.870 --> 00:09:27.590 bubble of the 1980s NWA -made event scene. It 00:09:27.590 --> 00:09:30.820 was a reality check. Yeah. He bypassed the usual 00:09:30.820 --> 00:09:32.919 heel rhetoric about being tougher or smarter, 00:09:33.460 --> 00:09:35.740 and he brought a very real -world racial boundary 00:09:35.740 --> 00:09:38.220 directly to the microphone. It wasn't part of 00:09:38.220 --> 00:09:40.299 a booked angle with Dusty Rhodes. It was Whatley 00:09:40.299 --> 00:09:42.340 stating a definitive historical fact about the 00:09:42.340 --> 00:09:45.039 NWA Championship lineage and putting his desire 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:46.919 to shatter that ceiling on the public record. 00:09:47.259 --> 00:09:49.279 It creates that electric tension where the audience 00:09:49.279 --> 00:09:51.340 isn't sure what is a work and what is a shoot. 00:09:51.740 --> 00:09:54.840 But Whatley never stayed anchored to one controversy 00:09:54.840 --> 00:09:57.820 or one persona for too long. No, he kept moving. 00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:01.019 His late 80s run is a rapid -fire series of reinventions 00:10:01.019 --> 00:10:03.320 that proves he could get absolutely anything 00:10:03.320 --> 00:10:07.529 over. He truly was a chameleon. By late 1987, 00:10:07.830 --> 00:10:10.450 he sheds the Paul Jones Army Association and 00:10:10.450 --> 00:10:13.629 forms a tag team called the Jive Tones with Tiger 00:10:13.629 --> 00:10:16.710 Conaway Jr. Right. Then he bounces down to Florida 00:10:16.710 --> 00:10:19.629 and slots perfectly into Kevin Sullivan's dark, 00:10:19.870 --> 00:10:22.190 chaotic goon squad. A totally different vibe. 00:10:22.450 --> 00:10:25.490 Completely. But then in a complete 180 degree 00:10:25.490 --> 00:10:28.610 pivot, he travels to Alabama's Southeast Championship 00:10:28.610 --> 00:10:31.820 Wrestling and debuts a brand new persona. Will 00:10:31.820 --> 00:10:34.440 he be hurt? The will he be hurt? Yeah. He completely 00:10:34.440 --> 00:10:36.639 drops the villainous tendencies and gets massively 00:10:36.639 --> 00:10:38.960 over with the Alabama crowds, becoming one of 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:41.480 the company's absolute top baby faces. So what 00:10:41.480 --> 00:10:43.240 does this all mean? We've watched him navigate 00:10:43.240 --> 00:10:45.240 the territories as a collegiate trailblazer, 00:10:45.559 --> 00:10:47.919 a box office main eventer, a comedic genius, 00:10:48.340 --> 00:10:51.279 a despised heel, and a beloved hero. This raises 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:54.350 an important question. What is the end game for 00:10:54.350 --> 00:10:57.389 a performer with that level of varied exhaustive 00:10:57.389 --> 00:10:59.350 experience when the territorial system starts 00:10:59.350 --> 00:11:01.470 to collapse and the big national promotions take 00:11:01.470 --> 00:11:03.809 over? Right, because the landscape changed entirely 00:11:03.809 --> 00:11:07.450 in the 90s. It did. And for what, Lee? The 1990s 00:11:07.450 --> 00:11:09.889 brought a transition into arguably the most vital 00:11:09.889 --> 00:11:12.629 yet underappreciated role in the business. the 00:11:12.629 --> 00:11:15.570 Enhancement Talent, following a brief run overseas 00:11:15.570 --> 00:11:18.129 in Japan's UW of 5. Which, by the way, was a 00:11:18.129 --> 00:11:20.370 grueling shoot -style promotion that further 00:11:20.370 --> 00:11:23.529 proves his legitimate toughness. Exactly. After 00:11:23.529 --> 00:11:26.149 that, Whatley returned stateside. He went to 00:11:26.149 --> 00:11:29.230 work for the WWF from January 1990 until April 00:11:29.230 --> 00:11:31.889 1991, and then spent the remainder of the decade 00:11:31.889 --> 00:11:34.870 in WCW. Taking on the role of Enhancement Talent 00:11:34.870 --> 00:11:38.450 requires a very specific genius. His job on weekly 00:11:38.450 --> 00:11:40.529 television wasn't to win championships anymore. 00:11:40.649 --> 00:11:43.179 No. His job was to step into the ring with the 00:11:43.179 --> 00:11:45.379 top stars, the guys the company was investing 00:11:45.379 --> 00:11:48.779 millions of dollars into and make them look indestructible. 00:11:49.139 --> 00:11:52.190 Right. He was the seasoned veteran who knew exactly 00:11:52.190 --> 00:11:54.809 how to bump, how to feed into an opponent's comeback, 00:11:55.389 --> 00:11:58.269 and how to safely guide a greener main eventer 00:11:58.269 --> 00:12:00.470 through a compelling television match. It is 00:12:00.470 --> 00:12:03.330 an art form built entirely on selflessness. And 00:12:03.330 --> 00:12:05.990 what is brilliant is how he maintained his baseline 00:12:05.990 --> 00:12:08.669 credibility while doing it. He wasn't just losing 00:12:08.669 --> 00:12:11.549 every single time he laced up his boots. No. 00:12:11.690 --> 00:12:14.389 On the non -televised house shows away from the 00:12:14.389 --> 00:12:17.090 TV cameras, he was picking up victories over 00:12:17.090 --> 00:12:19.889 established names like Buddy Rose, Paul Diamond, 00:12:20.210 --> 00:12:23.139 and the Genius. Which was crucial. Winning those 00:12:23.139 --> 00:12:25.659 matches kept his skills sharp and maintained 00:12:25.659 --> 00:12:27.820 his credibility in the locker room, allowing 00:12:27.820 --> 00:12:30.000 him to be the perfect foundational support for 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:32.159 the television main eventers. It's all connected. 00:12:32.440 --> 00:12:34.759 That transition naturally evolved into a formal 00:12:34.759 --> 00:12:37.580 mentorship role. He became a fixture backstage 00:12:37.580 --> 00:12:40.799 for WCW and took on the role of assistant trainer 00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:43.799 at the WCW power plant. Shaping the mechanics 00:12:43.799 --> 00:12:46.580 and the psychology of the next generation. Exactly. 00:12:46.860 --> 00:12:48.700 He still made occasional entering appearances 00:12:48.700 --> 00:12:51.059 to lend a veteran presence to chaotic matches. 00:12:51.549 --> 00:12:54.429 Things like the massive 60 -man World War III 00:12:54.429 --> 00:12:58.230 battle royals in 1995 and 1996 before he officially 00:12:58.230 --> 00:13:00.610 retired from in -ring competition in 1998. Think 00:13:00.610 --> 00:13:03.230 about that journey. The sheer humility it takes 00:13:03.230 --> 00:13:05.730 to go from wrestling Greg Valentine for the U 00:13:05.730 --> 00:13:09.409 .S. title at a sold -out Omni to quietly standing 00:13:09.409 --> 00:13:12.169 in a sweaty warehouse teaching a rookie how to 00:13:12.169 --> 00:13:16.080 take a hip toss. It is... It is the defining 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:18.159 trait of someone who respects the industry more 00:13:18.159 --> 00:13:21.220 than their own ego. Sadly, the physical toll 00:13:21.220 --> 00:13:23.279 of a multi -decade wrestling career caught up 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:25.700 with him. The end of Whatley's life was marked 00:13:25.700 --> 00:13:29.019 by severe health struggles. During the late 1990s, 00:13:29.019 --> 00:13:30.379 while he was still working behind the scenes 00:13:30.379 --> 00:13:33.019 for WCW, he went to the hospital for what he 00:13:33.019 --> 00:13:37.139 thought was a severe case of bronchitis. During 00:13:37.139 --> 00:13:39.600 that hospitalization, doctors made a devastating 00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:42.179 discovery. He was suffering from severe heart 00:13:42.179 --> 00:13:45.480 failure. so dire that he was actually pronounced 00:13:45.480 --> 00:13:47.720 dead on two separate accusations while waiting 00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:50.879 for a heart transplant. That is absolutely harrowing. 00:13:51.179 --> 00:13:52.960 The physical punishment those guys put their 00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:56.399 bodies through in the 70s and 80s was just unfathomable. 00:13:56.519 --> 00:13:59.120 He fought through those initial crises, but the 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:01.720 cardiac issues persisted. He suffered a heart 00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:04.740 attack in 2003, and then on January 15, 2005, 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:07.600 he suffered another massive heart attack. He 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.100 passed away a few days later on January 18 in 00:14:10.100 --> 00:14:12.179 a hospital in his hometown of Chattanooga. He 00:14:12.179 --> 00:14:15.480 was only 54 years old. Just 54. He left behind 00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:17.759 four children, concluding a life that burned 00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:20.519 incredibly bright. It is a profoundly somber 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:23.059 reality of the wrestling business. But we want 00:14:23.059 --> 00:14:25.279 to ensure we focus on the enduring weight of 00:14:25.279 --> 00:14:28.659 his legacy today. Long after his passing, the 00:14:28.659 --> 00:14:31.240 industry formally recognized his immense contributions. 00:14:31.820 --> 00:14:34.740 Pez Whatley was posthumously inducted into the 00:14:34.740 --> 00:14:37.879 WWE Hall of Fame class of 2021 as a legacy member. 00:14:37.980 --> 00:14:40.480 A huge honor. That induction ensures his name 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:42.500 is forever etched into the foundation of wrestling 00:14:42.500 --> 00:14:44.909 history. Future generations looking back at the 00:14:44.909 --> 00:14:47.409 taste will see exactly why he was so vital to 00:14:47.409 --> 00:14:49.330 every single territory he stepped foot in. It 00:14:49.330 --> 00:14:51.789 is a well -deserved immortalization for a man 00:14:51.789 --> 00:14:54.350 who gave his body and his creative soul to the 00:14:54.350 --> 00:14:57.230 craft. As we wrap up this deep dive, I want to 00:14:57.230 --> 00:15:00.149 leave you with a final thought to ponder. A takeaway 00:15:00.149 --> 00:15:02.769 rooted in Whatley's later years as an enhancement 00:15:02.769 --> 00:15:05.450 talent and a backstage trainer. Look around your 00:15:05.450 --> 00:15:07.629 own industry, your office, or your community. 00:15:08.529 --> 00:15:10.950 Identify the enhancement talent in your world. 00:15:11.029 --> 00:15:13.279 That's a great way to frame it. Who are the people 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:16.500 quietly without ego or demands for credit doing 00:15:16.500 --> 00:15:19.059 the grueling unglamorous work simply to make 00:15:19.059 --> 00:15:21.639 the stars around them look flawless? What would 00:15:21.639 --> 00:15:23.779 happen to the structural integrity of your field 00:15:23.779 --> 00:15:26.600 if that vital unseen layer of mentorship and 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:29.799 support suddenly disappeared tomorrow? It changes 00:15:29.799 --> 00:15:32.659 the way you view the unsung machinery of success. 00:15:32.919 --> 00:15:35.700 That is a phenomenal perspective to carry forward. 00:15:35.929 --> 00:15:38.210 Thank you all for joining us on this deep dive 00:15:38.210 --> 00:15:41.009 into the resilient, multifaceted life of Peswetli. 00:15:41.590 --> 00:15:44.129 Keep exploring, keep looking past the main event, 00:15:44.330 --> 00:15:46.610 and we will catch you on the next deep dive. 00:15:46.769 --> 00:15:47.850 Thank you for listening. Goodbye.