----Ronnie P Gossett was the top guest of http://www.wrestlingradionetwork.com/ on Wrestling Informer Weekly. Gossett started as a teenage as a ring announcer for Chattanooga, TN with Nick Gulas. He made it clear that you either liked Gulas or you didn’t. He told a funny story of working with him. Gulus’ signal to the ref to go to the finish was crossing his arms. Gulas had to go to the dressing room and told Ronnie to do the finish. Within a minute, someone was telling Gossett a joke, he was laughing and then crossing his arms – so the ref went to the finish. He said Gulas had a fit running out of the dressing.
----Gossett was much kinder than their last guest to Jerry Lawler saying things like “Jerry Lawler is one of the greatest in the business.” He told how he thought Lawler was a good booker and had a very creative mind. He mentioned Kamala and then how Lawler had him dress up like the Joker at one time. I remember people hating that gimmick, but I thought Gossett fit great with that. It was around the time “Batman” came out and everyone was marking out for him then – especially comic marks like Lawler. Gossett also felt the Memphis promotion wouldn’t still be going if it wasn’t for Lawler.
----Gossett talked about being friends with the Jarrett family. I had heard bad stories of dealing Jerry Jarrett. He was working for a newspaper and they wanted him to come work for them, since they knew he could get heat. As soon as he arrive to work for Jarrett he knew all the stories were true. If he brought you in as a manager – you would do anything even be a janitor. If you could lock up, then Jarrett would have you wrestling also.
----Gossett talked about the “Jerry Jarrett” diet. You never made enough money to eat on. He told the story of Steve Austin eating raw potatoes. He spoke of $15 payoffs from Buddy Wayne and driving long distances while managing “Master of Pain” Mark Callaway. The Jarrett diet thing was an inside joke on everyone during that time period. I guess it kept them from crying. Gossett said to get sleep they either had to get $15 hotel rooms or stay with a friend. He said some of the guys got arena rats to pay for the hotels.
----I was actually friends with a few of the under card guys during this time period and Gossett was telling the truth about the diet and the rats. Everyone was happy to get a room in Memphis at one of cheap motels for $15 and they would either have a rat pay for it or two of them sleep in it. Callaway stayed downstairs on my couch one night and before going to sleep almost ate a whole large pizza by himself. I had ordered a medium that we split the price, but he was still hungry. So, I just footed the bill for the next pizza. I felt sorry for the guys back then. They were just trying to make it.
----Ronnie told another funny story with this one about Jarrett. He said he told Jarrett he would work for him, but he didn’t want to put all the miles on his car. So, Jarrett said if he would work for him, he would lease him a car. So, Gossett has this horrible car accident coming from Memphis going back to Nashville on a Saturday afternoon. He was not hurt, but a person was killed in the wreck. He called to tell Jarrett about it and instead of Jarrett wanting to know if Ronnie was ok; he said “Was it your fault??” And Gossett said, “Yes it was fault – I came to your piss off promotion!!”
----“I didn’t have a gimmick – I was just obnoxious.” He said. It came across like that in the interview as almost every story he was calling someone a moron or an idiot. He also came off very bitter at times like most old timers do. He had that “it was better in my time, than it is now” attitude. We had to work our way to the top stories. And, he also blamed David Meltzer for the reason the wrestling business is the way it is now. Kayfabe sheets killed the business. Typical old timer BS.
----Gossett talked about a card he is involved this weekend with a lady promoter [I can not remember her name?]. He started talking about lady promoters and how Christine Jarrett was highly respected. But, he pretty much called Ann Gunkel from Georgia a slut. He said, “Most women promoters in wrestling are sluts. You hardly ever get a “lady” who promotes wrestling.”
----I don’t want to spoil the whole interview for you, so go over to their web site sometime this weekend and they should have the complete interview posted. You can listen to what Gossett has to say about Stephanie McMahon, Vince McMahon, the WWE vignettes he did when Jeff Jarrett came to WWE, Shawn Michaels, Bert Prentice, Buff Bagwell, Jim Cornette, Buddy Landell, Austin Idol and many more past stars of the Memphis area.
