Show: Interactive Wrestling Radio courtesy of www.WrestlingEpicenter.com
Guest: Terry "Garvin" Simms
Date: 3/25/14
Your Hosts: Patrick Kelley & James Walsh

If you grew up on the GWF like I did, Terry Garvin AKA Terry Simms is a talent you probably had immense respect for. Sadly, you may have played a little game of "Where is he now?" a time or two over the years. The answer? Living a good life and is, in his own words, "happy".

Catch up with the former Memphis, World Class, USWA, FMW, and GWF Superstar in a soul baring hour long interview. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it!

To listen, click here!

You may also watch this on YouTube below.





TERRY GARVIN SIMMS


On his time in USWA:
"They probably made a mistake ever changing the name from World Class", said Simms. "They (Jarrett) tried to run Dallas like Memphis and it didn't work." Simms explains that the Dallas crowd had a certain way they liked their wrestling and the Memphis way was not it. As for how it ended, he says Kevin felt he wasn't getting his end of the deal. Simms said, "I guess I don't blame Kevin." He joked, "Once the lawsuit was filed, Jarrett went straight back to Memphis!"

On the USWA getting "Globalized" and becoming the GWF:
Terry says Joe Pedicino was a big part of the backing for the original run of the GWF along with Max Andrews who had bartered a deal with ESPN. "ESPN was new and they wanted wrestling to be a part of their programming," said Terry. Terry references the bizarre financial backing that never panned out from an overseas donor. He later says, "If Pedicino was getting his cut of the (ESPN) deal, he may have stayed on. But, I can't say for sure".

On "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert giving him a push:
"Eddie gave me a real good push", said Simms. "The Sportatorium didn't have a real modern air conditioning system. It was kind of like fans that had water to cool the air. It didn't work. So, if it was 90 outside, it was probably 120 degrees in the ring under the lights." Terry told us that to tell us that he wrestled Eddie in an hour long Broadway, only clips being shown on GWF TV, and at the end of the match, he and Eddie had lost 20 pounds from sweating it out. James mentions that Eddie had psychology coming out of his pores. Terry said he knew Eddie had an amazing wrestling mind in Memphis when Eddie was booking there. They had not worked together then, though.

When Terry realized Global would not last:
"Probably around the time of the bungee chord match. It was creatively not going the right way. ESPN wasn't happy with our product and when your network isn't happy, the writing is on the wall."

On his best times in Global:
Terry says he'd like to think the best times for Global were when Bill Eadie (Masked Superstar, Demolition Ax) was booking straight away or when Eddie Gilbert was booking later on.

On angles he didn't like:
Terry mentions, by name, the match where he was drugged and his eyes roleld back into his head. Gary Hart, who was booking Global at the time, had to talk him into doing that and he never was happy doing it. He said his kids would worry seeing their father like that and he hadn't smartened them up to wrestling yet.

On FMW:
Terry recalls FMW fondly discussing Sabu being in such pain, he couldn't work out yet in the ring would be able to do anything. "I used to tell him he had rubber bones", said Terry. He also speaks highly of Big Titan (Fake Razor Ramon) and Mike Awesome. "If I ran a territory, this guy would have been my main guy", said Simms on Awesome discussing his athletic ability doing springboards and so forth at his size.

On Kerry Von Erich:
"I saw Kerry the day before he did it", said Simms. "I had no idea." Terry says theer was more to it than the drug bust. He didn't want to discuss it but said there was a lot of thigns that brought Kerry to that state. But, he says February 18th was the day he lost both Kerry Von Erich and Eddie Gilbert. It is a somber day for him to think about.

On his personal life:
"I was a baby having babies", says Terry. Terry says he is 51 now but feels like he's got the body of an 89 year old man. But, overall, he's happy. His house and car are paid for, he does not owe anyone anything. Terry also discusses his relationship with his ex-wife and kids.