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EXCLUSIVE Doyle King Interview ONLINE - Sportatorium Memories

Submitted By James Walsh on 09/25/13
Doyle KingShow: Interactive Wrestling Radio
Guest: Doyle King
Date: 9/25/13
Your Hosts: Patrick Kelley & James Walsh

If you grew up in the 80's and early 90's, you had an awesome childhood. You had the best cartoons, the best music, the best advances in video games, and the best wrestling. One of those wrestling companies that aired daily was the Global Wrestling Federation from 1991-1994 on ESPN. It aired every single day. So, if you grew up with it and saw any of that stuff from 1992 through 1994, you'll instantly remember this man's booming voice. If you don't, flick on ESPN Classic sometime. If theyre not airing old college football games, it is a safe bet they'll presently be showing a re-run of the GWF that could very well feature this man's voice.

Doyle did more than just Global, though. In fact, he was a part of the beloved World Class promotion, the USWA, and even Bill Watts' UWF. All that plus various other Dallas based promotions. So, his vast experience and knowledge translates to one of the better interviews we have been lucky enough to bring to you in some time.

This one is special. Period. Plain and simple. This one is special. Special to me because I knew it would be great if I could beat Doyle into submission to do this with us and special because this information is simply not found anywhere else online. The real story of Dallas wrestling is told here and it is amazing to hear.

Plus, great stories about Doyle stealing the Sportatorium sign off the front of the building before it was demolished and great memories of guys like Bruiser Brody, Kerry Von Erich, and more. It runs the spectrum from light and joyous to dark and disturbing. Truthfully a great listen!

Transcript to follow shortly.








DOYLE KING:

On the demise of the GWF nearly 19 years to the day of when this was recorded: "You may not be aware but the GWF continued on after ESPN", said Doyle which contrasts to all information found online including Wikipedia. "The GWF continued on as a Dallas based TV show from the Sportatorium on through 1998. Then, in 1999 and 2000 there was wrestling from there that was called Continental."

On the GWF leaving ESPN: "They were certainly done with us!", says Doyle jokingly as Doyle explains that the owner of the GWF at that time, and still the owner of the master tapes, could not get along with the ESPN higher ups. The GWF was trying to be edgy and grity and were totally unable to do that with the standards placed on them by ESPN. "A guy would be about to get blasted with a chair and you'd see the crowd and next thing you know, they're laid out!", Doyle exclaimed. Even his announcing was edited, "Did you ever notice long periods where I wasn't talking? I quickly learned that if I said something I wasn't supposed to say, it would not air." Doyle says this is why a lot of storylines did not progress in the later days of the ESPN run. The ESPN show became content that was safe to air and not, by any means, the main event matches that had blood and violence in them which were not able to be shown on ESPN.

On the Sportatorium: "When I found out they were going to tear it down, I finished work, got my ladder in the back of my pick up, got my power drill, and at noon I drove down there and I took down the "Welcome to the World Famous Sportatorium" lighted sign. I still have it in my garage right now", saysDoyle. Doyle explains that the building was really old and out of date. He laughs reading reviews of the place stating that it had air conditioning that was never working well. He laughs because it had no air conditioning. He describes it as a tin building with no air conditioning in the summer and insufficient heat in the winter. "We used to try and be closer to ringside in the winter because you got the heat off the house lights", joked Doyle.

"The house lights were held up with exposed wiring, exposed wiring!", says Doyle.  He even sas that the PA system that was used is in his den as it was his PA. He says that during summer, they'd be sweating bullets calling the action. He even remembers playing a kickboxing announcer in that arena for Walkter Texas Ranger the TV show and that the make-up lady kept mopping his forehead every few seconds because it was filmed in August in Dallas which could not have been hotter or more humid. Doyle also talks about how the arena often got flooded at ringside because it was built to where there was not a bad seat in the house but that meant that the ring sat lower than everything else and the river would overflow in a rain storm and flood the bottom of the venue. He remembers them pumping water out of there to try and get it ready for a show. He says it was also incredibly dirty. But, it was the perfect wrestling venue and the reason it is thought of so hlghly today was its charms and its history.

Doyle states that wrestling continued in the Sportatorium through 2000. Then, a Mexican wrestling company ran from there for a short time. Then, the building was not being sued and ended up being overrun by homeless people who burned down half of it. He says it was an important building for pro wrestling and it still is tough to see the empty field where the building one stood.

On Gino Hernandez: While talking about World Class and Bill Watts' UWF, which Doyle worked for as well, Doyle asked James what I had ever heard from previous interviews about Gino Hernandez. James said, "Well, several people, inclding Missy Hyatt, imply there could have been more to his death than meets the eye". Doyle agrees. "He would not have overdosed like that", said Doyle.  This sets the stage for a series of deaths to discuss, sadly.

On how he go to be an announcer for the GWF: David Webb was calling the action after the Joe Pedicino era had come to a close. Doyle was doing the ring announcer work. They did an angle where David Webb was hit in the head and thought he was Elvis. Webb would go on to never be seen on camera without a jelly do    ughnut. He gained 30 pounds from the experience! After Webb, Doyle was asked to do it and he jumped at the opportunity.

On who he saw coming up in the GWF that he knew would make it: "John Hawk, now JBL, I knew would make it if he stuck with it", says Doyle. He says he was so good and could talk and was clearly tough and is not at all surprised to see how successful he became and still is. He also praises Booker T as an obvious diamond in the rough who went on to amazing things also.

On the infamous "Bungi Chord Match: "It was hard for me to call because you couldn't see anything and they couldn't do anything", Doyle says. James says it was uneasy to watch at home as Chaz threw a dropkick in the crate that was suspended by the crane and the whole thing shook.  Doyle joked that if the thing had come down it might have been better because it wasn't a good visual and the guys got hurt.

On Kerry Von Erich who had just returned to the Sportatorium for the GWF in 1993: "Damn cocaine... Damn cocaine... Damn cocaine!", says Doyle with emphasis. He states that Kerry was arrested for posession and the judge had not decided if he was going to send  him to prison or not. "Kerry did not want to go to jail. He did not want to go to jail as a wrestler with one foot. So, he killed himself," says Doyle.

On what impact the company hoped Kerry's return would have had: "He was going to save us. His return in that area would have saved us!"  Doyle says they were starting to do bigger houses and it would have only gotten bigger from there. He even states that he believes if it had continued, Kevin would have come back and wrestled again. But, it was not meant to be. "You should have seen him wrestle there", says Doyle to James. James states the truth, that Kerry's matches never made it to ESPN. Run ins and his announcing matches did but not his matches.

On David V
Oon Erich: "I remember standing outside at his funeral. There were thousands of people there, thousands". Doyle gets quiet for a moment, "Sorry, got a little emotional there. David was my hero".

On Bruiser Brody:  "Carlos Calon can burn in Hell. Do you know why he was killed? Because he wouldn't take a pin. He should have taken the pin, I'd have not thought any less of him".  Doyle befriended Brody in the World Class days. Brody was nothing like his on screen character. In fact, Doyle introduced him to a bar Brody could go to and not be bothered. He misses him.

On if he ever tried to go to one of the larger federations: "I did for a while... But, I had a girl."

On where he is now: Doyle does traffic for a local radio station and stays active in radio where he has worked for years. He used to work for a rock station known as "Best Rock" and a smooth jazz station as well.   He also is a big fan of taking his boat out on the lake. He says if he's nto at work, it is a safe bet he's out on the lake.

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