An American Legend
Harley Race
By: Michael Strider

No man has shown more respect, honor and passion for the sport of professional wrestling than Harley Race. Race was the quintessential wrestler that put fear in the hearts and minds of wrestling fans for more than three decades. He still remains actively involved in the sport today by owning and operating his own wrestling academy along with his own wrestling organization where he teaches the craft of “old school” wrestling. According to the gospel of Ric Flair, “To be the man you’ve got to beat the man!” Harley has not only beaten the man but he’s held the NWA title more times that Van Camp’s got beans! Not to mention all the other titles he’s held in his career! Harley took time to out to talk about his life, his strong belief in the sport and his upcoming appearance at WrestleReunion.

Michael Strider – Tell me your thoughts on the upcoming WrestleReunion?

Harley Race – I think it’s going to be fun! I’m going to have an opportunity to meet the fans and see a lot of friends I haven’t seen in a long time. Not to mention it’s a great time of the year to be in Florida!

M. S. – Several other wrestling superstars have told me about your work ethic and passion for the business. Describe your love for the business.

H. R. – Well, if went into all of it I’m afraid you wouldn’t have enough time! I’ve loved this business since I was a child. I was 15 when I got into it and there was nothing in the world that I wanted to do more than wrestling. In retrospect, walking around with an artificial hip and all the stuff that’s happened to me over the years I still wouldn’t change anything. Well, the health issues I would change but the rest I loved!

M. S. – When did you make the decision to get into the sport?

H. R. – Back in the middle fifties. My father bought our first television and channel two in the area we lived in Missouri had just started televising wrestling. The very first time I saw it I told my parents that I was going to be a professional wrestler. The whole family had a good laugh at my expense but about eighteen months later I was involved in the business!

M. S. – One of the best memories of my childhood is when I saw you and Flair wrestle at Starrcade ’83 in Greensboro, North Carolina on Thanksgiving night, 1983. Any fond memories from that night?

H. R. – Wow! You were there in ’83?

M. S. – I was there with my dad. That was the first time he heard me say certain “choice” words! Some of which were probably aimed at you! In my opinion that was the best wrestling event to date and still hasn’t been beaten to this day!

H. R. – It was a fabulous event! After it was over I untied my boots and through them in the trash can! Somebody there got a helluva souvenir!

M. S. – Are you kidding?!?!?! Why? Were you upset about it for some reason?

H. R. – No. I had made up my mind that after dropping the title to Flair I was going to retire. I had just flown in from NYC that morning after having a meeting with Vince McMahon. The event wouldn’t have happened if I had done what Vince wanted me to do.

M. S. – What was that?

H. R. – He wanted me to keep the title and come to New York. But I didn’t and shortly thereafter Vince was running all over the country and I had to go back to work in this area to in order to try to protect what we had going on down here but at that point and time it was too late.

M. S. – In those days you guys would go for a full hour and these days the fans are lucky to get eight minutes out of each match!

H. R. – I wrestled about 400 times per year and 90 percent were hour long matches.

M. S. – Tell me a major difference in the business now as opposed to the early days.

H. R. – Well, there’s only one organization out there running things now. Back then we had 26 different territories within the United States that the NWA champion was ahead of. Not to mention the rest of the world. Each territory rotated the talent and unless you were the top talent you didn’t stay in the territory for more than a year at a time. Now there’s no more rotation. They just use the wrestlers until they’re worn out or hurt. They try to break in the younger and newer talent too quickly. You can’t develop that high of a caliber of talent that quickly. Look how long Kurt Angle lasted. He was a great talent that didn’t know how to wrestle professionally soon enough and he got hurt.

M. S. – Let’s talk about your organization, World League Wrestling (W.L.W.)

H. R. – We just celebrated our fifth anniversary. Every one of my students know how to mat wrestle. The more of that you know how to do, the less hi-flying you have to do! There are two guys that have been with me since I first started the organization. Those guys are going back and forth to Japan to wrestle.

M. S. – How much does age play in the factor?

H. R. – Tiny Mills started when he was 42 and he went on to have a 25+ year career but that’s not the norm.

M. S. – Tell me about your book, “King of the Ring”.

H. R. – The publisher is called Sports Publishing LLC and they will have a booth set up at WrestleReunion. My book is the third best selling book that they have available right now.

M. S. – What’s your opinion of the hardcore wrestling of today?

H. R. – I did some crazy stuff in my time! I’m probably the guy that was responsible for introducing the suplex to the sport. The first table that was ever went through I did it in St. Louis because I wanted to get rid of the g**damn athletic commissioner!

M. S. – I did not know that! Some of the feuds you guys use to have lasted for years!

H. R. – The good ones did. The Funk family and Harley Race dates back to the early sixties. Dusty came along in the early seventies and he was followed by Flair. Those things lasted for decades! It was a whole different style at that time.

M. S. – What was the secret to those things lasting so long and being successful?

H. R. – The work that was put into it. Like we were talking about earlier, there was time devoted to that and nowadays the longest match ranges from ten to fifteen minutes! Although they have a lot better cards when they are not filming for television and there are no cameras there.

M. S. – What’s the worst injury you’ve had throughout your career?

H. R. – Without a doubt the one when I was wrestling Hogan. I dove and went through a table and my stomach was hurt really badly. I didn’t “see” that I was hurt at the moment. I bruised an intestine and eventually had to have seven different abdominal surgeries and damn near died! That was late in my career. I had a lot of broken bones throughout my career but that was the one that almost killed me!

M. S. – You’ll be in the corner with Kevin Sullivan and CM Punk at WrestleReunion for the cage match with Dusty and Mike Graham. Dusty has a “mystery man” in his corner. Do you have any idea who it is?

H. R. – Truthfully, I don’t know. They haven’t told me and I don’t ask questions!

M. S. – What do you think about people like Dusty and Flair still wrestling?

H. R. – If Dusty keeps on doing what he’s doing he’s going to have a heart attack in the ring. Hopefully that won’t happen! Flair doesn’t wrestle very much but at least Flair still works out and keeps himself in halfway decent shape! When he first got into the business he weighed 320 lbs and was a big fat dough boy! He got himself into shape and has always kept himself in shape since then.

M. S. – You played a large role in Flair’s success early in his career.

H. R. – Ricky deserves everything that he’s got because he put his whole heart and sole into this business. Dusty has too for that matter. A lot of guys from that era did because that was our living. We either had to perform or get a job! Flair has always been a very talented guy!

M. S. – Tell me about the time they sent you to Japan with Flair to guard the belt!

H. R. – That was about a month after you saw us at Starrcade ’83. Flair still talks about that himself! Nothing really happened but there was a rumor going around that Jumbo Tsuruta was going to double cross him and keep the belt. I went along and stayed outside the ring with him to make sure that it didn’t happen! And it didn’t!

M. S. – Out of all the feuds you’ve had throughout your career, who’s been your favorite?

H. R. – I really don’t have one favorite per say. The Funks in Texas were great! The Crusher, Bruiser Brody and Brisco were really great. I’m probably the only person that ever went a full hour with Dusty several times! Lots of great work with him! We had that last tango in Tampa and that was a helluva great event! Fritz Von Erich refereed the match and he knew we were going to be right back down on the mat so he just stayed there!

M. S. – It’s too bad that a lot of those events aren’t on tape for the fans to see!

H. R. – I have some tapes that I sell at my events that showcase back to the real early seventies. I don’t have any of the Verne Gagne years back in the sixties from 63-69 though. I have virtually anything from there forward. The fans can also purchase these on my site. Its www.harleyrace.com.

M. S. – Name some of the guys that you have admired throughout your career. Not necessarily wrestlers but anyone involved in the business.

H. R. – Well, on the wrestling side I would say Thesz, Gagne, Bruiser, Wilbur Snyder, and Crusher and of course all the other guys of my era like Dusty and the Funks. The guys of today would be Austin, Rock, Undertaker and Kane. Some of those guys from today are capable of going ahead and doing a lot of different things.

M. S. – Do you think any of them could perform for an hour like you guys did?

H. R. – Triple H could perform for an hour. I don’t if he could do it with someone with little experience but I do think he could with someone that can also hold their own. There are several of them around that can do that. Again, the bad thing is that they never get an opportunity to do that with the short time they have in the ring.

M. S. – Who do you think is the best technical wrestler to have graced the sport?

H. R. – As far as wrestling ability it would be Hodge back from the older time. Brisco and Dory were great and so was Verne Gagne. As far as best entertainers I would say the same group of people but I would continue on with Dusty and Flair right up through today’s era with some of the newer guys I mentioned.

M. S. – Tell me what comes to mind when I say these names:

Bobby Heenan

H. R. – The greatest one-line guy on the face of the earth!

M. S. – Jack Brisco

H. R. - The purest, baby face talent that’s ever been in the business!

M. S. – Terry Funk

H. R. – Tough, rugged and all around great guy!

M. S. – Ric Flair

H. R. – Flair…one of the most charismatic wresters that’s ever been in the business!