Bobby Simmons got his start refereeing for Ann Gunkel’s ASWA promotion during the Georgia wrestling wars. He later went to work for Georgia Championship Wrestling and refereed some of the most historic matches of the 70s and 80s. As an office employee, he was behind-the-scenes during the heyday of the Atlanta territory. This is not just Bobby’s story, but an indepth look at the pro wrestling business of one of the most talked-about territories of all time.
Bobby's uncle
The claw hold
Hanging around the wrestling office
Meeting Rocket Monroe
Saturday mornings at the TV studio
Being paid $70 a week
Mizark
The promotional war
Tricks of the trade
Memories of Ray Gunkel
Working 17-hour days
Making a 4-1/2 hour trip for $15
Pre-match instructions
"Get your own heat."
"Shut up and kick the tires!"
The history of the Sports Arena
Tear gas in the phone booth
Guarantees for referees
Makeshift windshield wipers
Argentina Apollo and the Golden Gladiator shoot
Buck Robley fires Charlie Smith
Introduction to Sputnik Monroe
Meatless hamburger
No-calorie strawberry pie
Ann Gunkel vs The National Wrestling Alliance
Promotional war
Ann Gunkel calls it quits
Slicing watermelon
Working for the NWA
Gorilla Watts
Hardway!
Worries about job security
Rubber stamp autographs
Bearcat Wilkerson and blood
Luke Graham's granddaughter
Luke Graham and the 450-pound fan
The Missouri Mauler
Sheer terror
The Mauler drops George Harben
Rest in Peace, Charlie Harben
Ox Baker potatoes Bobby
Painted toenails
Jerry Graham gets naked
Women's underwear on the nightlight
Ted Oates vs Wayne Cowan
An autograph for Bobby
Charlie Cook
The Oriental Nerve Hold
Assassin #2 vs Dick Steinborn
Show cancelled due to sunshine
Thunderbolt Patterson's basket
Karl Gotch's teacher
Wise advice from Jody Hamilton
Atlanta's first masked babyface
Mr. Wrestling unmasks himself
Tim Woods loses a finger
Leo Garibaldi and Tom Renesto, master bookers
Old Silver Tongue
Winning Renesto's respect
Cage match!
Referee turned wrestler
Bobby "Ass" Simmons
Calling his heroes
Juice and the blade
Carrying the blade
Newspaper expose
The pastor's wife
Toru Tanaka cuts Bobby
Don Jardine hits an artery
Ole Anderson and the motorcycle helmet
Ole goes to jail
Sinex for Rick Gibson
Moondog Mayne sneaks up on Bobby
Moondog asks to be counted out
The Sheik's snake and the boy scouts
J.C. Dykes and the Claxton Fruit Cake
Bill Howard chokes a lady midget
A county sheriff tracks down Tony Atlas
Bill Dromo's brother
The program peddler
Dusty Rhodes and the firemen
"So much for kayfabe!"
Ronnie West "helps" Bobby
Bobby explains bite marks to his wife
"Time out! Let's all go get a hot dog!"
Meeting Harley Race
NWA referees
The wrestling business and its toll on the family
Jim Barnett – Businessman, promoter, humanitarian
The story behind Tommy Rich and the NWA title
Randy Cohran bets on the wrestling matches
Ole Anderson, booker for Georgia Championship Wrestling