I have a pretty funny story that happened while working out of the Memphis, Tennessee wrestling office for Jerry Jerritt.
Plowboy Frazier and I had been tag team partners for a few years and we had gotten to know each other very well. Plowboy did not like to drive on the trips that we had to make so he would always try to get me to drive. He would con me by buying dinner, drinks after the matches or he would want to take his car but would want me to drive.
We both were living in Nashville, Tennessee. It was about in the middle of the wrestling territory so that most of the trips were about the same distance. We had a big match in Memphis on Monday night and it was Plowboy’s turn to drive. I had gotten up early in the morning to do some things knowing that I could relax while he drove us to Memphis. He called me with a sob story and asked me if I would drive if we took his car. After a lot of whining and begging he finally talked me into driving his car with the agreement that he would not sleep while I drove. He needed to stay awake and keep me awake because I knew I would get tired. So with that agreement made he picked me up at my home and away we went to Memphis with me driving his car.
On a good day, Plowboy could only stay awake about an hour before he started nodding off to sleep. I warned him that I was tired and that he better stay awake or he would be sorry. As I drove we had the stereo on and we were talking about everything and everyone. About an hour into the trip he started to nodding off and I would have to wake him, again and again. I suggested that we stop at a truck stop and get some coffee or a soft drink to stay awake. After we had our refreshments we continued our trip to Memphis. Well about another half hour into the trip he started to dozing off again, and this time I was getting mad, he was suppose to be keeping me awake and I had to keep him awake.
I finally gave up trying to keep him awake and I let him fall into a deep sleep, snoring and everything. I set the cruise control of his big Lincoln town car on 70 miles an hour and turned up the stereo and we were off on our way to Memphis. As I came over the top of a small hill I noticed a big truck, an 18-wheeler parked on the side of the road. The cab of the truck was being disconnected from the trailer. The trailer was left at the side of the road and a big wrecker was towing the cab or front of the truck.
Well about 4 or 5 miles down the interstate road, the tow truck passed me and he was towing the front part of the truck behind him and it was being towed backwards. So let me set the scene up for you…we are driving 70m.p.h. on an interstate highway going the same direction as the big wrecker in front of us that is towing the front part or cab of an 18 wheeler that is facing backwards at us. Well it only took a few minutes of following that truck to know what I was going to do to keep ol’ Plowboy awake for the remainder of the trip.
I got up very close to the cab of the truck being towed, I mean like 10-15 feet away, you could read the “Kenworth” sign on the radiator. Then I set my plan into action. I slammed on the brakes, locking up all 4 tires and then I screamed as loud as I could. When Plowboy woke up, all he heard were the tires squealing, me screaming and all he could see was the big truck’s radiator 10-15 feet in front of him and he was scared to death! He thought that we were going to have a head-on collision with a 18-wheeler. All he could say was, “We’re going to die, we’re going to die!” He grabbed the door handle of the passenger’s door and tried to jump out of the car (at 70 mph). I grabbed him and stopped him from jumping out of the moving car. Now for me, that’s quite an accomplishment. To stop a man who is 7 ft. tall and weighs 460 lbs. from jumping out of a moving car when he thinks he is going to die was no small task.
I started laughing so hard that I could not drive. I had to pull over to the side of the road to get my composure back. Plowboy looked at me and all he could say was “ You son of a bitch, you’re crazy!” and he just kept repeating it. Well needless to say, he was wide awake now and he was driving the rest of the way to Memphis. He told me to find a way back to Nashville after the matches because I could not ride with him.
We had a very good match that night and the house was packed. After we had showered, we were getting dressed into our street clothes to leave and he said, “Well neighbor…”, (plowboy called everyone neighbor), “you can ride home with me, but you can’t drive…you son of a bitch, you’re crazy!”