TALES FROM A DIRT ROAD....is NOW AVAILABLE online. To purchase a copy...click on the photo on the right. You know..where is says order the book here??? You can also order a personally autographed copy of the book directly from us here by reading the information posted below or by emailing us at:
Today for your reading pleasure, I'm posting one more SAMPLE CHAPTER from my new book, TALES FROM A DIRT ROAD. It's a story that every married man can relate to and especially married wrestlers. Wrestlers have lives but most of them always lived two lives. One on the road...and one at home and those two should never intersect.
Wrestlers are away from home for extended periods of time and during that time, temptation is always right around the corner...every night. There's a ton of temptation out there and some wrestlers could resist it and some couldn't. Take it from someone who's been on the road for months at a time, there's a lot of temptations to deal with. It could be drugs, alcohol or the company of the beautiful women or not so beautiful women. That doesn't make wrestlers any less human than anybody else but it damn sure could make it tough back on the home front. It's called LIFE. But this a story as told to me by Ricky Morton is every wrestler's nightmare. This chapter is presented FREE and in installments...due to its length. Enjoy.
Wrestlers are away from home for extended periods of time and during that time, temptation is always right around the corner...every night. There's a ton of temptation out there and some wrestlers could resist it and some couldn't. Take it from someone who's been on the road for months at a time, there's a lot of temptations to deal with. It could be drugs, alcohol or the company of the beautiful women or not so beautiful women. That doesn't make wrestlers any less human than anybody else but it damn sure could make it tough back on the home front. It's called LIFE. But this a story as told to me by Ricky Morton is every wrestler's nightmare. This chapter is presented FREE and in installments...due to its length. Enjoy.
Famous Last Words: ...
But Honey, I’ve Never Cheated On You…Never!
Ricky Morton’s Wild Story
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| Ricky Morton |
This is a true story of why Ricky Morton got a divorce from his first wife, Connie. I knew Ricky and Connie almost from the day Ricky first started in the business. A couple of years ago, we both appeared on the same show together and as we talked of old times, he related this story to me that he had never told me before. After hearing this tale, I asked him if I could share it in this book. Ricky looked at me and said, "Dutchman, you can write anything you want because I love you man." So that statement right there gives me carte blanche! So, here's the story.
In the mid-’80's, the NWA office in Charlotte or Jim Crockett Promotions were in their peak period as they were regularly selling out major arenas all over the Carolinas and Virginia. The talent level in JCP was phenomenal at the time....with Ric Flair, Magnum TA, Nikita and Ivan Koloff, the Midnight Express, the Four Horsemen, Handsome Jimmy Valiant (or the Boogie Woogie Man as he was known at the time) all under one roof. But one of the hottest teams ever to hit the wrestling business was The Rock and Roll Express, which was one of the major reasons business was so good.
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| Rock and Roll Express as NWA World Champions |
During his time in the NWA, Ricky lived in Charlotte with his wife, Connie, and his three children. As with a lot of marriages in the wrestling business, Connie thought that Ricky may have strayed from his marital vows and maybe had cheated on her several times while he was away on wrestling trips. When Connie had confronted Ricky with her suspicions, Ricky had always denied the accusations and claimed innocence, saying that he loved her and would never, ever, have anything to do with another woman. Connie had her doubts about Ricky's faithfulness but Ricky swore on a stack of Bibles that he had never, NEVER...had any sexual relations outside their marriage. Connie wanted to believe her husband and even though she had doubts, she accepted that what he was telling her was the TRUTH.
Connie, of course, blamed all her marriage problems on the wrestling lifestyle. Ricky would leave and be gone for days and she had seen how wrestlers lived out on road. She had seen the women that hung around and she knew that wrestlers lived a life that didn't lend itself to normalcy. She wanted her Ricky back...the one before the Rock and Roll Express were born.
Along about this time, Tully Blanchard—a card-carrying member of The Four Horsemen—was undergoing a serious life change. Tully, it appeared, had seen the light. He became a BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN and was openly proselytizing to the world that everybody needed to accept Jesus as their personal savior. Also at this time, Connie was even considering undergoing a religious transformation herself and thus had become a regular viewer of the “700 Club” hosted by the Rev. Pat Robertson. The Charlotte, N.C., area had long been the home of what I called, THE GOD BUSINESS, as it headquartered such religious organizations as the PTL Club, which Jim and Tammy Baker had made famous, and the 700 Club.
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| The Original 4 HorseMen...one of the greatest stables of ALL TIME!!! Ole Anderson, Tully, JJ Dillon, Arn and Ric Flair |
As the story unfolded, Connie had been lobbying Ricky to turn his life around. She wanted Ricky to accept God and Jesus just like Tully had done. She believed that Ricky had been living a sinful life and she blamed the wrestling business, and she wanted both of them to change their lives. If Tully Blanchard had become a 'child of God,' then she and Ricky both could do the same. In Connie's mind, it would strengthen their relationship and their marriage.
But Ricky had been resisting her efforts to fully convert him so she looked to Tully for help. She knew that Ricky looked up to Tully and respected and admired him, and if Tully could do it, maybe Ricky would see the light. Connie prayed every night that she could help save herself and Ricky.
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As it turned out, around this time, Tully Blanchard was invited to appear on the 700 Club, which was hosted by the Rev. Pat Robertson, as a SPECIAL GUEST. Tully's appearance on the show was to be a 'testimonial,' in where Tully would give a 'personal account' of how God had saved him from eternal damnation. The 700 Club had played host to many high-profile celebrities who gave credit to God for turning their lives around and for Tully, this was a big deal. As it turned out later, not only was Tully considering a 'life change,' he was also considering a career change and was thinking about dropping out of the WRESTLING BUSINESS completely to enter the GOD BUSINESS.
For what it’s worth, The 700 Club to evangelists and religious figures was what WWE RAW is to wrestlers or Comedy Central is to comedians. If any evangelist was going to be taken seriously among the Christian Brotherhood and is going to make any money in the GOD BUSINESS, then an appearance on “The 700 Club” was a mandatory stop. Since wrestlers were such high-profile personalities, The 700 Club loved having wrestlers give their personal life stories. Pat Robertson has played host to wrestlers regularly over the years but Tully was probably the first one. Since that time, he has been followed by Ted Dibiase, Nikita Koloff, Sting, Lex Luger and even Jake the Snake Roberts tried the GOD BUSINESS for a time. Of course, every wrestler that appeared on the show always blamed the 'sinful wrestling business' as the Devil himself. Connie felt much the same way.
On the night Tully was scheduled to appear, Connie told Ricky that she felt in her heart that a change was coming over their lives. She said she had been praying for it and wanted to know if Ricky would watch Tully's appearance on the show with her that night. Ricky told her that he would. The show would be telecast LIVE and she felt that this could be the night that she could, along with Tully and God's help, save lost little Ricky from the evils that lurked behind every corner. Or turnbuckle.
When the show came on, Ricky sat alongside his lovely wife, Connie, on their sofa as they awaited Tully's first appearance on the 700 Club with Pat Robertson.
As the show opened, Ricky told me, Connie was talking to him about their relationship and how she felt that this could be a major turning point in their lives. Connie told him that no matter what had happened in the past, all was forgiven and Ricky assured Connie, one more time, that there had been no cheating in their marriage. Connie said she believed him and they kissed and as they sat holding hands, all was right with the world, as Ricky told me.
Ricky then stopped talking and looked at me and said, "Dutchman, everything was all right with the world one minute and the next, my whole world came crashing down on my head."
What happened?
TO BE CONTINUED....on the next installment
of the blog!!!
TO BE CONTINUED....on the next installment
of the blog!!!
TALES FROM A DIRT ROAD
AVAILABLE NOW!!!
Its 338 pages written for the pure wrestling fan. If you're a fan of great, entertaining storytelling, this book is for you. Its almost as if you're sitting across a table from the Dutchman as I tell you story after story..some of them true..some of them handed down from years ago. Without documenting these stories, they will all fall off in the abyss of information forever lost. A great read for the long time wrestling fan....a must read book. Order it by clicking on the photo at the top right of the blog..and get it today.
Just in time for Christmas!!!
Want a personally autographed copy of TALES FROM A DIRT ROAD???? You can get your own personalized copy for $40 with FREE shipping and handling included if within the domestic US. Make payment via Paypal to:
If you're a fan of wrestling books, then this book is for you. TALES FROM A DIRT ROAD is much like my first book in that its story after story of events and situations that have happened in the wrestling business in days gone by. Its a fascinating ride through the wrestling business when it was so much different than what you see today. Things will never be the way they were years ago but that doesn't mean you can't hear about them and relive them through my book, TALES FROM A DIRT ROAD.
This is not an autobiography. I talk about everybody and everyone as they happen to fit into the story. Some of the people profiled in the book include the Undertaker, Jake the Snake, Stone Cold, Razon Ramone or as he was known then, Scott Hall, Sid Vicious, Iron Sheik, Vince Russo, Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee, Robert Fuller, John Bradshaw, Buddy Landell, Eddie Graham, Dusty Rhodes and on and on it goes. Here are some of the chapters titles in no random order:
Bradshaw was at times legitimately crazy or if he wasn't, he damn sure had all the qualifications. Traveling with Bradshaw was like like rolling dice. You could win but you could damn sure lose. Read about a night in Vancouver after a WWF PPV where we could have very easily gone to jail. Plus his dislike of Jake the Snake.
WrestleMania 11...this chapter covers all the events and backstage craziness that accompanies such a big even such as a WrestleMania. It's an hilarious look behind the scenes and what goes on.
Concussions in the Early Days...Now They Tell Me!!!
Concussions are taken seriously now...but in the past, it was a part of the game. I'm going to send this chapter to Mick Foley. Recently, he revealed in an interview that he may have suffered permanent brain damage. Really, Mick? I love Mick but I could have told him that. Read about some scary times when I along with about every other wrestler were walking around in a daze and never knew how dangerous it could be.
Alcohol + A Bar + the Undertaker = a KnockOut Punch...one night in the life of the Dutchman and the Undertaker as both end up in a precarious situation.
NAKED AT THE HIGH SCHOOL GYM...a night that a wrestling show ended up getting wrestling barred from a town FOREVER. Following that night, according to the local yahoos, it was like they had been invaded by the Huns and had their crops ruined and their women raped. Wrestling was blocked for ever returning to the town again..and guess what? We never went back.
MY LOVELY EVENING WITH PYSCHO SID VICIOUS AND THE CHARMING IRON SHEIK AT AN AFTER HOURS CLUB DOWN SOUTH.
This is a late night hilarious account of the three of us in a bar at 3AM in the morning with bikers, rednecks, hookers, gays, Afro-Americans, Latinos and Asians plus I'm sure a couple of mental patients thrown in for good measure. We ended up leaving in a hurry. I can't make this stuff up people.
TNA and Vince Russo...Behind the Scenes...a look behind the scenes at a man who nobody really knows. Who really is Vince Russo...what makes him tick? Up to now, nobody really knows and to tell the truth, I'm not sure I even know him even after spending 5 years with the guy. But for the first time, I give my personal opinon on the man.
Want to Be a Tough Guy...or A Smart Guy? A look back at how a young Dutch learrned how to traverse the political minefields of dealing with a LEGEND of the sport without the repercussions. Or how I escaped from being FIRED after a run in with Wrestling 2. Its a story that took only 6 hours to develop, evolve and be solved. True story.
Managing the Blu Brothers in the WWF and the Night They Confronted Shawn Michaels Backstate at MSG...a night at the Garden that Shawn wished hadn't happened. He wasn't alone. I do too.
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| DUTCH AND SUNNI WWF GERMANY TOUR...1996 |
The Last Sellout In Memphis...a first hand account of a match that sold out the Memhis Coliseum...for the LAST TIME. The match was a TEXAS DEATH match that involved Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee and Buddy Landell. We didn't know it then...but it was the LAST SELLOUT EVER in the old Mid South Coliseum for wrestling. It took us 26 falls and an hour and 15 minutes to do it but never before had fans been witness to such a match. It only happened once and has never been repeated.
Booking Florida...and The Untold Eddie Graham Story...a lot of people might not remember Eddie Graham. I do. This chapter is a serious look behind the scenes of a real life tragedy...and what I might have been able to do to prevent it. Ernie Ladd Takes on the Brisco Brothers in a REAL STREET FIGHT. True story. This confrontation was a majorly underreported story about a REAL LIFE fight between Jack and Jerry Brisco and the Big Cat Ernie Ladd that took place on a Tampa side street at 2AM in the morning. The fight ended with an emergency room visit. Yes, blood was flowing. This is an account that I heard directly from Ernie himself about the whole story surrounding it. Highly recommended read.
The Origin of Wrestler's Court.. how does it work....where did it start...and who created it. Find out here. Interesting chapter...again a true story.
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| Yes, this is a weapon that fans carried. |
All those stories plus many more...in my new book...
TALES FROM A DIRT ROAD
AVAILABLE NOW
Christmas is COMING....order today!!!
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