Wrestling With Sin: 358

Brian Damage

This is the 358th installment of the ‘Wrestling with Sin‘ series. A group of stories that delves into the darker, underbelly of pro wrestling. Many of the stories involve such subjects as sex, drugs, greed and in some cases even murder! As with every single story in the Sin series, I do not condone or condemn the alleged participants. We simply retell their stories by researching interviews, newspapers, magazines and various other sources of media.

Holliday Hell

Jonathan Holliday was a wrestler who competed in the 1980’s for various territories including the Pacific Northwest in Oregon and Stampede Wrestling in Calgary. While wrestling for Calgary Stampede, Holliday was let go for budgetary reasons. Holliday decided to go to another Canadian territory and badmouthed Stampede wrestling and its promoter Stu Hart to the new promoter he was looking for work at. Word got back to Stu Hart that Holliday was trash talking him and Stampede.

Before a show, Holliday walked into the building of the event and was immediately met by wrestlers Dynamite Kid, Gerry Morrow, Bulldog Bob Brown and Kerry Brown. Bob Brown then grabs Holliday and slams his head into the dressing room door. As Holliday fell to the ground, Dynamite Kid poured hot coffee on Holliday’s face. Kerry Brown and Gerry Morrow punched and kicked him repeatedly. Holliday was hospitalized for several days.

When he was released from the hospital, Holliday decided to continue to take bookings in Canada. He was scheduled for a show in Edmonton….when he was approaching the arena….he noticed that the same group of wrestlers that assaulted him were waiting for him there. Jonathan Holliday was able to get away unscathed…but sent a message not to badmouth Stu Hart or Stampede Wrestling again.

Killer Pee

Brian Blair recalled a time he was with Andre the Giant and Dusty Rhodes in New Orleans, Louisiana. The three wrestlers went out drinking after a show at the Superdome. After they closed down a restaurant eating and drinking…Andre wanted to go to a nearby strip club. To get to the club, they had to climb a long staircase. While they were going up the stairs, the lights went out due to a power outage. Blair who drank heavily, had to urinate badly.

On the staircase was a fake palm tree and Blair decided to pee into it while the lights were out. As soon as Blair finished peeing, the lights went back on and he noticed that it wasn’t the fake tree he peed on, but Dusty Rhodes leg. As Andre stood on the stairs hysterically laughing, Dusty took off his cowboy boot and dumped urine out of it. Dusty was so humiliated and angry, he swore that he would blackball Brian Blair from ever wrestling again. It took Andre to calm the American Dream down and realize it was a complete accident.

Tussle With Tussie

Carrie Lee Jackson was a wrestler who was trained by manager/trainer Saul Weingeroff and wrestled for Lou Thesz’s Universal Wrestling Association promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee in 1976. Jackson weighed 340 pounds and was nicknamed ‘Big Tussie.’ She was not only big, but had a legitimately bad temper. That temper, found her on the wrong side of the law on several occasions.

Big Tussie hated getting her picture taken and both threatened and physically assaulted photographers and cameramen. She once was involved in a car crash and when police were issuing her a summons, assaulted the cop. She was also arrested for child abandonment when she left her two young daughters in the care of another family for weeks. The other family physically abused Jackson’s two daughters, with one beaten so severely, she was paralyzed from the waist down. Those charges were eventually dropped from the District Attorney due to what the DA called “lack of evidence.”

Big Tussie would also have run ins with hotel staff. Some furniture was destroyed in two of her hotel rooms from her huge weight and when she was charged for the damages, Tussie went berserk to the point police were called and had her arrested.

Manning Up

Ring of Honor Star ‘The Last Real Man’ Silas Young revealed he is a recovering heroin addict. Through most of his youth, Young dealt drugs and became addicted heroin. The drugs began to overtake his life and credits his love and passion for professional wrestling that helped him focus his attention on something other than drugs. He is now clean and sober and is married with a child.

You can read all previous ‘Wrestling with Sin’ pieces here.