Earlier this month, the pro wrestling community was hit with another great loss, as “Superstar” Bill Dundee, the face/icon of the Memphis wrestling scene, had passed away at the age of 82. Jim Ross, who worked closely with Dundee during their time together at Mid-South Wrestling in the mid-1980s, reflected on Dundee’s often duplicated, but never replicated mindset in the squared circle industry.
“We became outstanding friends,” the Hall of Famer said on his “Grilling JR” podcast. “He was ‘Cowboy’s’ [Bill Watts] booker. He wrote the television shows, two, one-hour shows a week…every week, I should say. So, we stayed busy all the time…We got to know each other very well. He regaled me with stories of his days in the circus as an acrobat in Australia…I treasure those times. I learned a lot about the pro wrestling business from Bill Dundee on ‘Cowboy’s’ watch. So, I had some pretty good tutors there in that respect…Bill is smart…I don’t know…but I’d bet big money that Bill Dundee did not even graduate from high school. But…oftentimes when in a wrestling environment, [he] was the smartest guy in the room… Just had a great feel for wrestling.”
Similar to Eric Bischoff’s comments, Ross was just as stunned that Dundee never got to grace the WWE Universe with his presence as an in-ring talent. His argument stood with the former WCW senior vice president’s, and that the reason Dundee never performed in the ring was because he did not fit the physical mold of what former CEO and Chairman Vince McMahon was looking for back then. As Ross pointed out, Dundee was 5-foot-7, whereas most of the talents during the Golden Era of the WWE were above 6-foot.
Though McMahon did not see Dundee as the next big thing as an in-ring performer, he did, however, see him as a perfect candidate to join his creative/booking team in the WWE. However, those plans were derailed after backstage conflict with Hall of Famer The Undertaker came to light.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Grilling JR” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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