1 00:00:06,372 --> 00:00:08,374 I don't have to prove anything to 2 00:00:08,374 --> 00:00:10,209 any livin' human being. 3 00:00:10,209 --> 00:00:14,672 Harley Race is wrestling personified. 4 00:00:14,672 --> 00:00:17,299 The man that when you mention the word, 5 00:00:17,299 --> 00:00:21,262 has rewritten every book that's been wrote on it. 6 00:00:21,262 --> 00:00:24,056 When you look at Harley, and then you look at the man, 7 00:00:24,056 --> 00:00:26,517 and then the two start coming together, 8 00:00:26,517 --> 00:00:28,937 then it's a perfect picture of a badass heel. 9 00:00:28,937 --> 00:00:31,398 And Harley Race was that badass heel. 10 00:00:31,398 --> 00:00:34,776 He was no gimmick. He was Harley Race, 11 00:00:34,776 --> 00:00:36,653 the toughest man on God's green earth. 12 00:00:36,653 --> 00:00:39,197 I've been shot at, I've been stabbed... 13 00:00:39,197 --> 00:00:40,949 I just looked at it I must have been doing 14 00:00:40,949 --> 00:00:43,076 my job fairly well, right? 15 00:00:43,076 --> 00:00:44,619 [narrator] If there's one man who connects 16 00:00:44,619 --> 00:00:47,914 wrestling's modern era to its earliest days, 17 00:00:47,914 --> 00:00:50,167 whose legacy in the Squared Circle stands as 18 00:00:50,167 --> 00:00:52,878 a monument to the evolution of the sport, 19 00:00:52,878 --> 00:00:56,423 and who epitomizes the ideal of a fighting champion, 20 00:00:56,423 --> 00:00:58,633 that man is Harley Race. 21 00:00:58,633 --> 00:01:03,597 All mortal men are gonna bow to the king. 22 00:01:03,597 --> 00:01:06,099 I knew all about Harley Race before I'd even 23 00:01:06,099 --> 00:01:08,059 seen a Harley Race match. 24 00:01:08,059 --> 00:01:10,479 His legend preceded him. 25 00:01:10,479 --> 00:01:13,231 Harley Race has literally been wrestling all his life. 26 00:01:13,231 --> 00:01:14,733 Earned his first paycheque in wrestling 27 00:01:14,733 --> 00:01:16,735 before he got his driver's license. 28 00:01:16,735 --> 00:01:19,738 As Harley's violence spilled out of the ring, 29 00:01:19,738 --> 00:01:23,283 the line between person and persona became blurred. 30 00:01:23,283 --> 00:01:24,869 [Sirens] 31 00:01:24,869 --> 00:01:26,037 The police came. 32 00:01:26,037 --> 00:01:28,080 That's when things went downhill. 33 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:30,124 And I just wanted away from him. 34 00:01:30,124 --> 00:01:32,919 As a lifetime of tragedies and injuries 35 00:01:32,919 --> 00:01:35,171 took their toll on the man. 36 00:01:35,171 --> 00:01:38,132 And he was passed out on the floor in a fetal position. 37 00:01:38,132 --> 00:01:40,384 It was a pretty traumatic event. 38 00:01:40,384 --> 00:01:42,303 The boating accidents, the car wrecks, 39 00:01:42,303 --> 00:01:44,180 the in-ring accidents... 40 00:01:44,180 --> 00:01:46,390 the human body is not built to 41 00:01:46,390 --> 00:01:48,184 undergo punishment like that. 42 00:01:48,184 --> 00:01:50,436 In a land of tough guys, 43 00:01:50,436 --> 00:01:52,814 he was considered the king tough guy. 44 00:01:52,814 --> 00:01:56,901 He's given his body and his life to this business. 45 00:01:56,901 --> 00:01:59,612 And he did what he had to do to survive. 46 00:01:59,612 --> 00:02:04,534 ♪ 47 00:02:10,915 --> 00:02:12,166 [Off-screen] Woah. 48 00:02:12,166 --> 00:02:15,461 I've got two rods and eight screws in my back. 49 00:02:15,461 --> 00:02:18,631 I've got an artificial hip. 50 00:02:18,631 --> 00:02:21,635 I got four metal screws in my right knee, 51 00:02:21,635 --> 00:02:24,805 and two braces and 12 pins in this arm. 52 00:02:24,805 --> 00:02:27,057 How do you quantify toughness? 53 00:02:27,057 --> 00:02:29,726 Is a guy tough because he can beat you in a wrestling match? 54 00:02:29,726 --> 00:02:32,479 Or is a guy tough because he's just a badass 55 00:02:32,479 --> 00:02:34,940 street fighter and he can pull your eyeball out? 56 00:02:34,940 --> 00:02:37,150 Because when you think about Harley Race, 57 00:02:37,150 --> 00:02:41,530 the cumulative effect of the thousands and tens of 58 00:02:41,530 --> 00:02:46,034 thousands of slams and falls and bumps on hard rings, 59 00:02:46,034 --> 00:02:49,246 concrete floors and sawdust floors in a barn 60 00:02:49,246 --> 00:02:50,539 or at a carnival... 61 00:02:50,539 --> 00:02:52,124 Harley Race did all of that. 62 00:02:52,124 --> 00:02:54,960 He was legendarily tough not only for his ability to 63 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:58,672 beat people up, but also because he gained a mystique 64 00:02:58,672 --> 00:03:02,217 as somebody that couldn't physically be hurt. 65 00:03:02,217 --> 00:03:04,553 No matter what you did to Harley Race or 66 00:03:04,553 --> 00:03:07,681 what he did to himself, you couldn't stop him. 67 00:03:07,681 --> 00:03:09,641 [Screaming] I'm gonna hurt you somehow! 68 00:03:09,641 --> 00:03:12,477 If I gotta do it that way, fine! 69 00:03:12,477 --> 00:03:14,939 You have insulted 70 00:03:14,939 --> 00:03:18,943 the World Heavyweight Champion! 71 00:03:18,943 --> 00:03:20,278 Agh! 72 00:03:20,278 --> 00:03:22,947 You better believe I was inspired by Harley Race. 73 00:03:22,947 --> 00:03:25,867 He was the first guy I saw to take a backdrop outside 74 00:03:25,867 --> 00:03:28,328 the ring and a suplex outside the ring. 75 00:03:28,328 --> 00:03:31,581 And he was doing this as the traveling World Champion. 76 00:03:31,581 --> 00:03:35,376 Harley was among the very first to do table spots. 77 00:03:35,376 --> 00:03:37,086 I mean, he was before his time. 78 00:03:37,086 --> 00:03:40,381 Heading in full speed, going face first over 79 00:03:40,381 --> 00:03:43,009 the top turnbuckle, that's Harley Race. 80 00:03:43,009 --> 00:03:45,678 Getting your arms caught up in the ropes, 81 00:03:45,678 --> 00:03:47,430 that's Harley Race. 82 00:03:47,430 --> 00:03:49,641 Bombs away! Ah! 83 00:03:49,641 --> 00:03:51,601 Right to the side of the head. 84 00:03:51,601 --> 00:03:53,937 One of Harley's major wrestling moves was 85 00:03:53,937 --> 00:03:56,272 a diving headbutt, where he'd come off the top rope 86 00:03:56,272 --> 00:04:00,985 and land headfirst on his opponent's head. 87 00:04:00,985 --> 00:04:04,614 You have to imagine a man, 280 pounds, 88 00:04:04,614 --> 00:04:09,035 jumping off of a five foot top rope and coming down 89 00:04:09,035 --> 00:04:12,206 completely on his chest and his belly, 90 00:04:12,206 --> 00:04:14,792 while he's taking his forehead and driving it 91 00:04:14,792 --> 00:04:16,669 into another individual. 92 00:04:16,669 --> 00:04:19,672 The skill and the amazement of it was that it looked like 93 00:04:19,672 --> 00:04:22,383 every time Harley did it, he was killing guys. 94 00:04:22,383 --> 00:04:25,511 But in all reality, he was barely touching 'em. 95 00:04:25,511 --> 00:04:27,721 As a performer, as a wrestler... 96 00:04:27,721 --> 00:04:30,391 it just blows your mind, because that's what you want. 97 00:04:30,391 --> 00:04:33,268 That's the 'it' factor of pro wrestling, 98 00:04:33,268 --> 00:04:36,480 is make it look like we're killing him, but not. 99 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:39,316 He has left an indelible footprint, 100 00:04:39,316 --> 00:04:42,653 because he passed on his style to people like me 101 00:04:42,653 --> 00:04:44,238 who passed it on to others. 102 00:04:44,238 --> 00:04:47,491 The stars of today are borrowing liberally from the 103 00:04:47,491 --> 00:04:52,663 Harley Race catalog, whether they realize it or not. 104 00:04:52,663 --> 00:04:56,250 One of the fiercest men to ever lace a pair of boots, 105 00:04:56,250 --> 00:04:59,378 Harley Race was a wrestler's wrestler who began 106 00:04:59,378 --> 00:05:02,297 his journey to the ring as a teenager. 107 00:05:02,297 --> 00:05:05,634 Harley Race grew up poor on a farm in Missouri. 108 00:05:05,634 --> 00:05:08,054 My name is Jim Cornette, and I've been a fan, 109 00:05:08,054 --> 00:05:11,516 an admirer, and a colleague of Harley Race's. 110 00:05:11,516 --> 00:05:14,811 He had to work from the time he was a, a young boy, 111 00:05:14,811 --> 00:05:18,690 and that instilled in him the work ethic that he carried 112 00:05:18,690 --> 00:05:21,151 with him for the rest of his life. 113 00:05:21,151 --> 00:05:22,986 Harley was a good kid. 114 00:05:22,986 --> 00:05:25,739 We liked each other right off, third grade on. 115 00:05:25,739 --> 00:05:29,617 We hunted, fished together, wrestled together. 116 00:05:29,617 --> 00:05:31,619 My name is Daniel Keever. 117 00:05:31,619 --> 00:05:33,079 I went to school with Harley Race, 118 00:05:33,079 --> 00:05:34,914 met him in the third grade. 119 00:05:34,914 --> 00:05:37,000 He would let people hit him as hard as 120 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:40,628 they could in the stomach. I mean, these are big guys. 121 00:05:40,628 --> 00:05:42,922 He'd get up and he wouldn't say nothing. 122 00:05:42,922 --> 00:05:45,800 ♪ 123 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:49,554 If they wanted to do it again, he'd let 'em. 124 00:05:49,554 --> 00:05:51,181 I supposed in his mind, 125 00:05:51,181 --> 00:05:54,059 he was building himself to be a wrestler. 126 00:05:54,059 --> 00:05:56,561 We used to watch all the old wrestlers. 127 00:05:56,561 --> 00:05:59,230 Bob Brown. Sonny Meyers. 128 00:05:59,230 --> 00:06:01,149 Yukon Eric. 129 00:06:01,149 --> 00:06:03,402 We played hooky one Friday afternoon. 130 00:06:03,402 --> 00:06:05,112 Every time Harley and I'd go somewhere, 131 00:06:05,112 --> 00:06:07,615 he'd wanna, "Come on, let's wrestle a little while. 132 00:06:07,615 --> 00:06:10,159 Let's wrestle a little while." He, well, on Monday, 133 00:06:10,159 --> 00:06:12,328 Principal called us in the office. 134 00:06:12,328 --> 00:06:15,581 He's: "I want to know why you left here." Harley said, 135 00:06:15,581 --> 00:06:18,084 "Well," he said, "a good day to wrestle." 136 00:06:18,084 --> 00:06:20,419 Harley was a part of the original 137 00:06:20,419 --> 00:06:22,713 ---- around and find out era. 138 00:06:22,713 --> 00:06:24,548 [Indistinct commentary] 139 00:06:24,548 --> 00:06:27,426 Oh, God! Good grief! 140 00:06:27,426 --> 00:06:28,761 My name's Trevor Murdoch. 141 00:06:28,761 --> 00:06:31,055 I'm a two time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, 142 00:06:31,055 --> 00:06:33,849 three time WWE World Tag Team Champion, 143 00:06:33,849 --> 00:06:36,519 and I was trained by Harley Race. 144 00:06:36,519 --> 00:06:38,771 The reason, like I know these stories is because 145 00:06:38,771 --> 00:06:41,107 I've heard 'em from Harley himself. 146 00:06:41,107 --> 00:06:44,360 So the principal gave him a big slap in the face. 147 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:47,029 Harley knocked him out. 148 00:06:47,029 --> 00:06:50,282 [Chuckling] He hit the floor and Harley hit the door. 149 00:06:50,282 --> 00:06:52,159 He was a fighter as a kid. 150 00:06:52,159 --> 00:06:55,996 And then that's when he wanted to start wrestling. 151 00:06:55,996 --> 00:06:58,500 My name is Evonne Hedbávny Race. 152 00:06:58,500 --> 00:07:01,086 I was married to a handsome Harley Race, 153 00:07:01,086 --> 00:07:03,088 the eight times World Champion wrestler, 154 00:07:03,088 --> 00:07:05,674 for 24 years. 155 00:07:05,674 --> 00:07:08,260 When he was 14 years old, he left home because 156 00:07:08,260 --> 00:07:11,179 his family couldn't afford to keep him up. 157 00:07:11,179 --> 00:07:13,223 He got a job on a farm out in the 158 00:07:13,223 --> 00:07:15,225 middle of nowhere, Missouri. 159 00:07:15,225 --> 00:07:17,394 And it just so happened that that farm was 160 00:07:17,394 --> 00:07:19,646 owned by the Zbyszko Brothers. 161 00:07:19,646 --> 00:07:22,649 Stanislaus Zbyszko and his brother, Wladek, 162 00:07:22,649 --> 00:07:25,152 the two of them were iconic names. 163 00:07:25,152 --> 00:07:26,987 Stanis was a former World Heavyweight 164 00:07:26,987 --> 00:07:29,197 Wrestling Champion. 165 00:07:29,197 --> 00:07:31,324 Harley found out they were wrestlers, 166 00:07:31,324 --> 00:07:35,287 and they offered to train him in exchange for his farm work. 167 00:07:35,287 --> 00:07:38,290 It amounted to legalized torture. 168 00:07:38,290 --> 00:07:40,542 They would stretch him. 169 00:07:40,542 --> 00:07:42,377 They would beat him up. 170 00:07:42,377 --> 00:07:44,796 They would put him in holes he couldn't escape from to 171 00:07:44,796 --> 00:07:47,966 see if he was tough enough to come back and ask for more. 172 00:07:47,966 --> 00:07:50,427 Because in their generation, a professional wrestler, 173 00:07:50,427 --> 00:07:53,472 they knew the other guy had the ability to grab one of 174 00:07:53,472 --> 00:07:56,392 their appendages- [snapping]- and break it instantly. 175 00:07:56,392 --> 00:07:59,854 It was the most primitive form of hand-to-hand, 176 00:07:59,854 --> 00:08:01,480 man-to-man combat. 177 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:03,024 And that's what Harley learned, 178 00:08:03,024 --> 00:08:05,860 and that served him well when he went to the carnivals. 179 00:08:05,860 --> 00:08:08,154 ♪ 180 00:08:08,154 --> 00:08:09,488 That was the thing back then. 181 00:08:09,488 --> 00:08:11,657 That's how you got started in the business, 182 00:08:11,657 --> 00:08:13,367 was on a carnival. 183 00:08:13,367 --> 00:08:14,577 Yes, that's true, Marty. 184 00:08:14,577 --> 00:08:15,953 I'll wrestle anybody in the business, 185 00:08:15,953 --> 00:08:18,289 any size or weight at any time. 186 00:08:18,289 --> 00:08:19,582 I'm Eddie Sharkey. 187 00:08:19,582 --> 00:08:21,417 I've been in the business a million years, 188 00:08:21,417 --> 00:08:24,670 and Harley Race was one of my best friends. 189 00:08:24,670 --> 00:08:27,423 There's a flying head scissors by Sharkey. 190 00:08:27,423 --> 00:08:29,926 We make three, four dollars a match, 191 00:08:29,926 --> 00:08:33,262 which wasn't much money, but at the end of the night, 192 00:08:33,262 --> 00:08:35,389 it, it, it come out okay. 193 00:08:35,389 --> 00:08:37,600 ♪ 194 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:40,519 At the carnivals in the 50s, one of the big tents 195 00:08:40,519 --> 00:08:42,563 had a champion wrestler. 196 00:08:42,563 --> 00:08:45,441 And the carnival barker, he would do the spiel. 197 00:08:45,441 --> 00:08:47,443 "We'll give X amount of dollars if you can stay 198 00:08:47,443 --> 00:08:49,613 5 minutes with our champion wrestler." 199 00:08:49,613 --> 00:08:52,241 You had truck drivers, you had farmers, 200 00:08:52,241 --> 00:08:55,535 you had butchers, you had a variety of guys 201 00:08:55,535 --> 00:08:57,913 with a couple of drinks in 'em, who would 202 00:08:57,913 --> 00:09:00,624 get up and challenge the carnival wrestler. 203 00:09:00,624 --> 00:09:02,960 And there were shoot matches, 204 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:05,921 which are real matches, and then there were works. 205 00:09:05,921 --> 00:09:07,673 When they couldn't get a challenger from the crowd 206 00:09:07,673 --> 00:09:09,424 to challenge the carnival wrestler, 207 00:09:09,424 --> 00:09:11,802 there was a plant in the audience. 208 00:09:11,802 --> 00:09:13,553 But he would look like one of the locals, 209 00:09:13,553 --> 00:09:15,931 and Harley played this part a number of times too. 210 00:09:15,931 --> 00:09:18,850 And then people would get behind one of their own. 211 00:09:18,850 --> 00:09:20,811 As he said, "I can take that guy." 212 00:09:20,811 --> 00:09:22,771 And then Harley would get in the ring, 213 00:09:22,771 --> 00:09:25,482 and he would work with the carnival wrestler. 214 00:09:25,482 --> 00:09:27,484 But if Harley was the carnival wrestler 215 00:09:27,484 --> 00:09:30,279 taking challenges, it was a shoot. 216 00:09:30,279 --> 00:09:32,072 And Harley'd have to go in there and do whatever 217 00:09:32,072 --> 00:09:35,409 he had to, to win. And he's this 16 year old kid. 218 00:09:35,409 --> 00:09:37,160 [Harley] When you're there... 219 00:09:45,712 --> 00:09:47,755 That's why he needed to come up with shortcuts, 220 00:09:47,755 --> 00:09:50,008 like the headbutt to the bridge of the nose. 221 00:09:50,008 --> 00:09:52,552 ♪ 222 00:09:52,552 --> 00:09:54,846 Or the double wristlock, where you could take a guy's 223 00:09:54,846 --> 00:09:57,598 shoulder out of joint if he didn't give up immediately. 224 00:09:57,598 --> 00:09:59,726 It was always dangerous, 225 00:09:59,726 --> 00:10:01,769 but that's how Harley survived. 226 00:10:01,769 --> 00:10:06,232 He just had to fight five or six strange guys every day. 227 00:10:06,232 --> 00:10:08,860 On the carnival circuit, Harley goes to work for 228 00:10:08,860 --> 00:10:11,404 legendary promoter Gust Karras 229 00:10:11,404 --> 00:10:14,699 who puts Harley on the road with one of the biggest men 230 00:10:14,699 --> 00:10:17,035 in the history of the wrestling business. 231 00:10:17,035 --> 00:10:18,661 Happy Humphrey was a pro wrestler 232 00:10:18,661 --> 00:10:20,330 in the late 50s and 60s. 233 00:10:20,330 --> 00:10:22,874 His real name was William J. Cobb. 234 00:10:22,874 --> 00:10:25,293 In Happy Humphrey's pro wrestling career, 235 00:10:25,293 --> 00:10:27,587 he was somewhere in the range of 700 pounds, 236 00:10:27,587 --> 00:10:31,507 and Harley Race was chosen to be Happy Humphrey's 237 00:10:31,507 --> 00:10:34,552 driver, and valet, and attendant. 238 00:10:34,552 --> 00:10:36,888 He had to drive Happy Humphrey to the shows in a 239 00:10:36,888 --> 00:10:41,393 specially built Cadillac, and he had to make sure that 240 00:10:41,393 --> 00:10:44,104 Humphrey's needs were met after the matches 241 00:10:44,104 --> 00:10:47,441 which one of those things entailed bathing 242 00:10:47,441 --> 00:10:49,985 Happy Humphrey. 243 00:10:49,985 --> 00:10:53,280 Happy Humphrey would lay down on the ground naked and 244 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:57,159 Harley Race would take a bottle of liquid soap, a mop, 245 00:10:57,159 --> 00:11:00,621 and a garden hose, and basically clean 246 00:11:00,621 --> 00:11:03,707 Happy Humphrey off, so they could get back in the car 247 00:11:03,707 --> 00:11:07,378 and go to the next town without enduring the 248 00:11:07,378 --> 00:11:11,882 unending disaster of B.O. 249 00:11:11,882 --> 00:11:14,343 -That's paying your dues. -[Laughing] 250 00:11:14,343 --> 00:11:17,596 In 1960, at just 17 years of age, 251 00:11:17,596 --> 00:11:20,599 Harley marries a single mother named Vivian Jones, 252 00:11:20,599 --> 00:11:23,560 who is soon pregnant with Harley's first child. 253 00:11:23,560 --> 00:11:26,313 Then, tragedy quickly strikes. 254 00:11:26,313 --> 00:11:27,773 It was around Christmas time. 255 00:11:27,773 --> 00:11:29,817 He had his wife in the car with him, 256 00:11:29,817 --> 00:11:32,653 she was pregnant with his first child. 257 00:11:32,653 --> 00:11:35,615 Three o'clock in the morning, they're driving down 258 00:11:35,615 --> 00:11:38,284 this lonely road, snow on the ground. 259 00:11:38,284 --> 00:11:40,495 There's a tractor trailer truck in front of 'em, 260 00:11:40,495 --> 00:11:44,749 jack knifes, gets into the snowbank. 261 00:11:44,749 --> 00:11:46,918 Harley's car rams into the truck. 262 00:11:46,918 --> 00:11:49,170 [Horn blaring] 263 00:11:49,170 --> 00:11:51,965 She's killed instantly from a head injury. 264 00:11:51,965 --> 00:11:53,550 [Crashing] 265 00:11:53,550 --> 00:11:57,303 And he's severely injured... 266 00:11:57,303 --> 00:12:00,014 to the point where when the people picked him up in the 267 00:12:00,014 --> 00:12:02,475 ambulance, they declared him dead as well, 268 00:12:02,475 --> 00:12:04,853 and then saw him move, and that's how they knew 269 00:12:04,853 --> 00:12:07,730 he was still alive. 270 00:12:07,730 --> 00:12:09,858 And when he was hospitalized, 271 00:12:09,858 --> 00:12:14,279 they were gonna amputate Harley's right leg. 272 00:12:14,279 --> 00:12:16,448 Wasn't even 20 years old yet. 273 00:12:16,448 --> 00:12:19,868 And the doctors told Harley he'd never walk again. 274 00:12:19,868 --> 00:12:23,121 ♪ 275 00:12:27,584 --> 00:12:29,377 A car accident on Christmas Eve has killed 276 00:12:29,377 --> 00:12:31,338 Harley Race's pregnant wife. 277 00:12:31,338 --> 00:12:33,299 Somehow, Harley is holding on, 278 00:12:33,299 --> 00:12:37,094 but concerned doctors want to amputate his leg. 279 00:12:37,094 --> 00:12:39,388 Kansas promoter Gust Karras, when he heard about 280 00:12:39,388 --> 00:12:42,391 the accident, he checked on Harley, and said, 281 00:12:42,391 --> 00:12:44,560 "No, let's not do this." 282 00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:49,023 "He's gonna walk out of this hospital," which he did. 283 00:12:49,023 --> 00:12:51,192 They did a surgery, saved the leg. 284 00:12:51,192 --> 00:12:53,569 In effect, saved Harley's career. 285 00:12:53,569 --> 00:12:55,613 And from there, for the rest of his life, 286 00:12:55,613 --> 00:12:58,491 Harley hated Christmas. 287 00:12:58,491 --> 00:13:00,743 Several years after the crash, 288 00:13:00,743 --> 00:13:03,204 as Harley continues his wrestling career, 289 00:13:03,204 --> 00:13:07,166 a chance encounter introduces a new woman into his life. 290 00:13:07,166 --> 00:13:08,918 I was a flight attendant. 291 00:13:08,918 --> 00:13:10,878 Harley kept calling me all day. 292 00:13:10,878 --> 00:13:14,632 "How about if I take you out for a piece of blueberry pie?" 293 00:13:14,632 --> 00:13:17,718 I thought, "Wow, that's a neat way." 294 00:13:17,718 --> 00:13:19,803 And I said, "Okay." 295 00:13:19,803 --> 00:13:22,515 And we went out, had the pie, had the coffee... 296 00:13:22,515 --> 00:13:26,561 he had his blond hair, and I wasn't used to that. 297 00:13:26,561 --> 00:13:29,523 I came from a little town, and I wanted a family 298 00:13:29,523 --> 00:13:32,317 and I wanted a home life, and... 299 00:13:32,317 --> 00:13:34,152 And my mother and my father, 300 00:13:34,152 --> 00:13:37,656 they were very upset. My dad said, 301 00:13:37,656 --> 00:13:40,116 "I don't want you seeing him anymore." 302 00:13:40,116 --> 00:13:43,286 But I kept on. It was like a magnet. 303 00:13:43,286 --> 00:13:46,915 We were on our way from Minneapolis to Duluth, 304 00:13:46,915 --> 00:13:51,044 Minnesota, and he said there was a bag in the back seat. 305 00:13:51,044 --> 00:13:54,381 You pick it up and look at it, and it was a diamond ring. 306 00:13:54,381 --> 00:13:56,424 So I always knew I'd marry a athlete, 307 00:13:56,424 --> 00:13:59,803 but I didn't know I was going to be marrying into wrestling. 308 00:13:59,803 --> 00:14:02,681 Marrying Evonna despite her parent's wishes, 309 00:14:02,681 --> 00:14:05,183 Harley gets back to the ring. 310 00:14:05,183 --> 00:14:08,144 When Harley first teamed up with Larry Hennig, 311 00:14:08,144 --> 00:14:09,854 he had bleach blond hair. 312 00:14:09,854 --> 00:14:13,024 So, they adopted the nom de plumes of 'Handsome' 313 00:14:13,024 --> 00:14:15,819 Harley Race and 'Pretty Boy' Larry Hennig. 314 00:14:15,819 --> 00:14:18,780 In the mid 60s, guys as big and rough as them, 315 00:14:18,780 --> 00:14:20,532 they didn't have bleached blond hair, 316 00:14:20,532 --> 00:14:23,953 so it was a way to get heat with the fans and it worked. 317 00:14:23,953 --> 00:14:27,665 He chose to be a villain. I didn't like it because 318 00:14:27,665 --> 00:14:30,626 everybody booed him, and didn't like him, 319 00:14:30,626 --> 00:14:33,838 but he was good at what he did. 320 00:14:33,838 --> 00:14:36,674 Between the size and the strength of Hennig, 321 00:14:36,674 --> 00:14:39,844 and the speed and the athleticism of Harley Race, 322 00:14:39,844 --> 00:14:42,805 they had a tremendous run in several of the major 323 00:14:42,805 --> 00:14:47,476 territories as the top heel team in wrestling. 324 00:14:47,476 --> 00:14:49,312 When we had our son, 325 00:14:49,312 --> 00:14:51,856 and we traveled a lot together... 326 00:14:51,856 --> 00:14:55,151 when we'd go to matches, I would ask Harley if it was 327 00:14:55,151 --> 00:14:57,612 going to be a bloodbath at the wrestling match 328 00:14:57,612 --> 00:15:00,239 or, is it gonna be clean? 329 00:15:00,239 --> 00:15:02,241 If it was gonna be a bloodbath, 330 00:15:02,241 --> 00:15:03,993 my mom and I were probably going to a movie 331 00:15:03,993 --> 00:15:06,829 or to miniature golf that night. 332 00:15:06,829 --> 00:15:09,498 My name is Justin Race, and my father is 333 00:15:09,498 --> 00:15:12,501 the king, 'Handsome' Harley Race. 334 00:15:12,501 --> 00:15:14,170 I got to see him wrestle a lot, 335 00:15:14,170 --> 00:15:16,923 and the chairs start flying, and the world title belt 336 00:15:16,923 --> 00:15:19,217 starts hitting people in the heads and this and that, 337 00:15:19,217 --> 00:15:21,928 and dad's gushing blood out, stumbling around. 338 00:15:21,928 --> 00:15:23,847 I mean, it was scary. 339 00:15:23,847 --> 00:15:25,807 But it was happy then. 340 00:15:25,807 --> 00:15:27,976 And he was a kind person. 341 00:15:27,976 --> 00:15:30,145 He was kind to everybody, he was well-mannered... 342 00:15:30,145 --> 00:15:32,230 it was fun being with him. 343 00:15:32,230 --> 00:15:35,942 Touring arenas, sports halls, and bars across America, 344 00:15:35,942 --> 00:15:38,737 Harley's status as a legitimate tough guy is 345 00:15:38,737 --> 00:15:40,822 frequently put to the test. 346 00:15:40,822 --> 00:15:43,325 Harley, he sees this man being very aggressive 347 00:15:43,325 --> 00:15:44,743 with this woman. 348 00:15:44,743 --> 00:15:47,579 Just berating her, getting handsy with her. 349 00:15:47,579 --> 00:15:49,664 So Harley goes over there to confront the guy about it, 350 00:15:49,664 --> 00:15:51,833 to tell him to back off or leave her alone, 351 00:15:51,833 --> 00:15:54,753 what Harley doesn't know is the guy's friend is behind 352 00:15:54,753 --> 00:15:57,089 Harley and has a knife, and goes up behind Harley 353 00:15:57,089 --> 00:15:59,716 and stabs him three times in the back. 354 00:15:59,716 --> 00:16:02,010 The guy takes off and the other guy takes off. 355 00:16:02,010 --> 00:16:04,429 Harley has to go to the hospital. 356 00:16:04,429 --> 00:16:06,348 Harley knew quite a few people, 357 00:16:06,348 --> 00:16:08,183 was able to find out where the guy lived at, 358 00:16:08,183 --> 00:16:12,229 and got a pistol and went by the guy's house. 359 00:16:12,229 --> 00:16:14,649 [Gunshots] 360 00:16:14,649 --> 00:16:17,527 Now I had heard this story from somebody else and 361 00:16:17,527 --> 00:16:19,278 asked Harley about it. 362 00:16:19,278 --> 00:16:22,657 He looks at me and he goes, "It wasn't a pistol. 363 00:16:22,657 --> 00:16:24,909 It was a machine gun." 364 00:16:24,909 --> 00:16:27,245 [Gunshots] 365 00:16:27,245 --> 00:16:32,458 ♪ 366 00:16:32,458 --> 00:16:37,171 And that was enough for me to know that it wasn't a lie. 367 00:16:37,171 --> 00:16:41,426 As Harley's legend grows, so does his busy schedule, 368 00:16:41,426 --> 00:16:46,097 keeping him on the road for days and even weeks at a time. 369 00:16:46,097 --> 00:16:48,725 It was always wrestling, wrestling, and wrestling. 370 00:16:48,725 --> 00:16:51,227 And he didn't have time for family. 371 00:16:51,227 --> 00:16:54,063 He was a good father, but he was only home 372 00:16:54,063 --> 00:16:56,482 three times a month. 373 00:16:56,482 --> 00:16:59,193 What I hated was when he'd stop after the 374 00:16:59,193 --> 00:17:01,696 wrestling match, he got a six pack of beers, 375 00:17:01,696 --> 00:17:05,324 and he started right then and there, drinking. 376 00:17:05,324 --> 00:17:07,243 When his first wife was killed, 377 00:17:07,243 --> 00:17:09,538 he was only going 30 miles an hour. 378 00:17:09,538 --> 00:17:11,874 He never drove slow since. 379 00:17:11,874 --> 00:17:13,834 He didn't care. 380 00:17:13,834 --> 00:17:17,004 If the speed limit said 70, he thought it meant 90 and 381 00:17:17,004 --> 00:17:18,630 he'd be flying down the highway. 382 00:17:18,630 --> 00:17:20,382 And sure enough we'd see a cop and they... 383 00:17:20,382 --> 00:17:22,634 you would watch them power walk to 384 00:17:22,634 --> 00:17:24,762 Harley's vehicle. Angry. 385 00:17:24,762 --> 00:17:27,890 Who is this person driving 90 miles an hour? 386 00:17:27,890 --> 00:17:29,475 And they'd get to the window and go, 387 00:17:29,475 --> 00:17:31,268 "I need your license and reg- 388 00:17:31,268 --> 00:17:34,271 Harley? Harley Race"? 389 00:17:34,271 --> 00:17:35,814 "Okay, Harley. 390 00:17:35,814 --> 00:17:38,901 Take it easy, slow down." 391 00:17:38,901 --> 00:17:41,695 That got me mad too. 392 00:17:41,695 --> 00:17:45,908 He believed, 100%, he was the man. 393 00:17:45,908 --> 00:17:48,327 Inside the ring and outside the ring. 394 00:17:48,327 --> 00:17:50,788 Sometimes they realized who he was and didn't bother him, 395 00:17:50,788 --> 00:17:53,957 sometimes they didn't know who he was and tested him. 396 00:17:53,957 --> 00:17:57,586 And it was a mistake every single time. 397 00:17:57,586 --> 00:18:00,255 He knew exactly what he wanted to do, 398 00:18:00,255 --> 00:18:02,799 when he wanted to do it, and how he wanted to do it. 399 00:18:02,799 --> 00:18:05,720 I just don't know if Harley knew how to be anything else. 400 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:08,556 ♪ 401 00:18:13,728 --> 00:18:15,730 A rising star across the territories with his 402 00:18:15,730 --> 00:18:17,732 tag team partner, Larry Hennig, 403 00:18:17,732 --> 00:18:20,360 Harley Race emerges as a singles competitor 404 00:18:20,360 --> 00:18:22,153 after Hennig breaks his leg, 405 00:18:22,153 --> 00:18:25,740 setting the stage for a legendary run. 406 00:18:25,740 --> 00:18:27,742 When the Hennig-Race tag team split up, 407 00:18:27,742 --> 00:18:31,204 Harley got a reputation as a top guy, 408 00:18:31,204 --> 00:18:34,749 and that's where he first got into contention in the 409 00:18:34,749 --> 00:18:37,085 NWA promoters' eyes for being a 410 00:18:37,085 --> 00:18:39,504 World Heavyweight Champion someday. 411 00:18:39,504 --> 00:18:42,549 Though the NWA title changed hands in the ring, 412 00:18:42,549 --> 00:18:45,426 the champion was actually chosen by committee- 413 00:18:45,426 --> 00:18:47,470 selected for their popularity, 414 00:18:47,470 --> 00:18:50,056 trustworthiness and ability to protect themselves 415 00:18:50,056 --> 00:18:52,392 if a match goes off script. 416 00:18:52,392 --> 00:18:55,603 A stunning turnabout here at Comiskey Park! 417 00:18:55,603 --> 00:18:58,481 In 1973, the reigning NWA World 418 00:18:58,481 --> 00:19:00,651 Heavyweight Champion was Dory Funk Jr. 419 00:19:00,651 --> 00:19:03,612 And his father, Dory Funk Sr. was one of the most prominent 420 00:19:03,612 --> 00:19:06,198 promoters in the National Wrestling Alliance. 421 00:19:06,198 --> 00:19:08,117 For a long time, there has been quite a feud 422 00:19:08,117 --> 00:19:11,203 between the Briscos and the Funks. 423 00:19:11,203 --> 00:19:13,205 Jack had gone for years, you know, 424 00:19:13,205 --> 00:19:15,708 as the number one contender, and it was time for 425 00:19:15,708 --> 00:19:17,668 Dory Jr. to step down. 426 00:19:17,668 --> 00:19:19,545 Hello everybody, I'm Gerald Brisco, 427 00:19:19,545 --> 00:19:21,505 Jerry Brisco to a lot of ya. 428 00:19:21,505 --> 00:19:23,132 I'm a WWE Hall of Famer. 429 00:19:23,132 --> 00:19:25,134 I'm a 50-year veteran of pro wrestling. 430 00:19:25,134 --> 00:19:27,428 Jerry Brisco clearly out-thinking 431 00:19:27,428 --> 00:19:29,221 his opponent thus far. 432 00:19:29,221 --> 00:19:31,974 The rumor was that the old man, Dory Sr., 433 00:19:31,974 --> 00:19:36,395 did not want Dory losing it to another babyface. 434 00:19:36,395 --> 00:19:39,023 And course Jack was a babyface. 435 00:19:39,023 --> 00:19:41,525 But if he lost to a bad guy who was a cheater, 436 00:19:41,525 --> 00:19:43,277 well, that's something different. 437 00:19:43,277 --> 00:19:46,071 So they put him in the ring with Harley Race. 438 00:19:46,071 --> 00:19:48,073 This served two purposes. 439 00:19:48,073 --> 00:19:51,410 Number one, he was going to lose to a guy that was 440 00:19:51,410 --> 00:19:53,996 a noted heel, a rule breaker, a cheater. 441 00:19:53,996 --> 00:19:57,208 But, he was also gonna be wrestling a guy who, 442 00:19:57,208 --> 00:20:00,462 if it came to it, if there was not cooperation, 443 00:20:00,462 --> 00:20:03,256 would be able to legitimately take the 444 00:20:03,256 --> 00:20:05,508 World Heavyweight Championship in the ring. 445 00:20:05,508 --> 00:20:08,637 [Cheering] 446 00:20:08,637 --> 00:20:11,681 Count of one! Two! Three! 447 00:20:11,681 --> 00:20:17,854 [Cheering] 448 00:20:17,854 --> 00:20:19,898 History has been made! 449 00:20:19,898 --> 00:20:22,734 Harley's first title win in 1973 really is 450 00:20:22,734 --> 00:20:24,945 what brought his name to national prominence 451 00:20:24,945 --> 00:20:26,446 from coast to coast. 452 00:20:26,446 --> 00:20:29,115 And there were champions that held the NWA title 453 00:20:29,115 --> 00:20:32,619 longer than Harley did, but Harley, at the time, 454 00:20:32,619 --> 00:20:34,996 was the most constant champion from the 455 00:20:34,996 --> 00:20:38,500 early 70s through the mid 80s. 456 00:20:38,500 --> 00:20:40,710 It was more often than not you would see Harley 457 00:20:40,710 --> 00:20:42,462 holding the belt, and he became 458 00:20:42,462 --> 00:20:44,589 kind of synonymous with it. 459 00:20:44,589 --> 00:20:47,300 That's exactly why Harley was there, it was just, 460 00:20:47,300 --> 00:20:50,805 just personify that image of the NWA belt that 461 00:20:50,805 --> 00:20:52,807 you got to be a tough son of a bitch. 462 00:20:52,807 --> 00:20:54,809 He was wrestling an hour a night. 463 00:20:54,809 --> 00:20:56,894 One hour matches, 464 00:20:56,894 --> 00:21:00,982 night after night after night. 465 00:21:00,982 --> 00:21:03,526 As an eight-time NWA champion, 466 00:21:03,526 --> 00:21:05,986 Harley Race took on all comers, 467 00:21:05,986 --> 00:21:09,156 establishing his reputation as the most fearsome man 468 00:21:09,156 --> 00:21:10,574 in the business. 469 00:21:10,574 --> 00:21:11,909 And what a lot of people don't know, 470 00:21:11,909 --> 00:21:13,285 those hour long matches... 471 00:21:13,285 --> 00:21:14,787 it isn't like wrestling today, 472 00:21:14,787 --> 00:21:19,375 where a lot of guys plan out their matches in the back. 473 00:21:19,375 --> 00:21:23,504 How could anybody go through the various injuries and 474 00:21:23,504 --> 00:21:25,464 accidents and things that he had done, 475 00:21:25,464 --> 00:21:26,882 and still be able to do that? 476 00:21:26,882 --> 00:21:29,427 That's why all the guys looked at him like... 477 00:21:29,427 --> 00:21:31,387 this guy can't be human. 478 00:21:31,387 --> 00:21:34,557 Harley was so important to the Central States territory 479 00:21:34,557 --> 00:21:37,977 in Kansas City that he was allowed to buy into the 480 00:21:37,977 --> 00:21:40,813 territory and actually own part of the promotion. 481 00:21:40,813 --> 00:21:43,149 I encouraged him. 482 00:21:43,149 --> 00:21:45,736 I knew he was good at what he did. 483 00:21:45,736 --> 00:21:49,740 The NWA World Champion's road schedule was probably 484 00:21:49,740 --> 00:21:52,159 the most gruelling in all of professional wrestling. 485 00:21:52,159 --> 00:21:55,120 Nobody traveled as many different places, 486 00:21:55,120 --> 00:21:57,372 worked in as many different territories for as many 487 00:21:57,372 --> 00:22:00,000 different promoters, in as many different countries, 488 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:01,793 as the NWA World Champion. 489 00:22:01,793 --> 00:22:04,588 And there were literally almost no days off. 490 00:22:25,984 --> 00:22:27,736 He'd just fly from city to city, 491 00:22:27,736 --> 00:22:30,614 and when he could have 24 hours he'd fly home, 492 00:22:30,614 --> 00:22:32,866 and then back out on the road again. 493 00:22:32,866 --> 00:22:35,410 And it was a horrible, horrible life to live 494 00:22:35,410 --> 00:22:36,828 in the limelight. 495 00:22:36,828 --> 00:22:39,456 Well, especially because he was who he was, 496 00:22:39,456 --> 00:22:42,877 and how he was, you know, he treated everybody 497 00:22:42,877 --> 00:22:45,505 like gold except with me. I mean, 498 00:22:45,505 --> 00:22:47,215 he bought me Porsches and mink coats 499 00:22:47,215 --> 00:22:49,884 and things like that. Well, that doesn't buy love. 500 00:22:49,884 --> 00:22:52,095 ♪ 501 00:22:58,601 --> 00:23:00,228 This is Barbara Clarey on special assignment, 502 00:23:00,228 --> 00:23:01,646 reporting from Tampa, Florida. 503 00:23:01,646 --> 00:23:03,731 Across the street is the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 504 00:23:03,731 --> 00:23:05,650 where at this moment a special meeting of the 505 00:23:05,650 --> 00:23:07,527 National Wrestling Alliance Board of Directors 506 00:23:07,527 --> 00:23:09,237 is in progress. 507 00:23:09,237 --> 00:23:12,698 In 1983, the NWA decides Harley Race will 508 00:23:12,698 --> 00:23:15,409 lose his championship to Ric Flair at a 509 00:23:15,409 --> 00:23:18,454 massive event branded 'Starrcade.' 510 00:23:18,454 --> 00:23:20,039 I think that I want to call my quest for 511 00:23:20,039 --> 00:23:21,499 the World Heavyweight Championship, 512 00:23:21,499 --> 00:23:24,001 'A Flair for the Gold.' 513 00:23:24,001 --> 00:23:28,548 Ric was as hot a babyface as babyfaces can get. 514 00:23:28,548 --> 00:23:32,218 Harley and Ric were perfect foes at that time. 515 00:23:32,218 --> 00:23:34,303 Ric, the young, upcoming, cocky, 516 00:23:34,303 --> 00:23:36,305 flamboyant type deal with the 517 00:23:36,305 --> 00:23:39,601 raw bone badass, Harley Race. 518 00:23:39,601 --> 00:23:42,271 A lot of people have thought they put Harley Race 519 00:23:42,271 --> 00:23:44,439 exactly where they wanted him. 520 00:23:44,439 --> 00:23:46,942 Well seven times around 521 00:23:46,942 --> 00:23:50,696 I proved every [beep] one of you wrong. 522 00:23:50,696 --> 00:23:54,283 And I'll guarantee ya this in Greensboro, Flair, 523 00:23:54,283 --> 00:23:56,994 I'm gonna prove you wrong. 524 00:23:56,994 --> 00:23:59,705 The match is meant to mark a generational changing of 525 00:23:59,705 --> 00:24:02,624 the guard, but rival promoter Vince McMahon 526 00:24:02,624 --> 00:24:04,418 has other ideas. 527 00:24:04,418 --> 00:24:05,961 Hello everyone. This is Vince McMahon in the 528 00:24:05,961 --> 00:24:08,422 studios of the USA Cable Network. 529 00:24:08,422 --> 00:24:11,216 We wholeheartedly welcome you to the premiere of 530 00:24:11,216 --> 00:24:13,218 All American Wrestling. 531 00:24:13,218 --> 00:24:17,097 In 1983, Vince McMahon Jr. had just moved from 532 00:24:17,097 --> 00:24:20,434 becoming the announcer for the WWF, 533 00:24:20,434 --> 00:24:22,352 his father's company, 534 00:24:22,352 --> 00:24:25,522 to the owner of the World Wrestling Federation. 535 00:24:25,522 --> 00:24:28,817 And most of the promoters didn't know yet, 536 00:24:28,817 --> 00:24:30,694 but in the next couple of months, 537 00:24:30,694 --> 00:24:34,574 he was going to start a national expansion of the WWF 538 00:24:34,574 --> 00:24:37,785 that would see him moving into all of their territories 539 00:24:37,785 --> 00:24:41,706 and trying to sign away all their top talent. 540 00:24:41,706 --> 00:24:44,500 Ric Flair was over, and Vince, he knew, 541 00:24:44,500 --> 00:24:47,378 that when Harley dropped the world title to him, 542 00:24:47,378 --> 00:24:49,339 that Ric was gonna be the next big thing. 543 00:24:49,339 --> 00:24:52,133 And Vince was trying to do whatever he could 544 00:24:52,133 --> 00:24:54,052 to shut it down. 545 00:24:54,052 --> 00:24:58,139 Just hours before the NWA's massive Starrcade event, 546 00:24:58,139 --> 00:25:01,351 Vince McMahon meets in secret with Champion Harley Race 547 00:25:01,351 --> 00:25:04,020 in an attempt to sabotage the show. 548 00:25:04,020 --> 00:25:06,689 Vince laid out an opportunity for my father 549 00:25:06,689 --> 00:25:08,316 to come over to the WWF... 550 00:25:08,316 --> 00:25:10,193 if dad would not go to Starrcade. 551 00:25:10,193 --> 00:25:11,778 And for an extraordinary amount of money, 552 00:25:11,778 --> 00:25:14,364 back then, $250,000. 553 00:25:14,364 --> 00:25:17,992 I think there's an element of truth to all of that. 554 00:25:17,992 --> 00:25:20,536 But if Harley had never lost the title, 555 00:25:20,536 --> 00:25:23,706 then how they gonna explain that to anybody? 556 00:25:23,706 --> 00:25:26,250 And whoever they made champion after that, 557 00:25:26,250 --> 00:25:29,505 the fans would not have looked at them as legitimate. 558 00:25:29,505 --> 00:25:31,382 That could have put you out of business. 559 00:25:31,382 --> 00:25:33,342 And of course Harley he said, "Hell no, 560 00:25:33,342 --> 00:25:35,427 I'm not gonna do that, I gave my word." 561 00:25:35,427 --> 00:25:37,721 I was with Harley for ten years. 562 00:25:37,721 --> 00:25:39,264 You know, when you spend that much time with Harley, 563 00:25:39,264 --> 00:25:41,600 you get comfortable, you start asking him questions 564 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:44,061 of stories that other people have, have told. 565 00:25:44,061 --> 00:25:47,064 Or, or rumours. And so, of course, 566 00:25:47,064 --> 00:25:49,400 that was one of the questions I had to ask, was, 567 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:51,151 you know, "Have you and Vince ever got into a fight"? 568 00:25:59,410 --> 00:26:01,286 Apparently Vince wasn't very happy. 569 00:26:01,286 --> 00:26:04,164 Vince suddenly gets that look on his face and turns 570 00:26:04,164 --> 00:26:08,085 around and tries to leg dive Harley and take him down. 571 00:26:08,085 --> 00:26:10,254 According to Harley, he just puts him in 572 00:26:10,254 --> 00:26:12,506 a front face lock, hooks his arms, 573 00:26:12,506 --> 00:26:14,591 and stands up with him. 574 00:26:14,591 --> 00:26:16,552 Basically puts Vince to sleep. 575 00:26:16,552 --> 00:26:18,512 Drops him on the floor. 576 00:26:18,512 --> 00:26:20,389 Harley got him into a choke hold. 577 00:26:20,389 --> 00:26:22,683 He said, "I wish I would have wrung his neck." 578 00:26:22,683 --> 00:26:25,687 Because he was driving us out of business. 579 00:26:25,687 --> 00:26:27,355 He could have broke his neck. I mean, he even 580 00:26:27,355 --> 00:26:29,149 told me, he's like, "I could have ended all this right then." 581 00:26:29,149 --> 00:26:30,108 Just- [Clicking tongue] 582 00:26:42,620 --> 00:26:44,622 Fans, I'm Bob Caudle, along with Gordon Solie, 583 00:26:44,622 --> 00:26:46,416 and we're delighted to be bringing you, 584 00:26:46,416 --> 00:26:49,002 wherever you are, live from Greensboro, 585 00:26:49,002 --> 00:26:51,755 North Carolina, Starrcade '83. 586 00:26:51,755 --> 00:26:54,632 This is the wrestling event of all time. 587 00:26:54,632 --> 00:26:57,927 Fortunately, the main event of Starrcade '83 did come off. 588 00:26:57,927 --> 00:27:00,180 It did turn out to be the biggest gate of 589 00:27:00,180 --> 00:27:04,100 any NWA show previously in history. 590 00:27:04,100 --> 00:27:06,561 Flair did win the title from Harley. 591 00:27:06,561 --> 00:27:09,814 He's got him down- one, two, three! 592 00:27:09,814 --> 00:27:11,775 He did it! He did it. 593 00:27:11,775 --> 00:27:14,361 Ric Flair has just defeated 594 00:27:14,361 --> 00:27:16,571 7 times World Heavyweight Champion, 595 00:27:16,571 --> 00:27:18,656 Harley Race. 596 00:27:18,656 --> 00:27:22,203 Vince's failure to persuade Harley to leave the NWA and 597 00:27:22,203 --> 00:27:26,040 join the WWF isn't McMahon's only attempt to take over 598 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:28,250 Harley's Kansas City territory. 599 00:27:28,250 --> 00:27:31,545 When Vince McMahon started taking his live WWF events 600 00:27:31,545 --> 00:27:34,924 all across the country in other promoters' backyards, 601 00:27:34,924 --> 00:27:36,967 running their buildings, running their towns... 602 00:27:36,967 --> 00:27:39,595 none of 'em appreciated it, but most of 'em 603 00:27:39,595 --> 00:27:41,347 didn't confront him personally. 604 00:27:41,347 --> 00:27:42,807 Harley Race did. 605 00:27:42,807 --> 00:27:44,433 When the WWF went to Kansas City, 606 00:27:44,433 --> 00:27:46,811 Harley showed up. That was his town. 607 00:27:46,811 --> 00:27:48,938 He had owned it, pioneered it, 608 00:27:48,938 --> 00:27:51,482 and he wanted to know why these son of a bitches were 609 00:27:51,482 --> 00:27:54,527 coming trying to take his fans and ticket money away. 610 00:27:54,527 --> 00:27:58,197 Now, Hogan, Hulk Hogan has told some stories. 611 00:27:58,197 --> 00:28:00,783 You shall feel the wrath of Hulkamania! 612 00:28:00,783 --> 00:28:03,327 This is where the power lies! 613 00:28:03,327 --> 00:28:04,995 All right, get ready. 614 00:28:04,995 --> 00:28:08,040 They were promoting big that Hulk Hogan is 615 00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:10,334 the World Champion. He is the man. 616 00:28:21,430 --> 00:28:25,350 What I heard was that Harley had a pistol in his belt and 617 00:28:25,350 --> 00:28:28,019 he was looking for Hogan. He wanted to find out. 618 00:28:28,019 --> 00:28:30,021 "You're the World Champ, let's find out." 619 00:28:30,021 --> 00:28:31,481 And that's the second, third and 620 00:28:31,481 --> 00:28:33,358 fourthhand on stuff I heard, 621 00:28:33,358 --> 00:28:36,361 but Harley come in and everybody held their breath 622 00:28:36,361 --> 00:28:39,114 for like a half hour, you know- [Laughing] 623 00:28:39,114 --> 00:28:41,199 to see what was gonna happen. 624 00:28:41,199 --> 00:28:43,452 ♪ 625 00:28:43,452 --> 00:28:45,912 Harley went round looking for Hogan, couldn't find him, 626 00:28:45,912 --> 00:28:48,832 so he proceeded to light the ring on fire. 627 00:28:48,832 --> 00:28:49,916 [Laughing] 628 00:28:59,092 --> 00:29:01,178 So that was him protecting his business. 629 00:29:01,178 --> 00:29:03,763 That was him protecting the business of Kansas City. 630 00:29:10,396 --> 00:29:16,152 ♪ 631 00:29:16,152 --> 00:29:18,029 I don't doubt it for a second. 632 00:29:18,029 --> 00:29:20,281 Even if it didn't happen, does it really matter? 633 00:29:20,281 --> 00:29:22,825 It's something that could've happened. 634 00:29:22,825 --> 00:29:27,121 Despite Harley's best efforts to ward off Vince's invasion, 635 00:29:27,121 --> 00:29:31,167 the WWF's nationwide expansion cannot be stopped. 636 00:29:31,167 --> 00:29:32,793 Harley bought into Kansas City and 637 00:29:32,793 --> 00:29:34,545 the territories were dying. 638 00:29:34,545 --> 00:29:37,798 Vince come along and offered him a pocketful of change 639 00:29:37,798 --> 00:29:39,217 and he grabbed it. 640 00:29:39,217 --> 00:29:42,011 But he knew that that's what he had to do 641 00:29:42,011 --> 00:29:43,888 in his next phase of his career. 642 00:29:43,888 --> 00:29:46,224 He knew Vince was taking over. 643 00:29:46,224 --> 00:29:47,808 Vince liked tough guys, 644 00:29:47,808 --> 00:29:50,186 and Vince liked veterans who had 645 00:29:50,186 --> 00:29:52,063 accomplished things in the wrestling business. 646 00:29:52,063 --> 00:29:54,273 So, I think he respected Harley, 647 00:29:54,273 --> 00:29:56,234 but he thought he was too "rastlin". 648 00:29:56,234 --> 00:29:57,735 He was just "too plain". 649 00:29:57,735 --> 00:29:59,820 Nobody wants to see a tough guy wrestle. 650 00:29:59,820 --> 00:30:02,114 They want to see colour and character and 651 00:30:02,114 --> 00:30:03,491 ice cream bars. 652 00:30:03,491 --> 00:30:04,992 That was what Vince was going for, 653 00:30:04,992 --> 00:30:07,829 and Harley was the antithesis of that. 654 00:30:07,829 --> 00:30:10,332 So when Harley got there, they wanted to make him the 655 00:30:10,332 --> 00:30:12,042 original 'King of the Ring.' 656 00:30:12,042 --> 00:30:14,670 That character and that... that attitude. 657 00:30:14,670 --> 00:30:18,090 I crown you, and you only, 658 00:30:18,090 --> 00:30:22,469 the King Handsome Harley Race. 659 00:30:22,469 --> 00:30:24,721 Did he like it? I doubt it. 660 00:30:24,721 --> 00:30:26,557 He never, never bitched about it 661 00:30:26,557 --> 00:30:28,308 'cause that wasn't Harley's style. 662 00:30:28,308 --> 00:30:29,851 Whatever Harley was handed, 663 00:30:29,851 --> 00:30:32,396 Harley would make it work for Harley. 664 00:30:32,396 --> 00:30:34,648 The WWF at that time 665 00:30:34,648 --> 00:30:36,858 was appealing to kids who, they had no idea 666 00:30:36,858 --> 00:30:38,652 who Harley Race was- they're kids. 667 00:30:38,652 --> 00:30:41,989 And they see an older guy that's not particularly 668 00:30:41,989 --> 00:30:45,117 impressive, dressed up in this King outfit... 669 00:30:45,117 --> 00:30:46,827 Enh... 670 00:30:46,827 --> 00:30:50,080 And the older fans who knew Harley, they were like, 671 00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:52,416 "Wow, this is what it's come down to." 672 00:30:52,416 --> 00:30:55,544 Now we realize, you know, Harley at that point 673 00:30:55,544 --> 00:30:59,006 was very methodical, and I enjoyed seeing a 674 00:30:59,006 --> 00:31:02,594 guy of that age taking off from the top rope, 675 00:31:02,594 --> 00:31:04,262 dropping headbutts from the top. 676 00:31:04,262 --> 00:31:07,640 Here he comes down from his throne, headbutt! 677 00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:10,351 Big roundhouse right. 678 00:31:10,351 --> 00:31:11,603 -Oh! -[Cheering] 679 00:31:11,603 --> 00:31:14,564 Taking the big bumps still, like, he made it work. 680 00:31:14,564 --> 00:31:15,898 He was there to make a paycheque. 681 00:31:15,898 --> 00:31:18,526 He was there to take care of his family. 682 00:31:18,526 --> 00:31:22,530 But Harley's time in the WWF is cut short by an injury. 683 00:31:22,530 --> 00:31:26,117 Ironically, while in the ring with Champion Hulk Hogan. 684 00:31:26,117 --> 00:31:28,286 Ooh, he's going out of the ring alright! 685 00:31:28,286 --> 00:31:29,829 The hard way! 686 00:31:29,829 --> 00:31:31,122 Eight-foot-long table. 687 00:31:31,122 --> 00:31:34,334 So they had that out there, and Hogan got on the table. 688 00:31:34,334 --> 00:31:35,752 A chop to the throat! 689 00:31:35,752 --> 00:31:37,295 The Hulkster down on the table. 690 00:31:37,295 --> 00:31:39,213 He's setting the table up for something. 691 00:31:39,213 --> 00:31:42,967 And Dad leaped off the ring to land on Hogan 692 00:31:42,967 --> 00:31:44,677 on the table, and Hogan moved... 693 00:31:44,677 --> 00:31:45,887 and he went through the table. 694 00:31:45,887 --> 00:31:48,681 King coming down! Oh! 695 00:31:48,681 --> 00:31:51,893 That steel table bent in two! 696 00:31:51,893 --> 00:31:53,770 And the metal bar that goes underneath it, 697 00:31:53,770 --> 00:31:55,146 like supports the table, 698 00:31:55,146 --> 00:31:57,191 had been bent down, not broken. 699 00:31:57,191 --> 00:31:58,692 The metal bar came up and 700 00:31:58,692 --> 00:32:00,694 hit him in his lower abdomen just below 701 00:32:00,694 --> 00:32:02,863 the belly button and blew out his lower intestines. 702 00:32:02,863 --> 00:32:04,907 Created a big hole, a rupture. 703 00:32:04,907 --> 00:32:06,617 He was at my apartment, 704 00:32:06,617 --> 00:32:08,869 and I left, and I came back, 705 00:32:08,869 --> 00:32:12,456 and he was passed out on the floor in a fetal position. 706 00:32:12,456 --> 00:32:14,375 I thought he was dead. 707 00:32:14,375 --> 00:32:16,335 ♪ 708 00:32:22,591 --> 00:32:23,967 King coming down! Oh! 709 00:32:23,967 --> 00:32:26,887 After suffering an internal injury during a move gone 710 00:32:26,887 --> 00:32:30,224 wrong, the future of Harley Race's career is in doubt 711 00:32:30,224 --> 00:32:32,810 when he's found on the floor of his son's apartment. 712 00:32:40,901 --> 00:32:43,028 Harley had an abdominal hernia. 713 00:32:43,028 --> 00:32:46,073 It required multiple surgeries to fix the damage, 714 00:32:46,073 --> 00:32:49,118 and it significantly hampered the rest of 715 00:32:49,118 --> 00:32:50,703 his wrestling career. 716 00:32:50,703 --> 00:32:52,329 And that was a long recovery. 717 00:32:52,329 --> 00:32:53,665 And he's a 300 pound guy, he went down to 718 00:32:53,665 --> 00:32:56,626 200 pounds, needed care, constantly, 719 00:32:56,626 --> 00:32:59,212 needed a lot of my help, constantly. 720 00:32:59,212 --> 00:33:00,880 He had ended up having two colostomy bags 721 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:02,173 on the front of his stomach, 722 00:33:02,173 --> 00:33:06,136 some 300 to 400 stitches on the inside of him. 723 00:33:06,136 --> 00:33:10,265 Weighing in at 260 pounds... 724 00:33:10,265 --> 00:33:12,559 Harley Race! 725 00:33:12,559 --> 00:33:15,019 He eventually got back to his wrestling weight. 726 00:33:15,019 --> 00:33:17,313 He was a bit old to be doing- 727 00:33:17,313 --> 00:33:18,982 to have to recover from something like that. 728 00:33:18,982 --> 00:33:20,150 Now to recover and go back to 729 00:33:20,150 --> 00:33:22,652 his job as an insurance salesman? Sure. 730 00:33:22,652 --> 00:33:25,989 But to go back to wrestling, that was pretty tough. 731 00:33:25,989 --> 00:33:28,992 Harley wrestles sporadically over the next few years 732 00:33:28,992 --> 00:33:32,203 as his career winds down, and he spends more time 733 00:33:32,203 --> 00:33:34,164 pursuing his other interests. 734 00:33:34,164 --> 00:33:36,624 But once again, tragedy strikes. 735 00:33:36,624 --> 00:33:38,793 [Bell chiming] 736 00:33:38,793 --> 00:33:41,296 We had a lake home, we went boating... 737 00:33:41,296 --> 00:33:43,923 we had good times at the lake. 738 00:33:43,923 --> 00:33:45,592 Some of the best, 739 00:33:45,592 --> 00:33:48,804 until that boat accident. 740 00:33:48,804 --> 00:33:50,973 It was in the morning, 741 00:33:50,973 --> 00:33:55,019 and he got up and started drinking scotch. 742 00:33:55,019 --> 00:33:56,896 So I went out on the dock, and I sat there, 743 00:33:56,896 --> 00:34:00,232 and I kept coming in and, he'd just call me names, 744 00:34:00,232 --> 00:34:02,485 so I'd go out again. 745 00:34:02,485 --> 00:34:06,989 And that night he stormed out the house, 746 00:34:06,989 --> 00:34:10,284 and he zoomed out of there, out of the cove. 747 00:34:10,284 --> 00:34:13,537 The story that we were told was that he was drinking. 748 00:34:13,537 --> 00:34:15,247 There was a boat in the middle of the lake that 749 00:34:15,247 --> 00:34:16,999 turned off all their lights. 750 00:34:16,999 --> 00:34:18,959 As he was coming around the cove, 751 00:34:18,959 --> 00:34:21,754 by the time he'd seen 'em, it was too late. 752 00:34:21,754 --> 00:34:23,464 [Whooshing] 753 00:34:23,464 --> 00:34:25,633 And he ran into 'em. 754 00:34:25,633 --> 00:34:27,510 ♪ 755 00:34:27,510 --> 00:34:28,719 He was in the water, 756 00:34:28,719 --> 00:34:29,929 the other people was in the water. 757 00:34:29,929 --> 00:34:31,972 He pulled them over to shore. 758 00:34:31,972 --> 00:34:34,892 It was a pretty traumatic event. 759 00:34:34,892 --> 00:34:37,978 As a result of this accident, several other people in the 760 00:34:37,978 --> 00:34:40,815 other boat were injured and Harley was as well. 761 00:34:40,815 --> 00:34:44,694 Harley was intoxicated and also had resisted arrest 762 00:34:44,694 --> 00:34:47,948 at the time the police came to investigate. 763 00:34:47,948 --> 00:34:52,369 And after he left, I called Harley's psychiatrist and 764 00:34:52,369 --> 00:34:56,623 she said, "Back the car up, put your clothes in the car, 765 00:34:56,623 --> 00:35:00,669 get out of there." I called my attorney and I said, 766 00:35:00,669 --> 00:35:03,380 "I want to file for divorce tomorrow, 767 00:35:03,380 --> 00:35:06,341 and have a restraining order in place." 768 00:35:09,553 --> 00:35:14,849 Very nasty. 769 00:35:14,849 --> 00:35:17,477 Wrestling. 770 00:35:17,477 --> 00:35:22,399 I mean, the arduous relationship of 771 00:35:22,399 --> 00:35:24,901 having someone gone all the time. 772 00:35:24,901 --> 00:35:26,653 Mom raising me pretty much... 773 00:35:26,653 --> 00:35:29,030 and then once his career starts to wind down, 774 00:35:29,030 --> 00:35:31,074 and they're together a lot more, 775 00:35:31,074 --> 00:35:33,785 they didn't get along. [Laughing] 776 00:35:33,785 --> 00:35:36,121 He was a kind-hearted person. 777 00:35:36,121 --> 00:35:38,415 He just wasn't a family man. 778 00:35:38,415 --> 00:35:41,419 At one time, I was putting Christmas decorations up, 779 00:35:41,419 --> 00:35:43,212 I got a phone call and said, 780 00:35:43,212 --> 00:35:46,716 "Your husband has got me knocked up." 781 00:35:46,716 --> 00:35:50,136 I got a letter one time to answer to a woman 782 00:35:50,136 --> 00:35:53,472 from Wichita, Kansas, said that they want 783 00:35:53,472 --> 00:35:56,767 alimony for a 16-year-old girl. 784 00:35:56,767 --> 00:35:58,352 That was real. 785 00:35:58,352 --> 00:35:59,645 But he got out of that too. 786 00:36:02,398 --> 00:36:05,318 'Cause he's Harley Race. 787 00:36:05,318 --> 00:36:07,862 But I could never leave him because he told me 788 00:36:07,862 --> 00:36:09,614 he'd get rid of me if I left him. 789 00:36:11,824 --> 00:36:13,409 Well, what do you think he meant? 790 00:36:13,409 --> 00:36:16,537 It was terrible. I was stuck. 791 00:36:16,537 --> 00:36:18,456 I was afraid. 792 00:36:18,456 --> 00:36:21,542 And even though he was 793 00:36:21,542 --> 00:36:23,628 rough with me at times, 794 00:36:23,628 --> 00:36:26,672 I should have done what they do today, 795 00:36:26,672 --> 00:36:29,133 they take you in. But I didn't. 796 00:36:29,133 --> 00:36:31,802 ♪ 797 00:36:31,802 --> 00:36:34,096 I would find out more sometimes about my 798 00:36:34,096 --> 00:36:37,476 parents' divorce through reading the newspaper. 799 00:36:37,476 --> 00:36:40,812 In fact, remember the movie with Michael Douglas and 800 00:36:40,812 --> 00:36:43,273 Kathleen Turner called 'War of the Roses'? 801 00:36:43,273 --> 00:36:45,317 Here in Kansas City, and they wrote articles 802 00:36:45,317 --> 00:36:46,860 about my parents' divorce, 803 00:36:46,860 --> 00:36:48,904 it was called 'War of the Races.' 804 00:36:48,904 --> 00:36:50,447 My dad did his best, 805 00:36:50,447 --> 00:36:52,574 and he did a great job as a father. 806 00:36:52,574 --> 00:36:55,035 But, you know, different stories that are told 807 00:36:55,035 --> 00:36:57,537 that are true, not true, who knows. 808 00:36:57,537 --> 00:36:59,706 It was just too much. 809 00:36:59,706 --> 00:37:01,750 But there were a lot of arguments. 810 00:37:01,750 --> 00:37:03,585 When Harley and I would fight, 811 00:37:03,585 --> 00:37:05,879 I would take Justin in his little red wagon and 812 00:37:05,879 --> 00:37:08,757 take him out of there so he wouldn't see it. 813 00:37:08,757 --> 00:37:13,303 And there were so many of those times. 814 00:37:13,303 --> 00:37:16,974 I, I just hope that 815 00:37:16,974 --> 00:37:21,019 my son can understand my side of the story. 816 00:37:21,019 --> 00:37:24,064 It's true, it's not a lie. 817 00:37:24,064 --> 00:37:26,483 And I don't know that he will. 818 00:37:26,483 --> 00:37:28,652 I wish it wouldn't have happened the way it did. 819 00:37:28,652 --> 00:37:31,531 I'm glad I got out of the marriage. 820 00:37:31,531 --> 00:37:34,075 Divorced from his wife, Harley faces another 821 00:37:34,075 --> 00:37:36,869 challenge when a lawsuit from his boating accident 822 00:37:36,869 --> 00:37:39,956 threatens to wipe out everything he has left. 823 00:37:39,956 --> 00:37:42,834 The woman that was injured had two broken legs, 824 00:37:42,834 --> 00:37:44,752 but a couple of years later, when it went to court, 825 00:37:44,752 --> 00:37:46,504 she was still in a wheelchair. 826 00:37:46,504 --> 00:37:49,048 And as a result, she was asking for 827 00:37:49,048 --> 00:37:51,509 $10 million in damages. 828 00:37:51,509 --> 00:37:54,846 She ended up being awarded $250,000 829 00:37:54,846 --> 00:37:56,806 because Harley was intoxicated. 830 00:37:56,806 --> 00:37:59,142 This was a time where not only had his wrestling 831 00:37:59,142 --> 00:38:01,352 slowed down, but also 832 00:38:01,352 --> 00:38:03,938 $250,000 as a judgment, 833 00:38:03,938 --> 00:38:07,650 it was a financial burden on Harley that he would 834 00:38:07,650 --> 00:38:10,820 possibly not ever really recover from. 835 00:38:10,820 --> 00:38:13,239 Everything he'd earned traveling the world 836 00:38:13,239 --> 00:38:16,117 for 20 years is basically gone. Right? 837 00:38:16,117 --> 00:38:18,536 Man... man. 838 00:38:18,536 --> 00:38:21,080 ♪ 839 00:38:26,170 --> 00:38:28,046 Facing financial hardship for the first time in his 840 00:38:28,046 --> 00:38:31,967 long career, Harley returns to the wrestling world. 841 00:38:31,967 --> 00:38:34,553 After the abdominal surgery from the accident with 842 00:38:34,553 --> 00:38:36,346 the table in the Hulk Hogan match, 843 00:38:36,346 --> 00:38:38,766 then Harley had torn his shoulder out. 844 00:38:38,766 --> 00:38:41,310 He knew his wrestling days were behind him, 845 00:38:41,310 --> 00:38:44,188 but Harley Race was still a major name 846 00:38:44,188 --> 00:38:46,648 in professional wrestling, and WCW had 847 00:38:46,648 --> 00:38:48,609 incredible respect for Harley. 848 00:38:48,609 --> 00:38:51,445 And they said if he can't wrestle on a regular basis 849 00:38:51,445 --> 00:38:53,822 anymore, he's still a personality, 850 00:38:53,822 --> 00:38:55,866 and he still has that knowledge, 851 00:38:55,866 --> 00:38:57,451 we can use him as a manager. 852 00:38:57,451 --> 00:38:59,077 Former heavyweight champion, 853 00:38:59,077 --> 00:39:04,291 Harley Race and Vader! 854 00:39:04,291 --> 00:39:06,168 For a guy like Vader, especially, 855 00:39:06,168 --> 00:39:08,837 Harley Race was a brilliant teacher, 856 00:39:08,837 --> 00:39:12,216 because Vader was a ex-pro football player, 857 00:39:12,216 --> 00:39:14,176 he was used to coaches. 858 00:39:14,176 --> 00:39:17,012 And Harley was a no-nonsense guy that would not take 859 00:39:17,012 --> 00:39:19,723 any shit, and he'd tell him what he was doing wrong. 860 00:39:19,723 --> 00:39:21,434 What are you in my face? 861 00:39:21,434 --> 00:39:23,645 I was a little trepidatious, right? 862 00:39:23,645 --> 00:39:26,147 Because I didn't know if I was, like, a Harley guy. 863 00:39:26,147 --> 00:39:29,567 I didn't drive fast, I didn't drink much... 864 00:39:29,567 --> 00:39:31,027 but he really embraced me. 865 00:39:31,027 --> 00:39:33,613 Again, Harley Race now grabbing Cactus and 866 00:39:33,613 --> 00:39:34,948 shoving him back in there. 867 00:39:34,948 --> 00:39:36,241 Harley had respect for Mick, 868 00:39:36,241 --> 00:39:37,742 but he thought Mick was crazy. 869 00:39:37,742 --> 00:39:39,786 Ah! Oh my goodness! 870 00:39:39,786 --> 00:39:41,204 The bumps that Mick would take, it's, 871 00:39:41,204 --> 00:39:44,374 "Jesus Christ, he's gonna kill himself." 872 00:39:44,374 --> 00:39:46,751 I know when I did my feud with Vader, 873 00:39:46,751 --> 00:39:49,462 the Harley stuff was just priceless. 874 00:39:49,462 --> 00:39:52,048 To have him there and have him be part of it, 875 00:39:52,048 --> 00:39:54,259 some of my greatest moments. 876 00:39:54,259 --> 00:39:56,344 Harley leaves WCW, 877 00:39:56,344 --> 00:39:58,012 but his next public appearance 878 00:39:58,012 --> 00:40:00,181 shocks even his closest friends. 879 00:40:00,181 --> 00:40:02,642 ♪ 880 00:40:02,642 --> 00:40:06,104 1998, an exposé, 'Wrestling secrets revealed 881 00:40:06,104 --> 00:40:09,816 that it was a work, that it was predetermined, 882 00:40:09,816 --> 00:40:12,193 that everybody was in on it together.' 883 00:40:12,193 --> 00:40:15,655 And that's the antithesis of what Harley Race would 884 00:40:15,655 --> 00:40:19,285 have done publicly in his entire wrestling career. 885 00:40:19,285 --> 00:40:21,245 -As a booker... -[Grunting] 886 00:40:21,245 --> 00:40:23,956 ...Your main job is putting two people together 887 00:40:23,956 --> 00:40:25,833 that'll draw money. 888 00:40:25,833 --> 00:40:30,004 The production was able to gravel out his voice, 889 00:40:30,004 --> 00:40:32,089 but not so much to the point where you couldn't tell 890 00:40:32,089 --> 00:40:33,924 who it was, and obviously the silhouette. 891 00:40:33,924 --> 00:40:36,552 If you knew who Harley was, you knew exactly who it was. 892 00:40:36,552 --> 00:40:38,721 But it was surprising to see Harley on there. 893 00:40:38,721 --> 00:40:42,224 A guy who respected and protected the business on 894 00:40:42,224 --> 00:40:45,102 a show called 'Secrets of Pro Wrestling.' 895 00:40:45,102 --> 00:40:47,563 I was so disappointed. And I even told Harley, 896 00:40:47,563 --> 00:40:48,981 "Harley, why'd you do it"? And he said, 897 00:40:48,981 --> 00:40:51,108 "Money, brother." Just like anything else, 898 00:40:51,108 --> 00:40:53,194 money is the evil to everything. 899 00:40:53,194 --> 00:40:54,695 In a previous era, 900 00:40:54,695 --> 00:40:57,364 the consequences for that would have been dire, 901 00:40:57,364 --> 00:40:59,283 but the guy that would've been dealing out 902 00:40:59,283 --> 00:41:01,827 the consequences would have been Harley Race. 903 00:41:01,827 --> 00:41:04,663 Who are you gonna get to beat up Harley Race? 904 00:41:04,663 --> 00:41:06,290 Retired from the ring, 905 00:41:06,290 --> 00:41:08,125 Harley starts his own wrestling school 906 00:41:08,125 --> 00:41:09,835 where he imparts his knowledge to a 907 00:41:09,835 --> 00:41:12,254 new generation of talent. 908 00:41:12,254 --> 00:41:15,008 And in 2004, his long history in the business, 909 00:41:15,008 --> 00:41:18,887 is honored with an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. 910 00:41:18,887 --> 00:41:22,223 God gave me the talent to work in this wrestling 911 00:41:22,223 --> 00:41:26,853 business, and there's not a better spot on Earth, 912 00:41:26,853 --> 00:41:28,980 than under those bright lights. 913 00:41:28,980 --> 00:41:31,358 [Applauding] 914 00:41:31,358 --> 00:41:35,070 In 2019, after years of battling various ailments 915 00:41:35,070 --> 00:41:37,948 including lung cancer, the wrestling world awakes to 916 00:41:37,948 --> 00:41:41,201 the news that Harley Race has died. 917 00:41:41,201 --> 00:41:42,410 Harley was in terrible pain, 918 00:41:42,410 --> 00:41:44,329 but he sure had kept it inside. 919 00:41:44,329 --> 00:41:46,331 The depression was kept inside, 920 00:41:46,331 --> 00:41:48,625 the tears were kept inside. 921 00:41:48,625 --> 00:41:50,168 The human body, no matter how much of 922 00:41:50,168 --> 00:41:53,254 a superhuman he might be, has its limits. 923 00:41:53,254 --> 00:41:56,424 He was 76 when he passed away. 924 00:41:56,424 --> 00:41:58,551 When I came into the hospital room, 925 00:41:58,551 --> 00:42:01,054 and I whispered, "Dad, it's me." 926 00:42:01,054 --> 00:42:03,306 I had a hold of his hand and he, like, 927 00:42:03,306 --> 00:42:04,724 squeezed my hand and I put my head down, 928 00:42:04,724 --> 00:42:06,351 and I was crying, 929 00:42:06,351 --> 00:42:07,852 and I put my head down on this chest, 930 00:42:07,852 --> 00:42:10,856 and he reached over, and he patted me on the back, 931 00:42:10,856 --> 00:42:12,483 and left his hand laying there and 932 00:42:12,483 --> 00:42:14,276 it was just as warm as ever. 933 00:42:14,276 --> 00:42:16,279 ♪ 934 00:42:16,279 --> 00:42:18,698 [Speaking Japanese] 935 00:42:18,698 --> 00:42:20,908 I'm Harley Race, seven times 936 00:42:20,908 --> 00:42:22,618 World's Heavyweight Champion. 937 00:42:22,618 --> 00:42:26,497 I would like to introduce to you the star of this film, 938 00:42:26,497 --> 00:42:29,166 and also the star of my life, 939 00:42:29,166 --> 00:42:32,128 my wife, Evonne. 940 00:42:32,128 --> 00:42:34,964 Deep in my heart, I have to say, he was a good guy. 941 00:42:34,964 --> 00:42:37,675 Harley was a god in wrestling. 942 00:42:37,675 --> 00:42:40,636 He just wasn't meant to be a husband. 943 00:42:40,636 --> 00:42:43,639 One of the greatest men that ever stepped in the ring. 944 00:42:43,639 --> 00:42:45,808 It takes a certain talent to get over. 945 00:42:45,808 --> 00:42:48,311 Harley had that talent to get over. 946 00:42:48,311 --> 00:42:52,940 You could not be not in awe of Harley. 947 00:42:52,940 --> 00:42:57,111 After all these years, we're still referring to the 948 00:42:57,111 --> 00:43:01,407 Harley Race way of doing things as being the best. 949 00:43:01,407 --> 00:43:04,453 He was a real, legitimate tough guy. 950 00:43:04,453 --> 00:43:06,455 Some people are just born that way, 951 00:43:06,455 --> 00:43:07,748 he was one of 'em, 952 00:43:07,748 --> 00:43:10,250 and he was very good at what he did. 953 00:43:10,250 --> 00:43:14,046 I don't see how anybody could possibly be 954 00:43:14,046 --> 00:43:15,922 tougher than Harley Race was. 955 00:43:15,922 --> 00:43:17,799 Maybe there's somebody as tough. 956 00:43:17,799 --> 00:43:19,885 Mental toughness, physical toughness, 957 00:43:19,885 --> 00:43:22,220 Harley Race had it. 958 00:43:22,220 --> 00:43:24,639 I don't know if his toughness was to 959 00:43:24,639 --> 00:43:26,558 cover up emotions. 960 00:43:26,558 --> 00:43:28,393 When he had the wrestling school, 961 00:43:28,393 --> 00:43:30,353 and he was married to his wife, BJ, 962 00:43:30,353 --> 00:43:32,689 and when BJ passed away, 963 00:43:32,689 --> 00:43:34,232 we were talking, and he said, 964 00:43:34,232 --> 00:43:35,692 "I haven't cried." 965 00:43:35,692 --> 00:43:37,277 And he goes, "I should be crying, Trevor." 966 00:43:37,277 --> 00:43:39,112 I don't know why I haven't cried." And he goes, 967 00:43:39,112 --> 00:43:41,323 "I miss her, I love her and I'm hurting... 968 00:43:41,323 --> 00:43:43,784 but I haven't cried." And I told him, I said, 969 00:43:43,784 --> 00:43:45,160 "I just don't think that's you. 970 00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:47,245 It's not who you are. It's not... 971 00:43:47,245 --> 00:43:49,915 it's not in your DNA, brother." 972 00:43:49,915 --> 00:43:52,501 There's probably nobody 973 00:43:52,501 --> 00:43:54,836 in the history of wrestling that 974 00:43:54,836 --> 00:43:57,756 gave more of themselves, physically, 975 00:43:57,756 --> 00:44:01,177 and their effort, and their determination, 976 00:44:01,177 --> 00:44:04,389 and their credibility than Harley race did.