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00:00I had 19 and a half inch biceps, and I was 225 pounds at age 19.
00:15God, he was a black Arnold Schwarzenegger.
00:18You have got it. Look at those arms. You have got it.
00:21Yeah, I mean, he was a total package.
00:23I know that I need to work harder. I need to train harder.
00:26A bodybuilder turned wrestler, Mr. USA Tony Atlas broke barriers as one of the first major black superstars in the sport.
00:35You got to keep it. Getting it is one thing, but keeping it all together is a different thing.
00:40I remember seeing black wrestlers get tarred and feathered. A lot of questionable racist behavior.
00:47Tony Atlas made little black kids all over the world feel like, man, I can do that too.
00:53I am going to whoop on you and get paid for it.
00:57There were very few black wrestlers.
00:59There was a lot of time I wrestled in an area where I'm the only black guy.
01:02They saw money. They didn't see color.
01:05Hey, wait a minute.
01:06Holy shit, look at this guy.
01:09Get in the way. Get in the way.
01:11Tony Atlas, Mr. USA, climbing the ladder of success very, very rapidly in the World Wrestling Federation.
01:15Rising to heights few black wrestlers of his era had ever reached, Tony Atlas began to unravel the weight of fame's pressures and pitfalls.
01:25I got trouble here, and I got trouble there, and I got trouble coming your way.
01:31Sex, drugs, and wrestling.
01:33There was a party every night at the hotel room.
01:36There were a lot of temptations, and there were a lot of different choices out there to make.
01:41I never bought drugs in the day of my life. It was always given to me. It was in the dressing room, for God's sake.
01:46There's a lot of things about Tony Atlas I wonder. Whether it's legend or fact, is it true or not?
01:53Tony's battle with addiction cost him significant opportunities, leaving him with no place to call home.
02:01Here's a guy who's making hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he's living on the street.
02:05It's not how much you make, it's how much you save.
02:09I was some homeless guy that smelled like something died.
02:12No place to live, no nothing.
02:15I became a suicide. I didn't want to live no more.
02:18I wanted to die.
02:19All right, so we're going to watch this, and you just tell us whatever you think about it, feel about it.
02:37Mr. USA, Tony Atlas.
02:41And he looks fantastic. Looks like he was chiseled from granite.
02:45Man, he was jacked. What a well-put-together human.
02:48His opponent, weighing 320 pounds, the incredible Hulk Hogan.
02:56Unbelievable size of Hulk Hogan.
03:00So you press-slammed Hulk Hogan at Madison Square Garden?
03:03Yeah.
03:04Oh, look at that. Oh, yes, sir.
03:07Check it out. Check it out, bro. Check it out.
03:11And how do the fans react?
03:14Atlas grinding it out of it.
03:16The table and glue.
03:18Hulk Hogan's, what, 330 pounds at a time, 6'4".
03:25And press him over your head.
03:31Hulk Hogan, I can hear him now cussing up a storm.
03:36Damn.
03:37Tony wanted the press, the biggest guy in the company, because it was telling everybody in the audience,
03:44look how strong I am.
03:47A main event guy, Madison Square Garden, to go to, you know, living on a park bench.
04:00Sometimes people have to go through hitting bottom before they realize how good they really had it.
04:08I was born in Virginia.
04:11My mother was a devoted Christian.
04:15She'd only been with one man her whole life, and that was my father.
04:20My dad never worked.
04:21My mother worked.
04:22All of her dedication went directly to raising her kids.
04:25One time, we were walking down the street, and this guy slapped my mother on the butt.
04:31My mom turned around, she hit him with one punch and knocked him out, laid him out right there.
04:38My mother said,
04:39Hey, I got to teach you kids how to protect yourself, because I ain't always going to be here for you.
04:43That was something she said all the time.
04:45Because when I was young, you had to know how to use your hands.
04:49All through life, like when you go back to my childhood, I was in anywhere between 50 to 100 fights.
04:54Anyway, easily.
04:55So I had a reputation that if you fight me today, and I don't win, you're going to see me again tomorrow.
05:02Most of the influence in the black neighborhood when I was a child was bad influence.
05:06We looked up to drug dealers. We looked up to street fighters. We walked to school, and there was a fist fight every other day.
05:14I didn't care who you were. I wouldn't fight anybody.
05:17Now, my dad, he was a gambler who liked to hustle money, so he took me down to Scrapper Corner and wait for the railroad men to come in.
05:25And when they get drunk, he would tell them, I bet you can't whoop that boy there.
05:29I don't fight these grown men.
05:31And he said, if you lose this fight, boy, you're going to get it worse when you get home.
05:36But I grew quick. By the time I was 12, I was already over 6 feet at 12, but only weighed like 110 pounds.
05:47I was like a stick.
05:50And so one day, I was walking with this girl. I helped her carry her books. I liked her.
05:56Really, I liked her shoes. She had tennis shoes on. So I hear this voice, baby, say, I'm going to push you.
06:03All of a sudden, I fell head first. I got the dent in my head right here.
06:10The whole world turned red because all the blood ran down to my face.
06:15My grandmother come running out. Hold on. Hold on. Come here, boy.
06:19My scar was split completely in half.
06:21We had no phone. She couldn't call the ambulance.
06:24She couldn't call the police. No way of contacting anybody.
06:28My grandmother said, I want you to pray.
06:32So I got down on my knees.
06:34And this is what I said. I want to be strong like Samson, built like Hercules, and have a lot of money.
06:41And everything that I asked for in that prayer, God gave to me.
06:46I blew it later, but still, he gave to me.
06:49Do you think that you suffered brain trauma from that incident?
06:53Yeah. Yeah.
06:55Have you been ever medically diagnosed?
06:57No. No.
06:59But I do know there was something wrong with me.
07:01That I was not like regular kids.
07:04And I think it has something to do with the shoes.
07:06The reason I'm so submissive to women in sneakers and stuff like that.
07:11Because all that was on at the same time.
07:13I don't understand. What do you mean?
07:14I buy shoes for the girls to step on now.
07:19That's what they got me into now.
07:22Oh my goodness.
07:24That one.
07:25Fan one.
07:26Yep, that's a nice pair of shoes right there.
07:28Now, what makes it good?
07:29Well, if they're family looking, they look like something should be on a woman's feet.
07:34I got stepped on in malls and gyms and houses, hotel, elevator.
07:40I got it done everywhere.
07:41A couple dozen times I was with him.
07:43I seen him just buy his shoes and have him walk on his face and never talk to him again.
07:48I was as shocked as the girl was.
07:51People knew nothing about fetishes.
07:53Fetishes and all this stuff was underground.
07:56So they thought because of my wrestling, they thought it was part of my training.
08:00He'd take girls to matches and have them walk on his face.
08:03I'd give a woman $50 just to step on me.
08:06Plus, I'd buy the shoes for them.
08:07They didn't have to pay for the shoes.
08:09I thought it was a little bit out of the ordinary.
08:12You know, but then, you know, everybody has their little quirks, right?
08:18You know, things that make them feel good.
08:21As Popeye said, I am what I am.
08:23You know, he's not the only foot guy in the world.
08:26Well, they said, like, I suck toes, which I don't.
08:30They said I like high heels, which I don't.
08:33They said that I whack off, which I don't.
08:37They try to make it into a sexual thing.
08:40What, for me, my shoe feather keeps me calm.
08:44I got more control of it now than I did then.
08:48Get a sniff on it, Tom.
08:49Hey, now we talking.
08:51I was into what's called dominatrix.
08:55So the dominatrix become your master.
08:58You're what's called a slave.
09:00I can't use that term now because I'm black,
09:02and black people get mad, but that's what it was.
09:04So they dominate you.
09:06See, I went to a person once in a while to explain it to me
09:09that was into all this psychology stuff,
09:11and I had this rage in me.
09:14You know, ever since I was a kid, I'd fight anybody.
09:17I'd beat up anybody.
09:18I could lift anything.
09:19Nobody could beat me.
09:21So I had to learn more control.
09:25So I ended up going to the YMCA.
09:27I've never been to the gym any day in my life.
09:29I was 15 years old when I first started lifting weights.
09:34Hey, hello, welcome.
09:35Come on in, guys.
09:36Well, I know y'all gentlemen noticed
09:38I got a lot of stuff spread out here on the table
09:41because these items here are items for
09:45before there was a Tony Atlas.
09:48Now, this is Muscle Development Magazine.
09:52I never competed in bodybuilding before,
09:55but what ended up happening,
09:56I did a 350-pound press at age 19.
10:01That was the beginning of my bodybuilding and powerlifting.
10:14I saw Tony the first time at the YMCA.
10:17My name is David Crockett.
10:19I am part of the Crockett Wrestling family
10:22that started Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling,
10:26World Championship Wrestling, TBS.
10:29That's us.
10:29In Charlotte, the only place you had to exercise
10:34or lift weights was the YMCA.
10:37A lot of the wrestlers, George Scott, Sandy Scott,
10:41Johnny Heideman, you name it,
10:42they all were down there working out,
10:45and they said, hey, we've got this young man
10:47that we think we can do something with.
10:50They take me to the office.
10:52There were some mats there,
10:54and they said, you know, put him through the paces
10:56just to see, you know, if he knew anything,
10:59which he didn't,
11:00but he definitely had potential.
11:04They said, we're going to pay you $150 a week to trade.
11:10We took an investment in Tony.
11:13Other people, we did not see it worth buying stock in them.
11:18So was there jealousy?
11:20Oh, yes.
11:21And it was very hard for him, very hard,
11:24but he was like a sponge.
11:25You know, he'd learn.
11:28Now, George Scott said, well, Tony,
11:31I guess tomorrow we have to teach you how to work.
11:34I said, George, I don't want to work.
11:36I want to be a wrestler.
11:37He said, no, Tony, you don't.
11:38I said, I don't want to work.
11:39I said, I don't want to be a worker.
11:41I want to be a wrestler.
11:43I learned it ain't up to me to win or lose.
11:45It's up to some promoter.
11:47It was hard to swallow.
11:49Me being for so many years as a weightlifter,
11:52a bodybuilder,
11:53I was in legitimate sports.
11:56Now I'm in a sport where I got to let people whoop me
11:58that can't whoop me.
12:01It was the most disappointing day of my life.
12:03I was 20 years old when I finished high school.
12:13A lot of kids could not afford to do senior pitching.
12:16So this here became my senior pitcher.
12:19And then look at my arms.
12:20Tony Atlas was one of the biggest and one of the strongest.
12:24So I completely identified with it.
12:28I'm Mark Henry.
12:29Some might say the strongest man that ever lived.
12:32Oh!
12:33Oh!
12:33Oh!
12:33And Tony Atlas was my manager.
12:36Ever-present Tony Atlas.
12:38Tony was a heavyweight that didn't look like a heavyweight.
12:43You could see every vein and muscle.
12:46He wasn't just the guy that had show muscles.
12:49Tony had go muscles.
12:50I was a champion in three sports simultaneously.
12:56I was a champion in bodybuilding.
12:58I was a champion in powerlifting.
13:00I was a champion in weightlifting.
13:02You know, 22-inch arms, 24-inch waist, 28-inch thighs,
13:07lats, traps, shoulders.
13:10He was built.
13:12And it just wasn't cosmetics because he had the strength to back it.
13:15Elbows locked, and he did it.
13:18505 pounds.
13:19Hi, I'm Ricky the Dragon Steamboat,
13:212009 WWE Hall of Famer,
13:24NWA World Champion,
13:26weighing 237 pounds,
13:30Ricky Steamboat.
13:32There will only be one winner.
13:34Thanks for being here.
13:35So maybe people don't know this,
13:37but at some point you and Tony were both competing
13:40in bodybuilding competitions, right?
13:42We have competed on the same stage,
13:44but I won Mr. Southern States,
13:47and he won Mr. USA.
13:50Mr. USA.
13:52Mr. USA.
13:53Mr. USA.
13:55Mr. USA.
13:57Tony!
13:58Marcus!
14:02My 50-some-odd-plus years in this business,
14:06I've seen bodybuilders come and go,
14:08you're big, you're strong, and all this stuff,
14:10that doesn't make you a great wrestler.
14:12Hey, I'm Gerald Briscoe,
14:15WWE Hall of Famer,
14:17but you might know me better as Jerry Briscoe.
14:20Gerald Briscoe!
14:24Tony was a bodybuilder that was a wrestler.
14:28Look at the agility of this man, Tony Atlas.
14:31They wanted me to be a main event.
14:32They didn't want me on bottom.
14:33They wanted me on top,
14:34because by then I had best body in wrestling.
14:37The first year of my career,
14:39I was a champion.
14:41With his chiseled physique
14:43and natural talent in the ring,
14:45Georgia Championship Wrestling
14:46wastes little time crowning Tony
14:48their television champion.
14:50You know,
14:51when you got this belt,
14:53you gotta keep it.
14:55Yeah, I mean,
14:56big guy,
14:57good-looking.
14:59I mean, he was a freak of nature.
15:00Hello, my name's Tommy Wildfire Rich,
15:04former NWA World Heavyweight Champion
15:07when wrestling was wrestling.
15:09If you see Tommy,
15:10you're gonna see me.
15:12If you wanna fight Tommy,
15:13you gotta fight me.
15:14If you wanna make love to Tommy,
15:16you gotta love me, too.
15:17A few months,
15:18they started pushing us as a tag team.
15:21Yeah, that's me and Wildfire Tommy Rich.
15:23That's when we were young whippersnappers right there.
15:25Me and Tommy enjoyed the championship wrestling.
15:27Black and white
15:29would fight all night.
15:32And the people just loved it.
15:33I mean, it was, you know,
15:34salt and pepper,
15:35and I'm talking about back in 78,
15:38I think,
15:38is when I started in there.
15:40It's the black and white thing,
15:42you know,
15:42it was a different world back then.
15:46You know,
15:47some of them little towns
15:48didn't like black folks there.
15:50Today,
15:52it'll be called racism.
15:56My day,
15:57it was called
15:59average.
16:02You gotta realize
16:03that the territory
16:04only kept
16:05one black
16:06in every territory.
16:07So,
16:08if I walk in the dress room
16:09and a black guy
16:10is sitting in that dress room,
16:11he was all the mad
16:12and my enemy.
16:13But that was life
16:15for people of color.
16:17I got called nigger
16:18so many times
16:19in professional wrestling
16:20that one time
16:21a guy walked up to me
16:22and said,
16:22hey, Tony,
16:23I didn't know
16:23who he was talking to.
16:24There were very few wrestlers
16:25that didn't use the term
16:26nigger.
16:27Tommy Ritz didn't.
16:29It was just
16:29in the world
16:30at that time.
16:31It was not,
16:32you know,
16:32they all used the term.
16:34They all did it.
16:36And you never said
16:37stop or
16:38why not?
16:40I was making money.
16:41My mom helped me
16:44with this.
16:45She said,
16:45you pick your battles.
16:47As long as I was
16:47making money,
16:48I didn't care.
16:51I made $100,000
16:52my first year
16:53and that was
16:54my smallest year.
16:55I didn't know
16:56what it was like
16:56to work your way
16:57from the bottom.
16:58I didn't know
16:58what that was like.
16:59It was given to me
17:00too quickly.
17:02Too much,
17:03too soon.
17:04I was not supposed
17:04to be in that position
17:06that soon
17:07because mentally
17:08I was not ready for it.
17:10What did you start
17:10spending the money on?
17:12I gave it away.
17:14I gave my friends money.
17:16In fact,
17:17when I took a girl
17:18out on a date,
17:18I would take her shopping first.
17:20I said,
17:21you've got to get
17:21something to wear.
17:22I said,
17:23well, you've got to have
17:23a piece of jewelry.
17:25And the boys
17:25was all big spending.
17:27They told me
17:28when I first started,
17:29there's two ways
17:29of being.
17:30Live like a king
17:31or be rich.
17:33You choose.
17:35I live like a king.
17:37He'd never seen
17:38that much money before.
17:39And it happens
17:40to a lot of athletes.
17:41They don't know
17:42how to deal with it
17:43and they spend it
17:45like there's no tomorrow.
17:47You know,
17:47he goes to the bar,
17:48starts buying drinks.
17:50Man,
17:50it's like piranhas
17:51when they come in.
17:53You know,
17:53everybody's his friend then.
17:55He was like
17:56a Ric Flair
17:57with his money
17:58where he'd make
17:59five grand
18:00and the next day
18:00he'd be broke.
18:02You find a lot of guys
18:03that all of a sudden
18:05start to make it big
18:06and the next thing
18:06you know,
18:07they're buying watches
18:07and cars.
18:09He went out
18:10and bought 1976
18:11Lincoln Continental.
18:13You got to party
18:14with these big guys,
18:15you got to spend
18:16the money.
18:17And unfortunately,
18:18the parasites
18:18in our business
18:19jumped on to Tony
18:21and now they're
18:23becoming Tony's friends
18:24because he's got
18:25all this money
18:25and he'd go
18:26into these bars
18:27and he's spending
18:29all this money.
18:30Hey, Tony,
18:30buy me a drink.
18:32You know,
18:32buy me dinner tonight.
18:34Let's go out
18:34and have some fun,
18:35right?
18:36And you go to a club
18:37and the next thing
18:38you know,
18:38you got a $300 bar tab
18:40and guess what?
18:42The friend that was
18:43with you
18:43is gone.
18:46The girls would
18:47come up to you.
18:49You didn't have
18:50to go to them.
18:51And they'd say,
18:51you want to go
18:52to the room?
18:53Most of the time
18:53I would take
18:54three women up
18:54to the room.
18:56Party,
18:57drink,
18:57smoke.
18:58Every night
18:59was an orgy.
19:00I wanted to fit in
19:01and drugs was
19:02in the dressing room
19:03for God's sake.
19:04I didn't go out
19:04looking for it.
19:07It was in the dressing room.
19:08You know,
19:09whether it's pain pill,
19:10Valium,
19:11or Xanax,
19:11or a little Coke,
19:13whatever it was,
19:14you know,
19:15we all participated
19:15a little bit.
19:17They called our group
19:18of bad boys
19:19because we were
19:19in trouble every week.
19:21I'm referee Nick Patrick.
19:22You probably remember
19:23me as the NWO ref.
19:25I also was a referee
19:26for WWE.
19:27Nick Patrick
19:28McBride, I'm loud!
19:29We were just,
19:30every week,
19:31somebody doing
19:31something stupid.
19:32Just drinking
19:33and doctors
19:34writing out
19:35whatever we wanted
19:36and smoking
19:37and just snorting
19:38and whatever.
19:38We were just,
19:39it's a miracle
19:41we survived.
19:42But anyway,
19:43we got tired
19:44of Tommy never driving
19:45and just finally said,
19:46we are not your chauffeur
19:48any longer
19:49and which was
19:50a horrible mistake.
19:52I'd been drinking
19:53and I was driving.
19:55I just rented Lincoln,
19:57got on the interstate
19:58and went down the road
19:59probably two miles.
20:02We were like
20:02really close back
20:04to our hotel
20:04and the car started flipping.
20:10The car flipped upside down
20:12three times.
20:14So I'm in the car
20:15unconscious.
20:16I don't know
20:17what's going on.
20:20I was almost dead.
20:28An intoxicated journey
20:30down the freeway
20:31ends in disaster,
20:32leaving Tony Atlas
20:33and his fellow wrestlers
20:35wrecked
20:35in a horrifying accident.
20:37The roof of the car
20:38was crushed down
20:39on my side.
20:40I guess it come down
20:41and hit me
20:41and drove my head down
20:42and knocked me out.
20:43And I had a broken neck.
20:46Tony, you know,
20:47I mean,
20:48he was in the hospital
20:48for about three or four days
20:50and then come out
20:52and still couldn't wrestle.
20:53Was that accident
20:54a wake-up call
20:55for the lifestyle?
20:56It was a business.
20:58We went on as normal.
21:01Nothing ever stopped.
21:03I feel bad for Tony.
21:04I wish that he did have
21:06people around him
21:07that was like,
21:08hey man,
21:08you had enough.
21:09Come on,
21:10go get some rest.
21:11You don't know
21:11to get in the car.
21:12Though he struggles
21:13with life on the road,
21:15Tony shines brighter
21:16than ever in the ring,
21:18stepping into the spotlight
21:19of the famed
21:20World Wrestling Federation.
21:23Tony Atlas!
21:26You've signed
21:26to face a number
21:27of individuals
21:28and I can tell you
21:29one thing the fans
21:29are certainly delighted
21:30about it.
21:31If y'all don't mind,
21:31I'd like to show y'all
21:32a few of my sketches.
21:33That's gorgeous.
21:34Yeah, I'm working on that.
21:36His arms are almost
21:37as big as yours, Tony.
21:40I believe so.
21:42If there was ever
21:43a talent that was built
21:45for New York,
21:46it was Tony Atlas.
21:47Take a look at that.
21:50Tony wasn't getting
21:51booked mid-card.
21:53Tony was getting
21:54booked main event.
21:58You know,
21:59and when they did,
22:00what happened?
22:01Man,
22:01the business started
22:02exploding
22:03and the chance
22:04and reaction
22:04that Tony was getting
22:05was second to none.
22:07Tony Atlas,
22:08undefeated
22:09in the World Wrestling Federation.
22:12As one of the WWF's
22:14biggest stars,
22:16Tony joins forces
22:17with future
22:18Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson
22:19to form a history-making tag team.
22:23It was brand new
22:25where you had
22:26two African-Americans
22:27getting that rocket ship
22:29and attached
22:30to both of these young men.
22:33Rocky was already
22:34the established star
22:35and Tony was still
22:37the up-and-coming star.
22:39The two of them together
22:40with the power
22:41and the look that they had,
22:43it was magic for both of them.
22:44You see,
22:46back then,
22:46all this stuff
22:47was new
22:48for black athletes.
22:51Watch out,
22:51believe it!
22:52Here's our new champion!
22:54We are the first
22:55black tag team champions
22:56of the world ever!
23:00Now, that was great.
23:02My problem was
23:03me and Rocky
23:04didn't get along
23:04because Rocky
23:05was a top wrestler.
23:06I was a top wrestler.
23:08I'm the only one
23:09who could take his spot.
23:10Tony,
23:10I'm sure
23:11you're so happy
23:12you've got tears
23:13in your eyes.
23:13It wasn't
23:14that he hated me
23:16or disliked me.
23:17As you know,
23:18Rocky's older than me.
23:20And this was
23:20Rocky's first break
23:22in the WWF.
23:24Think about it.
23:25I made in one week
23:27what took Rocky
23:29Johnson 10 years
23:30to make.
23:31There was a lot
23:31of jealousy
23:32came into play
23:33with that.
23:33So after a while,
23:34it started souring
23:35and it turned
23:36into a bitter relationship.
23:38And that's sad
23:39because those two guys
23:40in the beginning,
23:41they were equal.
23:42And then all of a sudden,
23:44Rocky noticed
23:45that Tony was getting
23:46the bigger push.
23:47You did it, Tony!
23:48You did it, Tony!
23:50Rocky Johnson
23:51tried to get me
23:51far a thousand a time.
23:53They were kind
23:54of toxic together.
23:56You know,
23:56Rocky would play Tony
23:58and get him in trouble.
24:01They would have
24:02very vocal arguments
24:04in the dressing room
24:04to the point
24:05where you'd get
24:06a little concerned
24:06how far is this
24:07going to go.
24:08And a lot of times
24:09you had road agents
24:11stepping in
24:11to kind of calm them down.
24:13Then they'd go out
24:14and they'd have
24:15one of the best matches
24:16you've ever seen.
24:16Trouble Piper now!
24:18Just coming back!
24:19What was really concerning
24:21was one that would
24:21follow over.
24:23I mean,
24:23you want to clear
24:24a bar out
24:24in a hurry.
24:25You get these two
24:26gigantic men
24:26arguing with each other,
24:27cussing each other out.
24:30You're going to
24:31clear a spot for them.
24:32The new World
24:33Stag Team champion,
24:34Rocky Johnson
24:35and Tony Atlas!
24:36Yes, but here's
24:38the kick in the britching.
24:39After we won the belt,
24:40they did very little
24:41with us.
24:42Look at that!
24:43Five months later,
24:44come behind!
24:45We lost the belt.
24:46God is getting three!
24:49I didn't know
24:49we were going to lose
24:50that night.
24:51Vince never told me
24:51nothing about it.
24:53Only Anderson,
24:54only who's telling me
24:55the world is not
24:56ready for a black champion.
24:58I think Tony dealt
25:00with a lot of racism
25:01not only through the fan
25:03but backstage too
25:05with the guys.
25:07The foundation
25:07of the business
25:08was owned by whites.
25:11You know,
25:11like your representation
25:13was based off biases
25:15and some of them
25:16were based off ignorance.
25:18You had guys
25:19that was mumming
25:20the KKK
25:20like Dick Murdoch.
25:22He opened his bag
25:23and said,
25:23KKK freaking
25:24suit in his bag.
25:25I didn't know
25:27this then.
25:28Well,
25:28one time
25:29Dick Murdoch
25:30was in a dress room
25:30and he was getting
25:32out these flowers
25:33and he said,
25:34Tony,
25:35I got some friends
25:36that want to meet you.
25:37I said,
25:37oh,
25:37thank you,
25:38Mr. Murdoch.
25:38You know,
25:39I'm trying to be
25:39respectful.
25:41So,
25:41I said,
25:42yeah.
25:42I said,
25:42can Tommy go?
25:43Oh, yeah,
25:44Tommy go.
25:45So,
25:45we pulled up
25:46into this dirt road
25:47and up on the hill
25:49was this guy
25:49in the hood,
25:50the clang outfit
25:51with a shotgun.
25:53Tommy said,
25:54get down,
25:54T!
25:55People don't realize
26:06this,
26:06but I have
26:07trouble with reading.
26:08When I got
26:09deluxe,
26:10whatever you call it,
26:11my mother said
26:12I was a slow learner
26:13and she said,
26:14it happened every day
26:15I got brain damage
26:16as a kid.
26:18So,
26:18anyway,
26:19Dick Murdoch
26:19gave me this flower.
26:21So,
26:21me and Tommy,
26:22we drive it
26:23and Tommy
26:24have not looked
26:25at the paper yet.
26:26He said,
26:27let me see
26:27that damn flyer
26:28you got there,
26:29Tony.
26:31Hot damn T!
26:32This is for the KKK!
26:33So I lay down
26:36in the seat,
26:37Tommy's on the car
26:38around him.
26:39Oh,
26:39you should be.
26:39He said,
26:40oh,
26:40that clue,
26:40clunk,
26:41clang!
26:41Didn't you read
26:42the 13?
26:43I looked at him.
26:45He's hiding there,
26:45Murdoch,
26:46this son of the damn
26:47clang meeting.
26:49So we get by
26:49the dressing room
26:50and the guys
26:51are having a lab
26:52and they say,
26:52we didn't really
26:53think you were in gold.
26:54Yeah,
26:55he was definitely
26:56taking advantage of.
26:57Tony never looked
26:59for the bad
26:59in someone.
27:01You know,
27:01even after the first
27:03couple of stabs
27:03in his back,
27:04didn't quite understand it,
27:06maybe didn't quite feel it.
27:08But then,
27:08you know,
27:09you get stuck
27:09enough times,
27:10you go,
27:11what in the hell
27:11is going on here?
27:13Years of racism,
27:15exploitation,
27:16and locker room jealousy
27:17pushed Tony
27:19to numb the pain
27:20with his vices.
27:22He told me
27:23he would go do drugs
27:24or he would go get
27:25so sloppy drunk
27:27that he couldn't
27:28even think about
27:29nothing but
27:29him being
27:31intoxicated.
27:33That's a horrible existence.
27:36Then I started
27:37going to the locker room
27:38to intimidate
27:39and that's where
27:41everything started
27:42spiraling down
27:43and the success
27:44and the money
27:45and the fame
27:46started going
27:47to my head.
27:49I had a
27:49Coke
27:50.357 magnet
27:52and I started
27:53shooting at the ceiling
27:54with it.
27:54I destroyed
27:57my own career
27:58by wanting
27:58revenge.
27:59I figured
27:59I would hurt
28:00others as much
28:01as I was hurt
28:02when I was a kid.
28:03He became
28:04a different person.
28:05He was not
28:06Tony Atlas then.
28:07Not the Tony Atlas
28:08I first saw
28:10at the YMCA.
28:12He's going to be
28:13in trouble now.
28:14All these wrestlers
28:15that he's beating,
28:16he's on top
28:17of the world
28:18and self-destructs.
28:21I mean,
28:21it was like
28:22sex, drugs,
28:22and rock and roll,
28:23but it's sex,
28:24drugs,
28:24and wrestling.
28:25Of course,
28:25back then,
28:26we was all
28:26doing it.
28:28I was stupid.
28:29Even though I had
28:30all this fame
28:31and everything,
28:31I was not
28:32a happy person.
28:35I walked out
28:36over a pair
28:36of shoes.
28:37I threw away
28:38in a championship
28:38for a pair of sneakers.
28:40What do you mean?
28:41Well, one day
28:42I'm at the airport
28:42and this girl
28:43was telling me
28:44she can't wait
28:44to see me.
28:45She got some new shoes.
28:46I'm going to walk
28:47all over you.
28:48I said,
28:49shit,
28:50I could go
28:51do this
28:52and come back
28:53to wrestling.
28:54And Chief J. Strongbow
28:56tried to save me.
28:57He said,
28:57this match
28:58is going to be
28:58one of the most
28:59important matches
29:00of your life.
29:01I said,
29:02oh,
29:02and I'm going to L.A.
29:03to be my girl.
29:04Wait, hold on a second.
29:05You would have
29:06had an opportunity
29:07to become
29:07the first
29:08black world champion,
29:11but instead
29:11you decided
29:12to get on a plane
29:13to go get walked on?
29:14Yeah.
29:15I had to lose
29:16everything
29:17to learn
29:19to appreciate
29:20what I had.
29:21What?
29:22What the hell's
29:23going on?
29:25Merry Christmas.
29:27If you miss
29:28one show
29:28and you got
29:29a good excuse,
29:29that's one thing.
29:30But if you start
29:31missing one
29:32here and there
29:33and here and there,
29:34you lose
29:35your dependability
29:36and that's
29:37what they do.
29:38They depend on us
29:38to do what
29:39we're supposed
29:39to do.
29:41I can't think
29:42of nothing worse.
29:44Everybody there
29:45that paid money
29:46because,
29:47oh,
29:47I want to see
29:48Tony Atlas.
29:49Now look at that.
29:50Yes, sir.
29:51And then you go,
29:53I ain't coming.
29:55Come on, man.
29:56You can't do that.
29:58When I came back,
30:00Vince let me go.
30:01I was on fire.
30:03He told me himself,
30:05I have to make
30:06an example
30:07out of you.
30:08In fact,
30:09it was a compliment
30:10in a way.
30:12See,
30:12all the wrestlers
30:13were screwing up.
30:14He said,
30:14I have to make
30:15an example
30:15out of you
30:16because if I fired
30:17Tony Atlas,
30:18then anybody would know
30:19I would fire anyone.
30:22Think about it.
30:22You taking out
30:23your biggest star
30:24you got on your car
30:25on your roster.
30:26That says a lot
30:27about the promoter
30:28because he's sacrificing
30:29crowds and houses
30:30to try to bring you
30:32back to reality.
30:33You know,
30:34sometimes you got
30:34to be protected
30:35from yourself.
30:38Tony's addiction
30:39and release
30:40from the WWF
30:41land him in a small
30:42New England-based
30:43promotion
30:43under the control
30:45of promoter
30:46Mario Savoldi.
30:48Mario told me,
30:49I know you're used
30:50to making more money,
30:52but I could guarantee
30:53you
30:53$50,000 to $75,000
30:56a year.
30:57He said,
30:57it's not much,
30:58but here in Maine
30:59it's Libba.
31:01Then all of a sudden,
31:02Mario would book
31:04a show
31:04on a Saturday.
31:06Vince would book
31:07a show in Maine
31:08on a Friday
31:09trying to put Mario
31:11on a building.
31:13Mario attended
31:13started to drop,
31:14drop, drop,
31:15drop, drop.
31:16All of a sudden,
31:18I had no money
31:18and no place to go.
31:19I became homeless.
31:21I lost everything.
31:23I'm not very well educated.
31:25The only way
31:26that I knew
31:26how to make a living
31:27was in that ring.
31:29I don't come to the park
31:30no more
31:3120 years
31:33since I've been
31:33in this park.
31:35This here
31:36was my home
31:37right here.
31:40It's where I slept.
31:43I was here
31:44for a year
31:45and a half almost.
31:47The same people
31:48that give you something,
31:50they can also
31:50take it away.
31:52And you could lose
31:54everything you ever owned
31:55in a matter of suckers.
31:57got in fights
31:58down here
32:00on Knock Street.
32:01He said that
32:02he woke up
32:04and had rolled
32:05off a bench.
32:07He said,
32:08Mark,
32:08I woke up
32:08and I was laying
32:09in a mud puddle.
32:11Man.
32:16Making hundreds
32:17of thousands
32:17of dollars
32:18is like you're
32:18making a million
32:19dollars back in
32:20the 70s and 80s.
32:21And I went
32:23from that life
32:24to living
32:26on Knock Street
32:26to eating
32:27out of a dumpster.
32:29Here I am
32:30standing on
32:30a freaking corner
32:31and everybody
32:32knows me.
32:33That's what made
32:34it so hard.
32:35See,
32:35I was poor before,
32:36but nobody knew me.
32:38But to be poor
32:39and famous,
32:41I was more hooked
32:42on cocaine
32:43here in Maine
32:44than I have been
32:44in my whole life.
32:46I became a suicider.
32:48I tried to die
32:49by police shooting.
32:51I used to go
32:51to police station
32:52to try to get them
32:52to come out
32:53in the parking lot
32:53to shoot me.
32:55I used to walk
32:55in front of cars
32:56and everything
32:57trying to die.
32:59Though he's ready
33:00to give up,
33:01a local woman
33:02comes to Tony's aid,
33:04saving him
33:04from his darkest
33:05struggles.
33:07Monica was walking
33:08right down
33:08this street here.
33:10She said,
33:11what you doing here?
33:12I said,
33:12I sleep here.
33:14She said,
33:14you can't stay here.
33:15It's 20 below zero.
33:16She said,
33:17you would freeze
33:17to death.
33:18I said,
33:19I don't give a f***.
33:20I want to die.
33:21So she left.
33:23Next day,
33:23she came back
33:24to check on me again.
33:25I cursed her out again.
33:27Fatty got so
33:28dead gum cold
33:29and my legs
33:31went numb.
33:33Monica called
33:33the ambulance.
33:35And they're trying
33:35to ask Monica
33:36all these questions
33:37about me.
33:38Monica can't tell
33:39them nothing.
33:39She don't even
33:39know my name.
33:42I went into a coma.
33:43That picture there,
33:52this is when
33:53I first met
33:54my wife Monica.
33:56That's when we
33:57first met.
33:59I didn't have
34:00a pot to piss in
34:01and the one
34:01to throw it out of.
34:03I had nothing to eat.
34:04All I had
34:05were the clothes
34:06on my back
34:06and my trophy.
34:08That's all I had.
34:10I had nothing,
34:11nothing,
34:11nothing,
34:12nothing,
34:12nothing.
34:14And this woman
34:15took me in.
34:17She said,
34:17if you need a place
34:18to stay,
34:18you can stay with me.
34:20You understand?
34:21She took me home
34:22to her house.
34:24So I started
34:24going back to the gym,
34:26working out.
34:27I got a little
34:28pot-tad job here.
34:29I work as a bouncer
34:30to pay the rent.
34:32All of a sudden,
34:33Vince saw me
34:34a contract.
34:35With Mario
34:35Savoldi's promotion
34:37struggling,
34:38Vince McMahon
34:38reaches out,
34:39offering Tony
34:40another opportunity
34:41for glory.
34:43Monica started crying.
34:45She said,
34:45now that you're back
34:46doing what you do,
34:48I'll probably
34:49never see you again.
34:50And I said,
34:51Monica,
34:52yes,
34:53you will.
34:54I bought
34:55these cheap rings.
34:58I bought these rings,
34:59this ring right here.
35:00I still got it.
35:02And I said,
35:03Monica,
35:03now we are married.
35:06For Vince to do that,
35:07that's a good,
35:07you know,
35:08because it's easy
35:08for him to just say,
35:09get the hell on.
35:10And then,
35:11of course,
35:12I'm sure Tony
35:13had enough time
35:14to know
35:15that he'd done wrong
35:16and loved the opportunity
35:17to get to come back.
35:19He said,
35:20well,
35:20that's Burr the Hatchet.
35:22He said,
35:23I got a great idea
35:24for you.
35:24What have we got here?
35:26Take a look at this
35:27with Yusama Simba.
35:29Proud of his heritage,
35:31indeed.
35:31We have not seen
35:32this man for years
35:33and legally changing
35:35his name to
35:35Saba Simba.
35:36Now,
35:37here's the kick
35:37in the teeth.
35:38My first night
35:39at Saba Simba,
35:41Ronnie Piper
35:41said this.
35:43That's Tony Atlas.
35:45That ain't no Saba Simba.
35:46That's Tony Atlas.
35:47Piper's right.
35:49You know,
35:49everybody knows
35:50that's Tony Atlas.
35:53I thought it was low.
35:55And he ain't the only one.
35:57There's a lot of people
35:58that have played roles
35:59and characters
36:00that they felt like
36:02were belittling.
36:05Tony Atlas was
36:06a respected superstar.
36:09All of a sudden,
36:10he's like,
36:12who?
36:15Vince,
36:15what were you thinking?
36:18Why would Vince
36:18have me to come out
36:19and do a gimmick
36:20and then tell people
36:21who I am?
36:22I couldn't understand
36:23why he did that.
36:24Why walk around
36:25looking like that?
36:26You look like a fool.
36:27From behind here,
36:28don't...
36:28I think it was
36:31a way of making fun of him.
36:33And what?
36:34Was it just because...
36:36It's because...
36:37It's because Vince can't.
36:40You know?
36:41I think Ricky the Dragon
36:43Steamboat worked great.
36:44But then when they
36:45turned me into
36:46the costume-wearing,
36:47fire-breathing dragon,
36:49it was more like
36:50a caricature.
36:51And of course,
36:52with Tony,
36:53the same thing.
36:53Look at Atlas!
36:54Wow!
36:55Just 180-degree turn.
36:57If that was the intent,
36:59then it was a success.
37:01Because...
37:02That was embarrassing.
37:05Oh, God.
37:07Salva,
37:08give me a break.
37:10My third-grade son
37:11at that time
37:12couldn't promote
37:13a better idea than that.
37:15So how did you feel
37:16about the gimmick?
37:19I believe...
37:20Right before Salva Simba,
37:22I was eating
37:23on a dumpster,
37:24sleeping on a park bench,
37:26and you're gonna ask me
37:27how you like the gimmick.
37:28Brother,
37:29he could have put me
37:30in a freaking
37:31pink gorilla suit
37:32at that time.
37:34I would have loved it.
37:36Tony's return
37:37to the WWF
37:39doesn't last long,
37:40and despite stints
37:41and other promotions,
37:42he never regains
37:44his former glory.
37:46But in 2006,
37:48Tony is inducted
37:49into the WWE Hall of Fame,
37:52giving him one last moment
37:53in the spotlight.
37:55Well, and of course,
37:56this is my
37:56Hall of Fame introduction here,
37:59WWE Hall of Famer.
38:00I'd like to thank
38:01the wrestling fans.
38:04Tony was a role model
38:08for a little black kid
38:10that watched wrestling
38:12and had somebody
38:13that identified
38:14and looked like him.
38:15And I requested Tony
38:17as my manager.
38:20I wanted Tony.
38:21Yes, sir.
38:22I heard you need to do that
38:23for a payday.
38:25Next I know,
38:26they're telling me
38:27I'm gonna manage
38:28Mark Hendrick.
38:31Over 15 years
38:33after leaving WWE,
38:35Tony's new role
38:36as a mentor
38:37sees him guiding
38:38Mark Henry on the road,
38:40hoping he won't repeat
38:41Tony's mistakes.
38:43It was just
38:44a childhood dream.
38:47Wanting to be
38:47in the same room
38:48with Tony Atlas.
38:52And Tony and I
38:53would go to the gym.
38:55It used to amuse him
38:56with the stuff
38:57that I could do.
38:57And I got in
38:58really good shape,
38:59though,
39:00riding with Tony.
39:01Tony Atlas
39:02and the world's
39:03And then I went
39:05into a different level
39:06of, you know,
39:07Hall of Payne stuff.
39:08Somebody to call
39:09the police.
39:10That was awesome.
39:12So how and when
39:13did Vince fire you
39:14for good?
39:14The last time
39:15I worked for him
39:15I was with Mark Hendrick.
39:17My father,
39:17Tony Atlas is rolling
39:18into the fabric
39:19of our craft.
39:20I had to catch a flight.
39:21That red eye,
39:22leave out at like
39:2312, 30 or something
39:24out of Long Vegas.
39:25Vince said,
39:26Tony,
39:26you're just as much
39:27a part of this company
39:29as anybody here.
39:31I get home,
39:32I get a phone call,
39:33we have to terminate
39:34your contract.
39:36I just talked
39:37to him yesterday.
39:38That's Vince.
39:39What come out
39:40of Vince's mouth,
39:41don't trust it.
39:49Are you ready?
39:51One more.
39:52Years after his
39:53historic time
39:54in WWE,
39:56Tony Atlas keeps
39:57his legacy alive,
39:59offering fans
40:00another glimpse
40:01of Mr. USA.
40:02Mr. USA,
40:04Tony Atlas.
40:06The legend of
40:07Tony Atlas won't die
40:08because it still lives
40:10because people see him.
40:12They go to autograph
40:12signings,
40:14so he'll go up
40:15and say hi
40:15and hug people.
40:17I was in Boston
40:18a couple of years back
40:19and I'm doing
40:20making greats,
40:21you know,
40:21and Tony's there.
40:22All of a sudden
40:23I see Tony
40:24take off his jacket.
40:26Then all of a sudden
40:27I see Tony
40:28bending over
40:28lacing up
40:30a pair of boots
40:30and holy cow.
40:33And I said,
40:34Tony,
40:34what the hell
40:35are you doing?
40:36Briscoe,
40:37I'm working tonight.
40:40Man got to make a living.
40:43I'm not financially secure.
40:45I'm not that well educated.
40:47The only thing I got left
40:49is my health and strength.
40:51I met three women
40:52in my whole life
40:53that cared about me.
40:54Three.
40:56My mother,
40:57my grandmother,
40:58and my wife,
40:59Monica.
41:01Well, right now,
41:01when people say,
41:02how is she doing?
41:03Not good.
41:052019,
41:06my wife, Monica,
41:07had a stroke
41:08and she's been
41:09hospitalized since.
41:12This is my home
41:13away from home.
41:14My wife is here.
41:16If I'm not at the gym,
41:17I'm here.
41:18I thought I lost my wife.
41:20I sure did.
41:23This is my wife, Monica.
41:26Yeah, come on, baby.
41:28Well, this is the woman
41:29that found me in the park
41:30and she took me in,
41:33went through hell
41:33and high water with me.
41:35Say hi, baby.
41:36Hi, baby.
41:37Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
41:42So how's your day going, baby?
41:45Compassion is the biggest thing.
41:47When somebody is bedridden sick,
41:51he have to cook for her
41:53and clean for her
41:54and bathe her.
41:56I got my little kit here.
41:58This is my Monica kit.
42:01It's a special person
42:02that does that.
42:04I wash her face.
42:05I put chapstick on her
42:08and then I help her
42:10to go to bed.
42:12I could never
42:13do enough
42:15for this woman.
42:17Like I said,
42:17I would not be here
42:18right now
42:19if it wasn't for Monica.
42:21I'm sure Tony has reflected
42:26back to those days
42:27with Rocky Johnson
42:28and Madison Greergaard
42:29getting those $5,000
42:31or nine payoffs.
42:32And I'm sure he reflects back
42:34of being homeless
42:35after having all that money
42:36and having nothing
42:38that's not in place
42:39where you could lay your head.
42:41But you can't do it
42:42all over again.
42:42I'm going to say this.
42:45Tony had his moments
42:46in the business.
42:47And those are the moments
42:48that he should be recognized for.
42:50No, this can't be done.
42:52Mr. USA clears the ring.
42:54The winner, Tony Hopkins.
42:57If I had been
42:57a little bit more humble,
42:59I would have been
42:59the first black world champion.
43:01But I'm more happy now
43:03with no career,
43:05no money.
43:06And I was a miserable
43:07when I had all that money
43:09and glory.
43:09I was not happy.
43:11The only thing that made me happy
43:12was getting some girl
43:13to stomp on my face.
43:15Other than that.
43:18More stories
43:19is it's never too late
43:20to say I'm sorry.
43:22It's very stiff.
43:24It's never too late
43:25to wash all the mud off
43:26and to act like
43:28you got some damn sins.
43:29Because other people
43:31are depending on you too.
43:35I do this every day.
43:37And you willing
43:38to live for them
43:40rather than die for them.
43:47You getting prettier
43:48from you?
43:50Shut up.