Memphis Wrestling: Tom Renesto's Revenge

[@MrPotatoesLatkie]

Tom Renesto seems to have been a very underrated manager. His performance her and, the one from the previous video was quite good.

[@DoubleAgents]

+MrPotatoesLatkie His spot was good but he fumbled with his words so much that he lost any effectiveness.

[@MrPotatoesLatkie]

Double Agents That just meant that he needed practice, or shorter lines. I see potential in these old clips.

[@MrPotatoesLatkie]

He would have also made a heel commissioner, maybe paired with a face commissioner,. Both would have to agree on interpretation of rules, and rarely agree on anything. He would always be on set to make the decision, as the face would be off somewhere else.

[@MrPotatoesLatkie]

@Colin Killian Yes, I read Hamilton's biography.

[@edmondcamp2878]

Tom Renesto wrestled in the fifties mainly in Texas. On December 1 1961 he went to Atlanta Ga. He was paired with Joe Hamilton and given the name the Assassins and won the tag team belts that night from Ray Gunkel and Don McIntyre. I believe it was Gunkel who gave them the name the Assassins. It wasn’t from the Kennedy assassination as Jim Ross said. First Hamilton was Assassin # 1 then after their first tour Renesto became Assassin # 1 and Hamilton Assassin # 2. It remained that way until even after Renesto had retired up until 1975. The Assassins were literally the greatest tag team ever. They could wrestle they could brawl they had some ingenious gimmicks and did great promos unlike wrestlers today. They did wrestle in Mid Atlantic as the Bolo’s because Renesto had already established himself as the great Bolo. Renesto was also a legitimate shooter. Regardless of what Ole 9:56 Anderson says and I like Ole but Ray Gunkel and Tom Renesto as bookers from 1968 to 1972 put on some of the greatest matches with the greatest talent that Atlanta or anywhere else had ever seen.

[@mikewalters8047]

@litehouse6: Jody Hamilton was wrestling under a mask at this time in Ron Fuller's Continental Championship Wrestling as "The Flame".

[@stevenzack1497]

Tom Renesto's portrayal of the heel promoter was so perfectly done that it still stands today as the measuring stick by which "heel" promoters are rated. Much like the Muta scale that is used to rate bloody matches there should be a Renesto scale for rating heel promoter characters.

[@JeffreyJetsKohut]

Tom Renesto's dialogue reminds me of... Nick Bockwinkle!

[@Bob-501]

my grandfather was a great man and as for all you haters hate on he's not even with us and you're still talking about him that means something i love you granddad rip

[@GShea]

I loved your Grandfather. 😊

[@jasonfilm1]

I grew up watching Memphis Wrestling. Tom Renesto was a talented booker, wrestler and manager. The business was great back then! Great with Tom!

[@carljohnson2234]

He was great as one half of the Assasins.

[@dunnwell7780]

The fact that after all these years, people still hate him after this angle, shows how good he was at his job.

[@SteveHolsten]

Your Grandfather as a man wasn't hated; just as the heel character was.

[@mcwhorter141mcwhorter8]

Tom was a great mind for the business .

[@TranceMasterJack]

Geez I'm still scared of that Mongolian Stomper and he's probably been dead for 20 years.

[@stanhill1723]

Yes, this is former Assassin #1 Tom Renesto--a great pro wrestler in the '60's & '70's. He teamed with Assassin #2 Jody Hamilton for many years, as the Assassins & as the Bolos (in the Carolinas). Tom was a great booker for Nick Gulas in 1978-'79, & he himself was involved in some great matches vs. Randy Savage & Terry Gordy & Michael Hayes. Topnotch on the mic, also--as you can see here.

[@rzrbckfn11]

Hey GShea thanks for these videos. I wish you would put full episodes of Saturday morning memphis wrestling.

[@litehouse6]

Is this the same Tom Renesto that worked as the Assassin along with Jody Hamilton?

[@SteveHolsten]

You must not have watched all of this video. Lawler said he was an Assassin with Hamilton.

[@stardust7424]

Yes Tom Renesto was the other original Assassin, and he was the Number one Assassin not like Joe Hamilton is claiming to be. Tom was always the leader of that team, i remember it well. It was also in an Atlanta TV studio where Wrestling was held, Tom Renesto came out to everyone's surprise and took off his mask and revealed who he was. From that point when Joe Hamilton made his return back to wrestling from a injury, but still known has a unmasked Assassin went own to feud with Tom Renesto in a few matches before making up, which lead to Hamilton removing his mask and revealing his identity. For a few years Tom and Joe got back together as the masked Assassins until Tom became seriously injured at the hands of Dusty Rhodes and could never wrestle again! I don't think Joe ever got over that, and stay after Dusty for many years in a feud i believe was very much for real!

[@litehouse6]

@@stardust7424 Thanks Star Dust. Good history.

[@nicoleknight9412]

@@stardust7424 Assassin #2 and Wrestling ll we're involved in a feud as well. He was also the first member of the Rock Hunter Organization at that point in time.

[@edmondcamp2878]

@@stardust7424 I believe when Renesto quit wrestling with Joe he became the Booker for Georgia Championship Wrestling after All South folded and Joe kept wrestling as the Assassin two with Professor Taru Tanaka.

[@litehouse6]

Thanks Jerry, you answered my question. Wonder why Lawler told the Assassins real names? I think Hamilton was still under a hood at this time.

[@edmondcamp2878]

Hamilton did unmask in 1974 when he was wrestling for the late Ray Gunkel’s wife in ALL SOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING that covered seven southern states. At the time Lawler made this statement about Hamilton Hamilton was in Birmingham wrestling as the flame but he did go back to wrestle as the Assassin.

[@theflorgeormix]

The Assassins. Except for Terry Funk. The biggest double talkers in wrestling history.

[@madbrowniac7871]

Gorilla Monsoon + Bob Caudle = Tom Renesto Senior!🤔🎤🎼🎸🤼‍♂️B.W.

[@poppiarlin5612]

Tom was a genius.

[@jasonfilm1]

Katie, Tom Renesto was a major talent in pro wrestling. I watched the above tv episodes when I was a kid.

[@shawnmorrisundanism6341]

He wasn't heel he was just an official rep for his client aggressive the way he supposed to be psychology a real manager

[@stevemtc1]

Tom Renesto is a fine fella

[@gl6996]

In this angle, Tom was right. They were trying to railroad him. He stood up.

[@heatherwaibel6361]

Good

[@chrisbridges71]

Yes.

[@JerGer918]

Lancer looks like he should be announcing "Monday Night Football" with that canary yellow suit jacket on :D

[@ronvorpe4048]

I can see Lance and Howard Cosell debating players and their toughness hand abilities....include Dandy Don Meredith and Jimmy Hart and it's must see TV.

[@Victorgarland]

I remember him well he was a master of his profession .

[@fblassie]

Renesto a great heel manager.

[@RandallDenison]

Tom Renesto member of the original Assassins.

[@RevanGabriel]

what was your wrestling name? are there any clips of you on youtube?

[@jasonwashburn3414]

Sonebody tell me if I'm wrong. Is Mr Renesto the person Gorilla Monsoon from WWF back in the day?

[@shawnmorrisundanism6341]

His demeanor reminds me of James j Dillon

[@bobbyector3891]

I thought he was Gorilla Monsoon.

[@shawnmorrisundanism6341]

@@bobbyector3891 ha ha

[@RayNDeere]

Yep, that's Archie Gouldie

[@danorthsidemang3834]

6:19 "I'M A MAN"

[@michaelharris1616]

I know that time bring about a change just miss the the old school guys

[@dwightsoon4764]

A classic 👌

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

Tom Renesto was the Original Assassin #2 ( there were 4 ) and the Second Great Bolo , The asshole Al Lovelock being the first . He wrestled babyface in Texas as Tony Montana .

[@stardust7424]

No Joe Hamilton stole the number one position from Tom Renesto, when they no longer wrestle together!

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

@@stardust7424 No . The first Assassin was Jody .

[@heatherwaibel6361]

True

[@heatherwaibel6361]

May that letter be from his mom or wife

[@tonyarceneaux286]

Rest in ☮️ Lance Russel.

[@danorthsidemang3834]

Bullshit

[@geodeuce]

Is this the Mongolian Stomper or another stomper? Was this man an assasin?

[@ramonrodriguez8554]

One and the same.

[@BaronTurco]

A skinflint is a cheapskate. LeBell's payoffs towards the end were pathetic. I made more money in one night working for the opposition run by the great Antonio Ripper Leone, until LeBell found out and had Renesto fire me.

[@tonyarceneaux286]

I hit another even likes number.

[@mbp7060]

Tom Renesto shoulda slapped Jerry Lawler, Eddie Marlon, Lance Russell, the Stomper and some of those disrespectful fans.

[@nellbowie7986]

What's his? Lol classic

[@nellbowie7986]

What's his name? Lol

[@BaronTurco]

I used different names in different territories and wore a mask in Hawaii and the South Pacific. There are videos of me on KZbin, but they are some of my last matches for a miserable cheapskate promoter in California, so I'm not proud of them. I can't find any tapes from St Louis, Georgia, Kentucky and Hawaii, and even in Mexico there was some great footage of brawls with Mascaras. I can't find any of them. They were probably taped over, which was common.

[@chrisruth7057]

5:51 October 26 1985🤔 let go back to the future⚡🏫⚡💨

[@larrystarstruck]

It sure was.

[@litehouse6]

"Phil Hickerson is a fat crybaby." HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

[@heatherwaibel6361]

Ha ha

[@davidscott7626]

Assasin # 2

[@stevemtc1]

Brett Hart lived the Stomper

[@conanthefreeloader4588]

Joe Turco? The Matador? Bull Turco? Mario Leone?

[@BaronTurco]

As a booker, poor old Tom became known as a territory killer because he was in Detroit, L.A. and other territories. I worked for him a few times when he was booker in GA & L.A.. He tried to be a nice guy & in Georgia he really was, but by the time he came to L.A. fior skinflint promoter Mike LeBell he was generally pissed off at everyone and the wrestlers all ignored his finishes & we all did what we wanted to. Neither of us knew who was going over until we decided with each other in the ring.

[@RevanGabriel]

Mike LeBell is a skinflint promoter? Whats a skinflint promoter?