Tony Atlas on The Von Erichs

Tony Atlas on The Von Erichs
WWE Hall of Famer and first black WWE Wolrd Tag Team Champion "Mr. USA" Tony Atlas talks about his time working in World Class Championship Wrestling with the famous Von Erich family and why he felt the family held some of the wrestlers working for them down when they were starting to get over with fans. He also discusses and incident with Kevin Von Erich allegedly threw up in the ring after a night of partying.
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[@James-xx4kb]

I could listen to Tony Atlas stories all day

[@youvandal411vm]

I want a Tony Atlas Siri.

[@SpaceAce1993]

Me too

[@finch45lear]

I think Tony is one of the best shoot interviews in the business.

[@markbowman6655]

Reminds me a lot of James "Kamala" Harris, I trust them, and they seem real down to earth, straight shooters.

[@MAGIKMARTIAN9526]

very objective and non- bias

[@bobloblaw9791]

I don’t disagree with you

[@oldschoolfan420]

Tony is very insightful here.

[@clints5108]

When you read between the lines listening to Tony Atlas talk, you can see just how world-smart this guy is/was. Always wished he was given more of a push

[@fayezfawzi3255]

not even close. read his book. he himself calls himself a huge idiot in it.

[@fayezfawzi3255]

@John Doe once again, read his book. After you read it no way that you will say that he is in anyway intelligent. He literally says that everyone tried to help him except himself, and that he deserves everything that happened to him because of how stupid he was. That is the guy himself admitting it. And I say that as someone who respects him, as admitting how bad you were takes guts.

[@DBTdad]

I never saw much intelligence from Tony Atlas. Even as a kid, I thought he was plain dumb.

[@raybrice2918]

Tony Atlas is a National Treasure and a Global Icon. Those who have watched vice's Bruiser Brody episode will know how stand up and good a guy Tony Atlas is.

[@matthewcollins8602]

Tony understands Ole Anderson and Vince McMahon! People get mad at them but both were great for the business.

[@glorymosbyfloyd3878]

Truth

[@simplysteve68]

It was Brian Adias, that Tony was trying to think of. Lol

[@violentgentleman_jmac]

Tony should have a series of wrestling Psychology books. He knows the business and the keys to success. Not everyone gives credit when and where it’s due. He’s so right. Had Mr. McMahon beaten Stone Cold left and right, he would have been done before he took off.

[@Fultonfalcons86]

One thing about Tony when he tells you something 99.9999% of the time it is true.........

[@MattJungleCat]

Very insightful from Tony. Great interview!

[@cbas1083]

I can sit and listen to this man talk for hours instead of watching 15mins of WWE program now a days.

[@ensabahnur7657]

Tony Atlas broke it down!

[@chapinrey]

Tony , unlike Flair and others he tells the truth , I respect that .

[@jrsmith3344]

Everything that comes out of Flair's mouth sounds like bullshit to me?

[@euroamerican5189]

Flair is just an old drunk. he probably doesn't even realize he's lying most of the time.

[@michaeltieman1943]

Good interview - big props to Ole Anderson, good to learn those small details.

[@DavidSmith-oh3re]

Tony was correct on this

[@seaness267]

Funny Tony sounds better and is much more understandable now than in the 70's and 80's

[@1BoiHot]

This guy has some intriguing interviews. He seem so authentic. During other wrestler shoots I often multitask or leave the room, etc. However my "butt is in the seat" when it comes to Tony interviews. I keep searching for more interviews with Tony

[@marcm9999]

Great insight by Mr. Atlas.

[@CadillacL]

He’s thinking Brian Adias

[@CadillacL]

Napoleon wilson he was in WCCW, was a great worker I thought.

[@ChuckAllen210]

Yeah, Brian Adias was a great talent back then. He was the High School Buddy Of Kerry and Kevin that turned on them and became the most hated guy in the area.

[@jaspermeade1419]

Chuck Allen he turned on them when he buddied up with Al Madril right?

[@vanthdreadstar8039]

The Harts were like that as well. Every guy that looked like they could be more popular turned heel and were beaten out of the territory. I remember Owen getting quite a beating from Larry Cameron (who was the main heel at that time), and I actually think he lost to him. Maybe by a countout. But, then Bruce, who was well past prime and 100lbs lighter, fights Larry and almost pins him but Cameron is saved by a manager. He booked himself stronger looking than any of the main faces on the roster.

[@lowjack3399]

Vanth Dreadstar Bad News Brown once said that Bruce was jealous of Benoit.

[@vanthdreadstar8039]

I guess I could see it but I think Bruce helped get Chris over to Japan in the end which was great for Chris. I dont know if it was so much jealousy with Bruce, or he figured that he needed to be booked to look strong because of the family name and he thought it was best for business. It could have been jealousy but he was also trying to rebuild/sustain/increase a business on the back of the guy that he thought was most reliable. Him.

[@GeorgeSquare]

Even though he sounds like he can hardly string a sentence together, he makes a great point at the end there regards the Stone Cold and Vince angles - Vince went out every night, got whooped, embarrased and beaten but it was selfless to put someone else (Stone Cold) over and for the needs of the business. That's the point.

[@killerjoe2753]

Wow. Very insightful. Tony actually praised Ole and destroyed the Von Erichs. That's rare.

[@juleshakimtryingtodorandom7512]

In one minute he summed up everything for us

[@charleskuckel3173]

Tony Atlas is ABSOLUTELY right! VKM put the business FIRST in the past whereas the other promoters he mentioned put themselves ahead of EVERYONE. Tony Atlas gives great interviews.

[@sydneystroud4397]

Not Jim Crockett Not Ron Fuller Not Bill Watts Not Vince Sr. There were always promoters who put their business first over themselves. Also, remember VKM booked himself as a champion. There's not anything wrong with that if it plays to angle, but we can't pretend it's not something he ever wouldn't do.

[@philaman1972]

Tony makes a lot of sense here!

[@PtolemyJones]

I agree, favoritism is a poison in wrestling. Happening on AEW these days, sad to say.

[@RunDCM]

I heard Dusty did that to the rock n roll express. He would make sure he would be on the same card when r n r were at their peak.

[@randallguzik3764]

EVeryone who worked for Crockett said that...including Dusty because it meant more $$ inthe paycheck, but by the summer of 1987 the RnR Express were not drawing as much and 6 man and 8 man tags were selling out between the SuperPowers/Road Warriors and the Horsemen.

[@williamdavies391]

Tony may not have a phd but he's very clever from living a hell of a life .

[@johnnyappleseed6665]

William Davies Phd's have nothing to di with intelligence

[@ericcrawford4820]

@@johnnyappleseed6665 or spelling just kidding brother and your absolutely right!

[@allwightallwong5045]

I can listen to Tony talk forever

[@bullsfan102]

What a smart articulate explanation Atlas just provided. You can tell he has a good aptitude for the business.

[@anthonysmith905]

Met This Dude When I Was A Kid. I Dig His Interviews.

[@TechnoloG84]

Folks won’t ever stop talking about the Von Erichs. Ever.

[@tommyjones5316]

I am tried to people talk about the von Erich

[@ZPLS18]

@Pedro Sepulveda Wtf is your stupid ass talking about?

[@williamnewton2786]

I lifted weights when I was a teenager and I patterned my walk after Tony's walk when he was super buffed. But I wasn't buffed like Tony but I thought I was back then 40 years ago.

[@phatjesus57]

My grandmother dated Fritz von Erich, they have 1 picture together and it's fucking hilarious

[@ThunderJuice]

It was the same in TNA when Monty Brown started getting over and Jeff put him in Planet Jarrett to kill his heat.

[@paulyejr]

Exactly. I remember that

[@barryhunt5357]

This is a Great series with Tony , he is spot on , a lot of runs were squashed because of personal egos , lots of missed revenue over the years .Your an owner / Promoter and have no problem putting someone over .Will you ever come into the states for a show ??

[@ericthompson9672]

Nobody was allowed to beat the Von Erichs you could see this every week Dusty and Ric Flair every week Dusty will come out on top

[@jasonhowell1264]

Eric Thompson Dusty always beat Flair? I seem to remember Flair won 2 NWA titles from Dusty, and don't get me wrong I love Dusty, he was one of the all time greats.

[@randallguzik3764]

Dusty was really like that on house shows, but since most people didn't go to house shows Dusty allowed the heels to get a lot there heat back on TV and at TV tapings. Dusty was often the recipient of the Horsemen, ME, Paul Jones Army, Kevin Sullivan's Family, and others to build there heat back up. One of h s main problems was towards the end of his run in JCP is that he had to mentioned by everyone and put over as the legend. I to am a huge Rhodes fan, but it was true he put himself over big time.

[@alanstrong3295]

No one likes to work for controlling figures. Helpful input, Tony!

[@glorymosbyfloyd3878]

I love Tony Atlas

[@aggynu]

He said Von Erich 3 times without the "s"... 😁 I thought I was tripping at first.

[@ronsilvia8127]

The fabulous freebirds were as important to world class championship wrestling as the von erichs were

[@danielmoore2320]

Wrong they were a major part but they were not as big as the Von Erichs when to Freebirds lift to Mid-South the Von Erichs were still doing the stadium shows with Chris and Gino Hernandez not to mention that before the free birds that ever arrived to world-class world class was already doing sold out shows and stadium shows so your assessment and your comment or wrong

[@scvbtr2]

Tony Atlas gives good shoot stories!

[@ronsilvia8127]

World class championship wrestling was better than any other wrestling past or present

[@MrMaxxRated]

And that's one of the reasons they failed

[@mojoe3012]

Sure the particulars are important. But if Tony made an error or two then ok. I walk away with the bigger message. To see the big picture. Maybe ego caused some to fail. Vince understands wrestling.

[@MrNumber1gator]

Always loved Mr Tony....

[@karlepaul6632]

I love Tony Atlas, I remember him and Rocky Johnson beating the Wild Samoans for the WWF tag team title, and I was only 10 and I went nuts. The Wild Samoans had Lou Albano for their manager, and they had soooooooo much heat on them, it was ridiculous. Definitely around the top , and arguably the MOST out of any other wrestlers at that point, and definitely the top of the tag teams. The whole "First Black Tag Team Champions" bit. Honestly, I didn't even think about that. Not one single solitary second. But that's GOOD. Why? Simple: I could've given a shit about the skin color or ethnicity or whatever then (even now) The "GOOD GUYS" won. And it was awesome.

[@sjames304]

So . . . . . . as much as Ole is looked at as such an asshole, he actually has the PROPER mind for the business. Make money. Draw money. That's all the matters. Who cares who wins?? It's all about drawing MONEY.

[@Maniac_Matt]

Makes perfect sense about getting over more than the family..

[@lickitup323]

I love this guy, who wouldn't love to hangout with Tony??

[@SonicandTheTailsbrothers]

Tony is spot on here especially on Dusty. So many have said Dusty hated when Road Warriors and Rock and Roll Express outdrew him on shows so he teamed up with them. Ridiculous. If your business is doing well what should it matter? Put the Rock and Rolls everywhere and strike when the iron is hot.

[@ericthompson9672]

What's really good about this is that it's very truthful I could see this unfolding as it happened nobody was allowed to beat the

[@MrSwish702]

Damn Dusty smh 🤦

[@Tsuruta1]

And when it came to Tony, Warrior, and later Ted Arcidi competitors in bodybuilding and powerlifting with titles, that something that Kerry never had, and he was the strongman gimmick out the Von Erichs.

[@Tsuruta1]

Gopher State Kerry got over in World Class because his father owned the business, couldn't do it anywhere else, such as in the WWF/E as the "Texas Tornado." Real easy to be big when your family keeps you big. And where is Kerry now? Dead from a self inflicted gunshot to his heart. In short, suicide, just as two of his brothers Mike and Chris. Warrior is now passed, yes but not until the last minute he was made a WWE Hall Of Famer, *even though they tried to blackball him first. Arcidi tried after his powerlifting days, but got out of wrestling due to injuries, not because he didn't sell. And Tony said in other shoots, that the reason why he could've gone further and didn't was because he let his early successes go to his head. Not saying that Kerry didn't sell or didn't have the look, he just couldn't cut it outside of his dad's business.

[@Tsuruta1]

Napoleon wilson Exactly, I gave Kerry admiration in trying to wrestle having lost a foot, but he was just a local hometown hero in World Class.

[@kummakummakummakummakummac8606]

Napoleon Wilson - "had a great body but couldn't cut promos and was a average worker at best" This describes Ultimate Warrior perfectly.

[@Tsuruta1]

Napoleon wilson And one main reason for his success, he never set out to be a just a wrestler, just like Goldberg. He had other interests, looked down at what he could do past his wrestling days, and I personally would've like to meet him because he was a former 1980 NPC Georgia Bodybuilding champion, so am I. Only he was an overall finisher, I only won my weight class in the bantamweight class.

[@Tsuruta1]

William Gregg Nonsense.

[@RedroomStudios]

this was fascinating stuff that Tony revealed here. I heard some other wrestlers saying Tony wasnt a very smart guy but this seems like a pretty intelligent observation...

[@andyinpa1]

Tony has a really good handle of the business.

[@fayezfawzi3255]

well said. Everything i read and heard about Ole makes me believe that he is one of the smartest guys in the wrestling industry.

[@shaistahkhan8746]

More proof ultimate warrior wasn’t lying and putting mans down. Everyone needs to hear this.

[@MrMaxxRated]

He's right, that's why they all went under

[@ProtomanButCallMeBlues]

yup, once the Von Erichs were gone, the promotion imploded. Who came out of there aside from the von erichs and freebirds?

[@jaspermeade1419]

Any wrestling fan that is anti-WWE/anti-McMahon needs to watch this shoot!! Mr. Atlas laid it down and spoke the truth on that one!!

[@reivunrantington9425]

Well that was at a different time period. Now its way different. The mindset changed a lot when it comes to handling talent but back then Vince was a beast. Always enjoyed him being in a storyline because he wasn't afraid to get his ass whooped. Plus he was a monstrous heel. Many people miss that and more from him.

[@pdanny526]

He’s 100% right. I’m sure Vince has an ego, just like any man. But he never once let it get in the way of his bottom line.

[@tonymctony4551]

Got tired of seeing the Freebirds lose so I changed the friggin channel and switched to wwf or even the southern mexico based wrestling company . Anything beat seeing the Von Erichs over all the time.

[@jerryalexander8803]

Vince did win a Royal Rumble though.. But other than that he's right Vince always let the wrestlers shine

[@rict5878]

The Von Erichs were spoilt to Texas and probably could have done tours in the Mid Atlantic but Fritz would never allow it and except for David , the other two were to lazy and unreliable to ever have a legitimate run with the ten pounds of gold.

[@evalsoftserver]

Growing up in Brooklyn NYC, as a kid I remember The WWF around 1977-80 . Coming on at 12 Midnight on , Channel 9 On Saturdays .I knew they had Wrestling organization Down South, But Never Saw it, in NYC, I remember people talking about Rick Flair, Having never seen Ric Flair in the WWF in the 70s, I would simply call it Down South Wrestling as a Six year old.

[@TheStikapos]

nice job tony. thanks!

[@paulfeldner7893]

Insightful.

[@MobKnowledge]

Think this is the first time I've ever heard anyone say something good about Ole.

[@StrongStyleNinja]

Has to be Brian Adidas

[@bren7883]

Love when the old heads talk about wrestling

[@mjbeezer]

Brian Adidas?

[@guyburgess2160]

Brian Adidas.

[@anthonyjohndemito]

Sounds bout right

[@gregorylevi1826]

I remember that match between Brian & Kevin. I was in shock.

[@jimh.412]

Tony is correct. 💪💪

[@scottanderson8167]

This is the only time I’ve ever heard anyone say a nice thing about Ole

[@thereal9118]

4:27 I’m glad Vince didn’t have the “mytality” as the other promoters

[@josephmiller4497]

Tony was a star every where he wrestled and had great guess with the who's who think Hulk Hogan,Ric Flair, Ken Pantera Big John Stud Roddy Piper just that group Tony should've held the WWF title at least once.

[@dman3438]

Who's Tony Atlas????

[@sammydane5988]

Warrior was getting over in World Class! But the Von Erich's probably didn't like it! Big mistake! Maybe that's why World Class didn't work out!

[@jameskelly5672]

Tony got pinned in the middle of the ring by Adrian adonis

[@dupont416]

He has a great mind for the business.

[@MrGrxxx123]

That’s how it is with all family run businesses

[@michaell874]

Interesting, especially considering the fact that as wrestlers, Vince McMahon, Jr kept Lawler, Dusty Rhodes and Kerry Von Erich down.

[@juicyfruit6311]

With Kerry, it reads more that Kerry did it to himself. Everyone from Bret to the Warrior said he was a sweetheart of a guy. It was Kerry not being reliable that got him.

[@CaptainVelveeta]

Anybody remember when Tony Atlas wore a mask and was booked as Black Atlas in the late 70's. I've looked high and low for just a few PHOTOS much less some video of this but it's nowhere to be found.

[@brendanhodge7713]

He had a Caesar in the ring!

[@rict5878]

To run a successful promotion back then, you had to have a brilliant mind for the business and you didn't dare let the inmates run the asylum. No two greater examples than Cowboy Bill Watts and Ole Anderson.

[@allantaylor9694]

He hit the nail on the head on Memphis and Lawler. From 1972 until 1997, Jerry Lawler worked on the top of the card. Bill Dundee was there off and on from 1975 until 1997. Jeff Jarrett came on board in 1986 and Brian Christopher (Lawler) started in 1990. The other guys off and on was Jimmy Valiant, Tommy Rich, Austin Idol, The Fabolous Ones, Eddie & Doug Gilbert and Dutch Mantell. Buddy Landell had a couple runs. Outside of those guys, you weren't going to go over. Either they would beat you every night or turn you baby face. Eventually, you would go somewhere else. Look at all the guys that went through there that wasn't booked well and became huge stars.

[@dp5707]

Wrong Wrong WRONG! He may be right about the others buy Lawler let LOTS of wrestlers beat him...take the title but yes later he would win it back but rightly so...thats how territories worked then...most wrestlers traveled around...didn't stay in one place. Memphis was Lawlers....Nobody was bigger or more popular than him until he basically left to go spend the majority of his time in the WWF/WWE

[@robertrodriguez787]

Wait a minute wasn't Bruiser Brody popular in World Class

[@johnfalcetta5431]

Robert Rodriguez yes but he always came and went. Part of what made Brody special.

[@simplysteve68]

Yup, mostly as a heel, then near the end of his career, he made a face turn then left, never to be seen in a ring again due to his murder. I even remember his "Red River Jack" disguise when he supposedly lost a 'loser leaves town' match. Lol

[@layna-heyhey]

Yes, but I suspect that since Brody was trained by Fritz a little, and was close to the family, he was fine to be popular there.

[@StuUngar]

There was no one in World Class more over than the Von Erichs. He says they buried people that started to get over, but then contradicts himself by saying that Warrior started tagging with Kevin because he was getting over as a heel.

[@gregorylevi1826]

StuUngar he didn't contradict himself, he said Fritz was scared to bury Warrior because he was making too much money off him. So he started tagging him with Kerry

[@Halbared]

Tony Atlas for American President

[@rangerhawk]

Interesting interview, but you can't really blame the Von Erichs for human nature. Show me someone who does not protect their own interests, and you'll I'll see someone who most likely loses their business, or files for BR.

[@danielmoore2320]

Tony Atlas is not being honest in this shoot first of all dingo Warrior was never getting more crowd support in Kerry Von Erich I wasn't too much of a fan of Carrie but truth is truth

[@StrongStyleNinja]

Tony Atlas tells great stories

[@stankormy5717]

So true!

[@elvissmith404]

I love tony atlas

[@rodmunch4879]

Anyone have a cellular phone?

[@alanstrong3295]

Sounds like wrestling is a greedy controlling business. I stay my distance. Thanks, Tony.

[@platehed]

True words.

[@willharper7888]

Like Vince always says.."do what's best for business " #💰💵💴💸👈

[@jasonkraatz9574]

His story about Vince getting in the ring with Austin to get him over more is one of the reasons Vince has overcome any adversity. That and he could buy them out 😂😂😂

[@thereal9118]

4:28 nobody in this world has Vinces mytality

[@bobgoldberg4773]

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