Category:

Happy Birthday Boogie!

8/6/2010

I recorded this off of my TV because I thought it would be an appropriate promo for the big day. Mostly because today is Boogie's birthday, but also because he is in Charlotte today for the NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest. If you are going, be sure to stop by his table & wish him a Happy Birthday! You can own the full version of this clip as well as tons more classic Jimmy Valiant footage by ordering the Best of Jimmy Valiant Vol. 1 DVD which you can find on the merchandise page.

Here is a great match between Scotty Rocker & Brad "The Man" which took place at Boogie's 65th Birthday Bash a few years ago at BWC. I can be spotted in the crowd a few times during the match. This footage is part of the Boogie Woogie Birthday Bash DVD which can also be found on the merchandise page.

Here is a nice shot of Boogie & myself at the big wrestling show that was held in Christiansburg as part of his 65th Birthday Bash weekend. It was an awesome night & a special weekend. I'm so glad I was able to spend the weekend celebrating Boogie's milestone 65th birthday with him, Angel & the BWC Family. It is a treasured memory for me that I will never forget. Boogie, I hope this birthday & all of your birthdays are filled with happiness, love & many blessings! Thank you so much for all that you give all of your fans, friends & family. We love you! Happy Birthday!

1 Comment

Jimmy Valiant interviewed by T-Bone Terrence Ward

7/16/2010

0 Comments

Boogie recently sent me this great interview & asked me to share it w/all of his street people:

Terrence: Tell me about yourself, your family, and your wrestling camp.

Jimmy Valiant: T-Bone I started wrestling in 1964. I wrestled in over 10,000 matches and drove over 4 million miles on US highways to get to those matches, so you can imagine I had a pretty exciting career. Of course, I wrote my autobiography called “Woo…Mercy Daddy!” It's 566 pages long and the book is a hardback and weighs three pounds. I tell people to buy two of the books and put one in each hand and work out with them. I have the wrestling camp here, something that my wife Angel and I founded in 1992 and this is the 18th year. This is something that I give back to my students and the fans over the years to make their dreams of becoming a wrestler come true. I have already lived my life out and with quite a career. Now it’s their turn. You can check all of that out at www.jimmyvaliant.weebly.com. Boogies Wrestling Camp Hall of Fame Museum is open 52 Sundays a year from 12 to 4pm. Everybody’s welcome, there is no charge once you get here T-Bone. I want to personally invite you and all the people from Arkansas to come be my guest any Sunday and spend all day with us. You will have access to any building in the camp. You can visit the museum and watch my students wrestling. Everything is free once you get here. This is how Angel and I give back.

Terrence: Everybody, including myself, is probably wondering how you got the nicknames of “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and “The Boogie Woogie Man”

Jimmy Valiant: Well I was born handsome and hit the floor Boogie Woogie man. When I started wrestling my first mentor was one of the Volkoffs, the original Volkoff. They named me Jimmy Valentine and I used that some at the beginning from California. They billed me from Los Angeles and Hollywood. Then I went to Detroit and they billed me as Big Jim Valen and then I went to Oklahoma and Minnesota and they called me Jimmy “The Body” Valen and St. Louis and they called me the same. I was called "The Body" before Jesse Ventura. Finally in the late 60’s I went into Dallas, TX and when I got there Johnny Valentine was there and Von Erich told me that Jimmy Valentine was too close to Johnny Valentine. He then told me that my new name was Handsome Jimmy Valiant. The first day I came in and within two minutes he gave me my new name. This was like in 1969. That name stuck with me the rest of my career. Once he sent me to New York with Vince McMahon Sr. in 1970 and I went over and that was my big break. That name stuck and then 1980 or 1981 I went into Mid-Atlantic for Jim Crockett and there were a lot of pretty boy blond types. Ric Flair was there. It was then that I changed that all around and threw away my razor and let my beard grow out. I was the first to come out to music for that promotion. Man I started going down the aisle kissing and hugging everyone and that is when I started calling myself the Boogie Woogie Man. I actually reinvented myself. I had two different careers one as the bad guy and one as the good guy.

Terrence: Tell me about you career in Memphis. I know that you had a career there in Memphis for a time. Tell me about that.

Jimmy Valiant: You bet brother, T-bone I went into Memphis and Nashville in the 60’s. When I did go in 1977 it was in August just two weeks before Elvis died. I locked horns with King Fish Jerry Lawler I sold out the Memphis Coliseum for 6 months. I usually go back for legends shows but that has been going on for like 30 years. So I was King whenever Lawler broke his leg at one point there and he was out for a year and I was the head man until he got back on his feet. There were stars there like Bill Dundee, Jerry Lawler, Austin Idol, Dutch Mantel, and Kojo. It was a great territory.

Terrence: What was your most memorable match in your career?

Jimmy Valiant: There really isn’t a match that sticks out because I was very fortunate to work with all the world champions like Bruno Samartino, Harley Race, and Jerry Lawler. Me and my brother Johnny Valiant were tag team champions in the WWWF and held the belts for over a year in New York and worked with all of the greatest tag teams. I had big feuds with Ivan Koloff, Paul Jones and his Army, which consisted of Superstar Billy Graham and Abdula the Butcher. Every match was the match of my life.

Terrence: You know it is honorable to be inducted into a Hall of Fame in an independent promotion, but what was your reaction to finding out that you were being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame?

Jimmy Valiant: That was incredible, it was the icing on the cake, you know. I just wanted to be the goodwill ambassador for professional wrestling. That did it for me and I just want this to help my wrestling camp and help other kid’s dreams come true. You can see all the awards including the WWE Hall of Fame award in the Hall of Fame building at Boogie’s Wrestling Camp. Just this year they (WWE) came out with the Hall of Fame rings which I wear to my book signings and outings that I go to. It has the logo and the date we were inducted, it’s like our “Super-Bowl” ring.

Terrence: What was your reaction when ASWF Wrestling wanted to name their new building after you, calling it the Valiant Arena?

Jimmy Valiant: I was honored. You know Ricky Rowland and his mom were really great people. In my book I mention both of them, it has a great story. You have to check it out. When they asked if they could do this and I said sure I would be honored and they are doing it right. It’s just a great place for people to go and see matches weekly like it was preserving the old territories. There are not too many organizations doing this and they are bringing it back. I was just really honored.

Terrence: I understand that you are currently retired from wrestling. Are you enjoying your retirement?

Jimmy Valiant: Yeah, it’s great. I have plenty of time to do charity work and my wrestling camp. You can check my jimmyvaliant.weebly.com site and see where I’m going. I’m not lacing my boots but I will special guest referee and stuff like that. T-Bone what I do now is just maintain BWC Compound. It is only open for four hours on Sundays.

Terrence: Wrestling has been a big part of your career, if you didn’t choose wrestling as your career what path would you have chosen?

Jimmy Valiant: I probably would have chosen body building. It's good clean living and I’m not saying I lived the cleanest life but I started out that way and I am ending up that way. I talk about all that in my book, about all that I went through.

Terrence: Since retirement do you miss getting into the ring and wrestling? I know that you have expressed through this interview that you love wrestling and I understand that totally, otherwise I wouldn’t be in it. It’s fun and entertaining and brings a smile to the fans faces.

Jimmy Valiant: Not really, I am constantly around it with my wrestling camp and I look at the kid’s faces and they tell me “Boogie I just love it here.” I have been doing this 18 years and I can relive it through them. I will say this in closing that next year in 2010 I am going to lace up my boots one more time. I am not coming out of retirement, but it’s a personal record to me. In 2010 I will have wrestled in six decades. I wrestled in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 2000 and then 2010 and that will make six decades.

Terrence: Well in closing is there anything that you would like to add before we conclude this interview.

Jimmy Valiant: I just want to tell Ricky and his mom and all the boys there in Arkansas that Handsome Jimmy loves you all and I am so proud of everyone there and the Valiant Arena. Ricky brings me down every one or two years. And T-Bone if there is anything that I can do for you or the people of Arkansas just email me. Be sure to check out my website, www.jimmyvaliant.weebly.com.

Handsome Jimmy Valiant is probably one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He has truly made his mark in professional wrestling. If you would like to purchase "Woo...Mercy Daddy!" go to www.jimmyvaliant.weebly.com to find our how you can own this biography on the WWE Hall of Famer. I would like to thank Handsome Jimmy for allowing me to do this interview and hope that younger and older audiences alike continue to carry on the sport of professional wrestling.
T-Bone Terrence Ward

Be sure to check out T-Bone Terrence Ward's blog at thebonefactor.blogspot.com

0 Comments

Main Event Thursday, Round Two!

6/2/2010

0 Comments

When I first heard sometime in 2009 that Boogie & Angel were in the process of possibly starting a weekly radio show I was thrilled at the prospect, but since it wasn’t set in stone, I tried not to get overly excited. Later that year, when I heard the announcement that the deal had been made & that my favorite wrestler & his wife were indeed going to be live on air every week, I went ahead & got excited. When I was a kid, I used to have the privilege of tuning in to NWA TV every week to watch the Boogie Woogie Man do his thing in & out of the ring. Unfortunately, as the 80s wound down, Handsome Jimmy went back to Mempho & my weekly dose quickly dissipated. So you can imagine I was pretty stoked when Main Event Thursday officially launched on the Big Dog’s Sports Talk show from 5pm to 6pm & I was able to once more tune in week after week to spend some quality air time w/Boogie & friends. The show started out w/a bang w/the Russian Bear Ivan Koloff as the inaugural guest. & it never slowed down. Every Thursday meant another true wrestling legend would be joining Big Dog & the Valiants. Jimmy & Angel made sure to offer variety to their listeners as they brought in not only legendary champion wrestlers, but also a manager, a ring announcer & even a prolific wrestling columnist. & perhaps the best part was that the listeners were part of the show as they got to call in & ask questions or just say hello. Thanks to the Main Event Thursday show, I had the honor of talking to former WWWF champions like Superstar Billy Graham & Ivan Koloff & long time NWA champion Dory Funk, Jr. I even got to talk to one of my favorite crazy characters from childhood, none other than Crazy Bugsy McGraw! & that’s just to name a few of the wrestling icons that sat down to chat w/Boogie, Angel, Big Dog, Jamie & the listening audience. I admit I was understandably sad when summer was almost gone & season one came to a close. But I took comfort in the fact that a new season would be here before anyone knew it & sure enough, season two of Main Event Thursday is all ready to go starting Thursday, June 3rd & running through August 26th. The first guest has just been announced & it is none other than one half of the Rock N Roll Express, Ricky Morton! From his nearly countless championships to his legendary feuds w/the Russians, the Horseman & of course the Midnight Express, there will be so much for fans to ask this seasoned tag team wrestling veteran. I’m sure the fastest hour on the radio will be jam packed full of calls, questions & rock n roll! Don’t miss out! You can tune in to 101.7 FM in the New River Valley area or you can get the show on the internet at www.supersports1017.com anywhere in the world. Also, be sure to call w/your question for Ricky Morton & all the guests from week to week at 1-888-639-4900. Main Event Thursday is back, Jack & better than ever! Don’t you dare miss it!

0 Comments

Six Decades Sealed In Shawsville

5/15/2010

0 Comments

“I love six…

I had six old ladies! I had six tacos for breakfast this morning! Six tacos for breakfast! I got six Cadillacs! I got six Doberman Pinchers! I love six!” –Jimmy Valiant

& now Jimmy Valiant has one more six to love, because as of May 1st, 2010, he has now wrestled in six consecutive decades. He shares this personal record with his former enemy turned dear friend the Russian Bear Ivan Koloff. At the recent Springtime Bash in Shawsville, VA the two old school wrestling legends teamed up to teach a lesson to the new school team of Shawn Christian & Mean Donnie Green w/manager Bobby O’Neil. This year’s Bash was a great success as people came from all over to pack the Shawsville Middle School for the six main event caliber matches. I enjoyed every minute of every match & if I wasn’t on the edge of my seat it was because I was standing to cheer for my favorite wrestlers. But the highlight for me was certainly the historic debut of the Valiant/Koloff tag team. Led by their manager Colonel Howard, Boogie danced his way up the aisle as Ivan menacingly stalked to the ring as if he were ready to tear his opponents apart. Sure enough, it wasn’t long into the match before Koloff was attempting to separate Donnie Green’s arm from the rest of his body. The big Russian wrestling machine even took on both of his opponents at once in order to thwart a devious double team attempt. I certainly gained a new respect for Ivan Koloff that night. Valiant took care of business in the ring by combining his quickness, his vast wrestling knowledge, his brawling ability & his trademark mind games to frustrate & dominate his enemies. When Boogie slapped the sleeper on Christian & Ivan clamped Green in the same hold I thought it was going to be Good Night Irene for the new school & this great match. But the two young wrestling stars proved that they are in fact a team to be reckoned with as they fought back & temporarily gained the momentum. Boogie set up the beginning of the end by dodging a devastating Shawn Christian super kick which instead toppled Mean Donnie. What happened next was the stuff of wrestling legend & will certainly be talked about for decades to come. Ivan Koloff leveled Green with his classic Russian Sickle & at the same time Boogie nailed Christian with a move right off of current wrestling television. I’m not sure what Jimmy calls his version of the finisher. It could be the Boogie Man Jam or perhaps the BWCKO. I’ve even heard it referred to as the Boogie Cutter. Whatever it’s called it was highly effective & both Boogie & Ivan covered their opponents for the three count victory which brought the crowd to its feet. On a personal note it was an extra special night for me because I was able to share it with my precious wife & son. My son Douglas has been to camp several times, but this was his first official wrestling show. I’m so glad I was able to share it with him. You can even see a picture of my family along with several awesome pictures & a nice write up about the Shawsville show in the NRV Current section of a recent issue of the Roanoke Times. Here is a link to the online version. I am the one w/the mask. Congrats to Boogie & Ivan on wrestling in six consecutive decades. & congrats to the entire BWC family & the community of Shawsville for putting on an awesome night of top notch wrestling action that will never be forgotten.

A ring full of wrestlers do battle for the prestigious Valiant Cup

Wrestling Legend Ivan Koloff w/my good friend Griff

Magnet Man shares a special night of wrestling action with his wife and son

0 Comments

WELCOME TO THE BOOGIE JAM!

1/27/2010

0 Comments

Greetings friends & welcome to my blog all about Handsome Jimmy ‘The Boogie Woogie Man’ Valiant! & while I’m at it, welcome to this all new, official Jimmy Valiant & BWC website. My mom Faye & I put in a lot of hard work to make this site a reality & we had a wonderful time along the way. It is a true honor & a true labor of love to be able to set up & maintain this website as a way to get the word out about BWC & all things Boogie Woogie. I always say I am a lifelong Jimmy Valiant fan, but truth be told, I didn’t start watching him on TV until I was about eight years old. Since then though, he has been my #1 all-time favorite wrestler. Being born & raised in Virginia I am most familiar w/ & will always be most fond of Jimmy’s NWA days as the Boogie Woogie Man. That said, having had the opportunity to watch all five volumes of Boogie’s DVDs as well as countless matches & interviews on YouTube & anywhere else I could find, I have come to greatly appreciate Jimmy’s earlier career in places like Memphis, WWA & even his championship run in the WWWF w/his brother Luscious Johnny. I finally got to meet Jimmy in 2003 & I met Angel not long after that. As most of you probably know they are two of the nicest, most loving people I have ever met. & like so many others I am proud to count them among my true friends. I want to take a moment to thank Boogie & Angel for all they have done for me over the years. I also want to say thank you to Mom for all of her hard work on this site & to everyone who helped along the way to make this site possible. I have no set schedule for how often I will post new blog entries, but since BWC is one of my favorite topics of conversation, I’m sure I will have plenty to talk about, so check back often & feel free to post your own comments. I want this blog to be a celebration of Boogie, Angel & the whole BWC Family.
Woo… mercy! Words are gonna flow like wine!
Thanks for reading & welcome aboard! Take care.
Cordially, Brien Wayne Powell aka Magnet Man

Boogie & Magnet Man

0 Comments

Happy Birthday Boogie!

Jimmy Valiant interviewed by T-Bone Terrence Ward

Main Event Thursday, Round Two!

Six Decades Sealed In Shawsville

WELCOME TO THE BOOGIE JAM!

BWC Fan Blog

Author

Archives

Categories