From John Johnson: So far I have used this space to pay homage to people I have had the privilege to share this business with. It has been a...
So far I have used this space to pay homage to people I have had the privilege to share this
business with. It has been a way to show appreciation for all that they have done. There are still
many to get to. However, this week I wanted to do something a little different. When I broke into
this business in 1993, I was a 16-year-old kid who loved wrestling. When I got my first break in
wrestling it was at the Porterdale by the River Flea Market in Porterdale, Georgia. It was a
weekly Friday night show, even though some weeks were canceled because In The Heat of the
Night was shooting and needed the venue. If you are too young to know what In The Heat of the
Night is, it was a 90’s TV show based on a movie from the 1960s. It was a great TV show, and I
am sure that many of you actually did catch it in reruns if you stayed at your grandma’s house. I
digress. It was here, that I refereed my first match in the late spring of 1993. Steve and Don
Shaw ran the promotion and I am forever grateful they gave me a shot. I was with them and
some spot shows throughout 1993 and into the middle of 1994. For a couple of years, I would
hit some spot shows here and there, but realistically I wasn’t doing much until around 1997.
That is the year that I would meet some people who would change the direction of my life for the
better. That is the year I entered, the War Zone.
War Zone Wrestling was a promotion that promoted out of the International Ballroom in
Doraville, Georgia. The International Ballroom was a huge venue and was the perfect concert
venue. As a wrestling venue, it was very large, but if you configured it just right, it was amazing.
There was a lot of backstage room, and it even had a loft, that will come into play later. War
Zone was born out of a dispute with another promotion called, GAWA. Since this was before my
time in WZW, I will not speculate on exactly what happened. I had heard that the promoter of
GAWA was holding out money, didn’t want to put anything into what they were doing, and just
wanted to run wrestling events. The guys who had investments in WZW wanted so much more.
They had visions of producing TV weekly at the International Ballroom, then eventually
branching out to do house shows in the National Guard Armories throughout the north and
central Georgia area.
War Zone Wrestling’s TV tapings at the Ballroom featured a unique blend of talent. Guys like
Terry Lawler, a very young Air Paris, John Phoenix, Bobby Hayes, Dusty Dotson, Murder-1
(known here as TC Sledge), Jack Lord, Bulldog Raines, Ruckus, Nightmare Ted Allen,
Notorious D.O.G. and many others are what made WZW a special place. WZW would also bring
in guys like Bull Buchanan, Abdullah the Butcher and Terry Gordy from time to time. War Zone
ran Tuesday nights at the Ballroom, and while that might sound like a crazy night to run, it drew
very well. It was gaining attention from fans, and this was during the infancy of the internet. This
was word of mouth and grassroots poster and flyer distribution. War Zone even managed to
gain the attention of another locally based wrestling promotion. One that was doing quite well at
the time, a little place called WCW.
It wasn’t unusual to see some WCW office personnel coming to WZW events. They would come
in buy a ticket, grab a beer, and go into the loft to watch the show. Most of the time it was Mike
Tenay, who by the way was a very nice guy. My job in WZW was primarily a photographer, but I
also co-wrote and produced the WZW newsletter with a good friend of mine named Patrick. We
would also help set up and I would do any grunt work that needed to be done. Tenay even
bought the newsletter several times.
Speaking of Patrick, he got me real good one night. In the newsletter I wrote from a heel point of
view. One of my favorite targets was Dusty Dotson. Dusty would go on to more notable fame as
Silky Boom Boom. A gimmick that I loved. In the newsletter I would always point out Dusty’s
height. He was a smaller guy, in fact I once referred to him as the world’s tallest midget. Well
just so happen one night at the Ballroom War Zone was running on my birthday. Unbeknownest
to me, Patrick got me a birthday cake and during intermission had the crowd singing happy
birthday. Well when the song was over out of nowhere appeared Dusty and slammed my face
into the cake. It was a pretty funny moment and the crowd loved it. Dusty has long since retired
and it is pretty sad. Dusty was an incredibly gifted performer. He may not have been able to do
all the flashy things in the ring, but he knew how to work within his limits. He knew how to make
things mean something, and he knew how to work his gimmick. He is sorely missed as a
performer and potential mentor.
Every promotion has its cast of characters that led to the promotion’s success. WZW was no
different. There was a group of guys that had a little bit of their own skin in the game and
contributed in different areas. Ruckus was the booker and also a co-owner. Ruckus is one of the
first guys I truly learned about the business side of this business from. There was a point where
War Zone was going to expand from the weekly Ballroom shows to doing house shows in
various Armories around Georgia. Ruckus invited me to go on a ride with him one time, well
actually he invited me to drive him to Gainesville to talk to the Armory and some local
businesses about sponsorships. While we were in Gainesville, he wanted to stop in and see G
Fredrick Nabors who worked at a car dealership there. Well, Ruckus didn’t give the best
directions as to where this place was and at almost the last minute told me I needed to make a
left. I was in the far right lane. With barely a blinker on and not much room for error between me,
2 cars, and an 18-wheeler I cut a hard left. Ruckus was saying a prayer or ten as my 1994 GEO
Storm crossed over 4 lanes of traffic and came to a stop, safely in a parking place. He swore
never to ride with me again, but there would be many other journeys.
Whoopie Kravitz on screen was the manager of the Notorious D.O.G.( Editors note: Caleb Konley's father). Whoopie had dreadlocks
and a unique look that gave off a voodoo vibe, complete with his trusty stick Jobu. Behind the
scenes Whoopie did many of the t-shirts that War Zone sold. He also created the promotional
material for War Zone and would relentless promote the events throughout the city. He is an
extremely talented guy who has done work with many venues in Atlanta and also worked for
Creative Loafing. He continues working in the entertainment industry as a merchandise
manager for Blackberry Smoke.
Others involved in the operations of WZW include the late great Honest John Cheatum, who
was also the manager of Ruckus. He did a lot of the sales things with a great team that included
Jody Braswell and Noah Elbe. It truly was a group effort and everyone did their parts and did
them well.
As with any promotion the success of WZW was due to the fans. However, like with any great
promotion War Zone had its share of super fans. One of the first things that comes to mind with
War Zone fandom, is the North Point Posse. James Melton and his crew were at ever WZW
show and they were easily the loudest and most rambunctious fans around. Complete with
signs and weapons The NPP added to the mystique of War Zone. Then there was the “Kane
guy”. This young man was not a fan of the yet to debut Glen Jacob’s variation of Kane, but
instead it was the Shane Mackey version of Kane. This guy, for some reason, took a liking to
Shane and would just constantly yell KANE at the top of his lungs. He was another one of the
rabid fans who had signs as well. On the topic of Shane Mackey. He is a guy who I feel doesn’t
get enough love. I first met Shane in 1993 when I was training. He would come to training and
work on different things. At the time, I don’t believe he was doing much wrestling, but was the
ring announcer in Porterdale for the Shaws. Later on I would have the privilege of working with
him in various places like WZW and Millennium. My favorite incarnation of Shane’s talents was
when he was part of the tag team The Beatniks. There is a great Shane story that I will tell in a
future Flowers because it involves more people but is a fun story for the ages. Shane has a
creative mind and even back in 1993 listening to his ideas on how to do things a certain way
was a building block in my knowledge. I know Shane helped in WZW with promos and things
like that. What an amazing guy, who was involved in Platinum Championship Wrestling as well.
War Zone began training aspiring wrestlers. Ruckus and Bulldog Raines were the main trainers,
with a host of others coming by to workout and share their knowledge. Now here is where my
memory gets a bit fuzzy. I seem to remember there were a handful of students at first. There
were some really athletic guys, a couple of curious fans, and then there was Steve Stussey. I
talked a bit about Stussey during my Murder-1 Flowers, and truth be told there were some gaps
and some things not said. Steve Stussey is a hell of a guy. He out shined all of those guys who
in reality were far more athletic than him. However, none of them had the heart he had. None of
them had the intelligence he had, and sure as hell none of them were a natural fit for this
business. Stussey got his ass kicked in training. I am not saying that Stussey wasn’t an athlete,
he was a different breed. He didn’t have the body, but he had the mind. He had the will and the
determination. He went through training and came out the other side. Oh by the way, he was the
only one to stick out training in WZW. He took what he learned and paired up with Murder-1.
Together they paved a new path after WZW closed and it is safe to say without Stussey, a lot of
the amazing things that happened would have never happened. It is a possibility that without
Stussey wanting to create something with Murder-1, there may have never been a Jimmy Rave,
Rainman, Iceberg, and countless others. A piece of the War Zone legacy lives on because he
was the thread that tied those parts together.
Eventually, WZW would leave the confines of The International Ballroom. Ruckus and company
found an old car shop near Georgia Tech that was perfect for wrestling. It had a crows nest, was
more intimate than the Ballroom, and it just looked like a warzone. Also, being this close to
downtown Atlanta and Georgia Tech opened up a whole new world of possibilities for WZW.
There were several memories from this building that led to me making more lifelong friendships.
I first met Rick Michaels at this building. I believe he and Ruckus were working out a deal to
have Rick’s dad Joe come down and film the shows for TV. It was also in this building I first met
Marty Miller. There will be Marty stories in the future, but this was the place I was introduced to
him. WZW decided to hold tryouts one Saturday before the show. Marty was one of the guys
who came to try out. I could tell even then that Marty had lots of heart and a love of this
business.
The time in the old car shop wasn’t long. I won’t speculate on what led to War Zone shutting
down. As is the case with most promotions, I think the money may have dried up. I don’t believe
there were any hurt feelings. I remember the day we were supposed to have what would have
been our last event. I got to the venue a little early, I was supposed to meet Ruckus there. I fell
asleep in my car and when I woke up I realized nobody was there. I frantically called Ruckus.
He apologized that he didn’t reach out to me, but they had just cancelled the show. No worries. I
went to leave, but there was one problem; the gate was locked. I called Ruckus back and he got
a hold of the people who ran the venue.A few minutes later I was free. I remember going to the
sports store that Ruckus family owned at North DeKalb Mall. I never really asked what was
going on, but the vibe I got was that it was over.
What is the legacy of War Zone Wrestling? Honestly, I don’t know. It seemed to have left just as
quickly as it appeared. Perhaps it was the universe’s way of bringing together a certain group of
people that would shape the next millennium of Georgia wrestling. It was a wild blend of hungry
young talent, grizzled veterans, and others just trying to find a place in this business. We were
trying to find it together. I have friendships that were born in War Zone that continue to this day.
We got to see the early years of guys like Murder-1, Dango Wynn, John Phoenix, and Air Paris.
There was the transformative years of guys like Terry Lawler and David Young. There were
guys like Prime Time Bryan and Prince R, who may not have been the work horses, but they
were so entertaining. Then we had the veterans that were there to work with the young guys,
Ted Allen and Jack lord. What those two brought to the table was so important. Ruckus, Bulldog
Raines, Notorious D.O.G., The Infernos, Shane Mackey, Dusty Dotson, Billy Love, The
Centerfolds, and so many more made it a special place. While the Ballroom was home, WZW
ventured out into various Armories and The Masquerade. By the way, shows at the Masquerade
sucked. Not the in-ring stuff, not the energy from the crowd, but getting the ring into the building.
If you have ever had to set up a ring in that building, you know.
So again, I will ask what is the legacy of War Zone Wrestling? I think it is this gritty hard-nosed
style of hardcore wrestling blended perfectly with technical wrestling and sprinkled with a bit of
old school. There a pieces of WZW still floating around. As far as the guys still active, Murder-1,
David Young, Terry Lawler, and occasionally Jack Lord. We have lost some members of the
WZW family over the years, Honest John, Ted Allen, and Dango Wynn left us far too early.
Todd Wimbleton is in poor health after suffering a massive stroke a few months ago. He has
some War Zone footage on his YouTube page.Click here Todd is a great guy. During his time at
WZW he was also working for 99X. Todd was a guy who was a head of his time. He was an
entertaining commentator and a hell of a promo as a manager.
WZW was a hell of a place to be. There have been few like it. The myth that something has to
have longevity to have a legacy is completely false. WZW did more in its short time, than most
long time promotions will ever wish to achieve. One Christmas, Ruckus and his family organized
WZW to be at the Hosea William’s Feed The Hunger event at Turner Field. We were featured
on Fox 5 Atlanta feeding those in need. It culminated with WZW doing a charity wrestling show
the night after Christmas with proceeds going to Reverand Hosea William’s charity. In fact,
Ruckus helped set me up with an interview with Rev. Williams for the newsletter. It was amazing
hearing how he started his charity, but not only that actually conversating with someone who
was in the thick of the civil rights movement. WCW brass came in their off time to watch our
product. We performed in bars and Armories for hundreds of wrestling fans hungry for violence.
And boy were they fed? We would dish it out till they were full, then fill their plates again. It was
a smorgasbord of everything wrestling. Of course one could say we were eating off of the
massive plates of WCW, WWF, and ECW’s popularity at the time. You wouldn’t be wrong.
However, it was a place you had to be to fully understand. I have always hoped for a WZW
reunion. I know it wouldn’t be the same without those we have lost. I know it would be a different
time and a different vibe all together, but what if. What if for one night we open the International
Ballroom? We find the North Point Posse and the “Kane Guy” and sit them front row. We bring
out all the people who made WZW special, which is everyone involved. We give them one more
moment to bask in the light. We shower them with the love and appreciation they deserve.WZW
is the reason that many of us are in this business and we didn’t even know it. For that they
deserve their Flowers.
.jpg)
.jpg)