My favorite wrestler of all time is dead.
The absolute best match I saw live was a 60 minute draw between Stan Hansen (face) and Race (heel)
At least Race made it to 76. It sucks how many wrestlers from the territory era died early. Yes, I’m looking at you Chris Adams as well as David Von Erich and Bruiser Brody.
RIP, Harley Race.
Oh, I loved to hate Race. He did that aspect of his job well. But my favorite wrestler of all time?
“Macho Man” Randy Savage
Oh yeeeah!
there’s something you didn’t hear often …Hansen as a face …but I first remeber handsome Harley from the pre NWA/wcw Georgia championship wrestling on wtbs …
…
he was goin off on flair sayin he was a poser and all sorts of things which was shocking back in the day even questioning if he liked girls in a meanly polite manner … i remember him as a manager also and hed talk about how he outlived some of the guys he managed …
As a character, the wrestler Harley Race was a complete asshole. Cheating when he could have won fairly just because it was easier. A heel even when he was he was cheered as a face.
As far as talent, everything he did looked legit and painful and he would also sell as if his opponents moves were legit and painful.
As a person, I never knew Harley Race but I’ve never heard a bad thing about him. I know he was considered one of the true tough guys IRL. Never have I heard he was a bully or took liberties. He always elevated himself and his opponent in matches.
It’s surprising that at least two of the three mentioned were killed. Chris Adams was shot in what was deemed self defense. Bruiser Brody was knifed in a locker room shower and the known stabber was exonerated. David von Erich’s official cause of death was basically ruptured intestines, but rumors persist of accidental overdose.
A toast to a man who was professionally respected and personally liked by his peers.
Funny, I somehow thought Harley Race had been long dead - never knew he was still with us in 2019.
Yeah, if you can make it to 70 as a pro-wrestler, that’s like 90 for the rest of us. They abuse their bodies. Bruno Sammartino was one of the rare ones who lived to be an octogenarian.