The Hardcore Truth
Page 31
I feel like both wrestling and life in general have jaded me. The older I get, the more cynical I seem to get. I’ve helped so many people out, yet those same people have turned around and stabbed me in the back. Nowadays, I can usually figure out whether a person is decent or not after five minutes of conversation. It’s something I’ve learned from being around so many shady people in the wrestling business. I still get blindsided now and then, but nowhere near as often or as badly as I used to. Still, as jaded and cautious as I have become, I’m still polite, trusting, and hopeful. If somebody earns my love and trust, I will love and trust them completely.
On Labor Day in 2009, my brother and I were at our mom’s house. We were watching a DVD from his high school reunion and I asked whether anyone had heard from Linda or knew what she was doing. I didn’t really expect him to know anything. I figured he’d already have told me if he did. “Yeah, I talk to her on Facebook,” he said. I asked, “Facebook? What the hell is that?” I had no idea. The social media thing had passed me by but he showed me how to open an account and told me what her last name was now. I looked her up, and sure enough, there she was. It had been so long. I didn’t know what to do. I sat there for ages, just looking at her profile and thinking, “Holy jeez!” Finally, I wrote her a message: “Is this the girl who broke my heart 30 years ago?” I gave her a brief overview of what I’d been doing since we last saw each other and said I’d love to know how she was doing. I sent the message and waited. All those years, I’d always wondered what had become of her. I had no idea where she was but I’d think of her every time I heard a Bob Seger song. I hoped she would write back.
Bob, Linda and their Australian Shepherd, Abby, at home. (photo courtesy of Lauren Bott, Linda’s daughter)
The reply came later that day. She was happy to have heard from me. She told me a little about what she’d done since we last saw each other, and that’s how we got to talking again. My brother had told her what I had been up to. She always knew I’d been enamored with wrestling when I was a teenager but was surprised to find out that I actually ended up wrestling for a living. We wrote messages to each other and started speaking on the phone a lot. The more we found out about each other’s lives, the more we realized how ironic our situation was.
After she had been stationed in Texas, Linda left for a tour in Spain. She was there for five years, then she went to Pope AFB/Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina. At one point or another, she was stationed in both Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Sacramento, California for special duty. I can’t count the number of times I wrestled at the Target Center and Arco Arena! She was no more than a stone’s throw from me and I never knew. The biggest irony was that she was stationed in Montgomery, Alabama, for six years and I was living a two-and-a-half-hour drive away in Mobile. My high school sweetheart had only been two and a half hours down the road! She used to visit Mobile to go to the beaches and Dauphin Island all the time — I sometimes wonder how many times we might have just missed each other.
Back then though, I was married and traveling the world as a wrestler. She was married and traveling the world in the Air Force. In 2009, however, there were no complications. I had been divorced for just over a year and she’d been widowed for four years. To me, it all happened the way it was supposed to happen. She was still the same person she’d been in high school: very goofy, very funny, and very clumsy. She’s Lucille Ball all over again. She’ll trip over a blade of grass in a second. After a month or so of talking on the phone and sending messages, we decided we wanted to see each other, so I got in my car, drove up to Dubuque, Iowa, and never left. We got married on June 28, 2010. That’s when my “happily ever after” started.
I might have stopped wrestling full time but I’m still very active. Despite the pain I live with daily, I work out five days a week. I’m always mountain- and road-biking. It’s great having somebody to share these things with. Linda matches me every step of the way. We go camping a lot. I love being out in the woods; if I could live in a tent in the woods forever, I’d do it! When this book hits the stores, I’ll likely be in training to do a Tough Mudder event in Chicago, which is an obstacle course designed by the British Special Forces. It’s hardcore, just like me!
When I’m at home, I’m always at work on my Jeep and my other vehicles. I still love everything to do with bikes and cars. I’ll spend a lot of time iRacing, which is an interactive virtual racing simulator. A lot of the NASCAR guys race on there, and it’s pretty damn cool. On top of all of that, in late 2011, we brought home Abby, an Australian shepherd puppy, and she keeps me plenty busy!
After all the things that have been written about me — some fairly, some unfairly — at least now I’ve had the chance to tell “the hardcore truth.” Now, when people make their minds up about me, they’ll have had a chance to get to know Bob Howard, the man, and not just “Bob Holly the wrestler, as presented by WWE.” People can like me or not, I’m not going to lose sleep over it. I just prefer that they make their judgment in possession of all the facts. At least then, the conclusion they come to is properly thought through.
So, how do you like me now?
Bob’s old wrestling boots.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Both Bob and Ross would like to thank ECW Press and Michael Holmes for giving us this platform and their belief in this project.
Bob Howard
I am grateful to everyone who has been a part of my life — family, friends, colleagues, and fans.
A special thank-you to:
My mom, Judy, for always doing the best she could for my brother and me. Aunt ’Laine, for always being a ray of sunshine in my life. My first wife, Terri, who cared for my daughter while I was on the road. My wife, Linda, for her unwavering support and unconditional love, as well as playing an integral part in the process of writing this book.
Ross Williams, for his tireless dedication to this project, ability to capture my personality with his words, and the finesse with which he has told my story. His partner, Victoria Welton, for her contributions and sacrifices while Ross was meeting our deadlines.
Both Lenny Hawkins and Paul Bearer, for believing in me and my abilities as a wrestler; your support was instrumental in giving me the opportunity to become a WWE wrestler.
Vince McMahon, for the many years of work. I may not have achieved all that I wanted, but I always appreciated the opportunity.
Ann Russo-Gordon and Nicole Dorazio in the WWE office, for always making my road-life easier.
All the commentators (especially Michael Cole and Taz) who made me seem like the toughest man on the planet, the referees, and everybody involved in the WWE production.
All my travel partners over the years for keeping me sane, particularly Paul Wight and Sid Eudy for being so gracious and generous to me.
Bradshaw for all the ass-whippings — I always looked forward to our matches!
To everybody who ever put me over and helped make me who I was — the guys who have the thankless job of putting others over are the backbone of the industry. No wrestler could become a star without the help of guys who work just as hard but get a lot less in return.
Finally, I want to thank each and every wrestling fan. Sports entertainment would not exist if it weren’t for your loyal support and it was truly a privilege to entertain you all.
Ross Williams
Firstly, to Bob, thank you for trusting me to tell your story — it has been an honor to do so. Thanks for years of entertainment, your wrestling advice, and even those dozen or so chops. I told you they would make a good story one day! Linda, thank you for your endless contributions to this project, and thank you both for your friendship.
Thank you to my “better half,” Victoria Welton, for a legion of things, not in the least your patience, understanding, and support during this project. Iain Burnside, your feedback on the numerous drafts of this book has been i
nvaluable — thanks for being my “go-to guy” for well over a decade now!
Thanks also to Katie Carpenter and Donna-Marie Constable who, respectively, encouraged me throughout my wrestling training and “career,” and to Chris Bartlett, David Bloxham, and Dan Evans for their ongoing support.
Above all else, to my wonderful family — Mum, Dad, Anna, and Gus — thanks always for your unconditional love and long-held belief that my ability to put words onto paper might come in handy one day.
BOB HOWARD, born in Glendale, California, is a retired professional wrestler. He now resides in Dubuque, Iowa.
ROSS WILLIAMS, formerly managing director of a noted UK recruitment business, now works as an actor, writer and business consultant. He lives in Berkshire, England.
Copyright © Bob Howard and Ross Williams, 2013
Published by ECW Press
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LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION
Holly, Bob, 1963–
The hardcore truth : the Bob Holly story / Bob Holly.
ISBN 978-1-77041-109-8
ALSO ISSUED AS: 978-1-77090-378-4 (PDF), 978-1-77090-379-1 (EPUB)
1. Holly, Bob, 1963–. 2. Wrestlers—United States—Biography.
I. Title.
GV1196.H65A3 2013 796.812092 C2012-907529-9
Editor for the press: Michael Holmes
Cover images: George Napolitano
Interior images: Courtesy Bob Holly, unless otherwise indicated.