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THUNDERBOLT PATTERSON WAS FIRST IN GEORGIA WITH MUSIC ENTRANCE
– Dick Steinborn
January 1, 2003
When I was promoting for Gunkel Enterprises, I convinced Thunderbolt Patterson to enter the Columbus Municipal Auditorium wrestling
ring to a song sung by the O’Jays called “Love Train�.
I had been in Germany earlier in a tournament in Hanover that lasted six weeks in one town. Italian music played for the Italian boys,
German marches for the Germans, and the English wrestlers displayed their favorites when they entered the ring. Wrestling was every
night in the same building. Each one of the wrestlers entered the ring with their favorite song.
It seemed good entertainment for the fans and it brought some musical color to the wrestling shows. I thought about doing it in the
States, but never had the chance until I became friends with Thunderbolt Patterson. The only problem was it all backfired.
Bolt agreed to do it on my Monday night show, and believe me the fans were clapping and rocking back and forth 20 seconds before the
star opened the dressing room door. Patterson strutted to the ring, and simply electrified the fans. I was happy, the fans were happy,
and I thought it would be the birth of something new.
When the show was over, I got a phone call from the booker, Tom Renesto, who that night, was on the card and drove back with
Patterson to Atlanta. Renesto told me, “No more music. Patterson complained all the way to Atlanta.� I couldn’t understand
it, but only believed that it was something good and new, while I was competing with Fred Ward each week.
The next Monday night a newspaper reporter came to the dressing room, wanting to do a story on this wrestler who entered the ring to
the song sung by the O’Jays. I had to explain to him that it wasn’t going to happen that night. He had a photographer with him
and wanted to do a big time story on the event. Evidently he heard it somewhere and saw it as a new innovation to the wrestling game.
When he was told it wasn’t going to happen, he left.
In comes Patterson to the dressing room and I asked him why he declined the music entrance. He said “I am not a clown. I don’t
need music to get overâ€�. I then told him about the newspaper man whom I had to turn away. Bolt did an about face and said, “Iâ
€™ll go ahead and do it tonight.â€� I told him it was too late.
Some guys in the business could never see the forest for the trees. At any rate, I believe that was the first time ever that I can remember
where music was an entrance to one of the boys in Georgia.
– Dick Steinborn
January 1, 2003
When I was promoting for Gunkel Enterprises, I convinced Thunderbolt Patterson to enter the Columbus Municipal Auditorium wrestling
ring to a song sung by the O’Jays called “Love Train�.
I had been in Germany earlier in a tournament in Hanover that lasted six weeks in one town. Italian music played for the Italian boys,
German marches for the Germans, and the English wrestlers displayed their favorites when they entered the ring. Wrestling was every
night in the same building. Each one of the wrestlers entered the ring with their favorite song.
It seemed good entertainment for the fans and it brought some musical color to the wrestling shows. I thought about doing it in the
States, but never had the chance until I became friends with Thunderbolt Patterson. The only problem was it all backfired.
Bolt agreed to do it on my Monday night show, and believe me the fans were clapping and rocking back and forth 20 seconds before the
star opened the dressing room door. Patterson strutted to the ring, and simply electrified the fans. I was happy, the fans were happy,
and I thought it would be the birth of something new.
When the show was over, I got a phone call from the booker, Tom Renesto, who that night, was on the card and drove back with
Patterson to Atlanta. Renesto told me, “No more music. Patterson complained all the way to Atlanta.� I couldn’t understand
it, but only believed that it was something good and new, while I was competing with Fred Ward each week.
The next Monday night a newspaper reporter came to the dressing room, wanting to do a story on this wrestler who entered the ring to
the song sung by the O’Jays. I had to explain to him that it wasn’t going to happen that night. He had a photographer with him
and wanted to do a big time story on the event. Evidently he heard it somewhere and saw it as a new innovation to the wrestling game.
When he was told it wasn’t going to happen, he left.
In comes Patterson to the dressing room and I asked him why he declined the music entrance. He said “I am not a clown. I don’t
need music to get overâ€�. I then told him about the newspaper man whom I had to turn away. Bolt did an about face and said, “Iâ
€™ll go ahead and do it tonight.â€� I told him it was too late.
Some guys in the business could never see the forest for the trees. At any rate, I believe that was the first time ever that I can remember
where music was an entrance to one of the boys in Georgia.
