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THE COLLAPSE OF THE ALL-SOUTH WRESTLING ALLIANCE

August 1, 2003 – Dick Steinborn

Here are the absolute facts of how All-South folded.

Tom Renesto was doing the booking for Gunkel Enterprises. Get this now. He was a partner with Ann, along with a former NWA referee and now Gunkel partner, Charlie Harben.

Since I promoted Columbus, Americus, and about eight other spot shows around the area, it required me to have a wrestling office in Columbus. Jerry Oates' wife was my secretary even though he was with the NWA out of Atlanta. Ted Oates’ wife was also my secretary, as Ted worked for Gunkel. Jim Barnett had earlier invested his money in the Atlanta office and was shrewd enough to pay $20,000.00 under the table to bring Gunkel down and it happened.

Somehow I could smell a rat when I was sent substitutes out of the Atlanta Gunkel office. Then, while Ray Candy was the US Heavyweight Champion for Gunkel, he was booked the following Monday in my town in Columbus against Ray Sarrena, who the week before lost his match in the curtain opener. Now just what kind of booker would have put a loser of the first match as the challenger to the US Title in next week’s main event? On top of that, Sarrena loses his match on TV that Saturday, two days before that Monday show.

I called the office and asked for Tom. He was belligerent to me on the phone, telling me he was running the show. Sure enough that Saturday, our TV commentator, Ed Capral, called to tell me that Renesto, along with Eddie Graham, were on a private jet going to Charleston, SC, Savannah, and Augusta, pulling off the Gunkel tape and exchanging it for Barnett's NWA show to be aired from then on.

They never flew into Columbus, but left the exchange of tapes at my TV station at the hands of Fred Ward’s son-in-law, Leon Ogle, his referee. Of course, when Leon got to my TV station they told him to get lost.

My Gunkel show aired that Saturday in Columbus and there were no wrestlers to show up that Monday night, where about 1,700 people were turned away. With Renesto in the previous weeks substituting Columbus so often, I always prided myself in the fact that he could only bring the attendance to 1,700 devoted Monday night fans.

That caused me to get an attorney, where I kept two complete rings, two trailers, ring lights, P.A. system, 1,100 chairs, and a portable concession stand. I then ran independently. The IWA hired me when they came into existence and we filmed five hours of matches for them in Columbus and made more money renting my rings out to that organization that was imaginable.

We heard that Renesto got $20,000.00 and a two-year booking slot with Nick Gulas in Nashville, with a $1,000.00 a week guarantee. What Renesto made in Nashville, being paid by the worst promoter in the world, Nick Gulas, Barnett made up the difference with a check each week, making sure that Tom got his guarantee. Renesto even shafted his own partner, Jody Hamilton.

Only in America.

When the collapse of All-South ended, TV commentator Ed Capral came up with the best statement I ever heard of what transpired. Ed stated, “Someone pulled Ann Gunkel’s pants down around her ankles and eight months later she tripped and fell.”