Shoot with Doug Sommers

Doug Sommers is a name synonymous with wrestling and "Pretty Boy" sat down with RF VIDEO to go on record about his glorious career. Breaking into the industry at the tender age of nine years old with the help of Harley Race, Sommers learned the art of wrestling the hard way and worked his way up the ladder in all the territories. Amarillo. Dallas. Minneapolis. Mid South. Florida. Anywhere and everywhere, and Sommers has tales to show for it as he talks about working with, and for, some of the biggest names wrestling has ever produced. Terry Funk. Verne Gagne. The Von Erichs. Dusty Rhodes. Captain Redneck Dick Murdoch. Leroy McGuirk. The Gilberts. The Guerreros. Bill Watts. Calling all wrestling historians, this is one interview that shouldn't go under the radar.
 
Many of us fondly remember Doug from his days in the AWA and of course he spent a long time talking about his time in Gagne's Minnesota based promotion. "Pretty Boy" gives one backstage story after another that have never been heard on camera before. The Iron Sheik. The Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty). Larry Zybsko. Greg Gagne. Curt Hennig. Scott Hall. Nick Bockwinkel. One name after another and no serious AWA fan should consider their collection complete without this incredible shoot. To top it off, Sommers gives his favorite road stories with his partner Buddy Rose and their manager Sherri Martel. In a word, this DVD is fun. It was fun to conduct and, for fans, it is fun to watch.

How did you get into the business
Is it true that you did ring crew as a teenager for Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling
Did the boys ever let you into their inner circle
Did any of the guys give you an extra hard time since you were young
How big was kayfabe back then
Did anyone mentor you
Is it true that Harley Race trained you
Any good road stories
How did you wind up starting to train
You refereed for awhile, memories of that
What helped you as a referee that you used later on to become a good worker
Who taught you how to bump and psychology
What was the training like
When did you realize you were ready
Can you talk about paying your dues back then
Memories of early matches against Danny Miller
Memories of your first match
Was it harder or easier to be taken seriously by the boys who knew you as a ring crew kid
Memories of working for Leroy McGuirk
Was he a fair booker
Memories teaming with Ron MacFarlane
Memories of matches with the Gilberts
Did you see potential in Eddie
Memories of matches with Hector Guerrero
Memories of Japan tours
Memories wrestling in Georgia
Memories teaming with Bobby Shane
Memories of matches with Alexis Smirnoff
Any good road stories
Memories of Ole Anderson
Memories of matches with Buzz Sawyer
Why do you think you weren’t pushed hard in Georgia later in your career
Memories of Jim Barnett
Memories of Gordon Solie
Memories of Dusty Rhodes
Memories of Thunderbolt Patterson
Do you think Dusty stole his gimmick
Memories of wrestling a young Bob Orton
Memories of Andre the Giant
Memories of Mr. Wrestling 2
Memories of Tommy Rich
Memories of working the Florida territory
Good road stories
Memories of working for Bill Watts
Thoughts on Bill
Any good road stories
Memories of Porkchop Cash
Memories of working Central States
Memories of Bob Geigel
Were the payoffs as bad as they say
Memories of Ric Flair
You wrestled in Memphis, thoughts on Lawler as a promoter and booker
Thoughts on Jerry Jarrett
Memories teaming with Randy Rose in Memphis
Larry Zbysko talked once about wrestling you in a match in the AWA where you shit your pants. Is that true?
Memories wrestling in St Louis
Thoughts on Sam Muchnick
Memories of wrestling a young Kevin Sullivan
Most fans of this generation remember you from the AWA, how did you wind up in the AWA
Who’s idea was it to team you with Buddy Rose
Did you know you had good chemistry right away
Memories of Sherri Martel managing you
Was there ever any romance between you and her
The AWA was hot at the time you came in, why do you think it failed
Initial memories of Verne
Some people say Verne never even watched his own product, true
Was there a disconnect between the younger guys and the veterans
How hot do you think the AWA could have been
Memories of your first matches with the Rockers
Did you guys know you had something
What made them so good
Shawn has talked about being crazy and immature back then, do you agree
The Nasty Boys said in their shoot that they’d watch your matches as they did ring crew, do you remember them
Thoughts on Greg Gagne
Memories of WrestleRock and the videos
Memories of a young Scott Hall
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Memories of your classic ESPN bloodbath against the Rockers
Why do you think that match is still remembered today as a classic
Were you surprised when WWE put it out on a DVD
Thoughts on Shawn’s success
Do people recognize you today from that DVD
Has the DVD opened up the door for more bookings, etc
Did the WWE ever contact you and Buddy about doing an angle with Shawn
Memories of Bruiser Brody
Buddy Rose did an interview and said that he and Col. Debeers had better matches with the Rockers than you and he did. Your thoughts?
What are your thoughts overall on Buddy
Were you surprised that Shawn and Marty came back
Memories of matches with Hall and Hennig
Memories of Nick Bockwinkel
You disappeared for a little while after you lost the titles. Where did you go
How did you wind up back in the AWA teaming with Soldat Ustinov
Were you surprised that Verne called
What led to you finally leaving
How did you wind up in WCW in the early 1990s
Was it hard to not have a big role at that time
Why do you think you didn?t get a bigger push
When did you finally retire and why
What do you do for a full time living these days
Favorite and least fav guys to work with
Who did you think would have really made it big and didn’t and vice versa
Who was your favorite tag team partner
Do you still watch wrestling
What are your thoughts on all of the deaths of the past few years and which in particular hit you hardest
Thoughts on UFC and comparisons to pro wrestling
Do you want to write a book
Fav ribs and road stories
Do you enjoy doing the nostalgia shows
Thoughts on the lack of kayfabe today
Do you still have a passion for the business
What do you miss most and least about being a full time wrestler