Bio file: "Handsome" Johnny Valiant

Wrestling Digest, Oct, 2003 by Scoop Malinowski

Born: November 25, 1946, in Pittsburgh

Height: 6'1" Weight: 240

Hobbies and interests: "I like to go deep sea fishing, especially around Montauk, Long Island, about 50 miles offshore, for three or four days at a time. I get a couple of bites from sharks ... reel them in, let 'em go. I like to go to Pimlico in Baltimore."

Favorite movies: "'How The West Was Won.' I really enjoyed 'Sand Pebbles' with Steve McQueen. 'The Way We Were' with Barbra Streisand. 'Papillon,' 'Dirty Harry,' and '2001: A Space Odyssey.'"

Musical tastes: Johnny Mathis, Barbra Streisand, and Frankie Yankovic.

Favorite TV shows: "Old reruns of 'F Troop.'"

Funny wrestling memory: "I was on WIIK Channel 11, the NBC affiliate in Pittsburgh. We were on live television in 1968, in the studio. They had the Wrestling Bear come in and he urinated all over the ring. And I thought that was funny. I had to come in and wrestle after. I didn't blame the bear ... they had women's tag-team wrestling right before and one of the girls was on her period. The bear must have sensed it, he got a whiff of that stuff in the air, and just went nuts. Things happen. I wrestled next and we couldn't stop laughing."

Early wrestling memory: "I have fond memories of the original Sheik from Detroit. He was one of my mentors; the guy who started me out in the business. He had a lot of faith in me, took me in his house, booked me. I put up the rings for him, helped tear 'em down. He had me refereeing. One time he was wrestling the Mighty Igor and I raised the wrong hand at the end. He sent me to Tennessee after that. He gave me my start, my first match. Eventually I wrestled him in Ontario, in one of those hockey arenas. So, that was a thrill. He was a great wrestler, a great promoter, a hero to a lot of people. I hope he rests in peace."

Childhood dream: "I always wanted to be a wrestler. I saw it on TV and wanted to do it."

Favorite meal: Lasagna

Favorite breakfast cereal: "Raisin Bran with a sliced banana."

Favorite ice cream flavor: "Butter pecan with strawberries on the side."

First job: "I was setting up bowling pins at the St. Athanasius Bowling Alley in Pittsburgh when I was in sixth grade."

Greatest Career moment: "I hope it hasn't happened yet, I'm due for a comeback. But it was probably in the '80s at Wrestlemania I. That was kind of exciting, being in New York City, in the Garden, being there, with Liberace and Muhammad Ali, and meeting those kinds of people.

Most painful moment: "I once ripped a cornea in my eye. I lost my sight for several weeks. It was very excruciating. Jimmy Valiant and myself were in a tag-team match in the 70s against Dick the Bruiser and Ernie Ladd at the Chicago Amphitheater. He backpedaled into me and the tape on his hand had flared up and hit me right in the eye. And it was lights out at the O.K. Corral. It was like going through the Holland Tunnel with no lights."

Funniest wrestler: "Lou Albano. He's just funny. He made himself the object to a lot of the humor. Like a Rodney Dangerfield type. Very funny. Very approachable. One of the best guys."

Personal heroes: "I don't know. I never subscribed to any one hero. You think they're a hero, then you find out they're a tyrant. Familiarity breeds contempt. Heroes are the guys that dig the ditch, keep their mouths shut, put the chili on the table, and take the kids to get their haircuts. Blue-collar guys."

Favorite vacation spot: "Probably California. I like Florida, too."