Show: Wrestling Epicenter
Guest: "California Stud" Rod Price
Date: 07/24/2025
Your Host: James Walsh

If you were a child of the early 1990's, chances are you rushed home from school to get your favorite snack ready so you could tune in to ESPN by 4 p.m. and catch the latest episode of the Global Wrestling Federation. The GWF aired on ESPN 5 days a week, every week day, for 1 hour a day with a brand new episode each day. While that started to get cut down and "Best Of" shows would often air a few days a week later on in the run, Global kept its ESPN slot from 1991 to 1993 and boasted many wrestling superstars ranging from Cactus Jack, Eddie Gilbert, The Patriot, "The Raging Bull" Manny Fernandez, Black bart, Skandor Akbar, "The Handsome Stranger" Buff Bagwell, "Hollywood" John Tatum, Booker T, Stevie Ray, Butch Reed, Gary Hart, Al Perez, "The Godfather" The Soul Taker, and, last but not least, our guest for today's broadcast - "The California Stud", "Rugged" Rod Price!

Rod Price was a mainstay for the GWF throughout its run and held multiple championships including the Tag Team and North American titles. As the "Best Of" shows began airing, you got to see Rod team with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin back in the USWA days where they were tag champions together. And, as time went by, Rod would surface again in ECW sharing the ring with the likes of Mike Awesome, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, New Jack, Francine, and beyond. He truly saw and did it all in the world of pro wrestling. And, we've got the inside scoop on the life and times of the "California Stud" himself!

Rod Price will be a part of the East Texas Wrestling Alliance's August 2nd show in Grosebeck, Texas. The old school style wrestling card is fit for the whole family and tickets can be picked up at this link. Rod will take part in the pre-show autograph signing along with all the top stars of the ETWA! Tickets are available at this link!
https://benefitshow.ticketbud.com/professional-wrestling-?_gl=1%2A1rv9t1i%2A_ga%2AMzgyNTQzMDU1LjE3NTI2OTQxNTg.%2A_ga_GMZTENHSE8%2AczE3NTI2OTQxNTgkbzEkZzEkdDE3NTI2OTQ0NDMkajI2JGwwJGgxNjg5ODg3MDY0&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR4rsKwYgK2V_IUdqVksggigDsDAF-X4ir0lxYvYTPnX1mUsXZJ_hJN68wgTiQ_aem_p8ip0nOGamJO72csG3De0Q

Special shout out to Tori Talks Wrestling, Rod Price's favorite YouTuber!

For more great content like this, please visit www.WrestlingEpicenter.com. We've been doing wrestling interviews for close to 25 years and have done nearly 900! Plus, our news, results, RIP tributes, our merchandise store, and beyond. Check us out today! If you use any content from this interview on your site, all we ask is for a return link back to our site!

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/47lB1Lgh1wY

ROD PRICE:

On appearing for and agenting with East Tezs Wrestling Alliance:
"I'm excited for this. Mike Andrews is reporting. I know Mike real well. I've worked with him. I knew Mike's dad! The last show I did with Mike was the Black Bart fundraiser event and that was very special to me. I guess that was almost 2 years ago! The boys that showed up, they all had Black Bart's best interest at heart. Every penny they made, they gave it all to Black Bart for his medical bills and so forth. I thought it was just fantastic."

On Black Bart having medical issues at the event:
"When I got there, Bart was behind the table and he was as white as a ghost. I went up to (Bart's wife) Linda and I said, "What's going on?" He was having a bad reaction to the insulin. His heart rate went real low, he ended up passing out. We had to call out the paramedics. They gave him sugar water to get his blood sugar right. It was bad. I was like, "Come on, Lord. We didn't get together here to see him pass away in front of us." But, he kept going. And, it was a great benefit."

On JBL handing wads of cash to Black Bart that night:
"Absolutely! JBL gave him $2,000 right up front. Everything else he gave him later was just gravy. But, he was there for him. It was the first time in a while I met back up with John. Usually, I'm just leaving as he's arriving or he was leaving before I arrived. But, it was great to meet up with John again. He is one of my great friends in life."

On his final interaction with Black Bart:
"Man, the last time I got so speak to Bart was right when he got home from the hospital. I called and he was in a lot of pain. They had given him morphine to keep the pain levels down. But, he was weak and in pain. I kept it brief. I told him I love him and that I will see him in Heaven."

On the passing of Hulk Hogan:
"Hulk Hogan is the reason I got into wrestling. He was my hero. He's the reason I got into wrestling. It was the early 80's and I was already watching wrestling. I was a fan. The WWF was just starting to get hot. And, of course, the NWA was on and that was great too. But, I saw Rocky III. When Hulk Hogan came on the screen as Thunderlips, he had me hook, line, and sinker! That night, after seeing that movie, I decided I was going into professional wrestling. And, i guarantee you, there are thousands of guys who got into pro wrestling and it was all because of Hulk Hogan."

On his life in the world of football:
"Well, my NFL career, I spent most of it on the practice squad. I went to Long Beach State, I got a scholarship. I spent a spring there. The coaches left. I had gone there on some promises... One of the reasons I chose Long Beach State was they played in Anaheim Stadium. Their games were on local TV. And, they played USC and UCLA every season - It was on the schedule. Well, they lost Anaheim Stadium, they lost the local TV, they changed the schedule so they didn't play USC or UCLA. And, I was bitter, man. This was not what I was told. This is not what I signed up for. So, instead of Anaheim Stadium, we played in a stadium called Veterans Stadium. And, James, I'll tell you, I played in high school stadiums that were better than Veterans Stadium. I was like "You've got to be kidding!" All the coaches left and went to Cincinnati. I was like, "No way. Maybe it is time to get into wrestling.""

On getting trained for wrestling:
"I got a hold of Red Basteen, Bill Anderson, and Mondo Guerrero. One of my coaches, he was like, "I know the coach of the Rams. I'm going to give them a call and have them talk to you." I was like, "I'm in!" (laughs) They called, I got a tryout. I hardly ever mention it. But, that is when I first met Leon White, Big Van Vader. Being on the practice squad, you're expendable. But, I played Nose Tackle, I played Guard, I played Center, I long snapped, and I played Defense End. So, I was cheap and I could play different positions. That is some of the main reasons that they kept me around. So, I played training camp and I played preseason... Back then, training camp was 8 weeks. Training camp was 3 practices a day, every day. You didn't get a day off. It is not like today. Preseason, you played the first two games. The starters played a quarter or so in the 3rd game, and then the 4th game, the starters would play a half and the second half, it was do or die for guys like me. Well, I made it through but got cut afterwards. But, they told me to stay in shape and be ready. So, I went and played semi-pro. (laughs) If you think it was brutal in camp, semi-pro is just crazy! The games were in Compton. They called it the "Jungle League." And, brother, it was a jungle! It was a fight every day! (laughs) I was there for about 2 weeks and I got the call, they needed a backup long-snapper. So, I went back. I hung around for about 6 weeks. They got another guy who could long-snap. He was like second-string Tight End. So, I knew my days were numbered. I got cut. I went back to the Jungle League. Hey, $350 bucks a week was a lot back then and I was happy to ahve it! (laughs) Then, in '85, I hurt my knee and I ended up having 3 arthroscopics back to back to back."

On starting up in wrestling:
"In 1985, I started doing more wrestling. Taking independent dates around Southern California and Nevada... Through my agent, I asked the Rams if they were going to call me back. They said, "Well, we'll see." I never got that call. (laughs) In '86, I got called by the Chargers. I ended up there for about 8 weeks. Got cut, returned to wrestling and playing semi-pro. Then, in '87, the Chargers called me again. I was a long-snapper and they had me playing backup Guard. I was there until about week 11 and my knee started acting up. The choice was they either cut me or put me on IR. It was chepaer to cut me so that is what they did. They, of course, took care of my knee. I finished out that year playing semi-pro and wrestling In '88, I got a call from San Francisco. I played 2 preseason game sthere. The thing was, I never had time to let my knee recover and it started to affect my speed. After two games, I decided on my own that I was done (with football) and it was time to go into professional wrestling. In fact, I left San Francisco and went home to LA just long enough to get my stuff and I moved to Texas."

On the merger of Memphis and Dallas not working with the Sportatorium Era USWA:
"When Memphis came in (to Dallas), it was more about comedy and being light hearted. Dallas fans just crapped all over it. They were used to Texas style wrestling and Memphis jsut was not that. It was never going to work."

On how he liked his early run in Memphis and was it too soft for him:
"Well, you know, (laughs) when you work with "Supersbar" Bill Dundee and he's the Giant Killer, he's not going to go for much. I was married with him for a while. It was a lot of walk and talk. And, you know, I respect Dundee so much. And, it was a good push. Then they put me and Steve Austin together. But, you know, I had been through Memphis twice by then. And, the pay was so bad, I had to tell Jerry Jarrett, "Look, I know the house wasn't great. But, if I can't make more than that, I can't work for you." I mean, I made more working Dallas and Oklahoma than I did working Memphis 6 days a week."

On the promo of he and Steve Austin throwing boulders:
"(laughs) That was Gary Hart's idea. He loved to do things like that, especially when he was introducing guys. So, he told us to go and throw rocks and stuff like that. Then, he sent us to Hooters and said he'd meet up with us later because he had to go film some other promos. He told us to eat and drink to our heart's content. So, that was about 4 o'clock. We didn't see Gary again until like 9:30.... So, by then, we were like 3 sheets (to the wind). (laughs) We were like, "Well, hey, he said he was coming!" (laughs)"

On Steve Austin going on to become one of wrestling's biggest stars ever:
"You know, I have so much admiration for Steve. I saw him starve his way through Memphis... He earned everything he got! And then, in 1990, maybe 1991? They wanted us to team up again. Jerry Jarrett called me and said he'd guarantee us at least $500 a week. Well, I had a deal cooking with Japan where I could go there on the regular and the pay would be way more than $500 a week. So, for me, it was a financial decision. I said to Jerry, "Let me think about it?" He said, "We need to know tonight." So, I said no and I took the Japan offer. I think that decision worked out well for the both of us. I went and got paid more to work Japan and Steve finished up there and pretty much moved on to WCW right after that."

On liking the style of Japan:
"Well, people always said I was "stiff." I always say, "No, I wasn't stiff. I was snug." I never hurt anybody, clubbed anybody in the face, hurt anybody in the ring. Japan liked that. They appreciated you going out and working. You didn't have to worry about anybody stooging. That was what I liked. I saw some guys at other companies.... To me, they were just miserable! Sure, they were making money, working 350 days a year sometimes. But, they were just miserable! You have to have some kind of enjoyment or what is the point? To me, I didn't play the game well. I didn't do well with the corporate. I didn't really like the politics because I never was very good at kissing butt."

On why the GWF, which had a ton of viewers, doesn't always get the respect it deserves:
"Man, the respect thing. There is a lot of "If it isn't WWE, you're not part of wrestling." That might be part of it. I can't tell you how many people over the years have come up to us and told us, "You have no idea how much GWF meant to us." It was an outlet for a lot of people to esacape whatever was going on in their lives. I told Tatum, you just don't know how many people in life you affect with what you do. It meant so much to so many people. And, that really does mean a lot to us to hear."

On the GWF doing the famous "cut aways" when the heel would do something dirty:
"I called us the "After School Special." We were handicapped with what we could do. We had another show that was on more local TV in Texas. On that show, we could do a lot more. But, on ESPN, sometimes the best stuff ended up on the cutting room floor. I guess it was because of the time slot, being on in the middle of the afternoon."

On being paired with "Hollywood" Jim Tatum:
"You know, I texted John just the other day and I told him how much he meant to me then and how much he continues to mean to me now. I haven't talked to John as much as I should of late. My wife is sick and is getting ready to go in for surgery. But, John was just so great. He was so underrated. He knew the business so well. He knew how to get over, he knew the psychology... It is such a pleasure to have John as a part of my life. I really love John."

On host James being surprised John didn't recall the superkick to Sebastian that was on the GWF intro:
"(laughs) Honestly, I'm surprised they even let us air it!"

On the Joe Pedicino/Max Andrews crew being told about money from an African Prince:
"You know, I would rather have no one tell us big things are coming or that we're al going to get raises or whatever. Then, when that doesn't come through, you're left wondering, what's going on? That was a major change. Then, the Atlanta guys, who were having their trans covered, well, of course they are going to stop coming. They were gone. The transition from Max Adrews to Gray Pearson... I was grateful for Gray Pearson, he kept it going. But, GWF could have been so much more huge if they had done it better - Put a little more effort into sponsorships and getting money coming in, more promotion."

On the return of Kerry Von Erich to Texas with the GWF:
"Then, Kerry came in. That was huge. That was a boost to business. But, then, he went the way he went. It is a shame because if things had gone differently, who knows what could have been? We might still be going (in Dallas) today. It just is such a shame because it is one of those "what ifs", you know?"

On working with Chris Adams and the infamous "hair pull" incident he sustained:
"I liked Chris. I enjoyed working with Chris. The thing was, one day you'd be with Chris and he would be one of the nicest guys ever. And the next, well, he was different. And, you'd be like, "Who is this guy?" I enjoyed working with him. Our matches were Texas style. As for the hair pulling... To this day, I still have no idea why he did it."

On the infamous "Bodyguards and Bandits" PPV from the Sportatorium in 1996:
"(laughs) You were one of the 12 other people who bought it. That thing was doomed to fail from the start! They had us against these guys... And I was like, "Have they ever wrestled before?" They said, "No, not really." So, I suggested we get in the ring and train, rehearse for the pay per view match. They looked at me like that was the dumbest idea they had ever heard. When I saw that, I was like, "Ok." And, what it was was what it was. The finish literally had me put the guy over by me picking him up and covering myself with him. (laughs) They had no clue what they were doing."

On the end of USWA in Memphis:
"It was chaos. To me, it was total sabotage on Jerry Lawler's part. They had sold the thing to a guy for $1,000,000 and they were going to bankrupt it and buy it back for cheap. It was a shame. I really got to know Mark Seltzer. He didn't have a clue what was going on. They would take the TV film, the TV tape to the studio and sabotage it. He would go, "What's going on?" I said, "YOU'RE BEING SABOTAGED!" James (Beard( wasn't in on that. But, yeah. Then they changed the timeslot that the TV aired. Why change what had been working for decades? It was just chaos."

On saying his favorite time in wrestling was his time in ECW:
"It was probbly because it was chaos too. (laughs) Every promotion I've ever worked for, I'd show up when we were told to, an hour, two hours, or more before the show..... The card would be on the board. In ECW, it would sometimes be 15 minutes before bell time and we're still working out the card! (laughs) I enjoyed it, though. I enjoyed working with all the boys. The fans were just over the top, man! TWhose fans loved hardcore! When they tried softening it up, when we went on TNN... They were trying to soften it up and be more of a legit wrestling thing, man, the fans were crapping on it. So, when we would do house shows, I'd be working guys like Sabu or New Jack and I'd go, "Man, come on! Lets give 'em old school ECW!" The fans were just awesome! When we'd sneak in juice or sneak in chairs, the fans would come up to us after the match and be like, "Yeah! You're keeping it real!" (laughs) I had a lot of fun in ECW!"

On if the drug situation was as bad as some have later said in ECW:
"You know, James, no. That was in every promotion. Guys were working every night, guys were hurting. It wasn't any more prevalent in ECW than it was in WWE when I was there."

On reports he had a neck injury while in ECW:
"Yeah, I did. I worked Mike Awesome. Mike Awesome's finish was putting guys through a table with a powerbomb. I told Mike, "Mike, if I take that bump, I might be leaving here on a stretcher." I had a bulging disk in my neck. So, he was cool. He said, "I understand." They threw in a manager.... I forget the kid's name. But, he took that bump for me."

On why his time in ECW was short:
"I saw the writing on the wall with ECW. You would start to see some of the main guys, I was a side dish with ECW, but some of the main guys would be complaining that they had not been paid and hadn't been paid in a while. Paul (Heyman) took care of me. Even when I wasn't working, I would be backstage watching the monitor. Not that I created any stars in ECW but I did give my input. They respected me enough to listen to my input. I think it was in 2000, they started to call on a Tuesday saying "Your ticket to go to Boston will be at the counter." Well, my ticket was there. But, (One Man) Gang's ticket wouldn't be. Some other guys had the same thing. So, round about 2000, I could see that the money was dwindling. Theys tarted cutting my days. So, I just said, "I appreciate the run. I appreciate being here. But, it is time for me to move on.""