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When Baron Von Raschke entered the Mid-Atlantic area during the summer
of 1977, his national reputation clearly preceded him. Most
Mid-Atlantic fans had already seen the Baron's picture plastered all
over the national wrestling magazines. But one still had to wonder,
when he actually arrived in Charlotte , would the Baron be as good as
advertised? It didn't take long for that question to be answered with
a resounding…YES!
 
Tearing through his early opponents in 1977 with his feared ‘Brain
Claw' hold, the Baron quickly established himself as a major star to
be reckoned with in Jim Crockett Promotions. That star would shine
brightly straight through into 1980. Even after leaving the
Mid-Atlantic area, the Baron came back to Charlotte for two shorter
visits years later. But even when he left the area, no Mid-Atlantic
fan could forget Baron Von Raschke.

In this interview, the Baron talks about his early amateur wrestling
days, including an unfortunate injury that kept him out of the 1964
Olympics. He takes us through his early professional wrestling
transformation from ‘ Jim Raschke' to the infamous ‘Baron Von
Raschke.' And we'll find out the origins of his Claw hold, and some of
the wrestling areas he competed in before he finally landed in
Charlotte .

The Baron talks at length about all of his major angles, feuds and
championship reigns while in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. He
chats about many of the personalities we remember so fondly from the
Mid-Atlantic days, including Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Paul Jones,
Greg Valentine, Tim Woods, Johnny Weaver, Blackjack Mulligan, Wahoo
McDaniel, Jim my Snuka and others.

And speaking of personalities, stay alert at all times during this
interview, as the Baron will jump into character at a moments notice.
You have been warned!

Special thanks to the Baron's son, Karl Raschke , for all of his
assistance and help with this interview. Please visit the Baron's
official website, administered by Karl, which is a wonderful tribute
to his Dad…the legendary Claw Master, Baron Von Raschke. The Baron's
site can be found at this link: http://www.baronvonraschke.com

And thanks most of all to Baron Von Raschke for being so generous with
his time, and allowing the Mid-Atlantic Gateway to do a bit of
reminiscing with him. Through the Gateway, it was great having the
Baron back in the Mid-Atlantic area, even if it was only for about 90
minutes on the telephone!

Baron…you are a true wrestling legend in the Carolinas , and you will
always be fondly remembered by all the fans in the Mid-Atlantic area.
And as someone might have once said, ‘That is all you need to know!'

 - David Chappell

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David Chappell : Baron, thank you for speaking with the Mid-Atlantic
Gateway this evening. It's great to talk with you.

Baron Von Raschke: Okay, David . I'm glad to talk with you.

Chappell: First off, congratulations on your recently being honored by
the Cauliflower Alley Club. Your former Mid-Atlantic partner Paul
Jones was honored at the same time, I understand.

Raschke: Well, thank you very much. Yeah…Paul was out there, and a lot
of my good old friends.

Chappell: How was it out there in Las Vegas for the CAC event?

Raschke: It was nice to get together with a lot of guys that I hadn't
seen for a long, long time…catching up on the news of different people
around the country. There were also a lot of great fans out there…and
people I had never met in the business. It was great!

Chappell: What was it like seeing your old partner Paul Jones again?

Raschke: [Paul] really enjoyed being out there this year, and I
understand he went out there last year for the first time and really
had a good time then.

This year, he was honored also…and his brothers and his son were
there. So, it was really very nice.

Chappell: That's great….and particularly nice that both of you were
honored in the same year!

Well, leaving the present and heading back in time for a bit…despite
the ‘Baron From Germany' wrestling persona that so many people know
you from, you actually grew up in Nebraska , I believe?

Raschke: I was raised in Nebraska …yes.

Chappell: You were an outstanding wrestler in Nebraska from an early
age, weren't you?

Raschke: I was high school state champion in wrestling my senior year.
Also, during my junior year, we won the state high school championship
in football.

>From there, I went to the University of Nebraska …I went there
originally on an academic scholarship. I walked on, and later got a
football scholarship.

Chappell: How long did you play college football for the Cornhuskers?

Raschke: I played football for my first three years.

Chappell: Great football fans at Nebraska …

Raschke: Oh yeah…great fans! They follow them everywhere. Lincoln
probably doubles in size on football Saturdays!

Chappell: I didn't realize you had such a football background at the
University of Nebraska ! I have to ask you about (former Oakland
Raider coach) Bill Callahan, your new coach out there?

Raschke: (laughing) I don't know him…I've just read a little bit about
him in the paper. That's Big 12 country now, and I live in Minnesota
now which is Big 10 country…we don't get too much Big 12 coverage
here.

It's kind of like being on the west coast and not hearing much about
[ACC] basketball…but you still know it's the best!

Chappell: (laughing) That's right! Now…you continued to wrestle when
you attended the University of Nebraska , didn't you?

Raschke: Yes, I continued my amateur wrestling there. Luckily for me,
they hired a wrestling coach named Bill Smith before I got there, who
was an Olympic Champion. He taught me a lot of good stuff about
amateur wrestling. I had some good years there.

Chappell: Didn't you win a wrestling Championship in college as well?

Raschke: Right, I placed second in the Big 8 (Conference) my sophomore
year…freshmen weren't eligible. I was in it my junior year, and won it
my senior year in 1962.

Chappell: And, your wrestling accomplishments continued to build after
you graduated from Nebraska .

Raschke: Yeah, after college I was drafted into the Army. After boot
camp, they heard about my wrestling and talked to me and sent me to
Brooklyn , New York …so I was able to continue my amateur career and
represented the Army for two years.

In between, by the way, I did make the U.S. team in the World Games
and won a Bronze Medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. The World games were
held in Sweden then…this was 1963. I was the second American to ever
place in the World Games in Greco-Roman.

Chappell: Impressive! You also collected some accolades when you
wrestled in the Army, didn't you?

Raschke: I won Gold Medals in the Army Wrestling Championships…these
were in 1964 and 1965. In ‘64, I also won AAU National Championships
in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman.

Chappell: 1964 was also an Olympic year. I understand that you made
the 1964 U.S. Olympic wrestling team, but through some incredibly bad
luck you were not able to travel to Tokyo and participate. Please tell
us what happened.

Raschke: I made the Olympic team, but I got injured at the training
camp in Annapolis …at the Academy. I got a hyper-extended elbow two
days before the plane was to leave for Tokyo …so, I didn't get to go.

Chappell: Wow…I guess ‘disappointment' doesn't even begin to describe
what you felt at that point?

Raschke: To say the least. You remember the old show on ABC called the
Wide World Of Sports?

Chappell: Yes…definitely.

Raschke: ‘The thrill of victory, and the agony of de-feat.' My ‘feet'
hurt real bad! (everybody laughs)

It was a bit of bad luck…but that's life. I'm over it now! (laughs)

Chappell: (laughing) Well, that's good to hear! As they say, time
heals all wounds!

How did you rebound from that setback with the Olympics?

Raschke: Actually, while I was in the Army I was working out and
messing around with a smaller guy, about a 145 pounder, and I got my
leg stuck in the mat the wrong way and it popped. So, I had to go in
for knee surgery…

Chappell: Baron, you really did have a run of bad luck in the mid 60s!

Raschke: I was in the Naval Hospital in Queens , New York . I was in
the Army, and they put me in a Naval Hospital !

Chappell: (laughing)

Raschke: Anyway, a guy off of an atomic submarine was in [the
hospital] with me…his name was John Cunningham. He was about my age,
and John had the same operation on the same morning I had mine. So,
being next to each other in the hospital, we got to be pretty good
friends because we were going through a similar experience.

Chappell: That's understandable.

Raschke: At that time, I wasn't a wresting fan…a pro wrestling
fan---but John was. So, every weekend he would drag me down to the TV
room to watch wrestling…from Madison Square Garden or wherever it was
from.

Chappell: What were your first impressions of professional wrestling?

Raschke: I said, ‘Gee, that might be something I'd be able to do.'

Chappell: Despite being a great amateur wrestler, professional
wrestling didn't mean anything to you until John got you to start
watching it on television?

Raschke: No, I wasn't interested in [pro wrestling] at all before
that.

Chappell: Being such an outstanding amateur wrestler, did you look
down on the professional side at that time?

Raschke: I basically had no opinion about it then…

Chappell: But obviously, you eventually took a liking to the
professional side of wrestling!

Raschke: Yeah…John got me to watching it on TV, and before too long I
wrote to the promoter in Omaha , Joe Dusek. I sent him a list of my
credentials, and he wrote a nice letter back to me.

Chappell: What did Joe tell you?

Raschke: He said he didn't have the facilities to train anybody, but
told me to come and see him later on after I got out of the Army, and
he would introduce me to Verne Gagne.

Meanwhile, I got my first teaching job. When I first got out of the
Army, I decided I was going to teach school…and I did for about a year
after I got out of the Army.

Chappell: What did you teach, Baron?

Raschke: Biology and general Science. That was the only year I taught
full time. I taught fifteen or so years as a substitute (teacher)…not
wanting to be tied down with it.

But after the year of teaching, I thought I would see what I could do
about trying professional wrestling.

Chappell: Did you get back up with Joe Dusek then?

Raschke: Yes…I contacted Joe Dusek again. They used to have a live
television taping in a studio in Omaha…Verne Gagne came down from
Minnesota, and Joe introduced us then.

Chappell: Did Verne show immediate interest in you?

Raschke: Verne told me if I wanted to come up (to Minnesota ), he'd
train me. So…right away I jumped in my brother's car and drove up
there. I got a hotel room, and contacted the Office. They let me sit
there for six or seven days!

Chappell: (laughing)

Raschke: Finally, I got Verne cornered enough to where he started to
train me. And, after a couple of months of training, I got to get with
guys like Wilbur Snyder. Verne had a ring set up at a farm where we
would train.

After a few months of that, they gave me the job of hauling the ring
around and setting it up in the different towns and for TV. And they
also had me refereeing some of the matches then. So, that was sort of
my introduction to the business.
 
Chappell: Who were the guys that were most influential to you when you
first broke in?

Raschke: After three or four months of setting up the ring, I was
refereeing and Mad Dog Vachon noticed me. Mad Dog was getting ready to
leave the AWA for a while, and go up to Quebec , Canada …the Montreal
area.

He wanted a partner, and took a liking to me. Mad Dog was on the
Canadian Olympic team…two Olympics before I was almost on the U.S.
team. So, he had a natural inclination to take me under his wing…and
he did.

Chappell: Did Mad Dog help you develop the ‘Baron' persona?

Raschke: [Editor's Note: The Baron Is In Character Voice Here!]

Mad Dog said to me, ‘YOU WOULD MAKE A VERY GOOD GERMAN!'

Chappell: (laughing)

Raschke: I told him, ‘I AM A GERMAN! MY PARENTS MADE ME A GERMAN!'
(everybody laughs)

He said, ‘WELL…COME TO CANADA WITH ME AND BE MY NEW PARTNER!'

So, I took my new bride, the lovely Bonnie, and we got in our little
Mustang with the trailer on the back and headed for adventures
unknown.

Chappell: What made Mad Dog see the ‘Baron' from Jim Raschke?

Raschke: I think I looked the part to him, so I just went with it. It
turned out that ‘Baron Von Raschke' was always there, even though he
was inside me…he was my alter ego.

Chappell: Wasn't Mad Dog injured in a car wreck fairly soon after you
all started teaming up?

Raschke: Yeah, I went up to Montreal and teamed with him. For people
that don't know Mad Dog, he wasn't a tall man…he was quite a bit
shorter than I am. And, he probably isn't the best looking man now,
but he was quite handsome then.

And I was this big and tall bald guy…and for some reason the crowd
automatically didn't like us from the get-go. He would play up to
that, and I'd follow suit. Pretty soon, the crowds didn't like us at
all…but we were filling up all the arenas!

Chappell: I recently interviewed Ivan Koloff, and he was up there in
Montreal about this same time. Weren't the Rougeaus the big fan
favorites up there then?

Raschke: Actually, [Ivan] was the next guy they had in after I left.
The territory popped with the Mad Dog and I.

Regarding the accident…for some reason I was in another town in a
different area that day. Mad Dog was coming back from Chicoutimi
…which is way up north---about 350 miles north of Montreal . As you
can imagine, it's very icy there in the winter, and the car slipped
off the road and went into the ditch. Anyway, it wound up that Mad Dog
separated his pelvis…

Chappell: I guess he was fortunate that the accident wasn't any worse?

Raschke: They had midget wrestlers on that same card, and the midgets
found the wreck and were able to help. Mad Dog didn't know if they
were angels or devils, but there they were!

Chappell: He was no doubt glad to see them, whoever they were!

Raschke: (laughs) Yeah…they were able to get him to the hospital. Mad
Dog was out of business for several months. In the meantime, Hans
Schmidt was in the area, so we teamed up and were just as hot as Mad
Dog and I were.

Chappell: Ivan told me he teamed with Hans Schmidt up there too, and
it got pretty wild!

Raschke: It was pretty intense. We had riots all the time. We'd leave
the ring, and often times the fans would fill the ring with chairs…

Chappell: That's what Ivan told me! But I figured it was probably a
one night only incident…

Raschke: [Editor's Note: The Baron Is Again In Character Voice Here!]

‘IT WAS NIGHT AFTER NIGHT AFTER NIGHT!!! THEY WERE HANGING FROM THE
RAFTERS…AND I DON'T MEAN THAT AS AN IDIOM…THEY WERE ACTUALLY SITTING
ON THE BEAMS GOING ACROSS THE TOP OF THE BUILDING!!!!'

Chappell: (laughing hard)

Man, that was unbelievable up there!

Raschke: We had to take care of ourselves!

Chappell: Everyone from the Mid-Atlantic area remembers your
devastating ‘Brain Claw' hold. Did you develop the Claw hold during
these early years?

Raschke: Yes. I was wrestling against Pat O'Connor in St. Louis , and
we had a talk after the match. He suggested that I use the Claw, and I
told him I didn't even know what it was! I hadn't seen it up to that
point.

I was only in St. Louis for that one night. I was working in Detroit
for Eddie Farhat then…this was shortly after I was in Montreal .

Chappell: So, you were just in St. Louis at that point for a single
shot?

Raschke: They had a call in for a guy to go in and work against
O'Connor…so they flew me into St. Louis from Detroit . We were in the
old Kiel Auditorium.

Chappell: A great venue.

Raschke: Yes…and O'Connor and I had a pretty decent match. He kind of
liked me, and took me under his wing and asked me about the Claw. But
then I sort of forgot about [the Claw] for a while, because I was
doing other things.

Chappell: So you didn't start using the Claw immediately?

Raschke: No, actually, because after I left the Detroit territory I
went down and wrestled for Fritz Von Erich…

Chappell: You probably weren't allowed to use the Claw in Fritz's
territory! (laughs)

Raschke: Well, I still didn't really know what the Claw was all
about…even then. So I didn't look to use it there, particularly down
there! I had my own things I could use.

Chappell: Did the Claw come naturally for you? I remember when you
first came into the Mid-Atlantic area, they had you crush an apple
with the hand you used for the Claw. You must have had terrific hand
strength.

Raschke: Well, you go with what you got. I had some abilities that
maybe some other people didn't have…and some other people certainly
have abilities that I don't have. But, I suppose I had a fairly good
grip at that time.

But, yeah, the Claw seemed to be a natural fit for me.

Chappell: And when you had an opponent in the Claw, your facial
expressions were priceless! I think those put the move over as much as
anything.

Raschke: Well, David , I did the best I could. Speaking of my face, I
get asked for autographs all the time---people think I'm Ben Affleck…

Chappell: (laughs) Oh really?

Raschke: Oh yeah…all the time!

Chappell: Well, I want a current picture of you that we can put up on
the site. We'll create a ‘ Hollywood ' section, and put you right in
there!

Raschke: There you go…is it Ben or is it Memorex? (everybody laughs)

Chappell: But back to the Claw…I guess it was a combination of things
that got that maneuver over so well. But that maniacal and diabolical
look of yours was a big part of it for me! But, I digress….

Raschke: Well, yes, you do…(everybody laughs)

But, it was a good hold for me…it worked well for me.

Chappell: Where did you head after your stint in Texas with Fritz Von
Erich?

Raschke: I went to Indiana with (Dick The) Bruiser's group. That's
where I started using the Claw. And I used it a different way than
Fritz Von Erich did.

Chappell: What was the distinction?

Raschke: Well, [Von Erich] would throw it on very, very quickly
without doing much to set it up.

Basically, I would have to work to set it up…and then when the time
was right, I would put it on. That made a lot of difference.

Chappell: Oh…no doubt. Now, you had a good long run in Bruiser's
territory in the early 70s. Is it fair to say that was when Baron Von
Raschke really took off?

Raschke: Yes…there was a lot of great talent around that area.

Chappell: Didn't they put the WWA World belt on you pretty quickly
there, and then you and Bruiser battled back and forth over it for a
number of years?

Raschke: Yeah…that's what happened.

Chappell: And I believe late in your run there, you and Ernie Ladd
were the Tag Team Champions?

Raschke: Yep…we had some of the best in the business in there then.

Chappell: We're into the mid 70s now, Baron. Where did you campaign
before you ended up in the Mid-Atlantic area in the summer of 1977?

Raschke: I went back to the AWA…I spent about two and a half years
with Verne and Wally Karbo. Then I got a call from Vince McMahon, and
I went up to New York for several months. Then, I went to Crockett.

Chappell: You were working in the WWWF right before you entered the
Mid-Atlantic area?

Raschke: Yes, that's right.

Chappell: Well, we have you up to July of 1977. Tell us about how you
came to enter the Mid-Atlantic area.

Raschke: It came about in a kind of roundabout way. A bunch of people
from Japan were going through the U.S. The top guy over there was
Giant Baba…

Chappell: Right…

Raschke: Big, tall guy…about seven feet tall. Anyway, he needed an
opponent in Greensboro . It was kind of the same story as with me and
Pat O'Connor back a number of years before.

[ The Baron battles the Giant Baba in Greensboro ]
  March 20, 1977

Chappell: Yep…I know exactly the Greensboro card you're referring
to---I collect event posters. It was March 20, 1977 . I always thought
it was odd you were on that card, because you didn't start in the
Mid-Atlantic area for four more months.

You were wrestling Baba for the ‘Pacific Wrestling Title!' I seriously
doubt that Title was defended much in the Mid-Atlantic area! (laughs)

Raschke: (laughs) Yeah…and I had never met the Crocketts and hardly
knew (the booker) George Scott. Anyway, I went there and worked with
Giant Baba…because the Mid-Atlantic didn't want to sacrifice one of
their own guys at that juncture.

[ The Baron applies the claw to Giant Baba ]

Chappell: That's a pretty tough assignment, for your first appearance
in the territory!

Raschke: He wasn't the easiest guy to work with…but I wrestled him.
And it went over really, really good. Next thing you know, I was
booked to work in the Mid-Atlantic area full time. You said the Baba
match was in March, so I started for Crockett in July.

Chappell: Interesting! So as I understand it, your match with Baba in
Greensboro impressed the ‘powers that be' and they took notice of you,
and wanted you to come into the Mid-Atlantic area full time?

Raschke: Right…I think that's how it worked out.

Chappell: When you came in initially, you surely dealt with George
Scott a lot in his capacity as the area's booker. What did you think
of George?

Raschke: He was all business, but I liked him.

Chappell: I remember that when you first came in, George put you over
fast. You were annihilating everybody with your Brain Claw! I also
remember the TV announcers mentioning that you were one of a very few
guys to have beaten Bruno Sammartino, which was very unusual for our
announcers to say something like that. So you were clearly a big deal!

Raschke: I don't know what they were thinking there, David . I just
tried to come in and do what I did best.

Chappell: Overall, what were your initial impressions of the Crockett
territory?

Raschke: I had never really been to the South before, and I fell in
love with the area.

Chappell: Really?

Raschke: It was beautiful country. I lived in Charlotte, and that was
a great place to live. Unfortunately, the business kept us on the road
seven days a week…almost every day of the year. I'm glad I had a good
strong family that stood behind me, because the schedule didn't allow
you much time to be at home. And when you were home, you were tired!

Chappell: Baron, you certainly have hit on something that everybody
from that time frame echoes…working for George Scott back then was
VERY hard work!

Raschke: Oh yeah! Work and travel was horrendous.

Chappell: Was it worse in the Mid-Atlantic area than any other place
you had been…or would go to in the future?

Raschke: It was as bad as any place I've been. Actually, it was worse
driving winter roads for a couple of weeks in northern Manitoba,
Canada. Those are roads that nobody can take except for in the winter
when it freezes up…because part of them are lakes! That was the only
time they could get supplies to the villages overland.

Chappell: Gee…the travel had to be unbelievably dangerous way up in
northern Canada. At least you didn't have to deal with that REALLY
frigid weather down here!

Raschke: You've never driven in an ice storm, huh?

Chappell: Nothing like you have, I'm sure! Everybody down here goes
berserk at the sight of the first snowflake! You know…you've been down
here.

Raschke: You have to be careful wherever you drive.

Chappell: Absolutely.

Well, when you came into the Mid-Atlantic area, your first real
significant match was against the youngster, Ricky Steamboat.
Steamboat was getting pushed to the hilt then, and you were really the
first guy to beat him in a meaningful match. You took the Mid-Atlantic
TV Title from him in October of 1977.

Raschke: Ricky was a great performer…

Chappell: As a veteran coming in, I'm curious of what you thought
about a young guy like Steamboat getting such a major push?

[ Baron von Raschke defeated Ricky Steamboat for the TV title ]

Raschke: I was tremendously impressed with Ricky Steamboat. He had a
knack for the business…he picked it up right away. He was a young man
that was going to go far---and he did.

You know, he gave 100% in the ring…which is what I liked. That's how
you got a match over. He was a very, very good wrestler and colleague.

Chappell: The first long running program you had in Crockett was
against ‘Mr. Wrestling' Tim Woods. This was set up by an amateur rules
wrestling match that you all had on TV. That was a terrific angle…even
though you lost the amateur rules match by a couple of points!
(laughs)

Raschke: I did? You sure about that? (laughs)

Chappell: (laughing) I'm thinking you did…but it was nip and tuck all
the way! Regardless of the outcome, I thought it was a great
concept…something very different.

Raschke: It was a wrinkle that George Scott thought up. He thought it
would be interesting to the fans…a different kind of wrestling. I
guess the midgets weren't available that day! (everybody laughs)

Chappell: So George thought that angle up? I would have thought with
the amateur wrestling backgrounds of both you and Tim, that you all
would have come up with that idea.

Raschke: I think both Tim and I realized at that time that amateur
wrestling was way too hard…to go through all the training and stuff.
We were in our pro groove then!

(pauses) You know, actually, maybe Tim suggested it. I don't really
remember…

Chappell: But you know YOU didn't suggest it! (laughs)

Raschke: That's right…I know I didn't! Tim probably had something to
do with it, though.

Chappell: After you attacked Mr. Wrestling with the ring bell after
that amateur rules match, you all had a strong program that lasted
through 1977. Tell us about Tim Woods.

Raschke: I learned to love the guy. He was just a great competitor,
and a great guy. He was a very, very smart man. We always used to have
real good matches…we had a real good rapport in the ring. I can't say
enough good things about him---I'm sorry he's gone.

Chappell: You held onto your Mid-Atlantic TV Title throughout that
feud, and then early in 1978 the Mid-Atlantic TV Title became the NWA
TV Title.

The promotion said you went out and won a tournament to become the new
NWA Television Champion. Funny thing, there were never any highlights
shown of that tournament! Care to comment on that big tournament?
(laughs)

Raschke: I don't remember that tournament! (laughs)

Chappell: Actually, I'd be pretty worried if you did remember it
Baron! (everybody laughs)

This was the time frame that they put you together for a while with
Johnny Weaver, and you all traded the TV Title. And as part of that,
you all had the great TV angle with the Challenge Match of the Claw
hold versus the Sleeper hold. How did that angle come about?

Raschke: I don't really recall all the details of how that came about.
Sometimes, I have trouble remembering yesterday! But we used to have a
meeting at the Office, and it might have been something we suggested
there.

John was a terrific performer, and I think we had really, really good
matches.

But that [angle] was a good one. It was something that kind of built
off of a thing I used to do with Pat O'Connor in St. Louis…he had the
Sleeper hold out there.

Chappell: There have certainly been some good Hold versus Hold angles
over the years in wrestling, and this was definitely one of the best!

Raschke: You're right…the Hold versus Hold is kind of a natural thing
in wrestling.

Chappell: John actually won the Hold versus Hold contest, which was a
little surprising…

Raschke: [Editor's Note: The Baron Is Again In Character Voice Here!]

‘HE CHEATED…DON'T EVER FORGET IT!'

Chappell: (laughing) Yeah…I seem to remember you complaining that the
Sleeper was actually a choke-hold!

Chappell: After that program with Weaver, you were pretty much a tag
team specialist for most of the rest of your run in the Mid-Atlantic
area. Greg Valentine was the first of your really big-time partners.

Raschke: Right…the Hammer!

Chappell: You all had the famous TV angle in June of 1978 where you
put up your TV Title against Paul Jones, in exchange for a shot at the
NWA World Tag Team Titles. You lost the TV belt to Jones, but you and
Greg won the World Tag Team Belts from Jones and Steamboat! And all
this happened on one TV show!

Raschke: Yes… Greg and I made a real good team. He was a great partner
for me.

Chappell: Describe Greg as a partner, if you would. I spoke with Greg
a couple of months ago, and he was very complimentary of you. He said
you taught him how to be patient in the ring.

Raschke: (laughs) I don't know if I taught Greg too much! He was
always a really good performer, and he was just a good hard worker. He
was very steady. It was a pleasure for me to be with a partner of his
stature…he was great.

[ Greg Valentine & Baron von Raschke ]

NWA World Tag Team Champions

Chappell: Greg was very similar to his Dad (Johnny Valentine) in a lot
of ways, wasn't he?

Raschke: Well…they looked just like each other---picture images. They
were both very well built people, and they both worked really, really
hard.

Fortunately, Greg didn't have his Dad's weird sense of humor! (laughs)

Chappell: (laughs) I don't think Greg could have ever topped his Dad
in that category!

Raschke: (laughing)

Chappell: Besides Jones and Steamboat, another team I remember you and
Greg up against during your title reign was Blackjack Mulligan and
Dick Murdock.

Raschke: The old M & M Boys…they were quite a combination!

--- Internet Rex 2.29