I’m very proud to present this to you.

An Interview with Jerry Jarrett
by Kurt Nielsen

How did you and Stan first meet?
I first met Stan in Memphis, Tennessee. He sent me a promo picture and a letter of introduction. He had been doing several gimmicks, such as The Convict, around the United States. When I saw his picture and his great size, I had the thought that he would be a natural to follow in the mold of the Scufflin’ Hillbillies. This team was over big during the 60s. We called him "Plowboy” Frazier.

What were your first impressions, upon meeting him?
My first impression of him turned out to be exactly what my lasting impression was to be: Stan was a gentle giant of a man whose heart was as big as his body. He took the business to heart and always put out 100% in the ring and out.

Stan was always a pleasure to be around. I don't ever remember him being in a bad mood. He had a calming effect on me. Sometimes I would be very uptight about the various pressures from the business. Stan would come up and put his big arm around my shoulders and suggest that he and I go fishing and relax.

Stan became one of your big draws, almost immediately.
Stan drew us a lot of money in Memphis, not so much because of his wrestling ability, but his personality was contagious. We did a program involving Jerry Lawler, Sam Bass, Stan and myself in the mid-70s -- it was one of the more successful programs we had in Memphis. Our matches drew big all around the territory.

Please describe the storyline, for those who don’t already know.
The storyline went something like this…

Lawler and Bass were driving through rural Mississippi and spotted this giant of a man plowing soil, using his own body to pull the plow. Lawler and Bass offered him jewelry and promised him he’d become wealthy if he joined them in the wrestling business. Well, he became “Plowboy.” Lawler and Bass were just using poor Plowboy, talking all his money and giving him fake jewelry. (This was just part of the storyline. Stan had actually used the “Plowboy” name many years before this.)

And this led to you getting involved.
Yes, I had been spending a few weeks trying to wise Stan up to Lawler’s game, but he had nothing to do with me. Every time I came close to breaking through, Lawler would flash one of those fake pieces of jewelry in Plowboy’s face, and he’d follow him.

My main memory was the situation in which Lawler had given Stan a fake diamond ring, and I attempted to expose Lawler's fraud. I walked out on Memphis television while Stan was showing Lance the pretty ring Lawler had given him. I explained that a real diamond was the hardest substance known, while a fake diamond was made of glass, which was not very hard. I told Stan that glass would turn to sand when smashed with a hammer, and a diamond would only crack when smashed. I told Stan that I was so sure the ring was glass that I would buy him a diamond twice as big if he would allow me to hit the diamond with a hammer and it turned out to really be a diamond. Stan finally consented to the test. I took the glass stone out of the diamond of the mounting and Stan and I sat down on the studio floor. When I struck the diamond, it shot under the ring. I crawled under the ring in a state of panic. Stan followed me to help look for the stone. While under the ring, Stan looked at me in a deadpan way and said, "Boss, if we don't find this diamond, you’re screwed." I found the diamond and composed my laughter and we finally succeeded in our little skit. The diamond was glass and Stan was mad at Lawler and our feud began.

We had many fun matches and the program drew great at the box office, for many weeks. Looking back, it's amazing what drew money in Memphis. But a lot of the success was due to Stan’s ability to tell a story and relate with audience.

How would you rate Stan against other big men of the sport? Since I know Frazier better than most, I saw he had a LOT ring skill, which he normally didn't get to employ. He outclassed men like Haystacks Calhoun, Tex McKenzie, even Andre the Giant, as far as overall ability. Just wanted to see your opinion on things, because you really knew what he was capable of.
I have worked with everyone that you mentioned above. In my opinion, Stan had the most ring skill of any of the “big men.” Stan was only limited in the same way any huge wrestler is/was limited. He was very agile considering his size.

Stan was very professional and I never had to worry about matches he was in. While responding to your questions, the thought has come to me of just how much better my life would have been had more wrestlers had the quality of character that was natural with Stan. In my opinion Stan would be as big a star today and perhaps more so.

How was Stan viewed by the boys? I know he was kind of resented for getting pushed because of his size in later years, even though he had trouble working a match. He also had a reputation for being unintentionally stiff, and would sometimes hurt people with his leg drop (and feel sorry for it afterwards).
I always thought the boys respected Stan. Because of my position, perhaps the boys did not express any bad feelings to me regarding Stan. I worked against Stan and I did not find him stiff either. He worked solid and that is what I expected from all the talent. I suggest that you ask the boys who think Stan was stiff if they ever worked against Lou Thesz, Danny Hodge or Bruiser Brody.

Was Stan very involved in the backstage politics, or did he keep his distance? I know the Memphis region was especially explosive during the late 70s-early 80s.
Stan would not get involved in any politics, nor the petty cliques that some wrestlers fell victim to. Stan came to the matches, did his job, brought a truckload of happiness with him, and went home. It’s one of the reasons he lasted so long in the business.

Was Stan known to be very giving to the new boys in the back, doling out advice and what not?
Stan was a generous person in all ways, but he was not a person to force himself on anyone. On several occasions, I would go to Stan and ask him to help his opponent during the match because perhaps the opponent lacked experience. Stan would talk to his opponent and try to get them to relax. Whenever someone asked Stan's advice, he would freely give it. However, it was not in Stan's nature to give unsolicited advice.

Were people prone to take advantage of Stan's good nature? I ask simply because that what some people do, whether they know it or not. This, coupled with the fact that Stan was perceived as being stupid (because of his gimmick), might have made him appear to be a push-over.
Anyone who was really around Stan knew he was a very bright fellow. And just because Stan was a gentle man, anyone who knew him would not put themselves in a situation to make Stan angry. Stan had tremendous strength and was quite agile. In my personal judgment, I would say that Stan was among the brighter wrestlers that I worked with.

Stan was a lot more business than most people realize. He understood the business and let me know well in advance when he would be available and when he would not. I'm sure he worked with all promoters in the same professional way that he did me.

Stan was famous for selling things in the dressing room. Do you have any stories to share?
Stan would come to the matches with two suitcases. One was his wrestling gear, the other was filled with knock-off watches, which he would sell to the boys. I really liked Stan and I saw no harm in him selling his watches, etc. when he came to the towns. Stan never pressured anyone to buy his stuff.

I bought a couple of watches from him over the years, and once I bought a gun. A couple of months after I bought the gun the FBI showed up at my house wanting to see it. I think someone reported that Stan was selling guns without a license. Of course there is no law that keeps someone from selling their personal gun, and this is all Stan did. They asked where I got the gun and I told them. The agent said he would have to take the gun. I complained to Stan when I saw him and he called the FBI and raised hell with them. My gun was returned the next week. (Laughs.) Stan said the same guys had come to him, thinking he was a gun runner.

Do you have any stories of his great appetite? I know, from many, that he seemed like he could eat much more than people even assumed he could. And do you recall anything in particular about the watermelon bit with Lance Russell – one of the funniest things ever in Memphis wrestling?
Stan was a big man and naturally had a big appetite. However, it was not such that Stan ever brought attention to himself when we went out to eat or on the occasions that he ate here at the house. The Lance Russell watermelon feast on television was storyline. Stan could execute a simple storyline and make it funny. Stan was a natural comedian.

Here’s one story I remember, though…

On night we were all staying over at a hotel in Memphis. Stan called my room saying if I wanted some good Memphis barbecue ribs to come down to his room. I was pretty hungry, so I said I’d join him. Well, I walked in and Stan and his friend were sitting on the bed, buck naked, eating barbecue ribs. His friend was one of the female midgets that was on the card that night. After seeing Stan and his friend in the raw, I kind of lost my appetite.

Stan was a bit of a fisherman, correct?
Stan lived down in southern Mississippi and loved to go fishing. He would catch a cooler full of fresh fish in the Gulf and bring them to my house in Hendersonville. He would get in the kitchen and cook the finest fish dinner anyone could ever expect.

Stan had great balance for a man his size, and there were never any problems with him in the boat. He was also a very good fisherman. We would go fishing on Old Hickory Lake, which was the lake I lived on, and Stan could find fish always, and he was not familiar with the lake.

When Stan and I would go fishing, he would keep me entertained with funny stories. I assumed that he may have been a comedian had he not been a wrestler.

When did Stan's health problems really start? I know from a few people that he had them as early as the mid 70s. Did this limit him, as far as how he was used, or was he able to work around these things?
I don't recall exactly when Stan's health became an issue but he never let any problems interfere with his work in the 70s. Late in his career, he would tell me that he could not last in very long matches.

What was the feeling like in the locker room/office when Stan signed with the WWF... and when he returned home?
I was happy for him that he got the break. I was happy when he returned because he said made some money but was happier to be home.

Any final thoughts?
I know my answers sound as if I thought everything Stan did was the perfect thing to do. This is not the case because none of us are prefect. However, as I reflect back over all the wrestlers I worked with, it is difficult to find one that was less a problem than Stan. He was always professional. He seemed to always be in a good mood. I can't recall him complaining about anything. He was generous in his time.

Stan is one of the few wrestlers who was always welcome at my home. He was one of the few wrestlers that had dinner with us. I never had to worry about him using profanity around my wife or children. I knew Stan would always conduct himself as a gentleman. In our business, we work with people from every status and background possible. I'm sorry to say that far too few are people that you want in your home and involved in your personal life. Stan was an exception.