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Ted?s Blog: Remembering Buck Robley

Posted: Jul 12th 2013 By: CMBurnham

[Note from Ted: I wrote this on Wednesday, May 29th, before we launched this new MillionDollarMan.com website]

Yesterday, Buck Robley died. Most young wrestling fans today, and many older fans, may not remember Buck Robley. But for those of us in the wrestling business who knew Buck, well, we know that he had a great mind for our business. He was a great booker. He also had, what you might call, a very bad bed side manner! He wasn?t a ?yes? man. He always said what he thought, even when it was smarter to keep his mouth shut. Some liked him, some didn?t! But regardless of what anybody though of Buck personally, Buck knew the wrestling business very well.

He, more than anybody else, created the Junkyard Dog. There was a time when Bill Watts wanted to fire JYD, said he wasn?t going to make it, but Buck saw the ?it? factor in JYD and the rest is history. Yes, it was Bill who then took JYD and made him a household name, but it was Buck who first saw it in him. I share that to share this, Buck Robley also had a big impact on my career. Not only did Buck influence my career from outside the ring, but I had the pleasure of actually working with him in the ring. He was an absolute pro. He knew his way around the ring inside, and he knew the physiology of our business outside the ring. He was there in Mid-South when I started my career.

Then, in Atlanta, when Jim Barnett was mad at me for voicing my opinion about a certain booker at the time, it was Buck Robley who was brought in to book Atlanta. It was Buck who saved my bacon when Jim wanted to let me go. It was Buck who came up with the angle I did with the Freebirds on Atlanta TV that people still talk about. Yes, we who knew Buck, know how ?rough around the edges? he was. But we all know how very well he knew our business. I just want to say here one last time, ? thanks Buck, for all you did to help me become a good wrestler.? But more than that, I pray that you truly, rest in peace.

Ted DiBiase