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Tony Atlas on Right After Wrestling: "I became homeless in 1989...then Vince tried to get ahold of me...Saba Simba saved my life.?

Posted: Dec 14th 2010 By: CMBurnham

Right After Wrestling with Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas interviewed WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas. Highlights:

- His book ?Atlas: Too Much Too Soon?, where the name of the book comes from and stories within the book

- Talking openly about his foot fetish, racism / sexism in wrestling, rules and locker room etiquette then vs now

- How he credits the ?Saba Simba? character that many people criticize, for saving his life

- Jimmy recollects about Tony Atlas always being cheerful in the locker room and never being upset, and Tony explains why

- Talking about making $1500 in his first week in wrestling, and $75,000 his first year.

EXCERPT: ?In the early 80?s, I went to LA. It was my decision to get involved in drugs which screwed me up at the beginning of my career. I became homeless in 1989. This lady saw me sleeping in the park in Maine, didn?t know who I was. I had been homeless for a year and half. I slept on the park bench. That day, it was 22 below zero and she invited me into her home. When Vince tried to get a hold of me, he didn?t know how to reach me. Vince didn?t know how to get a hold of me so a policeman told me he had a number of someone who wanted to reach me so I called Vince and he told me about the idea of bringing me back as Saba Simba. Before I went homeless I was 280 pounds, when she found me I was 190 pounds and when I went back to Vince I was 240 pounds. Saba Simba saved my life.?

RIGHT AFTER WRESTLING Radio
With Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas
Mondays, 11:05pm - midnight EST
The Score on SIRIUS Radio 98
iTUNES: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/right-after-wrestling/id379948064