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The Ups And Downs And Ups Of Tony Atlas

Posted: Feb 17th 2011 By: CMBurnham

Tony Atlas has really let himself go. Just because he?s 56 years old he expects us to forgive him for letting his weightlifting slide.

Where he used to be able to bench press 650 pounds, he now attempts nothing above 400.

For curls? These days it?s 200 pounds maximum, a far cry from the 325 young Tony used to play with.

And his squat is now next to squat. His career best is 800 pounds. Now he works out with a helium-like 495 pounds with a maximum of five reps.

He admits those once 23-inch arms have deflated to, perhaps, 21 inches in circumference.

So those are the updated numbers on this feeble old man who will co-headline Friday night?s Top Rope Promotions pro wrestling card at the Fall River Police Athletic League.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan, a huge hit at the PAL two years ago, is also on the card, which is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. The doors open at 6 p.m.

Atlas will be making the trip south from Auburn, Maine, his home. A native of Virginia, Atlas says he loves the utterly unpretentious life in Maine, where nobody is acknowledged as a big shot. In that way, he said it reminds him of the way Virginia used to be.

Once one of the mega-stars in professional wrestling ? one who in the late 70s and early 80s seemed destined for a world championship ? Atlas these days works the independent wrestling circuit, performing in front of a few hundred fans, pocketing a few dollars and enjoying life.

Pick up his autobiography, ?Too Much, Too Soon?, from Crowbar Press, and you can read about his fame to destitution to happy-to-be-alive-and-well in Maine life story.

As a child, Atlas said he loved competition and loved being strong. Raised by his mother alone, Atlas as a young boy was captivated by the Biblical account of Samson,. When he saw Steve Reeves lift a man over his head in the movie ?Hercules?, it planted the seed for Atlas' trademark pro wrestling finishing move where he lifted foes overhead and slammed them to the mat.

An accomplished weightlifter and body builder, Atlas was lured into pro wrestling where he quickly made a name for himself, due not only to his strength but his agility. He could not only press opponents over his head (he?s done so to the 400-pound plus King Kong Bundy), he would also hit them in the mush with a dropkick. His agility separated him from other muscle beach wrestlers like Superstar Graham and Ivan Putski.

The late Vince McMahon brought him to the Northeast in the late 1970s where Atlas became a smash hit. His Madison Square Garden victory over then villain Hulk Hogan marked the end to Hogan?s pre-Hulkster tenure in the then World Wide Wrestling Federation.

Many wrestling fans at that time thought Atlas was being groomed to be champion, figuring a heel like Ken Patera would take down Bob Backlund, leading to a successful Atlas title shot.

?They were going to make me world champion,? Atlas said during a phone interview this week. ?Captain Lou Albano said, ?They?re going to take you all the way.??

With a month of Atlas bookings in place, a strange thing happened. Atlas packed his bags and left the WWWF.

?Why? I?ve asked myself that many times,? he said. ?And I never gave myself any answers that made any sense.?

He shared a truly bizarre reason during the phone interview. Atlas said he left for Los Angeles was because of a woman friend he had in L.A., one whom he said he had set up with a $220,000 condo, a 1981 Corvette and $1,000 per week allowance.

Atlas said this woman?s big attraction for him was she would walk on his back with tennis shoes. ?I had a foot fetish. I went to L.A. to get walked on,? he said.

Several years later, the McMahons welcomed Atlas back to the then WWF and he did get to wear a championship belt as part of a tag team with Rocky Johnson.

But while his pro career was a success ? at least on the surface ? Atlas? personal life was a disaster. Divorced four times, he says he wound up homeless in Maine for a year-and-a-half. He says he would go through Dumpsters outside McDonald?s and Burger Kings when the restaurants closed to get the hamburgers that were thrown out. ?They were wrapped,? Atlas said.

?I went a whole year with no shower, without brushing my teeth, with no change of clothes,? he says.

Atlas says he was rescued by his current wife, Monica, who found him sleeping in a park one January day 20 years ago. ?She said, ?You can stay with me,?? he says.

A few months later, Atlas was back on his professional feet, and Vince K. McMahon, current boss of the now WWE, invited Atlas back to the ring, in the African warrior character of Saba Simba.

It was a goofy character, but Atlas had no complaints. He was working, eating and grateful.

?I owe my life to Vince McMahon Jr. and to my wife Monica,? says Atlas, who says all blame for his woes belong to the guy he sees in the mirror every morning when he shaves.

Atlas isn?t rich now, just happy. In addition to doing his part-time wrestling, he works as a instructor/fitness coach at the gym in Maine where he?s an early-to-bed-early-to-rise guy.

And he?s never been more proud of his wrestling professional nickname, Mr. USA. ?I?m living in the greatest country in the world,? he said.

Tickets for Friday?s special show are priced at $13 (general admission), $17 (second row), and $23 (VIP front row). They may be purchased in advance by calling Top Rope Promotions at 508-525-1866. Tickets will also be sold at the door, but this has the potential to sell out.

For more information, visit www.topropepromotions.com.