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Marvez: Talking With "Honky Tonk Man" Wayne Ferris

Posted: Apr 7th 2011 By: CMBurnham

An upcoming career-achievement award reinforces Wayne Ferris' standing as the king of all Elvis Presley-inspired pro wrestlers.

But as the Cauliflower Alley Club prepares to celebrate the impact he made primarily as the Honky Tonk Man, Ferris admits he wasn't all shook up about Presley's music.

"I was a Beatles and Rolling Stones guy," Ferris said in a recent telephone interview from his home in Gilbert, Ariz. "(The Honky Tonk Man) was something I was able to make work. When I showed up on the old (World Wrestling Entertainment) scene, I had already spent years perfecting my craft, my interviews, even the way I stood and acted in the ring. That part of it projected to that character naturally."

A staple on the grappling scene across North America -- especially Memphis, Tenn. -- Ferris received his big break with WWE in 1986. Ferris was placed in a Presley-style jumpsuit. His hair was dyed jet-black and greased. And he sported giant sideburns to boot.

The company originally tried to push Ferris as a babyface until negative fan reaction caused a change of plans. Ferris turned heel and repeatedly mocked fans by proclaiming how much they wanted to see him "dance and sing" even though he legitimately lacked talent in both areas.

Ferris was such a hit that he still holds the WWE equivalent of a platinum record. No Intercontinental champion has enjoyed a longer reign than the 454 days Ferris held the strap in the late 1980s.

The reign began when the Honky Tonk Man upset Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat in stunning fashion to begin the title run. Ferris said that ranks as the most important match of his five years in WWE.

"It catapulted me from mid-card status to main events," Ferris said. "It also greatly enhanced my paycheck. I've never done pro wrestling because it was fun. Sometimes it isn't. I've always treated it as a business."

Ferris ultimately dropped the belt in surprisingly quick fashion to Jim "Ultimate Warrior" Hellwig at the 1988 "Summer Slam" pay-per-view show. The credibility Hellwig gained by beating Ferris in a mere 31 seconds helped propel the Warrior to a four-year run as a WWE headliner replacing Hulk Hogan.

"People always ask me what happened and why I lost so quickly," Ferris said. "It was good for three parties. It was good for the company. They needed someone to grab the torch from Hogan because he wanted to go to Hollywood. Putting someone over (i.e., losing) that quickly made him a superstar right away. And for me, it was fast, sweet and done with. It didn't bother me at all.

"The only reason I stayed champion as long as I did was the ability I had to sell tickets. People tell me all the time, 'I came to a show to see you get beat because I hated you so much.' They couldn't wait for the day I lost the championship."

That day actually was set to come six months earlier. Ferris, though, balked at losing to Randy Savage just before the start of a live 1988 NBC special that drew what remains the largest viewership (33 million fans) in pro-wrestling history.

"It was the fact of just losing -- period. It didn't matter who it was against," Ferris said. "It was not an issue between Randy and myself. We talked about it afterward. He understood the business.

"Randy and I were selling out arenas with turn-away crowds every night of the week. I'm talking 60, 70 straight sold-out shows. At that point in time, I had no contract. I worked on a handshake deal. All I said was, 'Give me a spot where I can sell tickets and pay me for it. If you don't like it, you can fire me. Just keep me (looking) good on TV.' I was old-school in thinking that if you get beat on TV, you're pretty much done."

WWE owner Vince McMahon ultimately acquiesced to his demands and booked a disqualification finish that allowed Ferris to keep the title.

After finally dropping the Intercontinental belt, Ferris formed a successful tag team with Greg "The Hammer" Valentine called Rhythm and Blues. Ferris then became an announcer before leaving WWE in 1991.

Ferris said he then tried to break ties with wrestling. But stints as a substitute teacher and used-car salesman in the Phoenix area didn't work out the way he had hoped.

The 58-year-old Ferris has since found his niche. He is in high demand on the independent circuit as well as pro-wrestling and comic-book conventions. He also conducts training seminars that include tips on self-marketing -- an area where Ferris has excelled considering how many fans still remember who he is despite his having made only limited WWE appearances over the past two decades.

"If you don't promote yourself, no one else is going to do it for you," said Ferris, who runs his own website (honkytonkman.net). "Hopefully, some wrestlers will come away with new ideas to get booked. It's so difficult now."

Sgt. Slaughter, Mick Foley and Rick Martel are other performers being honored April 18-20 at the annual Cauliflower Alley Club convention in Las Vegas. The CAC is a nonprofit group that celebrates pro wrestling's history and offers aid to in-need retired performers. For more information, visit www.caulifloweralleyclub.org.