Description

Bob Roop Shoot Interview Vol.1 (2002) 8/17/02

Bob Roop’s path to professional wrestling was unlike almost anyone else’s. After posting a 0-22-1 record as a freshman wrestler, he refused to quit and transformed himself into one of the top amateur wrestlers in the country. By his senior year, Roop compiled a perfect 27-0 record, captured a state championship, earned four AAU All-American honors, and secured a position on the 1968 United States Olympic Wrestling Team. In this first installment of Shooting With Legends, Roop details his remarkable athletic journey and explains how he transitioned from Olympic-caliber amateur wrestling into the world of professional wrestling.

Roop takes viewers behind the scenes of wrestling’s territorial era, recounting his experiences working for legendary promoter Eddie Graham in Florida and learning the nuances of professional wrestling from some of the industry’s greatest minds. Along the way, he shares stories involving Terry Funk, Jack Brisco, Dick Murdoch, Hiro Matsuda, Johnny Valentine, Nick Bockwinkel, Ron Fuller, Sam Muchnick, and many others. He discusses wrestling in Florida, Amarillo, Japan, Australia, and Iraq, including bizarre encounters with fans, dangerous in-ring situations, and cultural experiences few American wrestlers ever encountered.