Talk about it here.

Dutch Mantell conducts the interview and is hilarious.

 

Wright complains about Medicare reimbursement rates!

I love all the early Ron Wright stuff as it seems to be built around him being a poor old crippled man, and they somehow make him a heel out of all this.

I think we all know elderly people who have problems, but exaggerate them at times and are constantly very "woe is me" in an attempt to get attention. That was the brilliance of Ron Wright.

Good point. Plus, Ron Wright had a 20-25 year history in this particular area for being a pretty nasty heel, so complaining about being in a wheelchair after being the type of wrestler he was has some meaning in East Tennessee.

On the NOL show they show a promo from Wrights past and it was so amazing and real. He even had his glasses on.

I love all the early Ron Wright stuff as it seems to be built around him being a poor old crippled man, and they somehow make him a heel out of all this.

Hey, he just needs money for his hip implant and knee replacement!

On the NOL show they show a promo from Wrights past and it was so amazing and real. He even had his glasses on.

Scorching promo. I remember watching it and seeing this skinny guy with the goofball haircut and horn rimmed glasses and thought, "How was this guy the top heel?" Then he started talking and got concerned that he was going to crawl through the screen and give me what for. That good.

I've watched a bunch of the 1992 SMW season set, and there are several Wright promos in this vein, and they're all great. I agree with Cox that part of the greatness is that Wright had been such a dastardly, mean, person for so long, and that fans in TN tend to have long memories so they didn't exactly feel sorry for him.

Dutch invites Wright to corner him vs. Brian Lee, which brings a tear tear to Wright's eye. Wright looks like that neighbor your parents warn you against speaking with.

Dutch and Ron Wright are almost as tearful as Richard Lee was. Wright of course needs a hip and knee replacement and Medicare won't cover it, so he's in Smoky Mountain to manage the North American champion and use that money for the operation. An inspired Dutch Mantell asks him to accompany him to the ring to face Brian Lee. Wright as the crippled old man was a fantastic character and it was amazing how involved he was able to get in matches without ever leaving his wheelchair.

This was tremendous! Mr Wright's plight and condition has saddened Dutch Mantel no end and he knows how hard it is when you need something and need money to get it. Although he stands on his own, Dutch says it would be a great honour if Wright would accompany him down to ringside for his match against Brian Lee. Wright wipes his eyes and says that Dutch has bought tears to the eyes of an old man who is down on his luck. Whilst he is looking for someone to manage he doesn't really see anything in Brian Lee, but Medicare wont pay for his hip and knee implant, so after Dutch gets through with him, who knows there may be something for him to work with. Fantastic stuff!

One question: Did Ron really need the wheelchair for some reason at this time, or was it just part of the character? I know he ditched it when he turned face, and he even stepped into the ring, or at least got involved in brawls, a time or two.

 

At any rate, this is a tremendous setup for the continuing "Ron Wright needs medical care" storyline that would be so compelling for the first two years of SMW. It amazed me how a crippled old man could be such a believable heel, even taking Ron's past into account. Kudos to Dutch as well for managing to get both himself and Ron over at the exact same time by offering to let Ron second him, but also reminding Ron (and the audience) that he does things his own way and doesn't need or want a manager. Absolutely brilliant.

Not familiar with Ron Wright, but I am interested in seeing how a man in a wheelchair is a heel. Should be a fun time after what I've read so far.