Fallon physician recalls treating professional wrestling legends
While Fallon physician Dr. Gary Ridenour can diagnose the common cold, he can also explain the effects of a body slam, pile driver or atomic drop.
Before the dawn of professional wrestling on cable TV and pay-per-view, Ridenour was a ringside physician for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Mid-Atlantic Conference while living in St. Louis from 1977 to 1980. The show was run by legendary wrestling promoter Sam Munchnick.
He learned of the job while working in internal medicine with Richard Munchnick, Sam's son. Richard was tired of the routine, and offered it to Ridenour as chance to do some work on the side.
The gig paid $100 a night and four good seats for the show, he said. Pre-show duties included checking the blood pressure and pulse of the wrestlers. After the show, he went to the locker room to inspect the damage and offer assistance. Normal injuries included sprains and lacerations. Many of the wrestlers learned to stitch themselves up, Ridenour said.
The raucous shows were held at an auditorium in the Chase Hotel to the cheers of 7,000 vocal fans, many who believed the action in the ring was real, Ridenour said. Fights would start in the crowd during the show, but ended when people realized real violence hurt a bit more than athletic theatrics.
Perhaps the most larger-than-life grappler Ridenour cared for was Andre the Giant, a wrestling legend who stood more than seven feet tall and weighed around 500 pounds.
Andre suffered from acromegaly, a disease where a benign brain tumor causes continued production of growth hormone. He wore a size 28 cowboy boot and stepped over the top rope to enter the ring, Ridenour said.
When he first met Andre, Ridenour was amazed at the immense size of his hands, head and feet. His fingers were so big, you could fit a silver dollar through his ring, Ridenour said.
Andre did everything larger than life, including drinking. He would typically polish off a six-pack of beer immediately after a match and then empty a full case at the bar, Ridenour said. Only the very top of the bottle was visible beneath a mammoth hand as he chugged it in one voluminous gulp.
He once asked Andre if he'd consider having the tumor removed, which would stop his growth.
"I don't have insurance," was the big man's reply.
Andre died of heart failure related to acromegaly on Jan. 27, 1993 at the age of 46.
Ridenour worked with a number of other wrestling legends and then-rising stars including Ric Flair, Fritz Von Erich and his sons, Dick the Bruiser, Ken Patera, the Iron Sheik, Sgt. Slaughter, Dick Murdoch and Hulk Hogan.
Flair was a young, sharp wrestler who became known for his longevity in the business, Ridenour said. The Iron Sheik was actually an American of Lebanese decent. Von Erich and his sons were Southern gentlemen.
Murdoch, known as Captain Redneck and Dirty Dick, was something else.
He often chewed tobacco in the ring, and would spit on the audience while being hit, Ridenour said. While the other wrestlers would "turn off" their trade after the show, Murdoch was volatile and dangerous.
Hogan, soon to be the most famous of all professional wrestlers, was business savvy and smart, he said.
"He was kind of one of the budding stars at the time," Ridenour said. "Hogan was quiet. He was more of a body builder that got into the business."
Matches were predetermined by Munchnick, but the wrestlers' persona followed them wherever they went, he said.
"They never talked about it not being real," Ridenour said. "It was a different plane of reality."
There were dark sides to the wrestling business, including steroid abuse. Dick the Bruiser told him about a steroid-crazed tear he made through a Chase Hotel restaurant, which ended in him leaping through a window.
"[Wrestlers] knew not to ask me for them, because I wouldn't give it to them," Ridenour said about steroids.
The wrestlers also attracted groupies, who were usually tattooed, biker types, he said. One groupie had a picture book containing the bare bottoms of several wrestlers.
Ridenour said he had no intention of joining up with his hulking patients, but tried to offer some tactical advice.
"I tried to introduce some wrestling holds that were more medically correct than The Claw," he said.
Though a part of his past, Ridenour said he doesn't follow wrestling anymore. A picture of him and Andre the Giant hangs in his office, which elicits a question or two from patients. A visiting couple had a particular violent reaction.
"The husband began to hyperventilate. And then the wife started to hyperventilate," Ridenour said. "They were amazed I knew Andre the Giant. They totally forgot what they came to see me about."
Josh Johnson can be contacted at jjohnson@lahontanvalleynews.com
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