There’s at least three members of the SAVSCI staff–myself included–who owe their interest in fightsports at least in part to the late, great wrestling manager “Playboy” Gary Hart. A lot of us who came up during the “territory” era of pro wrestling got their first taste of in-ring action by stumbling across our local or regional promotion on a Saturday afternoon. Personally, the old school “babyfaces” with their southern drawls, “aw shucks” demeanor and subservience to the fans didn’t capture my interest at all.

“Playboy” Gary Hart, however, did. He was a marked contrast to the “good ol’ boy” babyfaces in Georgia and Florida, a sophisticated, intelligent and articulate man who just so happen to represent some of the most frightening “heels” in pro wrestling history–men like The Spoiler, Pak Song, Nikolai Volkoff (long before Vince McMahon made him a comedy act), Dick Slater, Bob Orton, Jr, “Maniac” Mark Lewin and later in his career Kabuki and The Great Muta among many others. Way before the WWE “attitude” era many of us liked and identified with Hart and his stable of “cool” heels way more than babyface goobers like Tommy Rich and Bob Armstrong.

Though he came up during the “kayfabe” era of pro wrestling when you didn’t admit it was a “work” or that faces and heels usually drank together after the shows, he adapted quickly to the “post-kayfabe” era. This is good news for us, since he gave frequent interviews about his life and career and has all but finished his autobiography at the time of his death. Not surprisingly, he comes off in these “shoot” interviews much as he did in character–a quick witted, highly intelligent and articulate gentleman with a incredibly sharp mind for the business.

Here’s one of the best interview’s anywhere with Hart…even if you’re not familiar with his work–and if you’re a wrestling fan you should be–his knowledge and love of the business makes it a must read:

From a personal standpoint–we were so busy with the SAVSCI launch at the time of his passing that I wasn’t able to recount how important Hart was to me in developing my love for fight sports. Basically, the five guys who got me hooked on the “fight game” were Hart, Abdullah the Butcher, Ric Flair and in boxing Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard. And, of course, I’ve been hooked ever since

Gary Hart Interview @ Kayfabe-Wrestling.com