Bob Roop on Stretching Wannabees & More!
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- Опубліковано 21 січ 2025
- Bob Roop on Stretching Wannabee Wrestlers & More
Former Olympian and legendary wrestler Bob Roop discusses the infamous video of him stretching a wannabee wrestler from the Florida territory in the 80's, why he didn't like the Florida territory due to promoters there encouraging him to do that, his amateur wrestling background, booking experience and more in this clip from his talks with The Hannibal TV at the Dan Gable Museum!
www.TheHannibalTV.com
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So glad to hear Bob explain that stretching incident. Great interview!
aldm1967 I HEARD THAT GUYS ANUS WAS NEVER THE SAME..... DIAPERS FOR LIFE BROTHER
Plan B
I remember Mr. Roop very well! Impressed with how sharp and talkative he was. Love the knowledge!
Plan B
Bob seems very respectful. Very good conversationalist
Hannibal does the best interviews. The wrestlers respect him and you get a different interview than when others try. Would love to see him do a Buddy Colt shoot.
Hannibal, I really Thought BoB Roop Was Ole Anderson for a Minute.!!
That would be a great match.
This looks like the Gable Museum in Waterloo, IA. Bob Roop may be the best interview I've ever seen.
It's amazing how much he looks and sounds like Ole.
the other english wrestler he was referring to as "John Hogan" was most likely John Foley, who was a member of Billy Riley's gym, the same as Billy Robinson and Karl Gotch.
bradshaw & brisco brought me back to listen to this again. want to hear more & more of bob!
His angle with Steve Keirn in 1976 hooked me forever...
Wow “Maha Singh” talking I was only familiar with his Fla days and loved the gimmick never knew he was an actual shooter
Fantastic Interview! Please interview Bob again.
Seems like from listening to Bob & Ron Fuller’s stories about 106 Albany, Eddie put Bob in a no win situation. Eddie did a lot for the city of Tampa, a lot for wrestling but he definitely seemed to have a bit of a sadistic side.
one of the true tough guys in the old days when i was living in fort perice fl late 70s early 80s i seen bob wrestle harley race for the nwa world title went to the 60 min draw but man it was a terrific match harley must have got 10 stitches in his head that night it was a bloody one but a classic it was at the old civic auditorium back in the the glory days of FCW
OMG! Bob Roop was my first crush! I used to go watch him wrestle at the armory in Ft. Lauderdale in the mid 70s. I wanted to marry him, but I was only 14 years old, lol. What fun we had, and Bob was always so kind to me. I never forgot him!
R H was? He’s still alive
Bob was a staple in my childhood and one hell of a pro.........
I believe Bob in not wanting to bully someone. He seems like a good guy
As much and as long as he did it, it sounds more now like he's downplaying it. I wish they'd have asked him if he ever met his match stretching guys coming in off the street. It sounds like a couple of guys (not just roop) have gotten beaten up over the years when the guy coming in isn't smart to the business but is an accomplished wrestler or fighter.
@@daw162 I just read your post did some research Blackjack Milligan supposedly kicked his ass I don't know why but in the 70s and 80s BJM was the man! Mulligan fought with everybody though. He loved to fight
@@daw162 - i agree. He's downplaying it. He cant help but chuckle a few times as well. Again, he's older now, more tame hearted, i bet he was a real a-hole back in the day.
@@Θανος-ι6φ I think he could have been an a-hole for other reasons (guy tried to steal a territory from someone else on two occasions), but I think he just looked at occasionally stretching guys as part of the business. Ole Anderson in his book said Roop would do it but never liked having to do it....where as Ole said he enjoyed it!
I have read somewhere that Roop was at the Snake Pit a lot . From amount of times he stretched /assaulted guys who's only transgression was wanting to be a professional wrestler.
He must have got off on hurting people. Beating people with nowhere near the skill level yourself is the definition of a bully.
Roop is and always has been an asshole.
This man was my elementary school substitute.
@@michaelhunziker7287 LOL
did he ever shoot on you?
lol and substitutes are usually push overs
He still drives a school bus for a district somewhere in Florida.
Brilliant commentary on the differences between amateur and professional shooters
Great Interview!
great interview
Don't feel like a bully Bob. If you were going to try out for pro wrestling in your day you had better be ready for a fight.
Some matches from the GWA Florida promotion were also aired on Deep South Wrestling in the late 1980s
I remember watching Deep South Wrestling in the early 90’s only wrestler I remember was Bambi
A man's man much respect to Mr. Roop.
Plan B
Dam Roop is unrecognizable
I remember Bob Roop growing up watching him in Mid South and the Florida wrestling scene.Nothing but great respect for Mr Roop.God bless.
I found Championship Wrestling From Florida with Gordon Solie while surfing all four channels that existed back in the mid-60s. Bob Roop hadn't shown up just yet, but he did come along shortly after. The #1 face at the time was Jack Briscoe, and the #1 heel was Dory Funk, Jr. Jerry Briscoe and Terry Funk would later carry on that feud. The Andersons, Lars and Ole were there before Arn's time. Kevin Sullivan, Cyclone Negro, Louis Tillet, Haystacks Calhoun, Buddy Roberts, Chief Jay Strongbow, Mr. Wrestling 1 & 2, Dusty Rhodes (long before he became "stardust") Boris Malenko (at that time he was The Great Malenko). Andre the Giant would drop by for a match against 3 regular-sized jobbers when he was in town. Those were the days.
No respect at all: he might have been a ruthless killer (a killer of wrestlers and their families) if Plan B would have been broadcast.
Every (ex)pro-wrestler despises this traitor; should be black-listed and banned from wrestling conventions. Period!
I loved Bob as Maha Singh, in Florida!
Any chance Mister Roop might put out a book? His knowledge and experiences are very interesting.
He should call it Bob Roop: POS. See plan b video.
@@MichaelWilliams-so1pq I have seen that. Extremely surprising stuff for that era.
Clicked for Rush Limbaugh because of thumbnail, got a retired wrestler.
I thought Bob Roop best stuff was when he was in Florida as Maha Singh with the purple haze and Kevin Sullivan. Running around grabbing his shaved head and yelling who and why. Years before Austin's what. Btw, Roop looks like Ole Anderson now.
Was that Davey boy Smith son and Bret Hart's sister in the background??
Yes.
@@TheHannibalTV Thanks.
I appreciate Bob evolved perspective on the dirty practice of luring marks in to hurt them back in the day.
"he wanted me to break his leg, so I figured I'd let him off easy and only try to break his neck"
He and Ole might not be real brothers but now they are identical. They even sound alike. I can't believe no one besides me can sees the resemblance.
Bob was a fucking animal
stretching wannabees, eh? can i nominate a few, eh? the young bucks, kenny omega, triple h... start there, eh. stretch them real good, eh. like stu hart did in the dungeon, eh.
Old guys like you should stick to screaming at kids on your lawn.Less annoying then having to see you here.
And CM Punk deserves a good stretching as well. He is a good entertainer, yet gave Tony Atlas and Robert Gibson some flack in ovw training!
Kenny is a shooter, he fought Dan Severn in MMA. Not saying he's a world beater but the dude is knows his way around a mat.
How surreal. I wish I,could find some videos of Crockett's territory way back when.
That was great. Thank you.
Harry Smith in the background
I remember watching a youtube video where a story was told about Dick Slater starting out and Roop tried to stretch him in an audition and Slater beat the living shit out of him. I wish I could remember who told the story.
Robert Watson
I believe it was Ric Flair.
I don't believe that story for a second.
Ric Flair
@@misternordberg3675Dick Slater was one tough sob. He beat Roop up
I remember GWA, it was shown in Europe too. There was a satellite channel that showed GWA. I remember Soley doing the announcing. I also remember a big black tag team who were on every week. Basically then we got WWF or GWA...nothing else!
Zambuie Express was the tag team in question.
No it wasn’t. They were called Death Row. I had their T-shirt. I worked for GWA for a few weeks. David Penzer hooked me up. The Express worked for CWF.
A great guy and a down to earth human being. Bob Roop is the Best.
Nope, check out plan b video. A terrible person who tried to steal multiple territories.
Plan B
Ole vs Bob a dream match.
the stretching vid please
"I worked with Dick Slater". LULZ. Shoulda asked him how Slater "stretched". Roop was in a puddle of blood by the end of the "tryout".
Other than Flair who has stated this? Roop has talked in other interviews about being friends with Slater and that they even lived together, yes they did have problems and there was an altercation but it was in a bar over a promotional war, not the way Flair told it.
Mr. Roop should contact Jake Shannon or WWE about selling/producing his tape library. I would like to see the tapes.
Just like Jim Wilson said in the book choke hold . When Jim wilson told the truth about Pro Wrestling and people like Eddie Graham . Pro wrestling is dead now has been for decades .
Hiro Matsuda broke Hulk Hogans ankle in training. The difference between Hulk and Bob Roop, is Bob new how to counter
Wasn't there some dark rumours about Bob back in the day? I can't recall, but there was something on reddit involving a sugar hold.
Daniel Kane
The Sugar Hold incident he talks about is on UA-cam. Roop had said that when he wrestled for Angelo Poffo's ICW promotion,he would have this $1,000 Sugar Hold Challenge, whoever broke the hold got the money. One guy broke the hold but Angelo didn't want to pay him the money
Craig Smith II thank you sir!
The reason for the guy breaking the hold, too, isn't what folks would think. He was supposedly tiny or skinny or something and roop couldn't keep him locked up because he was too little.
@@daw162 I was 5'7" and about 155 lbs. Yes was very small and flexible, but I also had 8 years of karate and 4 years of judo training before I got in the ring with Bob that night in Frankfort. : )
In that video he looked like he enjoyed hurting that guy. Lol
ol' Bob's back in the news
Fantastic interview Hannibal always shows respect for the wrestlers but never fears asking the good questions because he gets the trust and asks in the right way.
I like that you got Davy Boy JR taking pics with his fathers plaque and his mother taking them.
Diana Hart Smith is still a beautiful lady 😍
Heard that Dick Slater kicked Roop's butt when Roop tried to stretch him when Slater was started out in the business.
Quick question is that D.H. smith in the back
Yes.
He looks totally different from the Plan B video. Getting old sucks.
Bob ‘Plan B’ Roop.
Yeah, right…
HE DESTROYED JAKE ROBERTS VOICE WITH A KNEE TO THE THROAT 🐍
I looked up from my hobby at 5:00 and i'm surprised to see Diana & Davey Boy Smith, Jr.
Lou thez said that about hookers about hookers and how unprofessional it was to hurt people that way. Bob seems like a true professional.
I think you had to be a bit of a sadist to break in or be the guy that broke guys in back in the day. I watched Bobs video and quite honestly don't believe him, that said I don't judge him cuz the trade was what it was at the time. Even Hulk Hogan who became the biggest name in wrestling ever had limbs busted but Roop types breaking it. The term bullying gets thrown around too much so I'll just say I find it funny that these shooters didn't try this shit with guys like the Steiners or Dr. Death when they broke in. It's always guys that have no college wrestling or submission background that needed to be "taught a lesson."
bob roop - please don't watch it
me who never listens- watches it next
Where is it?
@@marttyd look up bob roop stretches rookie. unless it was recently taken down it should be there.
Believe it or not, a lot of the professional wrestling matches in the first quarter of the 20th century were some of the most boring to watch. Two wrestlers circling around each other and when one wrestler applies a hold on his opponent, he won't let go of that hold for hours. You won't see atomic drops, dropkicks, suplexes, knee drops, flying body presses, piledrivers, figure-four leg locks,............. Wrestling matches in those days resembled more like amateur wrestling matches and would last 3, 4, even 5 hours.
You find them boring because you grew up watching cartoon floppy shxt. Don't try to explain things you can't understand or appreciate.
When he talks about stretching guys, it seems like there must be a little more there (unless flair is exaggerating...again). Nobody ever asks Roup about stretching Dick Slater, or whether or not anyone go the upper hand on him in one of those sessions.
Separate topic, since he mentioned Billy Robinson, someone recently had a shoot where they mentioned that billy tied up and bullied Dr. D in the ring, and he said "I don't know that much about that wrestling, but if you that again, we'll fight. Billy did it again, and when he let Schultz out, Schultz knocked him out.
David W Dick Slater Beat him to a Bloody Pulp. There's a guy named RIC FLAIR that will tell you that story 😁
AmericanCombatAssoc Then it's probably not true lol. Flair is full of lies.
Flair is making that up. Slater was a tough guy, but no way he stretched Roop on the mat.
lambert1702 He didn't say Slater stretched Roop, he said he punched him in the face and knocked him out. That's certainly possible and it was a story backed up by other guys in FL like Paul Orndorff. A lot of amateur wrestlers don't like getting punched. I've had that experience with some guys I coached in mma. Solid collegiate wrestlers who hated striking.
Yeah, the story had more to do with Roop getting punched. Slater was an accomplished amateur wrestler AAU level (not just a local kid who was OK wrestling in that area). That would've been folkstyle or freestyle. I wouldn't be surprised if he blocked a few shots and started swinging.
If slater could hit harley, he could easily hit roop.
Wonder who the poor fellow was who got stretched? I've seen the video. It's pretty brutal.
It's pretty interesting actually. Very few of the wrestlers today I think could go though that. Now they have the helmets in training ect. That's why a lot of the guys that made it in those days were not mentally stable I guess. They had more of a crazy side to withstand the punishment of breaking in.
@@TheHannibalTV I heard an interview with Bob Backlund where he said Eddie Graham wanted him to stretch wannabees but Backlund couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he would put them through a crazy workout routine (thousands of hindu squats and pushups, long runs, etc....) until they puked or passed out. Then they'd quit.
@@TheHannibalTV 0
Great Interview! It's VERY common to have guys from a variety of different backgrounds that cannot take their opponents down.
Put the GWF videos on UA-cam. The best way to make money off video!
Me too.
He looks like Arn Anderson.
A bit more like Ole to me. Depends on the angle though. I can see both.
@@jeffreycherep8264 Was thinking the exact same thing..
No respect for Mr. Roop AT ALL!!!
Roop is realy cool!
I remember hearing how Bob tried to stretch Dick Slater. Then Slater knocked him out.
Fake story.
I hated this guy until I saw this video.Many times the old saying is true-there's 2 sides to every story!
Bob Rooster Roop
Highly unimpressed with Mr Roops abilities and his excuses.
Bob Roop looks like a retired science teacher and just as boring. He was a pretty good wrestler back in the day.
He looks like Arn Anderson
Wish this guy would stretch Joey Ryan
Bob told me not to watch it.
I ain't watching it.
Looks like Ole.
i thought it was totally unnecessary to stretch that guy in that video. you could have made the same point without really hurting the poor bastard. that was just sadistic. i think the guy should have sued them.