Chappell: Well, in the
position you were in, you really
had no control as to what was
happening…and I’m sure that was
hard.
Slater: The whole thing
of it was, in all the legal
[proceedings]…what transpired
with me physically due to the
medications they had me on---was
never, ever brought up. That’s
what really bothers me, because
I’d asked for my medical
records, and they were never
produced. I never saw one record
there at all. The
records…medical records, were
never mentioned one time in all
the legal things brought up.
Chappell: And it sounds
like the issue of the overdosing
was the central theme in all of
this for you?
Slater: Exactly. How
could I whip some of this,
without [the medical records]?
Unless you look at something
like that…I mean, I have the
medical reports sitting in front
of me right now. So, at the
time, I was just sitting there
(in jail)…and it was tough.
Chappell: No doubt you
probably felt like you were
fighting against the world at
that point.
Slater: I surely was…I
surely was.
David, I did what I did to get
out of jail…I had to. And I
hated myself after I did it.
Chappell: You mean as far
as pleading out to the lesser
charge?
Slater: Yeah. I wanted to
go all the way (to trial) at one
time. And then I got threatened
with, ‘If you lose the case…’
I said, ‘Well, I’m not gonna
lose.’ I said, ‘How can I lose,
if you let me out now, and I’m
taking a lesser charge?’ If you
had so much on me, and didn’t
think I was all screwed up…why
are you lettin’ me out at all?’
You know what I mean? I don’t
have to tell you any more.
(laughs)
Chappell: It can be a
pretty crazy system at times.
Slater: They said, ‘Take
this or that.’ I didn’t have any
choice. I got out (of jail) the
way I got out…or I might not
have got out at all.
I could have got out, maybe, by
going to trial…
Chappell: But, Dick, who
knows what would have happened
then?
Did you plead ‘not guilty’
originally?
Slater: My first plea was
‘not guilty’ to attempted murder
at the arraignment. It went from
there to…I pled ‘insanity.’ The
way the insanity law is here, I
had to go in front of four or
five State doctors, plus I had a
certain amount of time to do a
certain amount of things…
At the time of the incident, I
was definitely on drugs. But the
State seemed to think that I was
on street drugs…but the medical
records completely show that
everything I was on was
prescribed by a doctor, or given
to me by a hospital.
[The records] said I had five
back operations. I just had
gotten done goin’ having another
back operation about a month
before that. What they did, was
they were going to put a spinal
stimulator in me, and they stuck
me in the wrong place when they
went to put it in…
Chappell: Ouch…
Slater: It poked a hole
in my nerves that holds the
spinal fluid in my back…and [the
spinal fluid] leaked out. And
when that leaks out, you got
some serious problems…
Chappell: No doubt.
Slater: So, I was in
Intensive Care for another
week…trying to get that problem
fixed. Then I had to go to a
neurologist…and they didn’t know
whether it would cause any
permanent damage---they didn’t
know where the spinal fluid
leaked to. I was in serious pain
again, and finally I told them
to take the machine out of me.
The hospital wouldn’t, so I
really went off on them. I
threatened to call Channel 13
news, and everybody over there.
I told them to take the machine
out of me, and turn the machine
off immediately before it killed
me. I told them to take it out
and they wouldn’t take it out,
and then they wanted the same
doctor that put it in to take it
out…and I said no, he ain’t
touchin’ me!
They finally got mad enough to
kick me out of the hospital. Got
kicked out of a hospital! Now,
I’ve got kicked out of a few
bars before…
Chappell: (laughs) How
long did this thing with the
spinal stimulator happen before
the incident with your
ex-girlfriend?
Slater: Not long. That’s
partly why I was so screwed
up…spinal fluid in my brain.
Chappell: And certainly a
number of other physical
ailments.
Slater: I even had a
couple of doctors tell me that
my heart was bad, because they
blew my heart up with all the
operations. And that my neck was
so messed up. I listened to all
that stuff, and it had me so
scared….I was having the worst
panic attacks in the world.
Chappell: But, in spite
of everything, you sound good
now. Tell folks what you are
doing currently.
Slater: I’m gonna be
back. I’m back in the gymnasium.
I’m back workin’ out…six days a
week.
Chappell: That’s great.
Slater: I’m riding my
bike; I work out. I’m still
having the same problems, I
still have the nerve damage, but
I can still walk. As long as I
can walk, I’m alright.
So, I’m doing a lot better than
I was before. I came out of not
being able to walk at all for
two years…four or five surgeries
and I couldn’t walk at all. And
I’ve fought back, and I’m still
gonna keep on fighting back. I’m
not gonna quit!
Chappell: And you’re
working I know, because I called
you once at work!
Slater: I’m working all I
can, I’m scraping around trying
to sell some boats at the boat
lot. I’m also trying to do some
stuff at a car lot, I have a
friend helping me out there.
I take a lot of verbal abuse
from some people, but that’s
okay. Some people are hard on
me, and some people are nice.
I’m doin’ all I can do, you
know?
Chappell: You’ve
certainly had a tough last year
or so, and hopefully those who
read this will now have a better
idea of what’s been going on
with you.
Slater: I don’t want
people to think I’ve just been
having a good time and
everything! (laughs)
Chappell: (laughing) No,
I think we’ve dispelled that
rumor pretty quickly!
Slater: My writer and
I…we’re taking a big stab at it
with this book, because I have a
lot of interesting things to
talk about.
Chappell: Oh man…I can
only imagine!
Well, to wind up, let me get
your thoughts on some of the
people that you were closest to
in wrestling, and those that
influenced you the most.
Slater: Oh, you know, I
was closest to guys like
Murdock, and a guy named Killer
Karl Kox…
Chappell: Oh yes, the
masters of the brain-buster!
Slater: I was close to
both Briscos for years. Terry
Funk is a great friend. Greg
Valentine is another.
All the guys that are in my era
and that worked with me, that
you know, that when I got in the
ring with these people it was
something to see. All them guys
are all part of my life. And all
them guys helped me through the
years…for many years. And I
can’t really single out just one
or two people easily, because
there are so many people that I
owe a lot to.
Really…I owe everything to
everybody.
Chappell: That’s a great
way to say it, Dick!
Slater: All of them have
been a great inspiration in my
life.
Chappell: Any flashbacks
on your dealing with wrestling
fans over the years?
Slater: Oh, I’ve got fans
that have been fans, and then I
got people that hate me…and
they’re my fans too.
Chappell: And a few that
maybe had a few too many beers…
Slater: I have no problem
with them having a few too many
beers. I don’t really
care…they’re my fans too!
Chappell: (laughs)
Slater: If I can help
them get really mad at me, I’ll
get them as mad as I can. If
they want me to like ‘em, then
I’ll do something for them to
like me. But right now, if they
hate my ass, that’s fine…they
can hate me too!
Chappell: Well, if you
were doing your job, you wanted
fans to have strong opinions
about you!
Slater: I wasn’t even
doing it on purpose…I just did
it!
Chappell: It came
naturally!
What about as far as the
Mid-Atlantic area in
particular…any particular
memories about the Crockett
territory?
Slater: I tell you what
David, I haven’t heard a lot
from a lot of people there,
because I’m so far away…
Chappell: I
understand…your living in
Florida.
Slater: I used to live in
Charlotte, and we used to go to
Myrtle Beach.
I always liked Richmond for some
reason, I always liked going
there---I had a good time there.
Chappell: And Richmond
loved Dick Slater, believe me!
Slater: I also enjoyed
the mountains…
Chappell: Not a lot of
mountains in Florida!
Slater: I even used to go
up in Harlan, Kentucky…
Chappell: Runnin’ off the
side of the mountains there!
Slater: It’s all
according to what you had to do.
You either made yourself
miserable if you had to go
somewhere you really didn’t want
to go, or you made yourself
happy where you went.
I have no complaints about
anywhere I went. The fans in
North and South Carolina and
Virginia were always highly
respectful of me, and I’ve
always been highly respectful of
them.
Chappell: You had such a
great career all over the world,
and in the grand scheme of
things you weren’t in the
Mid-Atlantic area all that
long…but you definitely left
your mark here.
Slater: I enjoyed myself
there. I did okay there…
Chappell: I’d say you
did!
Slater: I have no
complaints about anything there.
I can’t complain about any of
that stuff, and if I could do it
all over again…I’d love to do
it. I had a lot of great times,
and a lot of great wrestling
matches in that territory.
Chappell: We’re seeing
some of the guys from your era
put their old championship belts
up for sale here lately. You’ve
held about as many titles as
anyone. Do you still have
possession of any of your old
title belts?
Slater: No, I tell you
what, not anymore. After all
these years, I don’t know who
has all those anymore.
I had that NWA Title belt…
Chappell: The one you
were taunting Ric with up here
in 1984?
Slater: Yeah…I had that
up until about five months ago.
Someone broke in my house and
stole it.
Chappell: Geez…
Slater: Had to be someone
I knew…that was all they took.
Chappell:
Unbelievable…somebody is out
there right now claiming they’re
the real World Champion!
Slater: (laughs) Oh well,
that’s okay.
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