Wrestling Legend Talks Giving Randy Savage A Second Chance, Heat With Vince McMahon, More

Legendary grappler "The Universal Heartthrob" Austin Idol appeared on the most recent episode of In Your Head Wrestling Radio and answered questions from the show's hosts and listeners.

Asked by host Jack E. Jones to share a bit about his favorite time in the business, Austin talked about working with Randy Savage in the glory days of Memphis wrestling.

"I can remember being in Memphis and? working at the Mid-South Coliseum," he began. "And the promoter, Jerry Jarrett coming to me in my dressing room and saying, 'Idol, listen. Randy Savage, he's got a little promotion in Missouri'?I can't remember the name of the town he was promotion in but Randy had pretty much been blackballed from wrestling because obviously some incidents had taken place and for whatever reason promoters blackballed him. But I wasn't privy to all of that information. I didn't care anyway. But anyway, Jerry Jarrett said, 'Randy's been calling me and? he wants to get back in the mainstream. And I asked Lawler if he would work with him and Lawler said, 'Absolutely not! I'm not working with that guy. He's crazy, he's a maniac?he'll punch my lights out!' "

Austin said he didn't hesitate to agree to work with Savage, explaining that they got along well in the ring and eventually formed a close relationship.

"Sure enough, Jarrett brought him in," said Idol. "Randy showed up a week or two later at the Mid-South Coliseum and I met him for the first time and said, 'Randy, I want to talk to you.' I brought him into my dressing room and I said, Listen, I don't care what's happened to you in the past. I really don't care? It's not my business. But you're here. Nobody wanted you here. I'm the one who said, 'Bring him in. let's make money.' Forget everything else. Let's do business. Let's make money.' And sure enough, Randy turned out? he was a great talent. God bless him? It was a strange deal. Looking back, you just never know. Sometimes, you can change somebody's career."

Jack noted that Austin had worked for WWWF but asked if he'd ever been tapped to work in the WWF under Vince McMahon.

"I really wasn't," he replied. "I'm sure I would have done great there. I don't know why I wouldn't have? I really believe the reason Vince never reached out to me was because I left them in '73... Nobody leaves New York because everybody wants to get there. I gave my notice to his father and then? did some things that his dad asked me to do. But I think that kind of soured Vince Jr. on me. 'Oh, this guy?he didn't stay.' Maybe he looked at me like someone he couldn't control."

Austin Idol discussed a number of other subjects, including the 1975 plane crash that he survived along with celebrated old-school manager Gary Hart.

You can listen to the entire episode of In Your Head Wrestling Radio at this link.