Dutch Mantell says firearms were common among wrestlers traveling the territories, recalling that “Dr. D” David Schultz would even fire a .45 at roadside signs while the two were on the road together.
Mantell discussed the subject during the July 17 edition of Story Time with Dutch Mantell after a listener asked whether wrestlers ever carried guns for protection from hostile fans.
According to Mantell, carrying a firearm was far from unusual during that era.
“Back in the day, yeah, I knew about half the guys carried a gun.”
Mantell said heels were particularly likely to travel armed because of the possibility of confrontations with fans after shows.
“It was mostly the bad guys, mostly the heels who carried the gun because some of those heels needed those guns because they would be accosted after the match.”
Mantell named several wrestlers he remembers carrying firearms, including Tom Renesto and Jody Hamilton of The Assassins.
“One guy who used to carry a gun was, and this is a long time ago, were the Assassins, Tom Renesto and Jody Hamilton. They carried guns.”
He also stated that Johnny Valentine and Wahoo McDaniel carried guns during their years on the road.
“Johnny Valentine carried a gun. Wahoo McDaniel carried a gun.”
The strongest recollection involved Schultz, whom Mantell personally traveled with. Unlike the broader stories about wrestlers carrying weapons, Mantell described himself as being present when Schultz actually fired one.
“Well, I used to ride with him. He used to pull out a gun and he would just shoot it.”
Mantell recalled Schultz taking aim while they traveled along two-lane roads.
“We’d be driving a two-lane highway and he’d say, ‘Watch this, Dutch.’”
According to Mantell, Schultz would move toward a roadside sign before firing from the vehicle.
“He just blasted off.”
Mantell identified Schultz’s weapon as a .45.
“It was a .45. It was a loud gun.”
WrestlingHeadlines previously covered Mantell’s recollection of Randy Savage’s reputation for confronting fans who ignored his boundaries. That discussion focused on Savage preferring to handle confrontations physically rather than on Mantell’s broader memories of wrestlers traveling with firearms.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell, with a h/t to Wrestling Headlines for the transcription.
