I am Les Thatcher, Ask Me Anything!

[u/LesThatcherAMA]

Where to begin when it comes to Les Thatcher? Les is a wrestling industry icon. If you can think of a role, the odds are Les did that role. Les has served as: A wrestler, a booker, a promoter, a trainer, a tv producer and a broadcaster.

Les began his career in 1960 and spent about 5-6 years on the independents before making it to the NWA in 1966. Les would beat out Bobby Shane and Terry Funk to win NWA Rookie of the year in 1966. After that award Les found himself in various tag teams capturing various gold including:

• NWA US Tag Titles (4 times)

• NWA World Tag Titles (1 time)

• NWA Southern Tag Titles (1 time)

• NWA Tennessee Tag Titles (4 times)

For his time, Les was considered a very athletic junior heavyweight, preforming moves like dropkicks and head scissors. But don't let all the high flying moves in his arsenal distract you from the fact that Les was also very sound when it came to technical wrestling.

When Les retired in the 1970's he found his way into the commentary booth. Les as a broadcaster worked with people like Jim Ross, Lance Russel and Gordon Solie. Les also helped to host and produce Southeastern Championship Wrestling, which you can watch an episode of here . Les also dabbled in magazines, becoming an editor/writer for various wrestling magazines and even designing and editing the first ever color WWWF magazine for Vince McMahon Sr.

Les then found his way into the teacher/trainer role and opened up Les Thatcher's Main Event Pro Wrestling Camp along with one of the top indie promotions, for its time, HWA. Along with now being involved in EPWT with Harley Race and Ricky Steamboat, Les has helped trained people like

• Nigel McGuinnes

• Dean Ambrose

• Sami Callihan

• Shark Boy

• Charlie Haas

• B.J. Whitmer

• Umaga

Plus so much more.

Now, along with EPWT, Les hosts a weekly radio show with Vic Sosa called Wrestling Weekly on f4wonline.com where he and vic discuss the going ons in wrestling, how much the weather sucks and whether or not you can find booty-o's in walmart (it's a great show).

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Get connected

• Subscribe to f4wonline.com to hear Wrestling Weekly with Les and Vic

• Les is going to do training sessions in Paulsboro New Jersey for the Monster Factory on February 24th and 25th along with going down to San Antonio Texas for the TWA Dojo March 25th and 26th. You can find all that info and more on the Elite Pro Wrestling Training site here

• If your a trainer wanting to book les to help you out or would like any other contact with les you can always email him at les@epwt.com

• Check Les out on twitter @LesThatcher

• While there why not check us out on twitter @wredditofficial

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Note: This will be a phone intreview ama (like others in the past) conducted by /u/inmynothing

[u/jakeshereck]

Any funny stories while training Ambrose?

[u/dusktilldonst]

This is Tim Donst. We met on several occasions and wrestled primarily for HWA a few years after you had left. Just wanted to thank you for always giving advice to myself and others during random shows. Even your students (BJ Whitmer in particular) go out of there way to help out the younger guys. Thanks for being you.

Also thanks for never suggesting I be a paperboy.

[u/DSaga]

You appear during Wrestling Road Diaries backstage during Nigel McGuinness and Bryan Danielson's last match for Ring of Honor, do you remember much from that night? What's your opinion on each men and does it sadden you both are retired?

[u/powertripp82]

Mr. Thatcher, I was fortunate enough to work for you for approximately 3 months, back around 2002-2003ish.

I was part of the production crew for a few shows OVW shows you put on at The Madison Theater in Covington, Kentucky. Just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati.

I don't have any awesome stories to tell, or interesting anecdotes to share with everyone.

I just wanted to thank you for being nice to me, just that simple. I was a little 19 year old skinny kid, and you were genuinely appreciative that I was there to work for you. You took five minutes from your busy schedule on the afternoon before a show. You asked me who my favorite wrestler was, you answered some nerdy question I asked you about SCW and Gordon Solie. You were very kind and polite to somebody you didn't necessarily need to be kind and polite to. Thank you for that, I still remember it today :-)

[u/kingcrasy234]

What is something in the wrestling industry today that you love, either behind the scenes or on tv?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/boulevardofdef]

Is there anyone you trained who you really thought would make it but didn't end up going anywhere in the business?

[u/[deleted]]

Hi Les,

Thank you for participating in this AMA.

What was it like working with Gordon Solie and Bob Caudle? And which one of your students do you feel should have gone further in th wrestling world than they did?

[u/[deleted]]

If you had to face one current wrestler now? Who would it be?

[u/KanyeBestt]

Favorite opponent ever?