From time to time, I am often asked who was my greatest inspiration in the wrestling business. Herman "Dutch" Rhode, a.k.a. Buddy "Nature Boy" Rogers, former U.S. Champ, former World's Champ in more than one alliance, was the GREATEST man I ever knew.

Buddy was responsible for some of the biggest gate records in the business. He packed arenas nationwide and left the audiences in awe. Fans loved to hate him, and he loved them back with his own style of showmanship and wrestling ability.

He gave me the raw tools, early on, to develop my career and personality both in and out of the ring. He left the fine-tuning up to me and looked after me in the early part of my career by booking me with different promotions all over the United States. I sometimes questioned, in my own mind, why he did what he did. He would have me crossing the entire U.S. in a 26 or 27-day tour.

I would sometimes just make the booking in the next town some 500 to 600 miles away with just enough time to get my tights on and wrestle. Then, after the match, I would grab a quick meal and head off to another town, sometimes 12 to 18 hours away. It was a long and grueling, excruciating endeavor that lasted some four years. I spent many a night wondering why I had chosen this career over being an accountant that I had trained for. I am glad that I chose professional wrestling.

From the dressing room area on the nights Buddy would wrestle, I would watch a MASTER in action as he met some of the greatest names in the business in some of the biggest arenas nationwide. He would pack in the crowds on a nightly basis and dazzle them with an array of wrestling moves that would leave most of the diehards open-mouthed. He was also a great man with the microphone. His command of the English language was unmatched by any other mat man. He could get a crowd stirred up by just saying things that were common knowledge that nobody else would say.

Buddy Rogers taught me how to dress like a champion---how to eat like a gentleman---how to speak to a crowd and get their attention with a few words. He also taught me how the basic moves and holds in wrestling would help me to keep my job with the various promoters that I would work for. He was like a dad to me in every respect, and I will always cherish those memories until I am called to that big ring in Heaven.

A couple of facts that most people are unaware of---I was born on June 26, Buddy died on June 26---My daughter is named Teri, and so was Buddy's wife---My nickname growing up was Buddie---My real name and Buddy's real name both have six letters in them---Can you imagine that? Life is surely a small world that these coincidences took place. There must have been an omen that led us together so many years ago in Columbus, Ohio.

We would train on the mat whenever possible at a local YMCA or gym. Buddy taught me pressure points that are used to break bones and make an opponent submit. He also taught me a maneuver called the Rolling Reverse Knee Lock, which won me many matches across the length and breadth of this great country. We would train on weights whenever possible, but, most of the time, we used NATURAL methods like Isometrics to gain strength. Buddy taught me that the body is your temple of worship. Without a good body, you have nothing to protect yourself against the elements of time.

Buddy once gave me a beautiful, multicolored jacket to wear into the ring. It had sequins on the cuffs and collar, the body was a beautiful navy blue, and the huge sleeves were white. For a while, I wrestled under the name Buddie Rowan, which made the initials BR on the jacket make sense. I even was allowed to use the figure-four leglock on special occasions. The only thing I didn't do was bleaching my hair to a golden color. I chose to do mine in auburn red.

That beautiful jacket was torn from my body in Omaha, Nebraska by the Dusek Brothers in an attack on me for words about them I had said on a TV interview. I guess they had no sense of humor when it came to bad mouthing them. I was very heartbroken at the loss of the jacket, as it meant a lot to me.

Buddy and I tagged up in a few special bouts in the New York area. He was a master of tag team strategy and getting things stirred up in the ring and with fans. We faced big Sailor Thomas and Dory Dixon once, and we had 12 people from the audience in the ring by the time five minutes had gone by.

Years ago, fans would get so involved, it actually scared me. They would get physical to the point that I would back away from a hold to ease the tension that was being generated at ringside. Sometimes, the police could contain fans, and sometimes, we had a full-fledged riot started that ended up with us going in front of a commission to determine if our licenses would be continued.

Buddy Rogers is a man who confronted a bully in a Florida eatery shortly before his passing. The guy was giving the waitress a pretty rough way to go and cussing her out. Buddy asked the guy to back off and give her a little respect; after all, she was a lady. The guy turned to Buddy and told him to get the heck away from him; after all, he said, "I didn't want to hurt an OLD MAN." With that, the guy grabbed Buddy and violently proceeded to knock him to the floor.

Buddy side stepped him and grabbed the guy and threw him into the street through a plate glass window. When the police came, Buddy told them about what the guy had said to the waitress and how he tried to grab him. Buddy then turned to the policeman and said "OLD!!! ... Hell, I'm only 71!" They not only charged the guy with causing a disturbance, they also charged him for all the damage to the windows as well.

Buddy is gone now, but his legacy and style will live on for many generations to come. Need a few examples that followed Buddy and his mannerisms? How about "Nature Boy" Ric Flair---How about Buddy "Nature Boy" Landell---Roger "Nature Boy" Kirby---Don "Mr. America" Fargo---just to name a few.

Rest in peace CHAMP---you deserve it.