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Dallas Morning News
"It's Real to Them Damn It"
The Story of two of professional wrestling's most powerful fans
by Shannon Brees
Sunday, October 8th, 2023
Dallas, Texas-
It was on a warm Christmas Night in 1982, when John Hoynes, then a Dallas-based attorney, took a young John Edwards to “the matches” for the first time at Dallas’ Reuion Arena. This night, however, was no ordinary Saturday Night card, this was World Class Championship Wrestling’s
Christmas Star Wars Supercard, which was to be headlined by local hero, Kerry Von Erich, challenging NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, in a No-Disqualification Steel Cage match; a rematch from August bout in which they drew. 12,000 screaming fans packed out the Reunion Arena to watch their hero finally win the big one. But on this night it was never to be. To prevent any interference or cheating from Flair, who also held the moniker of “The Dirtiest Player in the Game”, Kerry’s father and promoter, Fritz Von Erich, pulled out all of the stops. In addition to steel cage, Kerry would be protected both inside the cage and out, as the Freebirds, close friends of the Von Erich Family, would watch his back: Michael “P.S” Hayes as a special enforcer inside the cage, and Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy outside, guarding the key.
As the match began, all seemed to be going well; earlier in the night, Kerry’s brother David had aided the Freebirds in becoming the inaugural NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Champions. Towards the end of the fight, Von Erich trapped Flair in his family’s trademark submission hold, the Iron Claw, forcing Flair to his knees. After several minutes, Hayes became convinced that Flair’s foot was touching the bottom ring rope and called for Kerry to break the hold. As the match was no-dq, Referee David Manning refused to force Kerry to break it, so Hayes did so himself. Realizing he had made a mistake, Hayes then struck Flair, knocking him to the mat. When Hayes encouraged Von Erich to make the pin and win the Worlds Championship, Kerry refused, stating that wasn’t how he was going to win. Hayes, enraged at Von Erich, went to leave the cage, and when Von Erich tried to stop him, he was met with the steel cage door being slammed in his face by Gordy. The bloodied Von Erich dropped to the mat, where Flair covered him and Hayes counted a fast 3-count, allowing Flair to retain the title. The arena erupted. According to reports from the Dallas Police Officers providing security that night, it was officially a riot. Objects ranging from beer cans, to folding chairs, to shoes, batteries, spit cups, began to fill the ring as the fans demonstrated their disgust for the Freebirds turning on their longtime friends.
This was John Edwards first wrestling experience, as John Hoynes would later recall in an interview with WWE Home Video in 2009; “I watched a 4-year-old kid grab some guys beer can towards the ring and yell every bad word he knew, and several he really shouldn’t have.”
Last year, Edwards gave his own account of what he remembers from that night during an appearance on Busted Open Radio: “I remember it like it was yesterday. I was devastated. I was so angry. In an instant I hated Michael Hayes, I hated Terry Gordy; he wasn’t even there but I hated Buddy Roberts too. I hated Georgia, the Confederate Flag; but from that moment, I was hooked.” According to both Hoynes and Edwards, they would be regular attendees of the matches at the legendary Dallas Sportatorium. “I guess I was lucky. My mom worked hard to keep a roof over our heads; she was always so tired at the end of the week. John was an old family friend who offered to take me. He always tried to make time for it, even after he was elected to the House. Years later, when John’s son, Van, was old enough, he started going with us too. We were there right until the end.”
The relationship between the “Two Johns” as some have joked on social media, has always been as curious as it is mysterious. Some have claimed that Hoynes is a relative of Edwards’ mother, Helene, either a cousin or sibling. Others sources claim that Hoynes is John Edwards’ Godfather, though that seems unlikely given that Hoynes is a practicing Methodist and Edwards is Catholic. And the while the true origin of their friendship is unknown, there is one common trait they share: personality. Both Hoynes & Edwards have been described (and often accused) of behaving like professional wrestlers.
On the campaign trail in 1998, John Hoynes paraphrased Ric Flair on several occasions, saying “I'm John Hoynes! The stylin', profilin', pork-barrel cuttin’, budget balancin’, kiss-stealing, wheelin' n' dealin' son of a gun! If you don't like it, learn to *love* it!”
Following his retirement in politics, Hoynes took a job with WWE, as a brand ambassador and later Executive Vice President of Global Outreach, joking “Always the Vice President, never the President.” Following last months merger with UFC, Hoynes has since been appointed to the Board of Directors of TKO holdings, representing WWE.
Even more so than Hoynes, John Edwards has frequently been described by both his defenders and detractors. Republican Senator Rob Buchanan of Virginia, a frequent critic of Edwards, has described Edwards as “behaving like a professional wrestler who stopped growing up at 13.”
While nearly all others seem to avoid controversy, Edwards embraces it, frequently sparring with critics on social media and on television. In 2019, John Edwards & Taylor Reid went viral during an episode of the
Taylor Reid Show when Edwards and Reid went back & forth debating the Civil Rights Act of 2019. The viral moment came when Edwards accused Reid of not actually caring about Gay marriage one way or another, stating, “you don’t give a rat’s ass about gay marriage, you’ll only opposed to it because you get paid to by that tiny little Australian man who’s made his fortune dividing this country for profit.” Edwards is well known for “firing with both barrels” during arguments, which has led to him being reprimanded by the President on more than one occasion.
“John is a hot-head, there’s no other way to describe it. He’s passionate about what he believes in and has no problem telling you off if you disagree with him. Sometimes, like during the Abby Bartlet debacle, that’s a strength, other times, like when he got into a twitter fight with the two wrestlers, it comes across as childish,” said former White House Deputy Press Secretary Katy Clement, who was a Deputy Communications Director along side Edwards. “More than once I remember John writing something, and watching Mark Sterns ask him, ‘So who said this on
Raw last night?’. John Edwards loved pro wrestling, and it showed.”
One of Edwards’ defenders and biggest fans, retired pro wrestling manager, booker and promoter, Jim Cornette, has described Edwards as, “Someone who oozes charisma. He’s a natural heel. He’s Gorgeous George, Harley Race, Gino Hernandez, Jerry Lawler and MJF rolled into one. He love’s pissing off the GOPanzees and those conservative crackpot Neanderthals.” Edwards is oft quoted by Cornette on one or both of his weekly podcasts, where Cornette, a self-described Democratic Socialist, would talk about something Edwards had done to upset Republicans or Conservatives. In 2019, following his viral debate with Taylor Reid, Edwards had promised Cornette via twitter that he would make an appearance on
The Jim Cornette Experience to talk about the CRA. To date, Edwards has never appeared on the podcast, but the two did meet in August 2021 at the funeral of Cornette’s former charge and long-time friend, Bobby Eaton.
Much like Hoynes, Edwards has made no secret of his fandom. On April 8th, 2019, while filling in for Cassie Tatum during the morning press briefing, Edwards began the briefing by announcing that the previous night at WrestleMania 35, Kofi Kingston had won the WWE Championship. A year later in 2020, Edwards jokingly told the White House Press Corps that the Secret Service had confiscated his sword, a reference to Drew McIntyre’s Championship win the night prior. In 2021, Edwards tweeted out “love it.” in response to a bill that was introduced in the Kentucky Legislature that would legally define professional wrestling as a sport.
Edwards has also been frequently spotted at pro wrestling shows, most famously at the 2022 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony when he was on hand to witness John Hoynes’ induction in the celebrity wing of the Hall of Fame. Edwards was among those who physically restrained the anti-oil protestor that attacked Hoynes on stage during the event. A lawsuit was filed against Edwards, Hoynes’ son Van and several wrestlers for assault, but was dismissed due to the complainant having been committing a crime at the time of the incident. Edwards was later seen at ringside with Hoynes & Cassie Tatum the following two nights for WrestleMania 38.
Edwards & Tatum were also in the crowd for the 2022 edition of All Elite Wrestling’s
Winter Is Coming, where both were called out by name by World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman, who said “Careful Johnny, she’s just like your mother: a whore!” mimicking that late-Terry Funk. To Edwards’ and Tatum’s credit, they took it all in stride, with Edwards being seen laughing at the reference. In the match that ensued, a camera shot caught Edwards holding up a sign that read “Absolute”, in support of MJF’s challenger, Ricky Starks.
TBS, which broadcasts
AEW Wednesday Night Dynamite, issued an apologies to Tatum and the Edwards (As they seem to have to do after nearly every MJF promo at this point), but Mrs. Edwards stated through an attorney that she didn’t need one. “While I didn’t get the reference, my son clearly did. And if he and Claire aren’t upset over it, then I don’t see why I should be.”
While Edwards did that Mr. Friedman’s words in stride, he hasn’t always, he hasn’t always. In 2020, when then-AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, who is known for his support of far-right politics, mentioned Edwards on his podcast, Edwards a was reportedly livid. “He was pissed,” Katy Clement recalls. “He grabbed a stapler and threw it at one of the windows, yelling profanities.”
Jericho’s comments referenced how Helene Edwards raised John as a single mother, stating “If Dusty Rhodes was the son of a plumber, what’s Johnny Boy? The son of a… I don’t know.”
On his podcast at the time, Jim Cornette stated that he thought it was over the line. “I’ve known Chris for years, he’s a great wrestler, sure fire hall of famer. I hate his politics, but this isn’t about politics.” Following the MJF incident, Cornette contrasted the two, defending MJF. “It’s about context. For me, it was always about my parents. Mama Cornette was a television character, an unseen one, but a character nonetheless. My character was as a spoiled mama’s boy. Till the day she died…hell even now, you can say whatever you want about Mama. It doesn’t bother me. But when it comes to my father, that’s an entirely different story. It might be the same way for John. MJF made the comments in a Terry Funk voice, to someone who obviously understood the reference, and he did so in the context of a heel promo to draw heat. Jericho’s comments back then were just a blatant shot at someone’s mother. It was on a podcast, and he got nothing from it. It didn’t draw any money, sell a single ticket, or attract any new viewers. It was never designed to, and he wasn’t trying to; that’s the difference.” Edwards has never publicly addressed the comments from Jericho.
For both Edwards & Hoynes, pro wrestling seems to intertwine with politics quite often, and at times it has been bipartisan. In 2018, Edwards defended Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson when the latter admitted to voting for Arnold Vinick in 2006 and Glen Allen Walken in 2010. “Hell, I voted for Vinick,” Edwards confessed during an appearance on CNN.
Last year, Hoynes criticized his idol, Ric Flair, for stating that he couldn’t make appearances on Fox News anymore because, “ever since Seaborn took over, the IRS has been all up on my ass about my taxes.”
“Ric, my apologies for
@POTUS interrupting your tax evasion” Hoynes tweeted. Hoynes was also roundly criticized for not speaking out against his employer and long-time friend, Vince McMahon following the latter’s exit from WWE last year under a string of sexual misconduct allegations, nor his abrupt return earlier this year.
In the case of Edwards, his love of pro-wrestling seems infectious, as it seems to pass to those around him. During his entire tenure in the Seaborn Administration, Edwards has been present for WWE’s Tribute to the Troops, always bringing someone along with him. In 2022, President Seaborn addressed the crowd, all active-duty US Army personnel, in a pre-recorded video, and both White House Chief of Staff Will Bailey and Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs Kate Harper were present as well. According to Pro Wrestling Journalist Dave Meltzer, Edwards has a standing invitation to take part in the Tribute to the Troops, but has been unable to; with Meltzer stating that his sources in WWE tell him that Edwards was forced to decline due to legal concerns from the White House Counsel’s office. Meltzer also stated that the idea was for Edwards to run in during a United States Championship match between Champion and fellow Army Veteran Bobby Lashley and Austin Theory, that would see Edwards prevent Theory from cheating and knock him down with a right hand. Following the match, Theory would prevent Edwards from leaving, until Theory was to be laid out by a spear from Lashley, following which, Edwards would apply the Figure Four Leg Lock to Theory.
But perhaps the most impact Edwards’ fandom has had, is on Press Secretary Cassie Tatum, who has frequently seen at wrestling events with Edwards, as well as on her own, having been photographed at
Friday Night Smackdown last year when then-Smackdown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan posted the photo of the two backstage, with Tatum sporting a Becky Lynch, “The Man” t-shirt. However, according to some, Tatum hasn’t always been a fan of pro-wrestling.
“I don’t think Cass was a fan of pro-wrestling before she met John,” remarked Clement. “But then again, if your around John for more than 10 minutes, he’s to mention wrestling, which seems to be one every night of the week,” she added. “It got annoying at times; you’d start praying that something would come up to distract him.” Clement also stated that while she never took an interest in it, she does remember the day that it was obvious that Tatum was. “It was early January in 2020. We were gonna be in Georgia with POTUS, and Cassie got John tickets to some wrestling show in Atlanta. It was a really small thing, there were only like 1000 tickets or so. She told me that she had set several alarms to remind her when they went on sale. It seemed like a lot to through for wrestling, but she got them. And that’s when I realized, she was hooked.”
“I never understood pro wrestling,” remarked Suzanne Hoynes. “I never will. But to John, it was everything. Same thing with my son, who for years kept saying that he was going to go to wrestling school when he was old enough.” Thankfully, according to the former Second Lady, he never did. Mrs. Hoynes also stated that for as long as she’s known John Edwards, he was always a huge wrestling fan, remarking that when Edwards was in high school, his jersey number was 48 because that was the year the National Wrestling Alliance was founded, and in baseball it was 10 to represent the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship belt, nicknamed the 'Ten Pounds of Gold'. That boy has always loved wrestling.”
While many may never understand professional wrestling, that doesn’t matter to John Hoynes and John Edwards. To quote the 2015 short film, “Wrestling Isn’t Wrestling”, where Hoynes made a cameo appearance portraying wrestler and fellow Texan John Bradshaw Layfield, “wrestling isn’t wrestling. And yes, we know it’s not real. Neither is ER, Friends or Game of Thrones.” What matters to John Hoynes and John Edwards, is that it’s real to them. It’s a special bond that they share and have passed along to others.
Though, who better to explain that than the man himself. In a 2019 interview with ESPN, Edwards explained his love of professional wrestling. “To anyone who thinks I’m crazy, understand this. On October 29th, 1985, a seven-year-old John Edwards watched Dusty Rhodes deliver the “Hard Times” promo. On that night, I looked around for my mom, who wasn’t there, because he was working a second job to keep a roof over our heads. She would come home every night, dead tired. And then, she’d get up the next day and do it all again. So on that night, when Dusty Rhodes started talking about hard times, I knew hard times, I grew up in hard times. So when told everyone to reach out, and know that his hand was touching our hands, that meant everything to me. It gave me something to believe in. it gave me hope, and I you better believe it was real to me.”
