If one were to judge just by the photograph alone, this former occupant of Alabama's famous "Dead Man Walking" cell block in the infamous prison outside Monroeville would be Public Enemy # 1. The maniacal eyes, the disheveled hair and beard, the aggressive stance, the orange jump suit, the narrow "Green Mile" style cell block all combine to say, "Death Row."And well they should, because this is indeed a portrait of Death Row in more ways than one.
To truly get a feeling for Death Row, one must reach far back into memory, when PWA's lovable "other" prisoner on the lam was Kornbred, that 6'8" misunderstood giant who defended his sidekick Plank with all the strength and endurance he could muster. It was originally speculated that Kornbred's former cell mate in that dread and dreary Alabama penitentiary was in fact, the irascible and non-talking Plank, but that is nae true, boyo. In truth and not without consequences, Kornbred's cell mate was Death Row and I'm tellin' you, boss, he showed up at the PWA with all the menace and power of a Mississippi spring tornado, with the intent to turn Kornbred and Plank "Every Which Way But Loose."
Where the tall and powerfully strong Kornbred was a pillar of resistance in those first matches, Death Row was something akin to a Tasmanian devil on speed. He knocked and kicked and hit the ropes like Russian sailor trying to escape submarine duty in the 80's. He pounded ever vulnerable spot over and over until the giant farmer was nearly spent. But always, Kornbred would come back for more. It was truly the irresistible force meets the immovable object, where chairs and trash cans are no help.
Superman has kryptonite, and Kornbred has Plank. Suddenly losing sight of his wooden faced little buddy, was Kornbred's Achilles Heel. "Planknapping" the sidekick unnerved Kornbred so much that Death Row, the smaller of the two combatants, could pick up the advantage and the win. Death Row wreaked his revenge on his former cellmate and then began looking for other wrestlers to beat half to death.
After a while, Death Row worked out some of his issues and settled down to a wrestling career where he stopped getting disqualified for maiming referees. He has made several appearances in AWF (Chipley), and a successful run at Ultimate. He even wrestled Dan Delicious once, which he said afterward reminded him of the Alabama Chain Gang on a Saturday night.
Death Row is one of the many Gulf Coast Wrestling super-personalities who have stood the test of time. Next time you see him on a card somewhere near you, take the time to go see him. If his opponent survives, it will be a great show, because any booker bringing in Death Row with be smarter than the average booker.
But then, we aren't supposed to talk about "bookers" now are we?
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