When I found out he was wrestling later in life, we had not been as close as we once were. My schedule was never able to coincide with seeing his matches. I was however fortunate enough to be asked by Paul to attend his "Retirement" Match on June 22nd 2013, at the TWIF Showplex in Trenton Tn. He asked me to document the match with photos. I was honored to do it and I got to watch "Buck Wild" Bill wrestle his Son Skyler Devins. I can tell you, it was a great match and to be a part of it was my way of saying thank you to him for being a part of my earliest dream of being a wrestler. I can no longer call myself a wrestler, but I can now help put out the names of those that are trying to do what they love. Sometimes there is a great payoff when it comes to money, in the wrestling business, but I know the payoff for most it is the excitement of the Event and the roar of the fans... "Buck Wild" may return, as a lot of people do in this Sport. If he does, go out and check out his match, He is worth the price of admission...
Please enjoy your look into "Buck Wild" Bill in the following 10 questions.
Height: 5'9"
weight: 220lbs
Years wrestling: 15 yrs Semi-retired
Current Promotions: TIWF,AAW(union city),AAW(Dyersburg),ICW,ICWA,MSWA,VCWA,WTH
1. Why did you want to become a pro wrestler? I always loved watching it when I was a kid and was like, man that would be cool to do. As a teen my friends and I started setting up mattresses in the yard and it went from there. One day a guy at work asked me if I would be interested in being a part of a wrestling organization he was starting and I said" heck yea, when do we start". So all the guys started building a ring, and we were off, West TN Hardcore was born and that's where I started.
2.Who is your Favorite Wrestler and why? Who is my favorite wrestler and why, hmmm, will have to say two, first favorite was The Ultimate Warrior because I just loved the energy and wild look he brought to the ring. As time went by I then discovered Rey Mysterio Jr. He is my all time favorite because of all the crazy high flying he does and the fact that he has been so successful even being as small as he is, that's just awesome.
3. What is the best experience in or out of the ring you have had in pro wrestling and why? Well, I have had a few, but will have to go with the time Mike Owens(Flex), Ben Hudson(Ice),and myself went to Raw at The Pyramid in Memphis. The Godfather had a dark match, and after his match all his "hoes" were going around inviting people to Platinum Plus(strip club). I always wondered where he got all the girls to portray his hoes, well, I found out, lol. Anyway, after the show we went to Beele Street to hang out a little bit, and we just happened to see D-Lo Brown and tried to talk to him but he was in to big a hurry. So later we head to Platinum Plus. When we walked in and we were all wearing our West TN Hardcore shirts. The girls thought we were with the the other wrestlers and they say, the rest of the guys are up there in the VIP section. The girls just send us up there, we're like, heck yea... We head up there thinking they're gonna ask us to leave them alone, but no, they welcomed us. Ken Shamrock, Mark Henry, a couple development guys, and none other than D-Lo Brown himself were seated up there. D'Lo walks up to us and says, are ya'll the guys I saw over on Beele? We say yes, he then says, I'm sorry for giving ya'll the cold shoulder over there, I had been fighting with my girl and didn't feel like talking to anyone at the time. We all said that's cool bro, we understand. Man we drank for free and hung out with them all night, mostly D-Lo, the others were to busy messing with the dancers, lol. D-Lo actually said, I like those shirts, do you have any extras, I want one, but we didn't. Man all I can say is, it was a pretty groovy night.
4. What was the Coolest venue/location you have wrestled in and why? Another tough one, gonna have to mention two, first was at our old high school, OCCHS. (Obion County Central Highschool, Troy, TN) We had 800 paying customers, and we knew alot of them from school. MAN THEY WERE HOT AND POPPING!! It was awesome... The Second is wrestling at the Obion County Fair in front of 2000+ people in our home town, Union City, Tn. That night, it was me, Buck wild Bill vs Flex, we curtain jerked and stole the freakin show! I hit Flex with a double springboard splash over the corner post to a table on the ground, and those 2000+ people went nuts. It was the loudest pop I ever got. When we got back to the dressing area, Bill Dundee was ticked off cause we were suppose to stay in the ring. Flex and I didn't care, it was our time to shine in our home town. Needless to say, none of the other matches even came close to ours, just sayin... lol.
5. Who is the most experienced or well known person you have wrestled? Beautiful Bobby Eaton and Koko B. Ware
6. Is there a story behind your wrestling name? My wrestling name, Buckwild, is for all the crazy, wild, stupid things and moves I do. My middle name is William, that's where Bill comes from. I'm proud to say, if you Google Buckwild Bill anywhere in the world, I'm the first thing that comes up, which is awesome to me. As far as the world wide web shows, there is only one other in the world that uses that name, millions of "Wild Bill's) but only 2 "Buckwild Bill's
7. Who over the years has been your Biggest Rival and why? Early years, Flex Fielder, who later changed it to just Flex. In the more recent years I would say it has to be my stepson, Skyler Devins. Man have we had some great matches.
8. What is your entranceTheme Music? Wow, have had so many, "Get Buckwild", "Bring It On", "Buckwild n Hostile", " You Just Got Served", and most recent "Let's Go Buck, Go Buckwild Go"
All of which I wrote and recorded myself.
9. What makes you stand out in the wrestling business? My bright aqua and orange Miami Dolphins' colored gear. GO PHINS!!!!!
10. What has been your Proudest Moment in the sport of wrestling.? Championship Wins of course. I will have to say, my proudest moment was wrestling my son, in what was suppose to be my retirement match. The night was June 22nd 2013 at TIWF Showplex Arena. It's been 4 months and now I'm thinking about giving it another go. I mean let's be honest here, who ever really completely retires from this business other than the ones that have passed on, right?
I would like to say Thank you To "Buck Wild" Bill for his candid answers to the 10 Questions, But I would like to also say, Speak to your wife, before making the leap back into the business. It is always easier if someone supports your decisions. Just Sayin'...
Derrick O'Dell
Wrestling News Center
