All language subtitles for S05E07 Dark Side of the Ring

What about wrestling here?

I find the
wrestling here is...

a lot rougher.

You know,
kicking, punching.

A lot more, I guess you
call it 'dirtiness'. Yeah.

Adams with that superkick,

that caught him,
that's his move.

[narrator] A judo champion
who came to America

with the dream of
becoming a star

of the squared circle,

Chris Adams captured
lightning in a bottle.

The stardom that
Chris Adams got at

World Class
Championship Wrestling,

'cause you gotta
realize on that level

that Chris Adams
was here,

you were a big star
everywhere.

The gentleman from
England, Chris Adams.

Chris was the perfect
gentleman over there.

With his athleticism,
determination, and charm,

Chris had all the tools
to become a megastar.

My dad, in Dallas,
was an A-list celebrity

that it was impossible
to go anywhere.

He had this thing
with Steve Austin

where he trained Steve.

Steve was gonna
make it in wrestling.

But behind the curtain,
Chris' most challenging

opponent was himself.

Life got in his
way a lot of times.

Sometimes Chris probably
got in his own way.

When he'd get
a drink, man,

Chris just turned into a
different person, man.

He didn't give a damn
about nobody or nothing.

Basically looking for you to
say something that upsets him.

He was definitely
a Jekyll and Hyde.

From Jekyll to Hyde.

I'm telling ya, it
was Jekyll and Hyde.

Alcohol brought out

something that
destroyed him.

One man with two
personalities on a

downward spiral that can
only end one way.

Chris got drunk,
got belligerent...

he just started beating
the hell out of him.

There was a gun.

We were friends.

I was best man
at his wedding.

It was a bad situation...

it was a nightmare.

♪

Well you get at
233lbs from England,

welcome,
Chris Adams!

[Cheering]

Okay, so these were
in a storage unit

that my dad had, and this
is just an example.

I know,
I keep everything.

It was hard, it's still hard.
I still miss him, you know,

I still think about
my dad every day.

I'm Jade Adams, daughter of
'Gentleman' Chris Adams.

When he was traveling, he
would always write me notes,

letters, always send me
a birthday card...

pour his heart
out in it.

"Dear Jade. Wow,
how time flies.

I miss you so much,
munchkin.

Yep, you're still
my munchkin,

even though you're
nearly 14 and

a beautiful young
woman already.

It seems that I have always
been struggling trying to

make it, and that
before you knew it,

half of my life is over,
and I've missed

out on so much.

I really want to see
you more often,

family is so important.
I feel so guilty now.

I think of all the things I
have done in the past that

have hurt people and often
grieve about them every day.

Anyway, I thought
it was time that

I told you my true feelings,

and I hope that you will
be able to forgive me.

Love, Daddy."

He didn't want these demons
as much as none of us

wanted them for him,
I just think they ended up

kind of catching
up to him.

But he was a
great person,

and a loving person,
and, you know,

he's not here to
defend himself,

so I want to do
that for him.

Long before anyone could
imagine that his story

would end in tragedy,

Chris Adams was a
spectacular performer

who seemed destined
for greatness.

The American
heavyweight champion,

The 'Gentleman' from
England, Chris Adams.

[Cheering]

I knew Chris Adams
very well.

He wanted to be the
best he could be,

and I had to admire that
about him.

I'm Kevin Von Erich.

I've been in the
wrestling business for

longer than I can count.

Chris was one of the toughest
guys I've ever known.

He was really a master.

He knew what he was
doing in the ring.

Chris had a special
finishing move,

it was a 'superkick' and
he kicked like a horse.

A superkick!

And Kevin Von Erich
is on the floor.

He invented his finishing
move 'cause when we discussed

the match, and how to get
him over when he got here,

he said, "Well, my
finish is a superkick,

you'll know it
when you see it."

[Impact]

When he threw the
superkick for the finish,

we were like, "Woah"!

Hi, my name is David Manning,
and I was a promoter,

a booker and a referee for

World Class
Championship Wrestling.

The last thing I do,
I'm gonna take...

That costs $500! $500!
You don't get in my face.

I'm the referee here.
Get out!

When Chris did the superkick,
as he would kick he would

also had a way where you
really couldn't see it,

but he would slap his leg,
and it literally sounded like

he just tore the
opponent's head off.

And it came
back with it...

Oh! The superkick!

A tremendous superkick
by Chris Adams!

That was it.

From there on,
he was just climbing

the mountain here
at World Class.

When Chris Adams come here
from England, you know,

he had them colours from
over there in England

and shit, man.
Oh, they loved him.

Oh yeah.
For sure.

I tell you what the
situation is, brother.

Chris Adams
then went goofy.

I'm Iceman, and I used to
wrestle with Chris Adams.

[Cheering]

Chris didn't give a damn.
He was just tough, man.

That dude brought
the superkick, man,

was unbelievable.

[Audience shouting & screaming]

Now there's a superkick.

And he could do
anything in that ring.

He was a performer.

I knew his brother had
won judo in the Olympics.

My brother and I, we were
both introduced into judo,

very early age, and it
was very much our life.

I'm Neil Adams,
Chris' younger brother,

two times Olympic
silver medalist in judo.

Chris was a great fighter.

Whatever he did, he wanted
to be the best, you know,

and I think he got to a stage
where he knew he couldn't go

all the way to Olympics and
world championships and so

he kind of
changed direction.

World of Sport Wrestling,
which was the

British Wrestling group,
they approached him and

that's how it started.

Well, of course,
it was 'Big Daddy',

'Giant Haystacks',
Mick McManus,

and then
'Blackbelt' Chris Adams

came into the fold.

We ask you to welcome back,
very popular young star,

'Blackbelt' Chris Adams!

[Cheering]

His good looks helped,
but also he was a showman,

and he could charm
anybody. [Laughing]

He could, he could
really turn it on.

I was 19, and my friend
and I was at the bar,

and he just walked
straight up to me

and said, "My name is
Chris Adams."

My name is
Jeanie Clarke.

I was the girlfriend of
Chris Adams.

I thought, a very
good looking guy,

had really cute dimples.
I said to my friend,

"He looks a little bit like
Paul McCartney."

And gave me his
phone number.

I think I'd moved in with
him within a month.

Eager to glamorize and
elevate his TV image,

Chris recruits Jeanie
to join his act.

He came up with an idea
that I would be his second.

I was the girl that would
come in between the rounds,

and as in boxing.

I don't think that it had
been done in wrestling before.

I did think he may
make a good star,

but only up to a
certain degree.

[Cheering]

Though his fame in
England is growing,

Chris knows it
has a ceiling.

Instead of staying
frustrated,

he and Jeanie pack their
bags for the City of Angels.

After arriving
in Los Angeles,

about two or three
months later,

I became pregnant.

I loved it, and I remember
sunbathing a lot.

Chris and I just
sitting on the beach,

just enjoying
the sunshine.

And then I remember Chris'
head turning a little bit.

Beautiful girls
on the beach.

They were tanned
in bikinis,

you didn't see
that in the UK.

I knew he was looking
at other women.

Probably my first red flags
that something was

going wrong, but because
I was pregnant, I felt...

not good enough.

As Chris and Jeanie settle
into their new life,

a pregnant Jeanie is
often left alone

in Redondo Beach.

I didn't see a lot of Chris.

It was very difficult.
I was very pregnant,

and we didn't actually have
a lot of money at that time,

so Chris, he went to
Mexico for quite some time.

I went back alone
to the UK

to give birth to Jade,

and then finally Chris
came back to the UK.

He was happy,

but he said we were
gonna go back, and...

that was the way it was.

With the family
back together,

Chris is eager to
return to the U.S.,

but for Jeanie,
the thrill is gone.

He started to
stop coming home.

♪

I think he was seeing
a lot of different women.

But I do recall the
last straw was

over a New Years,

because he said, "You
can't come with me,

but if you cook
and get champagne,

we'll have a meal together
when I get back."

And I did do that,
and...

♪

[Voice breaking]
Give me a sec.

He came home
three days later.

I did not want to
share my boyfriend,

and the relationship
was over.

But, remained amicable
after the fact, as friends,

but I did not want a
romantic relationship.

Yeah, he just said he wanted
me to come to Dallas and

we both looked
after Jade.

My mom and my dad were
separated when I was a baby.

So when I lived in Dallas,
I saw him every weekend.

Welcome to World Class
Championship Wrestling.

You're going to meet the
newcomer from England,

the former British Empire
champion, Chris Adams.

I'm very glad to
meet you, Chris.

-Welcome to Texas.
-Thank you.

Well, at last I've
made it to Texas.

Based out of
Dallas, Texas,

World Class
Championship Wrestling

was one of the
hottest and most popular

wrestling companies
in the world.

When Chris came to the
market here in Dallas,

we had Iceman
King Parsons here,

we had three Von Erichs.

We had The Fabulous
Freebirds...

so you had to be exceptional
to be able to draw the crowd

and everything else to
take one of those slots.

It was on par with the
Dallas Cowboys,

and people loved it.

It was incredible in
this area especially.

Hi, I'm James Beard,
I've been in

the wrestling business
about 40 years.

It's not an easy job,
as you can tell.

It gets kind of rough
in there sometimes.

Up and over!

[Cheering]

Chris was incredibly athletic
and then can move like a cat.

All the kip ups and the
dives and the superkick.

There's a superkick!

He was on par with the
Von Erichs, really.

If you're on par
with the Von Erichs,

you're pretty
much godlike.

A tremendous roar
for Chris Adams,

the Gentleman
from England.

He had the charisma,
he had the looks,

and he was a
good worker.

But there was a way with
Chris Adams that

he could be from
Jekyll to Hyde.

Now when you people see
this, I just want you to see

the fire and the
wildness in my eyes.

Let me tell you,
professional wrestlers

are usually ex-bullies
from high school.

Chris was like
that, too.

♪

In Dallas when he first
got in the territory,

I would drive with
him to the towns,

and the guy
got lost once,

and we have a rule
in World Class,

you're at the show
an hour before the show.

If you're not there,
then there's problems.

Well, Chris was late.

He blamed it on the guy
that was driving him.

When you pissed
Chris off,

his eyes would shine red.

[Growling]

Like a light
was on in there.

And he choked them
almost to death.

"Chris, you almost
killed him." He goes,

"Well Kev, some people
are hard learners.

Kev, I don't want him
to do it again."

That's Chris
without being drunk.

It was scared
a lot of people.

Chris had-
gave off an aura,

like this guy is
out of control.

You know, he may hurt
other people, too.

[Growling]

[Cheering]
He is Chris Adams!

Now established
in World Class,

Chris' ambition is to
be the star of the show.

But in a company
crowded with good guys,

the path to stardom is
to become a villain.

Any territory you go in to
where you got the

promoter's sons, they're
always gonna be the top.

Usually every week the main
event was always one of the

Von Erichs taking on
whoever the heel was.

We tied Chris up
with Gino Hernandez.

Gino and Chris actually had
discussed it themselves.

This was a way to shift
to be the main event.

Chris Adams and Kevin Von
Erich ready to go against

Jake 'the Snake' Roberts
and Gino Hernandez.

It was a tag team match
and then Chris

turned on Kevin
during the match.

-[Cheering]
-Whoa!

A superkick
on Kevin Von Erich!

A strange, strange
turn of events.

And the next thing I know
was he hit Billy and then

Chris hit him with a superkick,
out of nowhere!

They turn Chris bad,
got with Gino, you know,

it was a hell of a lit
team together, man.

We're the dynamic duo.

1985 is gonna be our year.

They were good looking
guys, great chemistry.

They both were
great on the mic.

Yeah, well,
we're real bad, right?

We're bad to the bone!

They'd come to the
ring with a strut.

They had a way to
antagonize the fans.

They were bad
to the bone.

Chris and Gino,
what a team that was.

We decided we want
to make the best

wrestling
show we can.

It was a feeling of let's
beat what we did last time.

Let's, let's go.

[Cheering]

[Indistinct
commentary]

One, two, three.

Kerry Von Erich
pinned Chris Adams!

The business was booming.

The crowd, sell out.

Are you listening
to me, man?

Everywhere they turned over
3,000 people away, man.

He was happier
because, you know,

he was making
more money.

He had a red Corvette.
Nice condo.

Chris Adams and Gino
Hernandez, see ya guys!

Well my dad lived
on Lover's Lane,

and Gino Hernandez lived in
the same apartment complex.

Everywhere they went,

there was always
people following them,

you know, wanting
to have a fun time.

Teaming with Gino Hernandez
has elevated Chris Adams

to the main event scene
in World Class.

But along with the
money and the fame,

stardom introduces Chris
to a new world of

dangers and
temptations.

San Antonio.

After the matches we all
went to the Best Western

up on the third
floor, man.

They had three rooms, you
had two tables in each room.

I'm talking about...

bricks of cocaine.
And weed.

Then the next room they
had pills and everything.

They had a
pyramid built of

Jack Daniels for
The Freebirds,

then they had my
champagne over there,

you know what
I'm saying?

And then they had
a cop on each door.

I said, "How in the ---- are
they doing all this dope

and then these
police out here"?

They was given the
police officers

a thousand bucks
a piece, man.

The police just turned
they ----in' heads, man.

And women
un-----ing-believable.

You'd get more
pussy on accident,

then you don't
on purpose.

[Laughing]
Hey.

I'm just keeping
it real, man.

Chris and Gino
outside of the ring,

it was always a
dangerous situation.

It'd be like you lit a fuse.

The question is, when's
it gonna explode?

I mean, we're into
sports cars,

we're into fast cars, faster
women and fast life.

I'm glad that they were
good friends,

but obviously, you know,
it's sad, isn't it?

You know,
what, what...

what happened.

Hernandez, whose real
name is Charles Wolfe,

was only 29 years old.

The popular wrestling star's
badly decomposed body was

discovered late last night
at his home in Highland Park.

He had apparently been
dead for several days.

On February 2nd, 1986,

Gino Hernandez dies of

what was ruled as a
cocaine overdose.

It blew me away, man.

That blew me
the ---- away.

What has happened
is a tragedy.

He was a great competitor.

One time American
heavyweight champion,

several times Texas
heavyweight champion.

When you talk about someone
like Gino Hernandez,

a man who lived the life in
the fast lane and

loved the life
in the fast lane.

In the wake of Gino's death,
Chris' use of drugs and

alcohol begins to worry
those closest to him.

Sometimes he'd phone me,

and I'd know if he'd had
too much to drink.

I really worried
about that.

I said, "You need to calm
down if you can, brother."

Chris was Chris until
alcohol got involved,

and then it was Chris the
demon, and he would

get mean, and he
could get vicious.

In Israel it happened,
and I'll never forget,

I get a call from the local
promoter there and

he's like, "You gotta
get over here.

You gotta get over here.

Chris got in an argument
with the bartender and

he super-kicked him in the
side of the head and

it knocked his eye out."

I mean his eye
literally came out.

But Chris' drinking and bar
fighting don't detract from

his appeal, as he strikes
up a new relationship

with a woman named
Toni Collins.

There was always a bar we
would stop at in Fort Worth,

that gave us free alcohol-
[Chuckling]

for the publicity
if we'd all come by there

after the matches.

And that's actually
where he met Toni.

One thing led to
the other and

they end up
getting married.

It was fast. He loved her,
I know that for a fact.

Toni was my brother,
Chris' mom.

I loved her. She was
like a mother to me.

She was absolutely
amazing.

-[Effort grunting]
-Oh! Oh!

[Laughing]

Would you like a kick too?
Here we go. Agh!

Oh, hey.
[Laughing]

I think my dad met his
match with her, for sure.

My name is Chris Adams Jr.

I am 'Gentleman'
Chris Adams' son.

My dad always said
that she was a 6'4,

400lb man trapped
in the body of a

5'2,
100lb woman.

She was very strong willed,
she was very fierce,

but also very kind
and very loving.

Any hope that marriage
might soften Chris' temper

is quickly lost.

We had had a show
in the Caribbean,

and we were headed back,
and there was some kind of

equipment malfunction
on the plane,

and there was a delay
for hours and hours.

But ain't no air
conditioning or nothing,

it's just hot!
People sweating and shit.

So they serving drinks.

Chris drank until
they took off.

Now they're headed back,
they're in the air,

and after about two more
drinks they cut him off,

and they told him he couldn't
have any more alcohol.

I'm in my seat asleep and
the stewardess comes back and

shakes me awake and says,
"Please get your friend."

He's pissed off.

And Chris Adams already
lit now he said,

"Get out the way, bitch."
And when he said bitch,

she said- Wop!
And slapped him.

And he slapped her back.

[Impact]

And that airplane pilot reach
in there and grabbed him,

and shook him, say,
"What's your problem"?

Chris' eyes were that red
light, goes on his eye.

Chris Adams had that co-pilot
by the lapels of his coat,

and his feet weren't
even touching the ground.

And Chris said,
"Feel the power"!

And was pumpin' his
head into his face.

And blood everywhere.

If he wouldn't have
had the alcohol,

it would have
never happened.

It's just that Chris was
just not Chris Adams

anymore once he
got intoxicated.

Sometimes something like
that's a wakeup call,

but Chris just continued
to have problems.

♪

Arrested for headbutting
a pilot on a flight back

from Puerto Rico,
Chris Adams has put

the future of his
career in jeopardy.

It's one of those kind of
situations that

when you start
to sober up,

you realize the magnitude
of your mistake

and what
you've done wrong.

And that was bad publicity
for World Class.

It didn't go away,

Chris ended up getting
some prison time.

I think that hurt
his reputation a lot,

once fans started finding
out a little bit about that.

This made national news.

A wrestler headbutts pilot.

We had a meeting at the
office, and he told Chris,

you know, "I don't know
what's going on with you,

but you got to
straighten up."

He brought shame on us,
no doubt.

That's... terrible.

And I know that
everybody enjoys a drink.

Everybody likes
that last drink.

But you see, that's
where the problem begins.

I think he realized that
you've got to change.

You know that um,
I've gotta,

I've gotta get a hold of this,
and I gotta change it.

With his dangerous reputation
now hobbling his career,

Chris begins looking
for new ways to

capitalize on his fame.

Chris was always kind of
industrious and looking for

a way to make something
outside the business.

He used, I guess
that, that,

celebrity to kind of draw
people into it.

Hello, everybody.
This is 'Gentleman'

Chris Adams here again
to give you another

update on my own
personalized coaching class.

We'll put you on your own
course that last

anything from nine months
to two years.

Talked him into starting
The Wrestling School

at the Sportatorium
in the day.

Hello, I'm Tom Lance,

and I was very good
friends with Chris Adams.

One of our first
students was, you know,

Steve Williams who became
'Stone Cold' Steve Austin.

'Cause Stone Cold
said so.

The name is not
Steve Williams,

it's Austin.
Steve Austin.

And don't forget it.

What Chris did with
Steve, you know,

was to teach him
some of the basics,

some of the fundamental
principles of, of combat.

[Cheering]

You know the story
on these two.

Steve Austin, an individual
off the street who came

into the USWA
Wrestling Academy.

Chris immediately recognized
the promise in this young

blond, helping develop
his body a little further.

I give Chris credit.
He did train Steve.

While training the
future Steve Austin,

Chris introduces his new
friend to an old flame.

I wanna bring down the
sexiest girl in America.

The gorgeous and
lovely Jeanie.

What relationship
does she have with you?

That's none of
your business, Mark.

What ended up happening was
my dad put my mom and

Steve together to
do like, an angle.

And then they
started dating.

With his ex-girlfriend now
dating his top student,

Chris cooks up an angle
designed to put him

back in the main event.

Jeanie comes in
as the ex,

and she's teaming
with Steve Austin.

And that turned
into a pretty hot angle.

You're jealous of
Steve because

he is a real man.

My mom, my dad,

my stepmom,
and my stepdad

all did an angle
together wrestling,

and it was...
yeah, it was wild.

It was not your traditional
job for your parents.

[Laughing]

But I'll tell
you what, Austin,

there's not room enough
in Texas for you and I.

Be honest,
Chris directed

every single part
of that for me.

He'd give me
every line.

I was to watch
Joan Collins on Dynasty.

Mourning the baby that
she couldn't have,

that is it,
isn't it?

Why you
miserable bitch!

And that was the idea
of the character.

Just remember he Is
thinking about me.

Only in wrestling could
you do something like that.

And when the
women wrestled,

it was sometimes an
all-out catfight.

Jeanie goes after Toni.

Pulling your hair,
scratching eyes,

slapping each other
across the face,

getting the kendo stick,
slapping each other...

anything that they could
do to hurt each other.

It was nasty sometimes.

Well, neither one of us
knew how to wrestle.

The interviews were
my favourite part.

I am far superior to you.

I have royal
blood in my veins.

She was born on
a shrimp boat,

but she's
jealous of me.

She said, "I can't believe
you said that about me."

And I said, "Chris
told me to say it."

I'm sick and tired
of you, girl.

If you both
don't back off,

you're gonna end
up getting hurt.

Even when you get along,
you know there's gonna be

some kind of issues
there that, that,

just don't jive together.

You were my number
one student!

You even wear my
boots to the ring.

There were some issues
with Steve and Chris.

I think there was a little
bit of Chris seeing this guy

is coming along, he is
really gonna be a star.

And I think Steve felt like
he was probably

being held back
a little bit.

There were some real,
real life drama

going on there, too.

He is accompanied
by Lady Blossom.

The WCW World
Television Champion

'Stunning' Steve Austin!

I think he was jealous
that we went to WCW.

I suppose he was
jealous of the money.

As Steve and Jeanie make
the jump to the big time

with WCW, a frustrated
Chris Adams

turns back to the bottle to
nurse his bruised ego.

When he was sober,
he was, you know, great.

He was Dad, he was
awesome, he was there.

When he started drinking
it just kind of changed.

I know my mom kind
of told me that

that's what it
was like for her.

When I was older my
mom would tell me,

they had an up and down
roller coaster relationship,

and I think towards the
beginning it was very good,

and I think about halfway
through it got pretty rocky.

I mean, just, just the
screaming and the yelling,

it was intense.

Especially if they both
had been drinking

or something like that.

Chris had told me one time,
they were headed home

from a show, they were
in his Corvette.

Toni's driving, Chris in
the passenger seat,

and the little boy Chris
Junior was in the back,

and he said that some
reason they were arguing,

and she had stopped
on the interstate,

and a semi was coming.

Luckily it went around 'em
and didn't hit 'em.

If it would
have hit 'em,

none of them probably
would have lived.

[Honking]

And it angered him so much
that that's when he

got physical with her,
and...

he beat her up.

You know,
it messed her up.

She had to have
some facial surgery.

I ain't cool
with that shit.

But I remember

it wasn't until I
was much older,

and she had shown me
some of the pictures of

her where that abuse
had happened,

and she was in the
hospital for a while.

I couldn't believe it.

And I say all these
good things about Chris,

but that's heinous.
That's terrible.

It's disgusting.

I'm just now realizing
how much stuff there was.

I didn't put it all
together, I guess.

That's terrible.

♪

The horrific attack on
Toni is a shocking

new low for Chris Adams.

But as the 'Gentleman'
continues to struggle,

his descent to the
bottom will only get worse.

She knew that it
wasn't right for her,

that kind of lifestyle.

I think she knew she
needed to get out.

She said, "I had everything
that I had with your dad.

I had the big house,
I had a Corvette,

everything that anybody
could ever want...

but I just felt
so empty inside."

Chris' bad reputation follows
him to his next company,

the struggling Global
Wrestling Federation.

After World Class and
then Global came in,

and that was a
pretty good run.

Chris Adams against
Rod 'the Bod.'

Rod Price, he and Chris were
battling for the GWF title.

Rod had long blond hair,

but it was starting
to thin out,

so he ended up getting
a weave put in.

Somehow they kind of
sewed it in up there,

I don't know how
it was all done,

but anyway,
Chris knew about it,

we all knew about it, and
it was kinda off limits,

you know,
don't pull the hair.

Well, during this
match, Chris,

because I think he probably
thought it would just

come right off, and
he jerked on it,

and instead of
coming off, it ripped off.

And blood went
everywhere.

I've never seen so much
blood in the ring in my life.

He was just covered.

I mean, he didn't
even finish the match,

he just left the ring,

and we had to take him
to the emergency room.

I'm almost sure it
was like 200 stitches

to come to get that
all straightened out.

Yeah, he did it
on purpose. Yeah.

In 1997, Chris finally
gets the call from WCW-

At the time,
the most popular

wrestling company
in America.

I think when he got that
opportunity to go to WCW,

it was, he was
thinking, "Yeah,

this is gonna be the thing
that restarts my career."

And,
it didn't happen.

WCW was a second
chance for Chris,

but the matches I saw,
it almost looked like

they were using him
to get their next star over.

-Watch out.
-Uh oh.

Choke...
slam city.

The 'Gentleman'
Chris Adams,

was interrupting a cigarette
break and he paid for it.

[Bell ringing]

He was unhappy that
he'd gone to WCW and

was being used
as a jobber.

One, two, three1

[Bell ringing]

I remember him
saying that, like,

he was working
harder. You know,

he worked hard,
and he was getting tired.

And I think he was getting
discouraged about the

whole thing, getting
beat every night.

I don't see how it
couldn't affect someone.

Being at the top like that,
and then very quickly,

you know, if you don't
stay on top of it,

you don't change your angles,
things are changing...

it's gonna happen.

Your career is
gonna dwindle.

I can remember him
talking about,

"I know I'm better than this
guy and that guy."

And in one light,
he probably was.

But you know, wrestling
is not always fair.

Other things were going on
that were working against him.

[Siren wailing]

A few too many drinks and got
a DWI and they let him go.

He was always
struggling with finances.

His status had diminished to
a point to where he wasn't...

he wasn't the guy
you wanted to go to.

He was getting
a little older,

harder to stay in shape,
and people just

weren't coming to him
like they used to.

He got into some other
stuff besides alcohol,

got into GHB real bad.

Basically,
when you do GHB,

if you do too much of it,
you're just comatose.

I don't know why anybody
would want to do it.

GHB was pretty
popular in the day.

You know everybody
kind of done it.

It started off for
bodybuilders if you're sober

and stuff to help
you work out,

but I know it would
help you relax.

And some also would call
it the love drug, too.

There's a fine line of
how much you can take,

and it's a very
dangerous drug.

As the 90s draw
to a close,

Chris Adams' life
is in shambles.

Broke,
unable to find work,

and desperate for
somewhere to live,

Chris moves in with a
friend of Tom Lance,

a local wrestling
fan known as Booray.

Chris was going through
some tough times.

Booray had his place,

Chris was needing kind
of somewhere to stay

and all that, so I
introduced 'em.

If it wasn't for Booray
I don't know

what Chris
would have done.

Super good guy,
cared about people,

went above
and beyond.

That's why he was
helping Chris.

Chris was lost.

But I love Chris, you know,
he was my friend.

Chris was really a nice guy.

He was witty, he was fun,
you know, to be around.

♪

I'm Booray, and Chris
and I were good friends.

He was a good
enough friend that

I trusted him
in my house.

He was really a
delightful guy.

We'd invite people over and
cook out by the swimming pool

and we were having
a good time.

I mean, they seemed to
be getting along great,

him and Booray.
Booray paid the bills.

He had no money.

He might work one little
show here and there,

and it was hard for me to
take money from somebody

that hadn't made money in

you know,
three months.

I was happy to help him,
but also inside

I was feeling I
was being used.

While living with Booray,

Chris meets a young
woman named Linda.

He was in love with Linda,

I know he was in
love with her.

They didn't know each
other all that long either,

but they were, oh God,
they got along so good.

She was the angel,
you know,

so witty and funny.
She was just perfect.

She seemed, like, very
mature, very stable.

I can see how Chris would
find some solace in that,

because I think that's
what he was seeking.

On the night of
April 22nd, 2000,

after dating for
just a few weeks,

Chris brings Linda back
to Booray's house to

keep the party going into
the early morning.

They'd been out all night.

They were having a good
time dancing, you know?

And I said,
"You know what?

Three's a crowd.
I'm going to bed."

Chris told me this
the next night,

that they went on and got
that little bit of GHB,

and got two
small glasses,

and just split it.

I had warned Chris
way before this that

I did not want that
GHB in the house.

You know, I didn't
care what else he had.

That was his business.

The silence, I guess,

woke me up at about
four in the morning.

I came in and they
were both passed out.

Chris was slumped
over a chair,

and Linda was on her
back on the floor.

I was trying to wake 'em up
and I couldn't wake 'em up.

Linda's lung started
kind of...wheezing.

And that's when
I called Tom.

And he was scared to
call 911 because

he knew Chris
would get pissed.

And I was like, "I don't
give a ----, call 911.

They're not breathing."

♪

Booray wakes up in the
middle of the night to find

Chris Adams and
Chris' girlfriend Linda

unresponsive,
passed out on GHB.

The paramedics got there,
and I stayed

on the phone with them,
me and my wife.

They're trying to
wake Chris,

and then they're
working on Linda,

and I hear them say
'flatline.' And I was like,

"Booray did I just
hear 'flatline'?"

Because we know
what that meant.

[Sustained tone]

It's not the easiest thing in
the world to talk about this.

[Clearing throat]
But she...

From seeing somebody that
was just one of the

sweetest people in
the world

die right in front of your
arms, you know?

In my opinion, yes.

He was careless.

I never saw him
use drugs.

He just told me the truth,
that he gave Linda,

you know, too much of this
GHB and she died,

and he was absolutely
devastated.

Several months later,

they charged him with
manslaughter.

I think he definitely
felt responsible for it.

He was torn up about it.

I mean,
he legitimately...

torn down about
what happened.

After Linda died,
he was going through

a lot of ups and downs.

You know, he had
threatened suicide and

this and that and
drinking a lot.

His drinking had
spiralled really bad.

That would have been
self-medicating.

I think he was just
totally freaking out,

wondering if he was
gonna get out of

the manslaughter
charge.

And going from making money
to no money, you know?

He was miserable inside.

I kinda got away from him.

Really didn't want to be
involved that much.

And there's times when
you wonder if maybe

if I'd...
reached out,

maybe I could have
talked to him.

I don't know.

I doubt it, really,
to be honest with you.

I don't know how you can talk
somebody out of that hole.

I really don't.

It's, you know, very obvious
my dad had an issue with,

you know,
drugs and alcohol.

And I just wish that someone
had stepped in

and said, "Hey, Chris,
you're doing too much."

I think if it had
happened today,

I think he might
still be alive.

♪

October the 7th.

I was at my
mother's house, and

Chris had called
me earlier that morning

and told me he was
all bummed out.

I just said, "Why don't
you come on over"?

Finally, about seven,
he showed up.

And I had brandy and
of course we had beer,

and I'm still not sure
what set him off.

I must have said,
you know,

"Chris, could you hold it
down a little bit?

My mother's
trying to sleep."

Anyway, boy, that's when
he went berserk.

I mean, just like,
boom, light switch.

And he'd come at me
with that post.

I had a four post bed,

and he broke the post off
and come at me with it.

I grabbed the post which
cracked my index finger,

and then he put me
in a sleeper hold.

And then here we go
across the room.

He pushed me on a bed,

and he just started
gouging my eyes out,

and he started
biting me.

He bit me on the face
several times

and then on the neck.

He had me pinned down
and was choking me.

He just kept
getting stronger.

His eyes seemed to glow.

I thought I
was gonna die.

I kept a gun on
my end table.

I put the gun as quick as
I could to his shoulder.

The only thing I could
do was pull the trigger.

[Boom]

He went crazy. It was like
he turned into an animal.

[Growling]

And when I pulled
the trigger,

he jumped a little bit.

Enough to hit his heart.

♪

I just wanted to, maybe,

wound him to
where he could,

you know,
get some sense.

It's hard to make decisions
like that when you

don't have much
time to make 'em.

He would have
killed me.

I called 911.
Asked them,

"Please, get here quick."
It was bad.

♪

I remember that
day very vividly.

I was in school.

My mom came
to pick me up.

We get home and I
remember her getting

down on her knees
in front of me.

"Honey, I'm so sorry
to say, but

your dad's dead."

And, ah...

I didn't feel anything
at the moment,

'cause I thought, no.
No, no, no way.

I got a call from my wife,
and she could hardly

draw a breath and then
said, "He's gone."

Chris had been shot.
And I was, just...

to say I was stunned
is an understatement.

I just sat down on the floor,
and I was in total shock.

I was 19 when
my dad died.

It was, like,
very surreal.

I mean, and that was the
first experience

I'd ever really had with
like a profound grief,

'cause it was my dad.
So it was really tough.

Like it took me a really
long time to cope with it.

The funeral,
it was packed.

You had ex-wrestlers
that were there.

You had family that came
all the way from the UK.

And yeah, there was like
people standing out the back,

'cause there were so many
wrestling fans there.

It was a nice tribute.

He had affected so
many people's lives,

and a lot of it
was for the better.

And I just remember being
very solemn when I was there,

but hearing a lot of the
words that people said

were really cool.

A lot of people loved him.

I pulled the trigger.

I'm sad, but...

I wouldn't be sitting here
right now had I not.

I had to go in front
of the grand jury.

They said, "It's over.

What you did was an
act of self-defence."

It was almost like,
him or me.

I feel like Booray
had no choice.

I don't think he wanted
to roll the dice.

Something
happened in there.

Do I believe him that
it was self-defence?

No, I don't.

A very sad and tragic
accident between

two very good friends.

Alcohol being the
common denominator,

and in Booray being
a victim as well,

because he has to
live with it.

So forgiveness
has to be

the best way forward.

When you're close to
somebody like that,

and then something
crazy like that happens,

whether he's trying to
kill you or not, you know,

it's still taking another
person's life away from him.

That's not a good feeling.

It's awful,
it's awful.

The thing about Chris that
I'll never forget is

just how incredibly
talented he was.

And it's a shame that that
talent didn't lead to a

longer and more
fulfilled life.

To me it's just,
just a sad story.

Agh!

I'll remember Chris Adams as
a great wrestler in the ring,

a great performer,
a great athlete.

But when it comes to
outside of the ring,

when the alcohol
would kick in,

it was almost like he was
looking for that edge

of why he'd
get mad at you.

And he was a person that
once he realized

he had an alcohol problem,

he didn't choose
to solve it.

What a dichotomy.

He had a great side,
and he had a terrible,

ugly side, that really
outweighed the good.

But I'll remember the good.

I want my dad to be
remembered as an

amazing athlete who
worked really hard,

and as a loving
father to his kids,

because I think his kids
were everything to him.

Just wish he could be
here to see

how we all ended up.

I think he'd
be proud of us.

I think he'd be proud of
my brother, particularly.

One, two, three.

There was so much more
to my dad than just

the wild, crazy,
party side.

There is a reason why people

called him the 'Gentleman.'

There is a reason why my
friends over in England would

always say, "He could sing
the birds out of the trees."

You know? He was,
he was very charming.

He was very loving.
He was a kind father.

I want people to remember
him as that person,

as not just 'Gentleman' Chris
Adams, but as Chris Adams.