Show: Wrestling Epicenter
Guest: “Gorgeous” Joey Jackson
Date: 01/07/2026
Your Host: James Walsh
During the territory days of pro wrestling, there were household names in sections of the country that still hold a place in our hearts. For those in the Pacific Northwest, “Gorgeous” Joey Jackson is one of those names. Wrestling all over the globe but with his longest stints being in Portland, the Louisiana born Cajun star had the long blond locks and the good looks to earn the name “Gorgeous” from promoter Don Owen.
On February 21, Portland Wrestling Expo II takes place in Portland, Oregon and Joey Jackson will be one of the featured guests along with other Pacific Northwest territory stars including Ken Patera, The Godfather, and beyond! Visit www.PWExpo.com for more details on this historic wrestling experience you can be a part of.
Don’t forget to check out http://www.WrestlingEpicenter.com to check out over 900 interviews with pro wrestling stars past, present, and future. And, enjoy our 20% off store sale going on to celebrate the new year!
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/RvQi63Qx7vI
JOEY JACKSON:
On Portland Wrestling Expo II:
“I’m really looking forward to it. It is a great thing that Nick is doing. Portland was such a great territory. And, it had some of the best fans. This is a way to give a little something back to the fans.”
On if he looks forward more to meeting fans or being back with the boys:
“A little bit of both! First, the fans of Portland were some of the best fans. But, none of us are promised a tomorrow. So, getting back with the guys is always a great time too.”
On his current promotion:
“It is called Louisiana Wrestling Alliance. We run once a month in Lafayette. We have a training school as well. People seem to have a hunger for it again, the old school style of wrestling.”
On how he got into the world of pro wrestling:
“Well, I was Louisiana born but I was working in Texas down in the oil fields. That is when things started to slow down and they started laying people off. I was introduced to a guy named Sputnik Monroe. Sputnik turned me on to a guy named Len Denton. And, the rest is history!”
On “The Grappler” Len Denton training him:
“The funny thing was, I had been working out with Len Denton before I got into wrestling and I just didn’t know who he was. In wrestling, he always wore a mask. We worked out at a health club called President First Lady. Well, I went in to where the wrestling school was and I saw him and I was like, “I know you!” (laughs) I knew him by face, but not name. But, because he wore the mask, I didn’t know he was The Grappler!”
On how training kids today is different from his training to get into the business:
“Well, it is a little bit more faster paced! (laughs) They come in and they want to mimic the moves they see on TV. It is challenging to teach them, “You gotta learn this first.” You’ve got to slow them down. They need to learn to crawl before they can run.”
On ECW’s Tommy Cairo calling many of the guys trying to get into wrestling now “Skinny Fat”:
“(laughs) I would agree with that. Sometimes, the challenge is you’ve got to get them in shape before you can get them in the ring. They come in and they’re athletic, good bodies and stuff. But, they don’t take care of themselves. You have to get in shape to do this.”
On adopting the name “Gorgeous” Joey Jackson:
“You can thank Don Owen for that. Don Owen introduced me as “Gorgeous” and I was like, “What’s all that Gorgeous stuff about?” He said, “Well, you’ve got the long blonde hair. You’re Gorgeous!” I was like, “All right.” He would introduce me from places like Tennessee and Kentucky. I said, “Don, the second I open my mouth, they’re going to know I’m from Louisiana.” (laughs) When he called me “Gorgeous”, I was like, “That’s not me!” Rip Oliver told me, though, “If they put a gimmick on you, you better do it or somebody else will.”””
On Rip Oliver being underrated:
“Oh yeah. At the time, he wasn’t underrated. People knew how good he was. But now, yeah, he was good. He was real good.”
On Roddy Piper in Portland:
“When Roddy was on top of his game, he was great. And, he and Lenny, they just clicked. When you click with someone, you can just roll ideas off of one another. It is something to see. The loudest I ever heard a crowd was Piper in the Portland Sports Arena. When he would come out, you could be shouting at the person next to you and not hear your own voice. It was amazing.”
On working in legendary venues like the Portland Sports Arena or the Sportatorium in Dallas:
“Those are some great old wrestling buildings. I always appreciated working in places that had history like that. There was something different about those kinds of places.”
On his famous feud with the Southern Rockers:
“They were good. They were real good. Scott Peterson and Steve Doll. Then, Rex King came along. They were real good.”
On wrestling with “Maniac” Matt Borne in Dallas and beyond:
“Mat Borne! He was a tough man. I knew his dad too, “Tough” Tony Borne. I saw the Dark Side of the Ring they did on him. I didn’t see a lot of what they talked about with him. But, he was a great wrestler and a very tough man.”
On Billy Jack Haynes running opposition to Don Owen:
“Well, I wasn’t getting booked as much so I worked for Billy Jack’s deal. He thought because he was Billy Jack haynes, he could run Don Owen right out of business. I did a few shows for him. He found out it wasn’t going to happen. It didn’t last long. People are loyal. So, I called Don Owen and he took me back. There was no problem there. I had to work!”
On Billy Jack Haynes’ issues:
“I had heard for a long time that he had issues. I did not have any problem with him. But, what his last few years has been? Wow. He has had a tough go of it.”
On having issues with his tour of Japan:
“I enjoyed Japan. But, the crowd was very different. They clapped in appreciation. What I had trouble with was the food. That kind of food in the United States is Americanized. But, over there, it is authentic. And, it wasn’t for me. The chop sticks and things. It just wasn’t for me.”
On working WCW against Steve Austin and Brian Pillman:
“Yes, I did. I did that match with Steve Austin and Brian Pillman. I went in there with a guy named Amos Moses. We were told that they probably wouldn’t give us too much in the match. And, they didn’t. That was OK. It was what we were there for.”
On Paragon Pro Wrestling and if it could have worked:
“It was a good starting point for a promotion. There was a lot going on that stood in its way. But, there was some great talent there. And, getting the (POP) TV deal was a great starting point. It went from being in Las Vegas to being back up in Portland. Len Denton was involved. It could have been more than it was.”
On inducting “The Grappler” Len Denton into the Portland Wrestling Hall of Fame:
“That was special. I was asked and of course I was willing to do that. He trained me. And, he has been my friend for a long time. I was honored to do that for him.”
