Danny Davis Shares Life Story
The crooked referee has launched a Kickstarter to fund his autobiography.
Wrestling’s most notorious referee is finally telling his side of the story.
“Dangerous” Danny Davis – also known as beloved jobber Mr. X – has partnered with WOHW Publishers to release his autobiography. From living on the streets in Brockton, Massachusetts, to breaking into the wrestling business by driving ring trucks and refereeing to competing in front of 93,000 fans at WrestleMania III, Davis has experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows. A veteran of the squared circle, he worked for the McMahons through several eras, from Bruno Sammartino’s glorious run to Hulkamania and the New Generation.
“Mr. X ~ The Life Story of Dangerous Danny Davis” is an inspirational tale for not only wrestling fans but also young adults and high schoolers, as Davis opens up about his troubled past and provides the blueprint for achieving your dreams. Davis and ghostwriter Kenny Casanova (of Brutus Beefcake’s autobiography) have launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the book’s publication and create merchandise. They have only six days left to reach their $3,000 goal, and are roughly $1,000 away.
The book’s release party is scheduled for WrestleCon in New Orleans where Davis will be signing copies and taking photos.
You can support the project by visiting www.kickstarter.com.
For more information, visit www.wohw.com.
You can follow and interact with Davis on Facebook.
Davis spoke with The Wrestling Estate this week to reminisce on his long career, discuss the book and offer advice to rookies in the business.
How did you meet Kenny Casanova?
Danny Davis: “I’ve known Kenny for a while. I met him in New York in Albany when the Hall of Fame was there. I was with Scott Wilder Promotions doing an autograph session there. We talked about a book then, but we decided not to because everybody was writing a book at the time. So we waited a few years and came up with a different concept about how to do a book.”
What do you mean by a different concept?
Davis: “Well, it’s not a wrestling book, per se, like the others. It has aspects of my career, but it’s an inspirational book. I had kind of a rough upbringing living in the streets as a kid. The book is how I got into wrestling, recognized opportunity and went from being a street kid to wrestling in one of the biggest houses ever at WrestleMania III.”
Can you tell me about your rough upbringing?
Davis: “Yeah, I was mostly on the streets since I was 11 or 12. I wasn’t in school when I should have been. My mother had six kids and she was alone. I found my way taking care of myself more or less. There are more aspects of that in the book. I know when I say rough upbringing, today it’s even worse for some kids because of the dynamics of the world today. We didn’t shoot each other like today. It was more or less you stoop up mano-y-mano as it were and took care of business to claim your territory or defend someone.
You have to survive obviously. You have to eat, find somewhere to sleep, so you become a street kid. You get smart and you learn how to survive.”
I feel like those survival skills could apply to navigating the wrestling industry.
Davis: “Yes, I mean, it’s not as bad as living on the streets obviously. But you do pay dues. When I started out, we would go from town to town in a truck, basically live and sleep in the truck. There was very minimal pay, maybe make 50 or 60 bucks a night. You basically took care of yourself. So I saw opportunities to become a referee and become Mr. X and of course the rest is history.
Being a street kid is rough sometimes, but being rough is right up my alley. Being a masked man, today they call it enhancers, and in my day, you were putting guys over. Simple as that. I learned a lot. In those days, when you made a mistake, you paid for it in a short manner. A journeyman would let you know something is unacceptable and you probably won’t do that
again. (laughs)
That’s what this book is about. Having work ethic, ability to adapt, being there on time, being there every day. I never missed a show in all the years I put up the ring or was wrestling. You have to take advantage of the opportunities that come to you, and not a lot do if you don’t have that work ethic. It’s not an easy road. To live a dream is a hard thing to do. It requires sacrifice. You’re alone a lot of times and not making big money. You’re striving every day to express how hard you want this. If you want it bad enough, with hard work and self-confidence, you can live your dreams.
You don’t have to be a wrestling fan to read this book. Anybody can read this book and be inspired.”
Was pro wrestling always your dream?
Davis: “Well, let me tell ya, as a kid when I went to my first match, I knew that someday I would be in an arena somewhere and people were going to watch me wrestle. I knew it in my heart. I started by helping a guy put the ring up. The deal was he got you into the arena to watch the show – the only prerequisite was you stay til the end to help take it down. Well, a lot of guys weren’t there to help take it down, but I was because I’m a person of my word. After a while, he asked me to go around with him in the New England area.”
What I love about your career is that you were one of the few guys there to see the evolution of the company from its regional days to its national expansion. While you were on the daily grind, did you notice everything changing?
Davis: “I was there when it was WWWF, which was Vince Sr. I was there for Titan Sports, Tuesday Night Titans, yeah, I was there through every aspect of the growth. The biggest part of that was when Vince Jr. took it over and had the foresight to recognize the world of wrestling had to change in order to stay alive. He took it to the limit and to be there for it was an exciting time. I was fortunate enough to be there at its peak and I don’t know if it will ever be there again. It was quite an adventure, quite a journey and I was just glad to be a part of it.”
What was your relationship like with Vince Jr.?
Davis: “Well, Vince Sr. I didn’t know very well, but we knew each other on a name-to-name basis. But Vince Jr. I started out with him when he started out. You always have to remember that Vince is your boss. Friendship is secondary. Business comes first. You work for him so friendship isn’t part of the wrestling world. If you had a day off and talked to him, it would be a lot different conversation than if you were at an event or talking business as it were. You had to keep in your mind that he’s your boss, not your friend. I don’t mean that in a bad way – that’s just how life is. I always had respect for him and he always had respect for me, and we always kept it on a business level.”
Working for the McMahons from the early 1970s until 1995, you’ve had one of the longest runs in company history. What do you attribute your longevity to?
Davis: “When I was in that business, I was capable of and willing to do whatever they asked me. We used to do the tapings in Pennsylvania and put them in a car and hand deliver them to the TV stations in Boston and Maine. We would also go into the towns early and go into music shops or record stores or furniture stores and give a pack of tickets so they could sell them. I would take tickets at the door, take jackets, I would do whatever they asked me to do. After a while, people notice you and get to know your name. I was just a young kid at the time.”
Was WrestleMania III the most fun you ever had?
Davis: “No, the most fun I ever had was being involved in the whole progression of wrestling, seeing it become what it became. And becoming more and more a part of it from being a referee to being a masked wrestler to being on the biggest stage in wrestling history. How can you beat that? You can’t. It’s incredible.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF4mYqzxFAg
Now you’re still a part of the industry through fan conventions and indie shows, right?
Davis: “Yes, SPW (Showcase Pro Wrestling) in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, is my favorite. I don’t know if anybody out there remembers Big John Callahan, Sgt. Muldoon, but he’s the trainer for those people. I attend those once in a while and I go to other indie shows and sit quietly. Nobody even knows I’m there because I don’t want to be distracting or anything like that. Unfortunately, it’s changed so much. I don’t see any of the young, up-and-coming wrestlers watch any match after theirs. They just pack up and leave. If I see somebody I recognize, I ask why they don’t stay and watch. They say, ‘oh, they don’t do that no more.’ It’s too bad.”
Do you still watch WWE on TV?
Davis: “Not really, no. I’m just so busy that by the time I get home, it’s just a long day and I have to get up early in the morning. To say I don’t follow it wouldn’t be true because I do go on Youtube and catch up on some things.”
Do you go on Youtube and relive some of your old matches?
Davis: “Oh yeah, I love it. I watch Mr. X all the time and anybody I think of I just punch in and watch matches. I laugh and enjoy and it brings you back in time. As Mr. X, I wrestled with all of them and they all liked working with me because I was good. I learned a lot from them. To become Danny Davis and do great things and that were never done before and it worked. I was so excited to be a part of it.”
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