Catching Up With Manny Fernandez

I was 7 years old when I truly became a wrestling fan. I would turn our old television antenna so that I could pick up World-Class Championship Wrestling out of Dallas or Fort Worth. I would grab a pillow from my parents’ bed and live vicariously through “Gentleman” Chris Adams or Kevin Von Erich or any number of the icons of wrestling from the legendary Sportatorium. Likewise, my hatred burned for those that would cheat, punch and gouge eyes. It was not just the Freebirds that would stir my ire. It was also a rough and tumble former football player from West Texas State that I loathed, “The Raging Bull” Manny Fernandez.

It was to my surprise that on March 26th, 2022, Manny Fernandez walked into my life again. This time in a very real way. Fernandez had come to witness Mike Gunner and the entire King of Sports Championship Wrestling event in Paris, TX. He brought along two of his current students, Beau Betten and Geronimo, in order for them to witness a hot Texas crowd. Over the course of the evening many athletes would pick the brain of a true West Texas Strong Style legend.

Manny Fernandez was first introduced to the world of professional wrestling while attending West Texas State University to play football. That program turned out legendary wrestlers, such as Terry Funk, Dory Funk Jr., Ted DiBiase, Tully Blanchard, Dusty Rhodes, Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody. Fernandez was one of the few that attempted to resist the urge to move into wrestling. He was focused on becoming a better football player and had eyes set on a pro career.

But his ill temper, on frequent display, caught the attention of Terry Funk and Dick Murdock. They quickly took him under their wing and started driving him from town to town with them. Fernandez would sit and watch and learn, without even knowing he was being taught. Slowly, that quick temper was being turned from a liability on the football field to an asset in the wrestling ring.

Fernandez was beginning to become hooked on the idea of West Texas Strong Style. He met that style firsthand when he finally decided to commit himself to wrestling full time. “They would beat you up! They would hook you! They would teach you, break you. You learned respect. Lou Thesz would drop by and tie you into knots. You shut up and learned,” Fernandez recalls. “It was real wrestling. Had to be when you were in there with Blackjack Mulligan and Dick Murdoch.”

This was how Fernandez learned, by watching and listening. When Terry Funk, in his slow drawl, told him, “When you grab a hold, you snatch it!” Fernandez started snatching it! This rough, straight-ahead style served Fernandez well for his entire career. From 1979 when he defeated Funk for the Florida Championship, all the way through World Class, Mid-Atlantic, WCW and beyond.

“Wrestling should be real,” Fernandez passionately explains. “I am so sick of that flip flop, trapeze acts, choreographed stuff. (Fernandez doesn’t want to refer to it as wrestling.) The marque says ‘WRESTLING’ and that’s what it should be! I just can’t sit through that other stuff anymore.”

Hey @TheWrestlingEst I got to hang out with “The Raging Bull” Manny Fernandez tonight! Will be an exciting report! #mannyfernandez #ragingbull #kingofsports #kos pic.twitter.com/VNlCb89gFV
— C Gable (@GableCR) March 27, 2022

Fernandez isn’t alone in these sentiments. With the revival of Texas Strong Style, the return of real wrestling is very much on the horizon. Manny Fernandez is still a part of that movement, as well. He now trains a select group of students, “his kids,” and imparts the old ways to them. He has become what he was so thankful for when he was breaking into the business.

Fernandez grew to become a favorite of legendary booker Eddie Graham. “Eddie used to repeat, ‘Be a Picasso, paint a picture.’” Fernandez explains that every fight tells a story. It is not always about brawling or moves, it is about psychologically defeating your opponent. Sometimes that might be a fist to the teeth, but other times it may be a small package at just the right time. “Think about how many championships have changed hands with a small package. That should tell you something,” Fernandez explained.

Fernandez commits himself to building up the next generation of Texas Strong Style. Some that he has trained and influenced are Low Ki, Mike Gunner and R-Truth, just to begin a lengthy list. His voice isn’t as loud as it used to be in promos, but it’s still heard with the same authority. His presence might not be as physically threatening as it was in World Class or tagging with Rick Rude in WCW, but it’s even more powerful in the locker room.

Manny Fernandez doesn’t need wrestling anymore. He hasn’t needed it for a long time. However, wrestling needs Manny Fernandez! Wrestling needs West Texas Strong Style!

You can see Texas Strong Style on display in Leonard, TX on April 23rd or you can check out the King of Sports YouTube for a sample.