I was not aware Edwin Edwards even extorted bribes from pro wrestling.

Might want to put “Edwin” in thread title.

Watts had to runs shows in Loranger so he could run shows in Baton Rouge. Not sure if it was EWE or another politician that made him do that.

It was either a political concession or the Kilshaw family, who promoted BR, had some financial reason for Loranger getting shows.


That being said, Watts has always been pretty open about playing politics and using the state’s commission to keep other promoters out.

He had a pretty sizable relationship with a number of pols like Pepe Bruno as a result.

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Makes sense now thinking back when I was a kid WWF would never come to Louisiana. Not surprising at all if you know anything about EE.

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It also makes sense now that Jim Crockett only brought his stable here in joint appearances with Watts group.

I had heard steal big, steal little about EWE. He really left no possible source of graft or corruption untouched.

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u heard a lot of bull shite.

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EWE was as crooked as a dog's hind leg.

Nothing about the Territory era of wrestling surprises me. All the guys at the top were born from the carny and sideshow days. That's where they learned and cut their teeth. When the business progressed to established territories, those guys took what they learned with them. Politicians had played that game with people like those promoters for decades before. It was really nothing new to any of them involved.

There is nothing about Edwin Edwards that surprises me.

Long story short. I forget the guy's name. He used to be the president of the NAACP in the Baton Rouge area.. It was George something. Anyway, he is dead now, but before he passed away he was in a wheelchair and went to the same place I did to get my ramp van worked on.

One day I was there waiting for them to finish and he and his wife (who was white by the way.. the only reason I mention this is because he was known for stirring things up when it came to race.. One time he made comments about LSU not having a black QB.. And one year Southern had a white QB who started a few games and he made a big thing about it and they ended up starting a black QB).

We got to talking.. And just talking to him he was a nice dude.. But somehow Edwin Edwards came up and he said that was his guy, he would vote for him no matter what he ran for.. As we continued talking he started telling me stories then my van was ready..

As I was leaving I was thinking about what he was telling me and what I got out of the stories he told me was that he used his position to get the black people who followed him all worked up about racial related topics.. Then when it came to election time he would then tell all of his people that Edwin Edwards was the man who would fix their problems.

And that was the game. EE had people around the state, who had a certain amount of influence on voters. He took care of them and they would see to it that their people would vote for him..

While that isn't anything surprising.. It's Louisiana politics, but I wasn't even born during his first term (well I think I was born a year or two before the end of his first term).. And I was a teenager when he served the end of his last term so I wasn't all that aware of the political environment, etc. But what surprised me was that the way the NAACP guy was talking about things, it was as if it wasn't that big of a secret that EE took care of people in order for them to influence voters.

That is something that is more common.. Or not as big of a secret in local politics..But EE is an icon of the stereotypical Louisiana politician.

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EWE was as crooked as a dog's hind leg.

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Yep and if he could run today the retards in this state would vote for him and people wonder why this state is so fricked up.

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George Washington Eames!!!!

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Yes.. Eames.. Could not think of his last name to save my life..

Bingo