Show: Wrestling Epicenter
Guest: “Golden Boy” Chic Donovan
Date: 01/16/2026
Your Host: James Walsh
Somewhere around Thanksgiving, I woke up to a message I had sent weeks prior to Chic Donovan asking if he would be interested in doing an interview. If you have done this as long as I have, you know that the batting average of invites to those who ever respond to said invites is pretty low. So, I figured, “Eh, it would have been cool. But…” Well, he responded and agreed. He gave me his number to arrange a time and I called and got a voicemail. And, well, it stopped there again! The day after Christmas, Chic called me back and asked if I was still wanting to have him on. That is a no brainer, isn’t it? Of course I do! And, we finally nailed it down and here it is!
Chic Donovan is a wrestling legend who has seen pro wrestling in its evolution over the past 50 years. From local Georgia Wrestling facing off with the likes of Hulk Hogan and Mr. Wrestling II to being a part of the “First Family” managed by Jimmy Hart in Memphis Wrestling, Chic enjoyed a lot of success. After the territories fizzled out a bit, Chic was used as a star maker in WCW and the WWE wrestling the likes of Sting, Ultimate Warrior, and others in televised matches.
Now nearly 80 years old, Chic talks about his life and times in the ring and also discusses why he still climbs in the squared circle after all these years. Hey, if I looked that good at my age, 44, I’d be in the ring too. He is legitimately in fantastic condition!
Below is a transcript of some of the highlights that include Hulk Hogan, Jerry Lawler, a couple of legitimately English spekaing talking dogs, Sting, Ole Anderson, and beyond. There are some great stories not transcribed. So, if you are a fan of classic wrestling and/or of the “Golden Boy”, be sure and listen to the whole chat on YouTube!
Don’t forget to check out www.WrestlingEpicenter.com for more interviews like this. We’ve been at it for nearly 25 years and have done over 900 interviews in that time. Be sure and check out our site, store, and all the great content we have on the site including those interviews which are all archived and available to listen to and read, our results, RIP tributes, and so much more. Oh, and, buy somethin’, will ya?
Listen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1Lpr0LPSQ0s
CHIC DONOVAN:
On the viral picture of he and Tommy Dreamer from alst year:
“A lot of people don’t know this but I had just broken my neck in the match I had in the ring just before we took that picture. I took a bump on my head and… Well, that is besides the point. Tommy Dreamer has been around a real long time. He’s a good guy!’
On how his health is after suffering the broken neck:
“Oh, I’m all right. I had a heart stint put in about a month or so ago. The kids can’t keep up with me in the ring, though! I move and groove, brother!”
On how he stays in the amazing shape he is in:
“Well, it is my job. I have to lead by example. Everybody has a job they go to every Monday morning. Mine is wrestling and in order to keep that job, because if you don’t do a good job, you get fired, I lead by example.”
On how important faith is in his life:
“Well, that is your life I guess you could say. I grew up with faith in my life. You go to Church every Sunday. I play music in the Church. My dad walked with Jesus Christ 24/7 growing up. And, he went with God, he died, on Christmas day. I thought that was incredible. It was sad, of course! But, it was a joyous day! He got the gift of eternal life on Christmas day.”
On missing his “Million Dollar Phone Call”:
“I was in the junk! When Vince McMahon called me to go to the WWF, I missed my “Million Dollar Phone Call” because I was in the junk. I was out there. I was going through the motions wrestling all over the United States and Japan. But, now, the Lord has me wrestling the way I should have wrestled 30, 40 years ago. The Lord has me on point. I always had the talent. But, I just wasn’t using it! The Lord now has me on point! On point could be getting in the ring or it could be getting your homework done. The Lord has given me the opportunity to lead by example and go into schools and teach the kids to stay on point and not to get into the junk off the street corners, brother. If you lay down with dogs, you’ll get flees! I guarantee you!”
On if he went to Vietnam:
“I was in the NAVY during the time of the conflict. In that time, if you were on the West Coast, you went to Vietnam. If you were on the East Coast, you went to Europe. I was on the East Coast and spent most of my time in Europe, in the Mediterranean.”
On wrestling Hulk Hogan in Georgia in one of Hulk’s early matches:
“That was his first match in the territory. Hulk had the big T shaved into his chest at the time. I worked out with him in the gym and stuff. I’ll get back to that time in a minute. I saw him on the 700 Club a few years ago. I didn’t really know he was a Christian. But, I thought about it and in all the time I was with him in the ring, in the gym, and on the road and stuff, I never heard him say an ugly word. I really didn’t. I think that is a treat tribute to him… Especially in an industry with a bunch of guys. I never heard him say an ugly word.”
On Hulk Hogan’s passing:
“Man, that was not expected. Did you hear what Ric Flair said about street drugs? It just goes to show you, none of us should touch that junk.”
On his relationship with Ole Anderson:
“Well, I went in and asked Ole for a job with TBS and he gave one to me. Ole liked tough guys! I remember we had a showdown once and we would chop each other. And, I won! I’d chop him and then he’d chop me and I wasn’t going to give up for nothing! I think he respected me for that. But, I don’t think I was really given the opportunity I should have been at that point.”
On wrestling in the famous Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium:
“That was great. I learned a lot. But, I had to wrestle the Guerrero’s. Mondo, Chavo… I learned it was harder to play catch for the Mexican style in that size of a ring. They used a 20 foot ring. But, I learned a lot.”
On working in Memphis Wrestling in the First Family:
“I loved Memphis Wrestling and being in Jimmy Hart’s “First Family.” It was great. And, I think Jerry Lawler is the smartest man ever in pro wrestling. He really was. I mean it. He could do anything. I wish I had gotten to work a program with him. But, I never did for some reason or another.”
On why he didn’t get to work with Jerry Lawler:
“I don’t think I was ready. I got injured and that probably hurt my chances as I was moving up at the time. But, I just don’t think iw as ready.”
On if he would be able to get away with the angle he did with real-life then wife Pebbles today:
“I think so. Look at ECW and what they did and the violence towards women. I didn’t really care much for that kind of wrestling. But, I think it would work today. It was all a story and we didn’t take it too far.”
On Arn Anderson mentioning that Chic had a talking dog:
“Most people think I’m lying but it is true. We were wrestling and the wrestling was on tour with the circus. When we lived in Yuma, Arizona, one of the clowns gave my wife this little dog. The dog’s name was Chaz. A few days later, he started reciting limericks! “Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pale of water…” It got to be expected and then he started reading out of books and magazines and stuff. Then, one day, I was in the Doctor’s office and the doctor walked in and the dog said “Hello Dr. Crawford”, he read the Doctor’s name tag! I don’t talk too much about it because most people don’t believe me anyway. But, he was a special dog and he was sent to us for some reason or another, I’m sure. That dog had a puppy that we had too. He could talk too. But, not as well. You could tlak to Chaz like you and I are talking. But, the puppy you could only really talk to like you were speaking to a 2 year old. He would say things like, when he’d bump his head on the door, “Damn door!” and things like that. But, Chaz was something else.”
On Arn Anderson’s story about Chic signing autographs at the mall in the rain:
“(laughs) You know, I heard that story that he told on his podcast. All I can say is I don’t remember it. If Arn said it, I’m sure it happened. But, I don’t remember it!”
On working with the Ultimate Warrior:
“I don’t remember wrestling him. But, I do remember him calling me and asking me fr advice early in his career. I appreciated that. He was always kind to me.”
On working with Sting:
“Working with Sting in the ring was great. He was a great athlete. But, above that, I respect Steve Borden. I really do respect him. He is a man of God. And, a quality person. I look up to Steve Borden.”
On how long he intends to wrestle:
“Well, I’m going to be 79 soon. And, as much as I don’t like to admit it, there are starting to be things that aren’t working out for me as well as they used to. That happens with age. I’m almost 79, it was bound to happen eventually. So, I’m probably coming to the end of my career. But, I’m not there yet!”