Weasel Tales: The Bobby Heenan Archives - The Legend Of Wahoo McDaniel

Strap in tight as we ride the wild tale of Chief Wahoo McDaniel, the pro wrestling legend and football hero whose life was as vibrant and tumultuous as the matches he fought. Imagine Shea Stadium echoing with chants of his name, as we share insider anecdotes of on-field glory, backstage brawls, and the kind of antics that could only belong to a man who once gambled on running across Tulsa and chugging motor oil for sport. 

This episode is a whirlwind journey through the life of a Native American trailblazer who was much more than just a wrestler; he was a cultural phenomenon. We recount his rib-tickling exchanges with promoters, his health struggles, and the undying charisma that made him an irreplaceable icon in the wrestling world. Tune in for a narrative slam-full of chops, chuckles, and the raw magnetism of one of the sport's true originals.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Pop goes the weasel guy. The weasel says Pop, yeah, come on. Yeah, half a pound of Tarponny rice, half a pound of treacle. That's the way the money goes. Pop goes the weasel. A friend in need is a pest. You're gonna be a successful WWF villain hated by millions.

Speaker 1: 0:27

I know Chief Watney McDaniel. He was a tough guy. He played football. I think he was originally drafted by Dallas but then he immediately went to Denver and then he went to the Jets and then he went to Miami and when he was playing in New York they would say the tackle was made by who? And everyone in Shea Stadium would chant Wahoo, wahoo. He was over that much as a linebacker.

Speaker 1: 0:56

Then he started wrestling and I get to go and argue with Vince McMahon Sr and some other promoters about money and turned over the table for tickets and money and walked out and they refused him again. But while he went to the University of Oklahoma and he's an Indian and a tough, rugged guy he ran once from where he lived, the dorm, a school, downtown Tulsa or something, for $100 a bed or something. Another guy they bid him like $150. He couldn't drink a quart of motor oil. So why would he drink a quart of motor oil and he said the only funny thing was every time he sweat he smelled like a truck. But that's why I guess he's not doing too good now. He's got a kidney transplant and diabetes. What an attraction he was. What a chop he could throw.

Speaker 1: 1:56

Yeah, he was one of the few wrestlers promoters in India. That was actually an Indian. Yeah, I used to tell him wrestler promoter than Indian. That was actually an Indian. Yeah, I used to tell him gee, wahoo, you played for. I used to tell it on TV you played for Denver, you played for the Jets, you played for Miami. I said, yeah, I would have thought if you were any good, one of them would have kept you. I said the last big trade they made for you was from the Jets to Miami. Miami got walking the game. The Jets got two snow cone salesmen and one parking lot attendant. There you go, boy, I'm after you. I told one. I said you beat Nick one more time. You get to keep him. Put the word in the streets.