10 Things You Didn't Know About The Honky Tonk Man

10. He Was A Blond Bombshell

Honky Tonk Man Blonde Tennessee-born and Tennessee-bred, he debuted as 'Dynamite' Wayne Farris in the mid-'70s and rose to prominence alongside Larry Latham as one half of the Blond Bombers, a team of bleach-blond heels that wrestled predominantly in the South-Eastern territories, especially in the Memphis area, becoming the top heel team for the CWA (Continental Wrestling Association). While he already had the long black sideburns, and was exhibiting early signs of being cool, cocky and bad, the platinum-blond beachcomber-like Farris of the '70s was a far cry from the Honky Tonk Man people came to loathe. It was well over a decade before he completed his signature look and, by his own admission, Farris stumbled into all of it. He became tired of his bleached hair first. After the success of wrestlers like Superstar Billy Graham, there was an influx of flamboyantly peroxided wrestlers into the industry and Farris found himself wanting to change his look to stand out from the crowd. As was wrestling tradition, if you're looking to change your appearance, incorporate it into a match and make some money, and Farris wrestled a series of Blond Hair vs Blond Hair matches against similarly-quaffed blond wrestler Austin Idol. The premise: this town ain't big enough for two blonds, and the loser of the matches would have to dye their hair black. Farris lost and people were struck by just how much he resembled a famous celebrity. Someone who weren't nothing but a hound dog.
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Adam is a sports writer, comedian and actor, currently living in London.