10 Wrestlers Who No-Showed

3. Harley Race

Steve Austin No Show
WWE

Event: A Houston Wrestling house show on 17 April 1981.

What Happened: Pro wrestling was a different animal back in the early-80s, and the same could be said for the men and women who worked within it. Toughness was a general rule, so one can only imagine the standoff that happened afterwards following Harley Race's no show in '81.

Promoter Paul Boesch was livid.

Race had been booked to defend the NWA Title on a card in Houston, but he didn't turn up. Boesch didn't pull any punches when explaining the situation to fans - Paul apologised to his customer base in print, and it's worth reading. He went off on one by calling Harley "fat and no longer hungry". Then, he said that Race had spat on wrestling fans by abdicating "the obligations of his title".

It was a sensational rant, and it had far-reaching consequences when Boesch decided to back out of his NWA membership and fly solo afterwards.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.