10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (July 14)

2. Everyone Shouted "Free James Brown" At Zeus

Zeus' performance at SummerSlam 1989 was remarkable for someone who wasn't a trained pro wrestler, had to credibly match up with world class workers like Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan, and was busy worrying about when James Brown would be released from prison.

Wait, what?

That's right, Tiny Lister (the guy playing Zeus) was a huge fan of the funk icon's music, and he firmly believed the singer had been wrongly imprisoned following a car chase with police the previous year. That's why, bizarrely, Hulk, Savage and Brutus Beefcake repeatedly shouted "Free James Brown" whenever they wanted to snap Lister out of a daze during their match.

The phrase would help Zeus focus and bring him back down to earth. That fact, told by Bruce Prichard on his Something To Wrestle With podcast, has to be one of the strangest stories this article series has ever included, but it legit helped Lister remember spots and get through the high-pressure main event.