Randal performed on cards and shared the locker room with many past and future legends like Jerry Lynn, Sean Waltman (X-Pac), Scott Anthony Levy (Raven) and The Patriot at the GWF.Īfter a short lived move to Hollywood in 1997, Randal went back to his family trade of plumbing until the opportunity arose in 1998 to begin wrestling with the Texas Wrestling Alliance in San Antonio, Texas, owned and ran by wrestling legend "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels. As Big Bad John, Randal was managed by "The Expert" Bruce Prichard (Brother Love of WWF/WWE) and had a longstanding feud with "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert, eventually tag teaming with the Dark Patriot against Eddie Gilbert. Randal first worked under the ring name Body Snatcher for Joe Pedicino but later enjoyed much success at the GWF under the ring name Big Bad John, given to him by the late "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert. Randal continued working on the independent wrestling circuit for the next year or two eventually landing a regular spot at Global Wrestling Federation, which was televised daily on ESPN. Just before his 19th birthday Randal performed in his second match and his first televised match in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for Grizzly Smith and Five Star Wrestling beginning his TV career. It was at TAP where Randal met his lifelong friends Wayne Knight and Jeff Grettler who also wrestled for TAP. The matches took place in the parking lot and featured Lou Ferrigno as a special guest referee. Randal's first match was at the grand opening of the World Gym in Pasadena, Texas. Randal next contacted Texas All Pro Wrestling where his basic training as a wrestler was polished by Tugboat Taylor and Sputnik Monroe. Not long after his learning the basics with his training at the WWA, the organization shut down leaving Randal no place to work at his new craft. Randal quickly made a friend in fellow student Tony Norris, later to become Ahmed Johnson at WWE, and worked with wrestlers from the prior class that included Lash and Booker Huffman, who later became Stevie Ray and Booker T of WCW's Harlem Heat. As is Randal’s nature, he wasted no time and began training with Ivan Putski and Joe Blanchard at the Western Wrestling Alliance training center that very week. After high school, at the age of 17, Randal left east Texas to work at a horse racing track in Kentucky as a groom before he hit the road transporting horses.Īfter his short lived career trucking horses cross country Randal was noticed at a pro wrestling event at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas by the step son of WWF legend, Ivan Putski. Randal and his younger brother Richard Reeder (Rick) spent their childhood divided between working in their family's plumbing company, taking care of the horses on the farm and working on hotrods and custom cars with their father Rusty Reeder. His family had a plumbing company in La Porte, Texas and later had a horse farm in Carthage, Texas where Randal went to high school and developed his love for the outdoors. Perhaps not surprisingly, he spends a lot of his free time in movie theatres, when not traveling, golfing, or indulging his keen interest in historical maps and prints.Randal Reeder was born in November 1971 in Pasadena, Texas. Steve taught courses in broadcast speech/journalism at Roosevelt and Northwestern universities, and he took several of Roger Ebert’s film appreciation courses at the University of Chicago. In case you’re wondering, it was a Tuesday evening, and it was the opening section of Richard Strauss’ “Also sprach Zarathustra.” In between, Steve spent nine valuable and highly enjoyable years at WFMT-FM in Chicago, where he had the good fortune to work alongside the likes of the late Studs Terkel, and where he (quite by coincidence) had the opportunity to play the very first CD on American radio. He has since worked on two separate occasions at KING-FM there, first as Program Director and later as a staff announcer, producer, and interviewer. A native of Seattle and a University of Washington graduate, Steve Reeder began his life in radio at KUOW-FM, while still in his teens.
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