WWE memorabilia: Wrestling legend’s shed holds treasure trove of memories

Gerald Brisco's shed may not look like much, but if you've ever followed pro wrestling, no matter when, you'll find nostalgia in his shed. There are posters, championship belts and action figures of stars fans would recognize.

Vintage WrestleMania hat.

Vintage WrestleMania hat.

Gerald Brisco and Hulk Hogan

Dig deeper:

Brisco was known as Jerry back in the day when he and his brother Jack held titles and talked the talk.

READ: HSN’s St. Pete campus closing after more than four decades in city: Parent company

"We would cut promos like ‘Hey Lloyd, I'm going to break your back if you step in the ring with me at the armory,’" said Brisco in his most menacing wrestling voice. 

As Brisco and FOX 13's Lloyd Sowers took a look at a vintage Hulk Hogan poster, Brisco told the Hulk discovery story. 

Brisco said he and his brother kept seeing a big blonde guy in the audience at the matches. They heard his name was Terry (Terry Bollea), and he played in a band.

Action figures of WWE stars.

Action figures of WWE stars.

Follow FOX 13 on YouTube

"Jack and I went out and talked to Terry and talked him into going into pro wrestling," said Brisco. 

Brisco responded with some humility when asked if he thought Hulkamania would never have happened without him and his brother. 

"I'm sure he would have been found anyway, but I like to say that," laughed Brisco, holding a vintage Hulk Hogan T-shirt.

Brisco's time with WWE

"Dusty Rhodes was one of the biggest stars ever. Dusty was one of the best guys. You couldn't find a better guy," said Brisco. "And, he was the son of a plumber, just like he said."

Vintage t-shirt of Brisco and his brother Jack from their days as WWE wrestlers.

Vintage t-shirt of Brisco and his brother Jack from their days as WWE wrestlers.

Brisco has historic Florida Championship belts that were made in Tampa by Levy's Trophy and a University of Florida vs. Florida State ticket stub that George Steinbrenner gave him. Wrestlers were big stars in Tampa, especially before the Buccaneers

After the ring, Brisco became a road manager for the WWE and traveled the world, helping run the biggest wrestling events ever. Brisco said he knew every wrestler: the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ guys. 

"A lot of times, some of the guys you think are the meanest, baddest guys on the face of the Earth are the nicest guys you'll ever come across. And sometimes the baby faces, the good guys, they can be jerks," Brisco said with a smile.

Action figure of wrestler.

Action figure of wrestler.

Perhaps nobody alive has been so famous in wrestling for so long. Even now, at 78, people come up to Brisco, like at the last WrestleMania.

"People from all over the world came up to me," said Brisco. "I'm an old man, and I haven’t been on TV for years, but they’d come up to me and say, ‘I remember when you wrestled these guys and those guys.’ My son said, 'Dad, they never forget. Once they're your fan, they're your fan.'"

The Source: FOX 13's Lloyd Sowers collected the information in this story.

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:

SportsWWETampa