Boddy Shoppe Gym

Wrestlemania Weekend is in Tampa which I consider the Mecca of the Wrestling World. It use to take place at the Armory and television filming at the Sportatorium on N Albany. As the owner of the Boddy Shoppe Gym so many of the “boys” as well as other athletes came to the gym and they eventually broke me into the business - many of the guys are no longer with us but it made me smile as I looked at this old post and remember so many “crazy” times! Only fitting it comes together in TAMPA this weekend!

Just found out that another Boddy Shoppe legend “Chain Monster” passed away a few months ago. This was a week after finding out about Frank Monte (below post). They were good friends and are prob eating some Church’s Chicken with Rocky in Heavens Boddy Shoppe. Tell Big Irv and the rest of the boys you will live on in the memories of many forever. Producers have told me they can see a “Shameless like” series called Boddy Shoppe in the future! RIP Chain Monster!

Sorry to report that longtime Boddy Shoppe Gym member Frank Monte passed away.

Have to share the post DJ posted on Father's Day as I love the shirt (my old gym, The Boddy Shoppe Gym- often imitated but never duplicated) - great pic and great memories - Yes, Dwayne was the Dennis the Menace back in those days - prob about 1978 (he was 6 yrs old)

Happy Father’s Day to this hardly ever smiling OG bad ass.
Little boys by nature, look up to and idolize their old man. They want to be just like em, do whatever they do and are always looking for their approval.
Funny thing is the day I stopped looking for that approval was the day I understood what it meant to be man and more importantly, a father.
That shift lifted me to a new level of gratitude for the tough love he always gave.
Years later as a man and father of three girls, I know that tough love, is a helluva lot better than no love at all.
I’ll take it. It’s made me who I am today.
Grateful to the original Rock.

Taking it back almost 41 years ago when we opened the Boddy Shoppe Gym. The second member with membership card #0002 was Rick Coston who would later receive the nickname Star Wars from Rocky Johnson. Rick just found his old membership card from 1977! Al Rosen Bruce Rosen Milton McBride Rosen

The years have been flying by and it is sad to see some Boddy Shoppe Gym legends passing away. We use to have the "wall of fame/wall of shame"where hundreds of Boddy Shoppe members were pro athletes. We use to kid around and say that to make it one had to spend at least one day in jail. It was a joke but many did qualify. It was a great era we lived in and people still speak of our place to this day. I remember when the Japanese agents came in and wanted to buy all the shirts (said our gym was legendary in Japan). This past week we lost 2 more and may they rest in peace and our prayers are for their families: Ivan Koloff (the Russian Bear) and Chavo Guerrero (prayers to Hector and family).