Anybody here remember the old movie Smokey & The Bandit with Burt Reynolds? If so, you might remember that Bandit actually ran cover for a trucker named “Snowman” who was played by a guy named Jerry Reed.
Now Jerry Reed was somewhat of a celebrity in his own right in the early to mid 70’s. Reed was a song writer who penned such classic country tunes as “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot”, “Eastbound and Down”, and the tender love ballad “She Got the Gold Mine, I Got the Shaft.” He also wrote a little song named “Amos Moses”.
Now if you’re wondering what all this has to do with professional wrestling, I am proposing right here that Vince McMahon came up with the idea for a character by listening to Reed’s song. Don’t believe me? Listen to this clip, and tell me if you think it bears any resemblance to a former WWF Superstar.
Not enough proof? Then let’s analyze a profile on Skinner that was in WWF Magazine (courtesy of SpaceH0G34@aol.com) against the song Mr. Reed sang all those years ago:
Skinner
(By Vince McMahon)
Amos Moses
(By Jerry Reed)
Born and Raised in Louisiana Swamp
Born and Raised in Florida Everglades
Currently Lives in Swamp
Currently Lives in Swamp
As a boy, his father would throw him in the swamp as alligator bait
As a boy, he would venture into swamp for days until he had an alligator hide
Would stay in the swamps for weeks, defending himself against wild boars, panthers and bears (BEARS?!).
Goal was to lure police officers into the swamp and not let them come out alive.
Goal was to lure WWF wrestlers into the ring and skin them alive.
So what does all this teach us? Well, I’m not really sure, but I think we can all agree on one thing:
Jerry Reed ROCKS!