Life is good when you're Tully Blanchard. As he explains here to Bob Caudle, he's got the belt, he's got the girl... and he's got Dusty Rhodes on the run
JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS
The NWA United States Heavyweight Champion, Tully Blanchard is looking sharp in this interview with Bob Caudle... and for good reason.
Standing close to Blanchard is the one and only Baby Doll, known as professional wrestling's 'Perfect 10'. The statuesque beauty was one of the industry's premier valets at the time, so it only made sense that she would be side-by-side with a competitor the caliber of Tully.
In this interview, the dastardly duo discusses a ruse they have recently pulled on The American Dream Dusty Rhodes. Blanchard also mocks Rhodes' injury at the hands of the Andersons, as the formative days of The Four Horsemen are displayed here.
While Baby Doll certainly filled the role of a traditional manager, ladies of her era were often referred to as valets. Normally serving the whims of a heel character, they began as glorified ring girls in the golden era of the sport. However, over time, they developed into full-fledged characters themselves.
The role was particularly prevalent in the 80s and 90s when personalities like Baby Doll, Missy Hyatt, and Miss Elizabeth became huge stars in their own right. Usually, these vivacious vixens would get extra publicity by displaying their beauty in the dozens of wrestling magazines that were circulating at the time.
While not always the case, valets would often be the girlfriends or wives of wrestlers, as they were already familiar with the industry. And even though they weren't technically billed as wrestlers themselves, they would still mix it up from time to time.
Valets pre-dated the era of 'Divas', and it's not really a persona you see much anymore. There are exceptions like Scarlett with Karrion Kross or The Bunny and The Blade. However, both of those women are trained in-ring performers and started out as grapplers themselves.
The job of a valet was incredibly varied, but somewhere between their beauty, power, and persona, they forged a special place in professional wrestling. A true legend of the South, Baby Doll is remembered as one of them all.
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