Every month here on Chairshots2cranium.com, I’m going to take a column from wrestling’s past and present it here on the website. The columns will derive from various columnists from various wrestling magazines of the past. This month’s column is dedicated to one of wrestling’s great wrestlers of the past, Magnum T.A.

This article was published in a February 1987 edition of The Wrestler magazine. It touches on his tragic automobile accident in October of 1986. Dave Rosenbaum wrote the article:

 Tragedy struck wrestling again recently when Magnum T.A. was involved in a near-fatal automobile accident in Charlotte. Numerous questions remain unanswered including the most vital of all: Will this great champion ever walk again?

 Terry Allen’s Dream was not supposed to end this way. As a young boy, Allen’s only goal was to become a professional wrestler, just like his heroes Johnny Valentine and Superstar Billy Graham. One day, he achieved that dream, then one day, he became a champion, loved by fans all around the country, a grown man living a child’s fantasy.

 It all cam tumbling down on Tuesday, October 14, 1986, at approximately 2:30 a.m. when Allen lost control of his 1986 Porsche and crashed into a utility pole. And suddenly, the question was not whether Magnum T.A. would ever regain the U.S. championship or return to the ring. Those questions became secondary.

 As of press time, doctors at Charlotte Memorial Hospital would not even risk a prognosis on whether Magnum would ever walk again and regain feeling in parts of his body. At one time, his life was in serious danger. Now, he’s critical, but stable, and it has been that way for nearly two weeks.

 Imagine the Magnum T.A. we all know, his fierce determination in the ring driving him to victory, applying the incredible belly-to-belly suplex that only he has perfected, and combining his great strength with surprising agility. Truly one of the great athletes in the world.

 Then compare this picture to the one painted by Charlotte Hospital spokesperson Cecily Newton on Monday, October 27: “The physical therapist has started working with him again today. On Friday, he gained movement in the right leg for the first time. He didn’t have any [movement] at all until then. The physical therapists put him in a recliner bed that sits him up and gets him used to not being flat on his back. They exercise his muscles, move his legs and arms, because if he stays in bed without moving, he’ll get sore. He can’t move parts of his body on his own. The doctors have to do it for him.”

 Magnum T.A. was still on respirator and was still being fed intravenously. He still can’t move most of his muscles by himself. Only his outstanding physical condition has kept him alive and not totally paralyzed. The good news is that he is awake, alert, and aware of what happened to him. He’s also grateful for the outpouring of support he’s received from the fans.

“I’d just lie to thank the fans for the tremendous concern they’ve shown for Terry,” said Marion Allen, Magnum’s mother. “We’re touched by the sympathy and caring of everybody out there. Terry is aware of your concern and wants you all to know that he’s thinking of you.”

 Response to this tragedy is especially noteworthy. The hospital fielded 2,500 telephone calls the day after the accident and many fans held a vigil in the hospital lobby. Magnum received hundreds of flowers, despite the hospital rule restricting flowers in the intensive care unit. At the family’s request, those flowers were distributed to other patients.

 At the time of the accident, Magnum was driving southbound on Sardis Road in Charlotte. It was not raining, although the road was wet. Magnum apparently lost control of the care, veered off to the right, then crossed over to the left shoulder and struck and utility pole. 

“The speed limit was 45 and we estimated his speed at 55 miles per hour,” said a statement released by the Charlotte Police Department. “Ambulances and rescue teams came to the scene immediately and it took approximately two hours to get him out of the vehicle.” Magnum was not pinned in by the car, but because of his size was trapped inside. Rescue workers had to be especially careful removing him so as not to do further damage to his spine.

 The pressure of the accident caused the fifth cervical vertebrae from the top to explode, sending bone fragments back toward the spinal cord. Magnum underwent three hours of surgery in which doctors took out the fragments and replaced the fifth vertebrae with bones from the hip. Magnum’s condition was upgraded to serious after the operation then downgraded to critical, where it has remained ever since.

 Naturally, the seriousness of the accident has inspired reaction from the wresting world. Nikita Koloff, the U.S. champion who engaged in a year-long war with Magnum T.A., offered his services to archrival Dusty Rhodes and has declared that he is wrestling “for” Magnum.

 Dusty Rhodes, Magnum’s best friend, was overcome by the tragedy. “The man is one of the greats in the game.” Said an uncharacteristically subdued Rhodes. “Magnum T.A., he represented all that was good in professional wrestling and now he might never wrestle again. I wish I could do something for him, but I guess the only thing we can do now is pray.” 

Magnum, born June 11, 1959, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, attended Norfolk Collegiate High School where he lettered in wrestling and track. He wrestled at Old Dominion University and eventually chose the sport as a career over music and politics.

 This past summer, he was stripped of the U.S. championship by NWA President Bob Geigel and ordered to face Nikita Koloff in a best-of-seven series for the belt. After losing the first three matches, Magnum came back to tie the series, but eventually lost the series. 

“Those problems before the summer are all behind us,” says Geigel. “Magnum is a fine man, a great man, and he represented our sport admirably. He’s a credit to the sport and we only pray that one day he will return. Magnum T.A. is a winner.” 

Not surprisingly, Magnum T.A. won his last match before the accident, defeating Jim Garvin on October 13th in Greenville, SC. ™

I’m honored to say I witnessed Magnum’s last match in Greenville, SC. I was able to see a legend of this sport wrestle in his last match and go out as a winner. Since the days of his accident, Terry Allen has kept a low profile in the Charlotte area. He still attends small Indy events in the area. 

Terry still looks relatively the same has he did when he wrestled, except for the aging process. His hair is still long and curly and he still sports his famous mustache. His life as a wrestler was projected by many to be as big as Ric Flair’s wrestling career. It’s sad to see that his dream got cut too short.

 Please feel free to send any comments or thoughts to me at Chairshots2head@yahoo.com. You can also read this column on my official website, www.chairshots2cranium.com. There you will see many pictures of the legendary Magnum T.A.