He was involved in the same 1975 plane crash that involved pilot Joseph Michael Farkas (he ended up in a coma and died the next year), wrestling legends Johnny Valentine (broke his back and bone fragments impacted into his spinal cord, which ended his career), Tim Woods (Mr. Wrestling), and Ric Flair (broke his back, but recovered and returned to wrestling), and Jim Crockett Promotions' announcer David Crockett.
Briefly competing in Jim Crockett, Jr.'s World Wrestling Network, he teamed with Tully Blanchard before turning up in Smoky Mountain Wrestling in late 1994, where promoter Jim Cornette used him as a mid-card heel; his father briefly managed him but left after a few appearances.
1While this promotion operates out of the same region and uses some of the same regional championships, it isn't the same promotion that was once owned and operated by Jim Crockett, Jr..
While it operates out of the same region and has revised some of the regional Mid-Atlantic championships, it isn't the same promotion once owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. and sold to Ted Turner in November 1988.
Tunney's nephew Jack Tunney switched Maple Leaf Wrestling's working agreement to Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
In early 1988, Ted Turner asked Jim Crockett, Jr. to create a new Sunday evening wrestling show featuring exclusive "main event caliber" matches.
Jim Thorpe | Jim Carrey | Jim DeMint | Davy Crockett | Jim Morrison | Jim Jarmusch | Jim Jones | Jim Henson | Jim Dine | Jim Starlin | Jim Reeves | Jim Flaherty | Jim Cummings | Jim Bunning | According to Jim | Jim O'Rourke | Jim Nabors | Jim Bohannon | Jim Lovell | Jim Lauderdale | Jim Crow laws | Jim Clark | Jim O'Rourke (musician) | Jim Keltner | Jim Crockett Promotions | Jim Brown | Jim Brickman | Jim Lee | Jim Kelly | Jim Hall (musician) |
Apter also hosted a TV segment, the PWI Scouting Report, on Best of World Championship Wrestling, Jim Crockett's NWA TV show broadcast weekly on Ted Turner's WTBS, as well as a stint with the nationally syndicated Pro Wrestling This Week TV news magazine, and segments on dozens of other televised wrestling shows.
He started working with Jim Crockett Promotions in the late 1950s for promoter Jim Crockett, Sr.
By the 1980s, Tommy was the Senior Referee for Jim Crockett Promotions and refereed most of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship matches.