Jay Bell, Sam Chapman, Joe Corley, Marty Knight, Bobby Tucker, Bill Wallace

For this special roundtable episode, six of the most influential figures in Carolina and American martial arts sit down together for a rare, unfiltered conversation. Hosted by Marty Knight, the table includes Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, Joe Corley, Sam Chapman, Bobby Tucker, and Jay Bell — an afternoon of war stories, laughter, and hard-earned wisdom from the golden era of sport karate.

The conversation traces each legend’s beginning. Bill Wallace tells the story of being an 89-pound freshman wrestler who became a judo player in the service, blew out his knee in 1965, walked into an Okinawan karate school in a cast, and discovered the roundhouse kick that would define his career — and how a call from Elvis Presley changed his life a few years later. Joe Corley shares his path from a lonely military school kid with a chip on his shoulder to the founder of the Battle of Atlanta (42 years, over 50,000 competitors), including the legendary Ted Turner sword-fight story that gave WTBS its true meaning: “Watch Ted Blame Sid.” Sam Chapman recounts learning karate on a tank deck during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the group breaks down the rivalries and open workouts in Columbia where the top 20 national fighters would show up on a Sunday.

Marty Knight reflects on being “the Ringo of the Beatles” at this table — the wrinkle who came up behind these giants and got to watch them lead the way. Bobby Tucker and Jay Bell share their own stories from the elite competition circuit — Jay’s infamous “top 50 fighters” beef with Joe Corley, Bobby’s legendary status as one of the top lightweights in the nation, and the mutual respect that came from fighting the same opponents week after week across the Southeast.

Along the way there are laughs about painted safety gear (Sam Chapman’s orange and Joe’s purple, the origin story of the chest protector), the Bill-vs-Joe rematches on CBS and ESPN — including the liver shot heard round the martial arts world — Bill’s controversial refereeing (“That’s better. No point.”), Elvis Presley phone calls, the Midwest team road trips with Glenn Keeney and Parker Shelton, and the Southern crew running up North to win AAU team titles just to prove a point.

More than anything, this episode captures the brotherhood behind the sport — men who fought each other hard, hugged after, drove home together, and did it all again the next weekend. A must-listen for anyone who wants to hear the founders of American karate tell their own story, in their own words, at the same table.