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BOARD BRIEFS - 2008 |
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| Read Archived Board Briefs HERE | |
| 05/11/08 by
Charlie Smith |
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05/04/08 by Dean Silverstone |
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04/27/08 by Mike Chapman |
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04/20/08 by "Cowboy" Bob Kelly |
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04/13/08 by Dick "The Destroyer" Beyer |
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04/06/08 by Dean Silverstone |
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03/30/08 by George Schire |
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03/23/08 by Kurt Nielsen |
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03/16/08 by Karl Lauer |
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03/09/08 - Gone Fishin' (at the Gulf Coast Wrestler's
Reunion!) |
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03/02/08 by Nick Bockwinkel |
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02/24/08 by Kurt Nielsen |
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05/11/08 from Charlie
Smith |
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 I'll
tell you about my start in the business. Tarzan White was an All
American football player for the University of Alabama and he promoted
wrestling here. I refereed for him in his hometown and I guess he
liked what I did because when I went to get my payoff, he told me he
wanted me to referee in Montgomery the next Sunday. He
conveniently forgot to pay me though. Well, I went to the
Greyhound bus station and bought myself a round trip ticket to
Montgomery for $7.00 and when I arrived in Montgomery I walked from the
bus station to the National Guard Armory where the matches were held.
I got there and Tarzan White and Nick Carter, who were partners, gave
the the finishes and what matches I was going to do. The matches
started at 8:30 and, at 11:00, when I went to get my pay, I was given a
crisp $5.00 bill. I was in the red $2.00, but, it didn't really
matter because I was in the wrestling business!IA while later, I was working for a hotel and going to the wrestling matches regularly. I kept bugging the promoters to let me referee, so, finally, they told me I could referee if I would carry the ring. The first night, I drove to Georgia and the truck had no heat, so I had to put the mats on the floor to keep warm. I set up the ring by myself and I refereed. There were four wrestlers on the card; they would wrestle two singles matches and then come back after intermission to wrestle a tag team match. At least at the end of that night I made $25 - $10 for setting up the ring and $15 refereeing. After a long time working the small towns, I finally got a chance to work the big towns. I had a good time in the wrestling business and wouldn't trade it. I made a lot of trips, set the ring up a lot of times and made a lot of friends.
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05/04/08 from Dean
Silverstone |
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A while back I mentioned that stand-up comedians couldn't top stories told by wrestlers at CAC reunions; here are three more I picked up while "table-hopping" at recent CAC banquets: NOT SO UP AND UP?
A few years ago, Tito Montez was honored by the CAC and told this story
while enjoying his banquet meal. In 1973, he was approached by a young
man who wanted to learn how to wrestle.
Tito took him under his wing and trained him for four or five
months, meeting with him at least twice a week.
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04/27/08 from Mike
Chapman |
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Memories of Verne and Hans As did so many young boys in the 1950s, I fell in love with wrestling when I saw my very first live match. It was at the Hippodrome in Waterloo, Iowa, in 1954. I was ten years old, and the Hippodrome was a majestic building that seated around 8,000 fans.
After several exciting preliminaries, Schmidt arrived first, walking down the aisle to a chorus of boos and jeers. He stood towering in his corner, wearing a short, black jacket. He had his arms folded across his chest and scowled as Verne came down the aisle, waving to the wildly cheering fans. Verne leaped into the ring, did a little spin around with a wave, and the place went wild. My dad leaned over to me and said,” Verne was an NCAA champion at Minnesota. You’ll get to see some real wrestling tonight!” Schmidt continued scowling as Verne stood with his back to him, signing autographs for the hundreds of kids standing in his corner, staring up in rapt admiration. I was among the small fry patiently waiting for my signature when all hell broke loose. Schmidt suddenly “lost it” and raced across the ring, smashing into Verne and sending the pen and autograph books flying. While we looked on in horror, Schmidt pummeled Verne mercilessly. He stood over him, stomping in rage as Verne squirmed on the mat. Then the top rope broke and Schmidt proceeded to wrap it around Verne’s neck, kicking and stomping while strangling him.
It was a night I would never forget. I had read about Frank Gotch in a book my grandpa had given me the year before, and now Verne became synonymous with Gotch. Imagine my delight when years later Verne and I became good friends. He was inducted into the very first class of the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, housed in the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Iowa. The very first inductee was Frank Gotch! Verne comes every year to the inductions and is a huge hit. Every time I see him, I remember that wild night in 1954. Verne played a huge role in my lifelong love affair with wrestling, and also the fact that I wrestled as an amateur, competed in judo and sambo, and am a lifelong devotee of weight training. I really look forward to seeing Verne at our 10th annual inductions into the Tragos/Thesz Hall this coming June. But, I have one question that has lingered for decades: Whatever happpened to Hans Schmidt? Does anyone out there know him? If so, please tell him that there is a little boy (now 64 years of age) from Waterloo, Iowa, who considers him the greatest villain of all time (along with Killer Kowalski), and would like to meet him some day!
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04/20/08 from
"Cowboy" Bob Kelly |
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He agreed, so I hid my car and got in the police car and used the trooper's CB to go back to Frank. Frank asked me for my 20 and I told him I was just coming up on Jackson. Frank said he was heading south with the hammer down and asked how things looked down that way. I told him everything was clean, just keep the hammer down, and that I would keep an eye out for any "Smokeys." Frank said 10/4 and in less than two minutes he passed us doing 83 miles an hour. You should have seen the brake lights go on when he saw the police car! The Trooper turned on his lights,
pulled up behind him, got out and went up to Frank's car and talked to
him for a minute. He then motioned and yelled for me to join
there. I walked up and the Trooper said, "This man say's he is a
wrestler and that he wrestles for Lee Fields and that he is Cowboy Bob's
tag team partner. Do you know him?" I walked up where Frank could
see me, and you should have seen the look on Franks face, when I said "I
have no idea who this man is, Officer"!!!!!
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04/13/08 from Dick
"The Destroyer" Beyer |
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 Sadly,
I won't be coming to the Reunion this year. The dates are
sandwiched between a function with the Ilio DiPaolo Scholarship Fund
on a Monday, a Syracuse University function on Thursday and Friday
and my mother-in-law's 100th birthday on Saturday.The Cribbage Tournament will be in good hands with Al Friend running things and Bill White making sure he gets it right! Entry fee for the tournament is only $20.00 with all proceeds going to the CAC Scholarship Fund. So get there early, register and pray for good cards!
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04/06/08 from Dean
Silverstone |
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I remember watching professional comedians like Buddy Hackett, Don Rickles, and Jackie Mason do their routines in various showrooms throughout Las Vegas, but I have now decided the funniest stories I have ever heard were expressed by professional wrestlers telling (embellished) road stories at CAC reunions. Here are three of their tales from past Las Vegas gatherings. CAN YOU SHOOT? Former 1950s light heavyweight wrestler, Don "Moe" Smith recalled the first time he ever worked with the late Bob Cummings. They had a match in Boise, Idaho and during a referee's hold position, Cummings whispered to Smith, "can you shoot?" After they did a few more moves in the ring, they again locked up in a referee's position, and Smith whispered back to Cummings, "I am." WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING
Strong and several other wrestlers in the southern California territory were asked to give a demonstration on their ability to perform high risk maneuvers that made it appear as if their opponents were getting their skulls crushed. It was supposed to be Strong's job to show how to deliver a foot stomp to his opponent who was prone on his back. Apparently Steve was disenchanted with the producer's lack of respect for wrestling, so when he received the cue for action, he walked over to his 'opponent' who was an actor, not a wrestler and with the camera rolling, physically for real stomped across the man's nose and forehead with his size 13 shoes. As the blood started to spurt from the actor's nose, Strong bellowed out in his 'interview' voice, "welcome to the world of professional wrestling bru'duh." SPARE PANTS
Red didn't want to do this, because he didn't want to ruin Terry's clothes, but Terry insisted so Red gave in and agreed. Sure enough, forty minutes into the match, Terry came charging from the dressing room and jumped into the ring to save his brother who was being pummeled by Texas Red. As he entered the ring, Terry tripped over the bottom rope and Red picked him up and grabbed the belt loop of his trousers and tore the pants from the seam to the pants leg. The audience responded with approval. Later that evening, Red returned to his locker room from the shower only to discover HIS shredded pants. He then discovered that Terry had put on Red's pants and wore them into the ring. Red had destroyed his own clothes and realized he had no spare to wear out of the auditorium. A late working janitor came to Red's aid and loaned him a pair of pants. And so, as you can see, there's no need to shell out big bucks when visiting Las Vegas to see the name comedians do their stuff. All you need is a banquet ticket and you can listen to the stories the wrestlers relate!
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03/30/08 from George
Schire |
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HOW I GOT HOOKED ON WRESTLING
At six years old, like most boys of that age, my
world was a very simple place. There was obviously a lot I didn't
understand, and some things I was just too young to understand. In
particular, why there was hatred in the world for those different
from me. The year was 1957, and on August 13, I attended my first
"live" pro wrestling card...at least it was the first one I remember
attending. My father told me that he'd taken me even earlier than
that. Leading up to the card, I still remember the emotions I
experienced while waiting for the big night to come. For me, that
first card was much like a first roller coaster ride...it's
something you never forget.
 That
hatred I spoke of earlier was, little known to me, what professional
wrestling in the post-World War II decade of the 1950's fed itself
on. The main event for the evening pitted Mitsu Arakawa & Kinji
Shibuya against Ivan and Karol Kalmikoff...or rather, Japan vs.
Russia! Even at six years old, I figured out that the crowd didn't
like any of the four grapplers...but why, I didn't know.
My Dad though, put it into perspective for me.
He didn't like Mitsu & Kinji ("The Japs," as he called them) because
of Pearl Harbor and World War II. But, he was quick to insert that,
the Kalmikoff's ("The damn Russians," as he referred to them), were
not any better.
It
was then that, I sort of understood. My Dad still had issues with
what had happened a dozen or so years earlier while he was overseas
fighting for our country. What I didn't realize though was, that
stirring up emotions like this, was exactly what wrestling promoters
did to make fans buy tickets. And, I still recall even today, how I
was in awe at how full the Minneapolis Auditorium was that night. I
remember thinking, "Wow! Everybody in the whole world must be in
this building".
Then it happened, the arena lights went out, and
only the lights above the ring remained on. My attention level was
in overdrive! Up to this point in time, I'd only seen ring
announcer Marty O'Neill on TV, and now there he was standing above
me in the middle of the ring. Marty welcomed the fans to the card,
and proceded to say that, "Tonight, America was going to see its
evil enemies attempt to destroy each other". My Dad nudged me and
said, "That will be the main event, when the Japs and the Russians
meet". I couldn't wait!
 The preliminary matches seemed to take forever,
but finally, it was time. Marty O'Neill was back in center
ring....and then, he shouted out that, this tag team match will be
the best two of three falls, and the referee for the match was going
to be the great Butch Levy. My Dad whisered to me that Butch was a
tough wrestler, who was a good guy to attempt to keep law and order
in the match.
In
unison, wearing what appeared to be the biggest, tallest fur hats
I'd ever seen, and strutting in their bright shiney gray
coats...came the Kalmikoff's. Marty introduced them at "A combined
weight of 445 pounds, from Rostov, Russia.....ladies and genlemen....Ivan
(pronounced Evon) and Karol, the Kalmikoff Brothers!" I remember
putting my hands over my ears because the crowd was booing soooo
loud! But then, it got even louder when Marty said, "And their
opponents...first from Honolulu, Hawaii, weighing in at 242
pounds....ladies and gentlemen...Japan's most hated wrestler...Kinji
Shibuya". Oh my gosh, it was so loud! Then Marty finished up with
the introduction of Kinji's partner as he shouted, "From Hirshoma,
Japan....at 235 pounds...the great Mitsu!"
Marty barely got out of the ring, and all four
wrestlers tore into each other and the match was underway! Butch
Levy got order restored quickly, and got only one man from each team
in the ring. It was then that I noticed that there was a short rope
tied to the corner ringpost...and learned that the wrestler on the
ring apron, must hold onto the rope, until tagged in by his
partner. I asked my Dad though why, "If they were supposed to hold
the tag rope, why didn't they?" Seemed more often than not, all
four wrestlers were in the ring.
By the end of the match, I was hoarse! I was
yelling so loud, my voice was going away. After each team had taken
a fall, the match finally ended when Mitsu & Kinji pinned Ivan
Kalmikoff while the referee was trying to get Karol out of the
ring...and, when Butch turned around, Kinji was on top of Ivan for
the three count. What he didn't see was that Kinji had thrown salt
into Ivan's eyes.
My learning experience was not over though for
the night. I asked my Dad why the crowd was booing that the Japs
had won, if they hated the Russians too? He told me, "No one cares
who wins, I just wish they'd all crippler one another." I realized
that it was more of that post WWII sentiment again.
It was from this first night at the wrestling
matches that my life was changed forever. A hobby turned into a
way of life, and I've been a fan of wrestling ever since.
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03/23/08 from Kurt
Nielsen |
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Oh, what sad and stunning news arrived this week. Gary Hart has died.
Hart was ever-feisty and would not sacrifice his principles -- this hurt and helped him in the wrestling game. He knew what he wanted out of life and felt no need to deviate from his plan. You always knew where you stood with Gary Hart for he dealt with the concrete, not the nebulous. Most of us are afraid to live life by these terms, yet he knew no other way. He had a somewhat chilly, hard-nose exterior, but he was actually one of the sweetest, most affable people you could imagine... if he liked you (and Gary did not like everybody!). Knowing his reputation, and rightfully fearing his trademark personae, I first approached him with great trepidation. It's funny looking back on those times because when I think about Gary Hart now, all I can think of is what a genuinely nice man he was. I was fortunate enough to be at the reunion of old friends Percy Pringle and Gary Hart in Las Vegas a few years back. The two worked together for a long time in Texas for Fritz Von Erich, but hadn't seen one another in many years. To be there, "sitting under the learning tree," was one of the true highlights of my involvement in professional wrestling. Hart was undoubtedly one of the greatest managers professional wrestling has ever seen, creating a character that no one dared emulate. His achievements are legendary, indeed. But I don't like to think about the on-camera and in-ring exploits of people I have come to know in the business -- somehow, all of it becomes background fodder. I'm just going to miss a wonderfully gracious, kind-hearted, empathetic, classy individual. Goodbye, Gary, and God bless. I'm so glad to have been a tiny part of your life.
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03/16/08 from Karl
Lauer |
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It was in November 1988, when I went to Saudi Arabia to meet with the Minister of Agriculture for their country, Sheik Ali Machadi. They had contacted me to open a branch of my company in Riyadh. During the week I was there, the subject of my other business ventures came up, they were well aware of more than I thought they were. They asked about the professional wrestling company I owned, California Pro Wrestling, and wondered if I would bring a series of 5 shows over to them. They also wanted to know if my Americas Champion, Jack Armstrong, would have matches with their top wrestler. They were aware that outcomes were under the control of the promotion, but wanted one win, then had no problem with four losses. I offered to do two and two with Armstrong taking the 5th and keeping the title. They offered a good fee and we had a deal.
Nine men, all expenses paid for the week plus $3500.00 each. Needless to say, they were pretty happy until Jack dropped the bomb: he could not go. Everybody demanded to know why; after all, the whole deal was based on him - they wanted Jack Armstrong, the Americas champion. Jack replied that he would love to go, but that he would never be able to get the visa. Reassuringly, I told him, "I'm sure you can, you're the guy they want! They've seen the tapes and want you!" He said, "Look, either they know or they will know, and, in either case they won't let me out of the country!" I thought it was because he was afraid they knew he impersonated an Arabian, Sheik Ali Ben Kahn, for the AWA in Omaha for over five years. That was not the case either. Finally, when pressed, he responded, "It's because my real name is Lenny Solomon. I'm Jewish!" Sure enough, all contracts required that NO PERSON OF JEWISH DESCENT could be employed anywhere in the Arab Kingdom. Needless to say, the tour did not happen. During the years we were doing the Showboat Hotel shows in Las Vegas, Jack did legally change his name to Jack Armstrong, but not his ancestry of which he is rightfully proud. Jack was my top heel for over 10 years, and recorded several SRO shows for his matches with Chief Jay Strongbow Jr. Jack and I have remained friends over the years, and we still talk on the phone a few times a year. Today Jack is a trainer at the famous original Gold's Gym in Santa Monica California and also is an equestrian instructor at the Griffith park riding academy, he has always stayed in great shape, and today looks as good as he did in the 60's, just a little less hair. |
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03/09/08 Gone Fishin'
(at Gulf Coast Wrestler's Reunion!) |
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Your Cauliflower Alley Club webmasters have taken the weekend off to head down south for sweet tea, grits, cornbread and lots of good old fashioned rasslin! We'll return next week with a new board brief!
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03/02/08 from Nick Bockwinkel |
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As with every territory, for the most
part, you ran the same towns on the same night every week. This
one particular week Paul DeMarco and I were going to Columbus, a small
town about 100 miles south of Atlanta, together. Paul was driving
and I was the passenger. While another car carrying three of the
guys were on their way down there, they had car After the show, the three needed a ride back to Atlanta, so Paul and I took them with us. We were able to get out of the arena early - ahead of the rest of the crew. At one point, the road from Columbus to Atlanta had a steep uphill climb that ended in a sharp curve. Once you reached the top of the hill, there was a row of about 7 to 10 signs reminding you of the upcoming curve. Well, since it was late at night and we knew that nobody other than the boys would be on this road at this hour, we decided to have a little fun. With five guys in the car, we decided that it would be perfect to place one of us between each of the warning signs and, as the cars carrying the other wrestlers approached, drop our drawers and give them a series of "full moons" between each of the warning signs. Thank goodness no fans drove by that evening - I can't even imagine the stories at the wrestling matches of the group of wrestlers backsides. Maybe even more fortunately, this was in the days before digital cameras and the internet, otherwise who knows how many people would have digital photos of this group of five rag-tag wrestlers with pants around ankles and cheeks displayed for the world to see. |
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02/24/08 from Kurt
Nielsen |
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I have gone to the GCWR for three years running, and I'm about to log my fourth. It is unlike any other wrestling group out there, in that it's only open to people directly involved in the business and their spouses. (Yes, they do screen.) I will not mention any of the names of attendees -- this is kept strictly between those in attendance, just as all the proceedings are. But for those who have been there (and you know who you are), we all understand it's a place where folks can spend quality time together and enjoy some real down home hospitality. I always look forward to spending
time with my dear friends in such a relaxed setting. Bob Kelly,
Percy Pringle, Bill Bowman,
I encourage anybody who is eligible to go to give it some serious consideration. Here's the link to an on-line application. http://percypringle.com/Photos/GCWR2008app.pdf It is not too late to sign up! Looking forward to seeing my "neighbors" back in the land of sweet tea and hot grits! I know if you are there once, you'll forever look upon it as a necessary tradition, just as I do. |
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02/17/08 from Morgan
Dollar |
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Often I wonder about what to write for the board brief section of the site. So many times I start out with something and trash it for something else. This time I'm going to shoot straight from the hip and try not to wander on to other subjects. With that said, here we go
In every town Jimmy was scheduled to appear, he would always mention his grandmother, "I was born in Lynchburg (or whatever town it was). My Grandma Valiant still lives there! Grandma, I want you to keep those biscuits and cornbread hot cause your baby boy is coming home!" When Grandmas baby boy "came home", the fans would line up to welcome him home. Jimmy had a great run in Jim Crockett Promotions in the early 80's. One of the cards was even billed, "Boogie Man Jam 84". Jimmy was a draw in every town he went to. Some disagree. But let me explain. Ric Flair took the country by storm; however, Jimmy Valiant did the same. Jimmy's "Boogie Woogie" gimmick was in a class by itself. While everyone "wanted" to be Ric Flair, Jimmy's persona lived through the people. People could relate to the Boogie Woogie character and so many fans often felt they were a part of the Boogie character. Boogie would relate to his "peoples", he kept his character on the level of the fans. The daily struggles the fans went through. The Boogie "character" went through the same things. That in itself brought them to the arena for the loyal support of the Boogie Woogie man. Ah.... the days of, Boogie cutting an interview with the energy that only Boogie could have, "All my peoples, All my brothas, All my sistas. WE gonna come to Greensboro Coliseum and WE gonna take the gold from around his waist!" That simple line made the fans want to be there and "help" the Boogie Woogie man bring the gold to his "Peoples". Boogie was a first class babyface to the fans. He could do anything and it didn't matter. If he cheated, the fans would go crazy. When he pulled his chain from his tights and clobbered his opponent, the fans rose to the occasion. The fans lied to the ref on more than one occasion and told him,"No He didn't hit him with a chain!". Jimmy Valiant was OVER. Jimmy didn't need "Gold" to draw a crowd. He just needed a microphone. The dancing, singing and jiving brought the crowd to their feet. It was a "state of mind". A state of mind that, if you were not in the arena you really never got to feel the impact Jimmy gave to the crowd. It was electricity that has long been gone in professional Wrestling. When the "Boy from New York City" started playing over the arena speakers, and Jimmy stepped out of the curtain, people forgot there late rent payments, the car insurance lapsing. They forgot everything. For just that one moment in time, Jimmy Valiant had "got over" and he had yet to step into the ring. From his feuds with Manny Fernandez, to Paul Jones, to Baron Von Raschke, to Superstar Billy Graham. Jimmy always entertained the crowd like only Jimmy could do. From the McMahon's to the
Jarrett's to the Crockett's, Valiant has done it all. He has
wrestled, recorded his own music, Everyone always looks forward to seeing the Valiant's in Las Vegas at the annual reunion. This year will be no different. |
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02/10/08 From Bishop
Jason Sanderson |
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Wrestling posters can be a great source of amusement and entertainment; they are often emblazoned with the names and images of your favorite wrestlers and possible 'dream match'; they instill a sense of suspense over the prospective outcomes and consequences of upcoming match-ups. They can be cheap souveniers for wrestling fans, who tear them down to bring to the shows to be autographed (if I had a nickel for every poster I signed that showed signs of nail holes or staples in them I would never have to worry about funding the missions again!) They can also be a great source of confusion; in the hands of the right person that is. About ten or fifteen years ago, Jeff "Bruiser" Costa was running shows in New England and had booked a show at the Hudson Lion's Hall in Hudson, NH. This particular show was during a time of year when we didn't usually draw too well, however he did have something going for him. One of our regular workers Chief Dave Fox (the late Dave Ferrar) was good friends with former WWWF star, Chief Jules Strongbow and wanted to work with him in a tag match on that particular show. Bruiser agreed and set about ordering the posters. He wanted to put Jules' name in big print, knowing that many of the locals would still remember him from the days he partnered with Chief Jay Strongbow, plus the names of the main event are always in the largest type to attract the most attention. Herein lay the problem. "Chief Jules Strongbow" took up too much room on the poster and if he spelled it all out it wouldn't fit. If he left out "Chief", no one would bother getting excited and if he printed it smaller it might be considered an insult to Jules. Bruiser Costa is nothing if not resourceful and came up with a solution. Abbreviate it.
Well, it didn't take long for word to get around the area that "Chief Jay Strongbow" was going to be at the Hudson Lion's Hall! There was a good crowd outside the door long before they were scheduled to open and while we might not have had a sell out, we had a respectable showing that night and people had a good time. A few people did try to complain, but Bruiser calmly pointed out that he had NOT said it would be Jay; but had clearly put "J." indicating it was an abbreviation and he wasn't responsible for whatever conclusion they jumped to. All in all, however, no one seemed to mind. So, a show was saved by a fortunate mistake or very creative marketing. Which was it? I'll never tell! |
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02/03/08 From Cowboy
Bob Kelly |
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This is the final story about the bear behind Bill
Golden's trailer in Lafayette, LA Lee always drove fast and this time was no exception, he came around and spun his car around and blew the horn. I had the bear on his chain but Lee scared him so bad he jerked away from me. This was Saturday morning and we had some people in the building where we wrestled on Friday night taking the ring down and building a stage for a country show that night. The door was open and the bear ran in and scared those guys half to death. You should have seen them scatter! With me
fooling with him so much, the bear was showing some progress, so Lee
decided to take him to a vet and put him to sleep, de-claw his front
feet, take out his tusk, and put a muzzle on him. I took him to the vet
and dropped him off. The next day Bill golden said the vet called and
told him the bear didn't come out of the sedative he gave him. I was
totally shocked. I hated that so bad. I was really looking forward to
working with that bear in the ring. He was my buddy!!!! |
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01/27/08 From Tom
Burke |
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'HELP WANTED'
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01/20/08 From George
Schire |
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MY NIGHT AS A PROMOTER Over the years, I've had the pleasure to do most everything connected with the wrestling business except.... wrestle. I've written articles for popular newsstand wrestling magazines like Wrestling Revue, Wrestling Monthly and The Wrestling News; and for one of those magazines, I was the fan club editor. On the fan club front, I also ran a club for former wrestler Ramon Torres. I've also made my mark and gained respect as a historian, having compiled many ring results records of some of the game's greatest wrestlers (such as Dick Beyer, Nick Bockwinkel and many others). To say the least, I'm proud of my reputation and the respect it has earned me with many of hte boys in wrestling. It is an honor that they call me "friend." I've done ring announcing for the UWF (Mid-South), WCW and ringside color commentary for Pro Wrestling America, hosted the weekly television for West Four Promotions in Winnipeg and co hosted a weekly wrestling radio program in the early 1990's. I was even active as a heel manager named "The Authority" for Steel Domain Wrestling and managed both the SDW champion and TV champion. Currently, in addition to still doing much research, being active on the Board of Directors of the Cauliflower Alley Club and the Dan Gable Wrestling Institute and Museum, I also do regular research of wrestler's ring records. I also do a weekly wrestling podcast called "Old School/New School." All of this has been a lot of fun and has provided me memories to last a lifetime. But, the one moment I most treasure was my night as a promoter. The date was April 15, 1970 in Cottage Grove, MN. I had, on behalf of the Cottage Grove Police Department, arranged with the Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club (the Twin Cities office of the AWA) to put on a wrestling card as a fundraiser for the Department.
For over a year and a half, the masked man had beaten every known name in the business that had attempted to reveal his identity. The fact that I would have him in our main event assured me that our fundraiser was going to be a success. Next, Kuusisto asked me who I would like to have as the Doc's opponent. I immediately chose the great Pepper Gomez. Bill told me that Pepper was available and that, indeed, we could have him for the show. What was intriguing about this main event matchup was that, at the time, both X and Gomez were headlining all over the AWA. Things really came together when I was able to also secure Blackjack Lanza for the card. He was to meet "Big" Bob Windham in the semi-windup match, and, as an opening event, we had popular TV wrestler, Kenny Jay meeting the veteran Lee Mattson. With this line-up, I figured that I had done my job. Man, was I wrong! On the night of the card, with close to 400 fans crammed into the Park High School Gym in Cottage Grove, we were ready to go.... I thought. Fifteen minutes before the card was to begin, I was called into the locker room. Upon entering, I was given the news by Dr. X that Pepper Gomez had a really bad ear infection and would not be able to wrestle. Now, one thing was certain; we had a good crowd and Pepper was in the building. in fact, setting right next to the good Doctor himself. Whether Gomez really had an ear infection or not, I don't know. I was more concerned at the time with what had just happened to my main event. I soon found out that there was more bad news about my card. X told me that Lanza was not there because he'd missed a plane connection from Chicago.... I remember thinking I'd heard that line used before for "no-show" wrestlers. Now what to do?
I suggested to Dr. X that we stick with our original opener or Jay vs. Mattson, then for the semi-final, go with the Doc against Windham and in the main event have Doc team with Mattson to battle Jay & Windham. The logic I offered Doc for my suggestion was that we would have a "main event" wrestler (Doc & Windham) on each team. I remember him blurting out to me (in that famous Dr. X voice), "We can do it any way you like. It doesn't matter to us."
In the opener, Kenny Jay wrestled to a draw with Les Mattson. The semi-final saw Dr. X get disqualified against Bob Windham and, in the main event, X and Mattson got the nod over Jay and Windham. Everyone went home happy... including me. As I reflect on that night over 37 years later, I'm reminded that it was the first time I had ever talked to Dr. X, a man who has become one of my closest friends in the wrestling business. The man under the mask was none other than our very own Dick Beyer who carved out a legendary career in wrestling under his other masked identity of "The Destroyer." I'm proud to call Dick my friend and even prouder that he calls me his. And, it all started on "My Night as a Promoter" in 1970. Thanks, Dick!
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01/13/08 From Bob
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MRS. HAYES’ BAD BOY GILBERT Gil Hayes, a mainstay for Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling from the mid-1960's to 1980, made his first visit to CAC this past April. Gil had a grand time visiting with old friends and new, sharing old road stories, and if he didn’t tell you this one....well, let me resurrect the tale of the night he truly “brought the house down”.
Now George had worked some in his day, and pressed Stu to wrestle on his hometown show. Gil was tabbed to put him over in the opening event, and yours truly refereed. The matches were held in an old community rink, seldom used other than in winter, with rickety bleachers surrounding the ring. It had poured rain all that spring day, and the badly-leaking roof on the old building turned much of the dirt floor into a sea of black mud and blacker water. No big deal: the community organizers rustled up plywood sheets to provide a walkway to the ring and the seats, and it had quit raining. Mrs. Hayes’ bad boy Gilbert – as he was often called by Stampede TV commentator Ed Whalen – did his usual solid heel work. He got George over just great in front of his old hometown, and I finally DQ’d him and raised George’s arm. Gil threw the predictable fit, threatening George, me and the whole crowd, before I thumbed him out of the ring. George took his bows, then left the ring, whereupon Gil stormed back up the walkway to berate him some more. Always inventive, Gil didn’t hesitate. He double straight-armed the unsuspecting Demchuck squarely back into the sea of mud, causing a shower of goo and an instant new commotion in the stands. And then it happened.... One of those rickety old bleachers, tortured beyond its endurance by the moving weight of 70 or 80 screaming fans on their feet, slowly and inexorably began to wobble........and then collapsed straight down into the mud and water, fans and all!
Gil Hayes will be back at CAC in June 2008.....”you couldn’t keep me away!”, he says. Ask him about George Demchuck and the night of the mudmen in Ceylon. It’ll be a great conversation-starter.
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01/06/08 From Karl
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A new year, a new
CAC President and what looks to be another exciting year in our
club. With Nick on the mend and our new Director for Canadian
affairs, Bob Leonard, in place, 2008 should be another banner year.
All of the
honorees have been announced and they could main event any arena in
the world. Bret Hart, Dr. Death Steve Williams, Pat Patterson,
Butcher Paul Vachon and the Hands of Stone man Ronnie Garvin, plus
Betty Niccoli representing the ladies. Both Betty and Bret will also
be inducted into the PWHF in New York in May. Quite a year for
these two most deserving mat stars.
Our tribute night
on Tuesday honoring the Mexican and Latino wrestlers should be a lot
of fun also. Mando Guerrero, Dave Marquez and Dr. Mike Lano will be
hosting the event, and they are working on some exciting things
connected with this. Mario Savoldi, who works with Dave Marquez in
the revitalized NWA, is planning a huge event in conjunction with
our Reunion. Final plans are not signed as of this writing, but
keep checking our web site for regular updates and news. The Mexican
influence on professional wrestling has made a major impact on the
business, especially in the last decade. As the names planning on
attending are confirmed, we will post them on the web site.
Confirmed means they have bought a ticket.
After the baloney
blowout and tribute, Nick is bringing back Pat "Louie Armstrong"
Patterson to continue the festivities into the wee hours with
Karaoke and dancing. Here is your chance to ask that guy or gal for
a dance and hope they don't break a rib in the process. We have so
many talented singers in the club and, even if you can't sing, it
will be fun trying. Plus, live and in person, the new group sweeping
the nation will perform. That’s right; “Nick and the Crowbars” will
dazzle you with sounds to remember forever. This will only happen,
of course, if they can break away from their world tour for the
night.
All day Tuesday
and Wednesday there will be seminars going on, all the topics not
covered in the ring are planned and the schedule will be on the
website and in the next issue of The Ear. There will also be a
hands-on class led by Dan Severn, showing the value that MMA can
bring to the wrestling business, this is a topic that is always
discussed and, if better understood, can actually be a help to the
wrestling business. All the seminars and question and answer
sessions are FREE to our members.
Scott Hosey will
once again have the Nostalgia fair going all three days with some
big changes, it will be in a separate area away from the Members
Only section and fans and the public can come in and browse and buy
photos, autographs and books or what ever they have for to sell.
This will allow the wrestlers who WANT to have a table the chance
for a much bigger sales day. There will be no charge to attend and
this is the only area where nonmembers will be able to attend.
Wednesday will be
the banquet and awards, with our own JJ Dillon as MC this year, JJ
as always, will have some surprises for you and 2 special awards
will be the Jim C. Melby Historian Award and the Red Bastien
Friendship Award, the latter being a surprise and not revealed until
that evening. Plus there will be a very special custom-designed, one
of a kind commemorative championship belt. This belt is courtesy of
Dave Millican and company.
Wes Daniel will
once again take care of the silent auction with some very
collectable items, and special items donated by members for our
benevolent fund. We are very proud of the fact that our club has
remained non profit, and still 100% of all work is without pay of
any kind. To date, since we started the scholarship fund, we have
given out close to $40,000 and Benevolent Fund distributions are
pushing the $50,000 mark. That is a lot of money for a club that
relies on dues and donations.
Our biggest
operating expenses are printing and postage, so as members you can
take pride in the Club’s accomplishments. President Nick Bockwinkel
is committed to continue and grow these accomplishments.
Our web site has
received so many compliments over the last year and a half. Morgan
Dollar and Wes Daniel have put a lot of time and labor into it. I
hope you check it daily. We still have no sponsors or pop ups on it
either with no plans to get any. Its your site and is not a
advertisement board (except for members who want to reach other
members for a $15 benevolent fund donation), for your information
and not designed to make money, but to keep our members and
prospective members informed.
This will be my
29th year with the club and my 12th as the Executive Vice President,
and none of the growth and success we have seen in the last 12 years
would have been possible without the Silverstones who took over the
newsletter and membership files and records, The Drakes who have
kept us legal and in the black ink on the books, web masters past
and present, and Royal Duncan and the Royal Publishing company who
print our EAR for paper and press time cost.
There are other
plans in the works, but until we have confirmed agreement, they are
best not listed. But check the web site whenever you go on line. We
have blocked 120 rooms in the newly remodeled Monaco towers, for the
week before and after at the special rate of $89.00, if you are a
regular at the Riviera and belong to the players club and receive
their mailing with special rates, let us know when you make your
reservations and e mail me a copy of your confirmation, it will
still count toward our block guarantee.
I hope if you do
plan to attend you do not wait till the last minute to book your
banquet and room, last year we had 50 plus rooms at the Circus
Circus because the Riviera was sold out. Already several have made
their reservations.
Looking forward to
seeing everyone in June! Be well.
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I
had watched Verne Gagne several times on the Dumont Television Network
out of Chicago and could not wait to see him in person. My dad took
several neighborhood boys and me to see Verne wrestle Hans Schmidt. It
was the main event, of course, and it was a sellout crowd.
The
referee tried to intervene of course, and the bell was clanging like
crazy at ringside. I’m not sure what all transpired because I was in a
state of shock; I had never seen such bedlam before, and so “up close
and personal.” But suddenly Verne was on his feet, punching back at
Schmidt. It was a miraculous recovery. The last thing I remember
was Schmidt running up the aisle with Verne standing in the ring shaking
his fist at him and shouting out challenges.
Back
when CB radios first came out, almost all of us had one. We were running
Selma, Alabama on Saturday nights. Frank Dalton was booked and had CB in
his car and so did I. After the matches, I left before Frank did and met
up with a State Trooper buddy of mine just outside of Jackson, Alabama.
We were sitting window to window with our cars talking, when Frank
starting yelling on the CB for me. I told the Trooper who it was and
asked if he wanted to pull a rib on Frank. 
During
his days on the mat in Hawaii and California, wrestler Steve Strong was
approached by a major motion picture studio which was doing a
documentary for television on pro-wrestling. This was back in the
kayfabe days when TV coverage on wrestling was limited.
One
night in Amarillo, Texas, Red Bastien was scheduled to work with Dory
Funk, Jr. Prior to their event, Terry Funk entered the dressing room
and came up with a suggestion for their match. Terry said that for the
third and deciding fall, he would run into the ring wearing street
clothes, stumble and fall, and allow Red to rip off his sports coat and
slacks, and then throw Dory over the top rope.
Hart
was one of the most intriguing men ever in professional wrestling.
He did not fit any mold and cannot be accurately described in one
sentence. Even when you got to know him, there was still a cloud
of mystery lurking about him. Behind his owl-like eyes, you could
see that magnificent mind of his constantly churning, digesting his
surroundings and formulating new ideas. His mind kept you in
constant awe, even a bit fearful -- this was the magic of Gary Hart.
As
everyone knows, I'm a faithful follower of Jimmy Valiant. Another
fact everybody knows is that Valiant had hundreds of grandmothers!
