On June 29th, 1961, the NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Pat O’Connor stood across the ring from “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers. In front of a raucous Comiskey Park crowd of 38,622 fans, the men wrestled a Two out of Three Falls Match that lasted 21:30 minutes and ended with Rogers picking up the final pinfall, becoming… Continue reading The Meteoric Rise & Stunning Fall Of Fred Kohler’s NWA Chicago Wrestling Empire
Tag: WCW
Surfers And Ninjas And Bikers, Oh My! – The Wrestling Life Of Brian “Crush” Adams
At 6’5” and 315 pounds with good looks and an athletic background, it’s hard to believe Brian Adams never got that signature run with either WWF or WCW that could have potentially made him a main event wrestler. Poor timing, poor gimmicks and poor decisions likely had plenty to do with him never reaching the… Continue reading Surfers And Ninjas And Bikers, Oh My! – The Wrestling Life Of Brian “Crush” Adams
“Hacksaw” Butch Reed: A Natural At Making Money While Making You Hate His Guts
A Dog Collar Match, a 10 ft. chain... You know somethin', Junkyard Dog, you ain't housebroken yet, that's your problem! You ain't learned to go in and out of the house when you're supposed to, ya understand, so, the dogcatcher, Butch Reed, is gonna have to teach you some manners! - Butch Reed From as… Continue reading “Hacksaw” Butch Reed: A Natural At Making Money While Making You Hate His Guts
When Old School Heat-Seeking Met Corporate America: The Night The Road Warriors Blinded Dusty Rhodes
I've been battered, I've been beat, I've been scraped and I've been cut. You should have made it a point to get both eyes, because when I get up in the morning and look at my children out of one eye, I think of you, Road Warriors! I'm gonna take a lot from you. My… Continue reading When Old School Heat-Seeking Met Corporate America: The Night The Road Warriors Blinded Dusty Rhodes
The Death Of Ray Gunkel & How It Catapulted Ox Baker Into Pro Wrestling Infamy
On June 30th, 1972, Ray Gunkel climbed into the Municipal Auditorium ring in Atlanta, Georgia to wrestle Ox Baker for the NWA Brass Knuckles Championship. He supposedly wasn’t even meant to be in the match. Four days prior, Baker had won the title from Beppo Mongol (who would go on to greater fame as Nikolai… Continue reading The Death Of Ray Gunkel & How It Catapulted Ox Baker Into Pro Wrestling Infamy
From Hollywood Blond To Fabulous Freebird: The Story Of Buddy “Jack” Roberts
My brother Buddy Roberts is 240 pounds of hot stuff and he don't stop 'till he gets enough! - Michael "P.S." Hayes As an unabashed supporter of the beloved Von Erichs wrestling family when I was a youngster, I, by default despised The Fabulous Freebirds. As I got older, I learned to appreciate what each… Continue reading From Hollywood Blond To Fabulous Freebird: The Story Of Buddy “Jack” Roberts
Cocaine, Cancellations And Even More Cocaine: Herb Abrams’ UWF
Colonel Red, no one has ever done anything like this to me! I am going to get you! - Herb Abrams On March 10th, 1991 in the Penta Hotel, an ever-dwindling New York City crowd had just sat through 22 wrestling matches of varying quality. The television taping they were attending had started late, was… Continue reading Cocaine, Cancellations And Even More Cocaine: Herb Abrams’ UWF
Today’s Heels Could Learn A Lot From Larry Zbyszko
Larry Zbyszko was smug, a braggart, cheated each and every time the opportunity presented itself, and never ran out of things to say to anger fans. In short, he was one of the greatest heels in wrestling history.
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