So intense had the hatred gotten that Hércules Ayala had to be flanked by several other wrestlers; backup, should a mob of incensed fans rush him during the time it took him to get from the locker room to the ring. Carlos Colón, the man who had carried WWC on his back for close to… Continue reading Whether Good Or Evil, Powerhouse Hercules Ayala Thrilled Wrestling Fans Throughout Canada & Puerto Rico
Tag: WWWF
The Meteoric Rise & Stunning Fall Of Fred Kohler’s NWA Chicago Wrestling Empire
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
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
Pomp And Circumstance: The Brilliance Of Gorgeous George
I was 11 years old in 1988. I’d become a bit too much for my mom to deal with, so she shipped me off to live with my dad for awhile. By that time, I was already knee deep in my wrestling fandom and was a regular TV viewer of WWF, NWA, AWA and WCCW.… Continue reading Pomp And Circumstance: The Brilliance Of Gorgeous George
From The Gridiron To The Squared Circle: The Warring Ways Of Wahoo McDaniel
Tully Blanchard, I can beat you. You're the National Heavyweight Champion, you're coming to Cincinnati and I know you and JJ Dillon have something cooked up, but I'm just gonna go out there and do what I do best: win matches! - Wahoo McDaniel Training Camp had just started for the New York Jets and… Continue reading From The Gridiron To The Squared Circle: The Warring Ways Of Wahoo McDaniel
Sputnik Monroe’s Main Event Win Over Jim Crow – Pt. 2
Read Sputnik Monroe's Main Event Win Over Jim Crow, Pt. 1 here. Win if you can, lose if you must, always cheat, and if you have to leave the ring, leave tearing it down. - Sputnik Monroe A White Hat Rides Into Town A few months prior to Monroe, Billy Wicks had arrived in Memphis,… Continue reading Sputnik Monroe’s Main Event Win Over Jim Crow – Pt. 2
Baby Doe: From Johannesburg, South Africa To Armourdale, Kansas?
Writer’s note: the following story concerns an arm of professional wrestling formerly, and, perhaps, currently in some areas, called midget wrestling. As we evolve as a people, so too does our language. The term ‘midget’ is not a medical term, nor was it ever recognized as an acceptable descriptor. Point of fact, the term was… Continue reading Baby Doe: From Johannesburg, South Africa To Armourdale, Kansas?
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
Called The “Jackie Robinson Of The Wrestling Industry”, Sweet Daddy Siki Broke Down Walls And Became A Star
Ahahaha! You shoulda seen what the Cuban Assassin and I did to Archie Gouldie and Steven Pettipas last week! We beat 'em up so bad! Now they have the nerve to wanna have a street fight? Well, I'm gonna tell you one thing, Archie Gouldie: the Cuban and I grew up on street fights! -… Continue reading Called The “Jackie Robinson Of The Wrestling Industry”, Sweet Daddy Siki Broke Down Walls And Became A Star
Pre-hipster Portland Was A Pro Wrestling Mecca
The Pacific Northwest Championship is symbolic of heavyweight supremacy. Right now, I've got it and I'm damn proud of it! - Dutch Savage Before Vince McMahon began his national push with the WWF, effectively killing the territory system, the Don Owen led Portland Territory was the hottest thing going on the West Coast throughout the… Continue reading Pre-hipster Portland Was A Pro Wrestling Mecca
Illegal Foreign Object 