BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Nick E
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 12:46 PM

Gorilla Monsoon
Bruno San Martino
Chief J. Strongbow
Pedro Morales
Dory Funk Jr.
Ivan Putski
George The Animal Steele
Baron Von Ratski

Who had the HEART PUNCH?

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Tug the Cox
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 12:57 PM

Oops, lost me cookie, mine was last message.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 12:50 PM

Today's Guardian carries an Obit for 'Captain' Lou Albano, wrestler, manager and actor.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: GUEST,"THE BARON"
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 09:22 AM

Who can forget BARON GATTONI!!! He was impossibly POWERFULL spoke 5 languages and I understand taught in the Univercity of Argentina. I remember him doing commercials on TV and was seen doing appeareances for sick kids all the time.

Baron and Yukon Eric! Great Black and White stuff! Baron Gattoni was Buffalo's only Champion who lived in Buffalo, NY while he was a Champion.
AWA Tag Team in 59!
Those were the days.
His son ran for Mayor of Buffalo in 09.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Sep 09 - 03:28 PM

Maybe Argentine Apollo - 5'10; 175# sounds about right.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Sep 09 - 03:14 PM

Fond memories of Nana Sullivan screaming "Kill 'em!" at the B&W with the tiny screen and the huge cabinet. I loved Gorgeous George complete with mirror. Who was the small (by comparison) Hispanic wrestler who jumped and flipped and out-manouvered all the others? He was usually a good guy. I don't think he was BoBo Brazil, but maybe.
I even remember Midget Wrestling. And Roller Derby on TV.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: frogprince
Date: 21 Sep 09 - 03:10 PM

My brother-in-law worked at a small town tv station when Vern Gagne was sponsoring their wrestling with nutritional supplements that he was marketing. Gagne would show up sometimes and direct the "wrestling" action from off camera.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Little Hawk
Date: 21 Sep 09 - 01:41 PM

Has there ever been a "heel" wrestler who defeated his foes (or at least deterred them) by having overwhelmingly bad body odor? I should think that would be quite a marketable way of annoying the fans and creating controversy.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: meself
Date: 21 Sep 09 - 10:53 AM

Bobo Brazil vs The Sheik - the ultimate battle of good vs evil. Of course, through some vile trickery, The Sheik was declared winner, but you knew that Bobo would be back ...

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: GUEST,Baron
Date: 20 Sep 09 - 11:39 PM

I remember:Johnny Powers, Hans Schimt, Bobo Barzil, Tony Marino, Larry Zabisco, The Shiek, Haystcks Calhoon & many more.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Riginslinger
Date: 27 May 09 - 08:50 AM

This is all wrestling before steroids, right?

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: GUEST,thomas
Date: 26 May 09 - 07:06 PM

CAN ANYBODY LET ME KNOW HOW I CAN BUY OLD VIDEOS OF DON LEO JONATHAN WRESTLING,I WOULD BE VERY GREATFUL FOR ANY HELP I CAN GET..THOMAS

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 17 Dec 07 - 11:19 PM

Hey Beer, I'm fine - but I've had a hectic last few months - and I'm back on dial-up, so I haven't had the time to participate here. But I have been lurking from time to time. I couldn't resist jumping over the ropes and into the ring on this one, though ...

(Guy, by the way - I know it's hard to tell with this villainous mask ... )

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Beer
Date: 17 Dec 07 - 11:05 PM

meself!!, how in the hell are you??
Missed you (Guy or Gal?).
The Sheikh, sure do remember this character.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 17 Dec 07 - 10:56 PM

Lord Layton used to host a wrestling TV show - "Big Time Wrestling" - out of Detroit - or possibly Windsor. He used to express considerable indignation at the antics of The Sheikh ... Big part of my childhood ...

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Beer
Date: 17 Dec 07 - 03:29 PM

Ha! ha! ha!, thanks for the laugh Bankley.

I saw Whipper Billy Watson against his nemesis Gene Kiniski in Halifax N.S. later 50ies or early 60ties.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Dec 07 - 02:58 PM

My aunt and uncle used to take me to watch wrestling at the Municipal Pool in Hamilton, Ontario in the late forties. A ring was erected right over the pool. My uncle knew Whipper Billy Watson and the Sharp Brothers personally so we always had to go when these local heros were on the card. We also saw Nanjo Singh, (Sky)Hy Lee, Lee Henning, Yukon Eric, Mike Mazurki (movie star), Lou Thesz, Lord Athol Layton and a whole array of midget and other novelty acts. It was always a highlight when someone got thrown out of the ring into the water. Once the entire structure collapsed into the pool.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: bankley
Date: 17 Dec 07 - 01:31 PM

I'm trying to visualize a red-eyed, cape wearing, guy in tights, jumping into the ring over the top rope and smashing his opponent over the head with a cheap guitar, El Kabong style, while Beer is in the corner yelling, "Okay Stormy, now pin him"....

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Riginslinger
Date: 17 Dec 07 - 12:42 AM

Well, maybe wrestling is good for you!

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Beer
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 07:30 PM

LoL Bobad.
In fact he just started a coffee house with the help of a local church in or near Picton Ontario.
No drifting I promise.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: bobad
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 07:01 PM

"How is Norman doing today? Did he recover?"

Not quite - he became a folksinger.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Riginslinger
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 06:53 PM

How is Norman doing today? Did he recover?

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Beer
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 11:55 AM

I use to practice the sleeper and the judo chop on my younger brother Norman. Damn near killed him. Then I ordered one of those hypnosis disc and turned his eyes red but I never did get it to work.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: bankley
Date: 15 Dec 07 - 12:14 PM

we were also young, agile and foolish enough to learn some of the holds and try them out on each other. Drop kicks were fun but not as much as when you didn't connect. I also enjoyed going to see smaller events and cheering for the bad guys. That almost got me into trouble with some die-hard little ol' lady fans, who could hurt you just about as much as the wrestlers themselves. When I got serious about music, my 'rasslin' days were numbered. Besides 'Wildwood Flower' didn't hurt as much as the 'pile driver'...

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 15 Dec 07 - 03:04 AM

Same reaction here, Rigs. I dropped off from watching it in when around 14. In the 80's, I watched it a few times for comic relief (George "the animal" and all that) but found the modern stuff from the 90's boring. All steroidish looking, no clear-cut heroes/villains, and I had far outgrown really enjoying it anyway. Those were magical times for a kid, in the earlier eras.

BTW, on YouTube there's a clip of the first professional wrestling match ever fimed, around 1929, if I remember that right. it was strange, because it looked like they were actually WRESTLING :-).

Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Beer
Date: 15 Dec 07 - 12:53 AM

How true Riginslinger.
I look at my nephews while they watch the WWF or whatever it is called and as much as i think of all the crap that they are projecting, I think that if I was 13-14 I would also get off on it.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Riginslinger
Date: 14 Dec 07 - 09:38 PM

I'm not sure. It seems to me like the whole thing now is so incredibly phoney, and the steroid enhanced participants are so unbelievable, I can't see getting into it.
                  Of course, things look different when you're 14 years old.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 13 Dec 07 - 11:19 PM

That is a part of my life that ended when I entered college at the age of 16. Up until that time I was a devoted wrestling fanatic. Once in college I no longer had the time to keep following it and have never gone back to it at all.

                                                 SOL

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Beer
Date: 13 Dec 07 - 10:50 PM

Now folks, I've been reading all these responses with great pleasure. I have to ask a question though. Are you still following the world of wrestling or was this a part of your life that you left behind as I did. I truly loved the matches of the 50,60 and 70ties but then dropped out.

Yet, as much as I'm disinterested in today's "SHOW", I can't help think that if I was 8-14yrs., again I would be right into what is happening.
beer (adrien)

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 13 Dec 07 - 06:15 PM

And of course there was always the famous manager, Bobby Davis who looked like Elvis Presley and managed the Graham Brothers. He would escort them into the ring wearing a business suit and during a tag team match he would hit one of the oponents with his cane while the referee was looking the other way.

                                                 SOL

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 13 Dec 07 - 01:01 PM

Hungarian wrestle - Sandor Szabo

Japanese wrestler - Bolo Hakawa

                                                    SOL

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Dec 07 - 11:38 AM

Red Bastien
Gentleman Jim Hady
Stu Hart
Dave Ruhl

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Mark Ross
Date: 13 Dec 07 - 10:25 AM

We used to see Argentine Apollo in NYC onSaturday night wrestling.
I believe there was also a wrestler named Antonio Rocca.


Mark Ross

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 12 Dec 07 - 06:12 PM

Some more from the Capitol Arena in Washington DC.

Karl Von Hess

Fritz Seigfried

Mr. America Gene Stanley

his brother Steve Stanley

The Mighty Managoff

Fritz Von Wallach

Jackie Nichols

Yukon Eric

Miguel Torres (The Mexican Bull)

Skull Murphy

Cowboy Rocky Lee

Chief Big Heart

Johnny Valentine

                                                          SOL

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 12 Dec 07 - 03:16 PM

I remember Argentine Rocca (as noted above) but not Argentine Apollo. What area of the country did he rassle in?

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Mark Ross
Date: 12 Dec 07 - 02:14 PM

Does anyone remember the Argentine Apollo? We used to watch with my grandparents, Grandma loved Gorgeous George.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 11 Dec 07 - 04:49 PM

LTS pretty well summed it up for the UK. Tag wrestling was fun, though. The lighter weights were pretty nippy and athletic. Watching them bouncing off the ropes and into the audience...

Kitty

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: gnu
Date: 10 Dec 07 - 07:39 PM

Metchosin... shotgun... seems logical to me. Cheaper than buying a ladder.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 10 Dec 07 - 10:50 AM

Yes, Chantyranger, he was Max Baer's brother.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Mr Happy
Date: 10 Dec 07 - 10:22 AM

Lots info on UK stars here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_wrestling_in_the_United_Kingdom

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 10 Dec 07 - 04:21 AM

John, was this Buddy Baer the same as Max Baer's boxing brother?

Beer, Pepper Gomez was known for his iron stomach muscles. You could punch him in the stomach as hard as possible, and it wouldn't faze him. Apparently that was for real.

Anyone remember the goose-stepping "German" tag team? In SF they were known as the Von Stroheim brothers. I believe they went by other names in other localities.

Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Riginslinger
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 09:45 PM

I remember when it was "Wrestling from Hollywood," but the only player I can remember is The Great Baldini.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 03:11 PM

Here are some I remember from the Sunset Coast:
Lou Thesz
Argentine Rocca
Gorgeous George
Baron Leone
Sandor Szabo
Jules Strongbow (not to be confused with one of that name much later)
Lord Blears
Dr. Lee Grable (he was a hypnotist)
Mr. Moto

From a slightly earlier era:
Mike Mazurki
Henry Kulki
Buddy Baer
All of whom became character actors.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Metchosin
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 02:50 PM

It was a way of life for him Little Hawk, usually accompanied with the rider just for watching in awe, "See what you made me do!" LOL

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Little Hawk
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 02:30 PM

LOL! The sledgehammer for the gnats solution, eh?

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: Metchosin
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 02:24 PM

Ah! memories from my childhood! Haven't seen Whipper Billy Watson mentioned yet or Kinji Shabuya sp?

I wrestled with the rabbit ears as a kid to watch this stuff. The rabbit ears worked better than our antenna did, after my father tried unsucessfully, to rid of the thing of a flock pigeons. They were twisting it out of shape, but didn't impair the reception. Unfortunately, he figured they would eventually break it and managed to blast all the lead in wires to smithereens with a shot gun.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: GUEST,Big Bad John
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 01:43 PM

The Fabulous Kangaroos (Roy Heffernan & ?)

? = Al Costello

I always knew folk music people were wrestling fans.

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: clueless don
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 09:30 AM

I found the following link through google:

passing of "Crazy Luke"

Apparently, "Crazy Luke" passed away in 2006.

Rabbi-Sol, I may have indeed been mistaken about "Crazy Luke" being Doctor Jerry's brother. I may have gotten the notion from the fact that they wrestled together and had the same last name (last stage name, at any rate.)

Don

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: GUEST, Sminky
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 07:38 AM

Thanks bankley (didn't think there could be two Two Rivers!). His son is even more famous (I remember him as a young kid).

Subject: RE: BS: Wrestling in the 50/60/early 70ties
From: bankley
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 06:56 AM

yeah, beer, apparently when Andre held a 'pint', the bottle couldn't be seen anymore.....his hands were that big.... he'd down it like a shooter.... 7'4", 500 lbs on 4 cases of 24.... I'm glad that I didn't have to put him to bed ! Apparently he was gentle natured and loved playing gags esp. on unsuspecting motel owners.

and yes Sminky, that's the same Mr. Two Rivers....wrestled in England for a few years... also had an acting part in the movie 'Black Robe', a period piece set in Huronia circa 1650 or so..   really fine visuals, somewhat brutal.... those were the days!!