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Post by kaybli on Apr 15, 2021 14:24:31 GMT -5
And Chief Jay Strongbow was Luke Scarpa from Nutley NJ. Say it ain't so! Although The Iron Sheik really was from Tehran. "Death to America!" Booo!! Back around 1987 on a flight to Denver I was seated across the aisle from this huge heavily-tatooed guy who sure didn't look like a typical first class passenger, or even a plane passenger of any sort, at least in those days. When the plane landed he was besieged by a mob of pre-teen boys wanting his autograph. It was a wrestler named Bam Bam Bigelow. I was in my post-WWF life by then and had no idea who he was. Now had it been Sergeant Slaughter or Killer Kowalski, that would have been a different story. I remember Bam Bam. That was in my era of watching wrestling. |
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Post by inger on Apr 15, 2021 14:45:37 GMT -5
Neat story, Pipps. I remember BAM-BAM. I was also post-WWF, but had a forced fandom in order to keep something in common with my son in the late 70’s and 80’s. By the time the 90’s rolled around I was hoping he’d be over it, but he remains a loyal and over-zealous fan to this day. I haven’t watched in at least two decades and if today’s version of Bam-Bam hit me with his signature move, I’d be as lost as you were...
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Post by rizzuto on Apr 15, 2021 15:08:42 GMT -5
In Louisiana, we had Tri-State and Mid-South Wrestling, usually televised on Saturday and Sunday. Cowboy Bill Watts, Ken Mantell, Dirty Dick Murdock, Big Cat Ernie Ladd, Skandor Akbar, Bruiser Bob Sweetan, Junk Yard Dog, Hacksaw Jim Dugan, Mr. Wrestling and Mr. Wrestling II, Ted DiBiase, Jake the Snake Roberts, every now and then André the Giant, Harley Race, Terry Funk. Funny how those names stick with you.
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Post by inger on Apr 15, 2021 15:36:37 GMT -5
In Louisiana, we had Tri-State and Mid-South Wrestling, usually televised on Saturday and Sunday. Cowboy Bill Watts, Ken Mantell, Dirty Dick Murdock, Big Cat Ernie Ladd, Skandor Akbar, Bruiser Bob Sweetan, Junk Yard Dog, Hacksaw Jim Dugan, Mr. Wrestling and Mr. Wrestling II, Ted DiBiase, Jake the Snake Roberts, every now and then André the Giant, Harley Race, Terry Funk. Funny how those names stick with you. I started out watching guys like Big Bill Miller, Bruno Sammartino, Haystack Calhoun, Apollo, Bobo Brazil, The Golden Terror... the Funk Brothers were around. Murdock and Bill Watts would pop up once in a while... Apollo was interesting. He was one of those guys that “flew” off the ropes and could do amazing reversal holds that few were doing then, turning certain defeat into a quick victory... yes, Andre was around...I’ve gotta put my thinking cap on for more. Strange how my mother totally dominated the tv. I wasn’t allowed baseball, but wrestling was okay because she loved it. There was a white-haired old lady in the stands that would stand up within a fist in the bad guys faces. I think my mom fantasized she was that old lady at times. |
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Post by inger on Apr 15, 2021 15:38:10 GMT -5
All of this ties in neatly with game # 12 in some way, I’m sure...
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Post by inger on Apr 15, 2021 15:40:00 GMT -5
Like Graham, The Sheik, Tony Garera...
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Post by pippsheadache on Apr 15, 2021 16:36:02 GMT -5
All of this ties in neatly with game # 12 in some way, I’m sure... Yeah, they were both marginally sporting events. |
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Post by pippsheadache on Apr 15, 2021 17:05:49 GMT -5
In Louisiana, we had Tri-State and Mid-South Wrestling, usually televised on Saturday and Sunday. Cowboy Bill Watts, Ken Mantell, Dirty Dick Murdock, Big Cat Ernie Ladd, Skandor Akbar, Bruiser Bob Sweetan, Junk Yard Dog, Hacksaw Jim Dugan, Mr. Wrestling and Mr. Wrestling II, Ted DiBiase, Jake the Snake Roberts, every now and then André the Giant, Harley Race, Terry Funk. Funny how those names stick with you. I know about half of those guys. I remember when Ernie Ladd was a lineman for the San Diego Chargers. Cowboy Bill Watts, he was a riot with his big ten gallon hat. Jake the Snake, good one. Jimmy "Superfly" Snooka was from that era I believe. Maybe before your time, but Doctor Billy Graham was in there. Around 1977 my newspaper sent me to cover some wrestling bouts at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. That's the only time I ever saw it live. I was amazed at how intense the crowd was and how they seemed to be able to go back and forth over how seriously they took it. Guys I remember seeing that night included a very bland wrestler named Bob Backlund, who I think was champion at that time. There was also Ivan "Polish Power" Putski and whoever the Russian villain guy was at that time. Can't recall his name. The guy I was sent to interview was George "The Animal" Steele. His specialty was chewing the turnbuckles on the ropes. We had set it up with his manager beforehand to do the interview in the locker room before the fight, but apparently it had not been cleared with The Animal and he wanted nothing to do with it. So the manager told me "don't worry kid, come down after the bout and he'll talk to you. So I was down there and The Animal glared at me and asked me what was I looking at. I politely told him I just had a few questions to ask, and my first one was did he really eat the turnbuckles. He pulled out a disgusting chunk of leather that looked like a Rottweiler had been chomping on it and he asked me if that looked fake to me. I agreed, mainly for my physical safety, that it looked like the real McCoy. Then he told me "then print that in your goddam newspaper" and walked away. I became an immediate fan of his. You spend enough time talking to politicians you appreciate the honesty. |
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Post by rizzuto on Apr 15, 2021 17:09:55 GMT -5
In Louisiana, we had Tri-State and Mid-South Wrestling, usually televised on Saturday and Sunday. Cowboy Bill Watts, Ken Mantell, Dirty Dick Murdock, Big Cat Ernie Ladd, Skandor Akbar, Bruiser Bob Sweetan, Junk Yard Dog, Hacksaw Jim Dugan, Mr. Wrestling and Mr. Wrestling II, Ted DiBiase, Jake the Snake Roberts, every now and then André the Giant, Harley Race, Terry Funk. Funny how those names stick with you. I started out watching guys like Big Bill Miller, Bruno Sammartino, Haystack Calhoun, Apollo, Bobo Brazil, The Golden Terror... the Funk Brothers were around. Murdock and Bill Watts would pop up once in a while... Apollo was interesting. He was one of those guys that “flew” off the ropes and could do amazing reversal holds that few were doing then, turning certain defeat into a quick victory... yes, Andre was around...I’ve gotta put my thinking cap on for more. Strange how my mother totally dominated the tv. I wasn’t allowed baseball, but wrestling was okay because she loved it. There was a white-haired old lady in the stands that would stand up within a fist in the bad guys faces. I think my mom fantasized she was that old lady at times. That same white-haired, old lady was at every wrestling match in every third-rate city that hosted those events, like Rapids Parish Coliseum in Alexandria, La. |
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Post by rizzuto on Apr 15, 2021 17:20:36 GMT -5
In Louisiana, we had Tri-State and Mid-South Wrestling, usually televised on Saturday and Sunday. Cowboy Bill Watts, Ken Mantell, Dirty Dick Murdock, Big Cat Ernie Ladd, Skandor Akbar, Bruiser Bob Sweetan, Junk Yard Dog, Hacksaw Jim Dugan, Mr. Wrestling and Mr. Wrestling II, Ted DiBiase, Jake the Snake Roberts, every now and then André the Giant, Harley Race, Terry Funk. Funny how those names stick with you. I know about half of those guys. I remember when Ernie Ladd was a lineman for the San Diego Chargers. Cowboy Bill Watts, he was a riot with his big ten gallon hat. Jake the Snake, good one. Jimmy "Superfly" Snooka was from that era I believe. Maybe before your time, but Doctor Billy Graham was in there. Around 1977 my newspaper sent me to cover some wrestling bouts at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. That's the only time I ever saw it live. I was amazed at how intense the crowd was and how they seemed to be able to go back and forth over how seriously they took it. Guys I remember seeing that night included a very bland wrestler named Bob Backlund, who I think was champion at that time. There was also Ivan "Polish Power" Putski and whoever the Russian villain guy was at that time. Can't recall his name. The guy I was sent to interview was George "The Animal" Steele. His specialty was chewing the turnbuckles on the ropes. We had set it up with his manager beforehand to do the interview in the locker room before the fight, but apparently it had not been cleared with The Animal and he wanted nothing to do with it. So the manager told me "don't worry kid, come down after the bout and he'll talk to you. So I was down there and The Animal glared at me and asked me what was I looking at. I politely told him I just had a few questions to ask, and my first one was did he really eat the turnbuckles. He pulled out a disgusting chunk of leather that looked like a Rottweiler had been chomping on it and he asked me if that looked fake to me. I agreed, mainly for my physical safety, that it looked like the real McCoy. Then he told me "then print that in your goddam newspaper" and walked away. I became an immediate fan of his. You spend enough time talking to politicians you appreciate the honesty. I remember Strongman Ivan Putski, Superstar Billy Graham, and George “The Animal” Steele. Most of those guys seemed to visit others regions every now and then to keep things fresh for the people who frequented those things. Jessie “The Body” Ventura was another one. It used to amaze me as a kid, how many of my classmates believed that type of theater was real. When you live in the sticks and you’ve only three stations to choose... |
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Post by chiyankee on Apr 15, 2021 18:14:19 GMT -5
And Chief Jay Strongbow was Luke Scarpa from Nutley NJ. Say it ain't so! Although The Iron Sheik really was from Tehran. "Death to America!" Booo!! Back around 1987 on a flight to Denver I was seated across the aisle from this huge heavily-tatooed guy who sure didn't look like a typical first class passenger, or even a plane passenger of any sort, at least in those days. When the plane landed he was besieged by a mob of pre-teen boys wanting his autograph. It was a wrestler named Bam Bam Bigelow. I was in my post-WWF life by then and had no idea who he was. Now had it been Sergeant Slaughter or Killer Kowalski, that would have been a different story. I was one heartbroken little kid when Greg "the Hammer" Valentine put Chief Jay Strongbow in the figure four leg lock and broke his leg.  |
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Post by pippsheadache on Apr 15, 2021 18:43:27 GMT -5
That's right, it was Superstar Billy Graham. I think he tag-teamed with Big John Studd. The Russian (allegedly) villain was Nikolai Volkhov. He was aligned with The Iron Sheikh.
I remember watching Ray Fabiani's Mat Time in the mid-60s. It used to come on at 1 AM in Philly, after Double Chiller Theater. Prime time for me at that age. Afterward they would show the FBI Ten Most Wanted. Now that was unsettling at 3 in the morning.
There was a gigantic wrestler named Haystacks Calhoun who was billed as weighing over 600 pounds. He was a devotee of the pile driver.
How cool that there are so many wrestling enthusiasts here!
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Post by Renfield on Apr 15, 2021 19:33:24 GMT -5
And Chief Jay Strongbow was Luke Scarpa from Nutley NJ. Say it ain't so! Although The Iron Sheik really was from Tehran. "Death to America!" Booo!! Back around 1987 on a flight to Denver I was seated across the aisle from this huge heavily-tatooed guy who sure didn't look like a typical first class passenger, or even a plane passenger of any sort, at least in those days. When the plane landed he was besieged by a mob of pre-teen boys wanting his autograph. It was a wrestler named Bam Bam Bigelow. I was in my post-WWF life by then and had no idea who he was. Now had it been Sergeant Slaughter or Killer Kowalski, that would have been a different story. I was one heartbroken little kid when Greg "the Hammer" Valentine put Chief Jay Strongbow in the figure four leg lock and broke his leg. That happened more than once I expect. Johnny "The Champ" Valentine had Mr. America (or something) Tim Woods in the same hold and broke his femur. Saw it on tv. You could tell it was real because the referee actually jumped in to help relieve the pressure on the leg and let Valentine to know to let up. |
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Post by chiyankee on Apr 15, 2021 19:46:18 GMT -5
I was one heartbroken little kid when Greg "the Hammer" Valentine put Chief Jay Strongbow in the figure four leg lock and broke his leg. [img src="//storage.proboards.com/6828121/images/FaPDancotIiOvGyPqDbu.gif" alt=" " class="smile"] That happened more than once I expect. Johnny "The Champ" Valentine had Mr. America (or something) Tim Woods in the same hold and broke his femur. Saw it on tv. You could tell it was real because the referee actually jumped in to help relieve the pressure on the leg and let Valentine to know to let up. Of course those guys all went for dinner and beers afterwards. |
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Post by inger on Apr 15, 2021 19:52:03 GMT -5
That's right, it was Superstar Billy Graham. I think he tag-teamed with Big John Studd. The Russian (allegedly) villain was Nikolai Volkhov. He was aligned with The Iron Sheikh. I remember watching Ray Fabiani's Mat Time in the mid-60s. It used to come on at 1 AM in Philly, after Double Chiller Theater. Prime time for me at that age. Afterward they would show the FBI Ten Most Wanted. Now that was unsettling at 3 in the morning. There was a gigantic wrestler named Haystacks Calhoun who was billed as weighing over 600 pounds. He was a devotee of the pile driver. How cool that there are so many wrestling enthusiasts here! Haystacks also wore a lucky horseshoe around his neck that he would utilize nefariously. Most of the time Haystacks was a good guy, but the fans would still cheer for him if he cheated... He went heel temporarily a couple of times but it didn’t last because the fans loved him. 620 pounds? Probably true. Biggest overalls I ever saw... |
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