This will show you how OLD I am...My favorite ? None other then Mr. Co-Co Butt himself, Bobo Brazil !
I liked Pampero Firpo too with his long, curly wild looking hair. He acted like a real beast. His favorite hold ? The " El Gorpio "...That was when he gripped the opponents forehead with his huge hand and squeezed until they would surrender. I read once that he was actually very intelligent and could speak seven languages fluently. When asked why he was on the pro wrestling circuit he said because he made 100,000 dollars a year. That is back when a $100,000 was serious money. Star NFL defensive linemen Ernie Ladd and the Browns Walter Johnson both quit football to become star wrestlers. I met Johnson once. My Mom and Dad owned a TV store when I was growing up and Johnson bought a set from them. His hands were like hams ! I met Joe " Turkey " Jones once. He bought a set too. Turkey is famous in Cleveland for his body slam of Pittsburgh's Terry Bradshaw. They still show that on the NFL highlight films.
I had never heard of him, but I looked him up: He was pictured with Race, Buddy Rodgers, Bockwinkel, etc.
I miss the old style of wrestling where they actually used some skill, instead of just pure acrobatics and gimmicks...
* One misconception some people have is that the guys "don't get hurt". Not so! Yes, it's 'staged' and choreographed -- but those guys indeed took a 'pounding' and suffered injuries.
"If you hear one "thump" = that means it was probably a 'good landing'. If you hear TWO 'thumps'? Boy...that means chances are it hurt like hell." - Some old time 'rassler'
Also, some think that it was "fake blood" they used to use back in the 70's/80's, but not so! What they would is take little razor blades and make small cuts on themselves. That is why you'll see alot of the old-time wrestlers with vertical scars on their foreheads. They used to often keep the blades in tape around their wrists, fingers, etc...
One thing I could never figure out as a kid was how "The Great Kabuki" did that green fog/fire trick. I know it was probably pretty simple whatever it was...but that shit was pretty cool -- and pretty damn spooky to watch as a kid! (lol)
When Mike Marley told me that the turnbuckle-munching George "The Animal" Steele was actually a SCHOOLTEACHER and a part-time wrestler...I was just DEVASTATED.
:O
( I mean, finding out that Ivan or Nikitai Kolloff was actually from like North Dakota was hurtful enough...;-(
guys, im not on any boxing boards no more, some how i landed here/ it wood be rather rude of me no to comment, im 37 here is my top 10 wreslters ever! flair was on family fued. mil mascaras was my man i member him as a little kid..santo... blue demon...bruno sammartino...andre the giant...ric flair...billy graham...moon dog mayne was ok..all the above where awesome, in fairness i dont member watching most live yet i had collections.. ok bye guys for good MRMONZON..
Never heard of Red bastien?? Red of the then famous WWWF (yes, it had another 'W' back then) tag team champion Bastien Borthers, Red and Lou. (I think it was Lou) They beat the Fabulous Kangeroos managed by Wild Red Barry. BUT....... to MANY, MANY, MANY of us....ANTONINO ROCCA WAS THEEEEEEEEEE MAN!!!! Before Bruno and Buddy Rogers in the NY/Philly based WWWF it WAS Antonino Rocca!!! I believe he was born in Italia, moved to Argentina. His world champion tag team partner was Boricua Miguel Perez, who without Rocca was a scrub. Rocca was a hero, especially in the Latino community! I remember that he attended most all Puerto Rican Parades, Honorary Grand Marshal!!! "El Hombre" ROCCA! ROCCA! ROCCA! Chicago had Pat O'Conner and Thesz was BIG so were Stasiak, Pepper Gomez,Gagne, Yukon Eric and Kiniski in their stone deep country or wooded, logging towns (hehe) or hilly, back home heartlands BUT mid 50s early 60s belonged to WWWF's Rocca, Original Nature Boy Buddy Rogers with manager Bobby Davis, Haystacks, Killer Kowaski, Skull Murphy, Johnny Valentine, Monsoon, Bobo Brazil, Apollo, Kangeroos, Austin, Cowboys: "The Big O" Bob Orton, Billy Watts and Bob Ellis. There was Bruno, The Sheik, Baba The Giant, the Graham Brothers, Eddie, Jerry and Luke, plus Rikki Starr, Billy Darnell, Ex tag champs Mark Lewin and Don Curtis, also tag champs Badboys Chis and John Tolas, Fabulous Moolah, Johnny Barend, Chief Big Heart, "The Wildman of the Pampas" Pampero Firpo, Sweet Daddy Siki, Magnificent Maurice, Eduardo Carpentier, muscled bound Sailor Art Thomas, Lou Albano, Gene, Bob and Steve Stanlee, Fuzzy Cupid, Sky Low Low, Billy The Kid,.... THAT WAS WHERE IT WAS AT!!! ... and THEN came the "new" generation that brought us.... WHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! and Hulkamania and ...... Props to Rocca, WHOOOO, The Hulkster, Shawn..... Props to them ALL!!
I used to like Johnny Valentine. Johnny Powers was a popular good guy in Cleveland and then he turned bad guy. The tag team of Domenic DeNucci and Tony Parisi, The Mighty Igor, Bulldog Brower, Big Tex McKenzie,
I once traded a box of baseball tapes for a box of old wrestling tapes. I ended up trading the wrestling tapes for boxing tapes. I kind of now wish I had hung on to the wrestling tapes. A lot of my favorites were on them and they were always good for a laugh !
I just can't get into wrestling today. Too over the top for this old fart.
I got back to the days of The Gallagher brothers, Argentina Rocco, Lord Layton, Bobo Brazil, the Kiamokas (Spelling?), The Millers, Lou Thez, Mike Mazurki, Fritz Von Eric, Baron Leone,the original Sheik....black and white tv.....Ha! hA!
I got back to the days of The Gallagher brothers, Argentina Rocco, Lord Layton, Bobo Brazil, the Kiamokas (Spelling?), The Millers, Lou Thez, Mike Mazurki, Fritz Von Eric, Baron Leone,the original Sheik....black and white tv.....Ha! hA!
Oh...you probably remember the KING of 'THE CLAW' Jerry...
EZ - Whoa... some of those names brought back some memories!!!
Jim - Agreed. In my opinion -- it basically turned to crap in the late 80's. I can't even watch it unless it's 'old school' style!
Dave - Piper actually got his start up here in The Northwest when he was about 20. I used to LOVE him as a kid! ( Von Raske? Like I said -- he gave me nightmares Dave. That was just one spooky fellow, and he had that 'stomach claw' and 'brain claw'...! )
Hey, get a load of this...
Remember "The IRON Sheik" from Iran? Well...if I'm not mistaken, he was actually from like Queens New York and an old drinking buddy of Johnny Bos! ( Yep...his accent was about as phony as a 3-dollar bill I'm afraid! LOL )
Check out George "The Animal" Steele's website if you can guys. It's highly disturbing. Heck, the only thing of mild solace is that he was dyslexic. ( But I figured Steele would have just munched on the books like little 'snackies'??? )
Guys...I've gotta surf YouTube a little and see if I can't compile and post a short compilation of the following and their infamous 'finishing moves'...
His hair has thinned/receited some, his 'muscle tone' has sagged a little ( but like his fellow 60 yr.old Stallone, it looks like he still lifts weights and is probably on HGH ) but all-in-all -- he looks pretty good. YES, it was a mild 'shock to the system' seeing Flair circa 2008, but good grief...it's kind of like those that said Tom Jones looked a "little aged" when doing the Welsh anthem for the Calzaghe-Hopkins fight!
...Do they not realize the dude is SEVENTY (Yes -- about 70!) years old??????
( "Yeah hey -- the 80-something Clint Eastwood and 90-something Jack Lallanne looks a bit old too!" *WTF??? LOL!* )
pick up a copy of Piper's autobiography..a very good read for any wraslin fan. The iron shiek was classic! Hogan won title from him with the famous leg drop.
IRON SHIEK WAS ON STERN DEMAND HE STILL IS STRONG... MIL MASCARASI SEEN THIS DUDE HE FLYS ALMOST, HARLEY RACE WAS TOUGH. BRUNO SAMM WAS SUPER STRONG. AND BILLY GRAHAM..MONZON.
RED BASTIEN 
