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Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 4:22 pm
by Bob Of Burleson
Lord Zoltan grapples with
The Blood Beast at a match
in Pittsburgh.
For Aging Pro Wrestlers,
Dreams Get Body-Slammed
but Never Die
By Kris Maher
The Wall Street Journal
PITTSBURGH—As an analyst at H.J. Heinz Co., Lou Zygmuncik spends his days thinking about ketchup sales. But about once a month, he transforms himself into the trash-talking bruiser Dr. Devastation.
Mr. Zygmuncik, 38 years old, is one of two dozen wrestlers in the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance, a bottom-rung pro-wrestling troupe. It sets up its ring at the Teamster Temple, a union hall, and draws about 300 fans to its shows, often including Pittsburgh's mayor, Bill Peduto.
"It's got this whole other edge that's off-the-charts hip," says the 49-year-old Mr. Peduto, who grew up watching professional wrestling with his grandfather.
The popularity of pro wrestling, as measured by TV ratings, hit its peak more than two decades ago. In 1988, 13.5 million households tuned in to network TV to watch a bandanna-wearing Hulk Hogan battle 7-foot-4 André the Giant. This year, the industry's marquee brand, World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., WWE +0.52% is pushing pro wrestling online, so far signing up more than half a million subscribers to a new digital network.
But wrestling events continue to proliferate at small venues around the country. Every week, dozens of promotions that are run by second- and third-tier companies hold hundreds of bouts. Many wrestlers work for little money while hoping to get discovered by the WWE and eventually get six-figure incomes.
Then there are groups like the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance, one more notch down. The ultra-low-budget operations follow the basic professional-wrestling formula—plots with clearly defined villains and good guys—and put fans into a frenzy with ringside taunts and body slams off the ropes.
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Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 4:44 pm
by GFB
I never watched any of that..but my older brother did for a while..so it was on.
He liked Gorilla Monsoon, and was it Bo Bo Brazil?
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 4:52 pm
by Red Oak
Sure - on TV back in the 60s from the North Side Coliseum and the Sportorium.
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:02 pm
by John in Plano
Didn't watch wrestling.
Did watch some roller derby, LA Thunderbirds, as a kid.
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:07 pm
by tx3653
My dad was a big fan. Started going to the house shows with him when I was 10 or so. Have been watching it off & on ever since. Don't like the TNA group of wrestlers and the WWE has some really crappy guys in their stable now. If I watch at all, it is a program I have DVRed and can fast forward thru about 75% of it.
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:09 pm
by GRANDPA
Yes, when I was a kid, but not since. The favorite bad guy was Handsome Harley Race. The good guys were Danny Little Bear & Rufus Jones I think all the matches were in Kansas City.
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:21 pm
by BillB
Yep, watched a lot of it during the 1950s.
My grandmother was a big fan. She believed every bit of it was real.
I remember Duke Keomuka, "Dangerous" Danny Savage, Farmer Jones (brought a pig into the ring with him), Rito Romero, Black Guzman, etc.
Keomuka had a stomach claw that paralyzed his victim's diaphragm so he couldn't breath. They would bring a team of medics with some sort of respirator into the ring to keep him alive then carry him out on a stretcher.
My grandmother would get so upset my mother had to make her quit watching it.
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:27 pm
by Gopher
Red Oak wrote:Sure - on TV back in the 60s from the North Side Coliseum and the Sportorium.
Up until the mid 80's I guess. Watched the WCCW bunch from Dallas and when most of those guys moved to Atlanta on WTBS I switched to. Lost interest when the WWF bunch took over.
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:28 pm
by Sangersteve
I heard it was fake........ but come on how do you fake something like the iron claw?
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:29 pm
by BillB
Sangersteve wrote:I heard it was fake........ but come on how do you fake something like the iron claw?
I thought boxing was a lot more honest until I saw the Liston-Clay fights.
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:30 pm
by LibraryLady
Yes, it was a staple in our household.
Early 1950s we had no TV, but my aunt/uncle did. Every Friday night we went to their home and watched on a tiny TV.
Later, when we had a TV, we watched every Friday night (Houston market).
Some of the names I remember: Gorgeous George, ---Danny
It was very popular entertainment at that time.
I don't think I have watched wrestling since I was about 14.
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:44 pm
by DevonSmith
Yes. Listened to Dan Coats every Saturday night.
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 6:09 pm
by Red Oak
And Paul Bosch !
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 7:03 pm
by LibraryLady
Red Oak wrote:And Paul Bosch !
yes!
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 7:05 pm
by Allen
Gopher wrote:Red Oak wrote:Sure - on TV back in the 60s from the North Side Coliseum and the Sportorium.
Up until the mid 80's I guess. Watched the WCCW bunch from Dallas and when most of those guys moved to Atlanta on WTBS I switched to. Lost interest when the WWF bunch took over.
Probably about the mid 80's here too. I tuned out shortly after David Von Erich died. That wasn't the cause of it, just lost interest.
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 7:13 pm
by Allen
LibraryLady wrote:Yes, it was a staple in our household.
Early 1950s we had no TV, but my aunt/uncle did. Every Friday night we went to their home and watched on a tiny TV.
Later, when we had a TV, we watched every Friday night (Houston market).
Some of the names I remember: Gorgeous George, ---Danny
It was very popular entertainment at that time.
I don't think I have watched wrestling since I was about 14.
Sounds a lot like the stories my Dad told me. I remember him mentioning Gorgeous George. They had no TV either and watched it at a neighbors.
I don't remember where he said the shows originated from at that time. Were they national, or did the big names tour through the smaller markets like they did later? Wondering because he grew up in rural areas of East Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Outside of Little Rock and maybe Nashville on a good day I don't think they were close enough to any decent sized city that would have hosted their own wrestling by antenna back then.
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 7:43 pm
by BillB
A few big names like Gorgeous George and Lou Thesz toured nationally.
The rest of them here made the Dallas - Fort Worth - Houston - OK City circuit.
In the early-mid 1950s we had Dallas, Fort Worth and Chicago wrestling. It was Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. I don't remember which came on when.
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 7:51 pm
by Sangersteve
I originally wrote this story on June 10, 1988, for the wrestling program at The Sportatorium. That World Famous Arena met it's end this year, as it was demolished. Allow me to take you back in time, and pay tribute to this unique building that I love so much.
Even a five year-old child can sit on the front row of The Sportatorium and feel it. When the bell rings at 8:00 pm on Friday nights, that huge, silver, metallic building on the corner of Industrial Blvd. and Cadiz Street comes alive!
When you visit The World Famous wrestling arena, you can’t help but to think about the days gone by. “If only one of the pews in the front row could talk!” I’ve heard that one a thousand times. No, the pews can’t talk, but I know somebody that can. That man is Bill Hines.
The following history was personally given to me in an interview with Mr. Bill Hines. Bill Hines was the maintenance man at The Sportatorium from 1950 until 1988. I knew that with 38 years of eating, drinking, and sleeping in The Sportatorium, he could tell me all I wanted to know. And boy, was I right!
http://www.percypringle.com/Story-Time/ ... orium.html
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 8:57 pm
by BigTex
Big wrestling fan, but oddly I never went to the Sportatorium - which I now regret.
When WCCW started to fizzle out I turned my attention to the WWF. Saw a couple of those in person. But the story lines got too amped up for me and now I only pay attention to who has died.
Re: Did you watch pro wrestling as a youngster?
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 9:43 pm
by bodine
As a kid we watched the Saturday night wrestling on KTVT; mainly because that was the only interesting thing on TV.
About the only wrester I remember was Ivan Putski...