Million Posts Challenge - Wrestling from the past

ChiefGator

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Since OX wants 1M posts this year I thought I would try to help him out. I am going to be making threads here on things of interest to me. If you want to participate that is fine, if not fine also. OX can put a stop to them any time and I might get bored and stop anyhow.

First up is Wrestling from the past.
I like many of you grew up in Florida with Championship Wrestling from Florida. I also visited Chicago and know something about Memphis as well.

Back then Wrestling was a fragmented business, not a national one with pay for views and the internet as it is today. Few if any females wrestling, more like French Maids (Woo). Not so much bloviating in the ring or owners taking up time whining either.
 

ChiefGator

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Eddie Graham - Eddie Graham - Wikipedia

The boss and as far as I know inventor of the figure 4 death lock, the counter made this something few today use other than Charlotte Flair as far as I know.
 

stephenPE

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I was a big fan of that Fla wrassling up till about 12. Then I saw it live at the Miami Beach Convention Hall. But it was good times at my grandmother's house in Gville (she could get channel 12 from Jax) when Gordon Solie came on.
 

ChiefGator

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Andre the Giant - André the Giant - Wikipedia

As far as I know he was never in Florida, but he is thought to be the best and one that if the script did not call for his defeat would never lose.
 

ChiefGator

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Wahoo McDaniel - Wahoo McDaniel - Wikipedia

One of my favorites, a real Native American and a Dolphin as well. Back then pro football did not pay that well so he did both at the same time.
 

ChiefGator

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Traditionally wrestling had heels from countries that the US did not like. With a world wide system now this is less popular but still exists. A great example and a great wrestler was the Great Malenko, see that Great is appropriate.

Boris Malenko - Wikipedia
 

ChiefGator

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I am going to leave this thread here and see if others can add some of their favorites, not to mention my eyes are getting tired. Participate as you want.
 

cover2

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Seemed like everybody's favorite here in the Tallahassee area about the time you are talking about was Jack Briscoe, a master of the Figure Four. His popularity eventually gave way to...
 

cover2

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...the American Dream/Dusty Rhodes! The bleach blonde, over weight, sh!t talking, ex-college football player turned the rednecks in Florida upside down. With his bionic elbow and repartee, he was a natural showman.
 

ChiefGator

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...the American Dream/Dusty Rhodes! The bleach blonde, over weight, sh!t talking, ex-college football player turned the rednecks in Florida upside down. With his bionic elbow and repartee, he was a natural showman.

And his first partner Dick Murdock, and unless I remember wrongly he was not that over weight when he arrived. I remember the masked rider when he lost a match got banned and returned riding a horse. Interesting memories that I almost never think about.
 

cover2

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And his first partner Dick Murdock, and unless I remember wrongly he was not that over weight when he arrived. I remember the masked rider when he lost a match got banned and returned riding a horse. Interesting memories that I almost never think about.
He was a little pudgy, but his success (and $) most likely helped his waistline grow. The fact that he wasn't chiseled up like the guys you see now made him appealing to us rednecks.
 

ChiefGator

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There was a great series of matches between Jack Brisco and Dorey Funk Jr. for the world championship. I remember Funk Sr. in a Texas death match that was a classic. perhaps my memory fails me a brief search turned up no such match.
 

GR8 2B

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...the American Dream/Dusty Rhodes! The bleach blonde, over weight, sh!t talking, ex-college football player turned the rednecks in Florida upside down. With his bionic elbow and repartee, he was a natural showman.
My dad was in the military, so we moved around a bit, but I spent my high school years in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. Watching wrestling was not on the list of Top 10 things to do each week, but I watched enough to know who was who among the more popular stars. At the end of my senior year, I turned 18 in May, graduated in June, Dad retired in July, we moved to the Clearwater area in August, and I was in Gainesville at Freshman Orientation before September. Big summer!

When I came home for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays that first year, I knew 0 people at "home", outside of my immediate family and our neighbors on either side. I didn't even know where a McDonald's was. During the summer, I got a job as a busboy at a popular mob-owned steak and seafood restaurant in Redington Beach, one of the string of small beaches connecting Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach. I worked there again during the Christmas break. My shift started at 4:00. At about 5:00, I was told we had a celebrity coming in for dinner at 5:30. I had to set up a table for him in the 2nd dining room, and was told to use a circular table in the middle of the room that ordinarily sat 4 - 6 people. At about 5:35, in walked Dusty Rhodes, the American Dream! I recognized him right away. He was huge, in height, width, and girth. He had a huge head of white hair, too. Walked in with swagger, and a surly look on his face as he was taken to his table. I poured him water, and said something like, "Hi, Mr. Rhodes, it's a pleasure to have you here." He said, "Thank you." Over the next about one and a half hours, he proceeded to eat four full meals. I don't remember what he drank, but he didn't drink much water. When he left, the table was covered in used dishes and food scraps, and there were crumbs, seafood shells, and food debris in about a two-foot wide ring ALL THE WAY AROUND THE TABLE! I remember, 'cause I had to clean it up. Never saw him again off TV. What a character. Good times!
 
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cover2

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There was a great series of matches between Jack Brisco and Dorey Funk Jr. for the world championship. I remember Funk Sr. in a Texas death match that was a classic. perhaps my memory fails me a brief search turned up no such match.
The Briscoes (Jack and Jerry) had a great rivalry with the Funks (Dorey Jr. and Terry). Occasionally there would be a tag team match between the rival clans. The outcome would dominate schoolyard conversations. Around Quincy FL, the Funks from Texas way represented as Bob Clark once wrote..."insensate evil" to those of us who followed Jack Briscoe and religiously practiced the figure four on school chums, siblings, and younger relatives (gender was not a requisite). Only the lesser heeled amongst us would ever consider using Dorey Jr's signature spinning toe hold. No telling how many bootleg world championships were won at recess or grandma's house after Christmas lunch back in those days!
 

cover2

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My dad was in the military, so we moved around a bit, but I spent my high school years in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. Watching wrestling was not on the list of Top 10 things to do each week, but I watched enough to know who was who among the more popular stars. At the end of my senior year, I turned 18 in May, graduated in June, Dad retired in July, we moved to the Clearwater area in August, and I was in Gainesville at Freshman Orientation before September. Big summer!

When I came home for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays that first year, I knew 0 people at "home", outside of my immediate family and our neighbors on either side. I didn't even know where a McDonald's was. During the summer, I got a job as a busboy at a popular mob-owned steak and seafood restaurant in Redington Beach, one of the string of small beaches connecting Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach. I worked there again during the Christmas break. My shift started at 4:00. At about 5:00, I was told we had a celebrity coming in for dinner at 5:30. I had to set up a table for him in the 2nd dining room, and was told to use a circular table in the middle of the room that ordinarily sat 4 - 6 people. At about 5:35, in walked Dusty Rhodes, the American Dream! I recognized him right away. He was huge, in height, width, and girth. He had a huge head of white hair, too. Walked in with swagger, and a surly look on his face as he was taken to his table. I poured him water, and said something like, "Hi, Mr. Rhodes, it's a pleasure to have you here." He said, "Thank you." Over the next about one and a half hours, he proceeded to eat four full meals. I don't remember what he drank, but he didn't drink much water. When he left, the table was covered in used dishes and food scraps, and there were crumbs, seafood shells, and food debris in about a two-foot wide ring ALL THE WAY AROUND THE TABLE! I remember, 'cause I had to clean it up. Never saw him again off TV. What a character. Good times!
Great story! Closest I ever came was getting to meet Tommy "Wildfire" Rich in a Gentlemen's club several years back.
 

DocZaius

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Post your favorite wrestling gifs in this thread.

YAdoT.gif
 

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