Pro-Wrestling Humor & Tragedy Page Pro-Wrestling Humor & Tragedy Page
Last updated 21 April 2015
Although they leave college with their diplomas and degrees, the first objective they seek is security and a better-than-average income for their livlihoods. It is a surprising and intriguing how many of these athletes cast their eyes toward the professional wrestling ranks.
After months of rigorous training to mold their bodies into the best physical condition it is possible to attain, they then make the decision that pro-wrestling will give them the outlet they need to try their prowess.Confidence in their ability is a cardinal virtue at this point if the eager recruits hope to make a success of their chosen profession.
So, he has his first pro match. The next day, when every muscle in his body appears to be aching is the moment of decision of him. Should I continue or call it a day? He decides to work out the soreness in his body and then lines up another match. While there are many armchair cynics who take delight in maligning the sport of wrestling, if these same individuals were forced to participate in a match, I am sure they would change their minds and attitudes as to what is required to become a real wrestler.
After a couple of pro matches, the eager new recruit now realizes that he must deny himself many things in order to continue his mat career. I know of no other athlete who sacrifices more of the comforts of life in order to forge ahead with the idea of reaching the top of his chosen profession.
So, he books himself for appearances four and five nights a week under the jurisdiction of a number of promoters. If he is married, he has to forego seeing his wife and family for long periods of time in order to fulfill his engagements from city to city. It is not the most glamouous life in the world, to say the least. Constant travel, eating at all hours of the day and night, and pushing on to his next engagement. He lives with constant turmoil and aggravation. However, if he is rewarded for those sacrifices by coming up with victories then he decides that the life is all worthwhile, especially when promoters start to book him for appearances from coast to coast. Many successful performers are ble to earn incomes which run into six figures and when that happens he is willing to weather all obstacles that can stand in the way of his continued success.
I have given the readers this treatise with hte idea of axcquainting them with the rudiments that are necessary for the success of any modern day competitor on the mat. Now, on to some attempt to unfold aboutt the great personages of the wrestling world.
Obtaining stories and photos of wrestlers in both the U.S. and Canada is a job that requires patience. You have to keep cool under all sorts of conditions. There is an old proverb..."He who hesitates is lost".. and it certainly applies when you are on a special assignment and must get your story. In some arenas you will find some fans who are trying to go out of their way to harass some of the so-called villians, especially if they are giving a local favorite a tough time. The result is that they will throw anything they can lay their hands on in an effort to slow up the villian and his devious attacks. In the course of my job let me say that I have been pelted with popcorn, peanuts, beer, eggs and over-ripe tomatoes because I was standing between some of those fans and the villian. In that position you cannot retreat or you will lose the pictures you need to augment your story. So, you stick by your guns and do the best that you can in any situation. I have survived many ordeals of that kind and I and my Speed Graphic camera continued on down through the years to accumulate on eof the finest collections of wrestlers' photos and wrestling action in the country. The result is that now I can offer it all to the readers of Wrestling Revue with the idea that these stories may give you moments of pleasure.
It has been my pleasure and distinct privlege to have seen eleven former world champions in action. I have seen the greatest and the best in thousands of matches including most of the contenders for championship honors. I have seen the Masked Marvels, the bleached blonds, the slant-eyed Orientals, the palookas and the also-rans who contrived to offer pleasure and entertainment to a motley collection of wrestling followers who sit shoulder to shoulder and revel in amazemant at the aerial maneuvers, the flying drop kicks, the body slams, the shoulder-stands and the bear-hugs which are all on display in front of them. A wrestling audience today is a composite collection of individuals from all walks of life. As you look around you see truck drivers, doctors, lawyers, judges and even law-makers who are all bent on having a night on the town while letting loose thier pent-up emotions upon a villian who is trying to tear the hero apart. Yes, they moan, they gasp and attempt to work off the frustrations of their work-a-day existences. At the end they are just as spent physically as some of the participants, but they finally have to agree that they have had their money's worth as they leave for home and the dawn of a new day.
Among the champions I have seen in action is Ed (Strangler) Lewis whose piece-de-resistence was the most potent headlock in the business. He held the (NWA) world championship on five different occasions. In 1921 Lewis defeated champion Joe Stecher, but in 1922 Stanislaus Zbyszko took his crown away from him. Zybysko hestitated about giving Lewis a rematch, but was forced to oppose him the same year and Lewis regained his crown, which he held for three years. big Wayne Munn came along in 1925 and upset Lewis and then the same year Zbyszko defeated Munn, who then appeared to be removed from the championship picture. The third championship match in 1925 saw Joe Stecher take the crown from Zybysko at the old Federal League Baseball field in St. Louis.
Lewis came back in 1928 and bdefeated Stecher at the Coliseum in St.Louis. Then in 1929 Dynamite Gus Sonnenberg dive-tackled Lewis into defeat in Boston and along came Ed Don George in 1931 and toppled Sonnenberg. The same year Lewis defeated Ed Don George in Los angeles, and The Strangler was once more back in the championship picture for the fourth time in his career. The third championship match in 1931 saw the volatile Frenchman Henri DeGlane upset Lewis in Montreal and then Ed Don George defeated DeGlane in Boston the same year.
In the meantime, the garrulous German, Dick Shikat, had defeated Jim London in a 1929 match billed as "The World Championship" in New York, which gave him the world championship crown for the fifth time. When Jim Browning upset Lewis in 1933 in New York, it was the bow-out for Lewis as far as any more championships were concerned.
I have personally met and talked with the men whose stories I have been relating and it has been a revelation to me that men can possess such admirable characters as they have displayed during the course of their careers.
A professional wrestler is a man of extreme maginitude. He aims for a certain objective in life and then proceeds to try to make that dream come true. He must possess plenty of nerve to go into the ring night after night, regardless of consequences and possible injury. He has to try to keep his cool under all kinds of circumstances and he runs the complete gamut of emotions during the course of a match. Why must he do thise things, you ask. Simply, because it is the one thing in life that he wants to control and master. If he is successful then he can obtain almost anything he might desire in this chaotic world. So, he puts his prowess to the test. If he is found wanting he will fade into mediocrity and be just a so so performer. If he is successful it is a dream that came true for him and a better than average existence. Yes, it is all worth striving for and it is with pleasure that I unfold for you readers some of the outstanding and dominant characters in the world of professional wrestling.
One figure that you cannot help but admire is Lord Athol Layton, who is a leading contender for the British Empire Championship. If anyone possesses pomp and circumstance in his ring meanderings it is this same Lord Layton. He is a rare combination of polished finesse and great ringmanship. He has the infinite quality of knockiing off an opponent with a punishing hold or maneuver while displaying manners and savoir faire that could grace the most distinguished of English drawing rooms.
Lord Layton acquired his Emily Post code of conduct and ethics in his native Surrey, England. He left England, and World War II found him in the Australian Army in New Guinea. He took up boxing in the army and won the Australian heavyweight amateur boxing championship in 1944 when he dethroned the favorite, Don Munro of Sydney, with one punch in the first round. When the war was over he headed for Singapore and the adventures of the Far East. He wanted to get a job on the rubber plantations, but he was warned it was too dangerous for an Englishman.
"Instead they talked me into becoming a wrestler," says Layton. The Hindus were his early teachers. Eventually, he joined the troupe of Hungarian Emile Seiner, who was Greco-Roman champion of Europe. The troupe, which traveled out of Singapore, was made up of Hindus, Chinese and Malayans. Layton was the only Englishman. When they wrestled in Kluang, the bandit hot spot, Indian troops had to guard the arena to prevent attacks. The troupe traveled 500 miles from Malaya to Penang but conditions forced them to travel only in the daylight. There was plenty of excitement and they were compelled to pass through ambushes with the guards beating back the attackers from time to time so that they could proceed further. Finally, banditry became so intensified that Layton deemed it advisable to leave although he had won 116 bouts against the best that the Far East had to offer.
In 1950, he left for Canada and signed for a number of matches with Promoter Frank Tunney in Toronto and other Ontario provinces. He also appeared with success in buffalo, St. Louis and Boston. Layton once more wanted to become a rover. He craved excitement...that's the way he wrestles and that's the way he has lived, aggressive, always on the move seeking new opponents to conquer.
To the average layman, Lord Layton appears to be an all-around first class mat artist. When he first came to North America he brought with him the experience he had gained in the Orient and that was considerable. However, his overseas conquests were not known to the average wrestling fan at that time simply because he idid not believe in being a braggart about his amazing victories in th Far East. His conquests in Singapore included King Kong of Hungary, who was a 330=pound Champion of the Orient; Prince Bhu Pander of India who scaled 295 pounds, Darra Singh of India, a 6'-8" 280 pounder; Emile Korecenko of Hungary at 295 pounds and 290-pound Wong Buck Lee of Guam. He was out-weighed against all of the above named opponents.
In 1952 Lord Layton got the wanderlust once more and headed for the West Coast. He joined up with Lord James Blears and they formed one of the greatest tap-team combinations that has ever appeared in California. A war buddy of Blears, one Captian Leslie Holmes, assumed the management of the team. He engineered the matches for the duo and then appeared at ringside in immaculate tuxedo to assist them and give them instructions during thier matches. It can be said that it was Holmes' coolness on many occasions that turned what looked like apparent defeat into surprising victory. The clever managerial manipulations of Captain Holmes kept Layton and Blears in the forefront as headliners all during their association. Their astounding record included the British Empire Tag-Team Championship, the Canadian Open Tag-Team Championship in 1953, and the same year they invaded Chicago to take the World Tag-Team Championship. In 1954 they became the International T.V. Tag-Team Champions in Hollywood. Certainly, it was a record of which they could be proud. While in Hollywood, Layton took some time out of his wrestling schedule to make a movie called "The King's Thief" in which he had a principal part playing opposite petite Ann Blythe. He could have made more movies but he wanted to return to wrestling where he could always get his fill of exitement. Finally when the trio split up, Blears and Holmes remained in California where they opened up a lucrative real extate business. They sold movie stars some of those elegant estates you read about. Lord Blears did not give up wrestling entirely. He still appears in matches occasionally in California and Hawaii.
Layton returned to Canada where he became a favorite with Ontario fans.
He always came up with astonishing matches as a single performer. In tag matches he joined up with such stalwarts as Doug Hepburn, Fred Atkins, Ilio Di Paolo and Ula Maiava. One day he got a hurry-up call from Buffalo Promoter Pedro Martinez who wanted him to comment on the matches in War Memorial Auditorium. Layton was an immediate success as a commentator because he had a thorough knowledge of all holds and maneuvers displayed by the participants. His professional delivery and clipped British accent tagged him as an up-and-coming wrestling commentator of the first order. After Buffalo, he moved on to Cleveland, where the fans took him immediately to their hearts. Even hardened Cleveland sports-writers became enthralled in the manner in which Layton commented on the matches there, and that is unusual, to say the least.
When Promoter Frank Tunney in Toronto heard of the success of Layton as a commentator, he persuaded him to come to Toronto to comment on matches in Maple Leaf Garden as well as for televised studio matches in Toronto, Hamilton and Windsor. Layton's proficiency as a commentator became known far and wide and finally he was also hired by Promoter Francis Fleser in Detroit and the Motor city fans welcomed him with open arms.
In some of the interviews with wrestlers in Detroit, Layton on occasions would offer scathing rebukes to some of the grapplers for their unorthodox tactics. Sometimes a wrestler would charge back at him and challenge him to a match. When coerced into that situation Layton would accept the challenge and the next show would see him in the opposite corner ready to meet his tormentor. One whose ears he pinned back in spectacular fashion was Joe (Killer) Christie.
Although Lewis continued to wrestle, he became a victim of glaucoma and gradually lost his sight, bringing an end to his illustrious career on the mat. When blindness caused his retirement, the astute Lewis became "Wrestling's Good Will Ambassador." He lectured before colleges and many clubs throughout the nation and always hailed wrestling as the greatest body-builder for youths. When he died a year ago he was mourned by everyone in the wrestling fraternity. During his career Lewis was always on the look-out for talented youngsters who had joined the professional wrestling ranks. He became manager and confidant of Lou Thesz, a Lithuanian lad, tho had his first professional match at nineteen years of age, Thesz came under the expert guidance of Lewis who predicted that Thesz had all of the necessary qualities to become a world champion.
True to Lewis's prediction, Thesz flashed across the championship horizon on Decamber 29, 1937 when he toppled the crown from the head of Everett Marshall in St. Louis. On a cold February night in 1938 the sturdy Irishman Steve (Crusher) Casey defeated Thesz in Boston after which confusion arose over the status of Casey because he went overseas instead of remaining in the U.S to defend his title.
In September 1938, The National Wrestling Association, at it's convention in Montreal, recognized Marshall as the champion, and gave two reasons. Casey was out of the country, and Marshall had been disqualified in his bout with Casey because Casey had been thrown out of the ring. The decision was reversed when Billy Sandow, Marshall's manager, pointed out that "the action was not deliberate." Marshall, through the NWA's edict, was sanctioned as champion once more. Thesz came right back on February 23, 1939 and toppled Marshall from the throne in St. Louis. Bronko Nagurski now came into the picture using body blocks nad other gridiron tactics to upset Thesz in Houston, Texas, on June 23, 1939.
From 1939 to 1947, the championship changed hands on eight occasions. On March 7, 1940, Ray Steele defeated Nagurski in St. Louis. On March 11, 1941, Nagurski defeated Steele in Minneapolis, and the latter faded from the championship picture. The Hungarian, Sandor Szabo, beat Nagurski in St. Louis on June 5, 1941. Wild Bill Longson unhorsed Szabo in St. Louis February 19, 1942. The Canadian, Yvon Robert, toppled Longson in Montreal Octover 7, 1942. robert lost the crown to Bobby Managoff on November 27, 1942 in Houston, Texas. Two months later Longson defeated Manoff in St. Louis February 19, 1943 and then held onto the crown until 1947 when he was defeated by Whipper Billy Watson on February 21, 1947 in St. Louis. Then Thesz assumed the championship throne for the third time when he defeated Watson in St. Louis April 25, 1947. Wild Bill Longson then upset Thesz on November 21, 1947 in St. Louis but Thesz assumed the throne for the fourth time when he side-tracked Longson in Indianapolis July 20, 1948.
In 1949 The National Wrestling Alliance at it's convention in St. Louis recognized Thesz as it's world champion. Orville Brown, who had been recognized by the NWA as it's champion since it's organization in July, 1948 had to relinquish his claim because he was forced to retire from the ring due to injuries he sustained in an auto accident. He had been matched with Thesz in a title bout.
On March 15, 1956 Whipper Billy Watson defeated Thesz in Toronto, but in a rematch Thesz stopped Watson in St. Louis, November 9, 1956, to assume the championship for the fifth time in his career. Dick Hutton, the Oklahoma fireball, then upset Thesz in Toronto November 14, 1957. Irish Pat O'Connor then assumed the throne when he toppled Hutton in St. Louis January 9, 1959.
In a title match that Chicago fans still talk about Buddy Rogers pinned an exhausted Pat O'Connor at Wrigley Field before 43,000 fans, June 30, 1961. Lou Thesz then established a world record when he defeated Rogers in Toronto January 24, 1963 to become world champion for the sixth time and he has been heralded as one of the greatest champions in the annals of wrestling. He had exceeded the record of his former manager, Strangler Lewis who had held the title five times. Who said the champions don't come back? Floyd Patterson did it in boxing in his second match with Ingemar Johansson and Thesz removed all doubts of his supremacy by wearing the world championship crown on six occasions.
There were times in Thesz's career when he tried to retire to his ranch in San Diego. But this lad had wrestling in his blood from the time that he first stepped through the ropes of a ring for combat. Yes, he tried to retire, but the roar of the crowd and the nightly contact with opponents on the mat were too much for him to throw aside. Today, Thesz still goes into action, not because he needs the money, but only because he loves the game that gave him wealth and fame, and he will continue to do so until he really sees the "handwriting on the wall" as an active competitor. Orchids to one of wrestling's greatest. He gave of his best when he was in the swim, so know let the best come back to him in memories which he can hold dear to the end of time.
During the past year Layton has been the target of The Sheik and his wily manager, Abdullah (The Weasel) Farouk. Their TV interviews became hot and heavy, but to save face Layton did not hesitate to take up their challenge for a match. During an interview previous to the match, The Sheik picked up a steel chair in the studio and brought it crashing down upon the head of Layton causing contusions and other injuries. The incident side-tracked Layton for about a month and he took a trip to Australia to recuperate. Upon his return to Detroit Layton demanded a return match with The sheik as he wanted to repay him in full for the humiliation he suffered at the hands of the wild Syrian. Promoter Fleser lost no time in getting a contract signed for the renewal feud and the fans flocked into Cobo Arena with the hope that Layton would retaliate in his well-known manner. When the match started it was apparent that Layton had every intention of righting the wrong which had been perpetrated upon him by The Sheik. He dug into his bag of tricks and appeared to have The Sheik on the run. Layton was using heavy judo chops to The sheik's jaw and neck and was visibly slowing down his attacks when the unexpected happened. In close quarters The Sheik reached inside his trunks and drew forth a flash of light which he waved across Layton's eyes. Layton dropped heavily to the mat in agony. The flame had scorched his eyes and he became immobilized once more at the hands of The Sheik. As this story is being written Layton is once more recuperating in Australia. When he returns the first thing he wants is another match with The Sheik.
He wants the opportunity, once and for all, to revenge the two insults that have been visited upon him by his chief tormentor. You can say what you will, but Layton has the moxie and the desire to make this next vendetta between he and The Sheik something to write home about.
Champions come and champions go, but one man who ascended to the world championship on two occasions was the highly respected Whipper Billy Watson. When he first became a pro-wrestler he was a light heavyweight and he went to England for a couple of years. He contantly endeavored to add more weight and after a series of matches in Englan he returned to Canada as a full fledged heavyweight. Watson came into national prominence in 1947 when he defeated champion Wild Bill Longson in St. Louis. On April 25, the same year, Lou Thesz toppled Watson from the throne in St. Louis. Thesz held the crown until 1956 when Watson again defeated Thesz in Toronto on March 15.
Thesz always attempted to regain his crown each time he lost it on six occasions. On November 9, 1956 he defeated Watson in St. Louis which seemed to bring Watson's championship hopes to an end.
Although Watson still wrestles in the Canadian provinces, in recent years he has become Promoter Tunney's right hand man and handles matches in Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Brantford and other cities. Other championships Watson has held are the British Empire Championship and the Canadian Open Tag-Team Championship with Bulldog Dick Brower as his partner.
At one time Watson aspired to be a violinist. However, he decided that wrestling was to be his life's vocation and that was why he vacame a wrestler instead of drawing the hairs of a horse's tail across the intestines of a feline quadruped. Watson is known far and wide for his work as an humanitarian. Each year at his own expense he travels through the Canadian provinces attempting to rehabilitate crippled children thereby making thier lives more happy. He will continue to wrestle until he feels "the hand-writing is on the wall" as far as being an active mat competitor is concerned. When that day comes he will retire.
During his championship days Watson always believed that a scientific approach to wrestling would overcome any unorthodox tactics by his opponents. That supposition made him a victim of many injuries which temporarily halted his career on munerous occasions. But, Watson was made of the stuff that would not allow him to be sidetracked very long.
He survived his injuries and always came back inbued with the idea that his mat career had to continue despite any handicaps. That desire compelled him to study a couple of favorite holds which could be used upon opponents when he was hard pressed in battle. His repertoire of holds consisted of nerve holds which could weaken the arms, neck and shoulders of opponents and render them almost helpless; his famous "Whip" hold which sould see an adversary fade into no resistance and gave him many victories along with his Commando Unconscious hold which was his own version of the Sleeper Hold and it must be said that those holds were lethal weapons in his arsenal of trade secrets. At the present time Whipper is expounding the intricacies of the mat to his son, Whipper Watson, Jr. who, during the past year, has joined the pro ranks. Under Senior's guidance young Watson is being carefully groomed to uphold the Watson name and it is said that the youngster has championship qualities, according to reports of some of his first professional engagements. That Whipper Billy Watson, Sr. is highly respected by all in the wrestling fraternity cannot be denied. He is a fitting example of the type of modern thletes who upholds all of the traditions upon which the sport of wrestling was founded. He will go down in the annals of wrestling as one of the most revered individuals the sport has ever produced, and it is an honor that he has earned.
Although professional wrestling is among the most hectic of body contact sports today, it remains for some of the participants to add a little humor during a match. In my storehouse of memories there are many incidents which I have viewed which are good for chuckles and belly laughs. One lad who could draw smiles from even Ed Sullivan is Lee (Bulldog) Henning.
In appearance he is a blown-up version of Joe Palooka of cartoon fame and possesses the cognomen as "The man with 1,000 faces." I recall one night in Niagrara Falls when Henning had faced a rough, tough opponent who insisted on tying him up in such a fashion that he could hardly move. Here he was, tied up securely, and just did not know whaat to do next to escape his predicament. He looked down at a ringsider in the first row who was laughing at Henning and The bulldog remared, "Yeah, you're laughing at me...what would you do if you were in my position?" The spectator thought for a moment and then said, "By the looks of things about the only thing you can do is give up." But, did Henning take his advice? To the contrary, he squirmed and wiggled loose from the hold and then went on to defeat his tormentor, to the plaudits of the surprised crowd. Henning then looked at the fan who had laughed at him and said, "You have just seen that noghing is impossible because I have just hooked another victory to my belt." the fans stopped laughing and gave him full credit for his triumph. On another occasion in Buffalo, N.Y., it was a cold february night and Henning came into the ring with full regalia from top to bottom. Looking over the crowd he noticed the fans giving him the ha-ha? He lookied at the fans in the first row and said, "You people don't appreciate the nicer things in life...I just got this outfit from Dior" and the fans yowled for several minutes. Another comical bit which Henning can portray with the eclat of a seasoned performer involves seven college lads. When he takes all seven parts it is a humorous gem that is bound to enliven any party or gathering. It is a situation that you have to see to fully appreciate and it certainly stamps Henning as one of the funniest lads in the wrestling business. When you see him perform it brings home the fact that Henning could have been a huge success as a stand-up comic on TV. He may entertain that notion some day and he would be a success at it. I happened to be a guest once at a party at Crystal Beach, Canada, and when Henning put on his act he could rightfully be compared with such entertainers as Rodney Dangerfield, David Frye, Sid Caesar, Groucho Marx and others in the comedy category. All you can say about an individual who can give you laughs in thse hectic days is that he is worth his weight in gold and 245 pounds of the yellow stuff would amount to a small fortune. That is Lee (Bulldog) Henning in a nutshell. He can make you smile just by looking at him. And that is a talent that is priceless.
Yes, the vagaries of pro-wrestling are varied and many. Sometimes to break the tension of a match, a wrestler will come up with a comical bit which he has contrived to make the customers laugh. It brings to my mind another lad who gave the fans many laughs. He is Dancing Dick Nelson. Before instructions by the referee, Nelson enters the ring and he is perpetual motion. He struts a dance to the tune of "Tea for two" and shuffles around the four sides of the ring keeping perfect time to the tune which is in his mind. He is oblivious to anyone else, including his amazed opponent. On one occasion Nelson's opponent was Pancho Lopez, a Mexican firebrand, who also possed some eccentricities of his own. He stood and watched Nelson doing his dance routine for a couple of moments and then abruptly left the ring and went down and sat with fans in the first row to watch Nelson until he completed the performance. Ringsiders really got a kick out of that gesture, and it made a pleasant evening all around. Neldon's fame as a dancing wrestler was given wide publicity. So much so that he was invited as a guest to Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Carson, in a sly manner, asked Nelson if wrestling was really on the up-and-up or rehearsed in any way. Nelson jumped into action but when he wanted to demonstrate a body-slam on Carson in the studio the latter called a halt and was ready to beleive what Nelson had told him about the business.
Another champion I have been privileged to see in action is Gene Kiniski of Alberta, Canada, who toppled Thesz from the championship throne on January 7, 1966. He proved to be a real champion and met all of the challengers for his crown for three years and was finally unhorsed by Dory Funk, Jr., the current champion, in Tampa, Florida, on February 11, 1969. As a youngster in highschool, Gene excelled in wrestling, football and hockey. He was a veritable terror on the gridiron and some of his devastating tackles will be remembered by his opponents of highschool days as long as they live. After graduating from highschool, Gene received a football cholarship to attend the University of Arizona. At U.of A. he majored in physical education and minored in psychology. This new terror of the wrestling wars had a solid background as an amateur. He wrestled in the simon-pure ranks for six years. He won the Western Canadian Heavyweight Championship in 1947, 1948 and 1949. He also won the Arizona State Heavyweight Championship in 1950 and 1951, plus the Boarder Conference Heavyweight title for three years. When he graduated from the University of Arizona Gene went back to Canada and played professional football with the Edmonton Eskimos. He had refused a contract from the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League to accept the better Canadian offer. His work for the Eskimos was outstanding and no more rugged a left tackle has ever played in the Canadian League, as many of his opponents will testify.
He was an enigma on offense. It is said that he actually used to spit in the faces of opposing linemen and then actually run right over them to make holes for is buddies in the backfield. ON the Eskimo team were two other collegians who went into pro football and later, along with Gene became professional wrestlers. They were Joe Blanchard and wilbur Snyder, who today are stars in pro-wrestling.
In mat action Kiniski on occasion goes completely berserk in dealing out assorted mayhem and abuse upon opponents. He has a swashbuckling, devil-may-care, come-what-may, lay-there-and -bleed attack that is startling to behold. He actually takes many of his adversarites apart with a concentrated, unfridled offensive that keeps the spectators on the edge of their seats throughout a match.
All of this brings to mind an episode that happened in Niagara Falls a few years back. It was Queen Victoria Day and promoter Frank Tunney had arranged an afternoon card of matches at War Memorial Auditorium where a merry crowd had gathered to see the show, and a show it was.
Kiniski appeared in one match. As he came into the ring to the hoots of the happy gathering, one ringside wag threw a firecracker into the ring. It landed behind Kiniski and exploded. Kiniski grabbed his side as if he had been shot and then beat a hasty retreat to the dressing room faster then he had ever traveled on the gridiron. When Kiniski returned after the crtowd had gone wild with laughter for five minutes, he looked at ringsiders and said, "Wiseguys, huh." You had to see the incident to fully appreciate it. Kiniski later was imported into Buffalo by promoter Pedro Martinez. In his first appearance before a Buffalo audience, it is possible that he wanted to make himself known in more ways than one while making his initial bow there. Instead of walking down the aisle to the ring, Kiniski was seen actually walking oer the heads of ringsiders, who sat in dismay at Kiniski's lack of manners. One fan remarked "Why you big clod-hopper, why are you walking over our heads instead of using the aisle to the ring?" "Listen, let me tell you people something. You are looking at a future world champion tonight, so don't say that I diddn't warn you" remarked Kiniski. It was a statement that came true in later years because Kiniski sat on the championship throne on the night of January 7th, 1966 when he toppled Lou Thesz in St. Louis for a surprising upset.
In televised matches, Kiniski really established himself as a villain of the first order. He fefeated young Maurice LaPoint in a record 42 seconds and then brazenly remarked to sportscaster Roger Baker, "Now you'll have plenty of time for your commercial." In his next televised match he threw 285-pound Karl Karlsson right into the laps of ringsiders to establish himself as an overnight star. He had arrived with a bang. Baron Gattoni was the big attraction of the time in Buffalo. He had run up a series of victories against assorted opponents. Now Kiniski wanted the opportunity to remove Gattoni from his gigh pedestal and demanded a match with the burly Italian. The match was signed and drew 8,500 spectators. Kiniski was a demon that night. He smashed Gattoni from pillar to post with an all-out offensive of furious attacks that left Gattoni battered and bleeding in the resin dust. that victory catapulted Kiniski into star status. then a series of matches against Whipper Billy Watson drew more than 124,000 spectators during the season to establish Kiniski as one of the greatest attractions to ever appear in the Queen City of the Lakes.
When he came up with victories over the late Yukon Eric and Pat O'Connor he moved right into the coveted position as leading contender for world championship honors.
Kiniski became champion January 7, 1966 when he fefeated Lou Thesz in St. Louis. On February 11, 1969 Kiniski then lost his crown to the young Texas Dory Funk, Jr. after a hectic match in Tampa, Florida.
Today, Kiniski makes no bones about the fact that he intends to regain the world championship crown. Since Funk took the crown away from him he has met the Texan on a couple occasions in rematches but was defeated. If persistence means anything Kiniski could regain the crown one of these nights.
If you have any comments, I can be reached via email at Hack-Man@twc-online.com