When Wrestling Was Rasslin'

by Birkholz, Wrestling Promoter Peter

  I was only seventeen and could not fully appreciate the significance of that day. It's strange how often we do that when we're young. As I look back, I feel overwhelmed with gratitude--grateful that my uncle invited me along that special day, and grateful to Nagurski for sharing dozens and dozens of football and wrestling stories. He not only told some great stories, but he also answered this young storyteller’s many questions. Looking back, I think Nagurski got a special kick out of retelling those stories to a young man, who sat there with mouth wide open and eyes as big as saucers.

  He showed me his hands, and how each one of his fingers went in several different directions due to numerous broken fingers he suffered while playing football or wrestling. He reminded me that he used to play both ways in football. Then with a tremendous swell of pride, he talked about how, in those days, when you broke a finger you never took yourself out of the game. He said if you did then your teammates would call you a sissy. (Actually Nagurski had a more descriptive football term.) If a finger was broken, all you would do was run over to the sideline and they would quickly tape the finger to your other fingers in-between plays. Then you kept playing. “Those were the days,” he said with a sigh, chest swelled full of pride.

  Paul Boesch had made arrangements with NASA in Clear Lake for Bronko Nagurski to receive a special VIP tour of the agency and the new space lab that was about to be launched. NASA was thrilled to death to have Nagurski come out for the tour. NASA had their official reporter and photographer ready. As the photographer was snapping away and the reporter was asking his questions, doors opened up all along the hall we walked. Meetings were adjourned so that officials and astronauts could come out and meet Nagurski. In 1971, astronauts were considered national heroes, and rightfully so. Even forty years later, I still vividly remember how the astronauts crowded around Nagurski like a group of boys on the playground shaking his hand and getting his autograph! Thank you Lord! It was a very special day.

  Professional football was Nagurski's first love. However the sport was struggling and he was not making much money. After the early seasons ended, professional football promoters would bill special “All-Star” football games around the country as they tried to make enough money to survive. Both promoters and players tried to a make a buck any way they could. Bronko Nagurski talked about how sometimes four to six football players would pile into one car and drive all night to save motel expenses, as they traveled up to one thousand miles to the next All-Star game. Remember, these were the days before automobile air conditioning and four-lane interstates. Pay-offs were as low as ten to twenty dollars a player.

  Nagurski told me the story about a trip he made to Texas when he was booked for an All-Star game in San Antonio. He called Houston Wrestling promoter Morris Sigel and asked if he needed a wrestler the Friday night before the game. Nagurski had already been wrestling professionally around different parts of the country. Local promoters always jumped at the opportunity to have Nagurski on their wrestling card. His reputation sold a lot of tickets and added prestige to their promotion. Sigel quickly signed him. Nagurski told me how he made $350 wrestling for Sigel, and only $25 playing football in San Antonio that Saturday. He finished the story by explaining that he played football because he loved the sport, but he wrestled because he loved to eat.

  The fact that Nagurski wrestled to supplement his football income did not mean he was not a great professional wrestler. He was a superb athlete and did well in any competitive sport. Nagurski became a huge hit both at the box office and in the ring. He has been credited for winning the World Heavyweight Championship at least three times and could have been World Champion on even more occasions because professional wrestling records at that time were not well-recorded. Regardless of how many times Nagurski was recognized as the World Heavyweight Champion, he was without a doubt one of the most gifted and toughest athletes to ever step inside the ring.

  Bronko Nagurski has been inducted into every professional wrestling Hall of Fame. This great honor gives him the distinction of being voted into the Hall of Fames of two different professional sports. His wrestling folklore is just as abundant as in football. There will be more wrestling stories about Nagurski as the story of Houston Wrestling continues. He was a great man, a superb athlete, and a true sports legend!

  How does a storyteller separate fact from fiction in the case of Bronko Nagurski? Should he even try? Perhaps that is what makes Nagurski's tales a great story--it is yet another one told by a thousand voices.

  Nagurski and Savoldi were not the only professional football players who made the switch from football to wrestling because of money. They were followed by dozens of other superstars who also left the gridiron for the much greener grass of the wrestling ring.

  As professional wrestling and professional football were emerging nationwide, Houston Wrestling was emerging as a premier wrestling promotion. It would continue to produce fascinating history and folklore as it entered the 1930s.

  HOUSTON WRESTLING IN THE THIRTIES

  The decade of the thirties was a precarious time for both America and the Houston Wrestling promotion. It was the time of the Great Depression and a time of radical cultural changes in American society. It was also a time of radical change for professional sports as struggling promotions were going out of business from coast to coast.

  The hard times made life difficult, and in some cases outright brutal, for millions of Americans. While the Depression put people out of work and bankrupted businesses, it also created unique opportunities. People were looking for an escape from the harsh realities of the real world, desperately trying to find heroes and hope.

  The story of Houston Wrestling would not be complete without one such sports hero, a very special Houston phenomenon who called himself “Whiskers Savage.” Some sources claim promoter Morris Sigel gave him that name, while others claim that Whiskers Savage himself was responsible for creating the character that will live in Houston Wrestling folklore forever.

  According to Paul Boesch and others, Whiskers Savage was not much of an athlete or wrestler. However, he was one of the biggest box office attractions in Houston Wrestling history. He burst onto the scene during the Great Depression, and his gimmick character was perfect for the economic hard times. He dressed as a very poor farmer trying to make an honest living. He was so poor that he could not afford wrestling tights, wrestling boots, or a belt to hold up his worn-out jeans. He had to use a piece of rope tied around his waist so that his pants would stay up. What a perfect gimmick character during the heart of the Depression!

  Houston Wrestling fans could really relate to Whiskers Savage. They scraped together whatever pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters they could to buy a ticket to Houston Wrestling on Friday nights. Fans stood in long lines just for the chance to see their hero take on the bad guys and come out victorious.

  As part of his gimmick, Whiskers brought his “pet chicken” to the ring and place the chicken on the top turnbuckle, where it remained until the match was over. All the wrestling fans thought he had a very well trained pet chicken. The fact of the matter was that with that many screaming fans the chicken was so scared he would not move. Lucky for Whiskers, the humane society was either not in existence or not aware of his “pet.” If the truth was known, it may have destroyed Whiskers’ gimmick.

  Whiskers did not call the sport wrestling, but “scuffling.” He told fans that he loved to scuffle, and acted amazed that someone would actually pay him to scuffle. He had a broad smile and a happy attitude, a breath of fresh air at a time many Houstonians needed it.

  What an amusing sight that must have been, watching that huge bearded man walking down the aisle with his “pet chicken” Sometimes he had the chicken on a leash. You have to love things like this--characters that only appear in professional wrestling!

  Whiskers may not have been a champion wrestler. He was, however, a champion showman. Houston Wrestling fans loved him! One could make a very convincing argument that it was be
cause they could all identify with him; he was just a poor hard-working American trying to make an honest living. Morris Sigel worked that angle to the hilt and made good money while other businesses were closing their doors.

  The Friday nights at Houston Wrestling featuring Whiskers Savage not only gave wrestling fans a temporary relief from the harsh realities of the Depression, but hope as well. Hope that, just like Whiskers Savage, they could be victorious over the forces of evil. Historians write of the tremendous faith that Americans maintained during the Great Depression in spite of their overwhelming hardships. In Houston, hopeful wrestling fans not only had faith in America, they had faith in Whiskers Savage.

  There was trouble brewing all over the world in the thirties, and Houston Wrestling provided an escape and reassurance that good could win over evil. Evil may win a battle here and there; however in professional wrestling, good always prevails. That fantasy helped them face harsh reality.

  Out of all the regional promotions, Houston Wrestling was responsible for providing fans with most of the superstars of the day. Many of these men went on to become successful business leaders and professional wrestling promoters.

  One cannot truly appreciate the color and glamor of Houston Wrestling without considering tough, arrogant, dynamic “Irish” Danny McShane. Danny McShane started wrestling in Texas in the thirties and continued an illustrious career that kept him wrestling over four decades. Danny McShane was born in rural Arkansas in 1912. He began his career the day he became legal age--his first match was the night he turned eighteen. He lost, which didn’t sit well with him. Over time, McShane developed his fighting skills and became an exceptional wrestler and boxer.

  McShane stood 5’ 11” tall and during most of his wrestling career weighed just a little over 200 pounds. He was not as big as most of the top heavyweight contenders of that time; however, pound for pound, he may have been one of the toughest wrestlers to ever compete in the business. He was so tough and talented that he won not only the World Light Heavyweight Championship but also the World Junior Heavyweight Championship.

  In addition to those two titles, McShane held numerous state and regional titles in the heavyweight division. It is no wonder that the proud Irishman never lacked for self-confidence. In fact, McShane had a swagger no other wrestler could match. Through the years, many tried to imitate his stride, but they could never duplicate it.

  Besides his talent and toughness, McShane had a tremendous flair for showmanship. He was one of the first to wear long, fancy, beautiful robes. He knew how to talk the talk and walk the walk. I can still remember the McShane victory “strut” and the way he swiveled his hips so arrogantly that wrestling fans wanted to wring his neck. He was one of the first who knew how to put on a show.

  His style and many tours of southern California made him wanted by Hollywood. Movie star Danny Kaye seemed to always find a part for McShane. He also had roles in various movies and was seen on several occasions socializing with Hollywood’s most famous stars.

  “Irish” Danny McShane also earned the nickname “Dangerous” Danny McShane because of the fact that two of his opponents tragically died after wrestling him. Some claim it was McShane’s controversial pile driver that killed them. In the pile driver, a wrestler would place the head of his opponent between his legs, then hoist the wrestler into the air. He would then drop his opponent on his head with the full weight of both wrestlers slamming the unprotected skull onto the hard wrestling ring. The two men were not killed in the ring, but sadly passed away a few hours after the match.

  Did McShane’s pile driver kill the wrestlers, or was it tragic timing and both wrestlers died due to other causes? McShane didn't intend to hurt the men, and after the second death, it was said that he almost quit wrestling. For the rest of his life, McShane never wanted to talk about those incidents

  On a more personal note, McShane was not nearly as arrogant as his wrestling character. On many occasions, he showed a lot of class in helping other people and being a gentleman to the ladies. Danny McShane married Sallee Lewin, the sister of professional wrestlers Mark and Don Lewin. He made a heck of an impression. The first time Sallee laid eyes on the rugged Irishman was at a match between McShane and her brother, Don. She watched in horror as Dangerous Danny McShane broke Don’s nose in a wild battle.

  After retiring from wrestling, Danny continued to referee at Houston Wrestling for another two decades. Some mat experts claim he was the forerunner of Gorgeous George with his showmanship and toughness in the ring. Others claim he was the Hulk Hogan of the early decades of professional wrestling. Still others insist that his style inside and outside the ring inspired superstars like Buddy Rogers and “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.

  McShane loved the wrestling business. He went out of his way to make sure that fans got their money's worth when they watched him wrestle. McShane gave one hundred ten percent, and his love for and dedication to the business was evident until the end.

  On July 14, 1992, Danny was brought home from his nursing home to visit with family and close friends. After being asleep most of the day, he woke up and asked his good friend and fellow professional wrestler Tiger Conway Sr. where were they working that night.

  Tiger smiled that big smile of his and told the ailing seventy-nine-year-old Danny not to worry, they were off that night.

  Once Danny was assured that he was not missing a booking, he gently closed his eyes and passed away.

  The thirties also witnessed the discovery and rise of future superstar Lou Thesz, who many claim to be the greatest wrestler of his time. It is impossible to fairly compare Lou Thesz against such legends as Frank Gotch, Georg Hackenschmidt, or Ed “Strangler” Lewis. The subject could be debated forever. However, a majority of wrestling historians agree that Thesz was one of the best the sport had to offer. In the eyes of this storyteller, Thesz was indeed “the greatest” during his prime. Nobody else in that era wrestled as many times or traveled as many miles during his reign as World Heavyweight Champion.

  Lou Thesz held the title longer than anyone else up to that time. Some say that Thesz kept the World Heavyweight Championship for over ten years, a feat that still holds a special place in the history of professional wrestling.

  Lou Thesz first won the World Title in 1939 by defeating Everett Marshall on December 29, 1937, at the young age of twenty-one. He won the World Heavyweight Championship for the sixth and final time in 1963 by defeating Buddy Rogers in a match that has been discussed for nearly fifty years. Thesz was the World Champion when professional wrestling was predominantly a sport learned in the gym. A man’s reputation was earned in the ring.

  In 1932, Lou Thesz made his debut into professional wrestling, a sport dominated by rugged and dangerous veterans, when he was sixteen years old. He caught the eye of the legendary Hall of Famer Ed “Strangler” Lewis. For over twenty-nine years Lewis was the man to beat, yet he was getting older and searching for a protégé. He found an excellent one in young Thesz. Lewis took Thesz under his wing and taught him the dangerous art of “hooking.”

  “Hooking” is the term used to describe the ability to stretch your opponent with painful holds that could break bones and require hospitalization afterward. Lou Thesz was such a feared hooker, and so proud of that fact, that he titled his autobiography Hooker. He sent me a copy of the manuscript before it was published, and I thoroughly enjoyed every word. Hooker is one of the best wrestling books I have ever read, and it is a must-read for anyone who is a fan of the great Lou Thesz.

  Ed “Strangler” Lewis and Lou Thesz quickly became good friends. Lewis was able to stay in the business and make a lot of money managing his outstanding student, and Thesz continued to train under Lewis and develop into a wrestling icon. It was a match made in heaven for Lewis and Thesz, and a match made in hell for opponents. Many of the stories in this book are ones Thesz told me himself.

  The thirties also featured the debut of Warren Bockwinkel, a top talent and Houston Wrestling star. Warren br
ought his family to Houston, including his five-year-old son, Nick. Nick would grow up to become a major star, winning the American Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship, and numerous other titles during his long and illustrious career. At an early age, Nick developed a special liking for Houston and Paul Boesch. That relationship would eventually play a critical role in the final chapters of Houston Wrestling.

  THE FORMIDABLE FORTIES

  The decade of the forties was a formidable one for America and the Houston Wrestling promotion. With the vicious sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, Americans were quickly drawn into the devastation of World War II. Professional wrestling, like all other major sports, watched their star athletes shipped off to war. Promoters and the few athletes left behind struggled to survive. Life was hard, and so was promoting professional sports.

  Despite the challenging times, the Houston Wrestling promotion flourished due to the outstanding effort and skill of promoter Morris Sigel. He did a superb job of signing many of the top stars of that era. Many would have fantastic careers in the ring and become legends in the sport. Others became promoters and dynamic leaders in the wrestling business.

  After one look at the impressive list of wrestling talent Sigel uncovered during the forties, you notice how many ended up in the various professional wrestling Hall of Fames.

  Some of the legends who saw action at Houston Wrestling during this decade include: Lou Thesz, Leroy McGuirk, Wild Bill Longson, Paul Boesch, Danny McShane, Gorgeous George, Verne Gagne, Argentina Rocca, Lillian Ellison (The Fabulous Moolah), Stu Hart, Lord Jan Blears, Buddy Rogers, Bobby Managoff Jr., Mildred Burke, Irish Jim Casey, Bronko Nagurski, Whipper Watson, Dave Levin, Johnny Valentine, Rito Romero, Mike Mazurki, Primo Carnera, Wild Red Berry, Count Billy Varga, the Zaharias brothers, and countless others.

  Two other superstars who made their debut in the late forties and established their own Houston Wrestling legacy in the fifties were Duke Keomuka and Blackie Guzman.