When Wrestling Was Rasslin'

by Birkholz, Wrestling Promoter Peter

  Boesch maintained his tag team talent, including teams of Red Bastien and Red Lyons, the Alaskans, El Gran Goliat and Blackie Gordman, Jose Lothario and Mil Mascaras, Ernie Ladd and Wahoo McDaniel, and the Funk brothers. Mil Mascara and El Santo also teamed up together one historic Friday night, and at the end of the year, the Missouri Mauler came as one half of another tag team, managed by Playboy Gary Hart.

  Boesch promoted some shows in the new Hofheinz Pavilion on the campus of the University of Houston, a historic occasion since it was the first time that a major professional wrestling show had been promoted on a major college campus in the Southwest. Boesch was trying to find a suitable facility for shows when the Sam Houston Coliseum was not available. The Pavilion was a great sports arena, but he had a difficult time convincing Houston Wrestling fans to come to the University of Houston campus for professional wrestling.

  That year also marked the deaths of two Houston Wrestling favorites, Ray Gunkel and Luis Hernandez. Gunkel died from a ring injury suffered in Georgia, while Hernandez died while on a wrestling tour of Japan. It could not be completely determined if Hernandez’s death was directly related to a ring injury. He was also the stepfather of future Houston Wrestling star Gorgeous Gino Hernandez.

  There were several newcomers to Houston Wrestling in 1972 in addition to those already mentioned. They include Mr. Fuji, Crusher Verdu, Jack Swayze, Pete Sanchez, Gypsy Rosario, Tommy Seigler, Apache Gringo, Alaskan Frank Monte, Pedro Godoy, Steve Hagan, John L. Sullivan, Johnny Rico, Canadian Chris Colt, Frank Marconi, George Strickland, Ricky Thompson, Don Serrano, and Gene Yates, a Galena Park schoolteacher.

  The opening card of the 1973 season featured the debut of Ivan Putski, the Polish strongman who could not speak English. Each week, Putski won his match, and demonstrated his strength with a new strongman feat in the arena and on the Houston Wrestling television show. He muscled his way into the hearts of Houston Wrestling fans, who loved his character. Putski played it extremely well and found himself in the main event spotlight.

  Much of the action in 1973 centered around the World Heavyweight Championship, beginning on January 12th when World Champion Dory Funk Jr. defended his title against Ernie Ladd. The picture became even more interesting when Jack Brisco, the outstanding wrestler out of Oklahoma, returned to Houston Wrestling after spending years beating the top competition around the country.

  Brisco had developed into a seasoned veteran who experts predicted could be the next World Champion. Brisco was determined to win, quickly established himself as the number one contender, and was scheduled to face Dory Funk Jr. for the World Title in Houston.

  Dory Funk Jr. kept avoiding the red hot Jack Brisco. Boesch finally signed the showdown for Friday, March 2nd. Houston Wrestling fans expected a showdown, but were shocked to discover that Dory Funk Jr. had been injured two days earlier in a truck accident at his flying mare ranch in Umbarger, Texas. Boesch scrambled to minimize the damage by signing Fritz Von Erich to wrestle Brisco. Boesch also added extra matches to the card, and announced to fans that if they wanted their money back, they could get a refund from the box office. Interestingly enough, less than fifty fans decided to ask for a refund. The remaining eight thousand understood the situation and decided not to miss the show.

  Dory Funk Jr.'s injury was a hot discussion topic for wrestling promotions around the country. There was no doubt that he had been in a truck accident, but no one knew how badly he'd been injured and if he would ever be able to wrestle again. Was he using this truck accident as an excuse to avoid Brisco? A debate raged among promoters, wrestlers, fans, and, most importantly, National Wrestling Alliance officials.

  As Dory Funk Jr. was slowly recuperating and refusing to talk to promoters and wrestling officials, Brisco battled tough competition to maintain his number one ranking. Brisco was frustrated and found it difficult to stay focused on his matches, since he just wanted to challenge Dory Funk Jr. One of the biggest tests for Brisco was going to be his match against Wahoo McDaniel in Houston, but his flight from Tampa was canceled and a later flight ran into a storm. Brisco could not get to the Sam Houston Coliseum in time to battle Wahoo, which further upset him since he had never missed a match in his amateur and professional careers. Some fans wanted to think Brisco had purposely missed his match, but Wahoo McDaniel and everyone else knew the competitive Brisco would never do that.

  The showdown took place two weeks later, with Brisco coming out with a big win over Wahoo. He was still number one, but where was World Champion Dory Funk Jr.? Brisco had to battle Terry Funk, whom he defeated. Still no Dory Funk Jr. Then came news that there was a new World Champion: Handsome Harley Race. He had defeated the still-not-one-hundred-percent Dory Funk Jr. in the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas on Thursday,May 24th! The storm of controversy burst into a full-blown hurricane of accusations. Brisco wanted answers, and fans wanted him to get his well-deserved shot at the World Title.

  All the National Wrestling Alliance promoters wanted Harley Race, the new champion. Race took on all the top contenders, yet avoided the number one contender, Jack Brisco. He even defended his new belt in Houston against stars like Jose Lothario and Ivan Putski. Race was proving to promoters and fans that he was a worthy champion, but he had not proved it against Jack Brisco.

  Boesch and Brisco were determined to have this match, so Boesch pulled every string he could. The National Wrestling Alliance awarded Boesch the coveted bout. The national spotlight of professional wrestling focused on Houston on Friday, July 20, 1973. Even National Wrestling Alliance president, Sam Muchnik, flew down to witness the match. The showdown went back and forth with both competitors giving their all, but when the bout came to its sudden end.

  Jack Brisco was the new World Heavyweight Champion!

  Houston Wrestling fans erupted into cheers, realizing they had just witnessed professional wrestling history. Brisco was elated and so was the National Wrestling Alliance, as they had one of the most popular stars in professional wrestling as their new World Champion. I will never forget the wild celebration or the jubilant Jack Brisco celebrating in the wrestlers’ dressing room after his victory. I will also never forget the dejected Harley Race, as he silently sat in the corner wondering what would become of his career. But wrestling fans know that Harley Race did not stay down for long, and that Jack Brisco made a great World Heavyweight Champion!

  Brisco’s victory opened up the floodgates. As dozens of top contenders poured out, the new World Champion found himself frantically fighting to hold onto his belt. Top contenders and promoters all wanted a piece of Jack Brisco. The situation at Houston Wrestling was the same. As soon as the euphoria of Brisco’s victory wore off, Boesch went to work trying to find the right man who could beat Brisco. That was the nature of the business.

  Yet 1973 was a tough year for the Funk family. After Dory Funk Jr. lost his title, his father died nine days later, on June 2nd. Some people close to the Funk family felt that Dory Sr. died of a broken heart after his son’s title loss.

  Other action in 1973 involved the debut of Blackjack Jack Mulligan, the six-foot eight-inch 310-pound cowboy from Eagle Pass, Texas. He upset Jose Lothario for the Texas Heavyweight Title. This event positioned him as the man to beat, so Ernie Ladd, Wahoo McDaniel, Mil Mascaras, Jose Lothario, Johnny Valentine and Polish Power Ivan Putski all went after him. Other stars invading the Houston Wrestling ring that year included the big Russian Nicolai Volkoff, Dos Caras (the younger brother of Mil Mascaras), “Nature Boy” Ric Flair (who made a quick appearance), Great Mephisto, and Jerry Brisco, the younger brother of World Champion Jack Brisco. Jerry Brisco was trying to fulfill the same role that Terry Funk played when his older brother Dory Jr. was World Champion. He wanted to soften up the competition and protect his older brother Jack’s backside.

  One of the most interesting Houston Wrestling events featured the debut of John Fargo (who really was Greg Valentine). Greg wanted to make a name for himself in professional wrestling and without relying on the r
eputation of his dad, Johnny Valentine. Although he used the name of John Fargo, Greg Valentine did not fool wrestling fans. One look at Greg and they knew he was Johnny Valentine's son. Even his wrestling style was the same. It did not take long for Greg to ditch the “John Fargo” alias after he left Houston Wrestling.

  The biggest Houston Wrestling debut of 1973 was, quite literally, Andre the Giant. He stood seven foot four inches tall, and weighed over 424 pounds! Andre the Giant was being billed as the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” and indeed he was. He was an unbelievable athlete not only in size but also in athletic ability. He was given offers to play several professional sports, including professional soccer. He played the striker position in soccer as he was growing up, and despite his size, was extremely agile. Yet these other offers could not come close to matching the money that he could make in professional wrestling.

  Other debuts included The Viking, Ricky Gibson, Wilhelm Lehman, Dewey Robertson, Cisco Grimaldi, Bob Whitlock, Ricky Hunter, John Foley, Gene Lewis, Rubin Juarez, Ray Glenn, Raul Mata, Leo Seitz, Tommy Tauruta, Paul DeMarco, Mack Quarry, Kosrow Vasiri, Man Mountain Mike, Butcher Branigan, and Matt Gibson.

  Yet in addition to the loss of Dory Funk Sr., Houston Wrestling said good-bye to one of its most beloved stars of the forties and fifties, Blackie Guzman. The Houston Wrestling family also lost one of its dearest fans, Mrs. Elizabeth Chappell, better known as “Big Mama.” “Big Mama” had a heart of gold, and baked a huge Easter cake to feed hundreds of children on Good Friday matches every year. Many fans felt like “Big Mama” was part of their family, and they would dearly miss her.

  Boesch launched an intense effort to keep the Houston Wrestling promotion at the top of the business in 1974, since superstars like Johnny Valentine, Toru Tanaka, and Wahoo McDaniel were moving on to other territories. The Funk family was also absent, trying to recuperate from their losses of 1973. One of the challenges of promoting professional sports, especially wrestling, is that successful promoters must keep pushing themselves to maintain that level of top talent and crowd-pleasing action.

  The year began with its customary bang: the first Twenty-Two-Man Two-Ring Battle Royal! Fans loved the event, the box office loved the event, and Boesch decided to make it an annual tradition since it was a great way to keep Houston Wrestling fans talking throughout the Christmas holiday and tuning in to the television show for the latest developments. Crowds filled the Sam Houston Coliseum and reestablished their “Friday night habit.”

  World Heavyweight Champion Jack Brisco was extremely busy trying to satisfy the National Wrestling Alliance and professional wresting promoters by being a “fighting champion.” Boesch kept him occupied, signing Brisco to risk his World Championship belt against former World Champion Harley Race. Race had recently injured Jack Brisco‘s younger brother, Jerry, and now Jack wanted revenge. Race was also out for revenge against the man who defeated him for the World Title. They met in the same Houston Wrestling ring, and Brisco narrowly held on to his World Championship belt.

  As always, the year featured many of the top tag teams in wrestling, including appearances by the Wild Samoans Siki and Afa Andai, Blackjack Lanza debuting in a team with Blackjack Mulligan, Jose Lothario and Mil Mascaras, El Gran Goliat and Blackie Gordman, Ernie Ladd and Bobo Brazil, Red Bastien and Ken Patera, Jose Lothario and El Santo, and several appearances by World Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens.

  On April 19, 1974 Olympian Weightlifting star Ken Patera made his Houston Wrestling debut. Patera was one of the most respected athletes in the world, since he was the first American to “clean and jerk” over five hundred pounds in world competition. Patera was predicted to upset the current weightlifting world champion Russian Vasily Alexeev in the Summer Olympics of 1972. Unfortunately, Patera’s knee was injured during the competition and the Russian won the gold. Despite the upset, Patera had several options in professional sports. He chose wrestling and became a top star. (Incidentally, Ken’s brother, Jack Patera, was at one time the head coach of the National Football League’s Seattle Seahawks.)

  This year also featured the first appearance of Superstar Billy Graham. Fans soon demanded a showdown between Graham and Patera, and Boesch obliged. The two competed not only in wrestling matches but also various other feats of strength. One of their most impressive bouts was a bench weightlifting competition that had Houston Wrestling fans at the edge of their seats. The spotters added more and more weights. Both men successfully bench-pressed the tremendous load. Patera even bench-pressed the weight twice to show Graham that he was just warming up. Graham apparently realized that Patera was going to win the contest, so he attacked Patera and injured the Olympian, ending the weightlifting competition. This incident started a personal feud, again leading to more action for fans and plenty of money for Patera and Superstar.

  A second hot feud that year involved Mexican star El Gran Markus. After making his debut, he was soon battling Jose Lothario in a feud that would last for years. To add more fuel to the battle, El Gran Markus insisted that he was not Mexican, which infuriated Mexican wrestling fans.

  It was another banner year for debut appearances. Bob Orton Jr., Stan Hansen, Dick Slater, Canadian Angelo Mosca (a former Notre Dame football star), Hawaiian Don Muraco, Scott Casey (a graduate of West Texas State University), and Mexican star Alberto Madril all made their first appearances inside the Houston Wrestling ring. Other new faces included The Baron (manager of El Gran Markus), Jerry Timmons, J.C. Wingo, Jerry Oates, Big Joe Cassidy, The Masked Avenger, Scotland’s Black Angus, Olympian wrestler Bob Roop, Doug Somers, Frenchman Pierre Martine, Tio Tio from Pango, Pango, South American Inca Peru, Frenchy La Salle, Japan’s Mr. Kung Fu, The Golden Hawk, Bobby Gracia, Paul Pershman, Jim Drummer, Asesino Negro, Geoff Portz, Bill Crouch, Bearcat Brown, Doug Gilbert, and the masked Texan, who was unmasked as Mike McCord.

  Boesch secured a record-breaking year at the box office, due to the constant stream of top talent, more Sam Houston Coliseum and Hofheinz Pavilion dates, and fewer events at the much smaller Fonde Recreation Center.

  Boesch launched 1975 with his second Twenty-Two-Man Two-Ring Battle Royal for $22,000.00. He also made sure to enter the year with many of 1974’s proven stars, maintaining that record-setting momentum.

  The feud between Jose Lothario and El Gran Markus needed a new twist. That came in the form of the Masked Baron, who entered the Houston Mat Wars to manage El Gran Markus and add fuel to the feud. The Baron kept interfering in El Gran Markus’ matches, so Boesch put Lothario and Markus in a steel cage one night. Another night had the Baron hanging in a cage high above the ring so that he could not interfere. Boesch milked the rivalry to its full extent. The ultimate showdown took place late that year with Jose Lothario and El Gran Markus battling each other in a Texas Death Match, with the loser having to leave the state of Texas. Lothario won and Markus was sent back to Mexico, much to the delight of fans.

  Roddie Piper also made his Houston debut that year, a handsome “baby face” who won fans over on the night he played the national anthem on his bagpipes. Though a crowd favorite, Piper could not break into the main event spotlight, so he traveled to another territory. He soon realized that he could make more money as a bad guy, so he changed his name to Rowdy Roddie Piper. Most of you wrestling fans know the rest of the story, as Piper became a big “heel” for Vince McMahon and the WWE in the early eighties.

  Other top names that came to Houston that year included Wahoo McDaniels’s protégé, Bobby Bruggers. Bruggers was a star professional football player for many years. However, like Wahoo, Ernie Ladd, Angelo Mosca, and several others, Bruggers caught the professional wrestling bug and refocused his career. Big Joe Leduc made his Houston Wrestling debut, and quickly found himself in fierce main event action. Steve Strong, a muscular body builder and protégé of Superstar Billy Graham, also became involved in the Houston mat wars, along with the highly regarded “Golden Greek” John Tolos.

  When the brand new Astroarena
opened its doors in 1975, the Houston Wrestling promotion had the opportunity to find a second home. It was an excellent facility for professional wrestling, and showed great potential as a much-needed backup for those Friday nights when the Sam Houston Coliseum was not available. However, despite a hard push by the Houston Wrestling promotion, the Astroarena could never quite fill the role of a “second home.” It was part of the huge Astrodome complex, which included the Astrohall and, more importantly, the Astrodome. When there were other events going on at the complex on the same night as the Houston Wrestling matches, many fans were misdirected and forced to park in lots over a mile away. Rather than face the long walk, some got back in their cars and went home. Frantic attempts by the Houston Wrestling promotion to have the Astrodome complex staff correct their mistakes fell on deaf ears. Additionally, sports fans are creatures of habit, and do not change those habits easily. In spite of these hurdles, Houston Wrestling occasionally promoted a live wrestling show in the facility because there were no other alternatives.

  Independence Day fell on a Friday night in 1975, which gave Boesch an extra challenge, since promoting on holidays was precarious. If you promoted on a holiday with an average show, the holiday would kill you with losses at the box office. On the other hand, if you were able to assemble a great show, the holiday could boost your gate receipts. Houston Wrestling marked that Independence Day with the proven Two-Ring Battle Royal promotion, as well as a new concept, a Two-Ring Six-Man Tag-Team Battle. There was action in both rings simultaneously, with one member from each tag team standing in the middle of the two rings, ready to be tagged into either ring. This creative twist was a crowd-pleaser and became a mainstay during the Twenty-Two-Man Two-Ring Battle Royal promotion.

  One of the year's highlights was eighteen-year-old Gino Hernandez’s debut on Friday, August 1, 1975. Gino was fulfilling his dream of becoming a professional wrestler, just like his stepdad Luis Hernandez. Jose Lothario had already taken Gino under his protective wing and booked him on several professional wrestling tours in Mexico before he turned the legal age of eighteen in this country. Hernandez had several professional wrestling tours under his belt when he appeared in Houston. Since he was a hit with fans, he quickly rose to the top!