O'DELL IN HOT WATER

                                                                   October 31, 1964

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

THE KENTUCKIANS

TINY ANDERSON and BIG BOY BROWN

GEORGE BECKER

BRONCHO LUBICH and ALDO BOGNI

THE BEAST

GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS

RUDY KAYE

JESSE JAMES
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The HOMER O'DELL gang may find their Halloween to be a haunting one tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA when they face THE KENTUCKIANS, TINY ANDERSON and BIG BOY BROWN, and their hero partner GEORGE BECKER.

It's tonight's big main event.

Last Saturday night, O'DELL, after losing one fall to BECKER, tucked tail and ran like a scalded dog, bringing an abrupt ending to their match. Tonight, the 'COLONEL' will have his two rule breaking men, BRONCHO LUBICH and ALDO BOGNI, to cower behind during their SIX MAN TAG TEAM MATCH. O'DELL will need that protection in the best-of-three falls match, as BECKER wants another piece of HOMER's hide for his taking a powder last time. THE KENTUCKIANS have promised to look after BOGNI and LUBICH.

Another big crowd is expected to witness this big contest, as well as the three fine supporting matches on the card.

DOUG GILBERT will test PEDRO ZAPATA.

RUDY KAYE faces THE BEAST. *

JESSE JAMES squares off against GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS in the 8:15 opener.

* Rudy Kaye and The Beast were, in fact, brothers. Rudy's real name was Jean-Louis Cormier. The Beast was Yvon Cormier.

 

THE SUPER SIXTIES IN JCP

          More than half a century has passed since the end of the 1960s, but not the memories...

GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER

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LEXINGTON, N.C. - 1966

GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER won over RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON.

TEX McKENZIE and NELSON ROYAL toppled KURT and HENRY VON STROHEIM.

IKE EAKINS beat ROGER KIRBY.

STEVE BOLUS polished off JACK DANIELS.

GORY GUERRERO bested 'ROWDY' RED ROBERTS.

THE MUMMY

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NORFOLK, VA. - 1968

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON defeated GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT.

THE MUMMY and 'BULLDOG' LEE HENNING lost to TEX McKENZIE and NELSON ROYAL.

LUTHER LINDSAY topped STEVE STANLEE.

ROCK HUNTER bested THE MATADOR.

BRONCHO LUBICH, HOMER O'DELL and ALDO BOGNI

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GREENSBORO, N.C. - 1967

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON lost to BRONCHO LUBICH and ALDO BOGNI with HOMER O'DELL.

TEX McKENZIE and NELSON ROYAL edged BRUTE BERNARD and SKULL MURPHY.

GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER whipped LARS and GENE ANDERSON.

RUDY KAY topped EL GAUCHO.

'ROWDY' RED ROBERTS was pinned by LUTHER LINDSAY.

TEX McKENZIE

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CHARLESTON, S.C. - 1967

TEX McKENZIE and NELSON ROYAL turned back BRONCHO LUBICH and ALDO BOGNI with HOMER O'DELL.

PEGGY ALLEN topped MARGIE RAMSEY.

IKE EAKINS defeated TINKER TODD.

JACK 'THE NECK' VANSKY was pinned by JOHNNY HEIDEMAN.

KLONDIKE BILL

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ROANOKE, VA. - 1967

THE AMAZING ZUMA and GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT defeated BRONCHO LUBICH, ALDO BOGNI and HOMER O'DELL in six man action.

PEDRO GODOY wrestled TONY ROMANO to a draw.

KLONDIKE BILL bested FRANK MARCONI.

JOHNNY HEIDEMAN topped IAN MacBIRD.

 

A BLONDE BOMBER CHALLENGE

                                                                       May 14, 1966

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

55 Years Ago

Popular cowboy TEX McKENZIE is the subject of dispute by RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON after they lost last week's wrestling feature here to GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER.

HAWK claims that McKENZIE shoved WEAVER into position for the winning fall, and the "BLONDE BOMBERS" are so angry at the cowboy for his "illegal participation" that they have challenged lanky TEX and his swift-moving buddy NELSON ROYAL to meet them in tonight's LEXINGTON YMCA main wrestling event.

The Texas duo agreed willingly to the HAWK and HANSON challenge, pointing to a scorcher of a two-of-three-falls match.

"We're going to have to teach McKENZIE a lesson about sticking his nose in someone else's business. He had no right getting involved in our match last Saturday, and he's going to learn the lesson the hard way...a good old whipping," said RIP HAWK.

Two winners from last week, IKE EAKINS and GORY GUERRERO, will meet in the evening's semifinal encounter.

Two additional singles matches, featuring top wrestling stars, will open the card at 8:15.

 

HOODED HEAT

 

THE INFERNOS with Manager J.C. DYKES

JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS, throughout the 1960s, was known in the professional wrestling world as the top territory for tag team wrestling. Probably more than ninety percent of the time, a JCP card was topped off with a tag match.

The list of main event teams who worked the MID-ATLANTIC area is a 'Who's Who' of the greatest combos ever in the business.

Other than THE BOLOS, the best masked team to ever hit the Carolinas and Virginia was a couple of guys who went by the ring name of THE INFERNOS. Along side them was a red-headed manager J.C. (Jimmy) DYKES.

There were, through the years, several incarnations of the INFERNO team (and countless impersonators), but the original two 'blue tigers' (as Dykes often called them) were FRANKIE CAIN and ROCKY SMITH. Neither men were big in stature by wrestling standards, but could they ever work!

In interviews, DYKES claimed the duo was European and spoke little English. He was the only person who could really communicate with them well, and did much of it by the use of blowing a whistle during their matches to give them strategic commands.

The wrestling fans, to create problems for the evil trio, soon began bringing their own whistles to the matches. The areas would become deafening with several hundred whistles being blown at the same time. A great way for the fans to be involved in the match.

DYKES also carried a metal canteen to the ring, giving his men a needed refreshment between falls of their matches. Naturally, the metal canteen often found its mark on the noggins of many a 'babyface' opponent.

And it was not beneath the dignity of J.C. to throw an occasional fireball at their adversaries. I recall George Becker and Les Thatcher at the receiving end on two different occasions.

But the 'gimmick' of THE INFERNOS that got the most heat (and this team's heat was as hot as the sun) was the loaded boot.

THE INFERNOS and DYKES drew big money in every territory they appeared, be it the Carolinas and Virginia, Florida, Texas, etc. They headlined countless wrestling cards facing each area's top teams (including other 'heel' teams).

J.C. DYKES died in 1993. ROCKY SMITH has also passed away. FRANKIE CAIN was the first to leave the team when he became pro wrestling's THE GREAT MEPHISTO.

 

WEAVER and KOZAK

                                                                    January 9, 1965

Lexington, North Carolina

Two extremely popular mat stars, NICK KOZAK and JOHNNY WEAVER, join forces tonight for action when they face wrestling's 'Blonde Bombers' RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON in the main event match at the LEXINGTON YMCA.

Another tag team match is scheduled, sending fan favorite RUDY KAYE and his partner ANGELO MARTINELLI against the rough and tough duo of MIKE GALLAGHER and 'Bulldog' LEE HENNING.

Both tag contests are set for the best two-out-of-three falls.

Two other bouts are slated...

PEPI GOMEZ takes on GEORGE 'Two Ton' HARRIS.

PAT O'BRIEN meets DOUG GILBERT.

Action gets underway at 8:15.

NICK KOZAK

JOHNNY WEAVER

THE BLONDE BOMBERS

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON

RUDY KAYE

GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS