HIGH SCHOOL BAND FUNDRAISER

March 19, 1963

SALISBURY, NORTH CAROLINA

56 Years Ago

Some of professional wrestling's biggest stars will be featured on an all-star card at the PRICE HIGH SCHOOL * gymnasium in Salisbury, N.C., tonight.

GEORGE BECKER and BILLY TWO RIVERS, perhaps the most popular tag team to ever work together in the Carolinas, will clash with rugged bullies SWEDE HANSON and ALDO BOGNI in the two-out-of-three falls main event.

HANSON, who is sometimes called "Big Foot" for the simple reason that he wears a size fourteen shoe, is one of the most brutal grapplers on the wrestling circuit. He specializes in drop-kicks, and his huge feet come in mighty handy in this maneuver.

TWO RIVERS, a full-blooded Indian, is particularly popular with the younger generation of fans. Many Carolina youngsters have copied his "Mohawk" style haircut (probably to the dismay of many parents).

Negro wrestlers are featured in the other matches.

SWEET GEORGIA BROWN, from Columbia, S.C., clashes with EDNA CHARLES of Jackson, Mississippi, in a girls' match.

PAUL HARRISON, from Dallas, Texas, and JIMMY BALLARD, from Memphis, Tennessee, two rugged Negro grapplers, will face one another in the opening contest.

The first match starts at 8:15 p.m. A large crowd is expected, so come early.

And the results...

GEORGE BECKER and BILLY TWO RIVERS were too much for SWEDE HANSON and ALDO BOGNI in the main event wrestling match at PRICE HIGH SCHOOL last night. The good guys took two straight falls over the bad guys. BECKER took BOGNI for the first fall with his "abdominal stretch." TWO RIVERS' war dance followed by tomahawk chops took the toll of HANSON for the second and deciding fall.

In the other matches, EDNA CHARLES won over SWEET GEORGIA BROWN, and PAUL HARRISON pinned JIMMY BALLARD.

A crowd topping 1200 attended with proceeds going to the PRICE HIGH SCHOOL band program. Another wrestling show may be booked in the near future, it was reported.

* PRICE HIGH SCHOOL was the then all-black high school in the Salisbury City School system.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

June 19, 1964

STATESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

55 Years Ago

This newspaper clipping, courtesy of Mark Eastridge and Dick Bourne, saddens and angers me in that a JIM CROCKETT PRMOTIONS wrestling show came to my home town and I didn't go.

Fifty-five years out, I don't know if I wasn't aware of its happening or I just couldn't get there. I was a mere thirteen at the time.

Maybe I was grounded as punishment for some dastardly deed I had perpetrated.

Whichever, it's one that got away.

FIVE OF THE GREAT ONES

...to five great wrestling stars who each sold plenty of tickets for JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS and always gave the fans their money's worth...

DICK MURDOCH

(1946-1996)

He wrestled as a 'babyface' or as a 'heel'. Either way, the fans LOVED him, and so did the other wrestlers. A second generation wrestler. They'll never be another like him.

KLONDIKE BILL

(Bill Soloweyko)

(1931-2000)

A main eventer for JCP in the 1960s, then lower card as his career come to a close. Stayed with the company after active ring work and was head of the ring crew.

A gentle giant of a man whom everyone liked.

JOHNNY WEAVER

(1935-2008)

Rich Landrum dubbed him 'The Dean of Professional Wrestling'. He could do it all---wrestle, book, promote. Johnny was at the top of the heap for CROCKETT PROMOTIONS for at least ten years, both as a single and tag partner. To state it bluntly, JOHNNY was THE MAN before there was a Flair.)

BLACKJACK MULLIGAN

(Robert Windham)
(1942-2016)

Here's a man who did it all in the business, and regardless of what he did, he was over BIG TIME. The fans loved BJ---and loved to hate him when they were supposed to do so. Ask any wrestler who knows him, and I'm sure you will hear a great story about a guy who gave his all to the business.


DINO BRAVO
(Adolfo Bresciano)
(1949-1993)

In JCP, held the WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP with MR. WRESTLING (TIM WOODS). Top main eventer in whatever territory he worked. Was murdered in his Quebec home.

WERE THESE GUYS YOUR FAVORITES?

No one can dispute the fact that JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS always had the top stars of the business.

Here are seven of them...

OX BAKER

'ROWDY' RODDY PIPER

'LUMBERJACK' JOE LEDUC

JOHNNY VALENTINE

JACK BRISCO

THUNDERBOLT PATTERSON

BARON VON RASCHKE