ONE "HOT" TAG TEAM

 

THEY "ENHANCED" THE SHOW

Not every wrestler who worked for JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS could headline a wrestling card.

Someone had to work underneath at mid-card or lower level to fill out a show.

But that certainly didn't mean that these guys didn't give their all, night after night, to give the audience their admissions' worth.

And because of their great efforts, I would like to give recognition to some of the many guys who fit into this category, at least, during their tenure with JCP.

RANDY CURTIS

Worked in JCP during his rise in the business, achieved higher success in other territories.

LUTHER LINDSAY

Very popular with the fans. Often teamed with ABE JACOBS or GEORGE 'Catalina' DRAKE in tag team action at mid-card level, or worked as a single lower down the card. Did headline some lesser cards in tag matches in the smaller towns. Sadly, Lindsay died immediately following a match at Charlotte's PARK CENTER.

LES WOLFF

Also was a mid-card tag partner with ABE JACOBS and one of the better "young lions" (as David Crockett would say). A semi-final singles competitor as well.

'Big' JIM GRABMIRE

Never really got any push at all with JCP, worked in single and tag matches. I'm sure I saw Grabmire in person and on TV fifty times, and he never got his hand raised. But he always did a great job of selling and losing to guys much smaller than he.

THE VIKING

Many may not know or remember that this man worked as a tag team partner with 'Sir' NELSON ROYAL when Nellie first came to JCP in the early-mid sixties. Royal did his 'babyface' turn while tagging with THE VIKING. With or without ROYAL, THE VIKING was a good mid-card heel, either in singles or team contests.

'LEAPING' LANNY POFFO wrestled as a single and tag teamed with his brother RANDY POFFO.

(Randy, of course, went on to become a superstar in that northern wrestling company as 'Macho Man' Randy Savage.)

KILLER KARL KRUPP
(a face only a mother could love)

PAUL DEMARCO
went on to become a big-time performer, but paid some undercard dues in JCP in the mid-1960s on his way up, teaming often with Bobby Shane.

GEORGE 'CRY BABY' CANNON

wrestled in JCP in the early 1960s. Had a few smaller town main events teaming with George 'Two Ton' Harris, but mostly was undercard. Later went on to become a very successful manager.

MR. X # 1 & # 2

(Gordon Nelson & Geoff Portz)

Great mid-card team in the late 1970s, great workers who were always entertaining.

DO YOU REMEMBER THESE?

As the Statler Brothers song goes, "Do you remember these?" guys who wrestled for JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS?

RUFUS R. JONES

('The Freight Train')

Super popular with the fans.

LORD JONATHAN BOYD

(One half of THE ROYAL KANGAROOS)

JIM DILLON
(before he managed 'The Four Horsemen')

'Bulldog' DON KENT

(Mostly a jobber in JCP but achieved huge success in other territories.)

Remember MR. KLEEN

(I do, especially in a WGHP-HIGH POINT, N.C. TV match in which he was 'destroyed' by LORD JONATHAN BOYD)

BOB GRIFFIN

BOB (Buck) RAMSTEAD

Manager HOMER O'DELL and BRONCHO LUBICH

RICKY FERRARA

THE ALASKANS

MIKE YORK and FRANK MONTE

TOP CROCKETT TAG TEAMS

The JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS / MID-ATLANTIC WRESTLING area was known in the business as the top tag team territory in the U.S.

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Here are five duos who contributed to earning that reputation...

RUDY and BOBBY KAYE

(Fans may remember OLE ANDERSON smashing BOBBY's heirloom guitar into pieces against the ring post.)

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON

(The Blonde Bombers)

None better anywhere...ever!

THE MASKED RED DEMONS

(JIMMY AND BILLY HINES)

with Manager GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS

THE ROYAL KANGAROOS
(LORD JONATHAN BOYD and NORMAN FREDERICK CHARLES, III)
Brass Knuckles Champions...as rugged as a team could be.


SANDY and GEORGE SCOTT
(THE FLYING SCOTTS)
Next to Becker and Weaver, the top 'babyface' team in JCP during the 1960s.

WRESTLING UNDER THE STARS

August 24, 1959

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

61 Years ago

DUKE KEOMUKA

THE GREAT BOLO

MR. MOTO

LARRY 'CRUSHER' HAMILTON

IKE EAKINS

GEORGE BECKER

RITA CORTEZ

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Professional wrestling moves outdoors tonight with a big five-bout card slated for CHARLOTTE MEMORIAL STADIUM.

Heading the star lite program presented by promoter JIM CROCKETT is a battle for the SOUTHERN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP, which gives the challengers LARRY 'CRUSHER' HAMILTON and his masked partner THE GREAT BOLO another shot at the titleholders, the Oriental combo of MR. MOTO and DUKE KEOMUKA.

The two teams have gone at it several times already with all of the matches ending in wild brawls. Neither team has any respect for the rule book, so this time, CROCKETT is adding the NO DISQUALIFICATION and NO TIME LIMIT clauses to the mix, ensuring a definite winner. The tag team championship will be decided by the best two-out-of-three falls.

A pair of top fan favorites are on hand tonight facing tough competition.

Popular GEORGE BECKER will meet an old foe in that of 'BIG' IKE EAKINS.

Mohawk Indian BILLY TWO RIVERS will try to tomahawk chop rugged JACK CURTIS down to defeat.

A special girls tag team match is set with PAT LYDA and JUDY GRABLE facing MARGIE RAMSEY and RITA CORTEZ. This one is schedule for the best-of-three falls.

The 8:15 opening bout sends good-looking BOB BOYER against Charlotte newcomer BILLY STRAWN.

A 1965 HOT SUMMER LEXINGTON NIGHT

July 24, 1965

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

GEORGE 'CATALINA' DRAKE

RON REED

(later wrestled as BUDDY COLT)

GEORGE BECKER

MIKE GALLAGHER

TONI ROSE

TINKER TODD

JOHN and CHRIS TOLOS

GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS

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A best two-out-of-three falls rematch between the stellar wrestling teams of GEORGE 'CATALINA' DRAKE and RON REED and brothers JOHN and CHRIS TOLOS, known as THE MICHIGAN WRECKING CREW, headlines a four match card tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA.

Last Saturday, these two teams battled in an exciting and bloody match that ended in a NO CONTEST ruling by the official. The referee was forced to throw the match out for repeated disregard of the rules by both teams.

GEORGE BECKER will be on tonight's card in singles action against a long-time rival, rough and tough MIKE GALLAGHER, in the evening's semi-final contest. The match is also a best-of-three falls match.

In a special one fall event, girl wrestlers TONI ROSE and PEGGY ALLAN will have at it.

TINKER TODD faces GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS, victorious last week, in the first match.

Belltime is 8:15 p.m.

TWO TON Came to Town

July 18, 1968

STATESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

52 Years Ago

The summer of 1968 was a great season for Statesville, N.C. Crockett wrestling fans. Three outdoor cards were promoted by the Community Baseball organization, and the weather cooperated for them all.

This was the second wrestling show of the three.

As per usual, my rump was parked in my $2.00 metal ringside chair to see...

Bob Nandor win over Alex Medina

Pancho Valdez in a rare victory, this time over Bobby Nichols

Abe Jacobs and the Amazing Zuma besting Tinker Todd and Johnny Heideman

and

the George "Two Ton" Harris duo of Broncho Lubich and Aldo Bogni drop their second straight Statesville match, this one to fan favorites Nelson Royal and Paul Jones.

(Bogni, Lubich and Harris had been disqualified in their June 20th Statesville match against Zuma and Mr. Wrestling.)

Statesville, then known as "The City of Progress" was not proving to be a great town for these three scalawags, but they would return the following month in the summer's final wrestling program.