ARN ANDERSON

 

SKIN HEADS BATTLE HILLBILLIES

                                                                      December 5, 1964

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

61 Years Ago

A SIX MAN TAG TEAM MATCH, growing out of a disputed finish of a tag battle last week, features tonight's wrestling card at the LEXINGTON YMCA, kicking off at 8:15.

GEORGE BECKER, who served as referee last week after the assigned official was injured and who was involved in the final fall, will join last week's winners THE KENTUCKIANS, TINY ANDERSON and BIG BOY BROWN, to form one team. The two angry losers of the same match, BRUTE BERNARD and SKULL MURPHY, will be joined by THE BRUTE to form what should be one of the roughest trios ever to enter the Lexington ring.

The battle will go for the best two-out-of-three falls with a one hour time limit.

Girl wrestlers PENNY BANNER and MARGIE RAMSEY will square off in a special attraction.

The opening match sends GEORGE "TWO TON" HARRIS against young DOUG GILBERT.

PAUL JONES AND NELSON ROYAL

 

PLAYBOY GARY HART GETS HIS

 You could push a mild-mannered guy like JERRY BRISCO only so                                                       far. 'Playboy' GARY HART crossed the line and paid the price!

"Chain matches disgust me," claimed JERRY. "If a wrestler can't win a match on his ability alone---then he should get out of the business."

Then why did BRISCO end up in a 1973 CHARLOTTE COLISEUM ring battling 'Playboy' GARY HART in a CHAIN MATCH?

The whole bloody mess stemmed from a title match the night OLE ANDERSON hoped to grab JERRY's EASTERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP.

At a point in the match, it seemed that OLE was really on the short end of a wrestling match, and that didn't happen often. ANDERSON was the victim of a series of dropkicks, spinning toe holds and the abdominal stretch. The end appeared to be near.

Enter GARY HART. Angry that he hadn't been given a title match as he had demanded, HART jumped into the ring to OLE's defense---with a chain.

The heavy metal object left its marks on BRISCO. The referee disqualified ANDERSON due to HART's outside interference. JERRY remained EASTERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION.

Immediately, HART challenged BRISCO to a match...a CHAIN MATCH. The 'Playboy' and the man he managed, RIP HAWK, told everyone that JERRY wouldn't accept the challenge...because he was yellow.

But they were wrong.

The match was signed for The Big Dome in CHARLOTTE.

It was a night GARY HART would regret. Although he had a few shining moments during the match, the night belonged to JERRY BRISCO. HART was soon a bloody mess, so bad that RIP HAWK grabbed his manager and dragged his limp body to the dressing room and on to the hospital.

Talk about a plan that backfired.

The referee secures each end of the chain to the combatants' wrists.

HART gets the advantage by choking BRISCO with the heavy chain.

The 'Playboy' inflicts more damage to JERRY.

The tide of battle changed, as RIP HAWK helps his manager from the ring.

The EASTERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION is victorious.

RIP HAWK BATTLES GENE ANDERSON

 

BAD BOYS! BAD BOYS!

                                                                       July 28, 1969

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

PARK CENTER is a great venue for professional wrestling as proven over the years, but the building may not be able to handle the action tonight when two of the very roughest and brutal tag teams (and constant rule breakers) in the business collide head-on in the evening's headline attraction.

In what has to be billed as a BATTLE OF THE BULLIES, the skin headed duo of BRUTE BERNARD and SKULL MURPHY clash with wrestling's 'BLONDE BOMBERS' RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON. Sympathies to whichever referee is assigned the job of officiating this two-out-of-three falls contest. One may describe the match as two locomotives colliding at breakneck speed.

BRUTE BERNARD and SKULL MURPHY

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON

EL LOBO

ABE JACOBS

JOHNNY HEIDEMAN

ROCK HUNTER

LES WOLFE

More tag team action is in store for fans attending tonight when the popular duo of New Zealander ABE JACOBS and his youthful partner LES WOLFE face the rugged ROCK HUNTER and his masked partner EL LOBO. No one seems to know the identity of EL LOBO, and if HUNTER actually does, he isn't talking. This is also a best-of-three falls match.

Two singles matches will open the 8:15 card when JESSE JAMES takes on TOM BRADLEY and the youngster MATTI SUZUKI faces veteran tough guy JOHNNY HEIDEMAN.

RICKY STEAMBOAT

 

BIG CARD IN LEXINGTON, NC

                                                                        May 24, 1969

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

56 Years Ago

Power-packed action is offered wrestling fans in an all-star card at the LEXINGTON YMCA tonight, kicking off at 8:15.

The first of two big tag team matches will send the "BLONDE BOMBERS" RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON against the popular Texas twosome of NELSON ROYAL and PAUL JONES. The Texans are fast and high-flying, the "BOMBERS" mean and rugged, so the clash of styles could make for just a plain old battle.

Co-featuring the agenda will be a tag battle between the popular duo of Hawaiian SAM STEAMBOAT and partner MR. WRESTLING when they face the highly dangerous combo of THE INFERNOS. Interesting that STEAMBOAT is the only participant who doesn't hide his true identity behind a mask. Both teams have been on a winning streak lately, so something's gotta give in this one. Add in THE INFERNOS' crafty manager, J.C. DYKES, and anything might happen.

Both tag matches will go the best-of-three falls.

Rough PANCHO VALDEZ meets young RANDY CURTIS and fan favorite GREG PETERSON will contest BOBBY PAUL in the evening's first match.

GREG VALENTINE AND RIC FLAIR

 

THANKSGIVING AT CHARLOTTE'S BIG DOME

                                                                 November 21, 1966

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

59 Years Ago

The Charlotte Observer reported 5460 fans in attendance, and I was one of them, sometimes sitting in my ringside seat.

It was a BIG night of wrestling.

The card started like most of all of them. LUTHER LINDSAY facing PEDRO GODOY in a yawner, the kind of match you want to end so you can get closer to the main events. LUTHER won and most of us didn't care. We wouldn't have cared if PEDRO had won either.

Things started to pick up in the next match when favorite NELSON ROYAL squared off against GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS'. Most everyone loved NELLIE and most everyone hated 'TWO TON' but I loved the big guy because his matches were always entertaining. 'TWO TON' always got the most out of the fans because he was a master at 'working' a crowd. I can't remember what naughty he pulled, but the match went to NELLIE on a DQ. But 'TWO TON' would be back later as he was also manager of the MASKED RED DEMONS.

THE AMAZING ZUMA or ARGENTINA ZUMA, whichever you prefer, took the toll of HENRY VON STROHEIM, one-half of a pseudo-main event German heel team. I believe HENRY (can I call him Hank?) was probably getting ready to leave the area, because his partner KURT was no where to be found that night. Maybe he was back at the hotel packing.

The little people were up next in a tag match. I usually enjoyed the novelty of 'Midget Matches' (we can't say that anymore, ya know) for about five minutes, then it was time to move on. On this night, LITTLE BEAVER and SONNY BOY CASSIDY pinned SKY LOW LOW and BILLY THE KID (not the real one). I'd love to know how many times in their careers that BEAVER and LOW LOW worked one another. I'm sure it was in the thousands.

Now, it was time to get serious.

Two of the all-time heel combos in JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS history were to do battle. RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON versus ALDO BOGNI and BRONCHO LUBICH with, of course, their snake-like manager, HOMER O'DELL.

On this night, the crowd was behind the BLONDE BOMBERS all the way. I can't recall which team won which fall, but they were even at one apiece. The third fall found BOGNI & LUBICH beating RIP to a pulp. HAWK was thrown over the top rope to the cement floor (and on MY side of the ring). O'DELL, welding that dreaded cane, cracked 'The Profile' on the noggin' and before HAWK could get to his feet, it looked as if he had lost three gallons of the red stuff.

He managed to crawl back into the ring, but it looked like it was R.I.P. for R-I-P. After teasing all of us for a few more minutes with 'not quite a tag,' HAWK found HANSON's hand, made contact, and in came the big SWEDE. The crowd was hysterical!

SWEDE could have taken on the 300 Spartans at this point. He beat ALDO and BRONCHO at will, then grabbed O'DELL on the apron and 'welcomed' him into the ring via the top rope. Just as the SWEDE is about to ruin the creases in HOMER's tuxedo, he was double-attacked by O'DELL's cronies. HANSON got his hands on the cane and broke it over O'DELL's back about the same time as RIP entered the ring with a metal chair. Observing everything, referee ANGELO MARTINELLI must have figured it was time for a beer, so he called off any further mutilation in this one, and it ended in a double DQ, or a no-contest (what was the difference).

I have witnessed several thousand wrestling matches in my years, and I can easily say, this was one of the best I EVER saw. Boy, did these five wrestlers know how to work a match and a crowd.

The show actually slumped a bit when the WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP match came next. First of all, I was never fully into TEX McKENZIE's fan club. He couldn't work any better than my lazy uncle who never worked at all, and I always resented the fact that TEX always made NELSON ROYAL take the beatings when they teamed together.

So, here is McKENZIE, a guy whose legs were longer and clumsier than Olive Oyl's, going up against GENE KINISKI for the WORLD belt. Add in the fact that there was no way (in the 1960s) the NWA was going to let their champion lose the title in Charlotte. KINISKI won the first fall. TEX came back and pinned the champ with a knee lift and judo chop off the ropes, those being the only two moves he knew. And then, KINISKI pinned McKENZIE again to win the final fall.

I suspect the concession stands were plenty busy during the world title match.

Now it was time for BECKER and WEAVER against the MASKED RED DEMONS...one more time.

This time, GEORGE and JOHNNY's SOUTHERN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP is on the line again, but on this night, under TEXAS DEATH MATCH rules. And in addition, it's the BELTS versus the MASKS. One team would walk out with BOTH.

Falls didn't figure in determining the winner (but was a great means of giving the participants a rest break). The Charlotte Observer reported the match went twelve falls (that I don't remember), but at the bell for unlucky fall number thirteen, the masked men were whipped to the point that they couldn't answer the bell, and even 'TWO TON' couldn't get them to their feet.

Ref MARTINELLI signaled it was over and raised BECKER and WEAVER's hands in victory. They held onto their titles and now would be able to discover exactly who these soon-to-be UNMASKED RED DEMONS were. With both men still prone on the ring from their beating, GEORGE took off one mask and JOHNNY the other and held them high in the air to the crowd's approval.

"Find out who they are Angelo," ring announcer GEORGE HARBEN requested over the microphone. Supposedly, MARTINELLI went over to them and said something ingenious like, "Hey, who are you?"

ANGELO went over to HARBEN, whispered in his ear, and HARBEN announced to all of us, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the RED DEMONS are JIMMY and BILLY HINES."

Everyone yelled, even though it really didn't mean anything. I'd never heard of JIMMY and BILLY HINES anyway. What it did mean, however, was pretty much the end of the main event run of this team who had been in JCP since late spring. I always liked the main event masked teams like THE BOLOS and THE INFERNOS, and now there wouldn't be one.

The HINES boys had a few more main event matches with 'TWO TON' but soon left the territory. When the hoods came off, so did the luster and mystique of the team.

But we still had GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER as our SOUTHERN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS.

But lurking in the bushes would be BOGNI & LUBICH, HAWK & HANSON or BRUTE BERNARD & SKULL MURPHY waiting for their night when they would win the belts.

And, of course, that night would come.

I related my recollections of this particular match to JOHNNY a few months before he passed away, and he said, "Yes, we did that same match all over the territory."

I was sorry he told me that.

But after I thought about what he said, it made me appreciate the fact that these men, even though they would work each other night after night, still could make each audience feel they were seeing something special.

That's how great they were.

JERRY BRISCO AND THUNDERBOLT PATTERSON

 

UNDER CHARLOTTE'S BIG DOME

                                                                  October 28, 1963

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

KURT and KARL VON BRAUNER and SAUL WEINGROFF

BRONKO LUBICH, HOMER O'DELL, ALDO BOGNI

The match the fans have been begging for will take place tonight as professional wrestling moves to the CHARLOTTE COLISEUM.

Promoter JIM CROCKETT, who is co-sponsoring this card along with the CAROLINAS CAROUSEL, says the main event on this big card has drawn "more requests than any other match since I have been promoting in Charlotte. And that's been more than twenty-five years."

The big match everyone has been asking for is a SIX MAN TAG TEAM battle. On one side are the vicious German brothers, KURT and KARL VON BRAUNER, along with their equally villainous manager, 'GENTLEMAN' SAUL WEINGROFF. Across the ring will be the threesome ruffians of ALDO BOGNI, BRONKO LUBICH and their manager, cane-welding 'COLONEL' HOMER O'DELL. The war is scheduled for the best two-of-three falls with a one hour time limit. These conditions should give the hated bunch time enough to do away with each other in the proper way.

GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON

Another tag team match is scheduled in the semifinal contest, normally any wrestling card's main event.

Fan favorites GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER will face a long-time nemesis in the guise of wrestling's "BLONDE BOMBERS" RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON. To say these two teams have their differences would be a gross understatement. This one is also scheduled for the best two-out-of-three falls with a one hour time limit.

'COWBOY' BOB ELLIS

'BIG' IKE EAKINS

Yet another specialty sees 'COWBOY' BOB ELLIS, who many say is a probable future World's Heavyweight Champion, taking on the tough and burly 'BIG' IKE EAKINS, straight from Harlan, Kentucky.

For the fans of the girl grapplers, PENNY BANNER faces newcomer JESSICA ROGERS, making her Charlotte debut, in a special event.

Two other newcomers also brighten the giant card which kicks off at 8:15.

BOBBY RED CLOUD, a Sioux Indian, takes on the crafty GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS, and rugged DOCTOR MENENDEZ, a 250 pounder from the Caribbean, meets Canada's rugged FRANK VALOIS.

JOHNNY WEAVER AND ART NELSON

 

RIP AND ROCK WANT THE BOLOS

                                                                   December 10, 1962

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

63 Years Ago

A rematch of the tag team bout between two rowdy combos, THE GREAT BOLO and BOLO and RIP HAWK and ROCK HUNTER, headlines tonight's wrestling card at PARK CENTER.

The two teams collided last Monday night, with HAWK and HUNTER receiving a disqualification loss for going beyond the rule limitations allowed. RIP and ROCK apparently entered the ring with that intention, and maybe were willing to take the DQ in order to wreck havoc on THE BOLOs, which they did. When the BOLOs exited the ring, one was a bloody mess, and the other's mask was ripped half-way off his head.

HAWK and HUNTER have vowed they will finish the job tonight, and the reign of terror of THE BOLOs will be over. This week's two-out-of-three falls match, however, will be fought under a NO DISQUALIFICATION stipulation, meaning either team can do virtually anything they choose without risk of penalty.

In the evening's other tag battle, GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT, both winners in individual competition last Monday, are reunited as "THE FLYING SCOTTS" when they collide with IKE EAKINS and PANCHO VILLA in a best-of-three falls encounter.

Single actions finds popular JOHNNY WEAVER facing BILL PARKS and RAY VILLMER battling FELIX LAMBAN.

Action begins at 8:15.

THE ASSASSIN (JODY HAMILTON)

 

GEORGE, JOHNNY AND THE ANDERSONS

 GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER ruled the tag team world in JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS for most of the 1960s.

They faced every top 'heel' team that passed through the territory. The longest ongoing program was with RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON. The next longest would probably be with ALDO BOGNI and BRONCHO LUBICH, but right up there was the on-and-off again feud that BECKER and WEAVER had with THE ANDERSON BROTHERS.

It would start with the duo of LARS and GENE ANDERSON. Later, OLE was brought in, and while the younger 'brother' was being broken in, there were three ANDERSONs. LARS then left the MID-ATLANTIC area, and THE MINNESOTA WRECKING CREW was redefined as GENE and OLE ANDERSON.

GENE ANDERSON attempts to ram JOHNNY WEAVER'S head into the ring apron...or worse!

Judging from the blood on WEAVER's face, GENE was successful.


BECKER pummels a cornered LARS ANDERSON.


JOHNNY just can't seem to get away from GENE's fist.


GENE decides to work on BECKER for a while.

SO LONG FOR NOW

 

BLACKJACK MULLIGAN

 

BOILING POINT

                                                                  January 21, 1963

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

62 Years Ago

The stage is set for one of the biggest matches in the history of Charlotte professional wrestling since its debut here thirty years ago. And tonight's the night.

This match, which has building to a climax for several months now, pits the team of THE GREAT BOLO and BOLO against THE KENTUCKIANS, BIG BOY BROWN and TINY ANDERSON.

Special rules have been set for this match to insure that the BOLO team does not duck and run as they did at PARK CENTER two weeks ago. Ten wrestlers will be stationed around the ring to keep all four participants within the roped boundaries. THE KENTUCKIANS, the big fan favorites, will have two-out-of-three falls and one hour to not only defeat the hooded villains, but to unmask them and reveal their identities to the huge crowd which is expected to be in attendance.

"In the wrestling business, we call this a LUMBERJACK MATCH," said promoter JIM CROCKETT as time grows near for the big event. "No one will be able to escape if things aren't going their way."

A gigantic undercard is set for tonight's CHARLOTTE COLISEUM scene of the big showdown.

GEORGE BECKER and BILLY TWO RIVERS head it up, going against big IKE EAKINS and rugged PANCHO VILLA in the best-of-three falls semi-final tag team contest.

In single fall bouts scheduled, popular young JOHNNY WEAVER faces the Oriental villain P.Y. CHUNG.

LUTHER LINDSAY takes on EDDIE GOLD.

JOHNNY "RUBBERMAN" WALKER clashes with Japan's HOSHINO SATO.

And to add even more excitement, PENNY BANNER will face BRENDA SCOTT in a special ladies event.

A huge crowd is expected at the CHARLOTTE COLISEUM tonight, but as of press time, there were some good seats still available, according to CROCKETT.

The starting time tonight is 8:15 sharp.

LES THATCHER AND RUDY KAYE

 

HEELS, HEELS AND MORE HEELS

                                                                       March 29, 1969

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

56 Years Ago

Anything is likely to happen tonight...

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON, "The Blonde Bombers" of the pro wrestling world, tear loose against an equally rough duo of THE MISSOURI MAULER and HIRO MATSUDA in tonight's LEXINGTON YMCA wrestling feature, kicking off at 8:15.

"Colonel" HOMER O'DELL, the diabolical manager of MATSUDA and the MAULER, will be accompanying his men and could get mixed up in the BATTLE OF THE BULLIES main event, scheduled for the best two-out-of-three falls.

"Let O'DELL stick his nose in the ring while I'm wrestling," said HAWK. "I've got a piledriver waiting with his name on it!" HAWK's partner HANSON had no comment.

Popular GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT will be back tonight, fresh off a victory here last week. "Bulldog" LEE HENNING and "Big" JIM GRABMIRE are the foes facing "The Flying Scotts" tonight. Two falls will decide the winning team.

Single matches send young BOBBY PAUL against the rugged ROCK HUNTER, and RANDY CURTIS will test tough EL GAUCHO in the opening match.

ROBERTO SOTO

 

GERMANS VERSUS INDIANS

                                                                    January 22, 1966

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

VON STROHEIM

SUNI WAR CLOUD

(looks a bit like Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, doesn't he?)

'The Big O' BOB ORTON SR.

BILLY TWO RIVERS

BRUTE BERNARD and SKULL MURPHY

A rough and rugged pair of German brothers will make their LEXINGTON YMCA debut tonight in the main event of professional wrestling action.

The big bruisers, KURT and HENRY VON STROHEIM, who tip the scales at a combined 510 pounds, will face a very popular duo of Indian mat stars in the guise of BILLY TWO RIVERS and SUNI WAR CLOUD.

The current SOUTHERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, 'The Big O' BOB ORTON will face newcomer KARL GOTCH in a non-title match. A GOTCH victory would propel him to the top of the list of contenders for the title.

More tag team action is slated as fan favorites STEVE BOLUS and OMAR ATLAS will collide with the Irish / Canadian skinhead bully team of BRUTE BERNARD and SKULL MURPHY, who are returning to the area after a long absence.

Both tag team matches are set for the best-of-three falls.

Another singles match will open the card at 8:15.

NELSON ROYAL AND TEX McKENZIE

 

HAYSTACKS AND LUMBERJACKS

                                                                      April 19, 1965

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

60 Years Ago

HAYSTACK CALHOUN, the mountain that walks like a man, returns to Charlotte tonight, and GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER couldn't be happier.

CALHOUN, BECKER and WEAVER will team up in a SIX MAN TAG TEAM LUMBERJACK MATCH at the CHARLOTTE COLISEUM to attempt to, once and for all, put an end to the terrifying threesome of BRONCHO LUBICH, ALDO BOGNI and their manager HOMER O'DELL.

Ten wrestlers have been assigned to station themselves around the ring while the main event action is going on. Should any member of either team try to leave the ring area or be thrown from it, the ten lumberjacks have orders to pitch the combatants back into the melee. It isn't likely any member of the CALHOUN / BECKER / WEAVER trio will do any running. In fact, these three want to stay in the ring with the villainous trio as much as possible. They seldom get the opportunity to get their hands on the slippery O'DELL, who is usually causing trouble in tuxedo attire (and cane) outside the ring.

In tonight's best-of-three falls contest, O'DELL will be a participant in wrestling attire. There's a 60-minute time limit for the match, with a NO DISQUALIFICATION stipulation in effect.

Another tag team match on the card will send two of the baldest and meanest men in the wrestling business, BRUTE BERNARD and SKULL MURPHY, against the rugged team of THE ALASKAN and THE BEAST in a two-out-of-three falls "Battle of the Bullies" clash.

One could toss a coin to determine which of these two rule-breaking teams is the more vicious. Many fans are hoping the two duos will destroy each other, so the wrestling business won't have to deal with either of them any longer.

A fantastic JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS supporting card will underline this giant professional wrestling spectacular, which gets underway at 8:15 p.m.

Tickets can be obtained at the COLISEUM box office or the NATIONAL HAT SHOP in downtown Charlotte.

JOHNNY VALENTINE

 

WE WUZ ROBBED!

                                                                   October 21, 1968

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

HAYSTACK MULDOON

SAM STEAMBOAT

BRONCHO LUBICH, GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS, ALDO BOGNI

THE AMAZING ZUMA

GREG PETERSON

What has turned into the most devastating grudge match of the Fall climaxes tonight at the CHARLOTTE COLISEUM with a SIX MAN TAG TEAM MATCH as the number one attraction.

HAYSTACK MULDOON and SAM STEAMBOAT took a highly controversial win last Monday night over ALDO BOGNI and BRONCHO LUBICH. At first, referee ANGELO MARTINELLI gave the BOGNI - LUBICH team the nod, then changed his decision.

The chief reason for the referee's switch was an arm-waving testimony from THE AMAZING ZUMA, who was at ringside. ZUMA made it clear that GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS, who manages BOGNI and LUBICH, was in the ring and was involved with the so-called final pin fall.

HARRIS, as usual, has been wringing out the crying towel. The entire purse of the last outing went to MULDOON and STEAMBOAT. HARRIS dug into his vocabulary and pulled out the old boxing saying of Mike Jacobs that, "WE WUZ ROBBED!"