IVAN KOLOFF

 

DAMN THOSE INFERNOS

 I make no apologies for throwing the spotlight once again on these guys for a number of reasons:

They could really work in the ring.

They really drew heat.

And I just plain liked them!

THE INFERNOS made several passes through JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS in the mid-late 1960s, and each time, went straight to the top of the card, feuding with not just the top 'babyface' teams, but also a number of the other 'heel' duos as well.

THE INFERNOS set every wrestling territory they worked in on fire!

Often, J.C. DYKES was forced to join his men in the ring as pictured here in a match against a team headed by EDDIE GRAHAM.

The helpless referee tries to no avail to prevent THE INFERNOS from double-teaming a hapless opponent.

THE INFERNOS
(These are the originals - Manager J.C. DYKES (left), ROCKY SMITH (center), FRANKIE CAIN (right).

Looks like things didn't go well for J.C. on this night.

JOHNNY WEAVER is at the mercy of one of the masked maulers.

One INFERNO memory I have occurred in the late 1960s one summer night at the old semi-pro baseball park in Statesville, North Carolina.

DYKES and his men were making their approach to the ring for their main event match. J.C. was wearing a brown paisley tuxedo jacket. Some idiot, out of nowhere like Ruby on Oswald, threw a large cup of Coca-Cola right in the manager's face and all over the jacket, then like the fool he was, took off running towards the center field fence (where there was no escape - the fence was at least ten feet high). Duh!

Both INFERNOS took off after the goof. Whichever wrestler was wearing the 'loaded boot' actually got to him first, tackled him in the outfield and started slugging him. His masked partner was right behind and began beating the **** out of the poor guy with the metal canteen DYKES always carried to the ring.

Eventually, the local police (60-inch girths and all) made it to the outfield and relieved the wrestlers of what was left of their attacker and escorted him out of the ball park and took him to the local police department, where I'm sure he spent the night at the expense of the citizens of Statesville.

BOLO = FRANCHISE PLAYER

 In the late 1950s, JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS was virtually built around one guy, a really 'bad guy'...THE GREAT BOLO.

He wore a yellow gold mask with matching attire. No wrestling fan knew his true identity, and according to a lengthy interview by the man under the hood himself (TOM RENESTO), the other wrestlers didn't, at the time, know either. This idea, he said, was designed by JIM CROCKETT himself. BIG JIM felt that keeping the wrestler's identity a real secret made for a more realistic approach to the storyline.

THE GREAT BOLO had his own private dressing room, and he wore the mask into the building upon arrival and out of the building when he left.

(I'm not sure if I really buy into that, but true or not, it makes a great story.)

THE GREAT BOLO was BIG! Fans laid out their money every night in some city hoping to find out who the guy really was. All of the top wrestlers ('babyfaces' and 'heels') in the territory worked the masked man.

I experienced my first LIVE wrestling event nearly seventy years ago at the old semi-pro baseball park one summer night in Statesville, North Carolina. The main event was Indian star BILLY TWO RIVERS versus THE GREAT BOLO. Next to GEORGE BECKER, BILLY was the top 'good guy' in JCP at the time.

Most of us tikes in the neighborhood went. We lived in a black and white world in the late Fifties, and when THE GREAT BOLO stepped out of one of the dugouts and made his way towards the ring, we were stunned by the bright gold colors. Up to that point, we could only guess what colors he wore. On black and white TV, it could have been most any shade.

My group, along with some other local kids, made a dash towards the masked man, whopping it up and trying to taunt him. A threatening move and a loud growl-like sound scattered us all back to our grandstand seats in record-setting speed.

Several years later, with tag team wrestling becoming extremely popular, THE GREAT BOLO brought in a partner BOLO (JODY HAMILTON). From this point on, the duo was billed as THE GREAT BOLO and BOLO, or THE MIGHTY BOLOS.

Either way, they were just as hot as RENESTO had been as a single.

In one of the hottest and biggest JCP feuds of all time, a bloodied BOLO (ripped mask and all) battles BIG BOY BROWN of THE KENTUCKIANS.

It's going to be a long way down anytime TINY ANDERSON of THE KENTUCKIANS gives you a body slam.

BOLO makes a bumpy landing in this non-JCP photo.
Had this been in the MID-ATLANTIC area, the bleachers would have been packed with fans.

The BOLO applies a chin lock to ABE JACOBS.

GEORGE BECKER and partner ENRIQUE TORRES put a hurtin' on THE BOLOS.

For the full story of the history of THE BOLOS (later THE ASSASSINS), every wrestling fan should read JODY HAMILTON's fantastic book, ASSASSIN: THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK, co-written by SCOTT TEAL.

JOHNNY WEAVER

 

INFERNOS HEAT VERSUS FLYING SCOTTS

                                                                       May 11, 1968

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

57 Years Ago

"THE FLYING SCOTT BROTHERS" GEORGE and SANDY, have decided that it's time someone puts an end to the destruction caused by the masked duo of THE INFERNOS.

And they will get their chance tonight when the SCOTT BROTHERS meet THE INFERNOS in the middle of the ring in the headline wrestling contest at the LEXINGTON YMCA.

THE INFERNOS, the bullies managed by J.C. DYKES, have been causing lots of problems for lots of wrestlers since coming to this wrestling area. DYKES is one problem, constantly interfering in his men's matches. The other is the controversial wrestling boot worn by one of the masked men. Many wrestlers are claiming that there is something, other than a foot, in that boot.

GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT are cautiously optimistic about tonight's two-out-of-three falls match. "These guys wear masks, keeping their identities secret. We don't know why. But we have to admit that these men are great wrestlers. Add in their constant rule breaking, and DYKES' involvement in their matches...it's going to be tough. But we face tough teams all the time. We'll be ready. And who knows, maybe we'll get an opportunity to get our hands on that boot and maybe even find out who these INFERNOS are by removing their masks. We're sure going to give it our best."

Another best-of-three falls tag match sends the popular duo of THE AMAZING ZUMA and LES THATCHER against tough BULL JOHNSON and Russia's NIKITA MULKOVICH.

A favorite of the wrestling fans, BOB NANDOR meets rugged veteran JOHNNY HEIDEMAN.

JACK RICO challenges local star SONNY FARGO in the 8:15 opening contest.

NELSON ROYAL

 

HIGH FLIERS VS MASKED TERRORS

                                                                      August 1, 1964

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

'IRISH' MIKE CLANCY

THE BOLOS

GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT

BOB BOYER

The mysterious terror duo of professional wrestling, THE GREAT BOLO and BOLO, will try to ground the airborne tactics of THE FLYING SCOTTS, brothers GEORGE and SANDY, in tonight's main event collision at the LEXINGTON YMCA.

Tonight's best-of-three-falls battle is a rematch of a thriller of two weeks ago won by the SCOTT BROTHERS on a reversed decision. The referee had raised the hands of THE BOLOS in victory but then found a 'foreign object' in the mask of the hooded competitor who scored the third fall.

GEORGE and SANDY asked for another shot with the masked men.

'IRISH' MIKE CLANCY will face TOMMY O'TOOLE in the evening's semifinal.

Dashing young DOUG GILBERT makes his LEXINGTON debut against JOHN HEATH.

BOB BOYER and TINKER TODD square off in the 8:15 opener.

"DIRTY" DICK SLATER

 

WAY BACK RESULTS

 

THE GREAT MALENKO

CHARLESTON, S.C. - 1967

SANDY SCOTT defeated THE GREAT MALENKO in a RUSSIAN DEATH MATCH.

ABE JACOBS and RUDY KAY topped LARS and GENE ANDERSON via DQ.

KARL GOTCH pinned EL GAUCHO.

CORSICA JEAN lost to GEORGE 'CATALINA' DRAKE.

IKE EAKINS

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - 1966

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

KURT and HENRY VON STROHEIM versus BILLY TWO RIVERS and SUNI WAR CLOUD ended in a no contest.

IKE EAKINS pinned BOB BOYER.

JOHN GUDISKI topped KEN YATES.

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON

LEXINGTON, N.C. - 1965

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON took the measure of ABE JACOBS and DALE LEWIS.

'IRISH' MIKE CLANCY and FRANKIE CAIN * defeated SONNY FARGO and THE MATADOR.

RAY VILLMER spoiled THE VIKING.

EDUARDO CASTILLO turned back JACK VANSKY.

* FRANKIE CAIN would soon don a mask and join ROCKY SMITH as the original INFERNOS, who would be managed by J.C. DYKES.

PEDRO GODOY

CHARLESTON, S.C. - 1967

GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER won over THE MISSOURI MAULER and THE GREAT MALENKO.

IKE EAKINS and PEDRO GODOY topped ALEX MEDINA and 'COWBOY' RONNIE HILL.

TAMMY JONES beat PEGGY ALLEN.

JIM OSBORNE wrestled EL GAUCHO to a time limit draw.

GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER

NORFOLK, VA. - 1967

GEORGE BECKER, RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON lost to ALDO BOGNI, HOMER O'DELL and BRONCHO LUBICH in six man action.

JOHNNY WEAVER topped RUDY KAY.

LUTHER LINDSAY defeated GENE ANDERSON.

LARS ANDERSON was stopped by ABE JACOBS.

THE FLYING SCOTTS - SANDY & GEORGE

 

BLONDE BOMBERS CHALLENGE

                                                                       May 14, 1966

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

59 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.