BECKER DEMANDS REMATCH

April 28, 1962

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

56 Years Ago

A rematch between two top rivals, along with the debut of a world famous Oriental team, features professional wrestling tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA.

Fan favorite GEORGE BECKER has demanded another crack at the tough Mexican PANCHO VILLA after losing a disputed verdict here last Saturday.

One provision is that referees be changed, and BECKER must approve the new referee. VILLA says referees make no difference to him, and that he will be victorious again tonight. Two-of-three falls will settle it.

The Oriental team debuting tonight is comprised of P. Y. CHUNG of China and TARO MYAKI of Japan, the only Chinese / Japanese team working together in wrestling today. They will face heroes JERRY CHRISTY and ANGELO MARTINELLI in the two-out-of-three falls co-feature.

Action begins at 8:15 with REGGIE PARKS tangling with GYPSY JOE.

MORE STARS THAN IN THE HEAVENS

OK, OK...I didn't make up that phrase. JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS never used the phrase either. It was actually the slogan of the movie studio giant METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER back in the golden 1930s and 1940s.

The phrase, however, could have been borrowed to describe the incredible roster of talent that worked the arenas throughout the years in the MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING territory.

Here are but a few...

ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER

(LAWRENCE ROBERT SHREVE - born 1936)

ALDO BOGNI

(Mostly wrestled as a tag team partner with BRONCHO LUBICH)

BELLE STARR

CHIEF BIG HEART

(RICHARD G. VEST - 1927-1993)

JOE LE DUC
(MICHEL PIGEON - 1944-1999)

JOHNNY VALENTINE

(JONATHAN WISNISKI - 1928-2001)

RUDY KAYE

(JEAN-LOUIS CORMIER - 1942-2008)

VIVA VILLA!

October 27, 1962

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA
56 YEARS AGO

IKE EAKINS

DON CURTIS

JOE SCARPA

GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS

PENNY BANNER

TINKER TODD

Not one VILLA, but two, will be appearing tonight on Lexington's professional wrestling card at the YMCA.

PANCHO VILLA, the rugged Mexican, will return with his rough partner, big IKE EAKINS, to do battle with the popular combo of DON CURTIS and JOE SCARPA * in the evening's two-out-of-three falls feature match.

MRS. PANCHO VILLA, who many say is as brutal as her husband, will also be on hand tonight in a girls match against the very popular PENNY BANNER.

The opening match of the night will match two ruffians, TINKER TODD and GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS, against one another.

Belltime is 8:15 p.m.

* Joe Scarpa later wrestled as Chief Jay Strongbow.

MAN VERSUS BEAR

July 8, 1961

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA
57 Years Ago

TERRIBLE TED

THE VON BRAUNERS with GENTLEMAN SAUL WEINGROFF

KURT AND KARL VON BRAUNER

A wrestling bear comes to the LEXINGTON YMCA this week to provide addition excitement to an all-star pro wrestling card.

TERRIBLE TED, 500 pounds and standing seven feet tell, will be matched against a tough wrestler in the likes of FIRPO ZYBSKO in a special attraction.

The German team of KURT and KARL VON BRAUNER, who missed their LEXINGTON debut last week because of injuries, are matched against LEE GARCIA and ANGELO MARTINELLI, impressive last week in a victory over substitutes for the Germans, in this week's co-feature.

The SOUTHERN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP, recently won by the VON BRAUNERs, will be on the line in a best-of-three-falls contest.

The German duo, who are managed by GENTLEMAN SAUL WEINGROFF, are also the WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS.

COWBOY BILL COLE will face BILLY COX, and GENE DUBOIS squares off against HERB LARSEN in the week's preliminary matches.

Action gets underway at 8:15.

A LOT OF BEEF

April 21, 1962

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

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56 Years Ago

Fan favorite GEORGE BECKER will be back at the LEXINGTON YMCA tonight in wrestling action.

The popular BECKER will meet the rough and tough PANCHO VILLA, the Mexican with an impressive winning record in the business, in the evening's headliner. Bad blood already exists between these two, and the two-out-of-three falls battle is expected to be a wild one.

HAYSTACK CALHOUN, the world's largest professional wrestler, returns to town and will meet the rugged SWEDE HANSON in the semi-final best-of-three falls contest.

Negro girl wrestlers, SWEET GEORGIA BROWN and DIANA BEAMON, meet in a special event.

The 8:15 opening match sends REGGIE PARKS against "JUDO" JACK TERRY.

SOME OF JCP'S TOP TAG TEAMS OF THE 60'S

A salute to five of the top tag teams who filled arenas all across the JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS territory during the 1960s...

Without question, THE tag team for nearly the entire decade...

GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER

PAUL JONES and NELSON ROYAL

KARL and KURT VON STEIGER

THE KENTUCKIANS
TINY ANDERSON and BIG BOY BROWN

THE MICHIGAN WRECKING CREW
JOHN and CHRIS TOLOS

LEXINGTON 1962

June 16, 1962

LEXINGTON, N.C.

TONY BAILLARGEON

PEE WEE LOPEZ

P.Y. CHUNG

CHICO SANTANA

RAY VILLMER

Two tag team matches, including both heavyweights and midgets, are included on an all-star wrestling card tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA.

French-Canadian stars TONY BAILLARGEON and MAURICE LAPOINTE will make their initial appearance here as a team when they meet the crafty Oriental villian duo of P.Y. CHUNG and TARO MYAKI in the heavyweight scrap.

The midget contest sends teams of FARMER MCGRUDER and PEE WEE LOPEZ against LITTLE BOY BLUE and CHICO SANTANA. This is SANTANA's Lexington debut.

Both tag matches are scheduled for the best two-out-of-three falls.

RAY VILLMER meets BIG JIM WRIGHT * in a semi-finals match to open the card at 8:15.

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* BIG JIM WRIGHT would die in the ring the following year (1963).

JOHNNY WEAVER DEBUTS IN CHARLOTTE

February 5, 1962

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

56 Years Ago

HANS SCHMIDT, a brutal 240 lb. German, will headline tonight's wrestling card at PARK CENTER.

SCHMIDT, noted as one of the very toughest wrestlers on the American circuit, will face another rugged grappler in that of LENNY MONTANA *.

The bout, which will be a test for both wrestlers, is set for two-out-of-three falls, with a one hour time limit.

The rest of the card is dotted with new faces.

The semi-final brings in newcomer BILL DROMO, a youngster with a big reputation, to meet the rough and tough SWEDE HANSON. DROMO is from Detroit and specializes in the scientific approach to the sport, unlike HANSON.

Another prelim will unveil two newcomers to the Charlotte area when young JOHNNY WEAVER ** takes on EDDIE AUGER.

The 8:15 opener brings in still another new face, SIR ALLAN GARFIELD, who will team with TINKER TODD to face the combo of STEVE BOLUS and KEN COOPER.

THE ARGENTINE LEGEND

October 19, 1963

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

55 Years Ago

The spectacular wrestling team of GEORGE BECKER and ARGENTINA ROCCA will battle evil foes ALDO BOGNI and BRONCHO LUBICH in a LEXINGTON YMCA main event feature tonight.

Both BECKER and ROCCA, extremely popular with fans everywhere, are returning to Lexington after lengthy absences to meet 'COLONEL' HOMER O'DELL's rulebreaking duo. And yes, 'COLONEL' O'DELL will be in the corner of his men. The match is set for the best-of-three falls with a one-hour time limit.

Two big men will slug it out in the night's two-out-of-three falls semifinal match as big and tough IKE EAKINS takes on JACK LANZA. *

The respected Indian wrestling star, BOBBY RED CLOUD, makes his debut here tonight when he faces rugged ANGELO SAVOLDI in one of the evening's prelim matches.

Opening the card at 8:15 will be PRINCE OMAR facing the versatile JOHNNY 'RUBBERMAN' WALKER**.

* JACK LANZA later changed his ways and wrestled heel as BLACKJACK LANZA.

** JOHNNY 'RUBBERMAN' WALKER later became MR. WRESTLING 2.

'RING' IN THE NEW YEAR

JANUARY 4, 1969

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

49 Years Ago

A rematch between tag teams of SAILOR ART THOMAS and ABE JACOBS and THE MINNESOTA WRECKING CREW has been ordered to feature the first wrestling card of the new year tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA.

Last week, GENE and OLE ANDERSON took a hurried and early leave during an exciting third fall, and THOMAS and JACOBS were declared winners by way of a "count out". A double purse goes to the winning team of tonight's two-out-of-three falls battle.

A BATTLE OF THE BULLIES is set in the evening's best-of-three fall semifinal when ruffians JIMMY and BILLY HINES battle Jap star HIRO MATSUDA and scrapper THE MISSOURI MAULER. The HINES boys wrestled here previously as THE MASKED RED DEMONS.

Two special matches are slated to open tonight's card of action.

COWBOY LANG and LITTLE BRUSIER battle in a one-fall MIDGETS MATCH.

Lovely BARBARA OWENS and DONNA CHRISTIAN square off in a LADIES MATCH, with unlady-like antics predicted.

Belltime is 8:15 for the NEW YEARS card.