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Kindle edition: 385 pages

Publisher: Crowbar Press

Item #: cbp19-ds-kindle

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  "I suddenly felt the earth tremble, as if we had been hit by an earthquake.  I began to wonder if a natural disaster would be my savior and help me escape what I thought would be my Waterloo.  But, no.  It wasn’t an earthquake.  It was the wild-eyed, out-of-control human beings breaking the ring apart from the outside.  The wrestling ring, which weighed close to 1,800 pounds, was being shaken back and forth and side to side by the angry mob."

  In an era when few people were allowed into professional wrestling’s inner circle, Dean Silverstone pitched the idea of publishing an arena program to Harry Elliott, the wrestling promoter in Seattle, Washington.  Harry gave him permission and Dean’s career as a wrestling publicist began … when he was only 14 years old.

  An entrepreneur in every sense of the word, Dean wrote, created, printed, and sold the programs at Seattle’s Senator Auditorium and Masonic Temple for the next 11 years.  During that time, he also would promote spot shows, referee, write and handle publicity for Elliott’s promotion, act as box-office manager, and run a few towns of his own.
  Dean never wanted to be in the spotlight.  He simply wanted to write about, referee, and promote the superstars of wrestling.  When Elliott closed shop, Dean went into business for himself and formed Super Star Championship Wrestling.

  Dean tells about putting together a roster of talent and struggling to build his company, despite opposition from other promoters, who considered him to be an outlaw.  In the process, he faced anti-Semitism, unpredictable actions from his talent, crowd riots, warnings from the Hell’s Angels, collapsing rings, the tragic death of one of his top wrestlers, and even a Molotov cocktail.  Through it all, he developed a rapport and trust between himself and the wrestlers he employed.

  His story includes opening Golden Oldies Records — a retail business venture which would eventually grow to eleven stores in all parts of Washington state — hosting an annual reunion for veteran and retired wrestlers, and working on the board of directors for the Cauliflower Alley Club.

  This is the story of a self-made man, who, in his own words, was "born at just the right time in history."

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Excerpt from Chapter 3
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     My face turns a little red when I think back to my first meeting with Shag Thomas. In 1960, when I was 13 years old, I mustered up enough courage to approach him while he was watching another match from the back of the arena. He was standing next to a tall guy (although, everyone except Little Beaver would be considered to be "tall" when they stood next to Shag), who I later met as Mike Glover, aka J Michael Kenyon. I wanted to impress Thomas with my knowledge of wrestling, so I asked, "Hey, waddaya think of Frank Gotch?"
  Thomas politely answered, "Well, he must have been pretty good."
  As I turned to leave, I saw them look at each other and roll their eyes, silently voicing their opinions about me.

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Excerpt from Chapter 4
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     I ... actually had the foresight to save several tapes.  Years later, in 2011, one of the participants of that time, Kurt von Poppenheim [Jack Pappenheim], was at our house, and I asked him to listen to one of the tapes from 1962.  As we listened, I could picture him standing in the ring with the promoter holding the microphone in front of his face and asking him who his tag team partner would be when they kicked off a tournament [on January 9, 1962] to crown the new tag team champions.  The young wrestler answered, "Fritz von Goering."  Fifty-one years later, I watched Kurt as he listened to himself.  His eyes widened and his facial expression was one of disbelief.  He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  Suddenly, his eyes began tearing up.  I’m getting ahead of myself and my story, but that is just one example of what wrestling meant to many of the wrestlers who were around during a time when I was just a young, punk kid with a one-track mind.

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Excerpt from Chapter 5
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     I printed charts, statistics, and other interesting news items, just like sports covered in newspapers.  My favorite creation was a "won-lost-draw" chart that appeared in each issue.  I’d list all the wrestlers who were working that specific night and list the number of wins, losses, draws, wins by disqualification, losses by disqualification, and finally, their winning percentage.  My won-lost charts included only Seattle results and the statistics dated from when the program began in May 1961.  That feature became so popular — not just with the fans, but with the wrestlers, as well — that I expanded it to create a "Never Defeated" chart:
  I knew the boys liked the charts because, one night, I overheard Bulldog Bud Cody tell Harry Elliott, "I’ll do a job in some other town for you ‘cause I don’t want to ruin my record in Seattle."

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Excerpt from Chapter 6
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     On July 11, 1961, Gorgeous George came to Seattle to wrestle Leo Garibaldi.  The match was held at Seattle’s Aqua Theatre, which was an open-air stadium on the south shore of Green Lake [in the city’s north end].  It was the venue for the Aqua Follies, a water show which featured beauties attired in bathing suits performing around a man-made lake surrounded by spectator seats.  Harry Elliott installed the wrestling ring on pontoons in the center of the lake and it was at least the third show in Seattle ever held on water ...
When Gorgeous George won the decision over Garibaldi to end the match, Leo attempted to explain to the referee, Pago Pago [Al Noa], that George had illegally used the ropes to gain the pinfall.  Pago refused to listen and wouldn’t change his decision.  Much to the delight of the audience, when Pago walked over to George and raised his arm in victory, the frustrated Garibaldi dropkicked George from behind at the top of his shoulders.  The gorgeous one became airborne and sailed up and over the top rope.  He never came close to the ring apron and did a belly flop about five feet from the ring.  He immediately began to sink, which encouraged both (Al) Fridel and (Frenchy) Roberre to frantically row over to the spot where George went under.  As Roberre tried to pull the curly-haired wrestler to safety, he was yanked into the water by the struggling George.  George and Roberre began swinging wildly at each other, while Fridel attempted to use his oar to separate the two wet gladiators.  Roberre finally reached the safety of his rowboat, but he convinced Fridel not to aid the stricken Gorgeous George, and the poor man had to swim back to shore.

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Excerpt from Chapter 7
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     After three or four weeks, Pampero (Firpo) began to open up to me.  He told me how unhappy he was working for Don Owen.  "They’re just not using me right here," he said.  "I think this is the only territory I will never come back to."
  His prophecy turned out to be true.  Pampero’s only feud in the Northwest was with Tony Borne, and even that didn’t surpass the semi-final level.  Don Owen didn’t give Pampero much time on TV for promos, either.  For someone who had headlined in other territories, he was all but sidelined here in the Pacific Northwest.

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Excerpt from Chapter 8
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     All of a sudden, Jules Strongbow, the promoter, walked into the room.  Strongbow was a behemoth of a man.  He had been a wrestler in the ‘30s and ‘40s and probably weighed close to 300 then, but by that time, he was somewhat out of shape and weighed around 275.  He stood well over six feet tall and had an intimidating persona.  When he saw me, he stopped short.  He looked at Billy Lyons and asked, "Who’s this?"
  The Destroyer piped up, "Ah, he’s okay.  He works for Harry Elliott up in Seattle, and he did a few magazine stories for me up there."
  Strongbow’s voice was very authoritative and low-pitched, and he spoke slowly: "You know we only allow wrestlers in here.  No one else."

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Excerpt from Chapter 9
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     I vividly recall an incident that took place at one Coliseum show.  When a fan broke through security and attempted to enter the ring, John Tolos clipped him over the head.  The entire incident happened in less than five seconds.  Tolos saw the guy, left his opponent, pounded the poor idiot, and then turned around and returned to working mode, locking up with Roy McClarty.

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Excerpt from Chapter 10
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     Later that year, I made another trip to Oregon and met Don’s brother, Elton (Owen).  While I was there, I overheard Elton spewing profanities about Sam Muchnick, referring to him as "that Jew bastard in St. Louis."  Don also had a dislike for Muchnick, who was president of the National Wrestling Alliance.  I was upstairs in the PNE offices prior to a Monday night card in Vancouver one night when he told Sandor Kovacs, "You can go to Las Vegas and give your money to Sam Muchnick if you want, but that Jew ain’t getting another nickel of my dough."

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Excerpt from Chapter 11
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     With Dean (Higuchi) unable to appear, my only big name was John Quinn, but the word "only" is a misnomer.  John Quinn could have been a main event in any arena in the world.  His 6-foot-7, 300-pound frame of solid muscle and athletic ability put him on top wherever he appeared.  His only downside was that he chose to homestead in British Columbia, and knowing that, the promoters used his preference to their advantage by paying him less than he was really worth.  John knew, however, that I would pay him a fair percentage, and gave his notice to (Sandor) Kovacs in August.

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Excerpt from Chapter 12
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     (Bill) O’Mara (the television commentator) never appeared on camera from head to toe.  The interview camera only shot from the waist up, and when he called a match, it was off-camera.  If you saw his entire outfit, you’d think he was rather strangely attired.  He always wore a shirt, tie, and sports coat, because that was what was seen on screen, but the pants he wore … oh, man.  They were ratty, torn and stained.  He also wore white socks and tennis shoes.  One time, Chief Thundercloud planned to throw him into the ring so the camera would show how he really dressed, but that never happened.

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Excerpt from Chapter 14
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal   Afa and Sika Anoa’i [later known as the Wild Samoans] also were working for (Sandor) Kovacs and (Gene) Kiniski.  For some reason, they had two days off and just showed up at the Tuesday night house show in Seattle.  They actually purchased tickets (ringside), bought popcorn, and sat there watching the opening match.  The fans all recognized them, so their attention drifted from what was taking place in the ring to the unusual "guests" at ringside.  After the first match, they came into the dressing room and verbally put all the boys over.  One of them approached me (I didn’t, and still don’t, know one from the other) and said, "Kovacs said you were the devil in disguise, but you’ve got a great set-up here and your talent is terrific."
  I thought they were sincere, so we came up with the idea for them to watch another match, after which they would get up from their seats and attack the babyface in the ring.  I told them I’d give them $50 if they’d allow my babyface to kick the shit out of them.  They agreed and put on a crowd-popping, albeit brief, show.  I gave them the $50, but they left with $40 because they already had spent ten bucks on tickets and popcorn.  The experience made me wonder if it would be possible for me to get all my talent to buy tickets.

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Excerpt from Chapter 16
  Copyright ©  Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     I used to see Chris Colt's sister at spot shows.  She was an attractive female, but there was a hard edge to her features.  I don’t think she ever used the word "freaking," either.  She only knew the alternative word and used it constantly.  At spot shows, she would pick up a boy who was between 17 and 20 years old.  The lucky guy thought he was going to score that night, but little did he know … she was trolling for Chris.  When the matches were over, the three of them would leave the arena, hugging each other in anticipation of the party ahead.  I have a feeling the boys got more than they bargained for when Chris got them to his apartment ...

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Excerpt from Chapter 17
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     I only had one instance where I had a problem with the host of an event.  One night in Lewiston, Idaho, the local promoter insisted on counting the box-office receipts and being the one to handle all the money.  Our share was supposed to be $4,600.  I was in his office when he counted out the cash.  I didn’t say a word when I saw him place six 20-dollar bills in a pile and say, "One hundred."  He counted out six more and said, "Two hundred."  He counted 46 piles of $100 each, but because he was so stupid, each pile actually contained $120.  As a result, he gave us an extra $920.  I took what he gave me and left.  He had been so insistent on being in charge of the money, and came across like he didn’t trust me, so I thought, "Who am I to argue?  He wanted to be in charge.  This must be what he wanted me to have."
  When he realized the mistake he had made, he went to the police and issued a warrant for my arrest.  Months later, after I was out of the business, I bumped into Dutch Savage.  He told me, "Do you know there’s a warrant out for your arrest in Lewiston, Idaho?"
  I never went back to Lewiston.  There probably is still a warrant for my arrest there.

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Excerpt from Chapter 18
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     Yakima District Court Judge Leslie E. Vannice ruled there was "no collusion between Lumberjack Luke and Super Star Championship Wrestling, Inc.  Lumberjack Luke (Don Morrison), however, is an individual with ‘animal-like’ tendencies and has severe mental deficiencies, and therefore will be fined $1,000 for his actions on that night."
  I told Luke I would give him the thousand dollars, but he was so irate with the decision that he refused my offer and said he wanted to take care of it himself.
  He had 30 days to pay the victim’s attorney the $1,000.  On the last day, he showed up in the attorney’s office with a horrible-smelling bag of 1,000 one-dollar bills.  Luke had buried the bills behind his house in a pile of horse manure, and then took the three horses he owned and fenced them in a small area with his buried stash.  For the next 29 days, the horses urinated and defecated on, or near, the spot where Luke had deposited the dough.  Thirty days later, he unearthed the cash and left the soiled bills exactly as they were: dirty, filthy, stinking, rotting, and stained with waste.  He loaded the money into a sack, along with a hefty amount of ground soil, carted it to the attorney’s office, and dumped the contents on the receptionist’s desk.  "Give me a receipt," he demanded.
  The startled receptionist was dumbfounded and gagged at the smell.  I suppose the odor was unbearable and the mess it made probably required extensive cleaning of the office.  To Luke, that was worth a thousand dollars.

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Excerpt from Chapter 19
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     On Thursday, August 16, 1990, I received a phone call from the road manager of Cher.  He explained that Cher was performing that night at the Tacoma Dome, but after her show, she would love to come to Golden Oldies to see the place.  The only condition was that no one other than me could be in the store.  I had some vintage records recorded in 1963 by a duo calling themselves Caesar & Cleo.  Caesar & Cleo actually was Sonny & Cher, and I thought Cher would get a kick out of seeing the rare vintage item, so I agreed to his terms and told him they could visit the store at two o’clock all by themselves.  I was there at two, and by two-twenty, I was beginning to get a little upset because they weren’t there.  Finally, at 2:45, I received a phone call.  It was Cher’s road manager.  "Man," he said, "we’re at Golden Oldies and it’s dark inside and there ain’t no one here."  It was only then that I remembered she had performed at the Tacoma Dome, and I realized they had gone to the Golden Oldies store in Tacoma.  We never did get together … her loss.

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Excerpt from Chapter 21
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     One afternoon, I was upstairs in our bedroom watching the news on television, when I heard Ruth shouting from her office downstairs.  She always cussed and screamed when using the computer because, before she met me, she had been a systems analyst for Boeing Computer Services, and she was not terribly fond of a small local company called Microsoft.  So, at first, I thought nothing odd about the tirades of profanity emanating from downstairs.  The next thing I knew, she burst into the room where I was watching television, shook a piece of paper, and said loudly, "What’s wrong with this &*#)$(@ southern idiot?"  The "southern idiot" to whom her venom was directed was Scott Teal, who, at the time, was publishing a wrestling magazine called Whatever Happened to ...?
  To put this story in its proper time-frame, in 1996, I knew almost nothing about Scott.  Our paths never crossed until Ruth and I went to the Gulf Coast Wrestling Reunion near Mobile, Alabama.  Suffice it to say, Scott knew as little about me as I knew about him ...

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Excerpt from Chapter 22
  Copyright © Dean Silverstone and Scott Teal     When Ruth and I first moved into that house, we hosted a "garden party" for our social friends (no wrestlers), as a way to pay back all the parties we had attended over the years.  We had about 75 people at our house.  They ate everything we had, left a mess, and left us with a bad taste in our mouth.  When we gave our first wrestling reunion, we had more than 100 people there.  They cleaned up after themselves.  They were polite, respectful, pleasant, and talked about how grateful they were to be invited.  During that first occasion, someone dropped a muffin on the floor and Fabulous Moolah [Lillian Ellison] used our carpet sweeper to clean it up.  Mike Lano impressed Ruth (and me) because he stayed after everyone left and picked up all the cups and paper that missed the garbage cans.  The place was spotless when he left.  I have a lot of respect for Mike because he has always supported the business, and that was the primary reason I invited him to our reunion.

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Acknowledgements Foreword by J Michael Kenyon J Michael is considered by most to be the "Lou Thesz of wrestling historians" and, besides the Foreword, contributed a great deal to the history of the Northwest territory included in this book. 1. "OOPS!" Riot at the Masonic Temple in Seattle 2. A Bunch of Boats Going Fast Overview of Dean's childhood ... Minor league baseball at Sick's Seattle Stadium ... Seafair Trophy race ... Discovering professional wrestling 3. 1957’s Version of Facebook Wrestling and boxing magazines ... Research at the Seattle Public Library ... Publishing "Wrestling's Wrestlers" fan magazine ... Attending his first live match at Eagle's Auditorium ... Tony Borne's "big dark secret" ... Tag team partners feud 4. So You Think You Can Dance? Dance class ... Northwest Championship Wrestling ... Madman Tito Kopa wins unfairly ... Bar Mitzvah ... Announcing his future aspirations ... Abe Jacobs, the rabbi's friend ... The reel-to-reel tape recorder ... Tag team tournament pairings 5. Ham ‘n’ Eggs Dean's father figure ... How Harry Elliott became involved in pro wrestling ... Securing TV in the Seattle market ... Wrestling venues in Seattle ... Having his cake and eating it ... A startling discovery ... Publishing the "Northwest Championship Wrestling" arena program ... 5th Pole of the Mat ... Harry Elliott puts Dean over "in the ring" ... Harry gives Dean's programs to the fans -- for free! ... The Harry Elliott School of Advertising ... Behind the scenes of the program business ... The programs get a facelift with the addition of pictures ... Lucky-number programs ... Babs Wingo, the 300-pound hardcore wrestling fan ... The invisible seats ... Expense breakdown ... Tito Montez crys about a payoff ... Permanent reservations ... The Seattle championship trophy ... A $50 tip ... Bumper stickers ... Haystack Calhoun and his 325-pound wife ... The "candid" photograph ... Exposing Pepper Martin 6. Banana Pudding Dean Silverstone Fan Club ... Meeting Buddy Rogers ... Dean's biggest payday ... Racial overtones in wrestling ... The most important color ... New printing press ... Expanding into Vancouver, BC ... Selling programs to "Crybaby" George Cannon ... Driving to spot shows ... A trip with Soldat Gorky and Ivan Kameroff ... An "unknown wrestler" enters a tournament ... Frenchy Roberre, Dean's first program interview ... Gorgeous George gets dunked in Green Lake ... Frenchy takes a bath in Lake Sammamish ... Two reunions compared ... What happened to Jerry Christy? 7. Shotgun Wedding Kayfabed ... Hanging with Pampero Firpo ... A lesson learned from Pampero ... Pampero saves the life of Sir Oliver Humperdink -- and ultimately, his own ... Buying his first car ... Writing for the newsstand magazines ... Meeting Bobby Schoen, who would later become Bobby Shane ... Dean and Bobby tip-toe around each other ... Dean changes his name to Pago Pago ... Taught a lesson by Johnny Kostas ... Protecting the wrestling business ... Bobby Shane makes a surprising discovery ... Working out finishes with Dutch Savage ... Seattle's regular referees ... "The program seller" ... Dutch Savage chokes Don Leo Jonathan ... Pago Pago awards a match to the wrong wrestler ... Editing the school newspaper ... The Sensational, Intelligent Destroyer visits Garfield High School ... Refereeing spot shows ... Staging wrestling holds with Bobby Shane and Álvaro Velasco ... Shotgun wedding ... Bobby stretches a rookie at the Totem Athletic Club ... Laying out a promotion in the state of Washington ... Breakdown of the Washington and Portland wrestling territories ... Bobby returns to Seattle in the main event 8. The Langoliers Aunt Florence and Uncle Lou ... Road trip to the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles ... "Visit" to the Fat Farm ... Meeting Jules Strongbow and Hardy Kruskamp ... Being kicked out of the dressing room ... Appointed promoter of Palmdale, California ... Giving notice to Charlie Moto ... Promoting Wenatchee, Washington ... Warning labels ... Postering towns ... Lou Thesz makes an appearance in "Dean's town" ... Thesz visits the "Wenatchee World" sports editor ... Wrestling Nerds Fan Club ... Enrolling at the University of Washington ... Flunking out of school ... The only promoter Red Bastien really liked ... Going into business for himself and promoting his own towns ... Meeting Michael Glover, aka J Michael Kenyon ... Promoting three wrestling cards ... Leroy (Bud) Jagger, the "kayfabe" wrestling promoter ... The Red Devil ... $20 payoffs minus expenses ... Glover's wife lays down the law ... "How to Lose Money Promoting Wrestling" ... The Lou Thesz of wrestling historians ... Concession stand "robbery" ... Signing Tony Borne and Shag Thomas ... Doing Borne a favor ... Booking a young, green kid named The Kentucky Kidd (who would later become famous under another name) in his first-ever match ... Port Angeles gets taken over by the wrestling office ... Promoting three new venues ... Roy McClarty makes an amazing recovery ... Roy McClarty swears ... The difference between "personal" and "business" 9. Twitterpated Harry Elliott's son ... Meeing the future (2nd) Mrs. Silverstone ... The 87-percent discount ... It's a small, small world ... A close look at Harry Elliott, the person, the promoter ... The woman so ugly she scared away customers ... Transporting programs to Canada ... Local promoters Cliff and Helen Olson ... Offer to buy into the Washington territory ... Background of promoter Rod Fenton ... Promoting the big city of Ronald, Washington ... Sellout for John Tolos vs Moose Morowski match ... Vancouver promoters Sandor Kovacs, Gene Kiniski, and their "silent partner" ... Wrestling on television in Seattle is canceled and the market goes dark ... Kovacs and Kiniski buy Seattle from Harry Elliott ... The carny test ... Securing a new TV show for Seattle ... Making a pitch to Kovacs and Kiniski ... Don Owen puts the kibosh on the deal 10. I Wish I Had Talked to Ted Thye Problems with Gene Kiniski and Don Owen ... growing up Jewish ... a discussion with Abe Yourist ... History of the Portland, Oregon, territory ... Dean's first encounter with Don Owen ... Advertising spot canceled ... The promoter Dutch Savage hated ... Dean's love/hate relationship with Dutch Savage ... The worst payoff man in pro wrestling 11. "Hello, Dean." German noodle kugel ... Dean vs the Canadian government ... Dean gets fired ... The Canadian language barrier ... House of Printing ... A social life ... Wedding bells ... Sandor Kovacs makes an end-run ... The straw that broke the camel's back ... Visiting TV stations ... Getting a promoter's license ... Super Star Championship Wrestling ... The perfect shade of blue ... Stolen folding chairs ... Putting together a crew ... "Hello, Dean." ... A trip with Bobby Shane ... 30,000 calories ... Highway robbery ... Dean, Dean and Dean ... Lumberjack Luke, Great Gama, and Greg 12. Super Star Championship Wrestling The first TV taping ... The Dixie Hurricanes ... Dead silence ... The lost puppy ... Shirt, tie, sport coat, and tennis shoes ... Office tournament ... Rip Tyler destroys the Western States trophy ... Junior Bass ... Monster snake ... One of the boys ... Great Gama learns to speak English ... Honey buckets ... Kissing your sister ... Jewish-American princess ... Eddie the spic 13. Nothing New Under the Sun Turning on the lights in Seattle ... The real vampire ... First major storyline ... The dressing room empties ... Household names ... Sellouts! ... Payoffs ... Billboard advertising ... Blue laws ... Mob mentality 14. Bobby worst Competition ... Ax-handle matches ... Home court advantage ... Blackballed ... Fish eater ... Devil in disguise ... John Quinn gives a referral ... Long distance calls ... $3,800 phone bill ... 21-man battle royal ... Duane Anderson set up -- and arrested for burglary ... The case of the missing midget ... Greg Lake's Pinto ... Throwing fire ... The headless horseman does the rumba ... Bobby Jaggers, poster boy ... Bobby Shane's protégé ... High spot grocery list ... Bologna blowout ... Sleeping in a store window ... "That #$@&%*! Indian!" ... Problem child ... The FBI informant ... The business office ... The American Dream ... Miguel Silverstone ... Dean goes to prison 15. Dressing Room Board Meeting Crazy Luke ... A legitimate tournament ... Psychological booking ... Major players board meeting ... The unanimous vote ... The birthday boy misses his birthday 16. The Alpha Male Chris Colt and Ron Dupree ... The two faces of Chris Colt ... Tragedy in Ron Dupree's life ... The alpha male ... Mayhem, making money and headaches ... The seven grumpy dwarves ... Trolling in Volunteer Park ... Pills for Mike Miller's dog ... Invisible spiders and green scorpions ... Johnny, the normal Dupree brother ... The promoter's nightmare and dream ... The "honeymoon" suite ... The teepee fire ... Goldie Rogers crashes through a window ... A visit from a legitimate Hell's Angel ... "Real" wrestling ... Pay sheets turn up in the Portland dressing room ... Don Owen and Sandor Kovacs -- the "new" outlaw promoters in Yakima ... Buddy Rose's greatest fear ... Boxing "exhibitions" banned ... Greg Lake and the white tiger ... Incident in a funeral home ... William Colt III ... "Robbin' the cradle" ... Death in the wrestling ring ... Chris' sister trolls for young meat ... Chris finds a new livelihood ... "The man too bad for TV" ... Joe Cocker ... A surprise visit by Chris Bonus chapter. Buried Alive by Chris Colt Chris Colt tells about his visit to a funeral home mortuary. 17. The Bactrian Camel Ronald, Washington ... Ray Steele gets "feedback" from a camel ... Box-office receipt snafu ... The arrest warrant 18. Molotov Cocktail The financial aspects of making payoffs ... Dean becomes known as "The Boss" ... Payday game ... Ripper Collins leaves Portland without giving notice ... Ripper on the mike ... The bulldog and the python ... Ripper's cat wig ... The 40-minute monologue ... Yakima pig farmers ... Lumberjack Luke's comments go viral ... Luke goes on trial ... 1,000 one-dollar bills in a bag of manure 19. The End and the Beginning Accident with a Brinks armored car ... Lawsuit! ... The death of Bobby Shane ... A barn full of 45-rpm records ... Super Star Championship Wrestling comes to an end ... Pro wrestling on PBS ... Once again, Seattle goes dark ... Diamond Belt Wrestling ... Promoting a show in Alaska ... The girl wrestler in the coal furnace 20. Lou Who? The wrestling tapes disappear ... A new direction in life ... Golden Oldies Record Exchange ... An offer from Al Tomko ... The $14,000 record ... Living a normal life ... The GORP contest ... A record for Freddy Fender ... Breaking new ground for record stores -- the first "drive-through" ... Wrestling match with an octopus ... "Whipped Cream & Other Delights" ... Dale Chihuly and Jalacy J. Hawkins ... Pat Patterson records "Quando, Quando, Quando" ... Chicken songs ... The preliminary wrestler 21. The Wanna-Be Promoter Ruth Silverstone intro to pro wrestling ... Meeting Ripper Collins and El Medico in Hawaii ... Origins of the first Northwest Wrestlers Reunion ... Dr. John Bonica ... The Cauliflower Alley Club ... Editing and publishing "The Ear" ... The Southern idiot ... A rib by Beautiful Bruce Swayze 22. Hector Dos Memories of past reunions ... An assessment of Dean's mental faculties ... The difference between non-wrestlers and wrestlers ... Back in the publishing business (sort of) ... Kurt von Poppenheim sues the Portland Boxing and Wrestling Commission ... Tony Borne represents Don Owen in court ... Kurt von Poppenheim and Tony Borne reconcile ... Dutch Savage reconciles with Dean ... Red Bastien presents the "Golden Potato" award ... Frikkie Alberts reunites with Don Leo Jonathan ... Moondog Moretti makes a confession to Dr. Ken Ramey ... The ghost of a Siamese cat ... Hector, Hector Dos and Sis ... A thank you to Eddie Sullivan ... The final reunion ... Red Bastien "marks out" for Kay Bell ... Inita Conway slams the door in Johnny Valentine's face ... A wanna-be promoter from Microsoft 23. 5th Pole of the Mat Vince McMahon takes over the world ... Disturbance at a Bar Mitzvah ... Missing the boat ... Final thoughts

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1962 World’s Fair, 31, 257 5th Pole of the Mat, 35-36 Abrams, Art, 255, 269 Abrams, Selma, 269 Ackles, Kenny, 38 African-American wrestlers, 50-52 Agostina, James, 111-112 Alaska Airlines, 111 Alberts, Frikkie, 263-264 Alexander, Al (see Gorky, Ivan) Allen, Paul, 241 Allen, Walter (see Gorky, Soldat) All-South Wrestling Alliance, 180 All-Star Wrestling (Vancouver), 115 Alpert, Herb, 240 American Diabetes Association, 99 American Wrestling Association (AWA), 155 Ames, Wes, 38, 83, 174-175 Anderson, Billy, 197-198 Anderson, ErnaDean, 259 Anderson, Jim, 17 Anderson, Keith, 38, 83, 158 Anderson, Ox, 259, 285 Andrews, Tom, 98, 271 Anoa’i, Afa, 155, 157 Anoa’i, Sika, 155, 157 anti-semitism, 102-104 Aqua Theatre (Seattle), 57 Are You Lonesome Tonight?, 243 Arena, 230 Armstrong, Louis, 51, 248 Armstrong, Neil, 102 Arnold, Don, 158, 226-227 Atlanta City Auditorium, 118 Aurora Speedway, 115 Babcock, George W., 15 Bacclig, Boris, 218 Baffert, Al, 13 Bailey, Duane, 158, 161, 164, 178-179, 193, 200 Baker, Barbara, 213, 216 Baron, Black, 201 Baron, Freddy, 122, 158, 181, 253 Barr, Sandy, 66m 155-156, 193 Bass, Junior, 158 Bass, Ma, 132 Bastien, Red, 13, 41, 79, 91, 101, 147, 160, 198, 246, 255, 262, 268, 270 Bates, Dick, 83, 127-128 Beasley, Bob, 158, 174, 181, 224, 226 Beat, Big Daddy, 201 Beaumont, Hugh, 17 Beauregarde, 71, 105 Beaver, Little, 25, 37, 85 Bell, Kay, 253, 268-269 Belland, Bruce, 245 Bellus, Tony, 198 Bence, Jack, 155-156 Bentyne, Cheryl, 245 Bermuda Inn, The, 73, 75 Berry, Chuck, 51, 222, 237 Best, Bobby, 158, 166-168 Beyer, Dick, 60, 63, 73, 183, 271 Big Bopper, 89 Big-Time Wrestling, 113 Bikel, Theodore, 245-246 Black, Earl, 122 Blue laws, 125, 148-149 Bockwinkel, Nick, 63, 102, 268, 271 Boesch, Paul, 12, 91 Boesch, Valerie, 12 Bolus, Steve, 65 Bon Ton French Bakery (Seattle), 22 Bonica, Dr. John, 252-253 Borne, Tony, 11, 13, 23-26, 30, 47, 54-55, 61, 65, 67, 77, 83-84, 112, 155-157, 260-263 Bowman, Bill, 271 Bowser, Paul, 12 Boyd, Lord Jonathan, 180 Boyd, Marv, 102 Brando, Marlon, 200 Brauner, Fritz, 30 Brazil, Bobo, 52 Brightman, Al, 19 British Columbia (territory), 53 Brotman, Jeffrey, 100, 153 Brotman, Michael, 110 Brougham, Royal, 19 Brown, Bulldog Bob, 148, 155, 157, 177 Brubaker, Bill, 158 Bruiser, Dick the, 218, 230 Brunetti, Guy, 126 Brunetti, Joe, 126 Bruns, Bobby, 66 Brutus, Beautiful (see Luke, Lumberjack) Brutus, Little, 85-86 Buff, John, 79, 81, 92, 158, 246, 253, 260, 271 Buff, Johnny, 13 Bukantis, Brian, 230 Burke, Mildred, 7, 227, 168 Burke, Tom, 22, 185 Burns, Bronco, 83-84 Burns, Rob, 158, 173-174 Bush, George W., 51, 242 CAC, (see Cauliflower Alley Club) Caesar & Cleo, 245 Cain, Frankie, 155-156 Calhoun, Haystack, 46 California Hell’s Angels, 183, 188, 192 Campbell, Glen, 233, 251-252 Candy, Ray, 180 Cannon, George (Crybaby), 53 Cannon, Thunderbolt, 174 Cantor, Eddie, 238 Capone, Al, 107 Cardinal, Dick, 13, 79, 84, 158, 253, 260, 271 Carnera, Primo, 74, 79 Carpenters, The, 245 Carreon, Tito, 50. 261, 266-267, 269, 271 Casey, Steve, 92 Cauliflower Alley Club, 6, 7, 10, 13, 25, 36, 45, 77, 80, 101, 155, 216, 230, 253, 255-256, 258, 266-267 Cavalieri, Lincoln, 230 Chamberlain, Richard, 137 Chan, Jackie, 200 Chantilly Lace, 89 CHAN-TV, 97 Charles, Ray, 52 Chavo, 158 Chevier, Magnificent Maurice, 185 Chihuly, Dale, 243-244 Christy, Bobby, 236 Christy, Jerry, 59, 236 Chuy, 158 Civic Auditorium, 11, 24, 31-32, 79 Civic Ice Arena, 32 Cleaver, Ward, 17 Clinton, Gordon S., 57 Clintstock, Jay, 141, 148, 158, 169-170, 189 Clooney, Rosemary, 222, 239 Coasters, The, 235 Cocker, Joe, 184, 201-202 Coco, Sugarcane, 158 Cody, Bulldog Bud, 43 Cohon, Linda, 110 Cohon, Marjorie, 102, 110 Cole, Nat King, 240 Collins, Ripper (Roy), 13, 158, 175, 178, 180-182, 193, 198-199, 212-216, 224-225, 249-251, 256, 259 Colt III, William, 197 Colt, Chris, 13, 134, 148, 152, 158, 164, 180-205, 210-212, 224, 226, 231 Come On’A My House, 239 Comiskey Park, 49 Como, Perry, 222, 238 Conway Sr., Tiger, 52, 261, 268 Conway, Inita, 268 Corgan, Billy, 245 Costello, Elvis, 238 Cow Palace, 156 Crabree, Max, 201 Crockett, Jim (Sr.), 54 Crosby, Bing, 199, 235 Cupid, Fuzzy, 85-86 Curley, Jack, 12 Daggitt, Bobby, 174 Daniel, Wes, 6, 7, 258 Dantés, Alfonso, 186 David Letterman Show, The, 247 Davis Jr., Sammy, 51, 222 Davis, Miles, 238 Day, Doris, 222, 239 Death of a Salesman, 273 DeBeers, Col., 269 DeMille, Cecil B., 178 Dempsey, Jack, 30 DeNucci, Dominic, 164 Destroyer, The (Dick Beyer), 47, 67-68 Devine, Diane, 22 Diamond, Paul, 75 Diamonds, The, 238 DiBiase, Mike, 37-38 Dick’s Hamburgers, 110 Domino, Fats, 51 Donovan, Doug, 30 Donovan, Red, 30 Dos, Hector, 259, 265 Doughty, Bob, 199 Doughty, Jayne, 129 Drake, George, 30 Drapp, Andre, 67 Drasin, Ric, 227, 229 Dreams of the Everyday Housewife, 251 Drummer, Count, 140, 158 Dubois, Rachel, 141, 158, 168 Dugdale Park, 32 Duncan, Royal, 256 Dunn, Dick, 221 Dupree, Bobby, 158, 166 Dupree, Johnny, 140, 142, 150, 152, 158-160, 164, 166, 170, 175, 180-182, 185, 187, 196, 214-215, 227, 258-259 Dupree, Ron, 148, 152, 158, 164-166, 180-205 Dusek brothers, 69 Eagles Auditorium, 31 Ear, The, 8, 13, 25, 36, 255-257 Eckert, Ray, 269 El Medico II (Tony Amessa), 250-251 Elephant Boy, 213 Ellensburg Daily Record, 92 Elliott, Diane, 91, 269 Elliott, Harry, 6, 10, 23-24, 29-43, 52, 56, 60, 64-67, 71, 73, 75-77, 79, 83-88, 90-93, 96-97, 111, 113, 115, 128-131, 134, 189, 249, 268, 271 Elliott, Junna Lee, 42, 90 Elliott, Lewis, 91 Elliott, Richard, 88-90 Elmer, Uncle, 162 Erickson, Dolores, 240-242 Eugene boxing commission, 29 Evans, John, 169 Exhibition Gardens (Vancouver), 53 Exposition Building, 32 Facebook, 21 Falcons, The, 236 Fan clubs, 11, 21-22, 34 Fargo, Don, 158, 164, 173, 185, 200 Farhat, Ed, 185 Father Knows Best, 17 Feder, Sid, 55 Fender, Freddy, 236-237 Fenton, Rod, 33, 42-43, 45, 53, 88, 93-97, 101, 113, 159, 206 Fields, Lee, 58, 122 Firpo, Pampero, 13 Firpo, Pampero, 60-62 Fletcher, Bill, 74 Foley, John, 155 Forbes, Rogers, 200 Ford, Henry, 103-104 Forsell, Ron, 30 Francis, Russ, 271 Frazier, Stan (Tiny), 158, 160-162, 180-181 Freeman, Herb (Herb Schiff), 30, 37 Freeman, Thomas (Hat), 88 Fridel, Al, 57, 253, 261 Fuji, Mr., 118 Fuller, Buddy, 211 Funes & Oziel, 16 Funk, Terry, 184 Gagne, Verne, 79, 153, 155-156 Galento, “Two-Ton” Tony, 240-242 Gallagher, Doc, 126 Gallagher, Mike, 126 Gama, The Great, 123, 129, 134-135, 158 Garea, Tony, 118 Garfield High School, 67 Garibaldi, Leo, 45, 57-58 Garland, Judy, 238 Gates, Bill, 188 Gay Divorcee, The, 247 Geigel, Bob, 177 George, Gorgeous, 57-58, 92 Ghost (1990), 247 Giant, Andre the, 170 Gibson, Ricky, 155 Gillas, Jim (The Bear), 127, 158, 174, 182 Glover, Mike (see Kenyon, J Michael) Godsey, Ruth (see Silverstone, Ruth) Goering, Fritz von, 28, 266 Goforth, Paul, 123, 129, 132, 158 Goldberg, Whoopi, 247 Golden Boy, 184 Golden Gloves boxing, 79 Golden Oldies Record Exchange, 233 Golden Oldies Records, 8, 12-13, 89, 183, 229-249 Goldmine, 230 Gomez, Pepper, 261 Gordet, Jerry, 30 Gorky, Ivan, 54 Gorky, Soldat, 54-55 Gotch, Frank, 25 Grable, Debbie, 140 Grable, Judy, 140, 158 Graham, Crazy Luke, 13, 158, 177-180 Graham, Eddie, 21 Graham, Superstar Billy, 258 Great, Alex the, 84 Green, Joseph, 40-41 Green, Richard, 40-41 Grey, Steve, 201 Griffin, Bob, 129, 155 Guajardo, René, 186 Gulas, Nick, 156 Gulf Coast Wrestlers Reunion, 58, 122, 138, 256 Gunkel, Ann, 155, 177, 180 Haft, Al, 12, 94 Hager, Tex, 88 Haglund, Ivar, 240, 242 Hamlin, Virgil L., 104-105 Happy Years, 238 Harrah’s Entertainment, 235 Harring, Garrie, 87, 115, 132-133 Hart, Stu, 96, 156 Hauptmann, Bruno, 103 Hauser, Tim, 245 Hawkins, Jalacy J., 243-244 Hawkins, Screamin’ Jay, 244 Hector, 265, 268-269 Hennig, Curt, 238 Henning, Paul, 158, 174 Hey, Laurie, 164-165 Higuchi, Dean, 117-119, 121, 145, 267, 271 Higuchi, Rose, 118 Hirsch, Elroy, 231 Hodges, Jeff, 158, 197, 224 Holly, Buddy, 243 Holy One, 236-237 Hope, Bob, 199 House of Printing, 110-111, 130 Huerta, Baldemar (Freddy Fender), 237 Humperdinck, Engelbert, 246 Hunter, Rock, 180 Hussian, Arman, 52, 119-120, 127, 129, 131-132, 138, 141, 145, 158, 162-163 I Can’t Believe You’re Mine, 9 I Found a Love, 236 I Put a Spell on You, 244 I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, 235 I’m a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas, 248 It Happened at the World’s Fair, 243 It’s Over, 109 Ivar’s Acres of Clams, 240 Jacobs, Abe, 28, 59, 91 Jagger, Leroy (Bud), 79-81 Jaggers, Bobby, 158, 164, 166, 201 James, Frank, 52 James, Pee Wee, 37 Jesus Christ Superstar, 113 Jewish Community Center (Seattle), 22, 35 John, Little Willie, 51 Johnson, Bull, 134, 158, 169-170 Johnson, Steve, 7 Joint Promotions, 201 Jolson, Al, 238 Jon, Mighty, 158 Jonathan, Don Leo, 40, 67, 145, 264, 267, 271 Joplin, Janis, 201 Jukebox magazine, 247 Kahala Hilton, 249 Kale, Red, 253 Kallio, Gus, 30 Kaluakoi Resort (Molokai, HI), 235 Kamakawiwo’ole, Israel (IZ), 202 Kameroff, Boris, 55 Kameroff, Ivan, 54-56, 66, 84, 92, 147-148, 158 KAPP-TV (Ch. 35 Yakima), 112, 139, 216 Karney, John (see Kameroff, Ivan) KBOI (Ch. 2 Pendleton), 114 Keel, Lee, 158 Kelley, Chris, 8, 259, 266 Kelly, Bob, 8, 58, 137, 171, 260, 266, 271 Kennedy’s Printing, 38 Kent, Don (Bulldog), 211 Kenyon, J Michael, 7-8, 10-13, 22, 25, 38, 79-82, 128-130, 196, 204, 246 Kenyon, Joanie, 82 Keomuka, Duke, 52 Ketonen, Paavo, 54-55 KeyArena, 32 Kid, Billy the, 85-86 Kietzer, Norman, 22, 98, 106 KIMA-TV (Yakima), 140 Kindred, Don, 52 KING Radio, 81 King, Dr. Martin Luther, 51 King, Stephen, 85 Kings of Cocaine, 7 Kingsmen, The, 245 Kingston Trio, The, 240 KING-TV (Ch. 5), 19 KING-TV (Ch. 5), 99 Kiniski, Gene, 13, 36, 40, 42, 53, 66, 71, 84, 88, 93, 95-97, 99-102, 105, 107-109, 111-112, 114, 139, 144, 153, 157, 159 Kiniski, Marion, 97, 108 Kirilenko, Leon, 74 Kirk, Daryl, 158, 174 KIRO-TV (Ch. 7), 26, 30-31, 96, 99, 249 Klein, Bruce, 131 Klein, Lou, 168 KNDO-TV (Yakima), 140 Knox, Buddy, 57 Kohler, Fred, 12 Kollack, Abe, 137 Kollack, Bob, 110 Kopa, Tito, 13, 27, 38, 47 Kostas, Johnny, 64-65 Kovacs, Sandor, 42, 66, 88, 93, 95-101, 105-112, 114, 139, 144, 153, 157, 159, 173, 194 Kozak, Jerry, 269 Kozak, Nick, 74, 269 KPTV-TV (Ch. 12 Portland), 98, 106 Kramer, Karl, 158 Kroffat, Dave, 267 KRSC-TV, 99 Krueger, Skeets, 56, 85 Kruskamp, Hardy, 74-75 KTNT-TV (Ch. 11 Seattle), 30, 99, 114 KTVW-TV (Ch. 13 Tacoma), 19, 98, 114 Kubey, Abe, 104 KVEW-TV (Ch. 42 Kennewick), 112 KVOS-TV (Ch. 12 Bellingham), 114 KXLY-TV (Ch. 4 Spokane), 111-112, 216 La Chance, Terri, 141 LaChance, Terry, 158 Ladd, Ernie, 74 Lake Sammamish, 13 Lake, Greg, 13, 123, 129, 131, 158, 164-165, 175, 186, 195-196, 224, 226, 271 Lang, Cowboy, 158 Lano, Mike, 260 Lanza, Mario, 238 Larsen, Logger, 158, 174, 226 Laskin, Jack, 267 Last Tango in Paris, 200 Lauer, Karl, 255, 258 Leave It to Beaver, 17 Leen, Jeff, 7 Lensing, Wade, 206 Leonard, Bob, 267

Levine, Raphael, 28, 59, 103 Lewin, Mark, 148 Lewis and the Channels, Earl, 233 Lewis, Ed (Strangler), 252 Lewis, Jerry, 199 Lewis, Wilbert F., 196 Liberace, 247 Lindbergh, Charles, 102-104 Lindsay, Luther, 38, 49-50, 52 Lindsay, Mark, 245 Lisowski, Crusher, 218 Little, Little Tiny, 158, 162-163 London, Jerry, 147-148 Londos, Jim, 252 Lopez, Joey, 227-228 Los Angeles Times, 20 Losier, Yvon, 56-59 Louis, Joe, 90 Low Low, Sky, 37 Lucas, Ken, 123-124, 155 lucky numbers, 39-40, 42-43, 72 Luke, Lumberjack, 13, 122, 127-129, 141-152, 158, 165, 170, 174-176, 180-182, 193, 207, 214, 216-219, 224, 226, 267 Lumberjack, The (see Luke, Lumberjack) Lymon, Frankie, 51 Lyons, Billy Red, 73-74 Macera, Luigi, 27 Madison Square Garden, 19 Madrid, Jan, 229 Mahalik, Art, 47 Maitch, Joe, 196 Management of Pain, The, 252 Manhattan Transfer, 245 Mann, Johnny (see Dupree, Johnny) Manning, Knox, 74 Manoukian, Don, 47, 172 Mantle, Mickey, 173 Marr, Rennie, 83 Martin, Dean, 199 Martin, Jordy, 48, 259 Martin, Pepper, 47-48, 63, 268, 271 Martinez, Pedro, 126 Marvel, The Masked (see Bonica, Dr. John) Masked Marvel, 57 Masonic Temple (Seattle), 14, 31, 50, 68, 80, 96-97, 151, 159 Masse, Lauren, 245 Matthews, Dave, 245 Max Dale’s Restaurant, 109 Mayne, Kenny, 84 Mayne, Lonnie, 84 Mazurki, Iron Mike, 13, 84-87, 98, 102, 108-109, 111, 255 McClarty, Roy, 13, 53 McCready, Earl, 83 McCutchin, Carol, 147, 160 McDonald, Dano, 158, 196-197, 200, 253, 260, 267 McGuire, Rocky, 119, 124, 133 McGuirk, LeRoy, 66 McKenzie, Betty, 160 McKenzie, Tex, 158, 160, 260 McKigney, Dave, 168 McMahon Jr., Vince, 6, 33, 270-271 McMahon Sr., Vince, 62, 261 McMichael, Mick, 201 McPherson, C.L. (Steve), 105 McShain, Danny, 58 McTavish, Duncan, 155-156 Melby, Jim, 22 Mel’s Sporting Goods, 80 Mel’s Sports Center Restaurant, 143 Mendoza, Ray, 186 Mercer, Dr. Marshall, 73 midgets, 37, 85 Miguel, Miguel, 158 Miller, Arthur, 273 Miller, Barbara, 84 Miller, Mean Mike, 186 Milstein, Joe, 17-18, 40 Mitchell, Artie, 200 Mitchell, Jim, 200 Mitchell, Steve, 29 Mondt, Joe (Toots), 12 Mongol, Bobo, 158, 169 Monroe, Flash, 120 Monroe, Rocket, 120 Montero, Rocky, 158, 171, 193 Montez, Tito, 41, 59, 158, 175, 180-182, 193, 210-212, 267-269, 273 Moolah, Fabulous, 13, 168, 246, 260, 269 Moore, Demi, 247 Moore-Egyptian Theater, 32 Morales, Moises, 158 Moreo, Mel, 143 Moretti, Dale, 226, 265 Moretti, Ed, 186, 201, 226, 264-265, 271 Morgan, Tank, 180 Morowski, Moose, 94-95, 112, 267, 271 Morrier, Ron, 97 Morrison, Don (see Luke, Lumberjack) Morrison, Shari, 219 Morrow, Buddy, 158 Morrow, Eddie, 227 Mortier, Hans, 103 Moto, Mr. (Charlie), 13, 52, 75 Motor City Wrestling, 230 Muchnick, Sam, 12, 66, 106 Murray, Bob, 42, 45, 88, 114 Musgrave, Floyd (Musty), 105 Myers, Duke, 158, 170, 271 Naccarato, Stan, 195 National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), 40 Neidigh, Jim, 99, 111 Neilsen, Kurt, 255 New Chain Gang, 201 Newman, Lou (Shoulders), 260 Northwest Championship Wrestling (TV show), 31, 35-51 Northwest Championship Wrestling, 26-27, 113-114 Northwest Wrestlers’ Hall of Fame, 58 Northwest Wrestlers Photo Album, 98, 106 Northwest Wrestling Reunion, 252-253, 255, 259-269, 280-284 Novoselic, Chris, 245 NWA 63, 96, 105-106, 155, 192, 230, 260-261, 273 NWA world heavyweight title, 71 O’Brien, Jane, 158, 227 O’Connor, Pat, 49 O’Hara, Doran, 255 Ohio State University, 10 Ohio Untouchables, The, 236 O’Keefe, Vincent, 31 Olivas, Tony, 213 Oliver, Greg, 7 Olivotto, Pvt. Guglielmo, 51 Olson, Cliff (Swede), 88, 92-93 Olson, Helen, 88, 92 Olympia Stadium (Detroit), 230 Olympic Auditorium (LA), 20, 72-73 O’Mara, Bill, 18-19, 114, 130-131, 188, 208, 214, 216 Orbison, Roy, 109 Oregon (territory), 12 Oregonian, The, 29 O’Shocker, Danno, 259 Owen, Don, 10, 23, 30, 55, 61, 71, 79, 83-84, 88, 90, 93, 96, 101-107, 113, 155, 171, 179-180, 193-194, 212, 226, 261-262, 114 Owen, Elton, 88, 105-106 Owen, Herb, 30, 88, 104-105 Pacific Coast (baseball) League, 17 Pacific Northwest, 71 Packs, Tom, 12 Page, Patti, 238 Pago Pago, 57, 64, 66-67, 158 Parente, Lory (Lorenzo), 38 Parker, Cliff, 55, 88, 93-94 Parker, Sandy, 158, 168-169, 227-228 Parks, Reggie, 132 Pasha, Maurice, 83-84 Patterson, Pat, 91, 246-247, 258-259, 269 Paul, Alan, 245 Paul, Jan, 83 Payne, Bobby, 158, 174 Pearl Jam, 245 Peevey, Gayla, 235 Perkins, Ray, 245 Perry Mason, 31 Pete, George (Wildcat), 29 Pfefer, Jack, 105, 184 Phillips, Treach, 269 Pickett, Wilson, 236 Pieper, Dick, 77 Pierce, Boyd, 259 Piper, Roddy, 106-107 Platters, The, 235 PNE Gardens, 108 Poffo, Lanny, 203 Pomeroy, Eric, 118 Porter, Lou (Tex), 88, 268 Portland Boxing and Wrestling Commission, 260 Powers, Johnny, 164 Presley, Elvis, 238, 242-243 Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, 253 program, lucky number, 33-49, 52-57, 62, 75, 108-109, 130 Puget Sound Business Journal, 224 Purple People Eater, The, 9 Puyallup (WA) Raceway Park, 15 Puyallup Fair, 236 Quando, Quando, Quando, 246-247 Queen of the Ring, 7 Quinn, John, 13, 117-118, 120, 127, 129, 138, 141, 145, 155, 158, 267 Rainbow Arena (Panama City FL), 119 Rainier Brewing Co., 17 Ramey, Dr. Ken, 246, 264, 271 Rattal, Bud, 79, 83, 122 Rattal, Marian, 92-93 Red Devil, The (John Buff), 81, 84 Redbeard, 141, 158, 166 Reed, Robin, 30 Regan, Boston Bobby, 47, 79, 83 Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), 30 Renaldo, Rick, 158, 171-172, 193, 195 Renesto, Tom, 177 Rettman, Peter, 72, 75 Rhodes, Jay, 30 Rice, Randy, 132 Richardson, J.P., 265 Ring Wrestling, 68 Ripley’s Believe It or Not, 88 Rivers, Johnny, 245 Robbin’ the Cradle, 198 Roberre, Frenchy, 56-59 Robert, Yvon, 92 Roberts, Buddy, 164 Roberts, Cal, 66, 79, 81, 84, 93 Roberts, Jake (The Snake), 133 Roberts, Ronnie, 141, 158, 164-165 Rodgers, Jimmie, 245 Rogers, Buddy, 13, 38, 47, 49-50, 52, 192 Rogers, Goldie, 142, 150, 158, 162, 166-168, 175-176, 181, 191, 224 Rogers, Sonny, 165 Rolling Stone magazine, 241 Roosevelt High School, 11 Rooster, 158, 166 Rose Bowl, 10 Rose, Buddy, 194, 267, 269 Rose, David, 158 Royal Albert Hall, 201 Royal Publishing Company, 256 Russian, The Mad (Stan Pulaski), 118 Ryan, Paddy, 141, 148, 158-159, 162-164, 169, 180-182, 191, 195, 198, 224, 226, 273 Safeco Field, 33 Salazar, Benjamin, 222-223 Samoans, The Wild, 155, 157 Santos, Tony, 185 Sarpolis, Dr. Karl, 93 Saturday Night’s Main Event, 162 Savage, Bill, 38, 261 Savage, Dutch, 66-67, 88, 98, 106-107, 194, 209, 226, 262, 268 Scarpa, Joe, 30 Schire, George, 22 Schoenberger, Leroy, 155 Schultz, Doug, 235 Schultz, Dutch, 83 Score, Art, 262 Scott, Sandy, 30 Scribner, Bill, 149-150, 197 Seafair Trophy Race, 18-19 Seattle Center Arena, 31-32, 41, 45, 49-50, 93, 182, 226 Seattle Champion trophy, 43 Seattle Mariners, 33 Seattle Opera House, 31 Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 19, 38, 42, 81, 130 Seattle Public Library, 20 Seattle Rainiers, 17-20, 257 Seattle Seafair, 263 Seattle Sun, 116 Seattle SuperSonics, 33 Seattle Times, The, 19, 21, 30-31, 42, 130, 153, 224 Seattle Totems, 33 Seattle University, 19 Seidel, Carl, 97 Senator Auditorium, 31, 33, 234 Shag Thomas International Fan Club, 11, 13 Shane, Bobby, 6, 13, 63-71, 105, 118-120, 122-124, 139, 155, 166-167, 221-222, 266 Shannon, Del, 245 Sheik, The (Ed Farhat), 185, 192 Sherman, Ben, 66 Shibuya, Jan, 52, 268-269 Shields, Frank (Bad Boy), 85-86 Shire, Roy, 79, 156 Showboat Hotel and Casino, 235 Shultz, Howard, 134 Sick, Emil, 17-19, 32, 257 Sicks’ Stadium, 17-19, 38, 40 Siegal, Janis, 245 Siki, Sweet Daddy, 52 Silverstone, Dorothy, 6, 12, 16, 67, 78, 229, 285 Silverstone, Ellie Dee, 17 Silverstone, Elliott, 16-17 Silverstone, Marjorie, 130, 137 Silverstone, Ruth, 7-10, 13, 55, 82, 89, 106, 147, 183-184, 219, 235, 248-252, 255-257, 259-260, 265, 271-272 Simpson, George, 196 Sinatra, Frank, 51, 238 Smith, Charlie, 271 Smith, John (see Gorky, Soldat) Smith, Moe, 74 Snowden, Edward, 200 Snuka, Jimmy, 47, 106-107 Solie, Gordon, 130 Some of My Best Friends, 247 Sonny & Cher, 245 Spokane Coliseum, 144 Spokesman Review, 224 Spooner, Harry J., 22, 34 Stafford, Jo, 222 Stallone, Sylvester, 200 Starbard, Roy A., 104 Starbucks, 134 Stasiak, Stan, 36, 54, 71 Stecher, Joe, 29 Steele, Ray, 141, 158, 207 Steinborn, Dick, 41 Stenberg, Ray, 125 Stevens, Ray, 192, 269 Stojack, Frank, 52 Strimple, Shirley, 86 Strode, Woody, 52 Strongbow, Chief Jay, 30 Strongbow, Jules, 13, 73-75 Sullivan, Barb, 132, 137 Sullivan, Eddie, 6, 8, 13, 59, 120-124, 126-127, 129, 131-132, 134-138, 141-152, 158, 166-167, 172, 174, 177-178, 180-182, 193, 210, 221, 259, 265, 267 Sullivan, Kevin, 156 Sundquist, Jim, 245 Super Star Championship Wrestling (TV show), 115-129, 139, 146, 207-208 Super Star Championship Wrestling, 43, 52, 110-229 Swallows, The, 233 Swayze, Bruce, 169, 257 Swayze, Patrick, 247 Tacoma News Tribune, 130 Tanaka, Prof. Toru, 118 Teal, Angela, 7 Teal, Scott, 7-8, 12, 169, 248, 256-257, 264, 269, 285 Tennessee Wrestling Legends Reunion, 7, 169 Theis, Therese, 269 Thesz, Charlie, 246, 253, 259 Thesz, Lou, 13, 36, 38, 53, 76-79, 82, 93, 147, 246, 253, 255, 268 Thomas, Shag (King Toby), 10-12, 23-26, 30, 47, 50-52, 65, 80, 83-84, 112, 209 Thompson, Ricky, 158, 163 Thornton, Les, 267 Thorson’s Mineral Water Resort, 189 Thundercloud, Chief, 130, 158, 173 Thye, Senator Edward J., 105 Thye, Ted, 104-105, 107 Ticineto Jr., Alfred, 266 Tim, Tiny, 37 Tolos, John, 71, 94-95, 112, 267 Tomko, Al, 88, 183, 231 Totem Athletic Club, 69 Tucson Rillito Race Track, 93 TV wrestling, 23 Twin Peaks, 247 Tyler, Anne, 127 Tyler, Randy, 132, 138 Tyler, Rip, 13, 120-124, 126-127, 129, 133-138, 141, 158 U.S. News & World Report, 243 Unchained Melody, 247 University of Oregon, 29-30 University of Washington Medical Center, 252 University of Washington, 49 Urbano, Rey, 260 Ursus, The Mighty, 111 Vachon, Mad Dog, 13, 63 Vachon, Stan, 118 Valens, Ritchie, 243 Valentine, Johnny, 164, 184, 268 Vance Hotel, 34 Vancouver Sun, 20 Vannice, Leslie E., 218 Velasco, Álvaro, 68-69 Ventures, The, 245 Verbal, Eric, 123 Verdu, Crusher (Oscar), 180 Verne, Larry, 245 Vince, Alfie, 83 Volchok, Sylvia, 51 Volchok, Zollie, 51 Voltaire, Jack, 69 Von Brauner, Karl, 158 Von Erich, Fritz, 79 Von Goering, Fritz, 261 Von Hess, Kurt, 261 Von Poppenheim, Kurt, 28, 30, 38, 52, 54-55, 107, 260-263 Wagner, Heide, 84 Waldek, Ella, 259, 269, 271 Walker, John (Bull) (see Bonica, Dr. John) Walker, Johnny, 118 Warehouse, Ken, 190 Washington Post, The, 7 Washington State Athletic Commission, 14, 56, 80, 85, 112-114, 125, 146, 149, 194-196, 204 Washington State Coliseum, 32 Washington State Fair, 236 Washington State Reformatory, 174-176 Watson Jr., Whipper, 158, 168 West, Jackie, 227 West, Kevin (Kevin Sullivan), 155-156 West, Tanya, 140, 158 Western States tag team title, 138, 212 Western States title, 43 Western states trophy, 131-132 Western States Wrestling, 80 Weston, Mae, 132 Whatever Happened to ...?, 7, 256 Whipped Cream & Other Delights, 240-242 White Christmas, 235 White, Bill (see Brown, Bulldog Bob) Wicks, Billy, 41 Widmer, Earl, 29 Wilson, Ann and Nancy, 245 Wingo, Babs, 40 Winston, Sir, 166 Wiskowski, Ed, 269, 271 Wolf, Chief Lone, 262 Wolfman, Siberian (see Gorky, Soldat) Woodward, Al, 84 Wooley, Sheb, 9 World Championship Wrestling, 201 WrestleMania 2, 162 WrestleMania XIX, 33, 246 Wrestling Fan’s Book (1953), 55 Wrestling’s Wrestlers, 12 22, 34-35, 103 Wright, Bearcat, 52 Wright, Steve, 186 WWWF tag team title, 118 WWWF, 261 Yakima Herald-Republic, 130, 224 Yetter, Earle R., 74, 126 Young, Johnnie Mae, 13, 59, 246, 269 Young, Robert, 17 Yourist, Abe, 66, 103-105, 107 Yuma, Cowboy Bob, 158, 212 Zbyszko, Firpo, 55

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ORDER THE KINDLE EDITION

 
  "I Ain’t No Pig Farmer" is a book about Seattle wrestling promoter Dean Silverstone’s experiences in the wrestling business, but it is also many books.  It’s a love story, how the love Dean discovered for wrestling at an early age lasted his whole life, and how that love blossomed into a great career in the sport, full of wonderful experiences, amazing friendships, and great successes.  In the pages of the book, one feels the excitement as a very young Dean lands a job with promoter Harry Elliot, and becomes a valued part of his organization.  One feels the deep friendships and camaraderie that made wrestling the special business that it was (I always likened it to a closely knit fraternity — people who genuinely love and value each other, and who have built lifelong friendships).  One feels Dean’s elation at seeing his own creation — Super Star Wrestling — takes off and become a very successful promotion in the state of Washington.  One also feels the rekindled love years later, as a vacation to Hawaii sparks Dean's (and his lovely wife Ruth’s) reunions and get together with the boys and gals of the past, and the renewal of all those great friendships.
  It is also a book about reinventing oneself.  After a series of unfortunate circumstances led to the end of Super Star Wrestling, Dean’s love of music led him to the next phase of his life, as he became the owner of his store, Golden Oldies Records in Seattle, which continues to attract record collectors from all over the world.
  It can also be considered a business textbook of sorts, about how hard work and determination, researching and planning, definitely pays off.  Dean had a vision about a big promotion in his home state of Washington, and when the NWA (one promoter in particular) slammed the door in his face, Dean persevered, and built his own promotion and saw it thrive.
  Dean’s story contains many twists and turns, such as how, many years after their business relationship ended, Dean and Harry Elliot became reunited in a rather unique manner, and the aforementioned spark that led to the many reunions Dean and Ruth hosted and have been a part of as well.
  I would be remiss if I don’t mention the circumstance of the title of the book.  I won’t give it away, but the "pig farmer" incident is laugh-out-loud funny, and an example of how some things just can’t be planned, they just happen, and those moments can be pure gold.
  In all, Dean’s book is is a splendid piece of history for our sport’s beloved past, and one which I highly recommend.
Alfred Ticineto

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