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Kindle edition: 235 pages

Publisher: Crowbar Press

Item #: cbp23-mf-kindle

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"It's Wrestling, Not Rasslin'!"
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Synopsis  |  Excerpts  |  Chapter Titles  |  Index  |  Reviews  |  Crowbar Press

 
"It's Wrestling, Not Rasslin'!"
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"It's Wrestling, Not Rasslin'!"
by Mark Fleming, with Scott Teal

  As a teenager, Mark Fleming was a top-notch high-school football player and amateur wrestler, but from the time he was a child, he had dreamed of becoming a professional wrestler.  In this book, Mark takes the reader down the path he followed to achieve that dream.

  Mark didn’t get his spot in the wrestling business because someone paved the way for him.  He got in the hard way.  His first test was to make it through the grueling tryouts conducted by Gene and Ole Anderson.  As everyone knows, Gene and Ole didn’t give any quarter.  They showed the 27 wannabes just what they would be facing in the pro rings by rubbing their faces raw on the mat, stretching their limbs to the breaking point, and manhandling them so badly that many of them ran out of the arena without even collecting their street clothes.  When the smoke cleared, only one man out of the 27 hopefuls remained standing … Mark Fleming.

  It didn’t get any easier when Mark began wrestling for one of the biggest wrestling promotions in the world … Jim Crockett Promotions.  During a time when the wrestling business was at an all-time high and record crowds were filling the arenas, Mark wrestled almost every major star that came through the Charlotte territory.  The rigor of the road proved every bit as tough as Mark wrestled in 14 different states, Canada, and Japan.

  However, Mark wasn’t the type of wrestler who would showboat to catch the eye of the fans and promoters.  He was a serious wrestler who believed pro wrestling should be conducted as a sport, and not as a show.  His pure wrestling style eventually caught the eye of Lou Thesz, a former world champion, who many consider to be one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time.  Lou’s relationship with Mark began as a training partner, but evolved into that of a coach, mentor, and manager.  From that day forward, Mark’s career changed for the better.

  Mark and Lou brought back a respect for the wrestling game that had long since disappeared.  Mark worked hard to present a pure style of wrestling every time he stepped into the ring, and like Lou, he had nothing but contempt for those who portrayed pro wrestling as burlesque.

  Mark’s love for the wrestling game is evident in this book as he shares the story of how he and Lou Thesz, together, attempted to change rasslin’ back to what it had once been — WRESTLING!


 
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Excerpts from "It's Wrestling, Not Rasslin'!"

Excerpt from Chapter 1
  Copyright © Mark Fleming

  Norview High School put a lot of emphasis on athletics and competitiveness.  As a result, they produced an abundance of great athletes through the years and attracted several professional athletes to become coaches at the school.  One, in particular, was Les Wolff, a pro football player who was playing for the Norfolk Neptunes at the time [a Norfolk-based pro team in the old Continental Football League from 1966 until 1969].  Les, who became a teacher, and a football and wrestling coach at Norview, later would become a pro wrestler under the name Buddy Wolfe.


Excerpt from Chapter 3
  Copyright © Mark Fleming

  The next time I went to the wrestling matches in Norfolk, I walked up to Ricky Steamboat [Richard Blood], just as I had with Morales, and told him about my amateur wrestling career and how I wanted to become a pro.  I believe what I told him about my amateur career got his attention.  We talked almost every time he was in town for the next few months.  I believe he could sense I wasn’t the typical fan, or someone who just wanted to find out what he could about the inner-workings of the wrestling business.
...
  Victor either pinned his opponents or scared them so badly they ran off the mat for safety.  As I watched them, I noticed the bear would actually tie up with his opponents.  He would put his huge paws on their shoulders, wrap one of his rear legs behind their ankle, and push them backwards.  They would fall on their backs with his bulky weight on top of them.  He would then place his huge head on their chest and press down for the pin.  There was a five-minute time limit on each match, but nobody went the distance except Coach Whitley and me.  Coach was a strong guy and he handled Victor just as roughly as Victor handled him.


Excerpt from Chapter 4
  Copyright © Mark Fleming

  Gene was definitely the guy in charge.  He trained and controlled the talent for Crockett at the time.  For those who don’t know who he was, Gene was one-half of the "Minnesota Wrecking Crew" — the other half being his tag-team partner, Ole Anderson.  They were considered to be the meanest, toughest, and arguably successful tag team in pro wrestling.  They thrived on hurting people; legitimately.  They were old-school wrestlers who brooked no nonsense and they wrestled hard.  They expected the same from their opponents.  If you think pro wrestling is "fake," I challenge you to get into the ring with two guys who wrestled like Gene and Ole.  They made believers out of everyone; both wrestlers and fans.  They had the reputation of wreaking havoc on their opponents and hitting hard.  To their credit, they expected their opponents to give them the same in return.
  Well, since the Anderson were running the one-day tryouts, you can imagine how tough it was going to be.  It was no cake walk.  To this day, the toughest workout I ever went through — and that includes both amateur and professional — was that tryout at the Charlotte Coliseum.


Excerpt from Chapter 5
  Copyright © Mark Fleming

  My first opponent was seasoned veteran Jim Dalton [Jim Baugus], who had been in the wrestling business since 1961.  I was the first to enter the ring.  The gym was packed to the rafters and my family and friends cheered my introduction wildly.  A few seconds later, Jim walked to the ring to echoes of boos and hisses, which he helped instigate.  Jim was a tough wrestler who knew exactly how to handle an over-eager, young, 20-year-old rookie.  My mom, sister, and even my grandmother, all began to cry when they saw how confident and rough Jim Dalton looked and acted as he entered the ring.  They just knew he was going to rip me apart!
  When the bell rang to start the match, the butterflies in my stomach took off and began to fly around.  When we tied up in the center of the ring, I was stiff.  I pulled and tugged for position.  Normally, the heel leads the match, so Jim, being the heel [bad guy], whispered, "Just relax and listen to what I tell you to do."


Excerpt from Chapter 6
  Copyright © Mark Fleming

  One night after a match in Richmond, Chief and I were getting in the car when a fan walked up and began spouting off about wrestling being "fake."  Wahoo called him over to the car, ripped the bandage off his forehead, and pulled open the cut he received in his match that night.  Blood streamed down his face.  He said, "Look, cocksucker.  You think this is fake?"  Wahoo reached out to grab the guy as he said, "Come here, you son-of-a-bitch.  I’ll show you fake."  The guy took off running.
  Another time, I was supposed to pick up Chief at the wrestling office.  When I reached the front door, I could hear him yelling and threatening someone.  "Let’s step outside and settle this," he shouted.  I thought, "Oh, my goodness.  Here we go again."  As I stepped inside, he came walking towards me … and he looked really mad.  He said, "Come on!  Let’s go!"  When he got in the car, he told me he was having an argument with Ernie Ladd.


Excerpt from Chapter 7
  Copyright © Mark Fleming

  People often asked, "How do you get hurt and keep wrestling?"  All I can tell them is, when you’re young, you recover faster and injuries don’t bother you if you stay strong and in shape.  Plus, as I already mentioned, when you don’t wrestle, you don’t get paid.  We didn’t take time off to go see a doctor.  I even wrestled when I was sick, just so I could get paid.  I know guys who had the flu and threw up in the ring.  I never did that, but I had a stomach virus one night and was throwing up when the bell rang for my match.  The bell rang several times before JJ Dillon called into the restroom, "Mark, you’re on!"  I gave one last heave, wiped off my mouth, and walked to the ring.


Excerpt from Chapter 8
  Copyright © Mark Fleming

  In 1983, I came into contact with a boxing superstar in Columbia [SC], when Earnie Shavers, former WBA heavyweight champ, was brought in as special referee for a series of matches between Greg Valentine and Roddy Piper [Roderick Toombs].  The match was hot and the boys were really working stiff.  They were laying in the punches.  In the dressing room after the match, I had the opportunity to talk with Shavers.  I asked him if he planned to get into the wrestling business.  He said, "Yeah, right.  After being in there with those two guys and in the middle of the action, I wouldn’t tangle with any of you guys.  No way!"


Excerpt from Chapter 9
  Copyright © Mark Fleming

  In Kansas City, we were paid about $50 to $75 a show, give or take, or around $300 to $450 a week.  Again, as I said earlier, we were getting experience by working every night.  That, however, was the only advantage.  There was a lot of resentment between the Kansas City boys and the Charlotte crew.  The boys in Charlotte were making money, and plenty of it, but the office didn’t seem willing to send a fair share of it our way.
  The problems inherent in the territory really made me appreciate the Mid-Atlantic territory, but we made the best of it, especially since we were working every night.  It was a good experience for us young wrestlers, but the "experience" really was the only good thing about it.


Excerpt from Chapter 10
  Copyright © Mark Fleming

  Lou’s intentions were nothing but honest.  Cocky attitude notwithstanding, he thought the guy would be a good fit for our school, so he asked me if I’d be willing to work out with him.  I was always up for a challenge, so I agreed without hesitation.  From the minute the guy walked in the door, though, I didn’t like his attitude, so I was anxious to give him an “attitude adjustment” on the mat.
  We wrestled around for a bit and I learned the guy really could wrestle.  He went behind me, waist-locked me, picked me up, and threw me down on all fours, jamming my right kneecap into the mat.  My instincts took over immediately.  I sat out and sprang to my feet.  I was hot!  Breaking the wrist control he had on me, I shot in on his left leg and took him to the mat, after which I climbed his body like a ladder and rubbed his face into the mat.  For five to six minutes, I stretched him without mercy.  I caught him with a cross face, and then let him out, and then caught him in a guillotine.
  Afterwards, Lou went to the trouble of getting him a room at the YMCA.  The next day, when we went to pick him up at the Y, he was nowhere to be found.  We never saw him again.  Now Lou was mad.


Excerpt from Chapter 11
  Copyright © Mark Fleming

  When I finally wrapped my head around the idea of wearing a mask, Lou continued, "Call yourself The Phantom.  If you wear long wrestling tights and a nylon shirt, the fans won’t recognize you.  In fact, you should be wearing the mask and gear when you get to the arenas and keep it on at all times.  I wouldn’t even let the boys (fellow wrestlers) know who you are.  Kayfabe them.  Kayfabe everybody!  Don’t mingle with anyone.  Come to the arena, wrestle, and leave."
  A week later, when I approached Leehy with the idea, he loved it.  He understood my situation and said a masked wrestler in the main event would be something novel on his cards, and it could give the promotion the shot in the arm it needed.  I went home, called K&H, and ordered a blue-and-black mask and a pair of long black wrestling tights.  I borrowed a nylon shirt from a fellow wrestler to complete the "Phantom" outfit.


 
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Chapter titles and contents

Acknowledgements
Foreword by Ivan Koloff
Foreword by Charlie Thesz
1. The Bug Bite
2. Oranges, Hot Tea and a Snickers Bar
3. Too Much Facial Hair
4. Gene Anderson’s Favorite “Wrestling Move”
5. “Sell, sell, sell!”
6. Nick the Neck
7. The Booker's Ass
8. Hotbed and No Bed
9. Pieces of Meat
  10. The Legend
11. The Next Hulk Hogan
12. The Phantom
13. The Wooden Leg
14. Chicken Bones
15. The Virginia Heavyweight Title
16. The Tournament
17. Scream Like a Girl
18. Two Old-Timers: A Weightlifter and a Wrestler
19. United Nations Wrestling
20. Fleming's Gym
 

 
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Subject index
AAU Junior Olympics, 16
Albright, Gary, 64, 142-154
Alexander, Ben, 63
Ali, Muhammad, 117
All Japan Pro Wrestling, 114, 161
Allen, “Gorgeous” George, 30-31
Alzado, Lyle, 82
American Legion Stadium, Florence (SC), 77
American Wrestling Association [AWA], 74, 106
Anderson, Gene, 6, 13, 15, 28, 32-39, 42-43, 47, 49, 53-54, 61, 63, 74, 105
Anderson, Ole, 6, 13, 15, 28, 32-38, 50, 63, 74
Anderson, Paul, 156
Andre the Giant, 13, 74
Anjo, Yoji, 139-140, 143-144, 148, 153
Apollo, 89, 99
Apostolou, Pete, 55, 60
Arrowhead Stadium, 80
Ash, Bill, 39
Assassins, The, 57
Atkins, Fred, 66
Atlas, Tony, 166
Avenger, The, 13
B&A Boot Company, 39
Baba, Giant, 44, 158
Backlund, Bob, 74, 87, 140, 151
Baker, Joe Don, 158
Barbarian, The, 74
Barrett, Pat, 80
Bart, Black, 49, 57, 63
Bass, Bobby, 73
Bastien, Red, 158
Baugham, Jimmy, 131, 133, 135
Beavers, Doug, 124
Berbeck, Trevor, 140
Bey, Ali, 73
Beyer, Dick, 88, 107, 158
Big Fight Series, 116
Big O, The, 108
Bigelow, Bam Bam, 100
Bill, Klondike, 68
BLAB-TV, 107, 110
Blanchard, Tully, 51, 131-132
Blanks, Eddie, 156-158
Blanks, Louise, 157
Blassie, Fred, 80
Bockwinkel, Nick, 74, 146
Booker T. Washington High School, 25
Borne, Matt, 136-137
Bradshaw, Travis, 131
Brisco, Jack, 42, 46-48, 56, 63, 70, 74
Brisco, Jerry, 42, 47, 56, 70, 80
Brody, Bruiser, 69-70, 117, 120, 122
Brown, Bulldog Bob, 79, 81
Brown, Charlie, 70
Brown, Denny, 64, 80-81
Buffer, Michael, 138
Burns, Robert, 24
Burton, Tom, 142, 145, 154
Butcher, Abdullah the, 70, 117
Cape Henry (VA) Falcons, 26
Caricofe, Dick, 131
Casey, Kevin, 110
Casey, Steve (Crusher), 133
Cash, Porkchop, 43
Castillo, Daniel, 116
Castleberry, John, 104
Caudle, Bob, 43, 45
Cauliflower Alley Club [CAC], 158
Champion, Todd, 79
Chapman, Mike, 137
Charlotte Coliseum, 32-34, 36
Charlotte Park Center, 42
Charlotte, Lou, 124-126
Chavis, Chris, 136
Chono, Masahiro, 98
Chôshû, Riki, 118, 154
Club Rogues, 137
Coage, “Bad News” Allen, 145
Colley, Randy, 136
Colón, Carlos, 70
Comiskey Park, 74
Continental Football League, 15
Convention Center, Myrtle Beach (SC), 78
Corrente, Sal, 131
Cox, Steve 152
Crawford, Marlene, 104
Cream Team, The, 109
Crockett 31
Crockett, David, 43-45
Crockett, Jackie, 44
Crockett, Jr., Jim, 28, 31-32, 44-45, 50, 54-55, 58, 60-61, 64-65, 68, 70, 72, 76, 78-80, 82-83, 105-108, 113, 136
Crockett, Sr., Jim, 54, 85, 136, 157
Czaja, Emile “King Kong,” 134
D’Orso, Mike, 104
Dalton, Jim, 40-42, 57
Davis, John, 156
Davis, Mike, 49, 57, 63-64
Day, Steve, 145, 148, 151
Deaton, Joel, 79, 81
DeCarlo, Nick, 66
Deltoro, Henry (The Bull), 104
DeMaggio, Joe, 149-150
Destroyer, Sensational, Intelligent, 88, 107, 158
Destroyer, Super, 13
Diago, Tokyo Joe, 114-115, 117, 119-120
Dillon, J.J., 105, 132
DiMeglio, David, 109-110, 131
Dusek, Frank, 136
Dusek, Wally, 36, 68, 77
Duva, Lou, 91
Dynamite Kid, 145
Eagle, Jay, 134
Eastern Championship Wrestling, 109
Eastside Boxing Gym [Norfolk], 103
Fargo, Jackie, 31
Fargo, Sonny, 50-51, 56, 83
Fernandez, Manny, 166
Fight Magazine, 140
Flagship, The, 104
Flair, Ric, 58, 70-71, 73-74, 79, 105, 126
Fleming, Doug, 10, 15
Fleming, Evelyn T., 9-10, 135
Fleming, Leslie H., 9-11, 36-37, 135, 159
Fleming, Patti, 6, 166
Fleming, Rhonda, 10, 14
Fleming’s Gym, 132, 162-167
Flynn, Russell, 16
Foley, Mick, 151
Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling, 123
Fujinami, Tatsumi, 119
Fujiwara, Yoshiaki, 63, 118
Fuller, Robert, 136
Fulton, Bobby, 109
Funk, Jr., Dory, 44, 47-48, 50, 60-61, 63, 67-69, 74, 137
G1 Climax tournament, 98
Gable, Dan, 137, 158-159
Gagne, Verne, 12, 74, 80, 158-159
Garrison, Sidney, 109
Garvin, Ronnie, 56
Gearns, Eric, 104, 157
Geigel, Bob, 79
George Michael’s Sports Machine, 104, 124
Ghent Athletic Center, 92, 95, 115, 156, 162-163
Gibson, Robert, 109
Gladiator, The, 65
Go, Ryuma, 139
Gotch, Frank, 158
Gotch, Karl, 114, 139, 151, 160
Goto, Tatsutoshi, 116
Gould, Elliott, 158
Graham, Billy (Superstar), 12-13, 75
Graham, Eddie, 74
Granby High School, 155
Gray, Kevin, 13-14
Great American Bash, The, 64-65
Greenbrier Athletic Club, 105
Greenwood Civic Center, 74
Griffin, Ricky, 12-13
Grimek, John, 156
Grimm Reaper, 138
Grundy, Dan, 110
Gulas, Nick, 31
Hackenschmidt, George, 155
Hamada, Gran, 139
Hamilton, Joe, 57, 92
Hampton (VA) Coliseum, 27, 65
Hansen, Stan, 69, 117, 120, 122
Harris, George (Two-Ton), 68
Harris, James, 132
Harris, Lilburn “Buck,” 155-156
Harrison Opera House, 129
Hart, Bret [Barry Horowitz], 48-49, 57
Hase, Hiroshi, 118
Hashimikov, Salman, 145
Hata, Hirokazu, 123
Hattori, Tiger, 119
Hebner, Earl, 49, 61, 107, 113
Héctor Guerrero, 109
Hegstrand, Mike, 69, 98
Hennig, Curt, 74
Hernandez, Hercules, 57
Hirohito, 121
Hodge, Danny, 58, 63, 80, 140, 146
Hoffman, Bob, 10
Hoffman, Bob, 156
Hogan, Hulk, 95
Hopewell Community Center, 157
Hopewell News, 104, 157
Horowitz, Barry, 48-49, 57
Houston, Sam, 72
Howard, Bill, 57
Humboldt Independent, 104
Hutton, Dick, 133, 136, 158-159
Inoki, Antonio, 44, 63, 117
Inside Wrestling (magazine), 12
International title, 83, 134-138, 142, 152
Iowa State University, 158
Iron Sheik, 146
Irwin, Wild Bill, 74
Italian Stallion, The, 49, 131
Jacobs, Abe, 46, 56
Jardine, Don, 13
Jarrett, Jerry, 74
Jefferies, Jim, 79
Jefferies, Mike, 79
Jennings, Peter, 121
Jernigan, Cy, 62
Jim Crockett Promotions, 7, 32, 36, 75, 79, 86, 105
Jones, Paul, 13, 44-45, 136-137
Jones, Rufus R., 13, 62, 80
Joust, James, 134
Junkyard Dog, the, 58
Jurgersen, Sonny, 124
Kabuki, Great, 70, 72
Kahn, Teijo, 79, 81
Kakihara, Masahito, 151
Kamala, 132
Kamazaki, Kazuo, 145
Kanehara, Hiromitsu, 151
Karl & Hildegarde [K&H], 39, 107
Karras, Gust, 85
Kay, Rudy, 66
Kay, Terry, 66
Keio Plaza Hotel, Tokyo, 116
Kernodle, Don, 37-39, 44, 47-48, 66
Kimura, Rusher, 139
King, Rocky, 62, 79-80
Kiniski, Gene, 66, 70
Kiniski, Kelly, 66
Kirby, Roger, 80
Kitao, Koji, 89, 99-100, 145-146
Knobbs, Brian, 136
Kobayashi, Kuniaki, 118
Koloff, Ivan, 7, 49, 63-64, 72, 74, 83, 109, 111, 127, 131, 138
Koloff, Nikita, 64, 72, 109, 111, 131, 166
Korakuen Hall, 140, 144
Koslowski, Dennis, 145, 154
Kowalski, Killer, 28, 158
Krockett, Keith, 131
Ladd, Ernie, 44, 57, 68, 74
Lake Taylor High School, 25
Landel, Buddy, 109, 111, 131
Lane, Larry, 47-48
Langley Raceway, Hampton (VA), 78
Larsen, Keith, 39, 48, 64
Laurinaitis, Joe, 69
Lawler, Jerry, 31, 74, 120-121
Learning the Ropes, 82
LeBell, Gene, 158
Leduc, Joe, 12, 61, 82
Leehy, David, 106-107, 110, 127, 129-131, 161
Legion Stadium, Wilmington (NC), 77
Levin, Dave, 158
Lewin, Ted, 159
Lewis, Bill, 54, 155, 157-158
Lewis, Ed (Strangler), 12, 88-89, 158
Ligon, Gene, 48-49, 73, 79, 81
Lindsay, Luther, 25
Lloyd, Ray, 147
Londos, Jim, 12
Longson, Bill, 133
Lord Albert Hall, 134
Lou Thesz School of Wrestling, 93
Luger, Lex, 72-73
Lydick, Gene, 145
Lyons, Billy Red, 66
Maeda, Akira, 139
Magnum T.A., 74
Main Event (magazine), 71
  Malenko, Dan, 136
Managoff, Bobby, 159
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, 66, 133-134
Masked Eliminator, 110
Matsuda, Hiro, 58, 80
Matthews, Bob, 104
Mazurki, Mike 158
McDaniel, Wahoo, 58-60, 74, 105, 149-150
McIntire, Al, 106-107, 110, 129-131
McKinney, Bobby, 89-90
McMahon, Vince J., 75
McMahon, Vince K., 74-75, 113, 131
McShain, Danny, 80
Meltzer, Dave, 93
Mera, Akihisa, 70
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, 38, 43
Mid-Atlantic TV title, 65
Miller, Danny, 55, 82
Mills, Dawson, 104
Minium, Harry, 104
Minnesota Wrecking Crew, 28, 33
Mixed Martial Arts [MMA], 158, 167
Miyamoto, Koji, 93, 114-115, 121, 147, 152, 154
Miyato, Yuko, 139, 141, 143, 148, 151
Molinaro, Bob, 104
Mongol, Geeto, 89-90, 134, 138, 156
Monte, Frank, 57, 64, 77
Morales, Pedro, 27-28
Morgan, Rip, 109
Morton, Ricky, 109
Mosca, Angelo, 45, 60
Mosca, Jr., Angelo, 60-61
Mr. Wrestling, 107
Muchnick, Sam, 68
Muhammad, Matthew Saad, 140
Mulligan, Blackjack, 63, 66, 109, 111, 131, 134-135
Murnick, Carl, 40, 54-55, 105
Murnick, Elliott, 54-55, 105
Murnick, Joe, 28, 31, 40, 73
Naito, Tsunehito, 161
Nakano, Tatsuo, 139
Napolitano, George, 71
Nasty Boys, The, 136
National Wrestling Allliance [NWA], 50, 58, 66, 68, 80, 106, 132
Nautilus Fitness Center, 27
NBC Sports, 124, 126
Nelson, Gordon, 145
Nelson, Steve, 145
Nettles, Bob, 110
Neu, Paul, 116
New Japan Pro Wrestling, 58, 98, 114-117, 123, 161
New York Yankees, 149
Newborn UWF, 139, 141
Nord the Barbarian, 149
Norfolk Arena, 7, 127, 155
Norfolk Navy Base, 134
Norfolk Scope Coliseum, 12, 27, 64, 83, 104, 126
North American Wrestling Association, 136
Norview High School, 13-15, 18-19
NWA junior heavyweight title, 80, 110, 136-137
NWA world heavyweight title 132
O’Connor, Pat, 79
O’Sullivan, Chester, 131
Ocean View Beach, 98
Old Dominion University, 17, 21, 102
Olympic Athletic Club, Petersburg VA, 157
Oriental Bazaar, 121, 147
Orndorff, Paul, 108
Orton, Barry, 66
Orton, Jr., Bob, 116, 119
Orton, Randy, 116
Palmer, Walter, 88
PanAmerican Games, 91
Parks, Reggie, 13
Patrick, Nick, 92
Patterson, Chuck, 21
Patterson, Pat, 113
Peoples, Bob, 156
Perez, Jose, 116
Perry, Chris, 104
Petroff, Vladimir, 73-74
Phantom, The, 104-111, 124, 127
Piper, Roddy, 70
Pro Wrestling Federation [PWF], 131
Pro Wrestling U.S.A., 74
Race, Harley, 64, 70-71, 132
Raider, Bruce, 104
Randall, Bruce, 10-11
Red Devil, The, 157
Rhodes, Dusty, 64, 74-75, 79-80, 82, 105
Ribera Steakhouse, 120
Rice, Tom, 88
Richmond Arena, 46
Richmond Coliseum, 73
Richmond Times-Dispatch, 104
Rikidôzan, 88, 134, 147
Riley, Billy, 140
Ring Wrestling, 12
Ringley, John, 136-137
Ringo, Johnny, 106-107, 110
Ritchie, Ron, 44
Ritter, Sylvester, 58
Road Warrior Hawk, 98
Road Warrior, The, 69
Road Warriors, The, 69, 73, 149
Roberts, Jake, 37-38, 49
Robinson, Billy, 63, 140, 146-147
Robinson, Henry “Iron Horse,” 89, 134, 138
Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, 109
Rogers, Buddy, 64
Rogers, Tommy, 109
Ross, Ranger, 136
Rotundo, Mike, 37-38, 40-42, 46, 49-50, 63
Rouse, Mike, 124
Royal, Gary, 65
Royal, Nelson, 80, 110
Russell, Lia, 104
Russian Assassin, 110
Russian chain match, 7
Ryôgoku Kokugikan Sumo Palace, Tokyo, 116
Sad Genius, 102
Sags, Jerry, 136
Saito, Masa, 116, 118-119
Sakaguchi, Seiji, 117, 118
Sakuraba, Kazushi, 144
Sammartino, Bruno, 12, 50, 63
Sandler, Paul, 98
Sands, Tommy, 158
Sasazaki, Shinji, 140-141
Savoldi, Angelo, 80
Sayama, Satoru, 139
Schemansky, Norbert, 156
Schultz, 84
Schwartz, Stu, 40, 46-47
Scott, Billy, 140, 145
Scott, George, 136-137
Scott, Sandy, 54
Seigler, Jr., Tommy, 101
Seigler, Tommy, 101
Severn, Dan, 64, 143, 145
Shamrock, Ken, 64, 136-137, 149
Shannon, Jake, 164
Shavers, Earnier, 70
Sheik, The, 117
Sheppard, Scrap Iron, 66
Shibata, Katsuhisa, 119
Shinji 144
Shukan Gong, 122
Shukan Puroresu, 122
Silver, Mark, 145, 151
Sims, “Sailor” Sammy, 155
Singh, Dara, 134
Singh, Tiger Jeet, 149
Slaughter, Sgt., 39, 44, 47
Slaughterhouse Gym, The, 91
Smith, Bruce, 138
Snake Pit, Wigan, England, 140
SOMBO, 139
South Atlantic Pro Wrestling, 136
South, George, 49, 56, 61-62, 79-80, 131
Starr, Ron, 80, 116
Starrcade, 70
Starrcade, 72
Steamboat, Ricky, 6, 28-29, 31-32, 39-41, 63, 70-71, 87, 136
Steele, Colt, 79, 110
Steele, Ray, 86, 133, 150
Steinborn, Milo, 155
Steiner, Rick, 126
Sullivan, Kevin, 53, 126
Sumo Hall, 140
Super Vader, 154
Swenski, John, 158
Sword, Jeff, 73
Taiikukan gymnasium, 160
Takada, Nobuhiko, 100, 139-140, 144, 151-152, 154
Tamura, Kiyoshi, 63, 100, 150-151
Tata, Bob, 19, 24-25
Tattrie, Newton, 89-90, 134, 138, 156
Taz, 124
Teal, Scott, 6, 114
Tenryu, Genichiro, 154
The Wrestler, 69
Thesz, Charlie, 8, 85-86, 91, 102, 153-154
Thesz, Lou, 6-8, 50, 58, 63-64, 83-108, 111-115, 124-130, 133-142, 146-148, 151-154, 156-161, 163, 167
Thornton, Les, 80
Tiger Mask, 139
Tillet, Louie, 36
Timbs, Ken, 39, 57
Tokyo Dome, 98
Tokyo Imperial Palace, 147
Tokyo Sports, 116
Tony Mercurio Show, The, 104
Torelli, Vince, 136-137
Township Auditorium, Columbia, SC, 72, 82
Tragos, George, 86
Tunney, Jack, 66
Turner, Ted, 108-109
Tyson, Mike, 124
Ultimate Fighting Championships [UFC], 140
Union of Wrestling Forces International [UWFI], 100, 123, 138-154, 162
United Nations Wrestling [UNW], 123, 160-161
Universal Wrestling Federation [UWF], 114, 139
University of Georgia, 155
USWA, Concord, NC, 131
UWF International, 139
Valentine, Greg, 63, 70, 77, 131
Valentine, Johnny, 11
Valentino, Vinnie, 66, 75
Valiant, Jimmy, 49, 56-57, 66, 109, 111, 131
Van Vader, 154
Vargas, Billy, 158
Vasiri, Khosrow Ali, 146
Venables, Gord, 156
Vicious, Sid, 116, 119-120, 123
Victor the wrestling bear, 29-31
Vines, Doug, 63
Virginia heavyweight title, 109, 127, 132, 160-161, 166
Virginia Military Institute, 17
Virginia Wrestling Association [VWA], 106, 108-111, 127-132
Virginian-Pilot, 29, 104, 129
Volkoff, Nikolai, 137-138
Von Hess, Kurt, 67
Von Raschke, Baron, 66
VWA junior heavyweight title, 110
Wake Forest, 155
Walcott, Jersey Joe, 72
Walling, James, 140
WAR, 154
Wareing, Bob, 91
Wareing, Jack, 89-90
Wareing’s Gym, 86, 90
Warlord, 79
Warrick, Ronnie, 56
Watanabe, Yukimasa, 101-102, 121, 160-161
Watson, Whipper Billy, 73, 133
WAVY Channel 10, 104, 129
WCMS-FM 100.5, 104
Weaver, Johnny, 44, 50, 56, 65-66, 68, 137
Whatley, Pez, 142
Whitaker, Pernell, 91, 138
White, Bill, 67
White, Leon, 154
Whitley, Ken, 6, 14-21, 24-26, 30-31, 91
Wilder, Todd, 110, 131
Wilkerson, Keith, 56
Williams, Steve, 126
Winner’s Sports Club, Virginia Beach, 78-79, 98
Wolff, Les, 15
Woods, Tim, 107, 137
World Championship Wrestling [WCW], 7, 98, 109, 113, 131, 167
World Wide Wrestling Federation [WWWF], 12, 27, 66, 74, 106-107
World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE], 107
World Wrestling Federation [WWF], 98, 106, 113, 131, 167
WPCQ-TV, Channel 36, 38, 43, 45
WrestleAssociation [WAR], 146
Wrestler (magazine), 12
Wrestling Guide (magazine), 12
Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 93
Wrestling World (magazine), 12
WTKR Channel 3, 104
Yamazaki, Kazuo, 139, 151-152, 154
Yokohama Arena, 145
Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium, 161
York Barbell Company, 10, 156
Young, Skip, 40
Young, Tommy, 56, 67
Youngblood, Jay, 39-40, 70
Youngblood, Mark, 39
Zangiev, Victor, 145


 
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