BOOK DETAILS
PUBLISHER
Crowbar Press
PUBLICATION DATE
February 21, 2025
6x9 Perfect Bound
Pages: 319
Words: 153,536
Images: 274 b&w
Cover: Full color
ISBN: 978-1-940391-46-5
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"The promoters all stole from the box office. They were all corrupt. They had two ingredients that kept them in power. They had the TV contracts and they had the athletic commissioners in their pockets. They called themselves promoters, but they really weren't, and they were so scared that their money was going to go - that wrestling would fold up next week - that they stole every dime they could."
— Frankie Cain
If you ask any pro wrestler who plied their trade during the '50s and '60s who they consider to be the top minds in the wrestling business, invariably the name Frankie Cain will appear at the top of the list, and Frankie has a keen recollection of things that happened in the wrestling business from the 1940s until wrestling evolved into what we know today as "sports entertainment."
But Frankie's story isn't only about his life as a wrestler. It's a fascinating journey that began when he was just plain Jimmy Ault, living on the Depression-era streets of downtown Columbus, Ohio - learning hustles and cons from the Gypsies, sleeping on rooftops, and selling anything he could - all simply to keep from starving. He came into his own and finally began to earn a decent living when the prostitutes in Cherry Alley convinced him to work as their protector against the dangers they faced on the streets. Frankie, having fought on the streets almost every day of his young life, was born for the job.
In this volume, Frankie relates stories that took place both inside and outside the wrestling ring.
— Wrestling with Rocky Smith as the hated masked team known as the Infernos.
— His transformation into the villain known as the Great Mephisto.
— Being involved in legitimate fights in the dressing rooms with both wrestlers and promoters.
— Rubbing shoulders with the power-brokers of the sport, like Jack Pfefer, Buddy Rogers, Eddie Graham, and Dusty Rhodes.
— His personal interaction with celebrities like Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Mickey Rooney, and Ernest Hemingway.
— Fascinating confessions of how life in a business built on greed and power affected him in both body and soul.
Frankie's story is jam-packed with action, humor, heartbreak, drama, and entertainment, as he endures a harsh struggle to make his way to the top of his chosen profession. This is a gripping tale of a self-made man in the private world of pro wrestling.
Note: This second volume of Frankie's autobiography covers the years 1960 to the present day. Volume 1, which covered his life from 1932 to 1960, is also available at Crowbar Press.
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BUDDY ROGERS SELLS HIMSELF
Copyright © Frankie Cain & Scott Teal
That Rogers, he used to go into a restaurant, and he would strut through the restaurant. It was embarrassing as hell. You'd have to see it, Scott, in action, to know what I'm talking about. Strutting in the restaurant! Nice restaurants, you know ... aw, man.
That would get over with wrestling fans, but those who weren't would think he was an idiot.
Exactly! I'd say, "Buddy, why are you doing that?"
"I'm selling myself, kid! I'm selling myself!"
PAYOLA
Copyright © Frankie Cain & Scott Teal
When they finally got TV, the guy at the TV station came to Luttrall and says, "Hey, you have to tell these wrestlers to go shorter matches because we can't get our commercials in."
Now, not too long before that was when they had the problems with payola on TV. Do you remember when Wee Willie Davis [a pro wrestler] and Dr. Joyce Brothers were on The $64,000 Question? She was supposed to know about boxing, and Wee Willie Davis knew about flowers. The game show people had given them the answers. Cowboy told the TV people, "If you guys want to go to jail for framing up a wrestling match, and face the committee on payola, that's your business. I'm not gonna do it." They cancelled the show. The TV guy told Eddie, "I can't put up with Cowboy. I can't get my commercials in." It was a live broadcast, and Eddie wanted to work with 'em because he knew we needed those commercials. Without commercials, you've got no TV. Eddie talked to Cowboy and got him calmed down. Cowboy was strictly on the kayfabe — which we had to be — but you had to work with the TV people.
"BAG THEM POTATOES, BOY!"
Copyright © Frankie Cain & Scott Teal
One time, Johnny Heideman got mad at Chick (Garibaldi) and nailed him. Chick fell back in the turnbuckle and, when Johnny went over to pick him up, Chick says, "Bag them potatoes, boy!" (laughs) Ohhh! That was funny.
COWBOY LUTTRALL CONS SWEDE CARLIN
Copyright © Frankie Cain & Scott Teal
I keep saying that Cowboy (Luttrall) was crazy. Just look back at his past history. Only a crazy man would move from one state to another to promote wrestling without any money. He just packed up his things in Chattanooga and moved to Tampa. He had no money! But Johnny Carlin had money. Cowboy screwed him, though. He never put Johnny's name on the paper. Johnny was kind of like me. He could read and write a little bit, but he wasn't very wise about business.
ED LEWIS & JOHN PESEK
Copyright © Frankie Cain & Scott Teal
Ed (Lewis) was probably 51 when I knew him, so he wasn't real old. The trachoma had really taken its toll on him, but if he wanted to, he could have worked a match. He could see well enough to do that. His style of working, though, was like Pesek, but he was very likeable and had appeal with the people. (John) Pesek had no appeal, whatsoever. He was boring as hell to watch. I was just a kid, but even then, I knew what action was. When Pesek would come there, Al Haft would put him on top, but he wasn't that big of a draw for more than a time or two.'
OUT-HEELING THE ANDERSONS
Copyright © Frankie Cain & Scott Teal
The Andersons went out to the ring to get the heat. They stood in the ring and worked the crowd so they'd be established as the heels. I knew what they were trying to do. They thought they'd get the heat, so when we walked out, the people would cheer us. I knew they would do that, so, a few minutes before bell time, I cut one of my shoelaces. I had to put a new shoelace in. That takes time. The Andersons were in the ring and the people were booing like hell. They were determined to have all the heat directed at them when we walked out, and when we did, the people would cheer for us. Well, a couple of minutes went by . no Infernos. Here come the guys who worked in the office . Angelo Martinelli, Lucky Roberts. "What's the matter? Come on, get out there!"
IMPOSTER INFERNOS
Copyright © Frankie Cain & Scott Teal
I ended up giving (Eddie Graham) two masks. What did he do with them? He gave them to the Fields. Sometime later, Mario [Galento] calls me and says he teamed up with somebody against the Infernos in Atlanta! [May 31, 1968] It wasn't me and Rocky. We was working for Crockett in Charlotte. Guess who was under the hoods? Eddie and [Dick] Steinborn!
KARL GOTCH, THE MASTER
Copyright © Frankie Cain & Scott Teal
Eduardo (Perez) was down and out at the time, so Eddie gave him a job working in the Tampa wrestling office. Eduardo loved Boris Malenko. He was at Malenko's gym one day when we were all there working out on the mat with Karl Gotch. None of us could do anything with him. (laughs) I was getting up there in years, so (pause) ... well, who am I kidding? I couldn't have done anything with Gotch when I was 19! (laughs)
WORKING WITH THE WORLD CHAMPION
Copyright © Frankie Cain & Scott Teal
I worked with (Lou) Thesz. I was a substitute. Somebody got sick or something. We wrestled in a place that was like a big, old barn . and hot! It had a tin roof. I said to Thesz, "Damn, it's hot!"
He says, "It's gonna get a hell of a lot hotter ." (laughs) We went an hour. (laughs)
SALE OF THE AUSTRALIA TERRITORY
Copyright © Frankie Cain & Scott Teal
Anyway, Eddie (Graham) swerved Tony Kolonie and told him that he [Kolonie] could get into a business that was flourishing . the wrestling business in Australia. Eddie told him that he could buy the territory from Jim Barnett. Well, by that time, the business there was just about dead. Barnett had brought in just about everybody he could. The figure I heard Kolonie paid was $300,000, plus Tony gave Eddie around 25 percent of the territory to help him out.
FAMILY DOUBLE-CROSS
Copyright © Frankie Cain & Scott Teal
Now he [Bill Watts] has (Verne) Gagne pissed off at him. His next step is to talk to (George) Culkin about going against LeRoy (McGuirk). Culkin tells him he wants to stick with LeRoy, so now Watts has to figure a way to get rid of Culkin. Watts tells Culkin that he doesn't deserve the kind of money he's making. He said he [Watts] had the angles and the finishes, so he didn't need him [Culkin]. He was pushing Culkin out. George had lived down there since he was a kid. Culkin's own nephew, Jack Curtis, Jr., actually went with Watts. George's own nephew double-crossed him.
TROUBLE IN PARADISE
Copyright © Frankie Cain & Scott Teal
The first time I had a problem with (Johnny) Walker was a week or two before they fired me and Mark (Lewin). He was working under the hood as Mr. Wrestling #2. I was in one of the towns to manage Lewin, but when we got there, Ole (Anderson) told me that I would be wrestling Walker. It was senseless booking. I said, "I haven't made any interviews for Number Two."
He said, "Well, we just threw this match in to whet the people's appetite."
What I learned later was that they wanted to get rid of me, so they put Walker in to hurt me.
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Acknowledgements by Frankie Cain
Introduction by Scott Teal
Foreword by April Ault
1 Scratchin' for a Living
2 Jack Pfefer & the Baboon
3 Road Trip with Buddy Rogers
4 Jack Pfefer's "Lord"
5 "In Memory of Adolph Eichmann"
6 "Bag Them Potatoes, Boy!"
7 The Young Jerry Graham
8 Mario Galento and Elvis
9 Wild Red Berry's Zoot Suit
10 Cheese and Crackers
11 Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings
12 Phantom Title Change
13 A Baby in the Dressing Room
14 The Origin of the Infernos
15 Jealousy Rears Its Ugly Head
16 Lenny Montana Sells a Watch to Wahoo McDaniels
17 "Falls One and Two Are Fake, Fall Three is Real" |
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18 Terry Funk Goes to Jail
19 Joe Louis & Ernest Hemingway
20 Jim Barnett's Love Child
21 The Great Mephisto Revealed
22 Walking Behind a Turnip Wago
23 Arena Rat ... The Animal Version
24 Pale White Cottage Cheese Legs and a Fat Belly
25 The Masked Prima Donna
26 The 6-Foot-2, Buck-Toothed Babyface
27 Four'n Twenty Meat Pies
28 The Revolving Door for Bookers
29 The Battle Royal and a $1,000 Purse
30 The Two Preliminary Boys That Killed Georgia
31 Female Impersonators, Strippers, Gays and Bikers
32 Frankie Cain Meets Frankie Laine
33 Booking & Manipulation
34 The Finish |
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20th Century Gym
Adkisson, Jack
Adonis, Adrian
AK&H Sports (Lynwood CA)
Akbar, Scandor
Ali, Muhammad
Aliba, Ali (Larry Lebelle)
Aliba, Geri
Anderson, Gene
Anderson, Lars
Anderson, Ole
Andre the Giant
Angelo, Martino
Apollo, Argentina
Arizona heavyweight title
Ash, Bill
AT shows (carnival)
Ault, Carolyn
Ault, Christine (Christine Carr)
Ault, Don
Ault, Herb
Ault, Jason
Ault, Jimmy
Ault, Judy
Ault, Pam
Ault, Rocky
Ault, Sherri
Ault, Tim
Austin, Buddy
Baarnes, Mickey
Baba, Giant (Shohei)
Bacalis, Nick
Baker, Ox
Banner, Penny
Barnett, Jim
Bass, Sam
Bastien, Red
Baumgartner, August
Becker, George
Bednarski, Joe
Beitelman, Don
Belkas, Chris
Belkas, Marlene
Bell, Ted
Berry, Viktor
Berry, Wild Red
Big Heart, Chief
Bivins, Jimmy
Blassie, Freddie
Blears, Lord Jan
Bockwinkel, Nick
Boesch, Paul
Bogni, Aldo
Bonita, Princess
Borne, Tony
Bornov, Ivan
Bradley, Tom
Bravo, Dino
Brisco, Jack
Brisco, Jerry
Brown, Bad Boy
Brown, Bearcat
Brown, Luke
Brown, Orville
Bruiser, Dick the
Brunetti, Guy
Bryant, Vince
Buesselman, Vicky
Bulfone, Irene
Burns, Farmer
Butcher, Abdullah the
Byers, June
Cain, Frankie
Calhoun, Haystack
Carassellos, Adrienne
Carassellos, George
Carassellos, John
Carassellos, Margaret
Carassellos, Maria
Carassellos, Minas
Carassellos, Nick
Carlin, Johnny (Swede)
Carnera, Primo
Carollo, Joe
Carone, Fred
Carreon, Tito
Carson, Don
Carson, Sunset
Cartwright, Hoss (Dan Blocker)
Cash, Porkchop
Cazana, George
Cherokee, Indio
Chewacki, Chief
Christy, Ted
Christy, Vic
Chuy, Don
Clancy, Mike
Clancy, Pat
Clay, Bob
Claybourne, Jack
Clooney, George
Clooney, Nick
Clooney, Rosemary
Cobo Hall (Detroit MI)
Cobra, King
Coffman, Juanita
College Park Auditorium (Jackson MS)
Collins, Pretty Boy (Ripper)
Colt, Buddy
Columbo, Rocky
Contos, John
Coral Gables (FL) Coliseum
Cortez, Rita
Costello, Al
Cow Palace (San Francisco CA)
Crockett, Jr., Jim
Crockett, Sr., Jim
Cummings, Bob
Curtis (Iaukea), King
Curtis, Don
Curtis, Jack
Dallas Cowboys
Darnell, Billy
Daulton, Price
Davis, Danny
Davis, Jr., Sammy
Davis, Wee Willie
Dead End Kids
DeMarco, Paul
Demchuck, Johnny
Dempsey, Jack
Diablo, El
DiBiase, Mike
Dillinger (Russell), Ken
Dillon, Jack
Dillon, JJ
Dix, Chester
Dog, Junkyard
Dominoes, The Masked
Donovan, Dandy Jack
Doyle, Johnny
Dromo, Bill
Dubois, Gene
Dunaway, Faye
Duncum, Bobby
Dundee, Angelo
Dundee, Chris
Dunn, Dick
Dusek, Danny
Dykes, J.C. (Jimmy)
Eagle, Don
Eaton, Aileen
Einhorn, Eddie
Elitch, Nick
Enrique, Alberto
Etchison, Ronnie
Famechon, Johnny
Farber, Ken
Fargo, Don
Fargo, Jackie
Fenton, Rod |
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Festival Hall (Brisbane AU)
Festival Hall (Melbourne)
Fields, Bobby
Fields, Lee
Fischer, Charles (Midget)
Fleischman, Salty Sal
Fletcher, Bill
Fox, Ralph (R.L.)
Freebirds, The
Freeman, Ace
Freeman, Herbie
French Angel (Maurice Tillet)
Fuller, Buddy (Edward Welch)
Fuller, Ron
Funk, Sr., Dory
Galento, Barbara
Galento, Maria
Galento, Mario
Galento, Smokey
Galento, Spider Al
Galento, Two-Ton Tony
Gardenia, Ed
Gardini, Benito
Garibaldi, Chick
Garibaldi, Leo
Garrett, Billy
Garvin, Jimmy
Garvin, Ronnie
Garvin, Terry
George (Wagner), Gorgeous
George, Jr., Gorgeous
Georgia Championship Wrestling
Gibson, Stu
Ginger (wrestling bear)
Gladiator, The
Gleason, Jackie
Godoy, Pedro
Golden, Bill
Golden, Jimmy
Gomez, Pepper
Gordon, Gene
Gordy, Terry
Gossett, Eddie (Graham)
Gotch, Karl
Gouliouvas, George
Graham, Eddie
Graham, Jerry
Graham, Luke
Graham, Mike
Graham, Superstar Billy
Graham, Troy (Hippie)
Grant, Gorgeous George
Grappler, The
Green Hornet, The
Green, Marcus
Greene, Al
Greenwood (MS) Sportatorium
Guerrero, Gory
Gulas, George
Gulas, Gus
Gulas, Nick
Gunkel, Ann
Gunkel, Ray
Gunther, Joe
Hackett, Buddy
Hady, Jim
Haft, Al
Haft, Jr., Al
Haft's Acre (Columbus OH)
Hager, Tex
Hall, Huntz
Hamby, Bob
Hamilton, Larry
Hanson, Swede
Harada, Masahiko
Harris, Dave
Harris, George (Bunk)
Harris, Jim
Harris, Sugar Bear
Hart, Bobby
Hart, Frankie
Hart, Stu
Hawk, Rip
Hayes, Michael
Heath, John
Heideman, Johnny
Hemingway, Ernest
Hessel, Gordon
Hickey, Frank
Hild, Helen
Hodge, Danny
Hogan, Hulk (Terry Bollea)
Hordern Pavilion (Australia)
Hubert, Silent
Hussein, Arman
Hutton, Dick
Idol, Austin
Inferno, Super
Infernos, The Masked
Inoki, Kanji (Antonio)
Jardine, Don
Jarrett, Christine
Jarrett, Jerry
Jefferson Hotel (Tampa FL)
Jelly Rolls Jazz Club
Jennette, Joe
Jennings, Waylon
Jet Stadium (Columbus OH)
Jewell, Matt
John, Big Bad
Johnson, Dwayne
Johnson, Jack
Johnson, Rocky
Jones, Buzz
Jones, Jack Price
Jones, Paul (Atlanta promoter)
Jones, Paul (wrestler)
Jones, Rufus R.
Jones, Tom
Jordan, Chris
Kahn, Killer
Kamala (Jim Harris)
Kamata, Tor
Karasick, Al
Karlssen, Swede
Kasaboski, Alex
Kasaboski, Babe
Keirn, Steve
Kent, Don
Keomuka, Duke
Khesz, Lou
Kincaid, Linnie
King Kong (Emile Szaja)
Kiniski, Gene
Kirby, Roger
Kirkpatrick, Red
Knox, Buddy
Kohler, Fred
Kolln, Henry
Kolonie, Tony
Kostas, Johnny
Kristofferson, Kris
Kruskamp, Hardy
Kulkovich, Henry
Kwariani, Kola
La Belle, Pierre
LaChappelle, Maurice
Ladd Memorial Stadium (Mobile AL)
LaDue, Monte
Lady Angel
Laine, Frankie
LaMotta, Jake
Lansdowne, Lord
Lanza, Black Jack
Larsen, Elmer (Peavy)
Larue, Lash
Laverne, Ann
LaVey, Anton
Lawler, Jerry
Laye, Charlie
Lean, Dick |
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LeBell, Mike
LeDuc, Joe
LeDuc, Paul
Lee, Bruce
Lee, Buddy
Lee, Sherri
Leone, Antone
Lewis, Bill
Lewis, Dale
Lewis, Ed (Strangler)
Lewis, Gene
Lindsay, Luther
Little Eagle, Chief
Little Wolf, Chief
Little, Jack
London, Jerry
London, Mike
Londos, Jimmy
Lone Eagle
Long, Johnny
Lothario, Jose
Louis, Joe
Low Low, Sky
Lu Kim
Lubich, Bronco
Lucas, Ken
Lutteroth, Salvador
Luttrall, Cowboy (Clarence)
Lyons, Debbie
Lyons, Judy
Mabley, Moms
Macon (GA) Coliseum
Madison Square Garden (Phoenix)
Madison, Harry
Maivia, Peter
Malenko, Joe
Malenko, The Great (Boris)
Malone, Pat
Mamos, Harry
Manchurians, The (Tio and Tapu)
Markoff (wrestling bear)
Martin, Pepper
Martinelli, ANgelo
Martinez, James
Marvin, Chief Tommy
Mascaras, Mil
Matsuda, Hiro
Mauler, The Missouri
Maupin, Cliff
McCord, Mike (Austin Idol)
McCoy, Kid
McDaniel, Wahoo
McGuire, Rocky
McGuirk, LeRoy
McIntyre, Don
McKenzie, Tex
McKuen, Rod
McLaglen, Victor
McLemore, Ed
McMahon, Vince (James)
McMahon, Vince (Kennedy)
McShain, Danny
Medics, The
Meeker, Jerry
Menacker, Sam
Mendoza, Carlos
Mephisto and Dante
Mephisto, The Great
Merone, Mike
Meyers, Lex
Miami Beach (FL) Auditorium
Mid-Atlantic heavyweight title
Milano, Mario
Miller, Bill
Miller, Danny
Miller, Ron
Mitchell, Sir Roger
Mohammed, Ernie
Mondt, Toots
Mongolians, The (Tio and Tapu)
Monroe, Rocket
Monroe, Sputnik
Montague, Lord Charles
Montana, Lenny
Moolah, Slave Girl
Moore, Walter
Morowski, Moose
Morrell, Frank
Mortier, Hans
Muchnick, Sam
Mulligan, Blackjack
Murdoch, Dick
Murdock, Jimmy
Murnick, Joe
Nandor, Bob
Napolitan, Bill (Walrus)
Nardico, Danny
National Hotel (Hot Springs AR)
Nature Girl (Debbie Rogers)
Nazworthy, Jack
Nelson, Art
Nelson, Willie
Newman, Leo (The Lion)
Nichols, Jackie
NWA junior heavyweight title
NWA world heavyweight title
O'Connor, Pat
O'Day, Larry
O'Dell, Homer
O'Dowdy, Pat
O'Hara, Doran
O'Hara, Pat
O'Mahoney, Danno
Orlando (FL) Sports Stadium
Orton, Jr., Bob
Owens, Don
Pacheco, Ferdie
Patterson, Pat
Patterson, Thunderbolt
Payne, April Ault
Payne, Ken
Pederson, Eric
Perez, Chico
Perez, Eduardo
Pesek, John
Pfefer, Jack
Phillips, Sam
Phillips, Treach (Henry)
Piazza, Julius
Pickford, Mary
Pico, Pancho
Piper, Roddy
Polo, Marco
Prater, Jerry
Presley, Elvis
Pringle, Percy
Putski, Ivan
Rackman, Steve
Raines, Dick
Ramey, Dr. Ken
Ramos, Bull
Ray, Herman
Ray, Violet
Renesto, Sr., Tom
Renner, Hank
Rentrop, Charley
Reynolds, Dave
Reynolds, Jack
Rhodes, Dustin
Rhodes, Dusty
Riley, Tex
Rillito Horse Racing Park (Tucson AZ)
Ringley, Johnny
Ritchie, Al
Roberts, Lucky
Roberts, Red
Rocca, Antonino
Rodriguez, Silento
Rogers, Buddy
Rogers, Charles (Buddy)
Rogers, Pops |
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Romanoff, George
Romero, Ricky
Romero, Rocky
Rooney, Mickey
Roop, Bob
Rosario, Gypsy Joe
Rose, Lionel
Rossi, Count
Rossi, Joey
Rossi, Len
Royal, Nelson
Ruehrwein, Jim
Russell, Jane
Sallade, Bill
Santos, Tony
Sapphire (Juanita Wright)
Sarpolis, Doc (Karl)
Savoldi, Angelo
Savoldi, Joe
Scarpello, Joe
Schnabel, Hans
Scott, George
Scott, Sandy
Shadow, The Green
Shaft, Tom
Shane, Bobby
Shane, Wildman
Sheik, The (Ed Farhat)
Sheik, The Iron
Shelina (Judy Ault/Julia Jones)
Sherry, Jack
Shikina, Oki
Sigel, Morris
Siki, Regis
Siki, Sweet Daddy
Simon, Larry (The Great Malenko)
Slade, Sammy
Slapowitz, Izzy
Slater, Dick
Smith, Charlie
Smith, Curtis (Smitty)
Smith, Emmitt
Smith, Grizzly
Smith, Mr.
Smith, Rocky
Sniper, The
Snyder, Wilbur
Solie, Gordon
Southern heavyweight title
Southern Hotel (Columbus OH)
Southern Theater (Columbus OH)
Spoiler, The (Don Jardine)
Sportatorium, The (Jackson MS)
Sportatorium, The (Tampa FL)
Sports Arena (Toledo OH)
St. Bernard Arena (Chalmette LA)
Stanlee, Gene
Stanlee, Steve
Starr, Clint
Starr, Jim
Starr, Nick
Steamboat, Sam
Stecher, Joe
Stecher, Tony
Steele, Jack
Steinborn, Dick
Steinborn, Milo
Steiner, Hans
Stevens, Ray
Straits, Jimmy
Streak, Silver
Strickland, George
Strongbow, Chief Jay
Strongbow, Jules
Sugar, Bert
Sullivan, Kevin
Swedish Angel (Phil Olofsson)
Talaber, Frankie
Talaber, Johnny
Tangaro, Joe
Tapu (Samoan)
Tarantino, Quentin
Teal, Scott
Teal, Scott
Terrible Ted (wrestling bear)
Thatcher, Les
Thesz, Lou
Thom, Billy
Tillet, Louie
Tillman, Larry
Todd, Tinker
Togo, Tanka
Tomah, Princess Tomah
Tootsie's (Orchid Lounge, Nashville TN)
Torres, Alberto
Torres, Enrique
Tubb, Ernest
Turner, Ted
Tuufuli, Reno
Tuufuli, Tio
Two Rivers, Billy
Tyler, Tarzan
Vachon, Maurice (Mad Dog)
Vachon, Paul (Butcher)
Valentine, Johnny
Van Fleet, Donald
Vansky, Jack
Varga, Billy
Von Brauner, Karl
Von Brauner, Kurt
Von Erich, Fritz
Von Stroheim, Karl (Skull)
Von Stroheim, Kurt
Voss, Leo
Walcott, Jersey Joe
Walker, Clyde
Walker, Johnny
War Cloud, Suni
War Eagle, Chief Joseph
Watkins, Sailor
Watson, Phil
Watson, Whipper Billy
Watts, Bill
Weaver, Johnny
Weingeroff, Saul
Welch, Edward
Welch, Herb
Welch, Lester
Welch, Roy
Wentworth, Jack
Westward Ho Hotel (Phoenix AZ)
White, Jim
Wicks, Billy
Williams, Jr., Hank
Williams, Sr., Hank
Winters, Lonnie
Witt, Robert (Bob)
Wolfe, Frank
Wolfe, Les
Wolfe, Les
Woods, Tim
Wright, Bearcat
Wright, Charles
Wright, Jim
Wright, Riot Call
Wright, Rube
Yamamoto, Sugi
Yamamoto, Tojo
Yankee, The Blue
York, Mack
York, Mike
Zaharias, Babe
Zaharias, George
Zaharias, Tom
Zapata, Pedro
Zimovich, Wild Bill
Zingaretti, Gino
Zingaretti, Sarah
Zoolah, Slave Girl
Zulu, Magnificent |
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Comments about volume 2 —
As many of you know, I'm what's referred to as a "mark" for old school "territory" wrestling.
When I was 15, I had a column in "The Wrestler" magazine and was the "official" Houston correspondent-took photographer, helped set up the ring, and carried the ring robes to the back for stars like Johnny Valentine and Killer Kowalski.
Prior to living in Houston, we lived in North Carolina, and that's where I really got hooked. My very favorites were the Infernos and their dastardly manager, J.C. Dykes.
Little could I have imagined that nearly 60 years later, I would anxiously be awaiting volume 2 of the Frankie Cain bio — "Raising Cain", who had been one of the masked Infernos. When I got volume one a few years, I immediately devoured it. To me, it's the finest work on the history of the genesis of pro wrestling from it's roots in carnivals and AT shows.
Scott Teal is the co-author/editor of these gems and runs the Crowbar Press company. I own about 20 of his books and they are fascinating looks into the psyche of America, particularly the first two-thirds of the 20th Century.
I wrote a lengthy review to volume 1 and will be reviewing this book when I finish it. Frankie, I'm happy to report, is still with us at 90+ years old and lives in Fort Walton Beach with Christine, his wife of 46 years. I'm just getting to his stories about the Infernos and I feel like a 6-year-old on Christmas morning!
— Richard Egner
Comments about volume 1 —
I'll preface this by mentioning I'm a lifetime pro wrestling "mark" and also a big fan of Crowbar Press and the work being done by Scott Teal. I've bought and read over a dozen of his books, but none has moved me more than "Raising Cain."
I was initially struck by how similar my background is to Scott's. I, too, was and remain a music nerd. I marched in HS band, played in the concert and stage bands, and went to band camps. But what really got me was when he mentioned getting hooked by the tag team of the Infernos, with their villainous manager J.C. Dykes. Scott first saw them on a band trip to Tallahassee. My first exposure was on Championship Wrestling TV out of Charlotte, NC, circa 1966. The loaded boot! The fireballs! The quick tags and amazing combination of legit wrestling, cowardly heel work, and the cheating manager. They were the heels I loved to hate!
I couldn't wait for Saturday afternoons. Becker and Weaver, the long-time babyfaces, The Flying Scotts from Canada, Amazing Zuma, ever-clumsy Tex McKenzie, Nelson Royal, Les Thatcher, young Bobby Shane, and later Paul Jones.
But the heel teams were the most fun to watch. Besides the Inferno's, we had Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson, and Aldo Bogni and Bronco Lubich with the evil Homer O'Dell. The list went on!
I had no idea that Frankie Cain — later to be known as the Great Mephisto — was under the mask as Inferno #1. But this book tells of Frankie's childhood and development as a street fighter, boxer, and later wrestler. His story takes place in Columbus, Ohio, where I lived for three years in the mid '90s. Seeing the vintage pictures, and the vivid stories of Columbus during the Depression and the war years is great stuff for a history nut like myself.
Then it seemingly kept getting more personal. My father's father, who I'm named after, had a background in St. Louis that was strikingly similar to Frankie's. One of 16 kids, he was an illiterate German immigrant who had to hustle every day for shelter and food, which often meant doing favors for and participating in crimes with mob members.
Frankie's stories — of trying to stay warm in the winter, finding safe spots to sleep, and fighting literally ever day — sounded like my grandpa's story being told.
Frankie Cain came up rough, and in this book, Scott has done a brilliant job of prompting Frankie with poignant questions that unlocked old memories. The cadence in the way Frankie speaks really sets the tone for this harrowing account of survival during a time of national crisis.
Similar to my grandfather, Frankie didn't know his own birth date, and was uncertain of his exact age. He couldn't read or write, either. It really moved me to imagine my own flesh and blood in a similar struggle.
By age 15 or so, Frankie began working the carnival circuit on the AT shows — predecessors to what later became known as pro wrestling of the "golden era." My dad and his twin brother worked in Vaudeville during the late 30's, and sure enough, terms I had heard my dad say came up again and again in Frankie's stories — flat joints, a fin, mitt reader!
What really got me, though, was Frankie's stories about "The Battler" — a fighter who had been hit too many times and had brain damage, which resulted in him eventually getting a frontal lobotomy. My dad's mother, an Irish immigrant known as a tinker, an Irish Gypsy (the book is filled with stories of Frankie's interactions with Gypsies), also had a frontal lobotomy in the late '40s after years of confinement.
The coincidences were almost too much to imagine and I'm still processing it all.
But back to the book. This is truly an important piece of, not just pro wrestling lore, but a snapshot of the America of 100 years ago. It is an incredible story of rising out of abject poverty and making a life on guts, brains, and the refusal to give in to incredible obstacles.
Many of the stories are laugh out loud funny, while others will bring a tear to your eye. In the final connection department, Frankie mentions becoming a country blues fan during a run in Mississippi. I make my living these days in New Orleans … you guessed it! Playing country blues music.
The forthcoming volume 2 of Frankie's story will focus more heavily on his pro wrestling career in the years after volume 1 ends. He spent many years fighting. Not just in the street, but in "smokers," at private clubs, on AT shows and more, before he turned to full-time wrestling in the early '60s.
As I mentioned earlier, I became aware of Frankie in 1966 when he was wrestling as the Inferno, and I can't wait to hear his stories of being in the various territories, especially Memphis and the Carolinas, where my love of the sport began in earnest.
Needless to say, this book gets a 5-star recommendation for anyone with a love of wrestling history, American history, or just great stories presented in the interview format. Thanks to Scott and Frankie for, not only crafting a fine book, but for sending me on a trip through my own family history and striking so many perfect chords.
Richard "Dick Deluxe" Egner
Former columnist/photographer for Stanley Weston's wrestling magazine's
Retired Microsoft vendor
Currently playing and singing in New Orleans
Not Autographed
$24.95
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Autographed
$34.95
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