When Wrestling Was Rasslin'

by Birkholz, Wrestling Promoter Peter

  On the contrary, the event was a successful and appreciated public relations campaign for both entities. Sigel and Cullen raised over one million dollars for the war effort, and people from all over the state of Texas fondly recalled the event for years. This evening was also mentioned by author Bryan Burrough in his recently-published book, The Big Rich.

  Morris Sigel was always coming up with creative new promotions, from male wrestlers to female wrestlers to midget wrestlers. Because he couldn't allow his promotions to become stagnant, Sigel decided that he could make money by promoting wrestling animals. This idea provided Houston Wrestling fans with wild entertainment. However, one promotion almost had a tragic ending.

  On Friday, March 21, 1947, the Houston Wrestling show featured a special attraction that pitted Gil “Gator Man” Woodworth against a ten-foot alligator. As you have likely figured out, Gil was a professional wrestler and alligator trainer. His body was covered with scars he'd received while wrestling alligators. We are not certain if the scars resulted from a lack of training or the fact that an alligator cannot be completely trained. Either way, traveling the country wrestling a ten-foot alligator was a dangerous way to make a living. As the highlight of the showdown, Gil put his entire head inside the alligator’s mouth. Although he was holding the jaws open, if the alligator wanted to close its mouth, it could have done so. Thankfully, that night the alligator kept his jaws open, which was good news for wrestling fans and even better news for Gil “Gator Man” Woodworth.

  The wrestling alligator promotion was a booming success, and fans talked about it for months. Sigel decided to go one step further and book a wrestling lion!

  The showdown between “Leo the Lion,” who weighed over four hundred pounds, and “Daniel the Man,” who weighed only 175 pounds, took place on Friday, April 16,h 1948. It was billed as a special exhibition because the Texas wrestling commission would not sanction the event. Sigel was determined to promote the show anyway. He devised a way to get around the wrestling commission’s rules by advertising that the bout with the lion would take place after the sanctioned Houston Wrestling card. After the main event, the ringside announcer would announce that the official wrestling show was over. The lights would be turned out for a few seconds, then turned back on for the special exhibition.

  After a wild battle between Irish Danny McShane and Dizzy Davis, ringside announcer Bill Whitmore made the announcement and the lights were turned out. The lights came back on as Houston Wrestling fans anxiously watched the arena crew. They erected a cage around the ring, then Leo the Lion was brought ringside inside his traveling cage. During the process, Leo was roaring defiantly. Wrestling fans held their breath as the lion was transferred from the traveling cage to the one surrounding the wrestling ring. Leo was clearly agitated, making some fans concerned about whether Daniel the Man should get in the ring. It might be too dangerous for him, though he was both a wrestler and a lion trainer. No doubt there were many who thought the event should be called off!

  However, the show must go on. Daniel the Man stepped inside the cage to face the angry lion. The two quickly clashed and the auditorium was filled with anxious screams from fans. Others held their breath as lion and man rolled around the ring. According to Paul Boesch, who was ringside along with other wrestlers in case of an emergency, Daniel the Man looked terrified and concerned. Boesch said you could feel the tension of the moment building and building. Something had spooked the lion, and it was angry.

  Suddenly, the lion broke loose from Daniel’s grip and went to the far end of the cage. With a final roar of defiance, it sprinted across the ring and leaped high into the air in a desperate attempt to escape the cage! The four-hundred-pound lion landed on the cage wall, with half of his body hanging outside. He frantically kicked his legs to get free. The City Auditorium filled with terrified screams from wrestling fans. A tragic stampede toward the exits was seconds away. Paul Boesch and the other wrestlers hit the side of the cage as hard as they could. Thank God the lion lost its grip and fell back into the steel enclosure. The exhibition was called off and Houston Wrestling fans, some of whom were in tears, headed for the doors. The lion was herded into its traveling cage and taken from the City Auditorium.

  Lord knows how many lives could have been lost if the lion had gotten free and unleashed pandemonium. The State of Texas wrestling commission and Sigel agreed that never again would Houston Wrestling feature a wrestling lion!

  Sigel learned a valuable lesson that night, and for the rest of his approximately twenty years of promotion, the only wrestling animals he featured were well-trained wrestling bears that had reputations for being safe. Sigel never again wanted a situation like Leo the Lion. He also made sure that every precaution was taken to protect his fans.

  As you can imagine, the wrestling bears brought their own stories. The first bear to make its way into the Houston Wrestling ring was named Ginger. That event took place on Friday, June 17, 1949. Ginger was a four-year-old, six foot-tall bear who weighed over three hundred pounds and was still growing. She wrestled wild Dizzy Davis, and the two of them put on quite a show. The bear was such a hit with Houston Wrestling fans that Sigel brought Ginger back to tag team with Houston’s own long-haired Whiskers Savage. What a pair those two must have made!

  Another history-shaping event which drastically affected Houston wrestling was a devastating automobile accident that involved Paul Boesch. On October 23, 1947, Boesch started to drive to Corpus Christi for his next booking after wrestling in San Antonio. A truck ran a stop sign and smashed into Boesch's car. This was before the days of seat belts and air bags, so Boesch was severely injured and almost killed.

  His wrestling career came to a quick halt. Bocsch could not wrestle. He had no money or other profession to fall back on, and needed to support his wife. He was in desperate trouble.

  In this case, the white knight on the white horse turned out to be Houston Wrestling promoter Morris Sigel. He created an office job so Boesch could put food on the table for himself and his wife Eleonore. Boesch began to work public relations events for Sigel and the Houston Wrestling promotion. He also started broadcasting wrestling matches on radio station KLEE. Boesch was in position to be the first broadcaster of the Houston Wrestling television show when TV came to Houston in 1949. Houston Wrestling with Paul Boesch was the first locally-produced sports television show. Wrestling fans know the rest of the story. Boesch went on to become the heart and soul of Houston Wrestling for the next forty years. Yes, destiny is a precarious and powerful force.

  THE FABULOUS FIFTIES

  The fifties were indeed a fabulous decade for professional wrestling. With the invention of television, professional wrestling was elevated to heights that have never been reached again (though the WWE has come close on occasion).

  Can you imagine what your life would be without television? What about major sports? Even as this story is being written, television continues to have a major influence on the development of professional sports. I worry it will only get bigger in the future.

  In the pioneer days of television, professional wrestling and boxing were the perfect sports for broadcasting. The average television camera weighed over four hundred pounds and thus could not be easily moved, so it had to remain stationary and focus on a set object. Wrestling and boxing rings were ideal. Television production crews could set up one camera as the constant “wide shot” of the ring itself. The second camera was also stationary; however, it could zoom in and out to get closer shots.

  Lighting was another challenge for production crews. Due to the many limitations of technology, the cameras needed abundant light. Once again, wrestling and boxing rings provided the perfect conditions, since all the television crews had to do was set up huge television lights above the stationary ring and on the four corner ring posts. Football fields and baseball fields did not have the sufficient lighting for television back then (though as you know, all of that has changed!). Thus, when it came to television sports program
ming in the early fifties, the media was married to wrestling and boxing.

  KLEE was the first television station in Houston, and only the 12th station in the country. It was owned by W. Albert Lee, an hotelier and commercial property realtor. The station started broadcasting on January 1, 1949. According to Paul Boesch, there were only two television programs that aired that week. One was The Milton Berle Show, and the other was Houston Wrestling with Paul Boesch. The Houston Wrestling television show became an icon in Houston, as it stayed on the air for over thirty-nine years!

  During that time there were several changes to the station itself. In 1950, KLEE was sold to the Hobby Family, which also owned the Houston Post and radio station KPRC. They quickly changed the call letters of the television station from KLEE to KPRC to correlate with their radio station. It was an NBC affiliate and the only television station in Houston for five years.

  When the new Channel 13 station went on the air, Houston Wrestling moved to it because television station KPRC was having trouble fitting the locally-produced shows into their jam-packed nationally-syndicated program line-up. The Houston Wrestling show stayed on Channel 13 until January 6, 1967, when it moved to Channel 39. The show remained there for over twenty years.

  In its early years, the Houston Wrestling television show began by playing The Star Spangled Banner at 8:30 PM. It was on the air until the lights were turned out at the City Auditorium. Wrestling fans who could not make it to the live show scrambled to find television sets where they could watch. Retail stores had televisions set up in their windows and showrooms to draw in potential customers. Houston’s Main Street had crowds gathered around the stores, cheering on their heroes. Some business owners set up rows of benches for fans to sit on as they rallied their favorites against the “bad” guys.

  Other wrestling fans flocked to a tremendous number of block parties that took place every Friday night. Fans gathered at the homes of neighbors who had television sets, bringing snacks and drinks. I even heard a story from one longtime wrestling fan who went with her family to a neighbor’s house and literally crawled into bed with them because their television set was in the master bedroom. Together they hooted and hollered and had a great time!

  However, all good things must come to an end, as the saying goes. This was the case with the “live” Houston Wrestling telecasts. Attendance at the matches was dropping, and Houston wrestling fans soon decided they could stay at home and not buy tickets. That was not good news for Morris Sigel, who not only made his money at the gate but also at the concession stands. Wrestlers were also concerned since their compensation was based on box office receipts. Sigel moved the telecast to 10 pm on Friday nights and did not televise the semi-finals and main events. This was the beginning of the strategy wrestling promoters would use for the next four decades. They used television shows to “tease” and live wrestling shows to “please.”

  With the addition of television to the professional wrestling world, promoters had to provide top stars and the most exciting action. Promoters not only had to please the fans in attendance, but the huge television audiences at home. Sigel was quick to respond to this new challenge, as you will soon learn.

  The Fabulous Fifties at Houston Wrestling started off in grand style with the rise of future Hall of Famer Verne Gagne, who successfully defended his Texas Heavyweight Championship belt on January 6, 1950, against King Kong Cox. According to the corresponding Houston Wrestling program, the victory kept Gagne undefeated in the professional ranks. This should not be surprising, since Gagne entered professional wrestling with one of the most impressive amateur wrestling careers in the sport’s history.

  Verne Gagne was born on February 26, 1926, in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. He left home at the young age of fourteen after his mother died. While in high school, this exceptional athlete was a star in wrestling, baseball, and football. He won the state wrestling championship in his weight class and was also named to the All-State football team.

  The University of Minnesota, the same college that signed on the legendary Bronko Nagurski in the late twenties, recruited Gagne in 1943. As a football player he was named to the All-Conference team. As a wrestler he won two NCAA championships. Gagne was also named to the 1948 United States Olympic wrestling team. The coaches were hesitant to have him compete after they discovered that, in his early days, he had earned prize money by winning a wrestling contest at a traveling carnival. They were concerned that his “amateur” status would be challenged.

  Again like Bronko Nagurski, Gagne was drafted by the Chicago Bears. Although Gagne had the opportunity for a great career in professional football, the gifted athlete decided to follow the money to professional wrestling. Gagne was an instant star with his outstanding technical wrestling ability and his good old American boy image, especially since he represented the United States on the Olympic wrestling team. According to folklore, Gagne was one of numerous professional wrestling stars who earned over six figures each year during the golden days of professional wrestling in the fifties. That was big money, especially if you consider that wrestling promoters paid in cash.

  None other than Houston Wrestling promoter Morris Sigel gave Verne Gagne his first start in a top wrestling town. Sigel himself fastened the Texas Heavyweight Championship belt around Gagne's waist. The championship belt was a very prestigious symbol, second only to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Championship belt. Crafty Sigel played up Gagne’s All-American image, and Gagne became the storybook good guy, or in professional wrestling terms, the “baby face.”

  On Friday January 13, 1950, Texas Heavyweight champion Verne Gagne faced the rugged and dangerous Irish Danny McShane. Both Friday the 13th and the rugged toughness of Danny McShane were too much for Gagne, and McShane became the new Texas Heavyweight champion.

  Over the course of his wrestling career, Gagne held numerous titles, including the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Some wrestling promoters pushed for him to be awarded the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt. However, politics played against the popular star, and the championship committee decided against the move. This did not stop some regional promoters in the NWA from breaking away and recognizing Gagne as their World Heavyweight Champion.

  Although Gagne was a superstar in the NWA, most wrestling fans and historians will remember him more for his role in the American Wrestling Association (AWA). Gagne started the AWA in 1960, and performed several key roles in his new organization. He was part owner, one of the promoters, and, interestingly enough, he quickly recognized himself as the World Heavyweight Champion. When wrestling officials criticized that last move, he boldly challenged anybody to take the World Title belt away from him. The critics remained quiet.

  Gagne was the AWA World Heavyweight Champion nine times, and the organization’s top star for over thirty years. The AWA provided wrestling fans in the Midwest with action and excitement for decades, and it was a training ground for many of the sport’s future stars, some trained by Gagne himself. He also played a major role in developing the iconic Hulk Hogan, a decision that would come back to haunt him and the AWA. Hogan jumped from the AWA to Vince McMahon’s WWF just as McMahon was readying to take his promotional organization nationwide. Vince needed Hulk Hogan, so he went out and got him! Gagne and the AWA folded in 1991, with Gagne himself being forced to file for personal bankruptcy.

  No matter what problems Verne Gagne had outside the ring, no one can dispute that he was one of the greatest wrestlers the sport has ever seen, which explains why he was elected to every professional wrestling Hall of Fame.

  In addition to Gagne and McShane, Sigel had other great wrestling talent to start the decade: Blackie Guzman, Wild Red Berry, Rito Romero, Sonny Myers, World Champion Lou Thesz, World Women’s Champion Mildred Burke, Count Billy Varga, Killer Kowalski, Duke Keomuka, Danny Savich, and many others who made their way to the Houston Wrestling promotion.

  Even Gorgeous George would fly in from the west coast to give
Sigel dates for the Houston Wrestling promotion. By that time, Gorgeous George was “The Toast of the Coast,” and his character was nearly fully developed. His long blonde curls were professionally cared for, and his valet sprayed the ring with his favorite perfume before each match. He entered the ring in his flamboyant robes. Wrestling fans across the nation saw him on television, and as you will soon read, his star would rise to even greater heights later in this decade. Gorgeous George’s publicity releases were already touting him as, “the greatest combination of crowd pleasing showmanship and downright wrestling ability that the game has ever seen.”

  Houston Wrestling action was hot and heavy in 1950 as more wrestling stars came to town. Sigel carefully featured them in exciting showdowns, most of which were centered around the Texas Heavyweight Championship belt. There were several appearances by World Champion Lou Thesz against top ranked opponents, such as Killer Kowalski. Kowalski stood six feet seven inches tall, weighed over 272 pounds, and was the forerunner of future giants like Ernie Ladd and, more importantly, Andre the Giant. Kowalski was a tremendous athlete, and given the nickname “Killer” because during one of his matches he literally tore the ear off his opponent. The bloody ear was lying on the mat, so the referee picked it up, put it in his pocket, and returned the ear to its rightful owner in the dressing room after the battle. Incidentally, Kowalski won the match. But Thesz was not only victorious over Killer Kowalski, he also successfully defended his title against contenders like World Junior Heavyweight Champion Verne Gagne and “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers. In addition to these World Title showdowns, Houston Wrestling fans were treated to the first-ever six-man tag-team “gang war.”