The biggest card of the 1950 wrestling season was a promotion that Morris Sigel put together and booked in the Sam Houston Coliseum instead of the City Auditorium because the card was so big. Those of you not familiar with Houston should know that the Sam Houston Coliseum was just a few blocks from the City Auditorium, and could hold a wrestling crowd of ten thousand fans (whereas the City Auditorium could only seat four thousand). The card was billed as one of the biggest wrestling shows in the history of the Southwest. Sigel's lineup was capped off by the showdown between Thesz and Killer Kowalski. On that same card, Danny McShane wrestled Blackie Guzman for the Texas Heavyweight title. Fans were also treated to the Texas Girls' title match, the Texas Tag Team title match, and the recognized Negro Champion Don Blackman put his title on the line against Don Kindred. Even the referees that night were impressive, including Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Leo Voss, and Paul Boesch. The historic Sam Houston Coliseum would eventually become the home of Houston Wrestling after the City Auditorium was torn down in the sixties.
The Houston Wrestling programs sold at the matches also informed fans about what was going on elsewhere in the wrestling world. The September 1, 1950 program explained to fans how one of their favorite wrestlers, Leroy McGuirk, had tragically lost his remaining eyesight. The program also let fans know that Leroy was involved in the Tulsa, Oklahoma wrestling office and was determined to stay in the business. The program from November 17, 1950 announced the new World Junior Heavyweight Champion, Verne Gagne, who won a tournament in Tulsa, one that was held to select a new champion to replace the now-blind McGuirk.
This was also the year that Sigel continued to rise in the ranks of the NWA, as he was elected 1st vice president. Sigel and Houston Wrestling were making their mark in the wrestling world, and he was determined to to keep the momentum going into the 1951 season. It was a challenge for a promoter to follow a great promotional year with another record-setting season. Sometimes a promoter succeeded and sometimes he did not, but the goal was to attempt to make the promotion bigger and better every year.
A literally big star arrived on the scene in 1951. Joe Vitale, wrestling under the moniker Big Humphrey, weighed over 320 pounds and looked like the Humphrey Pennyworth cartoon character in the Joe Palouka comic strip. The colorful grappler was a hit with Houston Wrestling fans and wrestled in Houston for many years. However, his Houston legacy didn’t end in the ring. In 1954, Humphrey opened a restaurant named Big Humphrey’s Burger Village at 7661 Park Place Boulevard. Even after Humphrey's death in 1977, his family continued in the restaurant business with Big Humphrey’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant in Pearland, Texas. His son Jasper and Jasper’s wife Glenda proudly display sports memorabilia from the good ol' Houston wrestling days when Big Humphrey was a prominent feature in Houston.
Another fascinating grappler who made his debut that year was Dr. Lee Grable. Dr. Grable was a gifted man--a wrestler, scholar and hypnotist! He not only wrestled, but gave demonstrations of his ability to hypnotize wrestling fans in the ring. Fans got their money’s worth with Dr. Grable.
This was also the year that the Swedish Angel, billed as “wrestling’s answer to Dr. Frankenstein” took on Big Humphrey in a match that fans talked about for months.
Purdue star Ray Gunkel made his debut on April 27, 1951. Gunkel entered the professional ranks with an outstanding amateur background, including a win over Verne Gagne. He went on to have a great career in professional wrestling, as a wrestler and later as a wrestling promoter in the Atlanta booking office.
Another interesting highlight of the 1951 season occurred when former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Max Baer refereed at Houston Wrestling. Movie buffs will remember that it was Max Baer who James Braddock (played by Russell Crowe) beat for the World Title in the movie Cinderella Man. Baer also destroyed Primo Carnera in the boxing ring, ending the Argentinean Giant’s boxing career.
Carnera was literally dumped on the street by boxing promoters, but a group of wrestling promoters cared enough to train the battered and broken-down athlete and teach him how to wrestle. Primo Carnera was able to make enough money to return to Argentina. He later brought his parents and family to America and lived on the west coast. Carnera’s story would not be the first or only time that wrestling promoters came to the rescue of discarded boxers.
The year also saw Houston Wrestling make history for promoting the first Negro girl wrestling match in 1951. Morris Sigel was a leader in pushing for equality in sports, and there are many more examples of Houston Wrestling being a pioneer in this area.
Houston wrestling continued to be a strong proponent of tag team action, an innovation conceived in the Houston Wrestling office by Sigel and matchmaker Frank Burke. The fifties saw numerous tag teams battle for the Texas Tag Team Championship belts. There were numerous brother combinations, such as the Guzman brothers, Romero brothers, Tolos brothers, and the Zaharias brothers.
The four Zaharias brothers hailed from Cripple Creek, Colorado, and were known for their rugged style. They were made famous by one of the most gifted female athletes of the 21st century, Babe Didrikson. She was born in Port Arthur, Texas, and married George Zaharias. The wedding created problems for George's younger brother, “Babe” Zaharias, since there was now a second “Babe” Zaharias. The male ”Babe” invested a tremendous amount of time making sure that announcers and sportswriters did not confuse him with his new sister-in-law. He often became frustrated and emotional because of the situation, which may be why he was also known as Crybaby Zaharias.
Along with tag team wrestling, another strong characteristic of Houston Wrestling was the constant stream of great Mexican wrestlers hailing from both sides of the border. Houston was a great wrestling town for international stars who wanted an opportunity to show American wrestling fans that they were worthy of their respect.
Other famous stars who debuted in 1951were Handsome Johnny Barend, Bob Geigel (who became a wrestling promoter in Kansas City), Bob Orton Sr., Donn Lewin (brother-in-law to Danny McShane), future World Champion Pat O’Conner, Ruffy Silverstein, future promoter Jack Curtis, Art Nelson, Pat Fraley, Karol Krauser, Ivan Kalmikoff, Han Schnable, Fred Atkins and the Mighty Atlas.
1952 began with a controversy, as Duke Keomuka was named Texas Heavyweight Champion. This controversial judo expert invented the dangerous “stomach claw,” and teamed with fellow Japanese star Mr. Moto to capture the Texas Tag Team Championship belts. The memory of World War II and Pearl Harbor was still on the mind of wrestling fans who desperately wanted the titles back in the hands of Americans. Most of the early action of the year was centered on one tag team after another trying to win the precious Texas titles from the hated Japanese villains.
As a little boy, I watched the sneaky Duke Keomuka. Every time the American wrestler turned his back to the Japanese star, barefoot Keomuka would rise on his tiptoes as Houston Wrestling fans screamed as loud as they could to warn the American that another “Pearl Harbor” was coming. Keomuka did not play up the Pearl Harbor and World War II gimmick. He didn't have to, since Houston Wrestling fans did it for him. Duke Keomuka was actually born in Hawaii and as American as the next wrestler, but he was a businessman and knew that he should let the fans determine his “ring character.” He played that role all the way to the bank.
Some of the outstanding stars that debuted at Houston Wrestling during 1952 were Gory Guerrero, Ricki Starr, and Dory Funk Sr. Guerrero was a great Mexican wrestler and the father of future stars Chavo, Hector, and Eddie Guerrero. Ricki Starr put the sports world on its tip toes as he combined his ballet skills and amateur wrestling ability to thrill wrestling fans with his flamboyant style. Dory Funk Sr., the rugged cowboy who rode in from the Texas panhandle, was the father of two future World Heavyweight Champions: Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk. The Funk family was a powerful force in Houston Wrestling during the seventies. It did not matter which Funk was World Champion or which Funk was in the ring, Houston Wrestling fans hated them all. On nights that the thre
e Funks showed up at the Sam Houston Coliseum, it was outright bedlam.
Other new stars of 1952 included Bob McCune, The Great Scott, Mr. Moto, Angelo Savoldi, Bobby Weaver, Abdullah Bey, Kit Fox, Johnny Bence, George Pencheff, Andre Drapp (a muscular and very good-looking Frenchman who drove women wild), and another Japanese star, Kinji Shibuya.
The annual NWA convention continued to effectively govern NWA wrestling action and devised a unique national fundraiser. They declared that during the week of Thanksgiving, all NWA promoters had to donate a large portion of the gate to the Leader Dogs for the Blind organization in honor of their good friend and fellow promoter Leroy McGuirk, whom, as you might remember, had lost his eyesight.
1953 was another banner year for the Houston Wrestling promotion. The Houston Wrestling television show was becoming more powerful, which meant bigger gates, bigger purses, and bigger stars scrambling to make their mark.
The Houston Wrestling Promotion continued to have perennial stars during the fifties, including World Champion Lou Thesz, Irish Danny McShane, Blackie Guzman, Duke Keomuka, Ray Gunkel, Rito Romero, Cyclone Anaya, Killer Kowalski, and even the most well-known wrestler at the time, Houstonian Gorgeous George. The “Toast of the Coast” had been a Houston Wrestling superstar since the mid-forties, but now he reached a level of recognition never before achieved. Notable people from the sports and entertainment world crowded around the “Gorgeous One.” He was a hot commodity, and deserves close examination as one of professional wrestling's most fascinating phenomena.
George Raymond Wagner was born on March 24, 1915, in Butte, Nebraska, but his family moved to Houston when George was seven years old. The future Hall of Famer grew up in a tough neighborhood around Milby High School. He quit school at age fourteen and worked to help support his family. According to Paul Boesch, George was a tough grappler who stood on the corner and challenged anybody to wrestle him. The winner's prize was twenty-five cents. It did not take long for Houston Wrestling promoter Morris Sigel to discover George and convinced the young man--who just turned seventeen--that he could make a lot more money in professional wrestling.
George weighed only 215 pounds and stood approximately five feet, nine inches tall--not exactly a huge man. However, he was tough and quite accomplished in the ring. George's greatest asset was not his size, but his natural showmanship. Not only was he flamboyant, he was overflowing with charisma and never passed up the opportunity to put on a show and make big money. One such occasion presented itself when he married his first wife, Betty Hansen, inside the ring. The ceremony was such a promotional hit that he took his new bride on tour, marrying her in arenas all over the country.
There are many stories about how George Wagner transformed into “Gorgeous George.” Some say the persona developed in the Northwest. Others say he produced it in Hollywood. A third version suggests George honed his money-making abilities in his early wrestling days in Texas, especially around Houston. The facts support all three tales, since the character was not formed overnight. However, “Gorgeous George” did become an overnight sensation on national television.
When he wrestled in California, he was often in the company of top celebrities--entertainment giants like Milton Berle, Jack Benny, Bing Crosby, and many others who were thrilled to be seen with the flamboyant superstar. Once Gorgeous George agreed to wrestle for a charity fundraiser in Los Angeles. His opponent? Burt Lancaster. Another movie icon held his wrestling robe and served as his honorary valet: Bob Hope. Some claim the event raised over a million dollars.
Gorgeous George's ring persona was difficult to match. As I mentioned, he entered the ring to the sound of “Pomp and Circumstance,” and was followed in the aisle by his loyal valet Jeffries. Where available, the Human Orchid had a royal purple spotlight. He insisted that Jeffries spray the aisle and ring with his favorite perfume, Chanel #5, since it smelled terrible! Later, George insisted on spraying the referee’s hands and his opponent whenever possible.
He let his thick blond hair down, pulling out his fourteen-karat hairpins. The hairpins were called “Georgie Pins,” and he threw them into the crowd as female wrestling fans scrambled for the valuable collector’s item. Many times this display resulted in vicious confrontations, and ended in a battle of fisticuffs. Sometimes men got involved so they could heroically present the pins to their wives or girlfriends. Since that part of the show was a personal injury lawyer’s dream, the Gorgeous One had to cease the ceremonial pin-toss.
“Georgie Pins” were so popular that politicians and celebrities begged Gorgeous George for them. He has been given much-deserved credit for shaping athletes and stars such as Muhammad Ali and the immortal James Brown. Both legends confessed they developed their professional personas by watching the “Gorgeous One.”
As you can imagine, Gorgeous George was perfect for television. His matches were televised nationwide. He became a household name, and more importantly, one of the most famous athletes in the world. This meant big bucks for wrestling promoters, television stations, television advertisers, and arenas around the country. Sources estimate George himself had annual earnings between $100,000 and $250,000. If these figures are correct, at his peak, Gorgeous George would have been the highest paid professional athlete in the world. His television debut is still considered one of the top one hundred events in television history.
However, Gorgeous George’s life reads much like a Shakespearian tragedy. He rose from a poor Houston neighborhood to the top of the entertainment and sports world, but he later tragically crashed back to earth. In 1962, doctors told Gorgeous George he could not wrestle any more due to his poor health. The star maintained a rigorous wrestling schedule, but partied with the rich and famous. He spent most of his money on an outlandish lifestyle, and lost the rest in bad investments. George suffered a major heart attack and died two days later, a pauper, on Christmas Eve, 1963, in Las Vegas. His children placed a plaque at his grave site that read, “Love to our Daddy Gorgeous George.”
Sigel wasted little time getting the 1953 wrestling season off to a fast start. The first show of the year witnessed World Champion Lou Thesz successfully keeping his title against the number one contender, Killer Kowalski. Houston Wrestling fans were informed that Gorgeous George was returning to Houston, and warned of the upcoming debut of Wild Bull Curry!
Wild Bull Curry invaded Houston Wrestling on January 23, 1953, against star Billy Varga. The policeman-turned-professional-wrestler made quite a debut! Houston Wrestling fans watched in disbelief as the tough-fisted grappler battled Billy Varga, the referees, police, and any fan who was unfortunate enough to get in his way. He did not care who he punched or where he punched them--in the ring, under the ring, in the aisles, or all the way back to the dressing room. The future Houston Wrestling legend started the evening as “Bull Curry,” but ended it as “Wild” Bull Curry. The nickname stayed with him for the rest of his life.
It did not take long for opportunistic Sigel to start a feud between Wild Bull Curry and Dangerous Danny McShane. As you could expect, the rivalry was bloody and uncontrollable. Normal wrestling rules and regulations didn't suffice, so Sigel created the Brass Knucks Trophy, another innovation of the Houston Wrestling promotion.
The Brass Knucks Trophy was meant to crown the wildest, toughest wrestler in the world. It was only fitting that Wild Bull Curry and Dangerous Danny McShane were the first brawlers to battle for the new and already respected trophy.
The headline of the Houston Wrestling program of March 6, 1953 read, “The Two Toughest Men in the World Battle it out for THE 'BRASS KNUCKS' TROPHY!” It went on to explain the terms for the historic event:
The match is for two out of three falls.
The referee cannot give a fall on disqualification to either man, although he can exert every effort to make the men stick as close to wrestling rules as possible.
If either man is hurt, or cut and bleeding badly, the referee cannot stop the match without the injured man's consent.
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nbsp; The winner receives the “Brass Knucks” trophy, conceived, designed and donated by promoter Morris Sigel, symbolizing the toughest wrestler in the world.
Wild Bull Curry came out victorious that night and earned recognition as the World’s Toughest Wrestler. However, this would not be the last time that the two grapplers battled for the title. The trophy exchanged hands on several occasions as the feud continued for years.
That rivalry wasn't the only hot item at Houston Wrestling in 1953. The Houston Wrestling television show was sizzling, and announcer Paul Boesch became a huge celebrity. He was so popular that a political party tried to convince him to run for mayor, governor, and even United States senator! Levits Jewelers, who sponsored the show, designed a “Paul Boesch” watch, trying to capitalize on the show's popularity. Another television sponsor, Mosk’s clothing store, marketed Paul Boesch sports shirts, only $ 4.95 while supplies lasted. Radio station KPRC produced several shows hosted by Paul Boesch. However, the best example of the Houston Wrestling television show's clout was when loser Duke Keomuka had to wheel winner Wild Bull Curry in a wheelbarrow down Main Street in Houston. Over twenty thousand fans turned out to witness the event.
But if the television show was hot, the action in the ring was hotter. One special event was the debut of a handsome athlete from Corpus Christi: Jack Adkisson. He was a football star at Southern Methodist University and was drafted by the Dallas Texans to play professional football. Like so many other football stars, he saw the opportunity to make more money in professional wrestling. This was especially true when Adkisson capitalized on his German heritage years later and became Fritz Von Erich, the man with the Iron Claw!
When Wrestling Was Rasslin' Page 6