Not only did that night mark the toughest $1.50 I made in my life, in some inexplicable way I became hooked on professional wrestling and spent the next twenty-five years of my life eating, drinking, and living professional wrestling.
As I became more knowledgeable about the sport, I realized the debut had been designed to shock fans. That would have been helpful information at the time, preventing the months and months of nightmares my eleven-year-old self suffered. Even to this day, I often wonder why I did not require therapy. (Some of my close friends may argue that it's not too late.)
Fritz Von Erich rode that wave of momentum through 1965, dominating the main event spot in Houston Wrestling. He also made an impression on various Texas wrestling promotions, and eventually became the owner of the Dallas booking office. An intelligent businessman, his “invasion” established Von Erich as a dominating force in Texas Wrestling for the next twenty-five years!
Other international stars who appeared in Houston that year were Italy’s Vittorio Apollo, France's “Quasimoda.” the hunchback of Notre Dame, Canada’s Billy Red Lyons, Don McClarity (billed as wrestling’s answer to The Beatles), Claude Patterson, Mike O’Leary (who would return as Mike York, one of the members of the Alaskans tag team), and Russia’s Nikita Kalmikoff, who promised to “Bury all American wrestlers,” no doubt inspired by Nikita Kruschev’s vow to “Bury all Americans.”
Houston also saw the debut of Japanese martial arts star and future professional wrestling Hall of Famer Kanji Inoki. Inoki became one of the most respected athletes in Japanese sports, dominating professional wrestling. He also became one of the biggest promoters in the Japanese wrestling business. There was also the debut of local boy Ken Hollis, who, like Gorgeous George, graduated from Milby High School. Hollis was also a well-known student at Sam Houston State Teachers College in Huntsville.
Sigel continued to pit new talent against established stars--Bull Curry, Danny McShane, Ernie Ladd, Mark Lewin, Duke Keomuka, Ciclon Negro, Pepper Gomez, and of course then-current World Champion Lou Thesz. He also maintained Houston as a top tag-team town, hosting The Executioners, The Hillbillies, The Corsica Brothers, The Wrestling Rams (Don Chuy and Joe Carollo, who played professional football for the National Football League's Los Angeles Rams), and The Dalton Boys (Jack and Jim). Late in the year, Fritz Von Erich teamed with Killer Karl Kox to win the World Tag Team Titles.
The most important debut of the year featured the “Intelligent and Sensational” Destroyer, billed as the toughest masked man in professional wrestling, and the current champion of the Pacific Coast. Because of his reputation, the Destroyer had a debut booking to battle Lou Thesz for the World Heavyweight Title. Talk about a tremendous push from a promoter! The Destroyer, who had wrestled in Houston under his real name Dick Beyer, was an outstanding athlete. Sigel catapulted him into mat feuds with a rivalry between him and Fritz Von Erich. The Destroyer also battled Torbellino Blanco in a loser-takes-his-mask-off showdown. The Destroyer won and Torbellino Blanco reluctantly removed his mask, much to the disappointment of Houston Wrestling fans.
In addition to the wrestlers already mentioned, other newcomers included Mike Harmon of Sudan, Joe Turco of Sicily, Apache Pete, Cyclone Soto, Dutch Savage, Johnny Kace, Alvera Velasco, K.O. Ken Yates, The Blue Avenger from Mexico, The Great Dane, Victor Rivera “Mr. Puerto Rico,” Leon Levinski, Don Duffy, Bruce Kirk, The Golden Terror, “Ox” Anderson, and The Mongol.
On the promotional front, Sigel was still trying to make fans comfortable with the Sam Houston Coliseum and make his shows in the Fonde Recreation Center more profitable. He promoted one show at the Recreation Center for which every ticket was one dollar. The Recreation Center sold out that night, but fans would not pay regular ticket prices there. At other events, the box office took a financial hit.
Sigel also had a special promotion at the Sam Houston Coliseum on April 9, 1965, as tickets were sold two-for-a-dollar. Over ten thousand wrestling fans packed the Coliseum on the night that the eighth wonder of the world, the Astrodome, had its grand opening. There was a citywide effort to show the sports world that Houston was indeed a force to be reckoned with. (But recall that Sigel's real money was in concessions, not at the box office, so a full house worked to his benefit.)
Houston Wrestling was also trying to find its niche in the local television market. It was aired on Channel 13, which was an ABC national affiliate, so the local station did not have much programming flexibility. The Houston Wrestling program was bounced back to Thursday nights, then to midnight on Friday nights, then back to its usual time of 10:30 on Friday nights. The time slot changes hurt ratings and gave a false impression of instability to the well-entrenched wrestling promotion.
While Fritz Von Erich continued to wreak havoc on the Houston Wrestling scene, Sigel signed Dory Funk Jr. of the famous Funk Family to come to Houston. He was the oldest son of Dory Funk Sr., one of the toughest men to ever wear a pair of wrestling tights. His friends knew Dory Jr. as “Dunk,” and he was raised learning how to wrestle and walk at the same time. Dory Sr. was a great trainer not only for Dory Jr., but also for his other son, Terry. Both went on to win the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship.
Speaking of World Championships, the Houston Wrestling program of January 14, 1966, informed fans that Gene Kiniski had defeated Lou Thesz for the title on Friday, January 7th, in St. Louis, Missouri. They battled before more than twelve thousand stunned fans. Kiniski was a champion amateur wrestler in Canada. He then moved to Arizona to become a wrestling champion and star football player. He was the first Canadian to win the World Title since the days of Whipper Watson. Fans were anxious to see the new World Champion, and Sigel was even more anxious to bring him to Houston. Everyone wanted to see the man who beat Lou Thesz!
Joining the ranks of main event talent at Houston Wrestling that year was Pedro Morales, “The Ox,” who would return years later as Ox Baker. Other newcomers included Crazy Luke Graham, Nasty Nick Adams (who would come back years later as the trainer for wrestling bears), Southern Champion Buddy Fuller, Bearcat Wright, Japan’s Kinji Shibuya, Bulldog Dan Plechas, and Gay Gary Hart and his tag team of Al Costello and Karl Von Brauner. There was also the debut of Jack Daniels from Tennessee, who went to great lengths to convince fans he was rough and rugged, not smooth and mellow like the other Jack Daniels from Lynchburg, Tennessee. Other debuts included Ripper Leone, Tim Colt, Indian Joe, Jerry Miller, Pepe Gomez, Roger Kirby, Lorenzo Parente, 300-pound Zebra the Kid, Jim Starr, Danny Little Bear, Mario Rios, Ronnie Hill, El Hurricane, and Beatnik Bob Hamby.
Ernie Ladd left the wrestling ring in July to join the Houston Oilers as they prepared for the upcoming football season. Ladd was a major box office attraction and knew his football days were coming to an end, so he wanted to focus entirely on professional wrestling after the football season. That year, Benjy Ramirez also decided to take off his “Mummy” wrestling outfit so he could wrestle under his real name. His costume weighed over thirty pounds, so it must have been extremely difficult for him to wrestle while wearing it.
Fans were also informed of the sad news that Ed “Strangler” Lewis had died. The Houston Wrestling program mentioned the four million dollars Lewis had made, most of it spent on charitable causes. While Lewis had been one of the toughest men to walk the face of the earth, he spent his last twenty years as a man of God, preaching to thousands and converting them to Christianity. Lewis was a true champion inside and outside the wrestling ring, a legend that will never be forgotten.
That sad occurrence was followed by other tragedies, as John “Paul” Henning, who was making appearances in the Houston ring, was in a terrible automobile accident. He would never be able to wrestle again. Chris Zaharias also passed away, joining his brother Babe, who had died years earlier. These times were a sobering reminder that wrestlers are indeed human. Fans, who watched their stars in action year after year, felt like their favorites were friends. It is always sad to know that those friends will
not be back.
The most significant event for Houston Wrestling in 1966 was the agreement to move the television show from Channel 13 to the new Channel 39. It was not uncommon for local wrestling promotions to switch from the network affiliates to the independent stations sprouting up across the country. The national affiliates found it difficult to slot local wrestling shows in decent air times because their schedules were dominated by nationally-syndicated programs. Also, independent stations needed programming and welcomed the chance to be involved in local promotions, since television regulations encouraged independents to air local shows. It was a great match for both parties--wrestling promotions needed good air times to market their product, and independent stations needed wrestling to help grow their revenue.
1967. It was early in the morning and I was getting dressed, enjoying the fact that there was no school because it was still the Christmas holiday. I turned on the radio and heard the announcement: “Long time Houston Wrestling Promoter Morris Sigel is dead.” My heart stopped and I got a sick feeling in my gut. I was only thirteen years old. I cried.
The Houston Wrestling program of January 6, 1967, said it best:
It was a cold and windy day as they laid Morris Sigel to rest. At the gravesite, Mrs. Paul Boesch and my mother, Mrs. John Birkholz, huddled behind Ernie Ladd, trying to protect themselves from the chilling wind. But even the giant Ladd could not completely shield friends and family, nor could he block the chilling wind of uncertainty that gusted through the world of Houston Wrestling.
Morris Sigel had battled heart problems for many years so his death should not have been a surprise, but it was. Over his fifty years in the business, Sigel had demonstrated a toughness that fans, athletes, and fellow promoters respected. He survived numerous financial, controversial, personal, and health-related storms. Sigel was a great promoter, businessman, and philanthropist, but most importantly, he was a great man who touched millions of lives.
None of Sigel’s family members wanted to promote Houston Wrestling, so the door of opportunity swung open for my uncle, Paul Boesch. Boesch purchased the Gulf Athletic Club Inc. from the Sigel family. He had been a popular announcer and symbol of Houston Wrestling for the past twenty years, and now he was its promoter. His life and career deserve a closer look.
PAUL BOESCH
Paul Boesch was born on October 2, 1912, in Brooklyn, New York to Max and Bridget Boesch. His parents had seven children: four boys and three girls. Their names were August, Charles, Joseph, Paul, Martha, Wilhelmina, and Margaret. After Paul’s father Max passed away, his mother married John Birkholz. She changed her name to Delia Birkholz, and they had a son named John--my father. Although Paul Boesch and John Birkholz were really half-brothers, I never heard either one refer to each other in that manner. Paul was not only a big brother, but, since he was much older and my grandfather passed away when my father was seven, a father figure to Dad.
Soon after Paul’s mother married John Birkholz Sr., they moved from Brooklyn to Long Beach, New York. Paul and my father grew up in a small beach town and did quite well in the closely-knit community. John Birkholz Sr. was a successful home builder and the Birkholz family was one of the wealthiest in town. Tragically, John Birkholz Sr. had a massive heart attack at work and died. The family was without a husband, father, and provider. My grandfather had no insurance and conducted his construction business on the basis of handshakes and verbal contracts. With nothing in writing, the business collapsed at the beginning of the Great Depression. Overnight the Birkholz family went from one of the richest families in Long Beach to one of the poorest. The children worked and pooled their earnings to put food on the table. Paul and my father told me it was just like the movies: as the children came home from various odd jobs, they put their earnings for that day into a big bowl. Their mother used their little money to buy food and fix supper. Yet they all worked together and family was very important, a value that stayed with Paul and my father all their lives.
It was only natural that, when Paul bought the Houston Wrestling promotion from the Sigel family, it became a “family” business. The entire Birkholz Family, including my father, mother, brothers, sister and I started to work every Friday night to help my uncle build Houston Wrestling back to a successful promotion.
Paul Boesch, being one of the oldest sons, constantly tried to find ways to support his mother and siblings. At the age of fourteen (Paul lied and said he was sixteen), he became a lifeguard on Long Beach. He was a standout and won several awards and recognition from the city of Long Beach. Those beaches were a vital part of Boesch’s life, because that is where he met his future wife, Eleonore Barraca. They were happily married for fifty years. Eleonore passed away on April 2, 1982, after a long battle with cancer.
Those beaches were also the meeting grounds for several other famous wrestling couples. Paul introduced then-wrestler Stu Hart to Long Beach High School graduate Helen Smith. They later became husband and wife, and wasted little time producing one of the most famous wrestling families in the business. Their twelve children were all wrestlers, referees, and promoters, or spouses of professional wrestlers. For many years, Paul Boesch bragged that his introduction of Stu Hart to Helen was his personal contribution to the world’s population. Their two most famous sons were Bret “Hitman” Hart and Owen Hart. Tragically, Owen was killed during a special pay-per-view WWE show.
Another famous wrestling couple that met on Long Beach beaches was then-wrestler Lord Blears and his future wife Jane. Lord “Tally-ho” Blears had a career as a wrestler and promoter, and served in various positions with wrestling organizations. Long Beach was also my parents' meeting ground as Paul introduced Dad, a professional wrestler and lifeguard at the time, to my mother, Rosalie Maskin.
Boesch’s lifeguard career gave him the opportunity to stay in shape and to meet important people who came to Long Beach from New York City. One such person had close ties with promoter Jack Pfefer. Boesch used that connection to meet Pfefer. The rest is professional wrestling history.
Boesch had his first professional wrestling match on October 25, 1932, launching his fifty-five-year career. He was a great athlete who was in the right spot at the right time. The New York area was packed with wrestling stars, giving Boesch an opportunity to compete with and learn from the best. During his early career, Paul faced such legends as Dick Shikat, Jumping Joe Savoldi, Jim “The Golden Greek” Londos, Everette Marshall, Ray Steele, and Jim Browning, one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Several of those men went on to win World Heavyweight Titles.
With his impressive record against some of the best in the business, Paul Boesch started to travel around the country and around the world. He went to Canada, the West Coast, and became a star in the Seattle, Washington territory. He accepted an offer to wrestle in New Zealand, Australia, and throughout the South Pacific. Boesch returned to the Pacific Northwest in 1937, and when a ring injury put him out of action, he had an opportunity to buy a one-half interest in the wrestling promotion in Seattle. As a young promoter, he achieved some success, but the promotion had to shut its doors. Boesch gained valuable experience from that effort, which was crucial when he was able to purchase the Gulf Athletic Club Inc. and became the official promoter of Houston Wrestling.
Fortunately for Boesch, his back injury had healed by 1938 and he was able to step back into the mat wars of Seattle and eventually New Zealand. As he traveled around Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines, he also received an offer to wrestle professionally in Japan. He told me that it was a very lucrative deal, and he instructed the Japanese wrestling promoter to send him a written contract. When he received the contract, his intuition told him to wait before signing. The anxious Japanese promoter sent a telegram, pressuring him for an answer. Boesch told me that his mind said, “Yes” , but his gut said “No”! Boesch sent the unsigned contract back, which turned out to be one of the smartest decisions he ever made. If he had gone to Japan, he would have been there when Pearl Harbor wa
s attacked. Lord only knows what would have happened to him in the enemy's country during World War II. That was not the only close call Paul Boesch had with the Japanese. He was wrestling in the Philippines before the war and decided to return to New Zealand, but other wrestlers in the tour group stayed longer and were trapped in the Philippines after the Japanese invaded. Those wrestlers lived in concentration camps during the war. Again, destiny is indeed a very precarious and powerful force.
As war raged in Europe, Boesch’s wrestling tour in Australia was cut short and he returned home to Long Beach. He was named Chief of Lifeguards, an important job in the active resort town. He wrestled around the New York area until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Then it was time for Boesch to serve his country. He was an infantryman in the 121st Infantry Regiment of the 8th Division, was promoted to platoon leader, and finally reached the rank of company commander.
For his display of courage and valor, Boesch received the following awards:
Silver Star and cluster
Bronze Star and cluster
Purple Heart and cluster
French Croix DeGuerre
Combat Infantryman’s Badge
Distinguished Unit Citation
Boesch was the most decorated professional wrestler of World War II, an honor of which he was extremely proud, and one that did not go unnoticed by professional wrestling promoters around the country. After Boesch was discharged, he had a great selection of wrestling territories from which he could choose to resume his professional wrestling career. Luckily for Houston Wrestling fans, the war hero chose the Texas territory.
When Wrestling Was Rasslin' Page 10