When Wrestling Was Rasslin'

by Birkholz, Wrestling Promoter Peter

  I paced back and forth, waiting for Williams. The dressing room door flew open and in came the medics, carrying the bleeding Gary Hart who was screaming in pain. As the medics left Cleveland Williams walked in and I stormed across the dressing room. All of the sudden, Gary Hart jumped up with a big smile on his face. Hart reached out and shook Cleveland Williams hand, congratulating him on a perfect pulled punch. I froze. Cleveland saw me coming and knew by the angry look in my eyes that even with my experience watching pulled punches, I was fooled. The “Big Cat” smiled, shook my hand, and said, “I told you, Mr. Pete, I can pull a punch!”

  As I write this story, I am so thankful to the Lord that Gary Hart was not hurt, and also that I did not have to challenge Cleveland Williams. There is no doubt in my mind that if such a confrontation would have taken place that night, it would not have been a pretty sight. Thank you, Lord.

  The entire year of 1978 was full of surprises that kept Houston Wrestling fans on the edge of their seats and the Houston Wrestling promotion on its toes!

  1979 was off to an awkward start for Houston Wrestling because the Sam Houston Coliseum was not available for numerous dates during the first two months of the year. The Gulf Athletic Club Inc., the official promoter of Houston Wrestling, had a five-year lease agreement for the venue with the City of Houston. It was a good lease for the city because the Gulf Athletic Club used the Coliseum every Friday night the city could not lease to other events. In return, it was a good lease for Houston Wrestling because the promotion was first in line for all available Friday nights

  We had to support fans' “Friday night habit” and provide fresh Houston Wrestling action on the television show, so we needed a weekly promotion. Our strategy to deal with this latest challenge was to promote a couple of shows in the Summit and have a rare Sunday afternoon promotion in the Sam Houston Coliseum. That is why the 1979 season started with a huge card in the Summit on Sunday, January 7, 1979. It was billed as another “Super Sunday in the Summit.” The main event featured World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race against the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” Andre the Giant. The Giant was always gracious enough to help the Houston Wrestling promotion start off the new year by giving the promotion his first Friday night booking each year. That was the cornerstone of the traditional Twenty-Two-Man Two-Ring Man Battle Royal. Since the Coliseum was not available, and logistically the two rings could not be set up at the Summit, Boesch still used his booking date with Andre the Giant to maximum effect with the Wold Title showdown. The fact of the matter is that Andre the Giant could make more money traveling around the world and wrestling than he could if he was limited to bookings defending a World Title. The Giant liked being the “Giant,” which was good news for Harley Race, who liked being “The World Champion.”

  The card also had The Fabulous Moolah defending her World Title against top-ranked Vicki Williams, while the Funk brothers, Dory Jr. and Terry, took on Mexican sensations Mil Mascaras and Jose Lothario. Dusty Rhodes battled Maniac Mark Lewin in a showdown for the Brass Knucks Title. The supporting card featured Gino Hernandez against Ox Baker, Superstar Billy Graham against Tiger Conway Jr,. and Apache Bull Ramos against Nick Kozak in the opener.

  Houston Wrestling did return to the Sam Houston Coliseum for one Friday night in January as fans witnessed a showdown between Gino Hernandez and Jose Lothario in a Texas Death Match inside the steel cage. That night also featured the reappearance of The Spoiler, and the announcement that wrestling would return to Galveston Texas on Thursday, January 25th,, in the Moody Civic Center. This event was a big success--good news for wrestling fans in the beach resort, and great news for me, since it was my first solo wrestling promotion.

  Boesch was a great mentor for many years and I learned so much from him. Although I had more and more responsibility with the Houston Wrestling promotion, the time had come to enhance my education and experience by promoting shows on my own. Opening up secondary markets around Houston was a great way for me to keep learning first hand the trials and tribulations of a professional wrestling promoter. Please note that most of these “added” wrestling promotions were on either Thursday or Saturday nights. It was a major advantage for a young promoter like me to “piggy back” these promotions with the Houston Wrestling promotion. It would have been difficult to attract top names to these promotions, had I not been able to combine the booking with a solid booking at Houston Wrestling that Friday. In fact, booking Galveston on Thursday night worked very well with many of the wrestlers since they were able to work Galveston on Thursday, and then spend Friday on the beach before heading into Houston.

  Other interesting developments in Houston Wrestling included the opportunity for Tiger Conway Sr. to team with his son Tiger Jr., a rising star in the business. Houstonian Mike the Big ’Un also got his professional start at Houston Wrestling. Mike, who weighed over 650 pounds, was a cartoon-type character who came to life inside the Houston Wrestling ring, much like Big Humphrey had done years ago. Boesch signed “A Meeting of Maniacs” as Maniac Mark Lewin faced The Sheik. There were few wrestling holds in this thriller, as both men used everything they could get their hands on to punish each other. The masked Mexican star El Halcon also debuted, creating more “angles” for the explosive feud between Jose Lothario and Gino Hernandez. That feud would just not die.

  While all of this was taking place, fans enjoyed action provided by Wahoo McDaniel, Greg Valentine, the Von Erich brothers (David, Kerry and Kevin), The Spoiler, Maniac Mark Lewin, Dusty Rhodes, Mil Mascaras, Jose Lothario, Gino Hernandez, Tiger Conway Jr., Harley Race, Terry Funk, Ox Baker, Bruiser Brody, and Houston favorite Pepper Gomez. Former World Champion Jack Brisco returned several times that year. Fans held a special spot in their hearts for him since he'd won the World Title in the Houston Wrestling ring on July 20, 1973. American Wrestling Alliance World Champion Nick Bockwinkel was another 1979 action producer. He successfully defended his AWA title on several occasions. The return of El Gran Markus was another exciting addition to Lothario and Hernandez's feud.

  Former National Football League defensive lineman Ernie Holmes also debuted that year. NFL football fans will remember him as one of the members of the famous “Iron Curtain” during the dynasty years of the World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the early seventies. Ernie shaved his head in the shape of an arrowhead, which quickly became his trademark in the NFL and also the focal point of numerous comments by well-known sportscaster Howard Cosell on Monday Night Football. I did everything I could to help Holmes make it into professional wrestling. He had the big name and was a great athlete, but unfortunately it was not meant to be. Ernie never caught on with the fans, and that was a shame since I thought he was a great guy. Holmes was tragically killed in an auto accident on January 17, 2008, just outside of Beaumont Texas. At the time of his death, Ernie Holmes was a minister serving the Lord.

  In addition to the stars already mentioned, fans witnessed the return of Olympian star Ken Patera. As a result of the many world records he set in weightlifting, promoters billed him as the world’s strongest human. Patera loved to lift weights and stay in top shape. I often picked him up at the airport and drove straight to Houston’s Downtown YMCA. I made arrangements for him to work out using their well-equipped facility before he wrestled on the night of his return. Members of the Downtown YMCA welcomed an opportunity, as I did, to work out with a former Olympian and world record holder.

  One day, a power lifter showing off in front of his fellow power lifters challenged Ken Patera to a weightlifting contest. Patera politely declined and mentioned that he was wrestling that night and had to be careful not to be too worn out for his match. The arrogant jerk called Patera a “chicken.” I remember watching Patera become angry and issue a challenge back. He mentioned that he would be in town the next morning and would gladly compete in a weightlifting contest, but he wanted to make it worth his while. Patera said that both men should put ten thousand dollars cash on the line in a winner-take-all contest. Much to
the disappointment of the witnesses, Ken Patera, and myself, the man did not answer the challenge. This is another example of the many times that wrestlers were challenged in a bar, on the street, or in the gym. They were always at a disadvantage because they were in a “no win” situation. Even if they won the confrontation, too many times they faced a lawsuit afterward.

  Sugar Bear Harris made his Houston Wrestling debut that year. The popular black star was well-liked by Houston Wrestling fans, and returned a few years later as the dangerous “Ugandan Giant Kamala.” Harris made even more money as the feared Kamala than he did as the popular Sugar Bear Harris.

  Sylvester Ritter, better known as the Junkyard Dog, made his debut on the last card of the year. He approached me in the locker room of the Superdome in New Orleans and said he wanted to work for Houston Wrestling. I was there to witness firsthand the crowd of nearly forty thousand fans, drawn to the Superdome by Promoter Bill Watts featuring stars like Sylvester Ritter. I agreed to give him an opportunity, and boy was I glad I did! The Junkyard Dog would later become a huge star at Houston Wrestling, and with Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation.

  1979 was another record-breaking year, and a great way for Houston Wrestling to finish the decade as Houston climbed back to the top as one of the biggest and best wrestling towns in the business!

  photograph copyright Geoff Winningham

  from Friday Night in the Coliseum

  THE EVOLUTIONARY EIGHTIES

  Much to the delight of the Houston Wrestling fans, the traditional Twenty-Two-Man Two- Ring Battle Royal started the year with a bang. The two-ring setup allowed the promotion to add hundreds of extra ringside seats, and it made every seat in the Coliseum a great one. This, along with raised ticket prices, made this event very successful at the box office. Having two rings also allowed the promotion to feature the annual two-ring six-man tag team battle, always a big favorite of Houston Wrestling fans!

  There were a couple noteworthy debuts on January 4, 1980. One was Tom Prichard, who was no stranger to fans because he was my protégé for years. My duties and responsibilities with Houston Wrestling had been growing for years. Prichard was a young teenager who took over my former responsibilities, beginning with the job of Assistant Television Director of the Houston Wrestling show. It was exciting to watch Tom fulfill his professional wrestling dreams, since so many of us watched him grow up. When Tom launched his career, his younger brother Bruce became the new assistant. Both Tom and Bruce would go on to have careers with the WWE.

  Manager James J. Dillon returned that same night with his newly-signed Japanese team of Mr. Hito and Mr. Sakurada. They found themselves surrounded by other great tag teams like Gino Hernandez and El Gran Markus, Jose Lothario and Mil Mascaras, the Von Erich brothers, the Twin Devils from Mexico, and the Funk Brothers.

  One of the most exciting moments of 1980 was the debut of “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas, a good-looking black athlete with a tremendous physique. He was one of those rare athletes who, like Superstar Billy Graham before him, was both a body builder and a professional wrestler. He was chosen “Mr. USA” in one body building competition and carried that title into his professional wrestling career. Tony Atlas was a superstar on World Championship Wrestling, a television show aired in Houston on Ted Turner’s Superstation out of Atlanta, Georgia. Atlas was a tremendous hit with the Houston Wrestling fans, which served as a wake-up call to the Houston Wrestling promotion--we began to book more talent from the Atlanta office. In the ring, Tony Atlas became the number one contender to Harley Race’s World Championship belt. Fans enjoyed showdowns between World Champion Harley Race and “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas throughout 1980, which were responsible for some of the year’s biggest gates.

  New stars from all over the wrestling world came to Houston, including WWF superstar Bruno Sammartino, Britain’s Lord Alfred Hayes, Russian Ivan Koloff, South Korean Pak Song Nam, Stan “Heart Punch” Stasiak, Mexican star Sicodelico (younger brother of Mil Mascaras), and World’s Junior Heavyweight Champion Les Thornton from Great Britain. Other newcomers included Australia’s Jonathon Boyd, Rick Oliver, Jerry Brown, Ted Heath, Bulldog Brower, Brian Blair, and the colorful Bugsy McGraw.

  Boesch was also able to sign a showdown featuring two of the World Wrestling Federation’s biggest superstars, Bruno Sammartino and Superstar Billy Graham. Graham had upset Bruno Sammartino in Madison Square Garden for the WWF championship, so fans around the country wanted to see Bruno Sammartino regain his championship belt from the “Superstar.”

  Boesch had a close personal working relationship with Vince McMahon Sr., founder of the World Wrestling Federation and the father of Vince McMahon Jr. In fact, Paul had wrestled for Vince McMahon Sr.’s father and Vince Jr.’s grandfather back in the thirties. Vince McMahon Jr. was a third generation wrestling promoter and grew up in a professional wrestling family. That friendship allowed Boesch to bring various WWF stars to Houston Wrestling.

  Houston Wrestling promoted a show in Pasadena that year at the new Pasadena Rodeo Grounds. The promotion was a test for the Pasadena market because plans were underway to build a new Pasadena Civic Center, which could have been a new market for Houston Wrestling. By this time, I was promoting in numerous markets surrounding Houston, including Beaumont, Port Arthur, Galveston, Angleton, Rosenberg, Cleveland, Conroe and other towns where fans could watch the Houston Wrestling television show.

  Boesch had entered a semi-retirement, and felt these promotions were a great way for me to continue my education in promoting professional wrestling. It also was a wonderful way for me to be involved in numerous events and stories.

  One night in the Houston Wrestling dressing room, former World Champion Lou Thesz came up to me and asked if I had something against him. The remark stunned me because I had the greatest respect for Mr. Thesz, and I quickly assured him that I did not have anything against him. He then asked why I did not book him on the “special” shows I was promoting around Houston. Honestly, I did not think he would want to work the smaller markets. I told him I would be honored to have him work on one of my promotions, so we grabbed our calendars and I booked him for my next promotion in the Port Arthur Civic Center. Thesz was no longer wrestling, but he made a wonderful special referee because fans would buy tickets just to see him.

  That night, at the Port Arthur Civic Center, I had just finished broadcasting on radio station KPAC when a concerned Nick Kozak approached me. Kozak said I had a big problem in the dressing room and when I asked Nick what the problem was, he threw up his hands in a gesture that let me know that he did not want to be involved.

  As I walked to the dressing room, my mind was busily trying to determine what the problem could be. I knew one of the wrestlers was having travel difficulties and would probably not make the show. However, I had already decided how I was going to handle the substitution issue.

  When I walked into the room, every single wrestler swiveled to stare at me, their expressions asking, “Ok, young snot-nosed promoter, what are you going to do now?” I glanced over to the far corner of the dressing room. Legendary Lou Thesz was changing out of his referee’s uniform and putting on his wrestling tights!

  Thesz had retired from wrestling because of his age, and now I was facing a serious challenge. How was this twenty-nine-year-old promoter going to tell the legendary Thesz that he could not wrestle? I slowly walked towards Thesz, desperately searching for the right words to say.

  I finally asked, “Mr. Thesz, what are you doing?” Thesz understood the delicate situation and without hesitation he told me I needed a substitute and he would consider it an honor if I would let him wrestle on my card. The way Thesz said it changed the situation entirely. I was no longer making a business decision; Thesz had made a respectful request that he knew I would not turn down. I told Thesz he did not have to wrestle, however, he said he was doing it for me. There was no way I was going to tell one of the greatest wrestlers of all times that he could not get in the ring and wrestle.

  I
t just so happened that the record-setting crowd that night included several hundred fans from around the country. They were there because the International Fan Convention was taking place in Houston that weekend. All those fans came in early so that they could attend the wrestling matches in Port Arthur and extend the convention into a four-day event. When these knowledgeable fans recognized Thesz coming down the aisle dressed in his wrestling tights, they gave the legend a standing ovation. Many had never seen Thesz wrestle, and they realized the man they had read so much about was going to step inside the ring and make professional wrestling history.

  Ironically, Thesz was wrestling Kelly Kiniski, the son of former World Champion Gene Kiniski. Remember that Gene Kiniski had defeated Thesz for the world title decades ago. After the upset, Thesz and Gene Kiniski were involved in a fierce rivalry, which produced savage showdowns from coast to coast.

  The crowd cheered as they watched Thesz soundly whip Kelly Kiniski. I, too, watched in amazement. I had seen Thesz in action before, but that was when I was just a kid and he was in his prime. He was indeed a true legend of the sport. Now he was much older, but the well-conditioned Thesz had what it took to be a champion. When Thesz pinned Kelly, the crowd again erupted with a standing ovation. As I witnessed the entire extraordinary event, I was so glad that I had kept my big mouth shut and let Thesz do the talking.

  While I drove home that night, my mind was still spinning from the excitement. The realization of what just took place was finally starting to sink in. I had made a lot of money because of the record-setting crowd, but most importantly, Lou Thesz worked in one of my shows. I took a deep breath and thought, “Life is good!”