This is an American magazine from 1963 and it gives a fascinating glimpse into the way wrestling looked before Hulkamania. Before Sports Entertainment. Before The Rock. Before Divas. Before every fan in the world knew about how the business really worked.
How about I share a few scans with you?
Bruno Sammartino slings Handsome Johnny Barend out of the ring. No padding at ringside, remember?
Bill Watts - who went on to be promoter for Mid-South/UWF and (briefly) head of WCW
Dr. Jerry Graham bulldozes Whipper Billy Watson and the ref into the corner.
El Toro squeezes Hercules Cortez
Ronnie "Giant Swing" Etchison posing and pummeling.
Killer Karl Kox uses a chair on Tito Carreon.
I picked up another mag from the same era so I'll bring you some scans from that in a day or so.
There's some women's wrestling in both magazines so expect to see some pics in an upcoming post.
That's all folks.
I remember those times. A friend of mine was a big fan of pro wrestling. I went with him to a couple of matches at Madison Square Garden. There was an Hungarian restaurant on the west side of Manhattan where Bruno Samartino would sometimes hang out. I saw him there a couple of times.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great experience. By all accounts crowds just went nuts for Sammartino back then.
Delete& I recall Killer Karl Cox in the cool climes & salubrious surrounds of Melbourne's rustic Festival Hall.
ReplyDeleteAhhh, those were the days - buckets of popcorn & lashings of coca-cola, a black & white TV & `World Championship Wrestling'
Cheers, ic
We never got US wrestling on tv until about 1987 so on Saturday afternoons I'd sit down to World Of Sport and watch people like Danny Boy Collins, Marty Jones and Dave Finlay. Glass of squash and a jam butty and I'd be away for the next hour or so.
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