CAC BENEVOLENT FUND TO AID JOHNNY VALENTINE

Wrestler Johnny Valentine, unable to walk since being crippled in an airplane crash, will be the recipient of the first ever Cauliflower Alley Club Benevolent Association award, which is a cash contribution given to an individual in great need of financial assistance.

Both Johnny Valentine and his wife Sharon will appear February 10, 2001 at the Las Vegas Cauliflower Alley Club convention/banquet at the Riviera Hotel/Casino. At that time, the CAC will honor Johnny for his years in the business and award him both a plaque and cash (check). At this time he is seriously in great need of cash.

You, or any individual, can donate to this fund. All monies collected between now and February 10, 2001, will be given to the Valentines during the February 10th ceremony.

Your contribution (unless you'd rather remain anonymous), will be noted on the special award given to Johnny, listing your name and address (sorry, amount of your contribution will not be listed).

To donate to this very worthwhile cause, please send your check made out to the CAC Benevolent Fund and mail it to:

Cauliflower Alley Club
HCR 33, Box 107
Rolla, MO 65401

If you are unable to donate, we certainly invite you to attend the Las Vegas banquet in person, where you can show your appreciation to Johnny by being one of the guests in the banquet showroom when he and his wife are called to the stage.

Note: 100% of your donation will go to Johnny Valentine. The Cauliflower Alley Club is not keeping any portion of the money.

For additional information about the CAC, please check out this legendary organization’s web pages at Scott Teal’s dynamic, Whatever Happened To…? site: http://www.1wrestlinglegends.com
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CATCHING UP WITH SMASHING PUMPKINS, ECW

(Peoria Journal-Star, August 3, 2000)

By David Moll

I would have known about this much sooner if I had the simple good taste to be a pro wrestling fan, but Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was recently in town.

Corgan -- the baldheaded, shrill-voiced singer for the once-hugely-popular Chicago alternative rock band, which plans to disband later this year -- made a surprise appearance at the Extreme Championship Wrestling event at the Peoria Civic Center July 22.

Brought on stage with a guitar to sing the national anthem, Corgan had barely begun when ECW performer Lou E. Dangerously stopped him, saying that The Nashville Network (which airs ECW) didn't like his music.

Corgan smashed his guitar over Lou's head. Three of Lou's cronies came after Corgan, but fortunately for him, good-guy wrestlers Tommy Dreamer and Jerry Lynn came to his defense. The usual ruckus ensued.

Corgan "broke his silence" about the Peoria debacle last week on ECW's Web site.

"Let me start by saying that this incident with 'Lou. E. Imitation' is a complete outrage," Corgan says. "For weeks, I had been looking forward to singing the national anthem in front of the good people of Peoria, Illinois. . .

"So after the warm reception I received from the crowd when I was announced as a surprise guest, what followed was like a bucket of cold water. Before I could play a note, I was attacked by Lou 'I used to be the Sign Guy but the Dudley's left me behind' Dangerously and his band of reckless thugs, Steve Corino, Scotty Anton, and Jack Victory.

"It was, needless to say, an unwarranted intrusion on my performance, and an insult that won't be easily forgotten. Lou may be the greatest manager in sports entertainment, but he is a no class individual who should be ashamed to call himself an American."

For a translation of all that -- including why Corgan refers to Lou E. Dangerously as "Lou E. Imitation," and what a "Sign Guy" is -- you'll have to ask someone more knowledgable than me.

The remarkable thing is that this was the second rock star/wrestler clash in Peoria in less than a year. Last November, Limp Bizkit's concert in the Civic Center Arena was interrupted by several ECW wrestlers, including the villainous Corino (ECW was in the Civic Center Exhibit Hall the same night).

"You are the epitome of what's wrong with the United States of America," Corino told profane Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, according to MTV News. Durst called out three ECW guys to back him up, and they beat Corino with a chair and a beer can while Durst pinned his arms back.
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QUICK QUOTES EXCERPTED FROM ‘BODYSLAMS!’

Subj: BODYSLAMS! - Quick Quotes Press Release

Date: 8/18/00 12:26:11 PM Pacific Daylight Time

From: BODYSLAMS 2000

To: Oldfallguy

NEW YORK -- In anticipation of "BODYSLAMS! - Memoirs of a Wrestling Pitchman" penned by former WWF/WCW wrestling announcer, Gary Michael Cappetta, Little Bro' Ltd. has released a series of Quick Quotes from the text of the controversial book. Spanning Gary's twenty-one year career in pro wrestling, "BODYSLAMS!" chronicles the wacky world of wrestling's two most explosive decades as Cappetta shares his many experiences with the countless superstar wrestlers of Vince McMahon, Jr.'s World Wrestling Federation and Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling.

"There has been incredible interest generated by initial news reports of what Gary reveals in 'BODYSLAMS!'", says Little Bro' Ltd. media representative Sherry Lambert. "After reading the galleys of "BODYSLAMS!", I have no doubt that this project, independent from the WWF and WCW organizations, is the most truthful, most informative and most revealing account ever offered to the public about the pro wrestling business. And the best way to give readers a sense of Gary Cappetta's honesty and style is to allow them to read his well-chosen words for themselves."

The following Quick Quotes from "BODYSLAMS! -- Memoirs of a Wrestling Pitchman" have been released by Little Bro' Ltd. in advance of its October 3rd release date.

Vince McMahon, Jr.: "By maintaining a distance from the "underlings", he exerted a form of passive control. The message was clear. It was Vinnie's way of letting you know: "You are unimportant, so don't dare bother me." {Part One, Chapter 4}

Ric Flair: "As I got to know Ric better with the passing of the years, I came to marvel at his ability to have the best of times under the worst circumstances. He can be more playful than a cantankerous child, always with a devilish glimmer in his eye. Whether he's strip dancing on the bar top of a local gin mill or dancing up and down the aisle of a tour bus in Europe, he's always up for a party. But once he steps into the ring, there has never been anyone more professional. Few more skillful. Flair, with the cunning of a kid and the professionalism of an admired corporate executive, has always been one of my favorite wrestling buddies." {Part Two, Chapter 10}

Verne Gagne: "When Gagne retired in 1981, he did so with the belt still around his waist. At the age of 53, he just declared himself unbeatable. It didn't seem to matter that the future of his own company would have been better served if Verne, the legend, fell to a charismatic up and comer whose guts and determination could carry the fans' support into the post-Gagne era. That would have been a plan geared for the future. Instead, by walking away with the belt, Verne was saying, in effect, that no one else in his company, no matter how big, how strong, how young or how expert a wrestler, could take down the 53 year old icon." {Part Two, Chapter 8}

Lex Luger / Dusty Rhodes: "The only two {wrestlers in the NWA circa late 1980's} who were pushed without having solid ring skills were Lex Luger, for his sculpted physique and The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes, for his unequaled charisma and because . . . well, because as the boss, he booked himself." {Part Two, Chapter 10}

The Undertaker: "It seemed like hours before Mark {Calaway, The Undertaker} arrived at the other end of the small room. But in the time he took to confront his demon, more messages were sent than any amount of words could express. It was the stalking of The Undertaker two years too soon." {Part Three, Chapter 11}

Sting: "While the Stinger was one of WCW's top moneymakers, he never pulled rank on me with an elitist attitude." {Part Three, Chapter 12}

Steve Austin: "His disappointment bordered on anger, since when he signed with WCW, Steve expected that his always pleasant, petite British bride would accompany him on the road." {Part Three, Chapter 12}

Marc "Buff" Bagwell: "The Bagwells' week had not gone well. After only two days, Tanya had flown back to Atlanta in a rage. It didn't take her long to learn of her husband's custom of screwing the local arena rats at the Super 8 on our previous swings through Kansas City." {Part Three, Chapter 13}

Cactus Jack: "Cactus was forever asking me what I thought about the way WCW was handling his career. He feared that they weren't taking the Cactus Jack character seriously. And he was right." {Part Three, Chapter 13}

P.N. News {Paul Neu}: "His cussing and fussing, pouting then shouting only added to the amusement of the boys who were roaring at the sight of P.N.'s hissy fit." {Part Three, Chapter 14}

Nasty Boys: "But guys like the Nastys who love to pull pranks for the sake of a belly laugh either never consider the consequences of their actions or don't care or both." {Part Three, Chapter 15}

Sid Vicious: "Sid is blessed with the genetics of Superman and the luck of an Irishman, while inhibited by the ignorance and the arrogance of a street tuff hoodlum." {Part Three, Chapter 15}

FUTURE PROMOTIONAL DATES

September 1st - "BODYSLAMS!" Chapter Excerpts

October 6th - "BODYSLAMS!" Release Date

November 4th - "BODYSLAMS!", The Event

Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, NJ

CONTACT: LITTLE BRO' LTD.

Jeff Christner {Media Relations}

bodyslams2000@aol.com

{212} 874-5300 Ext. 1556
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LEGAL SNAFU DELAYS ‘BODYSLAMS!’ EXCERPTS

(August 31, 2000)

NEW YORK -- The release of sensitive excerpts from the forthcoming pro wrestling book, "Bodyslams!," a reportedly hard hitting examination of the professional wrestling industry by former WWF/WCW TV announcer Gary Michael Cappetta has been delayed by the author's and publisher's legal counsel.

Upon the advice of attorney John Kelly of the firm, Davis & Davis, New York, the passages which were to be issued this Friday will be held up pending a closer examination of their content.

Sherry Lambert, a promotions representative for "Bodyslams!" has been assured that the book will go to press next week as planned in anticipation for its October 5th release.

"We have received numerous requests from newspaper columnists, radio hosts and internet shows interested in interviewing Mr. Cappetta. We will remain on schedule and we'll begin lining up media appearances next week. This delay is to be expected given Gary's straight forward style of writing to tackle some of the more sensitive issues that the wrestlers and corporate insiders never address."

Contact: Jeff Christner, Media Relations, 212-874-5300 Ext.1556
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SEEKING INFORMATION ON MR. WRESTLING 2

I am in the process of building my professional wrestling collection and I need information about Mr. Wrestling 2 (Johnny Walker). My main focus at this time is to get a decent-to-great picture of Wrestling 2 (a head shot would be super) so that I can have 2 masks made -- one to keep and one to have signed by Wrestling 2. I have heard that Wrestling 2 is retired in Hawaii -- once I am able to get a mask made, then I will search and or run ads in an effort to contact Wresting 2; thus, if there is any information about the whereabouts of Wrestling 2 in Hawaii or any schools that are run by him, I'd appreciate that, too.

In addition, and of secondary importance, any information concerning video taped highlights or complete matches would also be appreciated.

Please send responses via email or snail mail to:

J. Michael Blakely
2100 Roswell Road
Suite 200-C
PO Box 888
Marietta, Georgia 30062
casjobs@bellsouth.net
770-794-6820
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CAULIFLOWER CLASSIFIED

WANTED: Mid-Atlantic Wrestling memorabilia -- I am interested in purchasing memorabilia from the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling area (Jim Crockett promotions) from the time period 1974-1986 (with particular emphasis on the 1970s). This would include (but is not limited to) Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Magazine, programs, posters, line-up sheets, photographs, audio tapes, etc. If you have any memorabilia that you would like to sell, or could point us in the right direction, please contact me (Dick Bourne) at bourne@midatlanticwrestling.net

THE HANDBOOK OF TEXAS ONLINE

(http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/MM/fmadf.html)

By H. Allen Anderson

MANTELL, DUTCH (1881-1941). Dutch Mantell, professional wrestler, was born Alfred Albert Joe de Re la Gardiur on July 25, 1881, in Diekirch, Luxembourg, one of two sons of a French Protestant father and a Belgian Catholic mother. The family name, loosely translated, meant "one of the king's guards." As a small boy, Alfred became fascinated with the stories his father told about visits to the United States and soon longed to go there himself. After his father's death in 1891, ten­year­old Alfred was sent to live with an uncle in Germany. The uncle, a butcher by trade, wanted to pass his skills on to his nephew, but Alfred's dreams of going to America persisted. In 1893 he ran away and did various odd jobs before stowing away on a merchant ship in England late in 1895. He had hoped to land in America but instead wound up at Fremantle, Australia, in March 1896. Since prizefighting was quite popular there at the time, Alfred began boxing and later took up wrestling under the tutelage of Dan McCloud, a veteran in that sport. He soon attracted the attention of Robert B. Mantell, a Shakespearean actor, who offered to serve as his second in a bout at Melbourne. The two quickly became inseparable, and the teenaged wrestler with the difficult name came to be known among Australians simply as "Mantell's boy"; because of his heavy "Deutsch" (German) accent, he soon adopted the sobriquet Dutch Mantell in honor of his distinguished mentor.

The young rover's hopes of landing in the United States never diminished, and he made two trips to South America and England before finally stepping off the boat at New York City in 1900. For the next two years Mantell toured the eastern seaboard and circled the globe in wrestling bouts before joining the United States Navy in 1902. By the time he was discharged in 1906, he had become an American citizen. Over the next six years he toured the nation and built up a large following as a lightweight wrestler. After running out of competition in his own weight, which averaged 135 pounds, he took on opponents in the welterweight, middleweight, and even heavyweight categories; often he met 200­pounders in time-limit matches, which he never lost. Mantell's reputation as a hell­raising "villain" of the mat became legendary, and his use of unorthodox tactics to win matches often resulted in near riots. He further enhanced his career by capitalizing on that very image; many fans continued staging high­stakes matches just to see him get beaten, even though that seldom occurred throughout the peak of his career. From 1913 to 1915 Mantell was a member of Mack Sennett's Keystone Cops in Hollywood. In Sennett's silent film comedies he was distinguished by his big nose and heavy mustache. After resuming his professional wrestling tours in 1915, Mantell bested such big­name welterweights as Mattie Matsuda and Jack Reynolds, but never was able to gain official championship status because of his uncouth, crowd­inciting techniques. In El Paso in 1921 Mantell first met Cal Farley^qv when he stepped, uninvited, into the ring amid jeering fans and flying bottles to challenge the winner of the Farley­Matsuda bout being held there. Even so, his antics set a precedent for the theatrical showmen wrestlers of later times. During lean times he traveled with a carnival and sometimes worked in mines and logging camps. Although he had two marriages, neither lasted long because of his continual globe-trotting and penchant for giving away most of his earnings.

Mantell first visited Amarillo while on tour in 1906; he took an immediate liking to the "Queen City of the Panhandle" and included it often in his itinerary. There in 1923 he took on Cal Farley in at least two no­holds­barred matches. Yet while the "Flying Dutchman" was a mean customer in the ring, outside it he had a nationwide reputation as a soft touch. His honesty and concern for those less fortunate were practically unparalleled. With his trained animals he was a big hit with children, and the millions that he earned usually went to help needy families and homeless urchins. Although never affiliated with any specific church or denomination, he carried his Bible with him and read it almost daily for guidance. In 1925 Mantell made Amarillo his permanent home base and helped promote Cal Farley's Wun­Stop­Duzzit tire business; Farley's Flying Dutchman trademark was inspired by him. For fifteen years Mantell was a regular on Farley's radio show, along with Cecil (Stuttering Sam) Hunter,^qv and was the featured performer in Farley's Flying Dutchman Circus.

Dutch Mantell continued intermittently in the ring until Sailor Moran kicked his front teeth out during a charity match in 1935, thus compelling him to wear dentures. Afterward, he devoted his time to promoting the sport and his humanitarian causes. Though he acquired some rent property in the San Jacinto Heights area, his liberal giving habits eventually caused his friends in Amarillo to take over his finances completely and dole out his income. He was stricken with cancer during the last year of his life and died at Northwest Texas Hospital on January 31, 1941; he was interred in Llano Cemetery. As he had specifically stated in his will, his remaining finances were divided between the Maverick Club in Amarillo and Cal Farley's Boys Ranch,^qv two organizations that he had helped build and ardently supported.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Amarillo Daily News, February 1, 1941. Beth Feagles Day, A Shirttail to Hang To: The Story of Cal Farley and His Boys Ranch (New York: Holt, 1959). Louie Hendricks, No Rules or Guidelines (Amarillo: Cal Farley's Boys Ranch, 1971).

By H. Allen Anderson

FUNK, DORRANCE WILHELM (1919-1973). Dorrance Wilhelm (Dory) Funk, professional wrestler, one of three children of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Funk, was born in 1919 at Hammond, Indiana. During his high school years there he was Indiana state high school wrestling champion for three years and Indiana Amateur Athletic Union champion for a year. After graduating from high school he entered Indiana University, where during his senior year he was elected to the Amateur Wrestling Hall of Fame. After serving in the navy during World War II,^qv Funk turned professional and was paid ten dollars each for his initial victories.

In 1949 he moved to Amarillo, Texas, and soon built up a reputation as a "two-fisted buster" who had no qualms about smashing an opponent with a chair; yet while he was intimidating inside the ring, outside it he was noted as a good family man and an outstanding humanitarian. In 1950 Funk began his legendary stint as superintendent at Cal Farley's Boys Ranch.^qv A group of rebellious teenagers had threatened to toss the previous superintendent into the Canadian River, and Farley requested that Funk come "help out" at the ranch for at least two or three months until things quieted down. Funk agreed to do so and invited the young toughs to "work out with him" on the mat, demonstrating his strength by showing the boys holds and other wrestling techniques. He quickly won their admiration, and during his superintendency the population of the ranch was doubled. Funk and his family remained for three years at Boys Ranch, where he served as football coach in addition to his administrative duties.

In 1953, soon after reluctantly leaving Boys Ranch, Funk moved his family to a ranch and country home on land south of Umbarger, in Randall County, adjoining the Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge.^qv Between wrestling tours he continued supporting Boys Ranch and worked closely with the Kids, Incorporated, program in Amarillo. Once he gave a terminally ill girl a large sum of money and treated her poverty-stricken family to an outing at the Six Flags Over Texas^qv amusement park, but most of the time he preferred to keep such acts of generosity secret. For the remainder of his life Dory Funk promoted wrestling and encouraged others to take up the sport. On June 3, 1973, while demonstrating a face lock to a friend at his Umbarger ranch, Funk suffered a heart attack. He died shortly afterward at St. Anthony's Hospital in Amarillo. He was buried in Dreamland Cemetery at Canyon.

Funk was married twice. He had two sons from his first marriage and a daughter by his second wife, Betty. His sons, Terry and Dory, followed in their father's footsteps as professional wrestlers; Dory became the only Texan to hold the World Championship belt. In 1974, a year after Funk's death, a scholarship fund was established in his memory at West Texas State University.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Amarillo Daily News, June 4, 1973. Beth Feagles Day, A Shirttail to Hang To: The Story of Cal Farley and His Boys Ranch (New York: Holt, 1959).

By H. Allen Anderson

CAL FARLEY'S BOYS RANCH. Cal Farley's Boys Ranch was founded in 1939 by Cal Farley,^qv former professional wrestler and Amarillo businessman, on the site of Old Tascosa in Oldham County. The original 120 acres was given by Julian Bivins, son of Lee Bivins^qv and himself a prominent Panhandle rancher, who died in a plane crash a year later. The ranch opened in March 1939 with five boys housed in the old county courthouse, which also served as the first headquarters of the institution. Chanslor Weymouth,^qv Ralph Dykeman, and other leaders from the Maverick Club, the Rotarian boys' club of Amarillo, formed the first board of directors of the ranch. They sought to help Farley provide "the boy nobody wanted" with "a shirttail to hang to," and Farley used his radio program to promote the ranch. As contributions increased, more facilities were added, and full-time staff members were hired; Alton Weeks, a cousin of Cecil (Stuttering Sam) Hunter, was the first superintendent, and Mrs. Maude Thompson was the first cook. Overall, the boys were provided with a "home-ranch" atmosphere. Among their privileges they were allowed to keep pets and maintain a pet cemetery. By 1941 twenty-five young "ranchers" were crowded into the old courthouse.

During World War II^qv Farley often raised money by having Amarillo school children hold bond drives. The first annual Boys Ranch Rodeo was staged in 1944. That decade the ranch gained national attention through such magazines as the Saturday Evening Post and Reader's Digest. In 1946 it received its biggest boost when it became the subject of the M-G-M movie Boys Ranch, with James Craig and Dorothy Patrick as Cal and Mimi Farley and the young ranchers as extras. Such celebrities as Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunny, J. Edgar Hoover, and Roy Rogers were among the ranch's friends and supporters, along with businessmen like Eugene A. Howe^qv and Lawrence R. Hagey. By 1949 Boys Ranch had over 100 residents, expanded acreage, and several new buildings moved from military bases after the war, including a gymnasium. By that time Farley had sold his Wun-Stop-Duzzit tire shop to devote full time to the ranch, and that year the ranch began printing its own newsletter, the Round-up.

In 1950, after a group of rebellious teenagers had threatened the previous superintendent, Farley averted further problems by hiring a professional wrestler, Dorrance Funk.^qv Funk and his family became immediate favorites among the youngsters and remained at the ranch for three years, during which time the resident population doubled. In 1955 the new Boys Ranch Independent School facilities were opened. The old courthouse continued to be used as a dormitory until 1963, when it was renovated and opened as the Julian Bivins Museum. By 1966 more than 1,400 acres had been added to the ranch, which cared for 346 formerly homeless boys between the ages of four and eighteen, from thirty-seven states. The boys lived in eleven dormitories, nine of which housed thirty-six boys and two staff families each, and two of which housed the youngest boys. There were sixteen additional buildings for educational, sports, and vocational training and a nonsectarian chapel. In addition to the annual rodeo, football, basketball, and baseball are among popular sports at Boys Ranch, which has its own post office. After the deaths of Cal and Mimi Farley in 1967, the ranch was run by their daughter and son-in-law, Gene and Sherman Harriman.

The ranch is supported solely by contributions. By 1973 2,500 boys from every state and several foreign countries had been educated, trained, and cared for at the ranch without cost to any governmental, church, or civic agency. In April 1987 Girlstown, U.S.A., merged with Cal Farley's Boys Ranch. Afterwards the Boys Ranch general fund financed much of the Girlstown operations. Cal Farley's Family Program oversaw the Girlstown facility at Borger-providing homes for male and female elementary school age children. The Boys Ranch also provided a scholarship and loan fund for eligible applicants at the Girlstown campus at Whiteface. In 1994 the resident population of Boys Ranch was 412, and it was a co-ed facility. In the center of this ranching community stands a memorial to its founder, who dedicated his life to helping "the bottom ten percent of the Nation's youth."

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Beth Feagles Day, A Shirttail to Hang To: The Story of Cal Farley and His Boys Ranch (New York: Holt, 1959). Louie Hendricks, No Rules or Guidelines (Amarillo: Cal Farley's Boys Ranch, 1971).

By Louie Hendricks

FARLEY, CAL (1895-1967). Cal Farley was born on December 25, 1895, at Saxton, Iowa. He and his twin sister, Zaida, were the youngest of six children of Frank and Jennie Farley, who later moved to a small farm near Elmore, Minnesota. The product of a loveless marriage which ultimately ended in separation, Cal learned early how to fend for himself. He found an escape in baseball and other sports and soon revealed a remarkable athletic prowess. At the age of sixteen he left home and began playing semiprofessional baseball. In 1917 he enlisted in the army and was sent to Europe for combat in World War I^qv with Company C, Sixth Engineers, Third Army Division. During the postwar occupation, the American Expeditionary Forces and Inter-Allied Games athletic programs were held in Paris, France, where Farley was a member of the American team. In welterweight wrestling he defeated Walter O'Connor for the AEF championship and George Bridges of Australia for the Inter-Allied Games title. Farley continued in professional wrestling after the war. His relationship with Dutch Mantell,^qv a wrestler from Luxembourg, remains a sports legend. He also played baseball in the minor leagues.

In 1923 Farley settled in Amarillo, Texas, where he acquired a defunct tire shop and built it into a $750,000-a-year business. He also pioneered department-store merchandising in Amarillo and for fifteen years broadcast a daily radio program. Mantell and comedian Cecil Hunter, known as "Stuttering Sam," were among the star performers in Farley's show. In 1924 Farley married Mabel (Mimi) Fincher. Their daughter and only child, Gene, born in 1926, was named after Farley's longtime friend, boxer Gene Tunney.

In January 1934 Farley, along with others, started the Maverick Club, an organized program of athletics designed to keep boys constructively occupied. By 1966 Kids Incorporated, an outgrowth of the Maverick Club, was helping over 10,000 boys aged six to sixteen years to become involved in athletics; the boys were supervised by more than 1,500 adult volunteers. Some boys, however, could not be helped by the Maverick Club because of their lack of supervision and encouragement at home. For these boys, which he called "the lower 10 percent of our nation's youth," Farley founded Cal Farley's Boys Ranch^qv in 1939. His work became more widely known, and he received requests to take boys from all over the country. In 1947 he sold his business so that he and his wife could devote their lives to helping homeless and delinquent boys. The famous professional wrestler Dorrance (Dory) Funk^qv was among those who served on Farley's staff. Jack Dempsey, J. Edgar Hoover, and Roy Rogers were among Farley's staunchest friends and supporters.

For his career as an athlete, businessman, and humanitarian, Farley was honored many times. He was a district governor of Rotary International and is in the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame. For his work with boys he was named Outstanding Citizen of Texas and given the Veterans of Foreign Wars Silver Citizenship Medal, the Bronze Keystone Award of the Boys Clubs of America, an honorary doctor of humanities degree from Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University) in 1963, and the Democracy in Action Award in 1966 by students at Long Beach, California. On February 19, 1967, he died suddenly while attending chapel services with the boys at the ranch. Mrs. Farley died on March 19, 1967, at Hermann Hospital^qv in Houston. They were both buried at the Llano Cemetery in Amarillo.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Beth Feagles Day, A Shirttail to Hang To: The Story of Cal Farley and His Boys Ranch (New York: Holt, 1959). Louie Hendricks, No Rules or Guidelines (Amarillo: Cal Farley's Boys Ranch, 1971). John L. McCarty, Maverick Town: The Story of Old Tascosa (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1946; enlarged ed. 1968).
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RASSLIN’ EXTRAVAGANZA REMEMBERED

(Amarillo Globe-News, Tuesday, September 14, 1999)

By Rick Storm

AMARILLO, Texas -- The mat men were primed, and the ring was ready as this Sept. 14, 1933, Amarillo Daily News story sized up the night's coming rasslin' extravaganza.

"With Yaqui Joe in town 24 hours before the match, so unusual that it's mentioned here, the stage is set for two big wrestling bouts tonight at the National Guard Armory.

"The Indian, who has as big a following here as almost any grappler, tangles with Billy Hallas, whose backing has always been of the negative kind -- the fans come out to see him lose -- in the three-fall final.

"Cyclone Mackey, Amarillo's favorite contender for the welterweight title Cal Farley failed to bring here on two occasions, meets a rising young Mexican star in a three-fall, 45-minute semifinal.

"Pablo de Latorje appeared in several prelims here. He showed signs of ability that soon will make him a finished grappler. But he is young and has never had a real test. He asked for one.

"And matchmaker Dutch Mantell gave him Cyclone Mackey. It will be a real test all right, one that will undoubtedly be too much for the Mexican, but that's what he needs as a starter.

"Hallas and Mackey are fighting for another shot at Sailor Moran, which at first glance doesn't seem to be much incentive to win. But both grapplers feel they can defeat the Arkansas gob and are anxious for another chance.

"Moran left Amarillo last week because of illness in his family, but he will be back to again perch on his local wrestling throne, he assured fans before he departed.

VON ERICH PATRIARCH HOSPITALIZED

(Associated Press, Sunday, July 27, 1997)

DALLAS -- Jack Adkisson, patriarch of the Von Erich wrestling clan, has been admitted to a Dallas hospital after suffering a mild stroke.

Officials at Baylor University Medical Center said Friday that doctors discovered a cancerous tumor while evaluating Adkisson, known in the wrestling world as Fritz Von Erich.

Adkisson will undergo exploratory surgery this weekend to better assess his condition, said hospital spokesman Jamie Rambo. He was listed in fair condition Friday and was admitted Tuesday, she said.

Adkisson is the patriarch of a wrestling family whose name was long associated with triumph in Texas. But in recent years, there's been mostly pain. Five sons - Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike and Chris - also wrestled under the Von Erich name. And four of them are now dead, three from suicide.

David, probably the best wrestler of the sons, died at the age of 25 in 1984 from an apparent overdose while on a wrestling tour of Japan. Suicide claimed the lives of Mike, 23, in 1987; Chris, 21, in 1991; and Kerry, 33, in 1993. Another son, Jack Jr., died at the age of 7 in 1959 from electrical shock.

The only surviving son is the oldest, Kevin, 39.

Until Fritz Von Erich retired in 1980, he was one of the stars of professional wrestling. He stood 6-foot-4 and weighed 260 pounds and once was a lineman for Southern Methodist and the Dallas Texans. He turned to wrestling in the 1950s after being injured.

World Class Championship Wrestling, the Von Erich family's show, was syndicated at one time in 66 U.S. television markets, Japan, Argentina and the Middle East.

The Von Erichs once wrestled in front of 40,000 people at Texas Stadium and regularly filled the arenas where they competed.

(ED. NOTE – Jack Adkisson, aka Fritz Von Erich, died September 10, 1997.)
________________________________

LOVING THE SNAKE (AS IN JAKE)

(Missoula Independent, May 8, 1998)

By Chad Dundas

Professional wrestling is NOT fake. Let's get that much straight. Anyone who tells you different is a scoundrel and a liar. The action might be staged and the fighting carefully choreographed, in the kayefabe tradition, but true wrestling fans wouldn't have it any other way.

When you sneak out this Saturday, with the ticket you don't want your friends to know you bought, to watch the Bad Boys of Wrestling bring their controlled mayhem to the University of Montana, just remember that the name of the game is entertainment. To that end, promoters have made sure to push angles involving heels, faces and black hats in the hopes of generating heat from the marks in attendance. (See sidebar for the translation.)

And if the rest of you stop sniveling "this is sooo fake" for five seconds, you might just have some fun. As Shakespeare said, the play is the thing.

True enough, the action put forth at the Harry Adams Fieldhouse probably won't equal the flash or the pop of the first-rate combat seen on cable. And don't expect arms or legs to break because, unless someone misses their cue, it won't happen.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine are admittedly well past their prime, but these veteran pros are near legendary nonetheless. Doink the Clown and the One Man Gang round out the veteran roster, and the supporting cast features a number of one-time greats as well as some younger types possibly on the verge of a breakthrough.

Meanwhile, midget wrestlers Beautiful Bonnie and Little Kato will provide novelty-as if added oddity was needed-while former "Fabulous Freebird" Terry Gordy brings the ultimate in old-school appeal.

Such attractions may drive you to try and short-change pro wrestling as a weird fringe sport for deviants and little kids, but we know you love it.

And according to recent Neilson ratings, you're not alone. The numbers indicate a large number of closet rasslin' fans. Professional wrestling's two major nationally-syndicated, prime-time television shows suck in more than 25 million Americans each week. Those viewers can't all be drunk, cigar-smoking grandmas.

To wit, your anthropology major roommate might mock your Jake the Snake T-shirt in public. But when he's alone chances are he flips on WWF's Monday Night Raw and grooves to what he calls a "dramatic reenactment of ritual." He's just too sissy to admit it in front of his girlfriend.

Of course, there will always be people unwilling to accept wrestling-those who try to give away its secrets and those who seek to destroy the myth. These are the same people who want to strip-search the magician after the show, looking for the missing rabbit. They are sick and need help.

As the well-traveled superstar Jeff Jarrett recently said: "For those who believe, no explanation is needed. For those who don't, no explanation will do."

In other words, you should be proud to be a fan, because pro wrestling is for real. It's the rest of life that's fake.

(The Bad Boys of Wrestling "Clash of Champions" rocks the Adams Fieldhouse, Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. Front-row ringside seats $30, rows 2 through 12 $20, general admission $12, $6 kids 12 and under.)
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FRANK GOTCH 1878-1917

Born in Humboldt, Iowa. Married: Gladys Oestrich. Frank Gotch wrestled in more than 300 matches over his career, and his record was 158 wins 9 losses. Also he did over 200 handicap matches that lasted fifteen minutes or less, exhibitions, benifits, and impromptu matches during his career.His first career victory over an older opponent was his teacher in school. Gotch was only 16 years old. If Gotch is to be remembered for one match, it had to be the one against Hackenschmidt for the title. Gotch won in 2 hrs. and 3 mins. His most famous move is stilling being used today in Professional wrestling today, a move similar to the step-over toe hold.

Having trained under the legendary Farmer Burns, Gotch first made a run at the big time when he challenged Tom Jenkins for the American Championship in 1903. His lack of experience was evident as Jenkins easily defeated him but one year later, Gotch secured the championship from Jenkins and began a title reign that would last for over eight years. The American Championship, however, was not the most coveted wrestling title of all. That honor would lie in the World Championship title and that title was held by the "Russian Lion" Georges Hackenschmidt.

In 1908, Gotch took on the great Hackenschmidt for the world free-style Heavyweight Championship. From the start, Gotch was the aggressor and defeated Hackenschmidt. Many fans and writers criticized Gotch claiming he had used unfair tactics to win the belt. Gotch responded by giving Hackenschmidt an opportunity to win back the title at Comisky Park in Chicago, Illinois in what was the most heavily anticipated match to that point in history. In this match, Gotch again defeated the injured former champion.

Frank Gotch is considered by many as the first great Professional Wrestling Champion - the N.W.A., in fact, still traces the roots of its organization as having begun with its recognition of Gotch as its champion.For more than 90 years, he has been the standard by which many have been judged.

1899

April 2: Frank Gotch makes his pro debut, defeating Marshall Green in Humboldt, Iowa.

1901

The first tag team matches are held in the United States, in San Francisco.

1903

February 22: "Champion of America" Tom Jenkins defeats Frank Gotch in Cleveland, Ohio. The match goes two straight falls and lasts approxiamtely 1 hour 45 minutes.

1904

On January 27th, in Bellingham, Washington USA, Frank Gotch captures the "American" Heavyweight Wrestling Championship, as he defeats Tom Jenkins in two straight falls. While Gotch wins the first fall with a pin, the second fall results in a controversial victory for Gotch as Jenkins is disqualified for fouling him.

1905

On March 15th, at New York's Madison Square Garden, Tom Jenkins overcomes bad press from an unsuccessful title challenge in Cleveland the month before, to regain the "American" Heavyweight Wrestling Championship, taking the third and final fall from Frank Gotch in 10 minutes and 31 seconds.

December 27: Frank Gotch defeats Emil Maupas in the final of a 50-man tournament in Montreal to win the Greco-Roman Championship of Canada; the match went two straight falls, 61 and 22 minutes.

1906

On May 23rd, Frank Gotch recaptures the "American" Heavyweight Wrestling Championship from Tom Jenkins, despite losing the first of the best two out of three falls contest in 26 minutes. Gotch recomposes himself to defeat Jenkins in 14 minutes and 17 minutes in the second and third falls. Frank Gotch defeats "Champion of America" Tom Jenkins in two straight falls, 14 and 17 minutes.

On December 1st, in New Orleans, Louisiana USA, Fred Beell stuns the wrestling world with an upset win over Frank Gotch. Sixteen days later, on December 17th, in Kansas City, Missouri USA, Gotch takes the title back in a lopsided two straight fall victory.

1908

On April 3rd, at Dexter Park Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois USA, Frank Gotch beats George Hackenschmidt to win the undisputed World Heavyweight title that some say was three years in the making. The victory, however, has its share of controversy as Hackenschmidt accuses Gotch of oiling his body in an effort to avoid being grabbed, and after two hours and three minutes, quits the match, forcing the referee to award the title to Gotch. Promoter W.W. Wittig proces the highest tickets at $40 a seat.

1909

April 14: Frank Gotch, in his first big US match following a UK tour, defeats Bulgarian wrestler Yussiff Mahmout in two straight falls (8:00 and 9:10) at Chicago's Dexter Park Pavilion.

1910

June 1: In what many termed his crowning achievement, World Champion Frank Gotch defeats Stanislaus Zbysko in the first fall of a Chicago contest in 6.4 seconds! The second fall also won by Gotch, went 27:33; Zbysko, at the time, was in his prime, and it is his first loss in 945 matches.

1911

On September 4th, three and a half years after their controversial first meeting, Frank Gotch and George Hackenschmidt square off again at Chicago's Comiskey Park, with Gotch dominating the match and taking two straight falls, as Hackenschmidt injured his knee in training for the match. The live gate of $87,053 is the biggest ever at the time.

1912

October 2: Legendary Texas promoter Paul Boesch is born in Brooklyn, New York.

1913

On April 1st, Frank Gotch announces his retirement in Kansas City, Missouri USA, as World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, following a successful title defense against George Lurich.

1917

Frank Gotch dies.
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IOWA CENTURY TOP TEN

Frank Gotch is considered by many to be the top professional wrestler of all-time. And he wrestled before it was entirely acting and showmanship.

Gotch came from Humboldt, Iowa around the turn of the century. He wasn't an enormous steroid-enhanced giant like the stars of today, but a quick, agile wrestler who could also break legs of his opponents with his famous "toe hold" move.

In 1903, Gotch wrestled Tom Jenkins in his first championship bout for the American, but lost. The next year, Gotch claimed the title, which he held for eight years. As the American Champ, Gotch would try to wrest the title of "World Champion" away from the big Russian Georges Hackenschmidt.

Gotch took the World Heavyweight Championship away from the Russian Bear in 1908. The match lasted an amazing two hours and three minutes. Back then, all the matches were a best two out of three falls. But, Hackenschmidt refused to return after the first fall and forfeited the match to Gotch. The match brought in $85,000, a record that would hold for many years to come.

Some critics claimed Gotch was using unfair tactics and maneuvers. So Gotch gave him a rematch and again soundly defeated Hackenschmidt, in less than 30 minutes this time.

FANS KNOW REAL MEANING OF WRESTLING

(The State News, June 10, 1998)

By Mike Hudson

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Palace of Auburn Hills hosted enough celebrity Monday night to fill a small city. Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Brett Hart, Sting, Roddy Piper, Eddie Guerrero, Kevin Nash, Dennis Rodman — the list could go on.

And the only event powerful enough to draw this amount of talent was World Championship Wrestling Monday Nitro.

Three hours of pure wrestling excitement — a dream come true to the many fans in attendance. The smell of the pyro, the Nitro Girls, the overwhelming thunder of music and cheers and the voice of Tony Schiavone announcing, "You are looking live!" to the millions at home.

Ladies and gentleman, I love wrestling. It’s a sure thing, your ace in the hole if you will. Once you hear "Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko or "Iron" Mike Tenay live and in person, or even on TV, you know you have found something worth your while.

WCW proved once again that it’s the No. 1 pro-wrestling league, no holds barred. With an estimated audience of more than 6 million viewers and a capacity crowd at the Palace, the stage was set for true wrestling mayhem.

Michael Buffer warmed up the crowd with his trademark "Let’s get ready to rumble!" and the evening never slowed down.

The crowd was treated to Hammer’s clothes-lining, Chris Jericho’s crying, Rick Rude’s ranting, Hogan’s scowling, Savage’s "owh, yeaah!"ing, Roddy Piper’s kilt-wearing and Disco Inferno’s dancing. Not to mention Dean Malenko’s "Texas Cloverleaf," the enormous trapezious muscles of Bill Goldberg and an untelevised match between Sting and Giant.

For those fans who couldn’t be there, you missed a classic. Giant came into the ring with a cigarette and infuriated Sting by blowing smoke in his face.

The crowd chanted, "Giant sucks," but the big man remained undaunted. Instead, he flipped off the audience, taking full advantage of the lack of TV cameras. From that point, wrestling fans knew it was going to be amazing.

After exchanging blows, the Giant began pounding Sting with body slams and big boots to the head and midsection. Sting rebounded with his trademark "Stinger Splash," leaving the Giant weary.

The tide turned several times, but Sting eventually took the match with his "Stinger Slam." A enraged Giant choke slammed the referee and left the arena, closing the evening with a bang.

Beyond the action of the evening, I believe something truly meaningful occurred.

Beyond the swearing of the guy behind me, beyond the beer I spilled on myself and beyond the stern look on the face of the security guy who didn’t seem to care that I was a journalist — something happened.

While waiting in line, I spoke with a man who was taking his son to the event.

We shot the breeze, reminiscing about Andy Kaufman, Jerry Lawler, the Sheik and Captain Lou Albano. He said something any wrestling fan could understand: "I remember when I was your age — I was all into this stuff. Those were good times."
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SOAP OPERA IN THE SQUARED CIRCLE

(The State News, April 14, 1999)

By Greg Mullin

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The sound of shattering glass signals the entrance of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

Heavy-metal music blaring, he bursts through the backstage curtain and races into the arena — a huge video wall behind him, screaming fans on three sides — toward his arch nemesis, "The Rock."

The 11,000 fans at Breslin Student Events Center, many clad in "Austin 3:16" shirts, roar in approval as Austin proceeds to pummel "The Rock" and his manager, Shane McMahon, with two Stone Cold Stunners. The stunner is Austin’s signature move. It involves victims being kicked in the gut, their faces driven to the canvas.

Austin leaves, but not before flipping his middle fingers in the air and screaming various obscenities.

It’s another day at the office at the World Wrestling Federation.

"How many people would like to tell their bosses to piss off every night? Steve Austin does it for a living," WWF wrestler D’ Lo Brown said. "It’s (fans’) way of expressing themselves and expressing what they would like to do through us."

These days, more and more people live vicariously through Austin and his fellow grapplers.

Each week, about 35 million viewers tune into the 15 hours of wrestling programming available between the WWF and World Championship Wrestling.

The hybrid of sports, entertainment and Hollywood-style script writing is catching on — fast.

"It’s basically a soap opera," said Scott Shirey, an MSU family and community service senior and lifelong wrestling fan. "When you add the storylines with the fighting, everyone likes it. People are starting to figure it out."

The WWF has made two recent appearances at Breslin Student Events Center. More than 11,000 fans packed Breslin on Sunday for a live national broadcast of "Sunday Night Heat."

A sell-out crowd of up to 12,000 attended the WWF’s "Raw is War" taping on Sept. 29, 1998.

"It’s not often that you bring an event back two times within a seven-month period," said Tara Peplowski, marketing and sales manager for Breslin. "The WWF and big-time wrestling is a phenomenal sensation."

Professional wrestling’s influence on viewers, and sometimes viewers’ parents, is greater than ever.

There’s been a recent swarm of media attention on professional wrestling. ABC’s "20/20" and ESPN’s "Outside the Lines" aired exposé on the sport.

Much of the controversy stems from the WWF’s new "hardcore" programming.

Austin is the WWF’s top draw. He’s portrayed as a beer-swilling, foul-mouthed redneck. Austin plays the traditional bad-guy role, but his runaway popularity with the fans has led professional wrestling’s renaissance.

In the mid-1980s, professional wrestling came to the forefront of popular culture. Adding celebrities (such as Muhammad Ali and Liberace) and music stars (such as Cyndi Lauper) to the action, the WWF evolved into "Wrestlemania," the event that put the WWF on the map.

The event showcased the WWF’s product to the country, introducing stars like Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper to a national spectrum.

"Rock ’n’ roll is one of the things that gave professional wrestling its spectacle look," said Gary Hoppenstand, an MSU American Thought and Language professor and popular culture expert. "Cyndi Lauper and her association with Hulk Hogan really took professional wrestling out (of) a television cult status and made it truly a wide and popular culture entertainment."

WWF wrestlers gained publicity in several MTV shows and music videos, including Lauper’s "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" video, which starred wrestling manager Captain Lou Albano.

The bond between music and wrestling was formed.

"(Pro wrestling) does spectacle about as well as anything, outside of rock ’n’ roll," Hoppenstand said. "As with all popular culture, to remain healthy, they have to continue to please and cater to the specific needs of its audience. Professional wrestling has been very effective (at evolving) over time."

After the popularity of the rock ’n’ wrestling connection subsided, wrestling went on a downswing for several years.

WCW usually played second fiddle for most of the next decade, until the formation of the New World Order. Using the deep pockets of its owner, Ted Turner (owner of the Atlanta Braves and several cable TV networks), WCW brought big-name stars — Hogan, Piper, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash — into its company.

The NWO, a group of popular bad guys, made wrestling cool again.

"Things are going so hot," WWF star Mick "Mankind" Foley said. "Part of the reason it went on the downswing in the ’80s is because the product really stunk. It was all a lot of hype. Now the guys on top are making the grade as far as giving a quality effort."

After struggling mightily to compete with the WCW’s loaded roster of superstar wrestlers, the WWF had to innovate its product or go bankrupt. Owner Vince McMahon publicly admitted wrestling was scripted in 1982.

"One of the biggest things is we’ve dispelled the belief that we are just two wrestlers beating the hell out of each other," Brown said. "When you stop pulling the wool over someone’s eyes, they don’t go out and say, ‘These guys are just faking it.’"

WWF owner Vince McMahon and his script writers innovated a new "hard-core" style of wrestling. From 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on the WWF’s "Raw is War" broadcast, just about anything goes.

Actually, it’s more about entertainment than wrestling these days.

"The thing that makes the pro-wrestling phenomenon interesting as a popular culture ritual is the fact that it’s able to successfully adapt to the interest of its audience," Hoppenstand said.

"For example, when we we’re at political odds with Iran, one of the great villains was the (Iron) Sheik. They seem to exploit the angry, emotional concerns of their audience, and they do it in a very effective fashion."

The new WWF hardcore style was criticized in a case study by Indiana University. The report showed numerous instances of sexual aggression (crotch chops, women portrayed as prostitutes), extreme violence (steel chairs, fireballs and guns) and other behavior considered unacceptable for children.

"Cable television is a pay service," Brown said. "It is not ABC or NBC that comes on for free. We have "Raw is War," which is more child-oriented, the lesser of two evils. We come on and say this time is for those who are at such an age.

"We are a microcosm of society, an art imitates life kind of thing," Brown said. "But children emulate us, so you have to take that responsibility to be a role model."

"Raw is War" is shown from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. From 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., the WWF turns up the vulgarity.

That hour of wrestling is what has drawn criticism from "20/20" and "Outside the Lines." The shows pointed out the negative effect wrestling can have on children.

"It’s rated TV-14," Foley said. "I certainly think anyone who’s 14 can handle it. If they’re younger than that, it’s up to their mom or dad to decide."

Wrestling’s new extreme edge isn’t great for children, but wrestling needs it to remain popular, Hoppenstand said.

"I wouldn’t encourage my 5-year-old to watch it," he said. "There are some cartoonish elements in it. (The fans) need to see those rituals played out. It’s a necessary ritual, that’s reflective of society. They are just mirroring it … because the audience is responding to it. The base common denominator that wrestling appeals to appreciates those elements."

Every Monday, almost 10 million fans watch "Monday night wars," a weekly battle for TV ratings supremacy between the WWF and WCW.

"Monday night is what we call ‘high-profile’ night," Brown said. "It’s very important to us. That’s when you can’t hold anything back."

The WWF and WCW are bitter enemies. But the competition between the two pushed wrestling’s popularity to new heights.

"Competition with (WCW) has forced us to become better," Foley said. "The coverage in the mainstream media has been helpful, even if most of it has been negative. It gets people to tune in and decide for themselves.

"You’re looking at a big form of entertainment for the next five years or so."

Right now the WWF is on top, winning the TV ratings battle the past 22 weeks. WCW won the ratings war for 83 weeks straight.

Foley said backstage politics are hurting WCW.

"The problem with WCW is they have a lot of political in-fighting, which is the reason I left," Foley said. "Merit didn’t count for much. That’s all I had to offer them. In the WWF it counts a lot, because Mr. McMahon is playing with his own money. The WCW guys are playing with other people’s money."

The stigma that "it’s fake" always will be attached to pro wrestling.

The WWF openly admits wrestling is choreographed and calls its product "sports entertainment."

"Anybody who looks at it and watches it regularly, knows the guys are putting their bodies on the line," Foley said. "If not, you’re foolish."

Foley is known for sacrificing his body in the ring. At the "King of the Ring" pay-per-view in summer 1998, he was hospitalized for numerous injuries after taking a 20-foot free fall from the top of a steel cage onto concrete floor.

"People don’t understand the schedule and how difficult it is, and how often guys are wrestling with injuries," said Foley, who has a missing left ear and scar-ridden torso to prove it.

WCW and WWF wrestlers are on the road 250 to 300 days a year. About 4 million people a year attend the live shows.

"Usually when I’m in a hospital, I’m out that same night," Foley said.

Realizing his days as a wrestler are numbered, Foley said he wants to give back to the fans as much as possible. He visited children April 5 at Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital.

"Being on the No. 1-rated show on cable, more people actually see Mankind or Mick Foley, than see Tommy and Chucky on the ‘Rugrats,’" Foley said. "I’ve learned from experience, it’s so easy to come into a hospital when kids aren’t feeling well and make a big difference — at least for a little while in their lives.

STUDENT BEGINS CLIMB TO PRO RING

(The State News, September 22, 1999)

By Jeff Karzen

WAYNE, Mich. — DeSean Whipple’s Armstrong Hall dorm walls are barren except for a large wrestling belt, a framed picture of The Rock, his favorite wrestler, and a Dr. Seuss hat with a Goldberg logo scripted on it.

Whipple, a 19-year-old marketing sophomore from Detroit, has had a passion for professional wrestling that has bordered on ridiculous since he was a youngster.

Now he’s taking his passion to another level. For four months, he has practiced twice a week at the Destroyers School of Wrestling in Wayne, Mich., outside Detroit. The building resembles an old, abandoned warehouse or used-car garage, but inside, a large wresting ring, free weights and punching bags occupy much of the old building.

"When I first told my mother about the wrestling school, she thought I was crazy, probably still does," Whipple said with a laugh. "But she also realizes that you don’t want to regret anything in life, so if you really want something, you need to go after it."

At 6-foot-5 and 251 pounds, Whipple, who has watched wrestling since he was 4, can throw people around the ring with ease.

Whipple was an defensive lineman at Detroit Cass Technical High School, but wrestling is what gets him excited.

"High school football was fun and all, but it was 11-on-11 and you didn’t get that individual aspect," he said. "It was more about winning and losing rather than entertaining. I’m all about entertaining."

The "Whipdog," Whipple’s preferred alias, has always been interested in pleasing a crowd. When he was in high school, he started a free pro-wrestling hot line for other fans interested in wrestling information. Last year, Whipple’s first in East Lansing, he joined the MSU club Wrestler Insiders. After one semester, he became president of the club, a title he still holds.

"It’s just a little fan club, but we want to get involved with more things this year," Whipple said. "I want to get a wrestling video game tournament, and then maybe a Toys for Tots event, where we would bring some wrestlers to East Lansing. The students would have to pay to get in, but they could watch the show and bring a toy that we would donate to charity."

Maybe it’s because of his physique, or maybe his seriousness about the issue, but nobody laughs at the Whipdog when they hear his ambitions.

"Last year he was always trying to do a new wrestling move on someone in the hall," said James Hopson, a supply chain management senior. "He lives and breathes pro wrestling."

Although many would argue making it in professional wrestling is a longshot, Whipple has the determination.

"Because of his size and his agility, DeSean has a chance to make some money doing this someday," said Doug Chevalier, owner of the Destroyers School of Wrestling. "He still has a lot to learn, but he is very committed and he never misses training sessions."

Generally, the kind of training DeSean is in now is the first step toward becoming a professional. After training, most ambitious wrestlers then work on the independent circuit in places that bring anywhere from 200 to 2,000 fans. From there, interested promoters sign on wrestlers to be part of the World Wrestling Federation, World Championship Wrestling or Extreme Championship Wrestling, which is where the most money and fame can be had.

"One of the big things that you need to get into a federation is a connection with somebody already in, or on their way into, a federation," Whipple said. "By the time I graduate I hope to be in the WWF. I know some guys who used to wrestle locally in Michigan and we have talked backstage before."

Whipple’s friends also are looking forward to following his future in the sport.

"It would be interesting to see him on TV, and I’m waiting for him to pull out his signature move ‘The Whiplash,’" general business freshman Jason Charlton said.

When asked about why he favors WWF-style wrestling to authentic wrestling, Whipple stresses the entertainment factor.

"Nothing against the wrestling team at Michigan State, but I like the sports entertainment better," he said.

"When people think of wrestling, they think of two guys in a ring, but that’s not the biggest thing. Another part of wrestling is cutting a promo. You need to be able to speak and get your point across to the fans."

Whipple says that of the 30 to 40 pro-wrestling events he has attended, his favorite was Wrestlemania III in 1987 at the Pontiac Silverdome. It was the first wrestling event he ever attended.

"I was 7 years old then and it was in front of 93,000 people," he said. "The cheer that Hulk Hogan got was unbelievable. Ever since then, I’ve thought I have to be in the ring electrifying all the fans."

One thing Whipple has in his favor is confidence. He already has the lingo down as if he’s been in the spotlight for years and speaks with the rare combination of arrogance and ease only heard in pro wrestling.

"The priorities of the Whip are God, family and wrestling, and everything else is trivial," Whipple said.
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INSIDE THE RING

(Missoula Independent, May 11, 2000)

By Ed Symkus

When the ring announcer calls out the introduction of Terry Funk, the tall, broad-shouldered wrestler with the weathered face and unruly mop of hair makes his way to the ring via either slow lumber or short-stepped run. His choice of entrances usually depends on how bad he’s hurting on that particular day.

"It’s not how old you are, it’s how old you feel," says Funk, then adds with a chuckle. "And I feel about 80 now."

Funk, who’s actually 54 and is featured in the new wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat, has been in the game for just over three decades, following in the footsteps of his older brother Dory, Jr. and their father Dory. Noted for his chaotic brawling style and microphone expertise more than for his technical skill, Funk has taken his share of bumps, both here in the States and in Japan.

"I truly believe that we’re blessed with certain things genetically," he says. "I’ve seen a lot of guys fall by the wayside because they break easier. But the Lord gave me a good strong structure. I’ve got these big bones and a thick skull."

But in the same breath he goes on to list his injuries.

"I lost my right pec and a tricep to an injury in a match with Lanny Poffo; I broke my neck prior to that when I got hit in the head with a chair by Harley Race; I broke my back; I had a busted sacrum in ’85 and never missed a day; I’ve had both knees operated on."

Looking at Funk, one of three veteran wrestlers followed in Beyond the Mat—there’s also Jake Roberts and Mick Foley—struggling to get out of bed in the film, there’s no doubt that he’s in constant pain. But watching him go about his work and interact with his often-concerned family shows that he’s also a very happy man.

"The film is as honest as you can be about me and my family," he says. "I’m in love with life, I don’t ever want it to end. I love every day with my wife and kids and I cherish those moments. Thank God for giving me more than my share of entertainment time in the ring.

"And," he adds, "it’s really fun."

Funk, whose father started wrestling in Chicago and ended up running the Amarillo territory in Texas, says he knew he wanted to be a part of the scene when he was 4 or 5 years old.

"I remember sometimes bawling my eyes out watching my poppa, and sometimes cheering him on and loving every minute of it," he says. "I’m sure other kids that age wanted to be a fireman or a cowboy. Heck with that. I wanted to be a wrestler. But my father made sure that I got a college education first. He would not let me or my brother turn pro till after we got out of college."

His father, who died from a heart attack after wrestling an impromptu match at a party in his home in 1972, is still much admired and loved by Funk. He’s the man who taught him to wrestle and to love the game.

"My father was such a great man and a great teacher of wrestlers," he says. "But out of all the time my brother and I wrestled he never told us that we had a good match. He would criticize the stuff that we did wrong in the ring. But whenever he didn’t say anything at all, we knew that we’d done very well."

Funk readily admits that there’s too much wrestling on television these days but also says that he doesn’t watch any of it.

"I’ll tell you why," he says. "If I was a plumber, would I want to watch somebody fix a crapper if they could fix it better than me or if they couldn’t fix it as good as me? Either way I don’t want to watch."

And, though he actually announced the first of many "retirements" almost 20 years ago, Funk still doesn’t appear to be ready to hang up the boots. Besides his regular TV bouts on WCW’s "Monday Nitro" and at pay-per-views, he’s planning to go up against longtime Japanese foe Atsushi Onita in June for an exploding barbed wire match, which is exactly what it sounds like.

"I love the business and I love wrestling, but I also like to make as much money as I can in as short a period as I can," he says in explaining why he would do such a match. "I’m at a period in my life where I don’t want to spend six weeks in Japan. So I can go to these promotions and make as much in one night as I can in a whole tour over there. Kawasaki stadium holds 45-50,000 people at $200-$300 ringside. You can get a lot more money in a shorter period of time and be away from home a lot less."

With the popularity of wrestling currently skyrocketing and autobiographies by both Mick Foley and Dwayne Johnson riding high on best seller lists, is Funk ready to put anything down on paper?

"No book in the planning right now," he says. "I’ve got some good stories to tell, but some of them better stay where they are."
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WCW SLAMS THE BRESLIN CENTER

(The State News, July 20, 2000)

By Jeff Karzen

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- At World Championship Wrestling’s first appearance at the Breslin Student Events Center, the crowd of about 5,000 went wild when their favorite wrestlers strolled across the ramp leading to the wrestling mat.

The raucous fans got louder each time a new wrestler appeared, and, despite WCW’s declining audience, the Breslin crowd was pumped for action.

"I love the WCW," criminal justice senior Katie Kovach said. "It’s like a soap opera with testosterone and it’s very entertaining."

MSU sophomore football player T.J. Duckett was also in the crowd, and he shared in Kovach’s sentiments.

"I just like the excitement of coming out and watching wrestling," the Kalamazoo native said. "It’s like a big soap opera and it’s all in good fun."

One of the crowd favorites was Billy Kidman, who wrestled in one of the first matches against Elix Skipper. As Kidman tossed Skipper around the ring, he was greeted with chants of, "Kidman, Kidman, Kidman."

Bobby Haddix, a 22-year-old Webberville resident, said he has always liked WCW better than its rival, the more popular World Wrestling Federation.

"Jeff Jarrett is my favorite wrestler and I love the way he calls people out," Haddix said of the WCW competitor. "This is my fourth WCW event, and they have all been great."

The crowd was comprised of mostly teenagers and 40-and over citizens. Because the event fell during summer vacation, not many MSU students were in attendance.

Several athletes could be spotted in the blocked off Breslin Center, though, such as basketball’s Mike Chappell, David Thomas and Steve Cherry, and football’s Duckett, Josh Shaw and incoming freshman Charles Rogers.

"It’s a different experience to go see pro wrestling, so it’s cool to come out here," Cherry said.

Many signs donned the arena, some celebrating the fans’ favorite wrestlers, while others mocked WCW. One sign even read, "Cut The Mullet," referring to some wrestlers’ short-in-front, long-in-back haircuts.

Cherry, who was there with Duckett and Rogers, said he wanted to take advantage of wrestling’s rare appearance in East Lansing.

Fifteen-year-old Lansing resident Justin Force was siting in the fourth row, anxiously awaiting his second cousin Kevin Nash to grace the stage.

WCW ITS OWN WORST ENEMY, HE CONCLUDES

(http://wrestling.ign.com/news/23503.html, August 14, 2000)

By Richard Berger

Allow me to preface this report with a little bit of background. In the 1960s, I saw Fred Blassie and Bearcat Wright go to a time-limit draw for the World Wrestling Association heavyweight title in a grueling endurance test. I took in the violent feud between Buddy "Killer" Austin and "Cowboy" Bob Ellis that ended only when both men had passed out from sheer exhaustion and loss of blood. I was witness to superior technical wrestling from Lou Thesz and Rikidozan.

So, when the assignment to cover WCW’s New Blood Rising fell into my lap, I experienced very mixed feelings. I’ve made it clear in my writings that while I have the utmost respect for the wrestlers themselves, the Atlanta-based promotion’s current direction has been a real turn-off for me. It saddens this old-timer to see so many talented performers taking a back seat to brainless skits and illogical sequences that go nowhere, ultimately insulting the intelligence of the viewer.

Still, I am a professional writer. As it pertains to the event, I headed to the arena with the intention of being as fair as humanly possible. I resolved to put aside my preconceptions of what might occur and committed myself to being impartial. I really and truly did.

There was a sense of excitement among the fans as the Pacific Coliseum began to fill up. Considering that this was WCW’s first foray into Vancouver, and the show was on pay-per-view to boot, the crowd was anticipating something special.

The excitement level grew as the pre-show hoopla and hype noisily demanded our attention. A Double Ladders encounter between The Jung Dragons and 3 Count began the proceedings. A fellow in a yellow shirt sitting nearby exclaimed that "This is gonna be really good and bloody!" I marveled at his enthusiasm...

What took place in the ring was a spot fest. Which wasn’t a bad thing at all. This kind of gimmick match works best when anything approaching an athletic competition is put aside in favor of thrills and spills. Some very nice maneuvers and spots with the ladders that had to hurt. I applaud those who agree to perform under these circumstances. Such encounters exact a heavy physical toll. By and large, the execution was excellent, which was a good thing because sloppy work would have resulted in serious injuries.

I was encouraged by the start. The crowd seemed to like it and the Fellow in Yellow was happy enough, although he was disappointed by the lack of blood.

I’ve read somewhere that Keiji Muta’s knees were in rough shape. That would at least explain what was a very sad display. Some attempts were made by Muta and Ernest "Cat" Miller, but most of it was poorly executed. The fans went south on this match, and it was immediately forgettable.

Once that match was over, the signs began bobbing up and down. Each proclaimed things like "Buff is the Stuff," "Positively Kanyon" and other such clever thoughts. This was followed by some silliness about Buff Bagwell’s mom, doing her best Perils of Pauline imitation on top of a platform held aloft by a forklift. The match itself wasn’t much, and the angle with Judy Bagwell is all that mattered to the fans. I’m not sure why...

The atmosphere in the arena had been slowly drifting from nervous, occasionally raucous excitement to a polite, reserved theatre-like crowd. The Fellow in Yellow, who had been so pumped at the start of the evening, sat back in his seat and watched with muted enthusiasm. WCW really needed something special to occur in order to keep from losing whatever heat had been built.

What took place next was probably the right thing for that moment. I can’t recall all the names involved in the match, and I’m not going to bother retrieving them. Blake or someone will have a detailed match-by-match report here at IGN, if it isn’t up already.

All I recall is a whole bunch of guys running around and looking lost most of the time. A few nice spots, a lot more messed up ones and nothing made any sense. It was fun, though. I can’t point at anything outstanding that took place, but there was just so much whacked-out, crazed energy in that ring that it took on a life of its own. The whole exercise came across in the same manner as pinballs in a machine, bouncing crazily from pillar to post. I kinda liked it, although I’m again lost to explain why. The crowd also seemed to pick up during this bout.

Shane Douglas took on Billy Kidman in the next match. There was a strap stipulation, and the sight of Torrie pretty much says it all. Nothing of any real consequence occurred. The crowd popped here and there, mostly when Torrie got involved. It was okay.

The fans perked up when it became clear the time had arrived for the Women’s Clothes Ripping Match. (It seems as if most every PPV nowadays has one of these for no reason except to titillate the young male libido). Well, this was one more. The attempts at wrestling by both Miss Hancock and Major Gunns were execrable, and I found myself wishing they would go straight to the finish. Which occurred in a tub full of mud, as promised. Then, on to Bad Taste Land with what appeared to be an angle involving a miscarriage. Jeez. What’s the point? Oh, yeah. This is Sports Entertainment. I keep confusing it with wrestling.

Those sitting around me seemed uncomfortable and even disgusted with the final act of the melodrama. Even my Yellow Buddy, who had been happily whooping it up during the clothes-ripping section of the match was now booing.

This changed with the appearance of The Demon. Not so much for his arrival, but because it signaled the return of Sting. It had been two months since his last appearance in WCW, and as one of the wrestlers who has been there the longest, he enjoys a large and devoted following. The reception for him resulted in one of the biggest pops of the night. (Let me state right here that I was under the impression that both WCW and WWF had decided to abolish the drop-out-of-the-sky-on-a-rope entrance after the Owen Hart tragedy. Was it such a good idea that it demanded a revival? What purpose did it serve? Why tempt fate? I just don’t get it).

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a crowd go from joy at seeing a favorite arrive on the scene to one of despair and anger. The match lasted what ... 30 seconds? Sting looked like he couldn’t wait to get out of there, and as soon as he was able, bolted for the back. Thanks for dropping by, Steve. There was a lot of muttering and general disgust at this point. All of the positive energy had been drained from the throng. How can WCW justify taking people’s money and delivering so little? This includes those at home watching on PPV as well as the people at the Pacific Coliseum.

Still, the surprisingly resilient and ever-hopeful crowd got excited at this stage, because Lance Storm was on his way! Conditioned to love him because of his nationality instead of his wrestling skills (of which he has in abundance), Storm was able to work as a babyface for the Canadian audience’s approval while still getting serious heel heat in U.S. homes. Jacques Rougeau was given the big build-up as the special referee by Lance, only to receive total indifference upon arrival. Yellow Fellow had to explain to a kid sitting near him who Rougeau was. It seemed that the fans were expecting Bret Hart, and not an "unimportant" Canadian such as Rougeau.

Anyway, the match got underway with Mike Awesome showing his capabilities early and often. For such a large man, he is truly agile. Good back-and-forth action for a short while, then it was time for the first false finish. Even though the ref in the ring counted to three on Storm’s pinned shoulders, Rougeau informed him that the rules in Canada demand a five-count. Hmmm ... I’ve been living in this country for 27 of my 50 years and this was the first time I heard that one. The crowd around me was unsure how to respond. They liked Storm and wanted him to win, but did he really need help from Jacques Rougeau?

The answer seemed to be a solid yes, because they repeated this finish several more times. Pay attention, folks. This is precisely how you don’t book a match unless you intend to bury someone. All of the title belts and pushes don’t add up to a damn thing if the wrestler is going to be destroyed in one night. How are the fans supposed to regard Lance Storm as a serious contender (let alone champion) if he gets the rules changed in his favor every time he’s pinned? The word in the dictionary is credibility and in WCW, it has no relevance.

The finish didn’t matter regardless of who walked away with the strap. Later, when Bret Hart finally made his perfunctory appearance, the pop was less than it should have been. Loud at first, it abated rapidly as he showed his approval of the unfair tactics, all of which took place in the name of Canadianism. Isn’t this the same guy who, after the infamous Montreal screw-job of ’97, swore he’d stand up for what was fair and honorable, for that was who he truly was?

This was the turning point for the crowd. The mood, which had been slowly drifting from great enthusiasm to moderate interest to disappointment now became surly. Many voices could be heard reverberating off the walls. "Scam," "Rip-off" and "B.S." were but a few. With it being World Championship Wrestling’s first show in Vancouver, this was virgin territory. Alas, instead of being cultivated, it was being killed in one night. With this latest example of infuriating booking, the Lance Storm/Mike Awesome bout finished off any chance of a positive response for the rest of the evening. Even the Fellow in Yellow was now staring sullenly at the ring with no emotion evident. It was a sad sight. I doubt the poor guy could have looked any more forlorn if he had been informed his puppy had been run over by a bus.

A tag match for the title broke out of nowhere. Not only did it feature four guys we’d seen earlier (Vampiro & Muta vs. Kronic), but there was no build-up to what should have been a big deal. It was a title match, after all. The crowd was dead throughout, and who could blame them? What a load...

We had sunk about as low as possible, right? Nope, not yet. We were now being given a 3-Way-Dance that appeared to only have two contestants. Makes good sense. With all the pre-show hype about a shoot to take place (yeah, right), how rude it was of Goldberg not to be prepared to stick out his tongue when his music sounded. More people were unhappy now. Again, the chant of "Rip off!" and "This is crap!" picked up all around.

So, Nash and Steiner locked up and bored the fans for a few minutes until the former footballer appeared. Then, the so-called shoot took place. Well, that’s not exactly true. I’m sure the three were following orders in trying to make it all look legitimate, but it really wasn’t close. You don’t do all the usual spots (such as running the ropes and getting into position) if you're seriously trying to take someone out. What utter shash!

The crowd’s mood, which had been turning ugly, was now dispassionate again. No one seemed to care who won. Not the once-beloved Goldberg. Scott Steiner, who physically appears to be one gigantic muscle, didn’t have their backing. Kevin Nash, with some die-hard loyalists supporting him, could barely be bothered going through the motions. If there was money to be made in creating despair among their patrons, WCW would be the wealthiest wrestling company in the world.

The main event was pretty good. Not that it meant anything anymore. Both Jeff Jarrett and Booker T are very good wrestlers. The gimmicked guitar came into play, of course. So did numerous ref bumps and the like. Just another match in WCW, ho-hum. Good work amidst the distractions and stupidity, but it all amounted to a large yawn from the fans, many of whom were now looking at their watches.

At the conclusion, the ring area was littered with thrown cups and paraphernalia. TV announcers Tony Schiavone, Scott Hudson and Mark Madden made a bee-line for the backstage area. As fans were filtering out, the ring crew and arena staff began breaking down the equipment. One got the sensation of what it’s like when a small-time carnival shuts down and heads off as quickly as it can to the next town. It had the feel of a hit and run (hit town, grab the money and run).

I listened to the fans talking as they departed. Yellow Fellow was walking out in silence, having deposited his program in a garbage can. No one was saying anything about what they’d just witnessed. It was as if everyone had put in their time and now they were on to their next endeavor. There was no sense of joy, of excitement and anticipation of when WCW might be back. It was all so forgettable and so very disposable. Again, I was reminded of how the fans would respond back in the days when Blassie fought Wright and Ellis took on Austin. As the people filtered out, all of the talk was centered around what they had just seen and what would take place the next time around. Tickets were already being sought. Folks were satisfied with the show, and were starting to imagine and discuss what was to come. They’d received their money’s worth.

I’m sorry, WCW. I gave it my best shot and this was the result. I sincerely tried to be fair with you in every way, but you refused to meet me halfway. As long as the man pulling the strings insists upon selling moronic gimmicks (Judy Bagwell on a Pole, Ladders and Tables and Weaponry), ref bumps galore and unending run-ins, he will have earned my disdain. From the mutterings of the paying fans as they departed, I’m far from alone in my depiction of your product. The entire card suffered from being booked to death by someone who has no love or interest in wrestling. It’s a crying shame, but make no mistake ... WCW is its own worst enemy.
_______________________________

HULK’S LAWYER INSISTS SUIT IS FOR REAL

(Philadelphia Daily News, August 22, 2000)

By Michael Tearson

Terry Bollea -- aka Hulk Hogan -- filed a lawsuit against WCW for defamation of character and breach of contract stemming from Vince Russo's profanity-laced tirade against the Hulkster at the July 9 Daytona Beach, Fla., pay-per-view.

At that time, Russo ordered Jeff Jarrett to lie down for Hogan to pin him instead of having their scheduled WCW championship match. Hogan left with the belt, but not the title. Russo stripped him of that and set up the Jarrett/Booker T title match for later that night. In that match, Booker T won the title.

Hogan's lawyer, John Taylor, who previously did work on behalf of the WWF in Georgia legal matters, said Russo's inflammatory remarks weren't "part of the script."

Taylor added: "This is a real lawsuit. What Russo said was defamatory and a breach of contract." He added that Hogan was most upset that his children were in the audience.

Russo accused Hogan of holding back WCW's progress and deterring young talent from rising.

One angle to watch is the fine line between insults that are part of the planned script and unscripted remarks that might be defamatory. After all, "shoot" comments have become an integral part of what pro wrestling does to advance its storylines.

PASSINGS: Tony Parisi, who also wrestled as Tony Pugliese, died of a heart attack Aug. 19. He once held the former WWWF's Tag Team championship with Gino Brito.
_______________________________________________________

ATLAS BACK ON ROANOKE’S MAP

(Roanoke Times, Sunday, August 20, 2000)

By Matt Chittum

Tony Atlas came home last week, and he was forgiven.

He left Roanoke 25 years ago as Tony White, headed for the big leagues of professional wrestling. He reached the pinnacle of his profession and made hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, only to squander it all and bottom out broke, homeless, suicidal and addicted to crack.

He lives in Maine now, and hadn't been to Roanoke in 13 years because he was just too embarrassed to face all the people who expected so much of him. But Friday, he came home to wrestle in a match, tour his old haunts and meet people he hadn't seen in years.

"They forgive me," Atlas said. "I feel like the prodigal son."

"You got people here that love you. Don't you ever be ashamed to come home," Bill Cunningham Sr. told Atlas in the parking lot of Chuck's Seafood on Patterson Avenue, where Atlas held a street-corner autograph session Friday afternoon. As a teen-ager, Atlas spent more time at Cunningham's house with classmate Bill Cunningham Jr. and his brother Richard than he did at his own home.

A crowd of old neighborhood friends and children followed Atlas wherever he went Friday. He gave away 200 autographed pictures he usually sells for $3 apiece, and waxed nostalgic all through the day.

He used to catch the bus to Patrick Henry High School at the intersection where he signed autographs Friday. After working out at the YMCA on Church Avenue, he would stop at the convenience store at that same corner and buy a quart of chocolate milk every day.

Years later, when he was in the prime of his career, he handed out money to friends on that corner and bought ice cream for a whole busload of kids there.

Today, at 46, Atlas still makes most of his money from wrestling, but at small independent shows in the Northeast. He has no medical insurance, a few thousand dollars in the bank when he's doing well, and lives alone in a three-room apartment.

His return to Roanoke came on the heels of a July 16 story in that told of his turbulent fortunes.

The National Guard Armory was packed with about 500 fans Friday night, many of whom came just to see Atlas and his tag-team partner, Roanoke wrestler Rolling Thunder, whose real name is Mike Staples.

In the crowd were two of Atlas' brothers, Charles and Walter White.

Before the match, the three compared biceps. Atlas taunted his big brother Charles into an arm-wrestling match that ended abruptly when Atlas kissed his brother on the cheek .

It was the first time the three had been in the same room in 20 years.

"I don't know why I don't come back down here," Atlas said. "It's nothing in Maine for me."

When Atlas and Rolling Thunder entered the auditorium for their match, the crowd leapt to its feet with a roar. Atlas circled the room, slapping every hand he could reach.

"He's still holding up. He's still keeping that manly physique and all," said R.E. Patterson, who, like many, was proud to say he knew Atlas way back when.

"It's like a dream come true," said Ben Martin, whose grandfather used to take him to see Atlas wrestle in the 1970s. He presented Atlas a pristine copy of a 1981 edition of Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine. It featured a cover picture of Atlas getting the better of Hulk Hogan and the headline, "The war between wrestling's supermen."

During the match, whenever Atlas' turn came to enter the ring, the crowd found its feet again and filled the hall with noise. When an opponent had Atlas on the brink of submission, his fans boomed his name in rhythm -- "Tony! Tony! Tony!" -- and Atlas' strength was resurrected.

The match ended on a disqualification when Eclipso, who is really American Championship Wrestling promoter Mike Weddle, brought a chair into the ring. Rolling Thunder stripped the chair from him and used it to clear the ring.

Atlas and Rolling Thunder, the "Roanoke Connection," were the victors.

"I feel like a million dollars," Atlas said after the match.

He was shocked by his own reception. After all he'd done to let down everyone who had helped him find fame and fortune, he expected less.

"That's what I can't understand," he said. "I'm still a hero."
___________________________________

SEARCHING FOR JOHNNY VALENTINE

(http://home.att.net/~grapsfan/johnny.htm)

By Paul Herzog

Pinch me, I think I'm dreaming....

I get a call one Friday afternoon that there's a new wrestling promotion, having its first card in Grand Prairie, Texas. A shoot group. Hmmmm....

I check it out. Yup, it's shoot. Not UFC. Not Pancrase. But shoot wrestling, holds and counters, based on 3-minute rounds. The participants, with the exception of "qualifying tournament" winner Ken Johnson, a veteran of South Texas wrestling, are forgettable. Some of the boys have some amateur background, dulled from years of neglect. A couple of the guys were just tough S.O.B.s, big strong Texans. And the women's match on the card was straight out of the Leilani Kai School of Wrestling, without using the ropes. What counts here is that someone is trying something new. Someone named Johnny Valentine, a man fitting the definition of the word "legend". I get to talk briefly with Valentine and Killer Karl Kox before the matches, and then partake of a few beers with some of the boys and Mr. Valentine afterward. I wish I had a tape recorder to have gotten exact quotes, but the direction and content of the conversation will be something that will live with me for a long time. Valentine struggled into a chair, supporting his weight on crutches, remnants of the plane crash twenty years ago that almost took his life, and started up. I didn't want it to stop.

Johnny is bothered by the current direction the business has taken. Hell, the direction for the better part of the last fifteen years. After high school or college, where do the great amateurs get to go to practice their trade, to hopefully make a living at it? The answer isn't the WWF, or WCW, or any other wrestling group in the United States. High school & college wrestling competitions draw good-sized crowds in many areas of the country. Oklahoma is a wrestling hotbed, along with Florida, the Pacific Northwest, and most of the Great Lakes. Why not try the same thing, at a professional level?

Valentine will be bringing in some bigger names in the future for his experiment, including his son Greg. These will not necessarily be pure "shoots", but the emphasis will be put on wrestling, on an athletic competition rather than ring lighting, gimmicks and high spots. "During the last couple of years of my career," Valentine said, "I never did any spots. I didn't have to. I made my living wrestling, and there was money to be made in it." Personally, I believe that Valentine is fighting an uphill battle. Up Mount fucking Everest, to be brutally honest. But that the battle is fought at all is a heartening idea, especially when it's being fought by Johnny Valentine.

Danny Hodge? According to Johnny, Danny was the greatest wrestler he ever met. Hodge has been one of the few who has been able to keep his dignity and reputation as a great amateur in the professional ranks, and is, to this day, remembered as the very best. Lou Thesz is another who maintained this status. "But the thing to know about Lou is that he never really had any formal training. He just hung around in those old gyms and learned what to do. It helped him that he had the perfect wrestler's physique." I asked if that included Thesz's legendary "cauliflower ears". "Even before wrestling, they weren't too good," Valentine smiled.

Surprisingly to me, another man that Valentine rated as tough was Ricky Starr. Starr may have worn feminine tights and ballet slippers to the ring, but he was a serious customer and a tremendous wrestler. "He had to be to get away with that gimmick at that time."

At dinner after the card, I sat at a corner table with Ken Johnson, Bobby Perez, another veteran of the South Texas circuit, and ring announcer Mark Nulty. Fueled by huge pizzas and more beer, they regaled me with tales of the road, wrestling groupies, and practical jokes played with relentless abandon. Johnny Valentine sat at another table, quietly eating his dinner and chatting with his wife and friends. Looking back on it all, what kind of dinner might I have had with him thirty years ago? When you could hear the same stories from a great wrestler, with the fire and memories of yesteryear. A man who still believes in the sport of wrestling. A man.

I hope to meet him again, and probably will next week, back at a run-down ballroom in a Dallas suburb. I hope to hear more about the greats that I only read about from Matt Brock's columns. I want to learn what I can from Johnny Valentine, and share it with others who love the sport.
__________________________________

JOHNNY VALENTINE, HALL OF FAMER

(http://www.wrestlingmuseum.com/pages/bios/halloffame/valentine.html)

By Steve Slagle

Wrestling's "Golden Age" in the late-1940's through the late-1950's produced a number of legendary grapplers, and these men, by appearing on the newly-created medium of television, became household names during that era. Johnny Valentine was one of those "Golden Age" greats, one of the most hated villains (and one of its most prolific champions) in the history of wrestling. As a performer, few could match Valentine's ability to "get his story across" to the fans, and at 6`4 and 250 lbs., with bleached blond hair, the large Valentine perpetuated a look and persona that is still part of wrestling to this day. As a testament to his staying power, Valentine was a top performer in the 1950's, 1960's and through the 1970's -- proving that he could adapt his style to fit any time period. During his prime, there was not a more famous wrestler in the country, and Valentine (unknowingly) became a role model for many wrestlers to come...

After the accident, Valentine had plenty of time to process what had happened to him. He was determined not to let it ruin his life, and after many years of therapy, he has regained some of the physical gifts the plane crash had taken from him. It's not surprising, considering the kind of determination, will, and dedication he displayed during his 20 years as a pro wrestler. We at The Ring Chronicle are proud to induct this legendary champion and Golden Age legend -- the great Johnny Valentine -- into the TRC Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame...
_____________________________

PRO WRESTLING BIGGER THAN EVER

(Mobile Register, August 21, 2000)

By Chuck Miller

As we stand at the dawn of a new millennium, professional wrestling is bigger than it has ever been.

Is this good or bad? Does professional wrestling to anything to advance us as a species, or is it atavistic entertainment that appeals to parts of our psyche we would be better off leaving in the boneyard of our prehistoric past?

Who knows? Who cares? Love it or hate it, professional wrestling is a fact of life. And evidently enough of us love it to have made it a multi-billion-dollar industry. The merchandising tie-ins alone are staggering. Toys, comic books, video games, lunch boxes, etc., fill the shelves of toyshops and retail stores across the nation. Pay-per-view wrestling events regularly pull in record-breaking numbers of viewers.

But even in the year 2000, with our Internet hook-ups and hundred-plus-channel cable outlets, nothing can take the place of a good old-fashioned road show.

That's what a sellout crowd at the Mitchell Center got Sunday night, when the World Wrestling Federation brought its way-out cast of characters to Mobile for a little good, clean violence.

Opening the show was Mobile native "Paul Bearer," former cohort of the Undertaker, who himself once wrestled under the name "Percy Pringle III." He takes to the ring after the affable, tuxedo-clad emcee warns everyone that everything that happens in this room tonight is the property of the WWF, and that anyone caught videotaping the proceedings will be dealt with.

The crowd loves Bearer/Pringle. Though he makes only a short speech, he gets quite an ovation. Local boy makes good.

A striking thing about the capacity crowd at the "Mitch" Sunday night was its diversity. Included were young people, old people, men, women, black people, white people, toddlers and grandmothers.

Wrestling seems not to suffer from the sort of narrow appeal experienced by other forms of entertainment. (It is very unlikely that you would see such a cross-section of humanity at an NSYNC concert.)

"That's the thing," said Todd Harrell, a 24-year-old fan from Pensacola. "Anyone can enjoy it. I may be kind of silly at times, but that's all part of it. It's just fun."

Paul Bearer promises that they will one day tape an episode of the hugely-popular "WWF Monday Night RAW" in Mobile, and the crowd lauds him. He leaves the ring to the sound of "Sweet Home Alabama," and it is time for the violence to begin.

The first two wrestlers elicit very little in the way of audience reaction. I find it fascinating, nonetheless, because it is the first time I have ever seen pro wrestling in person.

"It's like watching the Three Stooges or something," said a 20-something female fan who sat behind me. "It's just like when we went to see WCW (World Conference Wrestling-a rival to the WWF); you can't tell what's going on, because there's no commentator."

That's what was bothersome - it was too quiet. An announcer would have helped immensely. The spectacle of totally silent blows, visibly failing to reach their marks, doesn't do much to help your suspension of disbelief, no matter how willing you are. Sound and fury make choreographed violence seem more real.

As the evening progresses, and the wrestlers become increasingly well-known, this problem diminishes.

During the first contest, between a pair of relative unknowns, the audience is lethargic and quiet. You've heard the old Zen riddle about the sound of one hand clapping? Well, we repeatedly heard the sound of a fist missing a chin by several inches.

The real star the show was the Rock, probably the best-known wrestler on the circuit today. The Rock is a genuine celebrity. He does milk commercials. And Mobile loves him. Dozens of hand-painted signs were waved in the air throughout the proceedings. "WE LOVE YOU, ROCK!" "THE ROCK RULES!" "MARRY ME, ROCK."

The atmosphere all evening has been more like a rock concert than a sporting event, and the wrestlers themselves are like beefed-up rock stars. Especially the Rock. When he finally emerges from backstage in a rather halfhearted puff of dry-ice smoke, he receives a display of adulation that would have suited Mick Jagger in his prime.

The Rock tussles briefly with challenger Chris Benoit. There are a few narrow scrapes, but the Rock, of course, emerges triumphant. Benoit slinks away and the Rock takes the center of the ring. The house lights are extinguished and a single, dramatic spot illuminates him. He delivers a short speech (the man has a peculiar tendency to refer to himself in the third person, i.e. "The Rock did this," "The Rock did that.")

Is professional wrestling "fake?" And does it really matter?

Yes, it is, and no, it doesn't. We need to be careful how we define the word "fake." I seriously doubt that the wrestler known as the Undertaker really did die and then have himself resurrected by arcane means, as he claims. It's all part of the fun.

Is anyone being cheated by the fact that the bouts are more like carefully choreographed dance numbers than actual brutal beatings? Of course not. We know what's up, and we agree not to bring up the subject. The wrestling fan is part of the tacit conspiracy to shut up and pretend that we believe in what seems to be going on.

The point is everyone had a good time. Even me. Judging by the tumultuous applause at evening's end, none of the other fans present felt the least bit cheated.

MICK FOLEY: A SPECIAL EDITION OF THE PEOPLE'S COLUMN

(http://www.crz.net/wrestling/, March 1, 2000)

By Andy Mosely (andy1278@hotmail.com)

Well, if the stipulation is actually followed (for once!), Mick Foley has
wrestled for the last time. While guys like Hogan can't usually be trusted
when they are in retirement matches (hasn't he had something like eight of
them?), I have full reason to believe Mick Foley when he says he will
retire. The guy knows when to go out before he hurts himself any more than
he has. He's said he wants more family time. Besides, he's gotta be
getting close to having one too many chairshots to the head. Thanks for a
great career Mick, and I have a feeling you'll still be around in some
capacity.... maybe commissioner?

Now watch him win the WWF Title in the main event of WrestleMania 2000.
Anyway, here's a look back at Mick Foley's career through PPV results,
titles, and awards.

MICK FOLEY'S PAY-PER-VIEW (AND CLASH) RESULTS:

December 13, 1988 - AWA Superclash III
Chicago, Illinois - UIC Pavilion
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: with The Rock 'n Roll RPMs vs Chavo, Hector, and Mando Guerrero
Results: lost when Chavo pinned Tommy Lane

February 6, 1990 - NWA Clash of the Champions X
Corpus Christi, Texas
Identity: Cactus Jack Manson
Match: vs Mil Mascaras
Results: lost

February 25, 1990 - NWA Wrestle War
Greensboro, North Carolina - Greensboro Coliseum
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: vs Norman the Lunatic
Results: lost by pinfall

May 19, 1990 - NWA Capital Combat
Washington, D.C. - The Armory
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: with Bam Bam Bigelow & Kevin Sullivan vs The Road Warriors & Norman the Lunatic
Results: lost when Hawk pinned Sullivan

June 9, 1991 - UWF Beach Brawl
Palmetto, Florida - Manatee Civic Center
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: with Bob Orton vs Steve Ray & Sunny Beach
Results: lost

November 19, 1991 - WCW Clash of the Champions XVII
Savannah, Georgia
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: vs Van Hammer
Results: won by pinfall

January 21, 1991 - WCW Clash of the Champions XVIII
Topeka, Kansas
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: vs Van Hammer in a falls count anywhere match
Results: won by pinfall

October 27, 1991 - WCW Halloween Havoc
Chattanooga, Tennesee - UTC Arena
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: with Big Van Vader, Diamond Studd & Abdullah the Butcher vs Sting, El Gigante & The Steiners in a "Chamber of Horrors" match
Results: lost when Abdullah was placed in the "electric chair"

December 29, 1991 - WCW Starrcade
Norfolk, Virginia - The Scope
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: with Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker vs Rick Steamboat & Todd Champion in a
"Lethal Lottery" match
Results: lost when Steamboat pinned Parker

February 29, 1992 - WCW SuperBrawl II
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - The Mecca
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: vs Ron Simmons
Results: lost by pinfall

May 17, 1992 - WCW Wrestle War
Jacksonville, Florida - Jacksonville Coliseum
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: with Mr. Hughes vs Ron Simmons & Junkyard Dog
Results: Match never occured as Jack injured JYD in a prematch attack
(Simmons beat Hudges in a match)

June 20, 1992 - WCW Beach Blast
Mobile, Alabama - Civic Center
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: vs Sting in a falls count anywhere match
Results: lost by pinfall

September 2, 1992 - WCW Clash of the Champions XX
Atlanta, Georgia
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: vs Ron Simmons in a world title match
Results: lost

November 18, 1992 - WCW Clash of the Champions XXI
Macon, Georgia
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: with Tony Atlas & The Barbarian vs 2 Cold Scorpio & Ron Simmons
Results: lost

December 28, 1992 - WCW Starrcade
Atlanta, Georgia - The Omni
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: with Johnny B. Badd vs Van Hammer & Dan Spivey in a "Lethal Lottery" match
Results: lost when Hammer pinned Cactus

January 13, 1993 - WCW Clash of the Champions XXII
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: vs Johnny B. Badd
Results: won
Match: with Sting & Dustin Rhodes vs Vader, Barry Windham & Paul Orndorff in a "Thundercage" no-DQ street fight
Results: won

August 18, 1993 - WCW Clash of the Champions XXIV
Daytona Beach, Florida
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: vs Vader for the world title
Results: lost

September 19, 1993 - WCW Fall Brawl
Houston, Texas
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: vs Yoshi Kwan
Results: won

October 24, 1993 - WCW Halloween Havoc
New Orleans, Louisiana - Lakefront Arena
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: vs Vader in a "Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal" match that ended up being a Texas death match
Results: lost

November 20, 1993 - WCW Battlebowl
(I'm not sure about the location here either - thanks, PWI Almanac)
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: with Vader vs Charlie Norris & Kane (of Harlem Heat) in a "Lethal Lottery" match
Results: won when Vader pinned Norris
Match: 16-man batttle royal featuring the "Lethal Lottery" winners
Results: eliminated

December 27, 1993 - WCW Starrcade
Charlotte, North Carolina - Independance Arena
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: with Maxx Payne vs Tex Slazenger & Shanghai Pierce
Results: won when Cactus pinned Slazenger

January 24, 1994 - WCW Clash of the Champions XXVI
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: with Maxx Payne vs The Nasty Boys
Results: won

February 20, 1994 - WCW SuperBrawl IV
Albany, Georgia - Civic Center
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: with Maxx Payne vs The Nasty Boys in a tag title match
Results: won by DQ when Knobs smashed a guitar over Cactus' head

April 17, 1994 - WCW Spring Stampede
Chicago, Illinois - Rosemont Horizon
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: with Maxx Payne vs The Nasty Boys in a tag title Chicago street fight
Results: lost

May 22, 1994 - WCW Slamboree
Philadelphia, PA - Civic Center
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: with Kevin Sullivan vs The Nasty Boys in a tag title match (guest referee Dave Schultz, a retired Philadelphia Flyer hockey player)
Results: won match and titles when Cactus pinned Sags

June 24, 1994 - WCW Clash of the Champions XXVII
Charleston, South Carolina
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: Defended world tag titles with Kevin Sullivan vs The Nasty Boys
Results: won match to retain belts

July 17, 1994 - WCW Bash at the Beach
Orlando, Florida - Florida Arena
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: in a tag title defense with Kevin Sullivan vs Pretty Wonderful
Results: lost match and titles when Paul Orndorff pinned Cactus

September 18, 1994 - WCW Fall Brawl
Roanoke, Virginia - Civic Center
Identity: Cactus Jack
Match: vs Kevin Sullivan in a loser-leaves-WCW match
Results: lost, forced to leave WCW

April 28, 1996 - WWF In Your House
Omaha, Nebraska - Civic Auditorium
Identity: Mankind
Match: vs The Undertaker in a match not televised
Results: lost via pinfall

June 23, 1996 - WWF King of the Ring
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - The Mecca
Identity: Mankind
Match: vs The Undertaker
Results: won when The Undertaker was declared unconscious

July 21, 1996 - WWF In Your House
Vancouver, British Columbia - General Motors Palace
Identity: Mankind
Match: vs Henry Godwinn
Results: won

August 18, 1996 - WWF SummerSlam
Cleveland, Ohio - Gund Arena
Identity: Mankind
Match: vs The Undertaker in a boiler room brawl
Results: won after Paul Bearer hit the 'Taker with his urn

September 22, 1996 - WWF In Your House: Mind Games
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - CoreStates Spectrum
Identity: Mankind
Match: vs Shawn Michaels for the WWF Title
Results: lost by DQ when Vader interfered

October 20, 1996 - WWF In Your House: Buried Alive
Indianapolis, Indiana - Market Square Arena
Identity: Mankind
Match: vs The Undertaker in a "Buried Alive" match
Results: lost when he was "buried"

November 17, 1996 - WWF Survivor Series
New York, New York - Madison Square Garden
Identity: Mankind
Match: vs The Undertaker, with Paul Bearer suspended in a cage above the ring
Results: lost by pinfall

December 15, 1996 - WWF In Your House
West Palm Beach, Florida - The Auditorium
Identity: Mankind
Match: vs Shawn Michaels in a match not televised
Results: lost by pinfall

January 19, 1997 - WWF Royal Rumble
San Antonio, Texas - Alamo Dome
Identity: Mankind
Match: The Royal Rumble
Results: eliminated

March 23, 1997 - WWF WrestleMania XIII
Rosemont, Illinois - Rosemont Horizon
Identity: Mankind
Match: with Vader against Owen Hart & The British Bulldog in a tag title match
Results: wrestled to a double-countout

April 20, 1997 - WWF In Your House: 'Taker's Revenge
Rochester, New York - War Memorial Auditorium
Identity: Mankind
Match: vs The Undertaker for the WWF Title
Results: lost by pinfall

May 11, 1997 - WWF In Your House: Cold Day in Hell
Richmond, Virginia - The Coliseum
Identity: Mankind
Match: vs Rocky Maivia
Results: won by submission

June 8, 1997 - WWF King of the Ring
Providence, Rhode Island - Civic Center
Identity: Mankind
Match: vs Jerry Lawler in a King of the Ring semifinal match
Results: won by submission
Match: vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley in the King of the Ring finals
Results: lost by pinfall

July 6, 1997 - WWF In Your House: Canadian Stampede
Calgary, Alberta - The Saddledome
Identity: Mankind
Match: vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Results: wrestled to a double-DQ

August 3, 1997 - WWF SummerSlam
East Rutherford, New Jersey - Continental Airlines Arena
Identity: Mankind
Match: vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley in a cage match
Results: won

September 20, 1997 - WWF One Night Only
Birmingham, England - N.E.C. Arena
Identity: Dude Love
Match: vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Results: lost by pinfall

November 9, 1997 - WWF Survivor Series
Montreal, Quebec - Molson Centre
Identity: Mankind
Match: vs Kane
Results: lost by pinfall

January 18, 1998 - WWF Royal Rumble
San Jose, California - San Jose Arena
Identity: Mankind, Cactus Jack, and Dude Love
Match: The Royal R