# Did you watch Wrestling when it was "Real"?



## Bretrick (Nov 23, 2021)

Between 1964 and 1978, World Championship Wrestling ruled in Australia.
With Jack Little as the forever commentator this was when "Real" Wrestling was at it's peak.
With champions such as Mario Milano. Spiros Arion. My favourite, Brute Bernard. Killer Karl Kox. Larry O'Dea. Waldo von Erich. King Curtis. Skull Murphy. Killer Kowalski. Haysticks Calhoun, Sheik Wadi Ayoub. Roy Heffernan. Mr Fuji. Tex McKenzie. Abdullah the Butcher. Ron Miller. Nikita Kalmikoff. Big Bad John.
World Championship Wrestling 1973 commentator Jack Little​


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## Becky1951 (Nov 23, 2021)

My dad was a big wrestling fan and I watched with him. We went to several matches.

I had a big crush on Chief Jay Strongbow and of course had to have a picture of him and stand in line for his autograph.


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## Don M. (Nov 23, 2021)

I was a fan, years ago.  In the past few years, the WWE, etc., is more of a "soap opera" than a series of Real matches, IMO.  When I view those shows, anymore, I can almost always predict who will win, beforehand.  I will say that most of the current contestants are pretty good actors,  If they were going for Real, most of them would wind up in the hospital after the match.


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## Llynn (Nov 23, 2021)

I'm old enough to remember watching Gorgeous George in snowy black and white in the early 50's. Haven't bothered with wrasslin' since those dim days in the logging camp mess hall.


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## Aunt Bea (Nov 24, 2021)

No, but I was a fan of roller derby on Sunday mornings.


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## hollydolly (Nov 24, 2021)

Yes we watched it on Saturday afternoons if we were at home because my father always watched it.. so I remember all the big wrestling names of the Era in the 60's....


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## HazyDavey (Nov 24, 2021)

Aunt Bea said:


> No, but I was a fan of roller derby on Sunday mornings.


Not so much wrestling but the old gang used to get together for roller derby.


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## Tom 86 (Nov 24, 2021)

My Dad & neighbor were big fans of wrestling back in the early '50s. They went to a match in Columbus Ohio.  Well, being a kid I was curious so I looked under the bottom drapes. There I saw all kinds of big springs, so when & guy got thrown the springs took the shock.


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## Pappy (Nov 24, 2021)

*Laverne Clarence Gagne* (February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer, and wrestling promoter. He was our favorite back in the 50s. No fake stuff with him. I think he used the sleeper hold where he would cut off a certain nerve and opponent would go to sleep, or pass out.


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## fmdog44 (Nov 24, 2021)

Buddy Rogers with manger Handsome Bobby Davis, Johnny Valentine, Chief Bigheart, Moose Cholack, Arnold Skoland (never won a match) Edwardo Carpenter, The Graham Brothers, Bobo Brazile, Killer Kowalski, Mark Lewin & Don Curtis, Seaman Art Thomas, Haystacks Calhoun. All matches were from Conneticut and most of the time a match would be close to ending and the show would go off the air leaving us hanging. The first match I ever saw I was convinced it was real unil my folks came home that night night and my dad told me it was all fake. I stilll loved it especailly the bad guys. Buddy Rogers was king and his manager Handsome Bobby Davis was the best character manager. Old matches are on youtube and you can see how little they did compared to more physiclly fit athletes of today. I am stumped how huge modern day wrestling is despite knowing the whole thing is rehearsed


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## JustBonee (Nov 24, 2021)

Never a fan,  but I remember it being a favorite on early television...late 40's-early 50's.


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## StarSong (Nov 24, 2021)

Our neighbor (now deceased) did a short wrestling stint as the "New Jersey Destroyer" during his early years.  He explained about the choreography of wrestling - said the guys considered it to be a stunt show (many lesser wrestlers also worked as stuntmen in movies, TV and wild west type shows).  

He also said there were some who were either unskilled or AHs who'd intentionally injure their opponents. When intentional injuries happened, all hell would break loose. Guys who'd just finished a match or were waiting for their performance would suddenly "illegally" tag in and beat the crap out of the offender. He said the fans didn't know the difference between real hits and stunt hits but the performers could spot them from across the arena.


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## Pinky (Nov 24, 2021)

I remember my Dad watching wrestling all the time. His favourite wrestler was Whipper Billy Watson.


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## ManjaroKDE (Nov 24, 2021)

Watched wrestling with my father back in the 50's, being a westerner the most hated was 'The Professor' (Roy Shire) his favorite taunt was calling us 'western pencil necks', hated that a*****e!  White hair, wore a cap n gown into the ring, but defeated all comers.

Finding out it was all fake added to the realization there was no Santa Claus were my 1st big disappointments.


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## StarSong (Nov 24, 2021)

ManjaroKDE said:


> Watched wrestling with my father back in the 50's, being a westerner the most hated was 'The Professor' (Roy Shire) his favorite taunt was calling us 'western pencil necks', hated that a*****e!  White hair, wore a cap n gown into the ring, but defeated all comers.
> View attachment 195906
> Finding out it was all fake added to the realization there was no Santa Claus were my 1st big disappointments.


You take that back!!!   Sure, we all eventually figured out that TV wrestling is fake, but starting in on Santa Claus is hitting below the belt.


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## Gaer (Nov 24, 2021)

Anyone remember "Gorgeous George"?


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## Bretrick (Nov 24, 2021)

Gaer said:


> Anyone remember "Gorgeous George"?


Llynn (above) spoke about Gorgeous George


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## old medic (Nov 24, 2021)

YOUR KILLING ME........
My Stepfather was.... and still is.... affectionately referred to by many as the Biggest Man In the World. 
As young men... watching the wrestling shows ... we ganged up on him... 6 teen boys... stood no chance... 
At his funeral it was brought up about his size...
So here is the TRUE story of one night when the wrestling circus came to town.... Chief J was there, Ivan Putski, Toni Garreia... remember the old Barron Magel Secluna.... 
So My Mother is wandering around, and sees this guy standing there in a blue jacket...
She walks up behind him, wraps her arms around him in a hug.....and he jumps....
He spins around and my mother jumps back and with a look of shock on her face, profusely apologizes....
" I'm sorry.... I thought you were my husband..." 
Guerrilla Monsoon smiled and says... "I hope He don't get jealous"...


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## Ruthanne (Nov 24, 2021)

No I never watched it but did watch boxing for awhile.


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## dseag2 (Nov 24, 2021)

When was it ever "real"?


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## Bretrick (Nov 24, 2021)

dseag2 said:


> When was it ever "real"?


It was real when I was 10 years old.


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## terry123 (Nov 24, 2021)

dseag2 said:


> When was it ever "real"?


Yes, when?


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## oldiebutgoody (Dec 4, 2021)

Professional wrestling is the one and only *KING* of sports.


Several years ago a new online pro wrestling & sports channel opened up and it featured a live chat.  The admin hired five mods and I was one of them. Coincidentally all five of us were old school wrestling fans.  From very early on we determined to stop anyone who dared call our sport "fake".  We decided as a group to permanently ban anyone who dared to use that term to describe it.  I  was chosen by the group to send an email to the admin re our decision. He replied by saying, 'I hired you to do a job and if that's how you feel about it, then go for it'.  Whenever anyone tried to appeal to the admin re getting banned, the admin immediately defended our decision by saying you know the rules. Thank you & good bye.


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## oldiebutgoody (Dec 4, 2021)

Pappy said:


> *Laverne Clarence Gagne* (February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer, and wrestling promoter. He was our favorite back in the 50s. No fake stuff with him. I think he used the sleeper hold where he would cut off a certain nerve and opponent would go to sleep, or pass out.
> View attachment 195875






  Years ago I published a brief article in a central NY newspaper about Verne when he challenged Bruno Sanmartino to a world unification match some time in the late 1960s/early 70s.  Sanmartino refused to take him on. Several readers said I was full of s_______t as that never happened or so they thought.  But it did happen. In fact I met Verne in Minneapolis and he was shocked to see that I remembered the incident.  After that he told me  that my hero Killer Kowalski was the toughest man he ever fought.  

In my book Gagne was the greatest old school wrestler of all time because he put his belt up.  No one else ever took him up on it.


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## StarSong (Dec 5, 2021)

oldiebutgoody said:


> Professional wrestling is the one and only *KING* of sports.
> 
> 
> Several years ago a new online pro wrestling & sports channel opened up and it featured a live chat.  The admin hired five mods and I was one of them. Coincidentally all five of us were old school wrestling fans.  From very early on we determined to stop anyone who dared call our sport "fake".  We decided as a group to permanently ban anyone who dared to use that term to describe it.  I  was chosen by the group to send an email to the admin re our decision. He replied by saying, 'I hired you to do a job and if that's how you feel about it, then go for it'.  Whenever anyone tried to appeal to the admin re getting banned, the admin immediately defended our decision by saying you know the rules. Thank you & good bye.


If you're saying that WWE type TV and arena wrestling isn't highly choreographed and staged, I must strongly disagree especially because I knew someone who participated in it and gave me the inside scoop. 

Sure, WWE requires great strength and skills, but a lot of what the audience thinks it's seeing isn't for real, just as movie & TV fistfights aren't what they seem.  There are a lot of talent stunted actors in WWE.    

Humans can't be bashed in the head with metal folding chairs and bounce back up in less than ten seconds, never mind compose complete sentences after undergoing that kind of punishment week after week. Just as in Wild West movie fights someone would get hit over the head with a whiskey bottle and not only get back up, but accurately shoot someone with his pistol. Wouldn't go down that way in real life.

Olympic type wrestling is another matter altogether.


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## oldiebutgoody (Dec 5, 2021)

StarSong said:


> If you're saying that WWE type TV and arena wrestling isn't highly choreographed and staged, I must strongly disagree especially because I knew someone who participated in it and gave me the inside scoop.
> 
> Sure, WWE requires great strength and skills, but a lot of what the audience thinks it's seeing isn't for real, just as movie & TV fistfights aren't what they seem.  There are a lot of talent stunted actors in WWE.
> 
> ...





Those who think wrestling was fake learn their lesson the hard way:


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## oldiebutgoody (Dec 5, 2021)

Gaer said:


> Anyone remember "Gorgeous George"?




Great wrestler and actor.


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## StarSong (Dec 5, 2021)

Whatevs... I don't care enough about the subject to further argue the point.


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## terry123 (Dec 6, 2021)

My girls loved going to the matches when they were young.  Their dad after the divorce would take them.  I did not have the heart to tell them it was fake.  They had their favorite guys and it was something they could do with their dad.


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## Pepper (Dec 6, 2021)

Me & son's favorite--Ultimate Warrior.  He was so much fun we didn't care about reality!


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