Wrestling History

wrestling history

by

Sergey PitersonProfessional wrestling

was one of the most successful

sports

of the 1950s. While the matches were not genuine contests, the combination of drama, athleticism and crowd interaction made it a unique form of live entertainment.

Wrestling

was one of the first television hits: it was cheap and easy to film, and had ready-made stories with heroes and villains. The DuMont network showed bouts from Chicagos Marigold Arena (hosted by Jack Brickhouse), and New York matches presented by Dennis James. Along the dial, ABC also showed wrestling from Chicago with Wayne Griffin calling the action from Rainbow Arena.

The biggest star of the small-screen was George Raymond Wagner, better known as Gorgeous George

. While a skilled wrestler, he made his fame through outlandish showmanship, entering the ring to the sounds of Pomp and Circumstance. A valet would spray the ring, and often the opponent, with cologne, before removing Georges sequinned robe. He became a mainstream star through appearances on the Bob Hope show, and Muhammad Ali later admitted his persona was heavily influenced by the wrestler.

From the athletic perspective, the main player was Lou Thesz

, undisputed worlds champion for much of the decade. The son of Hungarian immigrants from St Louis, Thesz was a legitimate grappler trained in the art of hooking, a set of holds banned in amateur wrestling for their potential to cause serious injury. Former champion Ed Strangler Lewis was often filmed in Thesz corner, and acted as a publicity agent for title matches.

Other stars included:

* Antonino Argentina Rocca

, popular with Italian-American and Hispanic audiences, selling out Madison Square Garden regularly with tag partner Miguel Perez

* Mr America Gene Stanlee

, known for his bodybuilder physique, and star of more than 200 magazine covers.

* Don Eagle

, the best known of the Native American grapplers and master of the dreaded Indian Deathlock.

* Primo Carnera

, the former heavyweight boxing champion, forced into the grappling game after leaving the fight business with virtually nothing.

* Whipper Billy Watson

, a Canadian who took his nickname from his mastery of the Irish Whip throw, and who upset Thesz for the world title in 1956.

* Nature Boy Buddy Rogers

, an arrogant blond named after the popular jazz song, and arguably the most talented performer when it came to working a crowd.

* Verne Gagne

, a two-time NCAA champion who was billed as the US titleholder on wrestling TV shows and went on to be the promoter of the Mid-West based American

Wrestling

Alliance.

Wrestling

was popular right across America. In Los Angeles, the Olympic Auditorium played host to matches each week, with tag bouts a favourite. Fans at the Kiel Auditorium in St Louis preferred the straight athletic action presented by promoter Sam Muchnick, with little of the gimmickry and showbiz seen in other arenas. Danny Macshain was the leading star in Texas, introducing the trick of wrestlers cutting their own foreheads with a concealed razor blade to satisfy bloodthirsty fans. Frank Sexton and Steve Casey topped the bills in New England arenas such as the Boston Gardens. And native grappler Yvon Robert drew the crowds in Montreal.

Special attractions included matches with women (Mildred Burke being the biggest star), midgets (such as Sky Low Low and Little Beaver) and even Terrible Ted, the wrestling bear.

For more detail

visiting my blog

created for you!

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com