Lord Layton hosted a wrestling show from Windsor's CKLW studios many years ago. Did you attend any of the shows in person? What do you remember about watching the show on television, ; which wrestlers were your favorites?
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Lord Layton hosted a wrestling show from Windsor's CKLW studios many years ago. Did you attend any of the shows in person? What do you remember about watching the show on television, ; which wrestlers were your favorites?
Larry Shane.... Bobo Brazil... Haystack Calhoun... the Sheik... Dick the Bruiser... besides Larry [[whom I liked)... those are the only names I remember when I was a kid and my dad/older brother hogged the TV to watch wrestling...
The Stomper & Ben Justice against the Kangaroo Bros. The sleeper hold rocked. Pamparo Firpo looked like Jerry Garcia on a meth rage.
Me and a couple of my buddies did the show in HS. Wanna say it was filmed on Sat or Sun and they recorded 3-4 shows.
We had a blast, just kept on trying to egg on whatever bad guy was out on the set.
Leaping Larry Shane was a cool dude.
OMG Bong.....don't think I've thought of Firpo in decades. lol
It was called Big Time Wrestling, if I remember right. Bobo Brazil and his Coconut Head Butt. Lord Athol Layton was his full name. He used his Judo chop to break up matches.
Ahhh, good ol' Lord Alcohol Weigh-ton and Big Time Wrestling. Bobo Brazil was my favorite, just like he was of everyone else I knew. And the Sheik was deliciously evil. Others I liked back then were Tex McKenzie, Wild Bull Curry, and his kid, Flying Fred Curry, Haystacks Calhoun, Big Cat Ernie Ladd, the Kangaroos and Crybaby George Cannon. Pampero Firpo was a serious favorite of all old Detroit/Windsor wrasslin' fans. What a trip that act was.
Argentina Rocca, Tom the killer Kowalski.
Then every so often they would have a "midget wrestling" match. Are they still allowed to do that?
Oh yea, leaping Larry Shane. Favorite
Yes it was indeed Big Time Wrestling on Saturdays. George Cannon later had his own show out of Windsor and promoted local shows. Ivan Putsky, George Steele, Sailor White and many other. Floyd Creachman, Eddie Creachmann, Dr. Jerry Graham were some of the many promoters.Quote:
Originally Posted by lpg
Heres a couple websites dedicated to past wrestlers and their deceased dates.
http://www.deadwrestlers.net/completelist.html
http://www.garywill.com/wrestling/decwres.htm
Those fake wrestlers were great showmen and it amazed me how they could pull off the illusions and draw the audience into thinking it was real.
To my eyes, being a high school and university wrestler, their 'wrestling' was so transparently staged that my only reaction was laughter. People actually thought there were sleeper holds, body slams and the like. The only sleeper hold is the carotid strangle [legal in judo] where a thumb knuckle or forearm presses on the carotid artery to deprive the brain of blood. Nonetheless I always appreciated their acting skills.
This made for great fun with newbies who decided to take up real wrestling after being inspired the fakery. We would show them how they could throw someone the length of the mat by a mere hand-shake flick, then have them try the move on us and find out how easy and quick to learn it was. Of course we supplied the summer-sault when they flicked our wrists.
Then we would stand aside amused as they went about trying it on others to no avail getting only what-the-****-do-you-think-you-are-doing looks. They would come back asking what they did wrong. We would show them an 'adjustment' and then get more giggles as they again futilely tried it on others. It was like telling a kid there is no Santa Claus.
To me nothing in Detroit show wrestling history topped the Alex Karras - Dick the Bruiser dust up. This was discussed in the old forum archive thread http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1187517875 Contrary to what may be believed I have little doubt that this was staged starting at the Lindell AC all the way through to a couple of washed-up athletes having a nice payday to delight of all.
No, I don't think so. It's evolved, now it's become "midget tossing" at certain bars.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hermod
We used to go down to the WGPR TV studios on East Jefferson on Saturday mornings to watch the tapings. It was free to get in but I don't think too many people knew about it. They had some small metal bleachers set up and they bussed in some people from a half way house. Needless to say it was a crazy scene. Saw the Sheik, a very small Randy Savage pre steroid use, Austin Idol, Baron Von Roshke, Pancho Villa, the mad dog guy that always barked, and many others. It was fun to watch them tape the hyped up promo interviews that sometimes took a few takes. This was the same studio they filmed the dance show The Scene in, we could see some of the props for that show along the walls. We'd go home and watch the show later in the afternoon on TV. Years later while living in Hawaii I came home drunk one night about 3am and turned on my TV. One of the old tapes was on and I could see myself and my buddies sitting in the stands. It was surreal.
Hey, you guys forgot Crusher Cortez!.
I recall the rants between, before or after matches too.
Saliva would be spraying and Dick the Bruiser [[for example)
would tell everyone how he was gonna kick Lord Athol [[pronounced
and slurred "AssH-le" Layton's butt the next weekend.
Amazing how pencils, folding chairs and a roll of quarters could
produce daily mayhem on family TV.
Channel 7 and Channel 9 had the wrestling fans back in those days.
Didn't Fred Wolf do some stuff way back in the day too?
We also had the original Sheik as well. He was a much more out of control
guy too.:eek:
The guy who always '' barked ''was George '' The Animal '' Steele I believe . Which one always grabbed the opponents and started biting their foreheads ? lol ! I think it was either Abdullah The Butcher or The Sheik . One of my favorites was Leapin' Larry Shane . I always watched the shows on TV , but had a friend that went to alot of the shows . Anyone remember the old black lady with the cane walking around the ring sometimes ? I remember her , she was always yelling at one of the wrestlers that she didn't like . My friend tells me that she was telling them that she was going to shove this cane up their a** LOL ! Yep they didn't sell the moves like the wrestlers do today , but we didn't care lol
a slideshow of wrestlers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DhryircdIM
Firpo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1yXuT1d79c
Fred Wolf did a lot of "sports announcing" back in the day. He was the announcer for the Monday night racing from Motor City Speedway and he also did wrestling announcing. He understood that the main part of his schtick was to promote attendance for the non-broadcast, live spectator races and bouts. I think the TV stations got the stuff for nothing in exchange for promoting the paid admission stuff.Quote:
Originally Posted by daddeeo
I think Larry Shane and Crusher Cortez were on Fred Wolf's show, not on Lord Layton's.
You guys are only mentioning the guys who used to win matches. There were other wrestlers who were fed to the likes of the Bruiser et al who never won a match. I can think of Jim Grabmeyer, Tony Simon, Prince Pullens, and "Dynamite" Johnny Gates. Are there any others who come to mind?
I remember a "Flying Freddy Martinez" who was always a sacrificial lamb for the bigger names.
I loved watching Big Time Wrestling on the weekends but they only showed one-sided matches. If you wanted to see the big names fight each other you had to go to Cobo Arena, which Lord Layton promoted heavily between matches.
Oh how I hated The Shiek and Firpo was fun to watch. Haystacks Calhoun and Bobo Brazil were also entertaining.
There seemed to be a solid difference between the "bad guys" and the "good guys".
Today that line is blurred, for obvious reasons.
Watched it quite a bit in my pre-teen and early teen years in the early 70s. All the ones I remember have already been named. Firpo was my favorite, the '8th wonder of the world'! I seem to remember he was advertised as a savage who'd been found in the jungle or something along those lines. I HATED the Sheik, he was always pulling out his razor and cutting em up [[or so they said). Also used to watch roller derby, I remember going to see 'The Kansas City Bomber' with Raquel Welch at the Norwest theatre around 1972 or so, man was I in love with her back then!!
"Promoter Johnny Doyle has a great card lined up for us at Cobo Arena this Saturday night."
Flying Fred Curry,did the flying drop kick and Bobo Brazil had the Coco Butt,The Sheik had the Camel Clutch where he would sit on the guys back and pull up on his chin.Pampero Firpo had Chimu,a shrunken head he would talk to "OH YEAH!"He used that phrase long before Randy"macho man"Savage was around.George"man mountain"or "Cry Baby"Cannon.
I almost broke a young friend's neck with the camel clutch!
What about Dandy Dan Miller, Chief Jay Strongbow, Sweet Daddy Siki, Von Hess and Von Schotz...and...and...damn, I know I'm forgetting tons more! My best buddy and I used to studiously watch the matches and keep track of the results in a looseleaf binder!!!
How about the Stomper and his sleeper hold, Ariba Luis Martinez from Monterrey Mexico,Big Tex McKenzie and the Bulldog hold, the tag team Kangaroos from Australia, the Eighth Wonder of the World Pampero Firpo with the Algorpio hold, the Shiek and his Camel Clutch hold and throwing fire, Big Ernie Ladd and his taped thumb, Wild Bull Curry pulling a foreign object from his trunks, Flying Fred Curry and his flying drop kicks, Baron Von Rickoff,
I'll still remember Pampero Firpo taking on the Sheik in one match. Firpo was smart in the sense that he feared the Sheik throwing his fire so he doused him with buckets and buckets of water. He had managed to have buckets of water all around the ring somehow and continually soaked him [[and anyone within reach of the apron). It was an amazing match and yet somehow, the Sheik still managed to set off that fireball of his and "blind" Firpo! Oh the tragedy of it all!
The Sheik was probably one if not the most hated wrestlers back then . He was just plain '' dastardly '' I think was one of Lord Layton's words to explain him lol
This clip continues a match between the Sheik and Tom Jones. Abdullah Farooq acts as the Sheik's "interpreter". "Whipper" Billy Watson interferes in the match toward the end to his peril. Lord Layton Athol calls the action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9m9tnd9aRE
For all the Larry Shane fans, the correct spelling is Chene [[shortened from Beauchene). As was previously noted, he and Ricky 'Crusher' Cortez were seen on Motor City Wrestling on WXYZ Channel 7. Johnny Slagle was also a host of this show. Larry was killed in an accident early in the morning of October 2, 1964 when his automobile ran off the road in Ottawa, IL. He had wrestled Larry Hennig on the 1st in Moline, IL and was headed back to Detroit [[rumored to be working for the Sheik, who had just recently purchased the promotion from Jim Barnett and Johnny Doyle). He lived on Promenade, near Park.
My favorite Layton memory was watching him get 'burned' by the Sheik's fire on a Saturday night in the early 1970s in Detroit. He had to be carried from the ring with a towel wrapped around his head. On TV it was announced that he would be gone for 6 months while he recovered from the burns. I had a friend who happened to be in Toronto that weekend and brought home some newspapers. According to the newspaper, Layton wrestled the sheik the next night [[Sunday) in Toronto with the same results [[burned).
Does anyone remember the TV commentator that Layton replaced on the Thursday night studio shoes??
goirish --
That would be Sam Menaker, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at his travel agency in Indianapolis in 1982.
As a kid huddled around the B/W television I was always amazed at seeing the Sheik throw his fire. Alluva sudden, out of nowhere was this bright brilliant flash that seemingly came out of nowhere! I was amazed and just couldn't figure out how they did that. Here's this bruiser of a guy in the ring with nothing on but tights and a pair of boots and POOF! this "fireball" that he'd magically whip up out of thin air.Quote:
Originally Posted by goirish1966
It wasn't until years later that I found out it was flash paper- an old magician's trick. Either way, it was still amazing to see.
Steve:
Sam was an accomplished pilot. Did he offer to fly you on a trip?? Around that time period I think he was still working for Wilbur Snyder & Dick the Bruiser in Indy.
No, he didn't offer to fly me, just shook my hand. It was my one brush with greatness.
How about Killer Kolwalski and his Klaw move?
Anybody remember or know stories of local wrestling on TV in Detroit in the 1940s and 50s?
I don't remember the early days of wrestling in the Detroit area but I do recall on one occasion going to the CKLW studios in Windsor to see Big Time Wrestling! To get to the studio where wrestling was held, we walked passed the star on the door to Bill Kennedy's studio. Two shows were taped that day and Lord Layton was the host for both. During the first show a wrestler was carried off on a stretcher [[I think it was Mark Lewin) and during the second show which was taped about 30 minutes after the first show was completed , the wrestler that was carried off on the stretcher returned and said he was in the hospital for one week!
Not many people were in the studio audience but it was a very entertaining event and didn't cost us anything but our time. It was also amusing to gather at one of our homes the following week night to watch ourselves on television as part of the crowd!
I remember one guy wore an "asbestos mask" to protect against the Sheik's fire. Wonder if he has a lawsuit in store?
Wrestler Lou Klein had a gym in Allen Park. He had a ring set up outside next to the building. It was great for us kids as we would play in the ring and act like we were big time wrestlers. Sometimes Klein would come out and show us some moves.
http://www.percivalafriend.com/friend011408.htm
This stuff is so burned into my brain, using up space that could been used for something...anything...else
Leapin' Larry Chene was a regular on Motor City Wrestling, which was on WXYZ. In the 60's, Fred Wolfe was the announcer, and when he wasn't touting the upcoming Saturday night bout [[promoted by Bert Ruby), he was hawking real estate in Toltec, Arizona. Larry's big moves were the "flying scissors kick" and the "double drop kick", and his frequent tag team partner was Gentleman Jim Hadee [[who lived across the street from me when I was about 4 yrs old).
One of my favorite MCW bad guys was "Mr. X", who wore a mask and was always accompanied by his manager, "The Professor" [[or maybe it was The Prof accompanied by his manager Mr. X).
Check out Flying Scissors Kick around 1:37...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_3Pcjr74BU
I went all the way through school and graduated with a girl who trained at Lou Klein's studio. Her wrestling name was Heather Feather. She was always a very sweet person to me and my wife. I still have the graduation picture she gave me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Downriviera
[quote=Downriviera;197777]Wrestler Lou Klein had a gym in Allen Park. He had a ring set up outside next to the building. It was great for us kids as we would play in the ring and act like we were big time wrestlers. Sometimes Klein would come out and show us some moves.
http://www.percivalafriend.com/friend011408.htm[/quote] About what year was that ??
I'm guessing around 68 or 69.
The things the Sheik made people do! He truly was a legend here wasn't he? He had one heckuva gimmick and I hope he parlayed it into something huge for himself. I've heard rumors that he did very well after he quit the wrestling circuit and just passed away not that long ago. Any validity to that?Quote:
Originally Posted by Laurent
The Sheik passed away on January 18, 2003. He lived in Williamston, Michigan. His former residence has been converted into a bed & breakfast now after sitting vacant for a few years.
The Sheik never really quit the business. He continued to appear in Japan until just a few years before his death.
Real name is Edward Farhat and, according to his family, he lived the Sheik persona 24/7.
We graduated in January 1968 from Lincoln Park High. So her training was after that. I remember seeing her on TV in the 70's or maybe a little later.Quote:
Originally Posted by Downriviera
Bob Nandor comes to mind.Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve
Does anyone remember what years "Big Time Wrestling" was on Channel 9? Was Lord Layton always the host?
I remember going to WXYZ's Broadcast House with my mother, an aunt and a couple of cousins to be in the audience for for the televised wrestling show which I know now was Motor City Wrestling. I think it was a Saturday morning taping. I know we got to watch it on TV later. It would have been around 1960.
Was Fred Wolf the host of 'Motor City Wrestling' in 1960? How long did that show run? Did "Big Time Wrestling" come in after "Motor City Wrestling" went off the air or were they both on television at about the same time??
When I was a kid I lived across the street from promoter Johnny Doyle out in Franklin. Occasionally he would take me to CKLW on Thursday nights to watch the "live" wrestling show. Dick the Bruiser was the top bad guy and Cowboy Bob Ellis among the top good guys. Sam Menacker was the announcer prior to Athol Layton taking over. That show was "Big Time Wrestling" with their Detroit shows primarily at the Olympia.
The other promotion was "Motor City Wrestling" which was taped at WXYZ. As mentioned above, Johnny Slagle was the main announcer. That promotion was owned by Burt Ruby who primarily promoted outside of Detroit. Leapin Larry Chene was the top good guy while Ricki Cortez was among the cast of villains. During those times, when secrecy or "kayfabe" was the norm, Jim Myers, a coach and athletic director at Madison High School, wrestled as "The Student" a masked villain. Outside of Detroit Myers became George "The Animal" Steele, a brawling bad guy.
Not sure about the wrestlin' shows , but I remember Fred Wolf [[e ? ) hosting a bowling show called '' Beat The Champ '' at Thunderbird Lanes [[ in Troy ? ) I think the show was about regular bowlers taking on a pro bowler [[ probably someone local)
http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=11
Wolf had a television show, "Championship Bowling," that ran from 1954-1965 and was carried in 200 cities. He was inducted into the ABC Bowling Hall of Fame in 1976.
Beat The Champ
http://www.mrbowling300.net/post?id=4759405
9606 Prest:
This is the debut show of Big Time Wrestling on Channel 9. Note that is was originally on Tuesday; in the early summer of '59 it moved to Wednesday night; then on December 10th it moved to its more remembered Thursday night slot. It Remained on Channel 9 until October of 1968 when it moved to Channel 62.
Sam Menaker, the original TV commentator, had a colorful background in wrestling, as a wrestler, manager, and TV commentator. Prior to Jim Barnett & Johnny Doyle bringing Big Time Wrestling to the Detroit area, there was a taped show on Sunday mornings, Bedlam From Boston. Sam was the commentator on this show. In the very early 1950s, he appeared as Gorgeous George's manager/second in the midwest.
Tuesday, March 3, 1959 at the CKLW channel 9 TV studios in Windsor, Canada:
1- Dick ‘the Bruiser’ Afflis vs. Jack Allen
2- Angelo Poffo vs. Jim Martin
3- Wilbur Snyder vs. Frank Brown
4- Jim Hady vs. Joe Rostoff
The Sheik fell on hard financial times and eventually lost his mini-mansion in Williamston. He did continue to work, but couldn't save the home. I went to the home around 1981 [[approx) and it was in total disrepair. There were garbage bags all over the balcony........broken windows and trash everywhere. No one lived there. Very sad to see what happened to the place. It was eventually purchased and renovated to become the above-mentioned bed and breakfast.Quote:
Originally Posted by goirish1966
I went to MSU with his niece Ida and once asked her if the stories about him being the "Sheik" 24/7 were true. Apparently there were other Ed Farhats in the family and to distinguish one from another, the kids called him Uncle Sheik.....but she told me he didn't carry his professional personality to family gatherings.
'' he didn't carry his professional personality to family gatherings. ''
Good thing for that in case he became angry at someone and decided to gnaw on their foreheads lol
Did anyone attend matches at the air-conditioned Cobo Arena? What do remember about those wrestlers? Were the prices reasonable?
My father used to take me to see the wrestling show at CKLW years ago and introduced me to Bobo Brazil, who is still my favorite wrestler, The Shiek, Lord Layton and others. It was so much better than all the hyped up WWE and other ones that on TV today.
I'm glad I got to experience wrestling at this level.....
My grandfather loved wrestling...I have so many fond memories watching wrestling with him...his favorite was Dick the Bruiser...mine favorite was The Sheik.
Looking up Edouard Carpentier's bio, I found out Walter Killer Kowalski was a native of Windsor.
I watched "Sur Le Matelas" or "On the Mat" here in Montreal as a youngster. Carpentier was a frenchman of russian and polish origin who fought in the french resistance and emigrated to Canada in the fifties. He initiated a lot of the high flying over the cables stuff that became very popular. He also brought André the Giant to North America in the seventies. I also had a lot of fun watching these guys do these incredible acrobatic moves. Local wrestlers here were the Rougeau brothers and Mad Dog Vachon. Chief Billy Two Rivers from the Mohawk reservation was big too.
Here is a great obituary for The Sheik.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/26/sports/edward-farhat-78-dies-the-sheik-of-pro-wrestling.html?scp=1&sq=obit%20for%20the%20sheik%2 0farhat&st=cse