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.