Lord Layton's wrestling show on CKLW Television

**Downriviera** · November-08-10, 08:07 AM

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.

**daddeeo** · November-08-10, 08:42 AM

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.

**Hermod** · November-08-10, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by daddeeo

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?

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.

**Steve** · November-08-10, 10:16 AM

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?

**jefferson78** · November-08-10, 10:26 AM

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.

**lpg** · November-16-10, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by Steve

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?

Bob Nandor comes to mind.

**Wingnatic** · November-08-10, 08:43 AM

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