Wrestlemania

Does the name “Gorgeous George” mean anything to you?  Or how about “Sailor Art Thomas,” “Sweet Daddy Siki,” or “Bruno Sammartino?”

Can you recite “The Crusher Golden Rule?”

(Answer: Do Unto Others- Before They Can Do It To You.)

If all this brings a smile to your face and a shiver up and down your spine, congratulations!

You remember the Golden Age of television wrestling.

I know.  I know.  These days, the average wrestler on the main roster of the WWE makes $500,000, while their top performers make well into seven figures.

But these new superstars are just…I don’t know… too wholesome or too fit or something.  They somehow pale in comparison with the colorful, gritty guys who twelve-year-old me and my eight year old brother used to thrill to on Saturday nights.

All in glorious, grainy black and white.

Take a look.

Let’s start with the Liberace of Wrestling.  The man who made wrestling the perfect spectacle for early tv viewing.

Gorgeous George.

Ah.  Those were the good old days.  Even us dopey kids knew the violence was fake.  (Much like The Three Stooges- another fave on our Sentinel tv set.)

This was the Eisenhower, Pleasantville era when no one had ever heard of the term”roid rage” and Mom and Dad were coming home by 11:30 and all would be well.

Now let’s turn our set back to the past and watch some of these terrific guys in action.

Wasn’t that awesome?

Or how about these two wonderboys of the wrestling ring in a tag team match?

Reggie Lisowski- aka The Crusher- grew up in Milwaukee where he played high school football. He started wrestling during his stint in the Army during World War II.

After the war, he wrestled several times a week around Chicago while working as a bricklayer during the day to makes ends meet.

He joined Vern Gagne’s AWA circuit in 1963 and went on to win three World Championships and five Tag Team Championships- several with his long-time partner, Dick the Bruiser.

And remember The Destroyer?  Watch as his very cool inverted “airplane spin” devastates his opponent. (Sorry about no audio.)

And talk about signature moves.  Who didn’t thrill to the famous “coco butt” of Bobo Brazil?

Here’s another classic move.  The knee drop!

Watch as Harley Race executes it perfectly.  (Sorry no sound again.  But you can imagine the crowd cheering.)

Well, I think I hear Mom and Dad pulling in the driveway.  I better shut off the tv and get to bed.

But I think I’ll let The Crusher have the final say on the whole matter.

See you next week for Roller Derby?