Shreveport 1980 - DiBiase vs. Orndorff - 1 Hr. Draw!

Sharing a couple of clippings from a super card held in Shreveport on August 22, 1980. The main event was a 1 hr. draw with Ted DiBiase defending the North American belt against Paul Orndorff. Also on the card was a Loser-Leaves-Town match that never happened between Buck Robley and Michael Hayes, JYD vs. the Grappler, Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts vs. Steven Little Bear and Terry Orndorff, and 3 other prelims that included Killer Kahn and Paul Ellering.

Grizzly and Sam

I wanted to share an old photo I have of Grizzly Smith and his son Sam Houston. One of my friends wrestled for a brief time in the 1980's, and she took this picture of the two at a show. I know Sam and Grizzly had some well-documented ups and downs, but this photo brings back great memories of the two. If I recall correctly, they never mentioned on Mid-South shows that the Grizzly, Sam, and Jake were even related.

Look Like Dr. X !?!

Take a look at this old advertisement from one of my 70's programs.

First Mention of Jim Ross as Referee, 1973!

I'm not sure when Jim Ross began working for Leroy McGuirk, but the first mention I have found is from these clippings from a card held in Shreveport, LA on April 16, 1973. The next card had both Ross and Grizzly Smith serving as referees in the main event.

And the winner is...

Thanks to all who entered the contest to identify the mystery wrestler in this photo. Only a few people were correct. The winner, or should I say winners are Nick of Little Rock, AR, and John of Baton Rouge, LA. They both identified the man in the photo as none other than the late, great Grizzly Smith and will each receive a cd with clippings from every card held in Shreveport in 1970. It's ironic that just a couple of days after I posted the pic and started the contest that Grizzly passed away.

Thanks to everyone for entering, and I'll be doing another contest soon.

We Are The Champions

One of my favorite parts of the old programs sold at the matches were the pages that featured all the recognized champions of the company. I wanted to share a couple of those pages. These come from a program from late 1978. Notice that Ray Candy held both the North American Heavyweight belt and the Arkansas state championship. He must have been pretty over at the time!

R.I.P. Grizzly Smith, 1932-2010

Sadly, I just read of the passing of one of my all-time favorites, Grizzly Smith. Born Aurelian Smith in Whitesboro, Texas, Smith was one-half of one of the most beloved tag teams of all time, the Kentuckians, along with Luke Brown. The father of Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Sam Houston, and "Rocking" Robin, Smith had a long career in professional wrestling. My last wrestling memories of him are as the matchmaker for "Cowboy" Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling. Wanted to share a couple of my favorite pictures. R.I.P. Griz.

Carrying On The Legacy

Here's a pic of Spoiler 2000 and me. Spoiler is a great wrestler who is carrying on the tradition of the late Don Jardine. From the claw hold to walking the ropes, Spoiler 2000 is a great mix of old school and new, and he often works with General Akbar.

Identify the Wrestler

Just for fun, thought I'd post a photo of a wrestler to see how many could identify him. If you think you know who is pictured, email me at gregwarren88@gmail.com. All correct guesses received by midnight CST on Friday, June 18 will be entered into a drawing to receive a cd of newspaper clippings for every card held in Shreveport, La. in 1970. Good luck, and I look forward to hearing from you!

R.I.P. Rocket Monroe

Just learned of the passing of Rocket Monroe, "brother" of Sputnik Monroe. Although not as well-known as Sputnik, the two formed a successful tag team throughout the south in the 1960's and early 1970's. Rocket passed away yesterday, June 7, 2010. Sputnik passed in 2006. Wanted to share a couple pics of Rocket.

Hodge-Akbar Feud

For several years Danny Hodge and Skandar Akbar feuded in the McGuirk territory. The two were tag partners for several years prior to this. I've included a couple of excerpts from some old 1970's programs that show these two and talk about the beginning of this feud. Anyone have any memories to share of this?