Mr. Universe Returns To His First Love
Article & photos by Dr. Mike Lano
It took me several years to find where in the world Earl “Mr. Universe” Maynard had disappeared to. The sixties and seventies star with the all-natural body had left the bumps and grind of the biz behind in 1976 for a blossoming acting career, most notably as the villain in the Nick Nolte/Jacqueline Bisset blockbuster The Deep, and alongside Bruce Lee in various genre thrillers and more.
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Article and photos by Dr. Mike Lano
Putting Over Cauliflower Alley Club And Beloved Gene Kiniski
By Mike Lano, CAC’s photographer
Next Monday through Thursday in Las Vegas is almost our 50th annual CAC reunion, and it promises to be the major event it always is. Just a peek at Caulifloweralleyclub.org and you’ll see the many greats who’ll be attending as well as being honored at our main event night-our awards banquet a week from tonight.
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Article & photos by Dr. Mike Lano
The Goodness In Chris Kanyon, Dead in the Sunnyside Section of New York
By Dr Mike Lano
Even though many feel desensitized when we hear about the latest far-too-young death in the biz, I’m hoping and pretty sure most still feel the sting and pain. Whatever happened to “Chris Kanyon,” whether he od’d, od’d intentionally, if he was in any mental anguish, he was one of the boys. He loved the biz. We all know he loved old-school and grew up the right way to become an actual wrestler: he’d watched countless hours of WWF, NWA, etc. growing up.
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Abraham, Martin and John (Missing Angelo Poffo)
Photos and Article By Dr. Mike Lano
It’s been a rough new decade (and even some weeks before the turn of the year) for pro wrestling legend losses. I’m still totally devastated about Jack Brisco’s sudden passing, which really hit home. He’s perhaps the classiest NWA champ post-Thesz, and that’s taking nothing away from Dory Jr., who Jack set a certain match standard with. None of us, certainly not Jerry nor Jack’s wife Jan, were prepared for that tragedy.
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L.A. Wrestle Reunion Four Convention Maybe the Best, Most Organized Ever
(random, possible unreported fun stuff)
By Mike Lano
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Memories of The Great One, Jack Brisco
Article & photos by Mike Lano
Just after losing wrestling’s greatest friend (Georgie Makropoulos), today we’ve lost its modern-day greatest athlete with those amazing amateur credentials of his that Kurt Angle told me in 2001, “blow me away. This guy was and will always be an incredible talent.”
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My radio show partner Evan Ginzburg who lived mere blocks from Georgie, came up with calling her wrestling’s Den Mother. That couldn’t be truer, as she touched everyone’s life in the business. From the top, top stars; the McMahon and Carter families more recently to nearly all fans.
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Dr. Mike Lano remembers his friend “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, who lost his long battle with cancer December29, at age 49. We here at PWDaily send our prayers and sympathies to the family and friends of Steve Williams. Watch for an upcoming history of Steve Williams from Dr. Mike Lano.
“Dr. Life” Steve Williams
May 14, 1960 – December 29, 2009
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We are proud to welcome a new columnist to the PWDigest family, Dr. Mike Lano, noted wrestling photographer and historian!
Looking Back On Lebell
Photos and Text By Dr. Mike Lano
I just received a ton of sad phone calls that my former longtime promoter boss, our area pro-wrestling promoter for the entire So. California wrestling territory, Mike LeBell passed away Tuesday afternoon, 11/24/09 at 3:50 p.m. PDT of apparent respiratory failure in Los Angeles. Mike had been hospitalized a few times this year for lung and heart problems and e-mailed me last spring that he’d been in ill health and “just didn’t feel that great.” He wasn’t able to take his daily walk the way he always said he enjoyed doing to get out in the sun.
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