The Phantom of the Ring

Remembering The Professor

In this business I’ve met many a class act, from Lou Thesz to Dick Hutton to Bruno Sammartino. But there was one class act people told me about whom I never got the chance to meet. And that was Angelo Poffo. Besides being an exceptional grappler he was also an exceptional human being. From all accounts Poffo was one of the true gentlemen of the game, gracious and modest with the fans outside the ring, but also most protective of the rule of omerta. He was one of the few grapplers who took his family with him when he traveled, and thus it was no surprise that he stayed married to the same woman for 60 years. He got his two sons into the game and they also turned out to be stars who didn’t need their father to hand them numerous championship belts in order to be over with the fans. They were already over, and their careers were proof of that fact. His death on March 4th only deepened my regret at not meeting him, for he was an intelligent man, and I’ll bet he had a lot of stories to tell. Now I see him in Heaven’s Cauliflower Alley Club, sitting with Thesz, Blassie and Hutton, sharing the stories I never got to hear.

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The Phantom of the Ring

With Martin Karadagian the entertainment wasn’t limited to the ring alone. The audience also was peppered with characters that sometimes rivaled the wrestlers in the bizarreness of their gimmicks.

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The Phantom of the Ring

Phantom – The February Phannies

Having thoroughly run ECW into the ground, Vince McMahon is looking for something new to put his mark on, much like a dog marks a tree. After assumed brainstorming, he comes up with a concept that, frankly, has us baffled: NXT. The premise is that eight young rookies from developmental will be mentored by eight WWE pros. Sounds good for a mini-series, but where does it go? As for the mentors themselves, we weren’t buying the Miz mentoring Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson), figuring it either to be an angle or quickly made into an angle to correct a mistake in the plans. After all, Danielson has probably forgotten more about wrestling than the Miz will ever learn.

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The Phantom of the Ring

The Man Who Saw the Future, Part Three

It was 1970 and things were going extremely well with Karadagian. His promotion was safely in the black and there was talk of expansion perhaps to other South American countries. Channel 9 not only awarded him a new contract, but also financed three films giving him a starring or costarring role. Included among them was a feature that influenced Karadagian greatly: El Hombre Invisible Ataca (The Invisible Man Attacks).

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The Phantom of the Ring

Phantom – Jack Brisco, R.I.P.

The sudden death of Jack Brisco on February 1 left the wrestling world saddened. For many, he was the first NWA champion they grew up watching, and he was one of the last “pedigreed” champions (those with solid collegiate wrestling backgrounds) to hold a world’s championship.

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The Phantom of the Ring

Ida Mae Martinez, RIP; The January Phannies

The world of wrestling, and in particular, women’s wrestling, lost one of its pioneers when Ida Mae Martinez passed away at the age of 78. Ida was more than a pioneer, though. She was a survivor in the truest sense of the word. Nietzsche once defined the superman as a person who has overcome his existence to move to a higher way of life. Based on that, Ida fit Nietzsche’s parameters to a tee, for no one I have ever met overcame more of life, of the cards dealt to her, without becoming resentful and embittered than Ida. She bubbled with life, keeping her sense of humor and, most important, her humanity, which is a tough thing to hang onto in the world of pro wrestling.

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The Phantom of the Ring

Of course, the big news this month is the death of “Dr. Death” Steve Williams following a battle with throat cancer. An All-American in both football and wrestling at the University of Oklahoma, Williams took part in the unlimited weight class at the NCAA Wrestling tournament beginning in his sophomore year in 1979, where he placed 6th. In 1980 he placed 5th, and a year later he scored his highest finish, which was 3rd in 1981. He also played football as an offensive guard. Undrafted by the NFL, he was selected in the 1983 USFL Territorial Draft by the New Jersey Generals.

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THE PHANTOM OF THE RING

The Man Who Saw the Future, Part 2

When we last left our hero, he had taken over the Argentine promotion and was now facing he biggest challenge of his career.

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The Phantom of the Ring

From the Sublime to the Phannies

Let me begin this column by welcoming Dr. Mike Lano to our Website. Mike is not only a good friend, but also one the people I look up to as a wrestling historian. His knowledge of the history of the West Coast promotions and the Japanese scene is second to none. Couple that with his radio shows and his amazing photos and you have sort of a Renaissance Man of the wrestling scene. I loved reading his piece on the late Mike LeBell and it only confirmed in my mind that, no matter how much we think we know about wrestling, there’s always room to learn something more. The only thing I can think of that’s missing from Mike’s resume is a book of his photos. We can only hope that some clear-sighted editor rewards us with such a book.

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THE PHANTOM OF THE RING

The Man Who Saw the Future, Part 1

I recently received this news item from my good friend Mike Lano, wrestling’s premier photographer:

Juan Rafael “Levi” Rodriquez Mamani, who worked as Ghenghis Khan for Titanes en el Ring, died this week from liver cancer in Argentina.  He was 69 yrs. old.

Besides working for [the] Titanes en el Ring tv show and Lucha Fuerta in Argentina, [he was also involved with] the Super Catch promotion of Paraguay.

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