Welcome to the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Daily Chronicle. The daily habit for an injection of significant events that happened on this day and relative time frames in Pro Wrestling History
Really enjoyed todays 70 Year Flashback section, very interesting! How much of Rudy Dusek’s ouster from the New York territory was due to financial pressures versus direct manoeuvring by Toots Mondt and Vince J. McMahon?
Thanks also for plugging my Gotch piece, I appreciate that!
I was raised not very far from Sunnyside Gardens in the Woodside/Sunnyside section of Queens NYC.
I first discovered wrestling on channel 5, an independent station in NYC around 1963 when I was going on 8. My maternal grandfather took me to my first live card in Sunnyside in May of 1964. i was mesmerized. I remember some of the matches most notably Wahoo McDaniel and Chief White Owl over magnificent Maurice and Steve Stanlee and Bobo Brazil and Gorilla Monsoon fighting to a time limit draw.
Sadly my grandfather died the following Wednesday of cardiac issues.
Sunnyside Gardens was a historically old building that in addition to wrestling held regular boxing matches, the occasional roller derby and musical events. By the 60s it wasn't pretty but it held about 3500 people for wrestling. Tickets were $4 for ringside ie first three rows, $3 for the rest of the floor and $2 for bleachers which still gave a decent view. Autographs were doable if you were persistent and polite. The first wrestler who terrified me was Smasher Sloane who was bigger and meaner than I thought. bus fare to the arena was 20 cents each way.
FAST FORWARD to the fall of 1977 when I started studying at Memphis State University/the University of Memphis. Tickets at Mid South Coliseum were the same as I paid at Sunnyside except being increased by a dollar for world championship matches like Flair or Bockwinkel or the 50 wrestler battle royal. Sometimes you could meet a wrestler a few hours before the matches at a local fast food place. Also we once bought a piece of furniture from a local store so my late wife could have her picture taken with Lawler.
Michael: What great visuals and details about the sport at the time in an area I am not as intimate with, I was fascinated with the research I was doing on Eastern Sports, Dusek and Sunnyside Gardens because it was all new to me. I'd love to hear more about Smasher Sloane! I'm pretty versed in the Tennessee Territory since I grew up with it starting in 1972 when it was a huge and bit time money making territory. I know Jerry and Nick had to split up in 1977 but it did make me sad because the territory before the split was glorious.
Really enjoyed todays 70 Year Flashback section, very interesting! How much of Rudy Dusek’s ouster from the New York territory was due to financial pressures versus direct manoeuvring by Toots Mondt and Vince J. McMahon?
Thanks also for plugging my Gotch piece, I appreciate that!
Re: Dusek….it was a combination of both. I’ll write more about it as we move toward 1956.
You are welcome, I enjoy collaboration and partnership and helping push good work out there.
I'll keep an eye out in 2026 ;)
And thank you!
Your welcome…the situation will evolve as we progress this year
I was raised not very far from Sunnyside Gardens in the Woodside/Sunnyside section of Queens NYC.
I first discovered wrestling on channel 5, an independent station in NYC around 1963 when I was going on 8. My maternal grandfather took me to my first live card in Sunnyside in May of 1964. i was mesmerized. I remember some of the matches most notably Wahoo McDaniel and Chief White Owl over magnificent Maurice and Steve Stanlee and Bobo Brazil and Gorilla Monsoon fighting to a time limit draw.
Sadly my grandfather died the following Wednesday of cardiac issues.
Sunnyside Gardens was a historically old building that in addition to wrestling held regular boxing matches, the occasional roller derby and musical events. By the 60s it wasn't pretty but it held about 3500 people for wrestling. Tickets were $4 for ringside ie first three rows, $3 for the rest of the floor and $2 for bleachers which still gave a decent view. Autographs were doable if you were persistent and polite. The first wrestler who terrified me was Smasher Sloane who was bigger and meaner than I thought. bus fare to the arena was 20 cents each way.
FAST FORWARD to the fall of 1977 when I started studying at Memphis State University/the University of Memphis. Tickets at Mid South Coliseum were the same as I paid at Sunnyside except being increased by a dollar for world championship matches like Flair or Bockwinkel or the 50 wrestler battle royal. Sometimes you could meet a wrestler a few hours before the matches at a local fast food place. Also we once bought a piece of furniture from a local store so my late wife could have her picture taken with Lawler.
Michael: What great visuals and details about the sport at the time in an area I am not as intimate with, I was fascinated with the research I was doing on Eastern Sports, Dusek and Sunnyside Gardens because it was all new to me. I'd love to hear more about Smasher Sloane! I'm pretty versed in the Tennessee Territory since I grew up with it starting in 1972 when it was a huge and bit time money making territory. I know Jerry and Nick had to split up in 1977 but it did make me sad because the territory before the split was glorious.