August 12th in the Time Tunnel:
Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
Karol Kalmikoff 1912
Rikki Starr 1931
Koji Kitao 1963
Happy Birthday:
Terry Taylor (70)
Juan Barron\Dr. Wagner Jr (60)
Jonathan Coachman (52)
RIP Memorial: We stop & remember those who have passed on this day and gave themselves to the business for us, the fans. We salute you and thank you.
"Killer" Buddy Austin 8-12-1981 at the age of 52
Gladys "Killem" Gillem 8-12-2009 at the age of 89
Karl Von Hess 8-12-2009 at the age of 90
Dominic DeNucci 8-12-2021 at the age of 89
53-Year Flashback:
8-12-1972 Pampiero Firpo defeated Bobo Brazil (ch) to win the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan.
Bobo Brazil had come a long way from a cotton farm in Arkansas where he was born and raised in the 1920s to being one of the major headlining acts at Cobo Hall in Detroit, among other pro wrestling buildings by 1972. Recruited into the business by "Jumpin" Joe Savoldi, where Brazil paid his dues the way a lot of young pro wrestlers did in those days, hauling the ring from town to town and setting it up at spot shows. His debut match was on March 29th, 1948, in Benton Harbor, Michigan, where he went to a 30-minute draw with Armand Myers. Brazil was never regulated to only African American matches, he was in integrated matches from the start of his career. Once wrestling was seen on television, Brazil was one of its earliest stars as he was in main event tag team matches with Whipper Billy Watson in Toronto and in California, he was tag team partners with Wilbur Snyder.
His Midwestern star really rose in Detroit, the site of today's Flashback match, when he had a huge feud with Dick the Bruiser over the US Championship in 1960. Next, he headed to New York for Vince McMahon and Willie Gilzenberg, who promoted New Jersey saw dollar signs in Brazil and set up a booking program that would damage Buddy Rogers NWA Word Title. Gilzenberg wrote Jack Pfefer and said he believed that Rogers and Brazil could draw "at least $150,000 in Yankee Stadium or the Polo Grounds." In a match in Newark, New Jersey that August, Brazil beat Rogers by count-out and won brief billing as NWA Champion to set up a big money rematch, but the NWA never recognized the title switch and undoubtedly did no good for the deteriorating NWA and Capitol Wrestling relationship over the title.
Pictured: Bobo Brazil, United States Heavyweight Champion
The Sheik is the guy he made the most magic with over the years. They had their first match in May of 1956, and they were still having the occasional match in the 1990s. Brazil was one of the few wrestlers who was ever allowed to pin The Sheik for the US Title, one of the most physical and violent was a 1971 chain match. They matched up greatly because The Sheik was violent, chaotic and crazy but Bobo Brazil brought wrestling into their matches. Even. though he was a huge man at over six foot six and 300 pounds, Bobo could sell like the heel was killing him in the ring. Some heels worried they would be too small to get any heat on Bobo, but he had a way of letting the heel get his stuff in, get the required heat and yet, not take many bumps.
This US Title program between Brazil and Firpo started back in '71 and ran into the end of the year and would also incorporate Lord Athol Layton on Brazil's side and the The Sheik on Firpo's side The US Title would go back and forth between Brazil and Firpo a couple more times this year and the ensuing years, and would lose steam, but in '72, the Detroit area was hot for these guys.
One Thing I Learned Today About Pro Wrestling History
Karl Von Hess was born in Michigan but raised in south Omaha and broken into the business and trained by Joe Dusek.
Thank You for Reading
I'm Tony Richards, Pro Wrestling Historian, Author and Storyteller. I share pro wrestling historical items in each issue of the Time Tunnel Pro Wrestling History Newsletter. Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my information on select events, matches and insights, please share it with folks you think might like to be a subscriber!
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