September 14th in the Time Tunnel:
Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon 1929
Happy Birthday:
Saraoshi Kojima (55)
Penelope Ford (33)
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.
Rowdy Red Roberts 9-14-1987 at the age of 74
Otto Wanz 9-14-2017 at the age of 74
Ethel Wingo\Ethel Johnson 9-14-2018 at the age of 83
Natasha Rahme\Natasha 9-14-2021 at the age of 78
Significant Wrestler Debut
9-14-1950 Pat O'Connor made his professional wrestling debut in a 30-minute time limit draw versus Stan Mayslack at the American House in St. Paul, Minnesota
Pictured: Pat O’Connor
Pat O'Connor, a New Zealand-born amateur wrestling standout who had represented his country in the 1948 Olympics and won the national heavyweight title in 1949 and 1950, made his professional wrestling debut on September 14, 1950, at the American House in St. Paul, Minnesota. The event was promoted under the AWA (American Wrestling Association) banner by Tony Stecher, drawing an attendance of around 300.
O'Connor's debut match was against local Upper Midwest veteran Stan Mayslack (sometimes spelled Mayslack or Myslajek), a 6'2" heavyweight who had been active in regional promotions since the late 1940s. The bout ended in a 30-minute time-limit draw, showcasing O'Connor's technical prowess and stamina in his first pro-outing. The full card for the evening included:
Joe Pazandak pinned Caifson Johnson (23:00)
Pat O'Connor vs. Stan Mayslack (30:00 time-limit draw)
Cliff Hogart defeated Joe Valentino via toss out (18:00)
This debut marked the start of O'Connor's successful pro career in the Twin Cities area, where he quickly rose through the ranks under Stecher's promotion before becoming a multi-time world champion, including a reign as NWA World Heavyweight Champion from 1959 to 1961.
Buddy Rogers was Pat O'Connor's biggest rival during his NWA World Heavyweight Championship reign. Their feud culminated in the famous "Match of the Century" on June 30, 1961, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, where Rogers defeated O'Connor in a two-out-of-three-falls match to win the title. The event drew a record-breaking crowd of over 38,000 fans and generated $148,000 in ticket sales, underscoring the intensity and draw of their rivalry
Pictured: Buddy Rogers, The Original “Nature Boy”
While O'Connor had numerous title defenses against various opponents like Sonny Myers, Larry Hamilton, Johnny Valentine, Bruno Sammartino, and Yukon Eric, none matched the prominence or historical significance of his program with Rogers.
One Thing I Learned Today About Pro Wrestling History
Otto Wanz defeated Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship in August of 1982. He lost it back to Bockwinkel in one of the re-matches on October 9th, 1982, in Chicago.
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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