May 3rd in the Tunnel:
Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
Stu Hart 1915
Lester Welch 1924
Eric Froelich 1937
Dario Romero\El Negro 1940
Happy Birthday:
(none)
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.
Ray Stevens 5-3-1996 at the age of 60
Kinji Shibuya 5-3-2010 at the age of 88
Jerry Novak 5-3-2023 at the age of 74
What Did You Read in March and April 2025?
Due to starting this feature in April and there being so man great books being released this year, I wanted to combine a couple of months to get an extra book or two in this issue. Two biographies of two of the most well known world champion professional wrestlers of all time, one from the 1930s and 40s and one synonomous with the federation he founded..
The other two books I read were unique in their individual perspectives. One written from a fandom cultivated by growing up in New York Coty and seeing their first live wrestling card in the most famous arena in the world, Madison Square Garden and having their fandom turn into media involvement from radio to the movies.. The other, written from a perspective of grwoing up on the streets, scratching out a living traveling from town to town, from wrestling office to wrestling office, working with and sometimes fighting with some of the most unusual characters you would ever meet. No one crafted or invented these characters, they were real life people who could only be found in the professional wrestling business.
I have recorded interviews with each of the authors and those will be published here in coming weeks during the month of May, so my thoughts about the books will be brief as my conversations with the authors themselves I believe you will find interesting.
Jim Londos: The Golden Greek of Professional Wrestling (Studies in Strength and Physical Culture) by Steven Johnson
*Tony Note: The author of this excellent biography of this legendary pro wrestler did something for me that Londos did for the fans who followed him and the crowds who paid to see him. He got me emotionally invested in the story. Starting with the excellent forward written by John Bradshaw Layfield through the telling of Londos' life story, I found it very difficult to put this book down and go to bed. I almost read the whole thing over an entire weekend. That is how compelling this book is, with Londos going from being a Greek immigrant to one of the Century's biggest sports superstars, I would imagine the most difficult thing for Johnson was what to leave on the cutting room floor.
Londos was a star, not only of the highest magnitude and popularity, but during the most financially troubled time in not only America's short history, but also the world's. Londos wasn't just an American star, he drew tremendous crowds on cards around the world. For me, one of the most compelling parts of the book was the contentious and cold relationship between Londos and the World's Heavyweight Champion of the time, Ed "Strangler" Lewis. The money and matches the two left on the table, mostly due to Lewis' insecurities, was immense. Following this story was one of the reasons I had trouble setting this book aside. I'll be posting my interview with Steve about the book coming up this week for free subscribers, so I hope you can catch it and you consider reading this book about one of the greatest World's Champions of all time.
Verne: Inside and Outside the Ropes by Brian Ferguson
*Tony Note: Going from one of the hottest and most notable pro wrestlers of the 1930s and 1940s, we shift to one from the 1950s and 1960s, Verne Gagne. During the late 1950s, Gagne was making a huge amount of money for a professional athlete, in excess of $150,000 per year and was for the time, a huge media star. After having a brilliant collegiate wrestling career at the University of Minnesota, Gagene turned pro and was almost instantly a star on the new medium of television. Just as was described in the Londos piece above with the relationship between Londos and the incumbant champion, Lewis, the sam kind of relationship existed between Gagne and NWA World Champion, Lou Thesz.
Also just as with Lewis and Londos, both Thesz and Gagne could hold their own, not only in worked matches, but in any shooting situation as well. Finally becoming frustrated with Thesz not putting Gagne over, not just for the title, but at all, NWA President and Chicago Promoter, Fred Kohler came to the agreement of creating an NWA United States Television Championship just for Gagne to defend on television out of the huge market of Chicago. Gagne soon became disatisfied with this arraangement as well, and made the decision to go out on his own, not just as a wrestler, but also as a businessman and promoter, putting together the American Wrestling Association with the blessing of the established NWA leadership to avoid the suspicion of monopoly in pro wrestling. The entire story is here in Ferguson's book as well as the story of a community leader, family man and more in the telling of Gagne's life.
Wrestling Rings, Blackboards & Movie Sets by Evan Ginsburg
*Tony Note: One think I can tell you about Evan is that no matter if you are reading the wonderful stories he puts forth in this book about his adventures in entertainment or if he is posting on social media, he always speaks from the heart. This is something I very much admire about Evan and something I sincerely hope comes across in my own writing here. This is very important to him. The work is personal. You can feel that when you read this book. Rather than reading a narrative about history, you almost feel as if you are flipping through the pages of a photo album or a scrapbook with a close friend. I can hear Evan's voice saying, "1974 was my first trip to the Garden and I was blown away when I first saw the Valiant brothers". Having experienced the art form far away from MSG, I did get to see the business as it was then so it was as if I was there with him. That's how fans of that era related to each other, sharing stories of the wrestling in your home area, Evan's home area was New York City and it fascinates me.
From his earliest memories through a lifetime of dedication to the sports through being a fan, hosting a radio show and being involved in the movie "The Wrestler", Evan takes us on a joy ride through his life and experiences. I also really love the way the book is laid out, just story after story. Evan told me in an interview I'll be posting soon that the book was a nice result of COVID in 2020. Being sequestered in his home during the pandemic, Evan kept himself occupied by documenting these stories and I'm so glad he did.
Raising Cain: From The Inferno to The Great Mephisto by Frankie Cain and Scott Teal
*Tony Note: I can remember some twenty five years ago when wrestling books like these were completely self-published because the belief was there was not audience for them. Now, all these years later, here I am publishing thoughts about four excellent wrestling books just four months into a year and many more yet to come in the next eight months. This is the second book from Cain and Teal covering his life and career in the wrestling business, the first one being published some three years ago. While I love all four of these books, this one is undoubtedly my favorite of the bunch simply because much of it covers the territory I grew up with with. I am thoroughly convinced everyone's favorite wrestling for the entirety of their lives is the wrestling they grew up watching as a kid. That, for me was southern territorial wrestling, particularly of the Tennessee variety. Cain was a southern wrestling veteran, working for all the offices you have heard of and some you haven't. This book is basically a transcript of a very long series of interviews between Teal and Cain.
You do not have to read the first book to enjoy the second one, however, I can't recommend both highly enough. If you read one, you'll want to read the other. As someone who grew up with very old school wrestling in the South from the 1960s through the 1980s, this book give you an insider's view of not only that, but what came in the decades before leading to the years I discovered the wonderful world of wrestling. In may ways, this book has the same mission as this newsletter.
One Thing I Learned Today About Pro Wrestling History:
Danny Hodge was a perfect 46-0 as a college wrestling star at the University of Oklahoma. He was never taken down by an opponent.
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!
Remember, paid subscribers get access to exclusive and special content such as to commemorate his induction to the WWE Hall of Fame, I'll be publishing some special issues including a multi-part career retrospective on Dory Funk, Sr, a multi-part flashback on the Georgia Championship Wrestling Territory in May 1975 including all the recorded cards for the month, some special audio and video interviews and more.