October 20th in the Time Tunnel:
Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
Wild Red Berry 1906
Ed Sharpe 1920
Emile DuPree 1936
Gil Hayes 1939
Scott Hall 1958
Happy Birthday:
Chavo Guerrero, Sr (55)
Humberto Carillo\Ultimo Ninja (30)
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.
Ivan The Terrible 10-20-1968 at the age of 52
Ox Baker 10-20-2014 at the age of 80
Stan Kowalski 10-20-2017 at the age of 91
Bill Kersten 10-20-2017 at the age of 84
Significant Pro Wrestler Debuts
10-20-1938: Ronnie Etchison vs Abe Friedman ended in a 15-minute time limit draw at the Auditorium in St. Joseph, Missouri for Etchison’s first pro match
10-20-1979: Tom Prichard vs El Satanico II in Bryan, Texas is all the information we could find on Prichard’s first pro match for this date
50 Year Flashback
A Time Capsule Review of the Pro Wrestling Cards In the North American Wrestling Territories On This Day In Pro Wrestling History
As a regular Monday feature of The Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel’s Daily Chronicle, we crack open the Wrestling Time Capsule to do a survey of the cards, matches and performers of the decades of territory pro wrestling. This week we flashback to this Day in Pro Wrestling History, Monday October 20th, 1975.
In October 1975, professional wrestling in the United States was a vibrant, regionally fragmented industry dominated by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and other key promotions, with a mix of established stars and evolving styles. The NWA was the most influential wrestling organization, functioning as an umbrella for regional territories across the U.S. Each territory, such as Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, and Florida Championship Wrestling, operated independently but recognized a single NWA World Heavyweight Champion. In 1975, Jack Brisco was a prominent world champion.
Beyond the NWA, the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, precursor to WWE) was a major player in the Northeast, led by Vincent J. McMahon. Bruno Sammartino was the WWWF Champion, a fan favorite whose long title reigns defined the era. The American Wrestling Association (AWA), based in the Midwest and led by Verne Gagne, was another powerhouse, with Gagne himself as a top star and champion.
In 1975, the fourth and final stage of the Territory Era was beginning. Wrestling was highly regional, with promoters controlling specific geographic areas. Fans in different regions followed local stars like Dory Funk Jr., Harley Race, or Dick the Bruiser, depending on the territory. These promotions rarely overlapped, and talent exchanges between territories were common, maintaining fresh storylines.
The industry was on the cusp of change, as cable television and charismatic performers would soon transform wrestling into a national phenomenon, but in 1975, it thrived on local loyalty and gritty, believable storytelling.
Here are a few notable events in Professional Wrestling in October 1975:
10-4-1975: The plane crash in Jim Crockett Promotions. The crash happened approximately 45 minutes after takeoff, near the Wilmington Airport in New Hanover County, North Carolina (specific site: around 1200-1804 Blue Clay Road). The flight departed from Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, heading to Wilmington for a sold-out evening wrestling show at the outdoor Legion Stadium. The crash involved Ric Flair, Johnny Valentine, Tim Woods. Bob Bruggers, Owner David Crockett and Pilot Joseph Frakas. Flair’s career was nearly derailed before his “Nature Boy” persona took off—he was out for over six months and later credited the crash with changing his outlook on life and wrestling. Valentine, a multi-time champion with rivalries against legends like Bruno Sammartino and Harley Race, never wrestled full-time again. Valentine was paralyzed from the waist down; forced into retirement from in-ring competition. The Pilot, Frakas, was the only casualty, dying two months later from crash-related injuries.
10-8-1975: The syndicated wrestling program NWA World Wide Wrestling aired its first episode on U.S. television, featuring highlights from Jim Crockett Promotions in the Mid-Atlantic region. This marked an early step in expanding wrestling’s national TV footprint, showcasing stars like Ric Flair and Paul Jones.
10-13-1975: WWWF MSG House Show. A packed event at New York City’s Madison Square Garden headlined by WWWF Champion Bruno Sammartino defending against top heel Ivan Koloff, drawing over 20,000 fans. This was part of the promotion’s monthly MSG series, a cornerstone of Northeast wrestling with undercard bouts involving Dusty Rhodes and Chief Jay Strongbow.
Cards in the United States on October 20th, 1975, which was a Monday:
Championship Wrestling from Florida, Tampa, Florida Booking Office:
The Auditorium in West Palm Beach, Florida
Rick Gibson defeated Mr. Eito
Mike George defeated Roger Kirby
Billy Robinson & Tony Charles vs The Masked Superstars ended as a time limit draw
Jimmy Golden defeated Jerry Lawler
Jos LeDuc defeated Jim Dillon
Ciclon & Omar Negro (ch) defeated Larry Hennig & Bobby Duncum to retain the NWA Florida Tag Team Titles
Harley Race, King Curtis Iaukea & Bob Roop defeated Rocky Johnson, Dusty Rhodes & Mark Lewin
Georgia Championship Wrestling, Atlanta, Georgia
Bell Auditorium in Augusta, Georgia
Jerry Brisco defeated Mr. Fuji
LEs Thornton defeated Rocket Monroe
Otto Von Heller vs SD Jones ended as a time limit draw
Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr (ch) defeated Nikolai Volkoff & Brute Bernard to retain the Maco Tag Team Titles
Mr. Wrestling II defeated The Spoiler
Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling, Mobile, Alabama
National Guard Armory in Gulfport, Mississippi
The British Bulldogs (Foley/Heath) vs Ken Lucas & Tom Jones
Nick Kozak & Bob Kelly vs Duke Miller & Gorgeous George, Jr
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Charlotte, North Carolina
Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium in Fayetteville, North Carolina
The Avenger & Ron Starr defeated Doug Simers & Joe Soto
Johnny Weaver defeated Art Nelson
Swede Hanson defeated Larry Sharpe
The Spoilers defeated Wahoo McDaniel & Rufus R. Jones
The Park Center in Charlotte, North Carolina
Greg Peterson defeated Buddy Porter by DQ
Klondike Bill defeated Charlie Fulton
Steve Strong defeated Kevin Sullivan
Boris Malenko & The Missouri Mauler defeated Ken Patera & Danny Miller
Paul Jones defeated Superstar Billy Graham by DQ
Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, South Carolina
Tonny Rocco defeated Don Serrano
Michael Dubois defeated Bob Backlund
Roberto Soto & Don Kernodle defeated Bill Howard & George Harris
Ole & Gene Anderson defeated Tiger Conway, Jr & Stev Keirn
Gulas-Welch Wrestling Company, Nashville, Tennessee
Municipal Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama
Kid Chocolate vs Little Butcher
Joan Candy vs Sylvia Hackney
Joan Candy & Little Butcher vs Sylvia hackney & Kid Chocolate
Golden Hawk & john Rogers vs Tojo Yamamoto & Tommy Rich
Phil Hickerson & Dennis Condrey (ch) vs Jackie Fargo & Don Carson for the NWA united States Tag Team Championship
The Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee
Al Greene defeated Derrell Cochran
Tommy Gilbert defeated Mike Loren
Bob Armstrong (ch) defeated Buddy Rogers, Jr to retain the NWA Southern Heavyweight Title
The Interns (ch) vs Bill Dundee & Eddie Marlin ended as a no contest for the NWA Southern Tag Team Titles
Mike & Eddie Graham defeated The Mongolian Stomper & Bearcat Wright
Big Time Wrestling Company, Dallas, Texas
North Side Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas
Bruiser Blackwell defeated Abe Jacobs
Buddy Wolff defeated Red Bastien
Jose Lothario defeated Geoff Portz
Rick Martel defeated John Tolos & Hans Schroeder in a 2 on 1 Handicap Match
Peter Maivia defeated Mad Dog Vachon
Tri-States Wrestling, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Fairgrounds Pavillion in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Bob Slaughter defeated Bob Griffin
Sonny King defeated Bill Dromo
Bill Watts defeated Waldo Von Erich by DQ
Dick Murdoch & Greg Valentine defeated Killer Karl Kox & Buck Robley
Jack Brisco (ch) defeated Hiro Matsuda to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Title
NWA Vancouver Wrestling Office, Vancouver, British Columbia
PNE Gardens in Vancouver, British Columbia
Jack Ruffen vs Keith Franks ended as a time limit draw
Ivan Crnovic defeated Jack Bence
Dennis Stamp defeated Randy Morse
Dutch Savage defeated Gene Kiniski
Siegfried Stanke & Dale Lewis vs Pat & Mike Kelly ended as a DDQ
WWWF in New York City, New York
Lincoln Park Ballroom in Dartmouth, Massachusetts
Manel Miranda defeated Pete Reeves
Gene Dundee vs Pat McGuiness ended without a winner
Tony Parisi & Louis Cerdan defeated Johnny Rodz & Jack Evans
Ivan Koloff defeated Manuel Soto
Ivan Putski defeated Bugsy McGraw
In next Monday’s edition of the Daily Chronicle, we will cover the cards “On this Date” in October 1985.
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 some special issues including a multi-part deep dives on wrestling territories, wrestler bios and championship title histories, special audio and video interviews on territory pro wrestling and more available in the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel for Premium Subscribers.