October 22nd in the Time Tunnel:
Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
William Demetral 1886
Tom Jones 1939
Pedro Morales 1942
Allan Coage\Bad News Brown 1943
Happy Birthday:
Bill Apter (80)
Pork Chop Cash (78)
D’Lo Brown (52)
Kira Forester\Taya Valkyrie (42)
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.
Tom Packs 10-22-1964 at the age of 70
Reggie “Crusher” Lisowski 10-22-2005 at the age of 79
Significant Wrestler Debut
10-22-1973: Bob Backlund vs Ron Starr at the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana in Backlund’s debut
Backlund’s debut opponent was Ron Starr, a fellow rookie at the time who would later go on to have a solid career in various NWA territories, Japan, Puerto Rico, and Canada, including winning the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship twice. The match result isn’t documented in available records—likely due to it being a low-card opener in a regional promotion—but Backlund described it as a rough outing where he felt completely lost. He got tangled in the ropes entering the ring, struggled to follow the flow, and drew laughs from the sparse crowd on multiple occasions.
Contextually, this debut came amid harsh early career conditions for Backlund. As a clean-cut babyface rookie, he was paying his dues in the southern U.S. territory system, often opening shows and facing “marks” (local fans pulled from the crowd) in unadvertised pre-match bouts to prove wrestling’s legitimacy. The Tri-State area (covering Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana) was run by promoter Leroy McGuirk and booker Grizzly Smith. Backlund traveled alone in his beat-up 1968 Chevy Impala, living out of his car due to minimal pay— he earned just $5 for this debut match, far less than expected, forcing him to sleep in parking lots and subsist on canned tuna. He credited his positive mental attitude and Sharkey’s advice for persevering through the heat, isolation, and doubts about his career choice. This period marked “rock bottom” for him, but it built toward better opportunities, including a connection with Terry Funk that led to work in Amarillo, Texas.
One Thing I Learned Today About Pro Wrestling History
Speculation often was that perhaps Bob Backlund would be in line for an NWA World Title run down the road as he held the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship for several months in 1976.
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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