Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
Herb Welch 1908
Henry Harrell 1922
Haru Sasaki 1931
Masa Saito 1942
Happy Birthday:
Dory Dixon (92)
Dennis Condrey (74)
Sean Royal (65)
Ronda Rousey (39)
Saxon Huxley (38)
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.
Luis Hernandez 2-1-1972 at the age of 33
Dave Levin 2-1-2004 at the age of 90
Jack Brisco 2-1-2010 at the age of 68
Les Thornton 2-1-2019 at the age of 84
50 Year Flashback
Big Time Wrestling booked from the Dallas, Texas Office
January-March 1976 Territory Analysis
January marked a strong start to the year for Big Time Wrestling, with a focus on Dallas and Fort Worth as the core hubs. The month featured Andre the Giant and heated rivalries involving Fritz Von Erich and the Mongolian Stomper (managed by J.J. Dillon, adding a layer of managerial interference to matches).
Pictured: The Mongolian Stomper and Andre The Giant
The first card of the year on Jan 6th in Dallas opened the month with a bang, as Andre the Giant defeated the Mongolian Stomper in a clash of behemoths. This match highlighted the promotion’s ability to book “freak show” attractions to draw casual fans, while a secondary bout between Red Bastien and Mike Paidousis had no recorded result. Adding a layer to the Fritz Von Erich and Mongolian Stomper program, the next week in Dallas, Fritz Von Erich teamed with Chief Peter Maivia to defeat the Mongolian Stomper and Buddy Wolfe via count-out. Other results included Rocky Johnson over Leo Seitz, Stan Hansen defeating Rick Martel, Nick Kozak drawing with Al Madril, and Red Bastien over Don Wade. This tag match advanced the Von Erich-Stomper feud, a staple of the territory’s storytelling. On item of note is the emergence of a young star, Gino Hernandez, who faced Dale Valentine (Buddy Roberts) in Houston on January 16th. The card drew 6,000 with a main event featuring the NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Title (2-out-of-3 Falls): Mongolian Stomper defeated Fritz Von Erich (2-1) to win the title. Stomper’s victory, aided by Dillon’s interference, shocked fans and advanced the feud by stripping Fritz of his hardcore championship, portraying Stomper as an unstoppable force invading Texas turf.
The NWA World Champion, Terry Funk was in the territory to kick off his 1976 title reign. In Fort Worth on January 19th, Fritz Von Erich and Rick Martel triumphed over NWA World Champion Terry Funk and Stan Hansen in a high-profile tag team main event. Additional wins: Chief Peter Maivia over Don Wade, Mongolian Stomper over Nick Kozak, Red Bastien over Jerry Stubbs, and Al Madril over Joe Blanchard. The inclusion of Funk elevated the card, tying the territory to the national NWA narrative. The next night in Dallas, Terry Funk defeated Chief Peter Maivia in singles action. Other matches: Al Madril drew Stan Hansen, Mongolian Stomper over Rick Martel, Red Bastien over Don Wade, and Nick Kozak over Jerry Stubbs.
On January 23rd in the Sam Houston Coliseum, the card highlighted a high-profile NWA World Title defense, with Terry Funk’s reign emphasizing technical wrestling against fan-favorite Chief Peter Maivia’s power-based style. This match connected Houston to the national NWA scene, building Funk as a resilient champion amid his ongoing defenses across territories. Terry Funk (c) defeated Chief Peter Maivia to retain the title. The main event drew on Maivia’s NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship status to create a “champion vs. champion” storyline.
Usually once a month, the Dallas office would run the state capitol of Austin on a Saturday night. January 24th, NWA World Heavyweight Champion Terry Funk defended his title against Jose Lothario. Rick Martel and Stan Hansen, both very early on in their careers on January 26th in Fort Worth, Rick Martel went to a double disqualification with Stan Hansen. Rocky Johnson defeated the Mongolian Stomper via disqualification, Red Bastien over Don Wade, and Don Fargo over Jerry Stubbs, with Al Madril defeating Oki Shikina.
Pictured: NWA World Champion Terry Funk puts the spinning toe hold on Jose Lothario in Austin, Texas
The feud between Fritz Von Erich and the Mongolian Stomper (real name Archie Gouldie) was a cornerstone of Big Time Wrestling’s booking in Texas during 1976. As the promotion’s top babyface and promoter, Fritz Von Erich embodied the heroic, iron-clawed Texan patriarch, while the Stomper was portrayed as a savage, unstoppable monster heel managed by the cunning J.J. Dillon. This rivalry exemplified classic territorial wrestling storytelling: a local hero defending his turf against an invading brute, complete with managerial interference, stipulation matches, and dramatic escalations to build crowd heat and attendance. The Stomper’s gimmick involved limited promos (to maintain his “wild” persona) and a signature finisher of stomping around a downed opponent in a circle, which drew intense boos from fans.
The storyline began in late 1975 but intensified in January 1976, focusing on the Stomper’s dominance and challenges to Fritz’s status. It involved personal attacks, title implications (including the NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship held by Stomper), and alliances with other heels like Buddy Wolfe and Lord Alfred Hayes. Interference from Dillon was a recurring element, adding layers of villainy and justifying rematches. The feud spanned multiple cities in the Texas circuit—Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston—and culminated in mid-1976 with brutal stipulation bouts, after which Stomper abruptly left the territory without notice, as detailed in Dillon’s autobiography Wrestlers Are Like Seagulls.
January 30th in Houston, Stomper continued his heel dominance in a title defense, shifting the feud’s focus to local hero Jose Lothario as a proxy for Fritz. This kept the storyline alive by showing Stomper’s reign of terror extending beyond the Von Erich family. Mongolian Stomper (c) (w/ J.J. Dillon) defeated Jose Lothario (2-1) to retain the title, winning via knockout. The interference-heavy finish reinforced Dillon’s managerial villainy and set up potential rematches.
February 17th in Dallas, The Mongolian Stomper defeated Fritz Von Erich in a brass knuckles lumberjack match. As NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Champion, Stomper benefited from the no-escape stipulation, with lumberjacks (other wrestlers) ensuring the action stayed in the ring. Interference from one of the lumberjacks was implied, as Fritz rarely lost cleanly in Dallas. The brass knuckles element added brutality, aligning with Stomper’s hardcore style. Post-match, Fritz sold injury or outrage, fueling TV promos for rematches.
In Houston on February 29th, 1976, A leap-year Sunday show (unusual for the territory’s Friday circuit) featured another NWA World Title defense, pitting Funk against the athletic Rocky Johnson. This match highlighted Johnson’s rising star power, with promos framing it as a test of Funk’s endurance against a younger, faster challenger.
On March 2nd in Dallas, Fritz Von Erich defeated Dory Funk Jr., a technical master and former NWA champion. Chief Peter Maivia and Chris Taylor over the Mongolian Stomper and Number One, Rocky Johnson over Don Fargo, Bob Sweetan over Oki Shikina, and Stan Hansen drawing with Francisco Flores. This victory over Dory positioned Fritz as a top contender, teasing a shot at Terry Funk’s title. The Sam Houston Coliseum would see the return of Ernie “The Big Cat” Ladd, who had been challenging Bruno Sammartino in the WWWF and had worked some for the outlaw, IWA group in 1975. Ladd, who was a long-time favorite in Houston, wrestled a bear match, defeating Ben The Wrestling Bear. He also defeated one the 1970s biggest heels, Professor Toru Tanaka. Another popular wrestler making his return to Houston, Mil Mascaras had a challenge from another masked wrestler, The Spoiler (Don Jardine).
While the talent was booked from the Dallas office during this period, Houston was promoted by Paul Boesch and often drew crowds of 5,000-8,000 fans, featuring a mix of local Texas talent, traveling stars, and championship defenses. The Von Erich-Stomper feud spilled into Houston with key title matches, building on the rivalry’s themes of the heroic Texan (Fritz) versus the monstrous invader (Stomper, managed by J.J. Dillon). Other storylines included defenses of the NWA World Heavyweight Title by Terry Funk, emphasizing his gritty Amarillo roots against local heroes, and mid-card feuds highlighting athleticism and international matches.
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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Great breakdown of the Von Erich-Stomper storyline. The way territorial wrestling used regional championships like the Texas Brass Knuckles Title to build long-term heat was so effective compared to the quick title changes today. I grew up watching some of these old tapes, and th physicality of those stipluation matches actually meant something because they werent just thrown out every week. The managerial interference from J.J. Dillon really elevated the whole program.