May 22 in the Tunnel:
Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
The Great Gama 1878
Eddie Quinn 1906
Don Curtis 1927
Roberto Cruz\El Solitario 1946
Brian Pillman 1962
Happy Birthday:
Scott Putski (59)
Ciclope\Halloween (54)
Traci Brooks (50)
Bryan Danielson (44)
Joe Coffey (37)
Santana Garrett (37)
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.
The Great Gama 5-22-1963 at the age of 83
George Zaharias 5-22-1984 at the age of 76
Peggy Lee Leather 5-22-2023 at the age of 64
Select Time Tunnel Pro Wrestling Match Flashbacks:
40-Year Championship Change Flashback
5-22-1985: The Nightmare (Randy Colley) defeated Terry Taylor (CH) to win the North American Heavyweight Championship at the Irish McNeil Boys Club in Shreveport, Louisiana
*Tony Note: This match, title change and angle is available on YouTube. The match involves Ric Flair and Eddie Gilbert at ringside and is used to further the program and building the match between Taylor and Flair for the NWA World Title at the Superdome show. After the referee is distracted, Flair hands an object to Colley who clocks Taylor with it in the side of the head to knock him cold. Colley covers him when the referee comes back who counts three and gives the title to Colley.
Even though the Nightmare was given the title and a little push here, it seemed out of place to me and not in rhythm with I’d come to expect and experience with Mid-South wrestling. After the phenomenal year in 1984, it seemd like 1985 never really got into a groove until toward the end of the year. In my mind, as a heel, he just didn’t come across at the level of DiBiase, Williams, Duggan, Kamala or Murdoch. Perhaps Watts logic was to use this title reign as a way to elevate him, but he must have changed his mind about it based on happenings later this year.
One Thing I Learned Today About Pro Wrestling History:
Big Bill Miller, one of the biggest stars of the 1950s and 1960s era, was an actual real doctor. Sometimes he was billed as “Dr Bill Miller” due to his legitimate degree from veterniary medicine from Ohio State University.
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 deep bio issue on this year’s WWE Hall of Fame Legacy Inductees, Dory Funk, Senior, Kamala the Ugandan Giant and Ivan Koloff and 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.