Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
Mary Jane Mull 1928
Don Duffy 1932
Mario Milano 1935
Happy Birthday:
Al Madril (77)
Kevin Von Erich (69)
Ron Simmons (68)
Tom Lawlor (43)
Dragon Lee (31)
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.
(None)
Significant Debut:
Jack Brisco 5-15-1965 at the age of 23
The Life and Career of “Pretty Boy” Doug Somers
Douglas Duane Somerson, better known to wrestling fans as “Pretty Boy” Doug Somers, embodied the gritty, blue-collar reality of professional wrestling’s territorial era. Born on September 22, 1951, in South Minneapolis, Minnesota, as the youngest of seven children to Carl and Dorothy Somerson, he grew up immersed in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) scene that dominated his hometown.  Somers did not burst onto the scene as a polished superstar; instead, he paid his dues in the most literal sense—setting up rings, taking tickets at TV tapings, driving the ring truck, and even refereeing for three years before ever stepping between the ropes. Trained primarily by Harley Race (with additional guidance from AWA legends like Verne Gagne, Larry Hennig, and Billy Robinson), he made his in-ring debut around 1971–1973, defeating Bill Bowman in Charlotte for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling.
Standing 6 feet 3 inches and weighing approximately 245 pounds, Somers was a solid, all-around technician and heel who could work with anyone. His early career (1970s through the mid-1980s) was that of a classic territorial journeyman, bouncing between NWA affiliates and independents. He wrestled in promotions including Mid-Atlantic, Georgia Championship Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, NWA Tri-State (where he won the tag team titles twice with Ron McFarlane), NWA Western States (capturing the heavyweight title once and the tag titles with Roger Kirby), Pacific Northwest Wrestling, Central States, and even touring Japan with All Japan Pro Wrestling in 1975 and 1989.  He feuded and teamed with future stars and veterans alike—facing the likes of Ric Flair, Andre the Giant, The Von Erichs, Ted DiBiase, and Ricky Morton—while honing his craft as a reliable “enhancement” talent and mid-card worker. The nickname “Pretty Boy” reportedly came from Terry Funk during his time in the Amarillo territory. Somers was never the flashiest or most charismatic figure, but he was respected as a dependable hand who could “tug at the fans’ emotions” as a villain.
Pictured: Doug Somers, Sherri Martel and Buddy Rose, AWA World Tag Team Champions
Somers’ career reached its commercial peak in the mid-1980s upon his return to the AWA. Teaming with his old Minneapolis friend “Playboy” Buddy Rose—another ring-crew veteran with whom he had grown up—under the management of the dynamic Sherri Martel, the bleached-blond duo became one of the promotion’s top heel tag teams. On May 17, 1986, Rose and Somers defeated Curt Hennig and Scott Hall via countout to win the AWA World Tag Team Championship. They held the titles for eight months, engaging in a memorable, high-profile feud with the up-and-coming Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty). Their matches, including a bloody brawl and a steel-cage blowoff on December 25, 1986, were highlights of AWA’s ESPN-era programming and helped elevate the Rockers. The team lost the belts to the Rockers on January 17, 1987. Somers later captured the AWA tag titles a second time (briefly) with Soldat Ustinov as a replacement partner after Boris Zhukov jumped to the WWF.
Managed at times by Johnny Valiant, Somers continued working singles and tags in the AWA until its decline, even facing stars like Nick Bockwinkel and the Nasty Boys.
Post-AWA, Somers’ visibility diminished but his work ethic did not. He made brief appearances in WCW (notably losing to Van Hammer at Halloween Havoc 1991) and WWF (as enhancement talent in 1992, facing Tatanka, Owen Hart, and others). He wrestled in the Global Wrestling Federation’s TV title tournament and on the independent circuit into the 2000s and 2010s, capturing titles such as the AIWF World Heavyweight Championship in 1996 and various regional belts in Georgia promotions like Universal Independent Wrestling and Southern Extreme Championship Wrestling. In 2011, he debuted for NWA Rampage, turning on his own trainee Frankie Valentine in a memorable heel angle. His final match came on July 20, 2013, in Northeast Championship Wrestling.
Away from the ring, Somers’ personal life reflected the sacrifices of the road. He was married (including a noted union with Michelle “Mike” McGuirk, daughter of NWA Tri-State promoter Leroy McGuirk, during his Oklahoma years) and had three sons; a daughter passed away young. He lived his later years around Atlanta, Georgia, and occasionally appeared at fan conventions. In 2011, Somers was among the wrestlers who joined a lawsuit against WWE seeking compensation for the use of their likenesses on DVDs and other media, citing health issues from repeated concussions and injuries. The case was ultimately decided in WWE’s favor.
Pretty Boy” Doug Somers passed away on May 16, 2017, at age 65 in Buchanan, Georgia. His death prompted tributes from peers who remembered him as a solid worker, loyal friend, and someone who truly earned every opportunity through decades of hard travel and ring time.  Though he never reached the mainstream superstardom of some contemporaries, Somers’ four-decade career—from ring boy to AWA tag champion to indie veteran—stands as a testament to the resilience and dedication that defined pro wrestling’s territorial golden age. In an industry that often celebrates the loudest and flashiest, Doug Somers proved that quiet reliability and longevity could create a legacy all their own.
One Thing I Learned About Don Duffy
He was a St. Louis-born territory veteran known as “Tiger” Don Duffy, “Dirty” Don Duffy, and masked as The Scorpion (including teaming with Jerry Lawler), appeared as himself in the 1973 wrestling documentary “Wrestling Queen”.
The film, which also featured Vivian Vachon, André the Giant, and others, offered a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into 1970s pro wrestling life through interviews and footage—giving Duffy a small but notable spot in one of the era’s few documentaries. He was a solid Gulf Coast and Tri-State hand (Gulf Coast Heavyweight champ in 1964, plus barbed-wire cage matches and later managing on the West Coast), but this cinematic cameo is a fun, lesser-highlighted piece of his résumé.
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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