May 27th in the Tunnel:
Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
Jacques Rougeau 1930
Sandy Scott 1934
Happy Birthday:
Eric Bischoff (70)
Kelly Kiniski (65)
Natalya Neidhart (43)
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.
George Temple 5-27-1996 at the age of 77
Apache Bull Ramos 5-27-2006 at the age of 68
Select Time Tunnel Pro Wrestling Match Flashbacks:
65-Year Flashback: 5-27-1960: Danny Hodge vs Angelo Savoldi in a 10-round Boxing Match ended without a winner as a no contest at the Municipal Auditorium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
*Tony Note: This match was called to an end by the officials in the 5th round due to the crowd being so hot and riled that Hodge's father, William E Hodge, jumped into the ring and stabbed Savoldi with a pen knife. Savoldi was slashed across the back and required over 70 stitches to care for the wound. According to accounts by people in attendance, several men were needed to retrain the elder Hodge, who was only 11 years older than Savoldi at the time. William Hodge was jailed on a charge of assault with a dangeorous weapon. Danny Hodge and Angelo Savoldi were in a hot program over the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship and the boxing match was a special gimmick thrown in to advance the storyline of the program. As you might have guessed or known previously, family members were generally not “smartened up” in this kayfabe era.
50-Year Flashback: 5-27-1975: Ric Flair (CH) vs Paul Jones for the NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Title at Dorton Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina
*Tony Note: I don't have a lot to say about this match because we don't have the result, but I wanted to stick it in here in the newsletter to show the variety of opponents and the frequency with which he is defending this first singles title in Jim Crockett Promotions. Once Flair finished his program with Tiger Conway, Jr, his new opponents were Ken Patera and Paul Jones. The television title was just that typically in this era of pro wrestling history, it was primarily used as a television tool, but Flair and Conway Jr had brought it into the house shows, much like JJ Dillon is doing with the Florida TV Title in this same time frame. Flair defended the title a total of ten times during the month of May in 1975, besides the two opponents I mentioned, Sonny King also being in the mix and one title defense against Wahoo McDaniel as well.
50-Year Flashback: 5-17-1975: Tiger Conway, Jr defeated Jim Dillon to win the NWA Florida Television Championship at the Bayfront Center in St Petersburg, Florida
*Tony Note: Speak of the devil, huh? I had this in my notes to catch up on since I was in St Louis for the Wrestling Hall of Fame event and then traveling through the holiday weekend, but I wanted to mention this match and title change since it's lost in history as far as conversation goes. I'm not sure many fans outside the super long-term fans in Florida even know about the TV title. Dillon was an excellent champion during the mid-1970s. He had been the NWA Western States Champion in Amarillo for most of 1974, went on a tour of All Japan for the Funks at the beginning of '75 and then has been here in the Florida territory working for booker Harley Race. The cards in St Petersburg were held at the super nice Bayfront Arena just across the bay from Tampa where the town was run every Tuesday night at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory. This match was second from the top just underneath Brisco vs Race for the NWA World title and a 6-man tag with Terry Funk Eddie Graham & Dick Slater vs Bob Roop, The Stomper and Bearcat Wright. So, this match had drawing power.
One Thing I Learned Today About Pro Wrestling History:
Perro Aguayo, superstar wrestler in Mexico, made his debut in 1969.
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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