You look elsewhere on the card, you’ve got the Fabs returning, (Keirn & Lane), as well as a big match between the Rock n Roll Express up against Randy Savage & Lanny Poffo. I could be wrong but I think this may be the match where Randy piledrove Ricky Morton on a table. Don’t forget Handsome Jimmy and the New Fabulous Ones, (Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert). Lots of big local names on the card and the attendance numbers were great as well (10,032).
What caught my eye next happened when I was remembering Eddie Gilbert. To be honest, it made me a little sad (him not being around anymore). As I looked over the card, I realized that Hawk was gone now as well. Moving down the list and there’s Rick Rude’s name. When you get to the Jim Niedhart vs Dusty Rhodes match, I had to look at the results because I didn’t remember it. Big Dust couldn’t make it and Plowboy (Stan) Frazier took his spot.
If you lost count, that’s four wrestlers on this card that are no longer with us. Out of curiosity, I jumped forward a year.
You’ll notice quickly that this card has similar results. There’s an additional 6 different wrestlers that aren’t here anymore, (Bruiser Brody, Billy Travis, Tojo Yamamoto, Lord Jonathan Boyd, Kareem Muhammad/Ray Candy & Jay Youngblood).
It’s seems that life outside the ring is harder on the boys than inside it. I was reading Downtown Bruno’s biography this past weekend, and in all the times he nearly died, (over the past 20 years), none were in the ring.
Growing up in the late 1970s, it seemed that wrestler’s deaths were few and far between. When Sam Bass died in a car wreck (1976), it was a big deal to me and my friends. Looking back today, it’s easy to see that in the past 15-20 years, things have changed, for the worse. Fewer wrestlers are reaching the age of 45. There isn’t enough space on this page to list all the young talent that left us way to soon. From injuries, to addictions, to mental issues, etc, they all are taking their toll.
I don’t have the answers, though I wish I did. If there was a way to have Eddie Gilbert still booking territories, or if I could hear Hawk say “What a rush!”, just one more time. I can only imagine the size of the smile on my face if I could see just one more kendo stick whack from Tojo. The days of old are gone, so are a lot of the boys. I miss them. They thought they were supermen and when they were in the ring they were. Outside the ring, they were just human, like all of us.
----Mark James is the author of “Memphis Wrestling History – Cards, Matches, Results, Newspaper Clippings” Vol 1 and "Vol 2: The Programs 1972 - 1976" James also is the webmaster to the BEST Memphis Wrestling site in the area – www.memphiswrestlinghistory.com - Click on his site and order his books!!
