Billy Goelz and other 50s finds

[ohtani's jacket]

Hans Hermann vs Yukon Eric (NWA Chicago, 10/22/1954)

This was a fun comedy match. Hans Hermann was making his TV debut in the territory and they worked some amusing test of strength spots. Nobody will ever confuse Yukon Eric with being a great wrestler, but he's the type of guy who grows on you and becomes one of the cast of characters in 1950s wrestling. Fun match with a neat bear hug submission. I love how old school submissions like the sleeper hold or bear hug are taken so seriously in the 50s. The urgency with which they're applied is in stark contrast to the mid-match rest holds they'd turn into. 

[ohtani's jacket]

Tommy Martindale vs Mitsu Arakawa (NWA Chicago, 10/22/1954)

I don't remember seeing Tommy Martindale before. Arakawa is part of the lineage of American-born Japanese heels, but he uses a lot more holds than his predecessors and is almost like a proto version of Hiro Matsuda ("almost" -- don't get too excited.) His gimmick in the territories was that he was a Hiroshima survivor hellbent on vengeance against Americans. That was never gonna fly on Chicago TV in 1954 so this is mainly a straight up wrestling bout. 

[ohtani's jacket]

Bobby Bruns vs Benito Gardini (NWA Chicago, 04/28/1950)

Gardini was a fun comedy worker, though his matches do encourage Russ Davis to do some of his most annoying commentary. He keeps slipping between a Mexican and Italian accent for some reason.

Karl Johnson vs Chief Brave Wolf (1930s) (I think)

I'm pretty sure this is from the 50s as I've seen this venue before in other Californian matches. This was a two-out-of-three falls match but for some reason they taped each fall as an individual match. Makes you wonder how often they did that. Not the most exciting bout in the world and the finish is missing. 

[ohtani's jacket]

Hans Schmidt vs Zack Malkov (NWA Chicago, 1950s)

This was already out there.

Benito Gardini & Al Williams vs Cyclone Anaya & Walter Palmer (NWA Chicago, 05/26/1950)

I had forgotten how shocking Al Williams' tattoos were for this era. It's kind of like when you see guys with long hair and sideburns. Not a lot happens in this match, but I can totally see Gardini becoming Matt D's favorite 50s comedy worker. He reminds me of Porky at times. He does this great spot where he's desperately trying to stretch over the ropes to make a tag and ends up bouncing up and down on the ropes. And the comical interactions between Gardini and Williams are more entertaining than the match itself. 

[ohtani's jacket]

Bud Curtis vs Alex Kasaboski (NWA Los Angeles, 01/29/1951)

This was a fun scrap. Once the "Hoosier Hotshot" Bud Curtis got going it was exciting stuff. I love how Jack Little calls a snapmare like it's the most thrilling move ever invented. 

Andre Drapp vs The Bushman (NWA Los Angeles, 01/29/1951)

Andre Drapp looked fantastic in this match. Jack Little says that promoter Johnny Doyle has been touting Drapp was a future world champion. Makes me wonder how successful Drapp could have been if he'd remained in the States. He certainly looked like world champ material. The Bushman is an interesting cat. Little says that he comes from some Northern Amazon tribe where the men wear their hair in afros to represent the rays of the sun. Bushman used to do an Elephant Boy gimmick. There's a great picture of him atop an actual elephant:

The Bushman had a strong Inca Peruano vibe to me, though not as technically polished. Really good bout. Drapp was fabulous. 

[ohtani's jacket]

Vic Christy vs Great Togo (NWA Los Angeles, 08/27/1951)

This was a clip of the last five minutes. Togo remains my favorite of the Japanese heels. 

Duke Keomuka vs Blackie Guzman (Southwest Sports, 1952) 

This was already uploaded with a better film transfer. 

Cowboy Karlson & Billy Varga vs Duke Keomuka & Wild Red Berry NO SOUND (Southwest Sports, 1952)

Probably one for the completists as there's no sound. I haven't gotten a firm grasp on 50s Texas wrestling yet but there wasn't anything that stood out that was different from the other territories. 

[ohtani's jacket]

Super Swedish Angel vs Tom Renesto (NWA Los Angeles, 1951)

This was a bit of a find by Loss as Super Swedish Angel is none other than Tor Johnson, the Swedish wrestler who starred in the Ed Wood films Bride of the Monster and Plan 9 from Outer Space. You may remember that George "the Animal" Steele played the role of Johnson in the Tim Burton film. I believe this is the only footage we have of him wrestling. He's not very good. In fact, it's about as close to B-film wrestling as it gets. Some people may get a kick out of Johnson, however, especially if you're a fan of Ed Wood movies. Renesto went on to greater fame as one half of the original Assassins with Jody Hamilton. 

[ohtani's jacket]

Lord James Blears & Dave Levin vs Tony Morelli & Angelo Cistoldi (NWA Los Angeles, 02/05/1951)

Already in circulation, but you should watch all the Blears you can find.

Bill Melby vs Sonny Myers (NWA Chicago, 01/16/1953)

This match was uploaded 15 years ago, but I noticed that Loss' version is significantly longer. We now have around 10 minutes extra footage of a 30 minute draw. Very good match. 

 

 

[ohtani's jacket]

Warren Bockwinkel vs Billy Varga (05/19/1953, NWA Los Angeles)

This has been in circulation for years, but you should definitely check out the old man if you're a fan of Nick.

Harry Monte & Farmer Spatts vs Billy Curtis & Cowboy Clatt (NWA Los Angeles, 05/23/1953)

This was a fun midgets match. It was presented with about as much respect as was possible at the time and most of the humorous stuff was playful. They played up the speed and quickness of the wrestlers and there were a number of fun exchanges.