History of Pro Wrestling #18 (October 1955-April 1956)

[Loss]

History of Pro Wrestling #18 (04:05:51)
Matches from October 1955-April 1956

• VERNE GAGNE vs DICK THE BRUISER (10/28/1955; NWA Chicago; 00:36:20)

• RIKIDOZAN & HAROLD SAKATA vs DARA SINGH & SYED SAIF SHAH (11/14/1955; JWA Asia Championships; 00:06:35)

• RIKIDOZAN vs DARA SINGH (11/19/1955; JWA Asia Championships; 00:03:11)
  Singh was also a famous actor, film director and politician in India, and was easily as well-known in India as Hulk Hogan in the United States, as a point of reference. He’s a world class wrestler, and it’s evident here. Lou Thesz said great things about Singh’s wrestling ability in the book Hooker.

• RIKIDOZAN & HAROLD SAKATA vs KING KONG CZAYA & TIGER JOKINDER SINGH (11/19/1955; JWA Asia Championships; 00:06:51)
  Sakata was ‘Oddjob’ in the 1964 Bond film Goldfinger.

• RIKIDOZAN vs KING KONG CZAYA (11/22/1955; JWA Asia Championships; 00:07:28)
  Rikidozan becomes the first All Asia Heavyweight Champion.

• ILIO DIPAOLO vs HANS SCHMIDT (01/06/1956; NWA Upstate; Buffalo Memorial Auditorium; 00:12:06)

• MAURICE VACHON vs LARRY MOQUIN (01/11/1956; Promotions Eddie Quinn; Montreal Forum; 00:01:11)
  Our earliest footage of the legendary Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon.

• BULL CURRY vs OVILA ASSELIN (01/11/1956; Southwest Sports; Dallas Sportatorium; 00:10:37)
  Rare appearance from Asselin outside of Montreal, where he was a mid-level mainstay. Asselin was Mr. Canada as a teenager before breaking into professional wrestling in the late 1940s.

• LOU THESZ vs HANS SCHMIDT (01/27/1956; NWA Chicago; 00:23:48)

• VERNE GAGNE vs DICK THE BRUISER (01/27/1956; NWA Chicago; 00:31:07)
  An interesting review of this match from Brock Hates Wrestling.

• WILBUR SNYDER vs MIGHTY ATLAS (01/27/1956; NWA Chicago; 00:19:03)
  Snyder was heavily debated as a Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame candidate for many years. This match works as an excellent showcase for him — a big man, but really spry and athletic.

• EDDY WIECZ & EDDY KOPARANIAN vs ANDRE BOLLET & GEORGES GUERET (02/23/1956; French Catch; 00:48:56)
  Wiecz is of course better known as the legendary EDOUARD CARPENTIER! A long match, but they cut a hard pace. Segunda Caida reviewed this (along with all the rest of this footage). Likewise, this thread at the Death Valley Driver Video Review message board has comments on this and other French match.

Ryuma Go Memorial Account @secretwrestlin1

Dropkick off the top rope into a folding pin! To reiterate, this was 1956.

January 23rd 2020

8 Retweets17 Likes

• DICK THE BRUISER vs BILL MELBY (04/06/1956; NWA Chicago; 00:24:47)
  Melby had a background in bodybuilding.

• TINY ROE vs IVAN THE TERRIBLE (04/06/1956; NWA Chicago; 00:13:51)