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I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS YOUNG......Part One

I started watching the wrestling on channel 9 in sydney probably back in 1967 which would make me about five at the time, this was a huge part of weekends around my place cause we were a house of wrasslin fans going back to the 30's and strangely enough i was told from the start that the endings were pre-determined but the bumps were taking a tole on the wrestlers, so I guess i got smartened up real early, but it didnt let that get in the way of my enjoyment plus I had an hour to kill till the only other legitament sport in the world THE ROLLER DERBY came on, and knowing the facts about wrestling hasnt killed my passion for the wrestling game, even that arsehole kevin dunn over at WWE who wont even let the performers call it wrestling, couldnt kill my passion for wrestling.

Anyway, I guess my initial memory is of jack little standing there at ringside at a tv taping and who should pop up to be interviewed but Playboy Gary Hart and Brute Bernard, holy shit, how nuts was Bernard, Harts doing the promo and Brutes chewing on Jack Littles tie.

Australia at the time had a constant stream of top line talent showing up on our shores due to Jim Barnette owning the promotion ( yeh the WCW jim Barnette) Mark Lewin, King Curtis, Tex Mckenzie, Killer Karl Kox, Waldo Von Erich, Haystacks Calhoun, Spiros Arion, Andre (of course), Abdullah , Tiger Singh,
Cheif Billy White Wolf (AdnanAl Kassie), Angelo Mosca, J.J Dillon and World MIdget Champ Lord LittleBrook and his team of talented little men among others. Mind you we had some top talent from our own country on the circuit, Ron Miller, Larry O'Day, George Barnes, Steve Rackman, Ken Dunlop, Alan Pinfold,
Roy Heffernan, Johnny Gray, Kevin Martin, Mario Milano and one particular bloke who will be remembered by anyone who has watched old mid south /jerry lawler tapes, from Melbourne Victoria Superstar Bill Dundee he was a job guy (as most aussie talent was) who went on tour with Ron Miller and Larry O'Day to the United States and worked some mid-atlantic tv and never came home to aussie after working in memphis with lawler.

the BIG angle that i remember as would most people from that time was THE WAR...the nWo in the 90's was hot, but this angle going during the mid 70's had the the heels (mostly), unable to leave whatever hotel they were holed up in, they were getting that much heat from the local's....the manager of this mob was Big Bad John and he had a constant stream of evil bastards coming into the country attempting to take over the promotion (sound very nWo-ish dont it, methinks Bischoff been watching barnett's tape collection) some of these included Mr Fuji, Bulldog Brower, the Tojo brothers, Waldo Von Erich, Dirty Don Fargo, Killer karl kox among others and the People's Army had Mark Lewin, Spiros Arion and King Curtis as the regular members with thunderbolt patterson, tex mckenzie, sheik waddi ayoub, angelo mosca, billy white wolf and many others join the crew, HELL, they even had killer karl kox turn face and drop brower on his head with the brainbuster....this angle filled every joint it ran, for me it was either the hordern pavillion in sydney or flemington markets out near home in the suburbs....and i'm talking overflow crowds, it was that big an angle....amazing....well that will do for the moment, I shall go into more aussie stuff and i want you guys to tell me of your own early memories of wrasslin...not the current WWE crap, I want OLLLDDDDD shit...hahahah.

seeya

RECKY