Bobby Heenan

Bobby Heenan was a veteran when he first drifted into Arizona in 1984, when Gagne made a failed attempt to open up the state to his brand of wrestling, The fact the AWA did not last in Phoenix had nothing to do with the performance of the wrestlers or in the case of Heenan, a manager, but the overhead Gagne was incorrect in  calculating, He spent more money than he made in trying or run the area. As such he lost his ass.

The television tapes and live shows, for what little time they lasted, did help Heenan to get his name known in the area where before, he was familiar only to fans who read the magazines.

In the past, Arizona had a reputation for riotous fans and a sometimes dangerous area for managers. In the past I recall causing a riot or two myself. Sam Bass, Johnny Mann, Ron Dupree and The Mortician did the same. Heenan seemed to know this or was perhaps warned for in his AWA run he would not get anywhere near the fans. Whenever he left the locker room and was not at ringside, he stood in a darkened corner of the arena, nervously smoking and studying the onlookers form the distance. Security was always close at hand when he was out in front of the audience and there was always someone watching  his back.

Heenan of course generated a great eal of heat from the audience. He was one of the most controversial figures and a top draw for the AWA in their Arizona stay. He may well have overshadowed the actual wrestlers on the cards.

During his WCW and WWF runs, Heenan would return to Arizona as a manager or as a commentator, but not with the consistency of before. Even though the nature of the game had changed, he was still very wary of  the audience or so it seemed. He seldom got close to fans or autograph seekers and rarely attended after parties or the hotel bar.

In latter years, Heenan would fight and beat throat cancer. He would also write a book about his exploits.

Bobby Heenan remains one of the all-time greats among wrestling managers and this no one will deny.

Andres Carpentier

Though he was not as bad as Tony Santos or Jack Peffer in the eastern states, who made a fortune by using wrestlers with sound alike names such as BUMMY Rogers, Bruno SaNMartino and HOBO Brazil, Ernie Muhammad would use in now and again for either humor or to try to boost the gate.

Late in his run, Ernie had a Gene Viniski and a Jack Frisco to simulate a Kiniski and a Brisco.

Earlier in his promotional efforts in the 1960s, he brought in one Andres Carpentier, as a cousin to the more famous Ed Carpentier.

Andres was no relation to Ed Carpentier. In fact Ed Carpentier was not a Carpentier himself, as this was a false name too.

Like his more famous "cousin" who had made a name for himself feuding around the globe with Killer  Kowalski and Hans Schmidt, this member of the "family" did the expected dropkicks and high-flying moves the fans expected from someone from that bloodline. They, of course, never questioend anything.

Andres stayed until he grew stale with the public and moved on.

I have no idea who he really was.

Dory Funk Sr.

Dory Funk Sr. made his first run through Arizona in the late 1950s as he migrated between Texas and other states. Some of the people he met in Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma or in smaller spot towns were Don Curtis, El Diablo, Rip Rogers (Eddie Graham), Juan Humberto, Don Arnold and Brute Bemis.

Even in this part of his career, he was already known for the development of the spinning toe hold, which forced many into submission. His sons Terry and Dory Jr. would also use the hold as part of a family tradition, the latter of whom forced Gene  Kiniski into submission to win the World title.

While Dory St, remained part of the NWA office for years, from his Amarillo however, he never won their World championship, though Terry and Dory both did.

Dory Sr. didn't win any major titles in his Arizona run, though he had shots at the North American and Arizona crowns.

Back in Amarillo, however, he did lay claim to a bizarre title of sorts when he was branded the World Texas Death Match Championship for his reputed survival of over 200 such anything goes/marathon matches. 

This led to his final Arizona run in 1971, when Rod Fenton started promoting shows (also the aging Fenton's  last hurray).

In February of 1972, he faced rival Ciclon Negro in a grueling Texas Death Match in Phoenix at the Travel Lodge (later Celebrity) Theater. Dory retained his "title" so to speak, by eventually defeating the Venezuelan villain. The two traded numerous falls and were both covered with blood before the thing ended, Funk was the last man standing and declared the winner, with Negro sprawled out on the arena floor, unable to go on.

A few years after that, Funk died from a sudden heart attack on his ranch.

Terry Funk

Terry Funk first made regular runs into  Arizona in the 1970s when Rod Fenton was working in onjunction with the Arizona office and even when he was not booked on actual cards, he became a familiar face due to Fenton's use of Amarillo television tapes.

Funk returned to Phoenix when The Sheik ran a set of shows in 1973. He saw himself in an odd combo of events, teaming with Fred Curry to take on Kurt Von Hess and Karl Von Shotz.

Funk likewise saw action in Arizoan during his stint as a rulebreaker for the WWF.

Amazingly, it was his father Dory and his brother Dory Jr who proved to be bigger attractions in Arizona, as well as more regular visitors.

Dory Sr. had a lengthy Arizoan run in the late 1950s and returned for Fenton in 1971-1972. Dory Jr was a regular both for Fenton and The Sheik, as well as other promtoers. It might be kinder NOT the dwell upon his WWF run as Hoss Funk.

The whole sitaution seems more peculiar for in the mainstream, in all other parts of the world, Terry's name and reputation domiante, but in Arizona he was overshadowed by his other family members.

Charlie Kalani

Early in his career, a happy Hawaiian wrestler had various matches in Arizona, facing the likes of Don Arnold, John Tolos and Brute Bemis. He would later establish a home base in California, change his name and become the terror of the ring, without giving Arizona much more notice.

The popular Hawaiian would change his nationality to Japanese, give an evil leer, throw salt in the eyes of his opponents and take the world by storm.

He would hold part of the World Tag Team title in the WWF.

He would feud with Pedro Morales, Gorilla Monsoon, Bruno Sammartino and others.

He would appear in other parts oft he United States and become a top drawing card.

Prior to retirement, he would become a regular on the California cards. In fact, he would be regarded as a California institution.

He would also play in several movies.

He passed away in 2000.

Who was this man who went from being a mid-card wrestler as a Hawaiian fan favorite in Arizona to a jeered, but prosperous villain elsewhere?

Charlie Kalani in Arizona would ebcome the dreaded Professor Toru Tanaka everypalce else.

And now you know the scope of the tale.

This Saturday Night At The Akron Armory

Like my book on Lulu dealing with the Phoenix Madison Square Garden, my This Saturday Night At The Akron Armory deals with another fallen arena, this one in Akron, Ohio. The book is also available at Lulu publishing via http://www.lulu.com/content/5132784 for orders.

Though not fancy, the book tells a story no one else has bothered with and I think does the trick.

Many of the people who appeared in Akron and are mentioned in bios in this book also appeared in Arizona, including The Sheik, Don Arnold, Buddy Rogers, Lou Thesz, Ben Justice, Killer Brooks, Chris Colt, Sue Green, Primo Carnera, Haystacks Calhoun, Luis Martinez, Fred Curry, the Poffos, Cowboy Bob Ellis, Paula Kaye, Bobo Brazil, Bearcat Wright, Tony Marino, John Tolos, Lou Albano, Don Fargo, George Steele, Kurt Von Hess, Don Kent, Jerry Graham and more.

The book also offers bios fo many people who for whatever reasonm never mad eit to Arizona, but were regualrs in the oHio territory such as Johnny Powers, Tiger Jeet, Eric The Red, The Love Borthers and Gentleman Saul Weigneroff.

Rip Rogers

There was a Hustler Rip Rogers active in the 1980s and fairly over with the public, both in ICW and NWA promotions.

Long before, there was another Rip Rogers in Arizona, active in the late 1950s.

This Rip Rogers also had dyed blond hair and a strutting manner, but unlike the one from the 1980s, he didn't hustle, I suppose.

He had matches with Don Curtis, Dory Funk Sr. and others. While he was not a bad wrestler though, there was something truly exciting about him. There was a spark that was missing.

This Rip Rogers was there to fill out a space on the cards and little else.

Later, he would find that missing spark with a mere name change.

The Rip Rogers in Arizona in the 1950s was really one Eddie Gossett under a fake name.

He would adapt yet another fake name, which would stick throughout a long and glorious career.

He would become Eddie Graham.

Now you know the rest of the story.