Gillberg

Gillberg became famous as a spoof.

Originally a jobber under the name of Duane Gill, someone in the booking office decided if he shaved his head he would look like WCW phenomenon, Goldberg. Thus, a new character was born .

Gillberg made the same entrance as Goldberg, made the same faces as Goldberg and promptly, unlike Goldberg, got beat by everyone he faced. He even lost to women.

Yet, Gillberg got over with the fans. The satire was a hit and people actually did get into the character. It si safe to say it was so silly it was good.

Arizona fans and fans everywhere might still recall just how silly the routine was.

The angle lived beyond the WWF/WWE, as Gillberg did the routine for some time after his leaving the WWF  and working in Indy groups.

In these encounters, he was even given some wins.

Gillberg is depicted in this photo with Arizona Indy icons The Time Traveler & Rainbow.

Expanded Edition Of The Last Bell Call By Dale Pierce

Dale Pierce has released an updated and sadly expanded version of his The Last Bell Call at http://www.lulu.comcontent/8183756  that  is a virtual bible of death notice bios, burial sites or ash scattering information on deceased wrestlers. Recent additions to the book include life and death histories of a number of famous and obscure wrestlers who have passed, plus burial or cremation data.

Recent additions include Los Toros Bravos, Golden Boy Dave Hastings, Cora Combs, Buddy Rose, Adrian Adonis, John Tolos, Red Bastien, Jimmy Garcia, Freddie Gomez, John Ringer, The Lumberjack, Benny Mendeblis,  Woody Farmer, Tor Johnson, Chris Colt, Don Arnold,  Len Montana, Mike Zim, Ripper Collins, Hans Schnabel, Jackie Fargo, Guy Coffey, Bad Bill Coleman, Dick Daviscourt, David Rose, Tito Montez, Red Bastien  and more.

Other wrestlers already listed in the book include Gorgeous George, Buddy Rogers, the Von Erichs, Frank Gotch, Lou Thesz, the Grahams, Bob Brown, Mike Awesome, Public Enemy, Mildred Burke, Haystacks Calhoun, Burton Barf, Monty Ladue, Johnny Kostas, Angelo Poffo, Randy Savage, Gorilla Monsoon, Alfred Hayes, Pat O' Conner, Wahoo McDaniel, Nelson Royal, Sheik,  JC Dykes, Bootnaka,  Sandy Barr, Eddie Guerrero, Roberto Pico, Eddie Sullivan, Dick Dunn, Firpo  Zybysco, Barry Bernsten, Bob Sallee, Fred Beele, Curt Henning, Bossman, Jimmy Banks, Brian Pillman, Miss Elizabeth, Sherri Martel, Dino Bravo,  Cowboy Bob Yuma, Dory Funk Sr., Moondog Spot, Frank Hester, Bobo Brazil, Al Costello, Don Kent,  Eddie Gilbert, Louie Spicolli, Stephen Deleon, Andre, Luna and many, many more.

The Oriiginal Beautiful Bobby

While Beautiful Bobby Eaton has become accepted as the most well-known Beautiful Bobby, there was another Beautiful Bobby before him. This Bobby was a tall guy who was flamboyant in the ring, with a droll and dry voice in interviews as opposed to shouting and screaming, who could really work up a crowd.

Bobby reached his peak in the WWE/WWF, which called the WWWF back then, in the early 1970s, while managed by Abdullah Farouk/The Grand Wizard. While he was far better as a singles wrestler, he was also paired as a tag team with Blackjack Mulligan and the contrast in styles was not a true example of booking genius. They did not survive as long as expected as partners.

Bobby had exceptional matches with Pedro Morales, Jay Strongbow, Dom Denucci and others in the WWWF.

The last I heard, he was still alive and living in Ohio.

Earlier in his career, before the Beautiful Bobby creation came into being, this wrestler did make a trip to the west and had a handful of Arizona matches. At the time, he was relatively colorless and it did not stand out, losing most of his encounters in the late 1960s.

More likely than not, nobody watching back then would have expected him to rocket to main events by simply adding sunglasses, long, girlish  hair and a fancy selection of ring garb.

Critics probably thought the same decades before too, with a little known grappler known as George Wagner...who of course became Gorgeous George.

Attakullakulla Going Strong

Rod Blair, otherwise known as Chief Attakullakulla, taking his name form an obscure, but real life warrior who sided with the French in the French/Indian Wars against the colonies, is still going strong around the USA at the age of 50. He has also become a big draw in Puerto Rico, where he makes frequent trips. The characteristic pink Mohawk, the war paint and the brawling style have become quite popular with many fans.

Attakullakulla had a run in Arizona early in his career, where he appeared on the weekly Phoenix card sin the late 1980s, facing the likes of Thrillseeker Terry Zeller, Caballero Rojo, David Rose Eddie Lopez and The Special Forces.

How long he will continue on this trail is anyone's guess, though he has indicated he eventually wants to retire to Puerto Rico to open a tourist inn.

In the meantime, he continues to go strong, AS a recent Washington show in Tacoma saw him reunited with former manager, The Time Traveler, facing former Arizona opponent Ron Von Hess, who was known as Vic "Illustrated Man"Capone back then and later as Section 8.

Clearly an ageless wonder and true veteran of the profession, he is not slowing down at all.

Death Of Cindy Hicks

Cindy Hicks, the wife of wrestling writer Tim Hicks, who also did considerable referee work in Arizona and some managing as Dr. Thom Parks, passed away August 1 after a lengthy battle with a number of health issues.

Give Bobby Jaggers A Visit

If you are ever in Dunlap, Kansas, stop by the Dunlap Cemetery and give Bobby Jaggers a visit.

Bobby originally wrestled in Arizona in the early 1970s as Bobby Mayne, feuding with Chief Big Heart, Flama Roja, Rob Dupree, Kurt Von Steiger , Tito Montez and others. Using the Mayne name evidently got him in a lot of trouble when he ran into Lonnie Mayne, who did not take kindly to him claiming to be a "brother." Thus, Bobby Jaggers was born.

 

Meet Dale Pierce October 30

Meet Dale Pierce at Orca Books in downtown Olympia, Washington, October 30, signing copies of his varied wrestling books.

http://www.orcabooks.com/