Alexander Hammerstone

Alexander Hammerstone is making a name for himself on the contemporary scene. Keep your eye out on him.

A big, muscular guy who has loads of ring presence, has the advantage where he literally
looks like a wrestler should look" in a world where so many independent guys do not, he shows impressive qualities the minute he enters the ring.

Hammerstone was trained by Hawaiian Lion.

In recent years he has had some torrid Arizona matches with Jay Garland, Chris Evans and others.

A wrestler of extreme charisma, Hammerstone will be going places.

Ben Trudell

Ben Trudell went from the undercard to the main events in Arizona in the early 1950s , Though on the surface just your average heel, he was able to really gain heat and show what he was made of when given the chance.

He was best noted for a feud with the ill-fated George Drake (Drake would later shoot himself in a  fit of depression). Trudell took the role of a snarling, rough house villain who hated "pretty boys" like the popular Drake. As he went through the course of a match and had the upper hand, he would taunt the crowd with threats of what he was next going to do to their hero. The beloved Drake, however, usually made a comeback and won.

Trudell also feuded with Johnny james of the James Brother tag team, going to several savage double disqualifications which saw them brawling throughout whatever building they were in. Phoenix and Tucson were both scenes for their slugfests. In the long run, as with Drake, James won out, but it took him some doing.

Rising from bottom to top on the cards, Trudell made a name for himself in Arizona, but with the passing of time he has sadly faded from memory.

Magnificent Maurice

Magnificent Maurice was a big star in the 1960s as essentially a Gorgeous George clone with dark hair. H looked at himself in a hand mirror as he made his way to the ring. He wore flowing capes and robes. He strutted, smirked and showed disdain for opponents and fans alike, provoking the audience to a riot pitch on many occasions. He was, in short, an outstanding heel.

Maurice made his way to Arizona at varied intervals, though he was never a regular on the cards.

He is best noted for a feud in the territory with he popular Jerry Usher, gaining a set of wins over him by cheating and setting the stage up for rematches which of course drew the angry fans back for more. The two met in phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff and several other locations, usually with Maurice sneaking by with a victory that was never fairly achieved.

"Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat," was a statement Maurice made many times on television and he lived up tot his philosophy.

He died in a plane crash many years ago, bringing his career and life to an unexpected end. The stories, however, live on.

Maurice saw big pushes in California, Ohio, Michigan and Hawaii as well. No matter where he went, he was hated by the crowd and this brought the people in, hoping to see him lose.

A few times at the Phoenix Madison Square Garden he caused security headaches, for they needed to stay totally on the ball in anticipation of fan attacks when members of the crowd took unkindly to the way he treated Jerry Usher.

 

Shawn Blaze

 
  Shawn Blaze is a wrestler on the move and a mainstay in Ohio/Michigan at this writing. Long pushed as a top heel, he provokes rage where ever he appears and is usually guaranteed to pull in  an audience. In this era, where many consider wrestling to be a joke, Blaze nonetheless provokes the crowd to a near riot in most of his matches. Obnoxious, mouthy and arrogant, he oozes with the traits that make a great villain.  

The good news is Blaze is starting to travel outward. Could an Arizona/California run be in the works?

Already firmly established as a heel in the Midwest, it will be fitting to see him go to some new areas, get some added exposure and get his name pout there.

Blaze received big pushes in MEWL and MCW in Ohio in the past few years, where again, he was in the main events on a continual basis. Either on his own or with varied tag team partners such as Johnny Gunn and Tripp  Lee, he was a virtual heat magnet with the audience.

It would good to see him expand his horizons.

Books By Bill Anderson

Former Arizona wrestling star, Bill Anderson, has released a number of wrestling books, mainly photographic in nature, surrounding his career and his friends. For information on these books go to   .his page.  

Visit http:/www.bigbillanderson.net

Volkoff

Nikoli Volkoff continues to wrestle some indy shots, even now and even though he is in his 60s. he appears to just not be slowing down in spite of age.

Before he was a dreaded Russian, he was oddly enough a Mongol, with a shaved head and weird hair tassel, as part of he Mongols tag team appearing in the Ohio/Michigan area and late into the WWWF (later WWF & WWE)

As Volkoff, he again received major pushes in the WWF bad it is here that he made varied showings in Arizona in the 1980s as part of the tour the promotion set up. He was seen in Phoenix and Tucson on a number of occasions, sometimes as a single and sometimes as a partner to the Iron Sheik.

In the west, he engaged in a feud with Ivan Putski to capitalize on the solidarity disputes between Poland and Russia going on in the real world at the same time.

When he semi -retired from wrestling some years back, Volkoff went into politics in Maryland, where he makes his home. He could not completely quit, however, as still evident today by some of the cards he appears on.

I Ain't No Pig Farmer

I Ain't No Pig Farmer, by former promoter Dean Silverstone and released by Crowbar press, continues to sell well. This is a fascinating book told form a promoter's viewpoint rather than a wrestler's for a change.

Silverstone ran a successful show in Washington in the 1970s, but the thing is, he booked many wrestlers from Arizona. These people are noted at varied  lengths in his book.

The late Eddie Sullivan, an Arizona mainstay, has a big part in the book and crops up at varied times. He was evidently pushed quite well in Washington as well, and really over with the fans. There are some interesting behind the scenes tales involving him that show up in the text.

Chris Colt, the controversial icon and late super heel also plays a major role in the text. One of wrestling's most versatile perfumers, though over run by personal demons,  Colt was one of the game's top talents, but cold never manage to keep himself out of trouble. Openly gay in a straight world, heavy into drugs and always at odds with those around him, he was nonetheless one of the most under rated heels in history.

Colt made a name for himself both in Arizona and in Washington. In Arizona, he was especially known for his wild feuds with Cowboy Bob Ellis, Tito Montez, Luis Martinez, Kurt Von Steiger and Ron Pritchard.

Read about these two top wrestlers as well as many other sin a fascinating and informative book.