Starman

Starman, a bulky masked wrestler who could go heel or baby, depending on how the promoter wanted him to be used,  appeared in Utah, Japan, Arizona, California and Mexico in the early 1990s.

In his Arizona matches, some of Starman's opponents included Stephen de Leon, Steve Gator Wolf, Louie Spicolli, JT Law and Zodiac. His finisher was a tremendous flying elbow smash that could have made Randy Savage or Dusty Rhodes envious.

Starman was pushed big by Gator Wolf when he ran the Indian Reservations in the far north of Arizona and south of Utah, but there was no love lost between the two in the end, as Starman evidently was shafted on his pay. With Gator Wolf now in prison for sex crimes, Starman has indicated he has not forgotten the issues of old and has been blatantly running down the promoter both for his arrest and for past shortchanging on the cards where he worked. Evidently, Gator Wolf was not well-liked by his crew and the wrestlers made fun of him behind his back even then. Wrestlers never have been a forgiving lot.

The cartoon on the board in this picture, though hard to see, offers an unflattering picture of Gator Wolf drawn by the late Louie Spicolli, with quotes Gator Wolf was always spouting off. Starman points contemptuously at the photo here.

The irony is, Gator Wolf and Starman did have some very good matches.

On the other hand, Starman offers great respect for Louie Spicolli and Stephen de Leon, both of whom are deceased.

Now unmasked and retired, both from the ring and a day time job, Starman lives quietly in 
Phoenix, except when you get him going on Gator Wolf. Then, the old vocal style returns in full form.

CAC In Vegas

The annual CAC meeting in  Vegas, a massive convention of past and present wrestling personalities, takes place next week.

Interested in CAC? Drop an email for information to cacdean@hotmail.com

Last Bell Call Signings

Dale Pierce is just about cancer free and already booking several signings for The Last Bell Call, his grave site and obituary bible for pro wrestlers.

The book may also be ordered at http://www.lulu.com/shop/dale-pierce/the-last-bell-call/paperback/product-22300131.html

Bell Call will also be carried at shows for varied wrestling promotions in Washington, Oregon, Arizona and California by spring. Pierce is also planning an Ohio tour and signing session in the fall.

The book includes bios and/or cremation information on many top and not so famous stars. Among those listed are Buddy Rogers, Chris Colt, Mike Dibiase, Kurt Von Hess, Dory Funk Sr., Ricky Romero, Gorgeous George, Mike Gordon, Cowboy Bob Yuma, Wahoo McDaniel, Jack Brisco, Moolah, Mildred Burke, Jerry Graham, Randy Savage, Angelo Poffo, the Von Erichs, Gorilla Monsoon, Al Costello, Don Kent,  Dino Bravo, Elizabeth, Ripper Collins, Ron Dupree, Logger Larson, Toro Bravo, Bob Sallee, Berry Bernsten, El Santo, Frank Hickey, Eddie Graham,  Eddie Lopez, Don Arnold, Sputnik Monroe, Lou Thesz, Sheik, Bobo Brazil, Louie Spicolli, Stephen de Leon and many others.

The Many Kangaroos

The original Kangaroos consisted of Ray Hefferman and Al Costello, but ended when the former died. They were, however, one of the top tag team of their time, while managed by former Arizona mainstay, Wild Red Berry.

Then in the early 1970s, Al Costello revamped the routine, selecting another Arizona mainstay, Bulldog Don Kent as his partner and making him an instant Australian. This was an interesting thing in itself, as Costello was actually an Italian-American named Costa.

The pair had many wild feuds, mainly centered in the Midwest, where they faced Ben Justice & The Stomper on a continual basis.

The Kangaroos played their routine to the hilt, even tossing out paper boomerangs with the pictures of themselves and manager, George Cannon, on the front. Sometimes, fans kept them and sometimes fans tore them up in front of the hated trio.

Both Kent and Costello passed away in the early 1990s and the routine seemed doomed, but for a time, Al Costello & Denny Cass became The New Kangaroos, even using the same paper boomerang souvenirs to be tossed to fans.

The team lasted for a time, until Cass and Snow went their separate ways as singles wrestlers. Both are still active, but only on a limited basis.

In the 1970s and 1980s there was another Kangaroos tag team calling themselves The Royal Kangaroos, who were active in the west. The team consisted of bigger men with long hair and beards, like something fresh from the outback. They were Norman Charles and Jonathan Boyd.

Though they called themselves Sheepherders and later Bushwhackers, another tag team out of nearby New Zealand also went on to international fame, with an extended western stay early on. It would have been silly to call themselves the New Zealand Kangaroos as their country doe snot have them.

Arizona was also the location for appearances by one Kangaroo Bob Karson in the 1950s and 1960s, who worked for years as a popular fan favorite before turning into a rule breaker. He had a ;lengthy feud with Don Arnold in the Arizona/New Mexico area.

When Thesz Demolished Graham

It is no secret Dr. Jerry Graham suffered from love of booze and mental illness, yet managed to put out a long career in spite of his flaws.

If anyone might doubt his insanity, this incident proves it.

Graham was a tough enough guy, due to his size, but when he got into it with Lou Thesz before a match at the over something or another to be done in the match when the two met secretly in the back area behind the building that fans never saw, there was clearly trouble brewing.

What was supposed to be a fairly long match did not end that way.

Graham, in a moment of pure madness, reported he was going to 'shoot" on Thesz in the ring.

As the main event came to be, Thesz casually signed autographs, removed his traditional robe and towel and told Graham to go for his best  shot during instructions from the ref.

Thesz then defeated Graham in under a minute.

Jimmy Taylor

Jimmy Taylor was popular in Arizona in the 1980s, but was not active as long or as often as he could have been, due to his "real job" in law enforcement, which he preferred.

Taylor appeared in numerous singles matches, but also teamed with equally popular Billy Anderson on many evenings, facing The Lumberjacks.  This was the biggest and bloodiest feud of Taylor's career.

In the ring, he showed a rapid-moving and scientific style,  seldom resorting to brawls like his counterparts and exemplifying sportsmanship.

He could have gone much further, had he been willing to take bookings outside the Phoenix area, which he was not .

He is depicted in this photo at the far left, alongside Billy Anderson and Spike Jones.

Bill Anderson Web Page

http://www.bigbillanderson.net/