Tuba City

On the Navajo Indian Reservation, Tuba City was a hot bed for pro wrestling when any of a number of different people ran there. In the earlier days, promoters liked the location because they could avoid hassles from the State Athletic Commission as they had no jurisdiction on Federal land. When the commission stopped covering wrestling, promoters still ran there as it was a guaranteed draw.

Gator Wolf ran shows there. So did Navajo Frank, Tito Montez, Cowboy Bob Yuma, David Rose and others going back to Jim Londos.

During the past efw decades the local Community Center has housed most shows.

Others who wrestled on card in one place or another within Tuba City over the decades include JT Law, Maniac Mike Gordon, Tony Bernardi, Hercules Stevenson, Jody Arnold, Don Arnold,. Cowboy Bob Ellis, Cowboy Claw, Miss Champagne, CC Starr, John Ringer, Papago Inez, Barbara Starr, Phil Sapien, Danny Medina, David Mendez, Tony Hernandez, Tom Ramirez, Flama Roja, Nano Ortega, Kurt Von Steiger, Marilyn Bender, The Comancheros, Mildred Burke, Ali Pasha, Ray Gordon, Bobby Mayne (Jaggers), El Estudiante, Seiji Yamamoto, Yashinomi Fuji, Dr. Jerry Graham, Phil Melby, Rudy Navarro, Josie Navarro, Spike Jones, Buddy Rose, Paul Harvey, Bill Melby, Jimmy Valentine, Eddie Sullivan, Count Billy Varga, Jerry Woods, Kangaroo Karson, The Medics, The Assassins, Danny Snyder, The Colorado Kid, Wally Steele, Gentleman Jerry Miller, Don Vitelli, Road Angel, Bronco Lazar, Eddie Lopez, The Golden Eagle, Bull Montana, Dirty Dick Raines, The Warlock, Ali Bey, George Drake, Ricky Waldo, Ricky Romero, Juan Garcia, Abdul Sabul, Johnny Mann, Bambi Ball, Tona Tomah, Charlie Carr, John Shane. The Monroes, Don Kent, Pancho Pico, Eduardo Lynch, Bobby Pico, Gorgeous George Jr.,Chuck Golden, Fishman, The Gunslingers, The Mask, Gorilla Ramos, Chief Golden Hawk, Crazy Horse, Killer Kane, Ron Pritchard,  Jack Frisco, Bobo Brazil, The Great  Gonzalez, The Strangler, Kenny Mayne, Stan Steinke, Karl Von Brock, Hans Steiner, Dizzy Davis, Johnny Kostas, Flama Negra, The Mortician, Flama Azul, Chuck Karbo, Chuck Hondo, Freddie Gomez, The Masked  Beauties, Lady Angel, Bestia 666, Galgatha, Carlos El Malo, Jimmy Kent, The  Mighty Jumbo, The Gorky Brothers, Tokyo Joe and Gordon Darnell.

Tales From The Rails

What does this book on railroading that i wanted to put out and did on Lulu have to do with wrestling? On the surface, not a Goddamned thing. You can order it though at http://www.lulu.com/content/7925593

The book Si huge and thick, with a ton of railroading material. It covers museums, freight and passenger service, wrecks, rail shows, static displays, amusement park trains and a load of other things.

There is also a section on the train ride at Legend City, a defunct Wild West theme park in Phoenix, on the Tempe border.

The book mentions in this section how one of the train robbers who wad there every Saturday afternoon,  sticking up the train with his gun that shot blanks, was moonlighting wrestler Phil Melby.

Well, Melby always had this greed about him and a motto of doing anything for money.

In knowing what I knwo about him, I am surprised he didn't rob the trains for real.

In any case, if you are a train lover, buy the book. If you are a Melby or wrestling fan, buy it anyway, as like Melby, I do love money. Any sale contributes to my general happiness.

Meet Me In October

Meet me in October.

MCW Wrestling in Alliance, Ohio, October 1 and 15. http://www.mcwpro.com for data.

Not In Our Write Minds Writing Group, Tuesday at 6:30 pm October 4, basement meeting room of the Dover Library in Diver, Ohio.

Bread Head Bakery, book fest, 12-2 pm.,  113 W. 3rd, Dover, Ohio. October 29.

Papago Inez

Papago Inez or Princess Inez as she was sometimes known, was married for several years to Cowboy Bob Yuma, though they eventually split up. Yuma and Tito Montez both trained her, which led to her wrestling more like a man than your typical girl grappler.

In fact, she engaged in a number of Texas Death matches with rivals, Tanya Stevens and Barbara Starr, that were as wild as any fights between men.

Unlike some of her male counterparts who played a role, she was as she proclaimed, a full blooded Native  American.

Tanya Stevens, who was one rough customer in her own right, frequently listed Inez as one of her toughest opponents ever.

Aside from singles matches, Inez also appeared with frequency in mixed tag team matches, teaming with then husband Bob Yuma or with Tito Montez. Often, Maniac Mike Gordon and varied female partners by his side served as their challengers. Though she never had a one on one match against a man, most experts felt she would have been very good at it.

Inez died from a lung infection in 2004.

Bill Kirk

He was nicknamed "Mouse Ears" in the locker room because of a prominent set of the same jutting out from his head. This stocky little villain was no laughing matter to the fans, however, who hated him with a passion. Though he had been a fan favorite in his native Canada beforehand, he quickly showed a talent for bending the rules and bodies in the Phoenix area upon his arrival in 1971.

Kirk used a piledriver to win victory after victory over his opponents, including Al Madril, Nano Ortega and Kiko Torres.   He was then launched into a feud with Danny Kroffat, a fellow Canadian who was as popular with the fans as Kirk was hated.

In early 1972, both Kroffat and Kirk headed for greener pastures. Kroffat went to California and Kirk headed for Amarillo, where he became Bill Cody.

As Cody, Kirk didn't do so well in the win department. He was given many televised  matches and undercard contracts on house shows, but seldom won. Going back to a fan favorite's role, he was cheered but lost to a whole vast of Texas area villains such as Moose Morowski, Bobby Duncum, Massio Koma and Ciclon Negro

Oddly enough,. Cody/Kirk returned to Canada after that and continued to wrestle for many years. He even teamed regularly with his former enemy, Danny Kroffat.

Playboy Buddy Rose

Playboy Buddy Rose died a while ago from a heart attack. Always one to have trouble keeping his weight down, this may or may not have contributed to his death. Upon his passing, his remains were cremated and whether they were kept by the family or scattered is anyone's guess.

Rose was a big draw in Portland's NWA, the AWA and the WWF, but never had things timed to work with these promotions when the AWA or WWF came to Phoenix.

In fact, Playboy's big hurray in Arizona came in the early 1990s, when an Independent promulgation booked him for a series of matches. Though commonly seen elsewhere as a villain, he was placed in the canny role of fan favorite here when he squared off with Colonel DeBeers.

Common sense would have had Rose booked against a local Phoenix fan favorite and DeBeers doing the same, but that was not not transpired. Oh well!

The Rose vs. DeBeers combo did not seem like a match up made in heaven, but it worked well enough.

Rest in peace, Buddy Rose.

Curiously enough,  before this ":Buddy Rose" came to fame there was another Buddy Rose active in Arizona from the late 1980s until 1995 or so. That, however, is another topic for another day.

Laveen

Laveen on the outskirts of Phoenix looks like something from a Wild West movie. When you got here you halfway expect to have to avoid stepping in cow shit and to hear Charles Bronson playing his harmonica before his climatic gunfight with Henry Fonda in Once Upon A Time In The West.

Yet a small school gym there provided much action in the 1970s through the early 1990s. A number of different offices from both Arizona and Mexico ran spot shows there.

Wrestlers who appeared there included Mr,. Southern Comfort, Convoy Bob Yuma, John Ringer, The  Lumberjacks, Danny Snyder, Hercules Stevenson, Tito Montez, Mike Gordon, Tom Ramirez, Tony Hernandez, Gran Chanoc, The UFO, Pedro El Grande, Flama Roja, Flama Azul, Indio Youngblood,, The Comancheros, Freddie Gomez, John Shane, Kurt Von Steiger, Orcida, Juan Garcia, Orca, Professor Sacorro, The Medics, Benny Mendeblis, Jody Arnold, Crazy Horse, Danny Medina, The Assassins, Chuck Karbo, Eddie Sullivan, Princess Inez, Hiram Dirt, Gran Apollo, Kiko Torres, Pepe Romero, Eddie Lopez and Los Commandos De La Muerte.

For some reason nothign has been held in thsi town or this building in quite a few years. The only question is why. It is hoed the tradition of sporadic, but grate Indy wrestling will not die in Laveen.

Well, maybe one day soon the bell will ring again in Laveen.

Perhaps a few of the numerous promotion now running in Arizona should take note.