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Post: #366054
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This message was edited by Crimson Mask on March 06th, 2007 16:13 GMT
Quoted from: manof1000holds, March 06th, 2007 16:09 GMTQuoted from: Crimson Mask, March 06th, 2007 16:03 GMTQuoted from: manof1000holds, March 06th, 2007 15:05 GMTQuoted from: glc, March 05th, 2007 03:32 GMTI apologize in advance if this has been discussed previously, but what's the story here?
Wasn't Don the Jax promoter for CWF? Why would he start running against Graham? Don and Eddie had a falling out, and Don hooked up with Louie Tillet and Malenko to form Sunbelt. Stories vary, but the common theme seems to be that Eddie's drinking had made him increasingly difficult to deal with. Milo Steinborn, who promoted Orlando, was forced out about a year earlier than Don. According to Don the trouble started when Barnett bought in and suddenly the flow of money, and assistance with Don's amateur wrestling projects, started drying up. There were apparently also issues relating to Don's promoter's fee and that Mike was asked to help Don run Jacksonville. Maybe that's what's meant by "flow of money drying up."
Yup.
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Post: #366055
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Quoted from: Crimson Mask, March 06th, 2007 16:08 GMTQuoted from: manof1000holds, March 06th, 2007 15:22 GMTQuoted from: rbtharpe, March 04th, 2007 17:25 GMTseveral different groups ran oposition to Eddie Graham in Plant City at different times - one was Malenko's group - another was with Ron Hill - I think Louie Tillet was involved in an opposition group there at one time - this group brought a lot of young talent into the business like Buddy Landell and Cuban Assassin Fidel Sierra - Speaking of Ronnie Hill, I believe the Robert Hill referenced in this article is Ron. 1/27/81 Tampa Tribune
Professional wrestler Mike Graham interrupted a radio sports show at The Press Box lounge Tuesday night, and became involved in an altercation with a man who labeled professional wrestling a charade, police officials said.
"Mike Graham came in and there was a confrontation," Tampa police Capt. Thomas Bennett said. "We filled out an assault and battery report on it."
Police said there were no serious injuries, however, Robert Hill, the talk show guest and author of the book, "Please Don't Call It Wrestling," suffered cuts on his face, police said.
Bennett said Hill was struck during an interview with WLCY talk show host Tedd Webb. The interview with Hill, a former wrestler, was also being taped by cable TV station WPAT Channel 9 in St. Petersburg-Largo.
There were no arrests in connection with the incident.My guess is Graham scored points with the boys over this. Why the animosity towards Hill? I've read various stories about him, just about all negative. I know he did work CWF at one point, then ran opposition outlaw groups for years against them. Yeah this was Ronnie Hill, and that's why. Hill had come out with this cassette tape (never saw a 'book') trying to pull a Jim Wilson and 'expose' the business, but at the same time he was trying to put himself over as a shooter (which he had been in the last days of the AT shows when he was much younger) and on top of that run opposition. It was a gimmick. 'OUR wrestling is real' (which of course it wasn't). That's what he was going on this radio show for, to plug his tape and his next card. Eddie sent Mike over to crash the thing and kick his ass, and that's exactly what Mike did.
Since this thing was taped, somebody has to have a copy of this..right?
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Post: #366064
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FYI, Graham had worked earlier that evening at the Armory.
1/27/81 Tampa
Southern Title-Mike Graham def. Dick Slater (Graham new champion)
Florida Title-Barry Windham def. Assassin # 1-DQ.
Bugsy McGraw def. The Sheik
NWA Jr. Title-Les Thornton drew Hiro Matsuda
Jack & Jerry Brisco def. Dick Murdoch & Baron Von Raschke
Sweet Brown Sugar def. Assassin # 3
Nikolai Volkoff & Chris Markoff def. Scott McGhee & Gerald Finley
Superfly 1 def. Reggie Parks
Hans Schroeder drew Mike Davis
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Post: #366287
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This message was edited by Sir Oliver Humperdink on March 07th, 2007 05:38 GMT
Actually the radio show was on before the card in Tampa. Radio show started about 5 or 6 pm. Next time I speak to Tedd Webb, I'll ask him his recollections of the incident. The show was a remote from the Pressbox bar on Dale Mabry. I seem to remember listening to the show that evening and hearing the rukus. But yes, it did have to do with Hill shooting his mouth off about how tough he was. SOH.
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In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.
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Post: #366298
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A couple of the other boys from the card, whose names I will not mention, were parked outside the bar listening to the show on the car radio in case Mike needed any help inside. He didn't.
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Post: #366379
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iirc Graham never held the Southern title, is that result correct?
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Post: #366526
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Mike might be small but he's a man. You would never see one of these stunt wrestlers today do something like that.
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Post: #366527
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I checked my programs and there is no mention of Slater dropping the strap to Graham on this date, though he did drop it to Sweet Brown Sugar not too long after. It's either a case of thr newspaper getting it wrong or the so-called Dusty finish.
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Post: #366531
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Also on that newspaper clipping, it lists Bugsy McGraw turning back The Sheik. I don't recall Farhat doing too many clean jobs back then.
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Post: #366587
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There were a lot of guys edged out of the Florida promotion over time - Milo Steinborn in Orlando - Chris Dundee in Miami - I'm sure it had a lot to do with the fact that many local promoters were edged out over time by the big offices - Verne Gagne did the same thing when he bought out the Stechers (I think) and started the AWA - when the offices started running one central TV program - they started booking the towns themselves - so I'm sure it had everything to do with money -
Eddie supposedly pushed Cowboy Luttrall out of the way when he got too old - or did Eddie ever "buy" Cowboy's share from the old man or his daughter? Fritz Von Erich took away the Texas Booking Office from Paul Boesch when Morris Siegel died - Bill Watts in essence took Leroy McGuirk's territory away from him -
wrestling was in those days - and is presently - a cut throat business - friends backstab each other over money - positions on the card - etc - dressing room politics - best of friends one day - best of enemies the next - best of friends again the following week - such is the nature of the wrestling business -
and is the wrestling business a work - or is it really a shoot? think about and analyze that!
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Post: #366594
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Quoted from: rhodesfan, March 08th, 2007 01:12 GMTMike might be small but he's a man. You would never see one of these stunt wrestlers today do something like that.
Well, other hand, Ronnie Hill's like the same size as Mike.
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