Korby's Connections: Pro wrestling golden days included Duluth matches

Earlier this year, I read that legendary professional wrestler Pampero Firpo, the Wild Bull of the Pampas, passed away. He was nearly 90 years old and was a TV and arena wrestling star in the 1960s and 1970s.

It brought back many memories for me of airplane spins, the figure-four leglock, turnbuckles, forearm smashes, the bolo, standing dropkicks, the piledriver, the Boston Crab and other pro wrestling holds and terminology. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his given name was Juan Kachmanian. Firpo was one of my wrestling favorites.

I was 12 in March of 1967 and cognizant of more important world events but likely more worried about our chances of repeating as Cloquet Little League Baseball champs or passing the seventh grade. My older brother Harv asked me if I wanted to go to the Duluth Arena for a Sunday night wrestling match. Of course I did.

The American Wrestling Association was created by wrestling great Verne Gagne and promoter Wally Karbo and was the predominant wrestling association in the Midwest and Manitoba at the time. This was decades before the Vince McMahon leagues and the like. My brother and I were usually glued to the tube weekly watching wrestling and then we would go out in the back yard and try some of the new “moves” observed and learned.

Gagne taught self defense in the Marines during World War II, wrestled for the Gophers and was an NCAA champion and Olympian. He even played professional football for the Chicago Bears, whose owner, George Halas gave Gagne the ultimatum to play either football or wrestle, not both. He chose wrestling — figuring that he could make a better living. He was right.

Wrestling on TV in the 1960s was in black and white. There were no commercials. After each match, the winners would go backstage and grab a microphone and ever so eloquently and politely describe their upcoming matches and schedule.

One of my favorite interview characters was the “Crusher.” Reggie Lisowski (who died in 2005) always claimed to be the wrestler that made Milwaukee famous. He won the AWA championship three times — beating Gagne once — and was a six-time tag-team champion with his buddy Dick the “Bruiser.” I had to watch the Crusher recently on YouTube to see if his voice and actions were like I remembered from the 1960s. They were.

AWA announcer Rodger Kent held the mic for the Crusher interviews. Lisowski, with his gruff voice and cigar in hand, spoke of his 100-megaton arms, barrel chest and yet small waist, and girlish figure. He talked about his training carrying beer kegs on each shoulder and running on the Milwaukee waterfront. The Crusher, per his outbursts, loved beer and “dancing with Polish barmaids on Wisconsin Avenue.” He definitely wasn’t politically correct by today’s standards. These wrestlers weren’t just talk, however, for Verne Gagne said the Crusher could bench press 600 pounds, which is pretty substantial considering that the world record today is 885 pounds.

Many famous professional wrestlers visited the Twin Ports, even future Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura.

When we (Tom Autio, my brother and I) arrived at the Duluth Arena main floor, there was a cacophony of noise. You could hardly hear ring announcer Harvey Solon addressing the crowd of 2,500 attendees. It was “tag team” night, and preliminary matches included women wrestlers — observers could tell which team was going to win; the ones not dressed in black — and “midget” wrestlers. Then came the AWA World Tag Team Championship.

First to be introduced were the defending champions. To the jeers, screams, and boos of fans from ages 9 to 99, Solon introduced “Handsome” Harley Race and “Pretty Boy” Larry Hennig. They were the heels that used unscrupulous tactics to defeat their foes. The challengers — who we were cheering for — were the Alaskan and Reggie Parks. They were the good guys. It was the best two out of three falls.

A little background. Hennig grew up in Minnesota, and was a state wrestling champion and gifted football player. He was offered a full scholarship to the University of Minnesota to play both sports but declined in order to raise a family and pursue professional wrestling. Later he became known as the “Axe” and had a son who wrestled professionally as well. He died in 2018. Race grew up in Missouri and was a tremendous amateur wrestler. As a youngster, he was in a tragic car accident that killed his new bride of two months and nearly him. Doctors were going to amputate his leg. With startling rehabilitation, Race got himself back into the ring. These don’t seem like bad guys do they?

Reggie Parks was raised in Canada. Famed for “iron cast” stomach muscles, Parks became more famous in later life by making championship title belts for boxing, wrestling, and other contact sports. The Alaskan, Jay York, was a big man, wearing many furs as he entered the ring to keep up his frontiersman brand. He also carried a bullwhip that he’d put in his corner, just in case.

With a lot of hoopla and excitement, both teams won a match. It came down to the last pin, with the winner claiming the title.

All I remember as a 12-year-old was that there was a lot of blood, real or not. One of the wrestlers hit another one over the head with a folding metal chair from the audience. I remember the bullwhip came out from the Alaskan’s corner to the delight of the crowd. Not sure if it was the chair, the bullwhip, or having both wrestlers in the ring at once (which was illegal), but referee Marty Miller declared that Parks and the Alaskan were disqualified. Race and Hennig retained their AWA tag team title. I went home to Cloquet somewhat disappointed but not totally surprised.

It was fun going down wrestling memory lane and I don’t think I’m going to try any more moves on my brother. The figure-four would break some legs or hips.

Cloquet's Steve Korby’s interest in writing goes back to when he was in fourth grade and editor of the Scan-Satellite school newspaper in Scanlon. Steve loves sports, especially golf. He welcomes human interest stories and tales regarding Carlton County residents, projects, history, and plans.