Originally written for KayfabeMemories.com

At the onset of the 1970's the typical TV wrestling experience could include several shows depending on where you lived. Our own Ringside Wrestling, Johnny Rougeau's "Sur Le Mattelas", Stu Hart's "Stampede", Sandor Kovac's "All Star" from Vancouver, and Pedro Martinez' "Championship Wrestling" show out of Buffalo would all be part of the menu.

As was the norm in the territory days, most, if not all of our "local" guys would also be seen regularly on the telecasts out of Detroit and Cleveland and would move around the Lake Ontario/Lake Erie regions. Our show, based out of Hamilton on channel 11 was in its familiar timeslot on Saturdays with Lord Athol Layton behind the announcer's desk. Depending on the tapings, the TV would be held at the Hamilton Forum (before its demise in 1977), or the Telecentre in downtown Hamilton .

The Forum was owned for many years by Ken Soble's Maple Leaf Broadcasting who also co-owned CHCH. The station used to boast that they had Canada 's largest TV studio in the Forum. In later years they would move into the Germania Club, also in Hamilton.

Local wrestlers would combine with those from the adjacent territories to appear on the TV shows. Lou Klein would book the Detroit area workers to appear for the Tunneys in Ontario. One of the Detroit regulars Big Jim Lancaster, would appear at 12 TV tapings in 1973 and relates the atmosphere of the TV studio: "I remember the building being ice cold to where you could see the breath of the fans as they sat at ringside. It wasn't much better in the dressing rooms. The main dressing room was right where the wrestlers walked to the ring from. The Sheik was always in one room with the Tunneys and the rest of us were sent across that small aisle there or around the corner to other dressing rooms. It was so cold, wrestlers would dress to wrestle, then put their clothes back on to stay warm. Usually Jack Tunney gave out the finishes. They usually made 3 one-hour tapes. If you worked one tape, you got $50. If you worked 2 you got $75 and 3 tapes (that usually never happened) you would get $100."

In the summer of 1971, the TV landscape in the eastern part of the province would change with the addition of Grand Prix Wrestling. The legendary promotion would eventually push Rougeau out of the province and run some classic shows at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa in 1972. (see Ontario Clippings)

Within a couple of years there would be changes in the local TV scene as well. Longtime announcer Lord Layton would leave to be replaced by Sandy Hoyt. Veteran announcer Hoyt would later work at CHFI in Toronto for over 20 years after working the Hamilton Red Wings broadcasts for CHCH in the 1960's.

There would also be a shift in time for our show that caused somewhat of a dilemma for the local fans. The usual afternoon slot would change to 9.30 on a Saturday night; known nation-wide as Hockey Night In Canada, and make for some tense moments in family harmony.

On the TV tapings in 1973, Big Jim Lancaster remembers working with most of the area regulars including Dewey Robertson as The Crusader, Billy Red Lyons, The Sheik, Tiger Jeet Singh, Sweet Daddy Siki, Tony Parisi, Dan Miller, Lee Hennig, Nikita Kalmikoff, Love Brothers, Tarzan Zorro (Hans Mortier), The Beast and Tony Marino.

One of the names that stands out for him would be several meetings with one Shillelagh O'Sullivan. "Stiff as a board and hit like a rock in all the wrong places. Everybody had concerns when working with him. Could never figure out why he was being pushed." Actually O'Sullivan was a local by the name of Pat McMahon that got a bit of a push (in an attempt to tap the large Irish contingent in the city) with legendary Toronto journalist Paul Rimstead as his manager. It didn't last long and eventually "O'Sullivan" went back to his construction job in Ajax.

In those days the TV matches would use a rounds system. Big Jim remembers "Who ever was working with Sheik would be on 3rd and beat his guy in the first round. All other matches went 2 rounds unless you were working with Sheik. I always enjoyed working those final matches with as many falls as you could get. I liked being there with old pros Lee Henning and Nikita Kalmikoff."

The referees at the time would include former stars Pat Flanagan and Fred Atkins. "Atkins was the stiffest referee I ever worked with" recalls Lancaster, "I was told he worked in the ring the same way. Man, he was tough and used to push guys around a lot."

As this was the era of The Sheik, no TV show would be complete without one of his trademark bloody matches. Big Jim recalls a typical TV appearance against the Noble One. "Jobber in the ring, Sheik in, prayer, bell, lock up and to the ropes. Biting, pencil or both, jobber screams in agony. At about the two minute mark, you were allowed to punch him in the stomach then his head. He sold back into a corner and you arm whipped him into the other turnbuckle. When you went after him, it was pencil to the throat, more biting then camel clutch. He wasn't stiff to work with the entire three minutes I was in there. The camel clutch wasn't as stiff as it appeared on TV. I heard that if he didn't like you he could tighten it good."

By mid 1974 The Sheik's Big Time Wrestling (NWA) would end up replacing Championship Wrestling (NWF) on our screens. It wouldn't last long however, before it became Super Pro Wrestling which featured the Pittsburgh crew- Sammartino, Steele, Scicluna, Denucci, etc.

The Stampede show was also a big favorite in Ontario. The feud between The General's army (King Curtis, Mark Lewin, Dan Kroffat, and Larry Lane) was so popular Frank Tunney brought in Curtis and Lewin for a cage-match; with no local build-up.

In 1975 the Tunney's show was moved back to 6.30 on Saturday's to the delight of the wrestling/hockey fans. A memorable match between a heel enhancement worker by the name of Randy Poffo (later Savage) and The Sheik also made some news. The young grappler had been appearing throughout the area as a heel (along with his father Angelo) and gave the Sheik a run for his money on the time limit match of the TV show.

The next couple of years would prove to be eventful time in the TV scene. First was the replacement of Grand Prix by none other than the Rougeau's with a show called "Superstars of The Mat". Other splinter groups from the demise of Grand Prix such as "Celebrity Wrestling" and "Grand Circuit Wrestling" could also be seen in the Ottawa area at this time.

The local scene would see the addition of the IWA. The short lived group would include Tony Marino, Killer Brooks, Karl Von Shotz, Kurt Von Hess and Sailor White among others under the banner of "Universal Wrestling". George Cannon and Milt Avruskin hosted the shows which were taped at the University of Windsor and ran on Global in Toronto .

Avruskin would later use the Global studios in Toronto under the "Superstars Of Wrestling" banner to produce the shows and then license them across the nation including an all-sports station in California. Feuds between Sailor White and Luis "Ariba" Martinez and the appearance of Crazy Chris Colt captivated the fans during the various changes.

Superstars would grow to include the Quebec market after the changes in 1977 and would continue to be seen in that province until the WWF bought out George Cannon's in the 1980s. We will look more at Cannon's "Superstars" in part II.

By 1976 we would start to see clips of the previous matches from Maple Leaf Gardens or important matches from around the wrestling world. Clips of Waldo Von Erich challenging Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF title or Terry Funk beating Jack Brisco for the NWA crown would be shown alongside the regular TV matches.

The wrestling scene in the area would change drastically upon The Sheik's departure in 1977 and would have an impact on the TV shows in the area. The new breed of Flair, Steamboat and others would revitalize the world of pro-wrestling here in Toronto.

Part II coming soon

Thanks to Michael Cannon, Big Jim Lancaster, Gary Will, Greg Mosorjak, and Daren Gleason for their invaluable assistance.

  

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