Announcers Part 3

THIS IS A PRESS RELEASE DATED 5-27-2005

A special wrestling card entitled "Night of the Legends" will be held at Newton High School on Friday night, July 15, in conjunction with Inductions Weekend at the International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Newton. The event starts at 7 p.m. and includes five matches. The main event will feature World League Wrestling (WLW) champion Trevor Rhodes against Rick Steiner, former WWF/WCW champion. Steiner and his brother, Scott, were amateur standouts at the University of Michigan.World League Wrestling (WLW) was founded by Harley Race, eight-time NWA world heavyweight champion. Race is being inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame during the weekend. Scott McLin, a member of the pro hall of fame selection committee, is assisting Race in running the event."Harley puts on a great family-friendly show," said McLin. "It's the type of wrestling we saw decades ago, and that you can bring the entire family to without worrying about language or un-professional antics in the ring. It should be a great night, and the WLW is donating a share of the proceeds to the museum in Newton." A very unique part of the event will be the list of legends sitting at ringside, all of whom will be introduced."With so many members of the pro hall of fame coming in for the weekend, we have extended an invitation for all of them to sit at ringside," said McLin. "This is an awesome lineup of wrestling stars, one of the greatest
assemblages ever. To see all of these legends at one time will be worth the price of admission alone."Expected to attend are 2005 Hall of Fame inductees Antonio Inoki, WWE's Jerry Brisco and Harley Race, and hall of famers Verne Gagne (class of 1999), Dan Hodge (class of 2000), Bob Geigel, Baron Von Raschke (class of 2002), Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon (class of 2003), Gene Kiniski and Brad Rheingans (class of 2004). Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorf and Central States legendary manager Percival A. Friend are expected to be at the event, as well as Frank Gotch Award winners Tom Drake (2001), George Scott (2004) and Judo Gene LeBell (2005). WHO Radio's Mark Allen will be among the celebrity guest announcers. Tickets are $15 for ringside and $10 for general admission. They may be ordered by calling the museum at 641-791-1517

"I hope to see all my fans from the Midwest at the wrestling card."--Percival

When I left this story last ... Gust Karras had called me to the studio offices of KCMO TV 5 in Kansas City and had given me no indication of what he was up to. He seemed, on the phone, to be in a dire emergency to get something resolved. He came into the office with Rufus R. Jones and Omar Atlas, along with Bill Kersten.

Gust told me that I had committed the most Cardinal sin ... putting my hands on an official of Heart of America Sports. He also slapped me with a $5000 fine for doing such. Then, he informed me that he would not take a personal check from me, as he did not trust me. He asked for cash, or, if I would like, he could take it out of my future earnings that he had a hand in processing.

I asked at that point if there was an alternative way that this could be settled and, in the same movement, held back Angus from clobbering the one legged promoter off his plush office chair. Angus was also yelling stuff at Karras that would have made a sailor on leave blush. He was just as mad as I was.

Gust quietly said in his own humble way ... “If you are sincere about getting this matter stopped and resolved to satisfy everybody, then just sign this contract for two weeks from last night.” It was a six-man tag team involving Roger Kirby, Angus and myself to face Rufus R. Jones, Omar Atlas and Bill Kersten. I looked at Gust and said, "Kersten isn't a wrestler ... what are you trying to do to our business?”

Gust started to pull the papers away and said, "OK ... just have $5000 in my hands in St. Joe tonight before you wrestle.” I reached out to grab him but was grabbed myself by big Rufus Jones. Angus stepped in between us and broke the grip that Rufus had on my arm and informed the huge black man that his future was very dim by putting his hands on me. I yelled out for everybody to stop all this crazy fighting ... after all, it was only over a loud mouthed, skinny legged, knobby kneed, dribbly mouthed little announcer that meant absolutely nothing to me.

I sat Gust back down by asking him to do so and signed the contracts on behalf of Angus and Roger Kirby. “I hope that you are satisfied by my doing this ... It belittles me to place myself on your level, but, if I have to, I guess it was meant to be.”

I left the studios and went to have a breakfast/lunch with Angus before returning home for the afternoon. At roughly 5 p.m., I left my home for St. Joe to wrestle before a packed house. As we entered the auditorium, I caught something out of the corner of my eye. It was Kersten seated by ringside. I guess that Karras had him there to agitate me and try and get me to do something to him here also.

I walked right by him and had my nose stuck right in the air as we passed him. Who needs him, anyway?

The match against Archie Gouldie that night went as predicted by me. We handed him a rare defeat in the St. Joe ring. Archie was his old self and went crying to Gust about a rematch.

Excitement was at a peak, and it looked like we would never be able to top what Kersten had started. After all ... if he had been a smoker ... none of this would have happened to me. He should have gotten a job directing airplanes at O'Hare Airport instead of sticking his big nose and little body into our affairs.

At about 9:30 in the evening, the bell rang for the main event. We responded by heading to the ring with positive attitudes that we would not be beaten in this special situation. I was dressed in my finest wrestling attire. I had orange tennis shoes with pink socks and a multi-colored pair of boxer trunks on with a Kelly Green tank top on. I went to the ring with two flags in my hands (a first in the business); one was from Scotland for Angus, and the other, Ireland, to honor Roger Kirby. I guess people just didn't understand me when I told them that I was a caring type of guy.

Kersten looked pathetic as he entered the ring. He had a pair of wrestling tights on that he must have borrowed from Omar Atlas. They had the words "Mr. Excitement" written on them. His bony legs stuck out like a couple of toothpicks dropping out of a Mason jar. His arms looked like a couple of buggy whips. He was nothing like me ... I was an excellent example of what a wrestler SHOULD look like. Omar and Rufus had their same old sweaty, smelly tights that they wore to the ring on every match. I doubt that they ever washed them.

The match was a barnburner and tore emotions from fans from the ringside clear to the cheap seats in the top of the building. It went back and forth with neither Kersten nor myself getting in contact. Rufus took a few good shots from my fists, as I had to leave my briefcase in the back, locked in our dressing room. I even got a few good kicks to the small frame of Omar Atlas. I never could understand how he could compete in a man's world anyway.

Angus had knocked Rufus to the mat with a giant left hand and a suplex over his right shoulder and had him prone on his back. I screamed out to tag me in. I wanted to be the guy that beat him in front of a sellout crowd. I tagged Angus and covered Rufus ... The count went one ... two ... And, suddenly, I was flying in the direction of Omar Atlas. I was pulled up from the mat by Rufus and headbutted. Rufus tagged in Omar Atlas, and he grabbed me in an airplane spin. I was spinning so hard, I nearly threw up my lunch I had earlier. I felt the mat hit me with a big thud and then someone covering me. One ... Two ... Three … and my eyes came into focus and was looking at Bill Kersten laughing at me as the winner. He then kicked me in the shoulders as kind of a "Told ya so!" kind of gesture.

Angus and Kirby charged the ring and left all three of them helpless heaps on the mat. I joined in and was kicking the living daylights out of Kersten when Bob Geigel, Pat O'Connor and Mike George hit the ring and began to uneven the odds. I had every intention of staying and fighting all four of them but chose to exit when Angus and Kirby grabbed my arms and pulled me from the ring.

We may have lost the battle, but the war went on....

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers
2004 CAC Honoree