CAC Benevolent Fund

Saturday Night Slam

March 24, 1972

I will be facing some serious surgery on my stomach in the near future. I ask all my fans to remember me in their prayers. I am going to need all the help I can get to get me through this.--Percival

St. Joseph, Missouri was the initial starting point for many covered wagon journeys in the mid-1800's. It had some of the best-equipped supply houses that catered to people wanting to "go west," as Horace Greeley stated.

St. Joseph was also the starting place for the Pony Express that carried mail all the way to the coast and back. The action wore out many riders and horses as well as they became the start of what we know nowadays as the U.S. Postal Service.

St. Joe in its later years became one of the best spots to go and see professional wrestling and many other venues that came its way. Gust Karras was wrestling back in the early 1920's in St. Joe and gained a wonderful reputation of being a super promoter. He gave the fans what they wanted to see most of the time and always sent them home happy.

The city auditorium hosted many events, like concerts by famous musical groups, the Harlem Globetrotters and many different circus troupes, and entertainers from every corner of the globe came there.

March 24th, 1972 was one of the nights that I outsmarted that old one-legged promoter at his own game. Gust Karras framed me into being in a 12 1/2 man Battle Royal with the winner to be first in line to meet Dory Funk Jr., the World's Heavyweight Champ.

Black Angus, Bob Orton Sr., Steve Bolus, Pat O'Connor, Chati Yokouchi, Yasu Fuji, Danny Littlebear, The Viking, Terry Martin, Rufus R. Jones, Black Jack Black and Omar Atlas, along with me, provided the beef inside of the ring for the Battle Royal.

The evening started with Omar Atlas and Rufus R. Jones facing Black Jack Black, one of the men that I handled contracts for, and Bob Orton Sr. After seven minutes of hard-fought action, Omar got the duke by giving Blackie (that's what he liked to be called) a flying airplane spin and pinning him. Orton was very unhappy about the decision and put his two cents worth into the match by grabbing Omar and heaving him over the top rope onto the arena floor. Omar ended up in the second row of spectators for his efforts. He then turned to Rufus and proceeded to knock the living daylights out of him and lay him out on the canvas before making his exit to the rear of the building with Blackie.

Terry Martin faced Steve Bolus in a special match that went the entire 20-minute time limit. They used many moves that would have made some of the Olympic wrestlers turn their heads in disbelief. I didn't know that a body could be stretched as far as they were doing. Many of the moves they used had been forgotten about by many of the top guys in the territory.

The semi-main event brought the former NWA Champion Pat O'Connor to grips with Black Angus. I was not happy with Mr. Karras barring me from ringside for this event. As always, I had an ace up my sleeve and gave encouragement to Angus by using a police whistle to give commands by code to Angus. O' Connor and the referee were both at the table that Gust Karras sat at and protested to no avail about my using the whistle.

Angus beat Pat with a series of suplex moves and a backbreaker in just over 10 minutes. I ran to the ring and raised the hand of Angus, and then, with O'Connor on his back, I proceeded to put the boots to him with those special steel-toed reinforced dingo boots I hade made by the Heir Boot Company in Olathe, Kansas.

It wasn't long before Gust sent a bevy of wrestlers from the dressing room to get me off of O'Connor. They came by ones at first, and, as soon as they entered the ring, Angus would pitch them out the other side. We finally tired of the action, and, with a riot squad of police, we were escorted back to the dressing room. Pat had to be carried out on a stretcher.

The semi-main event featured Chati Yokouchi and Yasu Fuji, the reigning North American Tag Champs, against The Viking and Danny Littlebear. The Viking did not want to be in Littlebear's corner, as they had many bloody battles facing each other with neither man getting the advantage against each other.

Before the match even got underway, the two were in each other's faces, and fists were drawn up against each other. It just didn't seem like these two were destined to be a well-oiled machine and be a help to each other against the champions.

To be continued…

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