For a while now, I have wanted to turn back the hourglass and remember a city that absolutely did not like me.....

Promoter Gust Karras and Heart of America Sports had booked the huge Veterans Coliseum in Des Moines every other Wednesday night. The crowds were in the 10,000-12,000 range, and they were die-hard wrestling fans that came out, even if there were a blizzard in town.

I had been a victim, as far as I was concerned, about the following match that I am about to tell the story about. Promoter Karras had been threatening to do some pretty mean things to me because, in his eyes, I was not a fan favorite, and he did not care for me or for my ringside antics.

Big Archie Gouldie, "The Stomper", was about the meanest man in the ring that I can think of outside of the late Dick The Bruiser. We had been in a tag team battle with him and Danny Littlebear during the last big card. Danny had gotten out of hand, and I had to put a damper on him. A well-placed briefcase alongside his head sent him flying outside the ring. It was then that Angus, Harley Race and I decided that the Stomper needed to be taught a lesson.

Littlebear and Stomper had won the match on a disqualification, and we were not in a happy frame of mind, anyway. For some reason, and I can't remember why, I had climbed into the ring and set my case down, and, as Harley and Angus held Stomper, I started to paintbrush the huge monster from one side of his cheek to the other. Fans were trying to get into the ring more then ever, and it took all that the local police force could do to keep them out.

I kept berating him and calling him a big overstuffed clown. He tried to kick me with those big size 15 tan boots that he used on the wrestlers to win matches. I had jumped out of the way and was met by Bob Geigel and Pat O'Connor, who had come down to ringside to more or less even things up. They were always sticking their noses where they didn't belong.

Geigel grabbed me, and O'Connor grabbed my briefcase and was threatening to hit me with it. Harley and Angus had thrown Stomper out of the ring to join Littlebear on the floor. It was then that Harley hit Geigel from the back and drove him and me into the mat in the same movement. Angus knocked O'Connor through the ropes and grabbed my case, and we started back to the dressing room.

By then, announcer Bill Kersten had gone into the ring and was announcing the winners when Stomper grabbed the microphone and started crying and complaining to Gust Karras again about my outside interference in the matches and that something needed to be done.

Gust Karras was seated at ringside, had witnessed the entire match, and started to agree with The Stomper, much to my dismay. Stomper told Gust Karras that he wanted Geigel to help him out at the next card in Des Moines by sitting at ringside and being handcuffed to Percival A. Friend.

Geigel stuck out his hand and took Stomper's hand in his and told the fans that he would do anything that was needed to stop me from getting involved. The crowd went absolutely wild at the announcement. It was then that Stomper said he wanted Angus as an opponent on the next card. Gust nodded his head and said that whatever he wanted ... he would get.

I went to television station WHO in Des Moines and cut the promos for the next card that night, and I stated that it was a complete frame-up, what was happening to Angus and me. I stated that I had not done anything except to protect Angus and myself while at ringside, and that the old one-legged promoter was just giving The Stomper whatever he wanted … the big crybaby!

I stated that I was NOT going to be handcuffed to anyone and that if Geigel put his stinking hands on me, I would do whatever it took to see that he never wrestled again.

The two weeks until the next card passed very quickly, and, as I entered the parking lot, I noticed that my parking area had someone's car in it; the lot was packed, even three hours before bell time. I had the officer that guarded the area for us take my new Cadillac inside the building where I knew it would be safe from fans.

As I looked out at the huge crowd, the biggest since I had been in the territory, I wondered what the promoter had gotten me into. There were seven big bouts on the card that evening, and every one of them would have been a main event.

I dressed in my finest pure silk outfit, which started with bright green slacks and a bright yellow shirt with a red sport coat, highlighted by a multi-colored floral necktie. I was topped off with the green and black plaid tam of the Campbell clan.

The fans had seen the best that the Central States Territory had to offer on this tremendous card. Bob Orton Sr. had opened the card against The Viking. Both men could not be contained within the ring and were counted out fighting outside the ropes.

Kay Nobel had a title match against Betty Niccoli but lost when Betty got her in a full Nelson. Chatti Yokouchi and Yasu Fuji met and defeated Billy Howard and Steve Bolos. Midgets Wee Willie Wilson and Little Tokyo fought to a 10-minute draw. Harley Race and Omar Atlas fought to the 15-minute mark when Harley hit the referee, Frankie Diamond, because of a call that Frank made. Harley was sent to the dressing room with the short end of the money.

The semi-main event had Roger Kirby meeting Rufus R. Jones. Kirby used the ropes to get a three count on Jones and got his hand raised.

As I started towards the ring with Angus, surrounded by 12 officers, I found myself trying to get into a frame of mind without my trusty briefcase. The commission had told me that I would not be allowed to carry it to ringside that night. The deck was really stacked against me.

I entered the roped-off area and saw that six extra seats had been placed near the center of the ringside area. They were new metal folding chairs that were in two sets of three. After the announcements were made, I stationed myself as usual in our corner and had sat down and was minding my own business when Geigel came at me with a pair of handcuffs he had gotten from a ringside officer. The crowd was screaming to get me cuffed. Mertie and Gertie Hite were shaking umbrellas and purses at me.

Geigel asked me to get up just as the bell rang. I was not moving and had convinced myself that this big bully would not intimidate me. Geigel grabbed my hand and drug me back to the steel folding chairs and sat me down next to him. He had succeeded in putting the cuff on my right wrist and just hung on to the other cuff in his closed fist.

As I tried to get to Angus, who was getting the snot kicked out of him by the Stomper, Geigel pulled me backwards, and the steel chair bottom collapsed beneath my weight as I hit it. I jumped to my feet and tried to express my feelings to the referee, Richard Moody, by calling him a Bonnie Old Goat. He didn't seem to care, as he had enough trouble trying to contain the two huge men in the ring.

Promoter Gust Karras had seated himself on the opposite side of the ring was enjoying the fact that I could not get involved in the ruckus. He thought that the Stomper could easily defeat Angus.

Angus and the Stomper fought to a one-hour time limit draw, with each man getting one fall scored in the two-out-of-three-fall match. At the conclusion of the match, I was uncuffed from Geigel and jumped into the ring, where Angus and I jumped the Stomper from behind and left him a bloody mess on the canvas.

We needed a riot squad to get us back from the ring to the dressing rooms. Karras neither won the battle nor did he win the war that night.

We came ... we saw ... and we conquered.