World Champion

This week's column is dedicated to the memory of Dianna Moody, who passed away last week. Rest in Peace!--Percival

Probably the greatest highlight in any wrestler's career is when he is chosen to battle the world's champion. I have had many encounters with world champions, both in the ring and as a mentor. I once wrestled the late Killer Kowalski on a card in Battle Creek, Michigan in the mid-60's. I still remember the beating I took at the hands of "The Killer." What a brawler he was; he could put you in more holds than you could account for, but he was known in the ring for being a very rough-styled wrestler that liked to pound on your body 'til something loosened up or broke. We battled to a one-hour draw, with both of us scoring a pin fall on each other.

I will always respect the energy, the knowledge, and the compassion that the old timers had for the business. They paved the way for a lot of the guys you have seen in the ring in the last 25 years. They gave it their all and did things for you, the wrestling fan, that they sometimes didn't do for their own families.

Dory Funk Jr. had been World's Champion for three years when he was booked to come to the Central States area. He had beaten the best the business had to offer. He had been taken to the limit of his ability on many nights. He had amazed me with the courage he displayed in the ring … it takes a GOOD man to do those things and keep a level head about the business. Dory did just that, and not just once in a while … he did it every night he held the belt.

Angus Campbell, better known throughout the world as Black Angus, had been the Central States Champion … he had held the British Empire Championship ... he had held the North American Title and, with a few hand picked partners, had held Tag Belts in various parts of the globe. He also had battled some of the greatest but had been overlooked and looked over by promoters who were more interested in their own little clique of boys that were fan favorites.

Promoter Gust Karras from St. Joseph, Missouri had tried to keep the title shot from us. In his own words at the Civic Auditorium in St. Joe, Karras said, "Angus is too rough to put up against the champion, Dory Funk Jr.; the fans need to see a good, clean wrestling match, and Danny Little Bear should be the one to meet the champ in Wichita, Kansas at the Century II Auditorium on Monday night two weeks from now."

I came running from the back of the dressing room area, went to ringside with Angus at my side, and confronted the cunning one-legged promoter. I screamed at the top of my voice, "What do you mean!!! Yellow Bear isn't more qualified then Angus. He hasn't beat anybody lately ... why, look who he is wrestling tonight ... Bobby Whitlock ... BIG DEAL! Angus could beat ol' Little ... er ... Yellow Bear on his worst night with one hand tied behind his back and be blindfolded on top of that!" Karras must have taken me seriously, because he booked the match that way for the next week's card at St. Joe, with the winner to meet Dory Funk Jr. at the big extravaganza in Wichita.

I couldn't very well back up now; I had to accept and save face ... that old sneaky promoter had done it to me again. Angus was pounding me in the arm when we got back to the dressing room, screaming at me, asking why I had put him in a match like that. I assured him that everything would be OK and told him not to worry. After all, that's why I was getting 25% of his pay ... to do the thinking for him. He agreed, and we went out for our match that night against Steve Bolus, from Greece.

Angus must have had a lot on his mind that night, because, on five or six different holds, he nearly got himself pinned by counter-holds that Bolus grabbed. Steve was and had been a great amateur wrestler while growing up in his native Greece. He adapted a style of his own and blended it together with the American catch-as-catch-can style we were used to. He had moves that other guys wished they had knowledge of, and he was a top money-maker in the Midwest. He was also a very close personal long-time friend of the promoter, Gust Karras, and that did a lot for him.

In a flurry of moves, the lighter Bolus lost traction on one of his dropkicks and fell from the ring and onto the floor. Angus, being the gentleman he was, jumped out and proceeded to beat the pulp out of him for what he had done to him. The count on the outside was 20 in those days and 10 on the ring apron. Angus took advantage of the time and taught Bolos a lesson in sportsmanship … OUR type of sportsmanship. Angus finally tired of beating on Bolus and threw him into the ring. It was then that Danny Yellow Bear came running up to the ring to put his two cents into the match.

Angus and Bear fought 'til both were bloody messes on the outside of the ring. All the rest of the wrestlers on the card had come out to the ringside area to help pry these two apart. Pat O'Connor got a bloody nose from a haymaker that missed Bob Geigel and landed straight in his big nose … served him right. Harley Race had been in the ruckus and got into a battle with Omar Atlas on the side. Geigel had grabbed me and was holding me at bay. Bob Orton had gotten into it with Bobby Whitlock, and it was like a big Battle Royal on the outside of the ring.

Richard Moody, "Ol' Rabbit Ears," had no choice but to count Angus out and give the match to Steve Bolus. He probably did it at Karras' command; Moody was an "office boy" for the Central States promotion. We finally left the ringside area after they pulled Angus off of Little Bear.

I was furious, and on St. Joe TV the following evening, I voiced my opinion in front of a sold out crowd. I told Gust Karras that he better keep old Little Bear under cover and out of sight until the following Friday night, or we might end his career if we get our hands on him for jumping us from behind. Angus ended up with 17 stitches in his forehead from the beating he took from everybody the night before. Karras assured me that he would do just that. I really didn't know if I could trust him, after all that he had put me through.

St. Joseph, Missouri had been a great little town, and the auditorium had been a grand old building to be at, but I had never had to go in under a riot squad just to get into the building; usually, it was the other way around. The entire seating arrangement had been sold out, and 1000 extra seats were placed onto the main floor of the arena area to accommodate the overflow crowd. Not since the days of Sonny Myers, Ronnie Etchison, Orville Brown, and other greats had the crowds been so big. Excitement was so fierce, you could almost cut it with a knife. Those fans in the area really loved Danny Little Bear (Yellow Bear to me).

I gave my permission to have a match with Danny Yellowbear under the worst of conditions. Angus had to be restrained by wearing a blindfold and having one of his arms tied behind his back.

The entire building had been sold out, and they even added an extra 1000 seats to accommodate the overflow of excited wrestling fans. We even had to have an armed escort into the auditorium.

We did have an ultimatum in that we would have the opportunity to meet Dory Funk Jr., the NWA World's Champion, at the Wrestling Extravaganza in Wichita, Kansas in two weeks. I was sure of success and the title shot it would bring.

The opening matches gave the fans every bit of the excitement they had paid for. The semi-main event, a tag team match, left the winners ... The California Hippies ... with a title shot against Rufus R. Jones and Mike George. The bell rang for the main event, and ol' Rabbit Ears, Richard Moody, the ref, stuck his head in our dressing room and hollered, "Let's go!"

We entered the auditorium to a chorus of catcalls and boos that could be heard clear up to Omaha. Fans were trying to hit me with swinging arms but were thwarted by policemen guarding us. Danny Little ... er ... Yellowbear had been in the ring signing autographs and shaking hands. You would have thought that he was running for political office. What a showoff…..

Inside the ring, we had the announcements taken care of, and then, the biggest surprise of the night happened. Out of the audience came Sonny Myers, the Sheriff of St. Joe and a former wrestler himself. I guess Gust Karras, the old one-legged promoter, thought that my words about hurting his favorite boy Yellowbear were serious enough to warrant the sheriff.

Myers grabbed the mike and said he was there to put the blindfolds on Angus and make sure that the one arm was tied behind his back. He approached Angus, and they got into a battle of words that led to Angus grabbing Sonny and pushing him. Bad move for Angus, as Sonny was not an easy pushover. Sonny sidestepped Angus, grabbed him in a hammerlock, and put the strap around his waist, securing the arm behind him. Then, he put the blindfold on Angus, which left him almost helpless.

Fans were screaming their approval as the bell rang. Angus was swinging wildly, and Danny grabbed him by the legs, took him to the mat, and applied the Indian Deathlock on him. Everybody thought the match was over … wrong!!!! They forgot about the ace in the hole that Angus had … ME!!!!

I had jumped into the ring, pulled a towel from the inside of my jacket, threw it over Danny's head, and proceeded to kick the snot out of him. I had just had a new pair of Dingo boots made for me with steel toes. As I looked down at his eyes, they seemed to be sinking into the back of his head every time I kicked him. I pulled off the blindfold covering Angus' eyes, and Sonny grabbed me, pulling me from the ring. He then replaced the blindfold, and the match continued.

Angus got to his feet, found his foe, and took the limp Littlebear from the mat, picked him up, gave him a one-handed suplex and pinned him right in the middle of the ring. People were amazed and alarmed that this could happen to Danny Yellowbear. He had beaten some of the best this business had to offer. He had held so many titles and had been an important figure in the Central States area. Now, he was second best. It must be hard being the first loser.

We were now the NUMBER ONE contender for the World Champion, Dory Funk Jr., and rightfully so; we had beaten the best that Gust Karras had to offer.

Wichita, Kansas was famous for a lot of things. It was a huge cattle town before the west was tamed, and it became the world headquarters for Cessna Aircraft and Shepler's Western Stores. It also was the home for the Century II Auditorium, a huge complex near the center of town. We had come in at about 1 p.m. on the day of the matches and were alarmed to see a crowd standing and sitting all over the main entrance. They were preparing themselves for the biggest night that Wichita had ever seen.

The building had been sold out for almost two weeks when they found out that Angus would be battling Funk for the belt. The rest of the card included everybody from the entire territory, including some of the midgets and the women wrestlers. There were 10 matches in all, and all of them could have been a main event in any arena in the country.

As we pulled into the parking garage at the side of the building that let us into the lower area of the arena, I thought to myself … what can it feel like being a World Champion???? Where would it have to take us??? Who would we have to contend with???

Dory must lead a gifted life … He must be an exceptional athlete … He has to be beaten.….

To be continued ...

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers

2003 BWC Hall of Fame Inductee
2004 CAC Hall of Fame Inductee
2006 LWA Hall of Fame Inductee
2007 TCCW Hall of Fame Honoree