Monday Night Part Two

Arriving at the recently built Century II Auditorium in Wichita at 6:30, we quickly exited the car in the basement garage that was guarded by an armed attendant. Having that extra privilege gave us an edge in security over most of the other buildings. It also kept us from getting our cars trashed if the fans found out where we were parked.

Angus, Blackie, Benji and I went to our third floor dressing room where Harley was lacing up his boots. Harley exchanged handshakes with all of us, and we began a ritual of loosening up our bodies after a long trip.

I sometimes worked out with the guys, and, sometimes, if I was very tired, I would take an hour nap to refresh myself. The card tonight had Danny Littlebear facing Angus, and I looked forward to yet another riot to be caused by him and the fans again. Danny would always blame his opponent or someone on the card for the riots but usually was the culprit behind them.

The night went very smoothly with victories by most of the rougher style men on the card. Ronnie Etchison was beaten by disqualification at the hands of Black Jack Black. It wasn't hard to side step Etchison and turn his attention to something else and get him a loss. He was very easily led, and I could never understand the success that he had in Calgary or the way he handled himself on cards in Missouri and Iowa run by his old friend, Gust Karras. Maybe he handpicked his opponents.

Chati Yokouchi and Yasu Fuji won over Bob Geigel and Pat O'Connor. They say that big things fall the hardest and the fastest, and Geigel proved that fact when he was caught by a barrage of Judo and Karate moves from the Japanese team.

The Viking and Bob Orton Sr. was a match that most people would not have wanted to be in. These two had left a bloody trail from St. Louis to Sedalia and from Waterloo, Iowa to Wichita. They had caused the most riots of all the guys on the card and were very braggadocios about their talents. Viking was very proud of the fact that he was just recently barred from four more Western states.

Orton, on the other hand, didn't care about fan support and mostly didn't care about the Viking and his rough way of expressing himself in the ring. The two fought from the time the bell rang until they were counted out fighting up the stairs going to the dressing rooms. Oh, and, by the way, eight people were arrested for fighting alongside of them while they battled each other.

Something had to be done to corral the two in a ring so they could settle their differences. I was hopeful that Gust Karras and Heart of America Sports would come up with an answer. It would need to be done before they put each other into the hospital.

Benji Rameriz, a former masked man that used the handle of The Mummy, fought Terry Martin from New Brunswick next on the card and was not successful in getting a victory that night. Terry used a combination of moves that led to him getting an abdominal stretch on Benji for the win.

I was very resplendent, standing in the wings and watching Omar Atlas battle Harley Race. This match almost took all the thunder away from the night as they ended up in a blood bath and both had to be carried from the ring. I had told Harley earlier in the evening to try and do as much damage to Atlas as he could. I also informed him as to what we had done to him just a week earlier in Topeka.

Harley should be complimented on his actions in the ring, as he showed the audience in Wichita a few new moves he learned in Japan. He must have also had some pent-up energy from the long flight still left in his body, and his actions in the ring were almost non-stop.

I quietly passed through the velvet drapes and onto the stage area of the arena, and the building burst out in rage at my presence. They just didn't like me one bit in Wichita, nor did they like Angus one bit either. He was wearing the newly won Central States Championship belt, and the fans wanted Danny Littlebear to win it from us once again.

As I entered the ring in my bright blue slacks and pink jacket with the orange shirt and flowered tie, I seemed dull compared to the round of applause that Littlebear got when he came through the curtains. He took his time coming to the ring and stopped to sign autographs and take pictures and kiss all the girls he could.

What a showoff he was. Angus and I talked for a minute as he made a fool out of himself and agreed that we would have to take the feather wearing, dancing doll that was a Gust Karras favorite out of the picture as quickly as we could tonight.

As soon as Littlebear hit the ring, Angus attacked him and slugged him so hard that Littlebear dropped over a lower rope right near where I was seated. I grabbed my briefcase and blasted him right between the headlights and busted him open right behind the eyes of referee Frankie Diamond. As I eased back into my chair, I felt two huge hands on my shoulders and turned to see Pat O'Connor with one of the meanest looks I have ever seen on his face.

He pulled me from my chair and began to drag me towards the dressing room area. It was then that he was met by Chati, Yasu, Benji and Earl Black. A huge fight began on the stage area, and O'Connor was quickly beaten up for his gallant efforts in trying to help Littlebear out. Referee Frank Diamond had let the match continue after Angus had left the ring to help me out. He began to count to 20, as that was the count on the outside during my era, but it never made the 20-count.

Littlebear had gotten back to his feet and began an Indian dance of some sort, and, as soon as Angus got through the ropes, he hit him with everything he could muster. You could see the sweat just fly off the chest and forehead of Angus. I knew how painful those chops were as well, because I had been in a few battles with Littlebear myself.

Angus moved off to the side of one of those huge chops and grabbed Littlebear in a one-armed suplex and then gave him three more to show him he was the boss in the ring and pinned him right in the middle of the ring. The fans had NOTHING to complain about that night and left the building very somber and disheartened as their favorite went to the showers with the short end of the money.

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