CAC Benevolent Fund

Saturday Night Slam

March 24, 1972 Part Two

I want to thank the over 1600 people that e-mailed me during this past week regarding my medical problems. I am still not out of the woods, as a minor problem with communication at the doctor's office has caused me to reschedule my appointment. I will keep everyone appraised of the problem and hope to have good news in next week's column. THANKS!!!!!--Percival

Tuesday afternoon in St. Joseph, Missouri, Beautiful Bobby Dean, NWA World Champion Midget wrestler, was struck by a motorist backing up while on his motorcycle. His ankle was completely broken in two, and he was thrown over the top of the car. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he stayed for three days. If you care to send cards and a little something to help him and his family out, I am sure he will appreciate it. The address is:

Wrestling Office
1716 6th Ave.
St. Joseph, MO 64505

The doctors expect him to be off work until after the first of the year.--Percival

When I left you last, I had gone to an outstanding card at the City Auditorium in St. Joseph, Missouri. The main event was a 12 1/2-man battle royal with me involved as a wrestler with 11 1/2 other guys. I just knew that when I signed for the bout that they would call Omar Atlas a half man. After all, he was only 5 feet, 7 inches tall, not much bigger than Lord Littlebrook or any of the other midgets.

The semi-main event had Chati Yokouchi & Yasu Fuji, the reigning North American tag champs, against the Viking & Danny Littlebear. The challengers had come to the ring separately and had a difference of opinion against each other for being booked together. They had previously been in many altercations that left the ring a bloody mess and neither man getting a clear-cut victory against each other.

Littlebear, the egotistical antagonist that he was, started out by belittling the Viking and calling him more names than a drill sergeant could call a raw recruit on his first day of boot camp. They drew fists against each other and began to swing wildly despite the recommendation of Gust Karras, who was seated at his usual spot in the ringside area.

Before you knew it, they had fought to the outside of the ring, even though the bell had rung to begin the match. Fuji, being the smarter of the two warriors from the Land of the Rising Sun, just stood back and watched as the opponents fought against each other. He and Chati were having a night off as far as the tag championship match went. The referee, Ronnie Etchison, had no other alternative but to begin a count on Viking and Littlebear, who, by then, were scattering ringside seats and trying their best to start a full-fledged riot.

Littlebear was great at that because he was a Gust Karras favorite as well as a fan favorite. The count reached 20, and Etchison had no other alternative but to raise the Japanese team's hands in victory again.

Following a brief intermission, the entrants for the battle royal started to the ring. 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.

As I looked around the ring from behind Black Jack Black and Black Angus over the shoulder of Bob Orton Sr., I noticed Pat O'Connor not taking his eyes off me. I told Angus that, if he stopped Pat, there would be a bonus in his payday.

The bell rang, and Angus pushed me out through the first and second ropes onto the floor of the arena and began to take his frustrations out on O'Connor again. Pat still seemed to be in a daze from the beating that Angus had given him earlier in the evening.

The referee began to berate me about being on the floor as the battle royal was on in the inside of the ring, and he began the count. I stopped him by reminding him that there is no count out or disqualification or pin falls in a battle royal. He just looked at me a little puzzled and turned to Karras, who had to agree with me. I had Etchison outwitted again.

I climbed back in and helped Angus dispose of O'Connor. I was grabbed by Danny Littlebear, who was asking the fans if they wanted to see me thrown over the top rope. Every fan at ringside was on their feet as he started towards the ropes with my hair clamped firmly in his hands.

By then, Earl Black had come up behind Littlebear and dropkicked him, causing him to go right over the top rope onto the arena floor. Terry Martin grabbed Blackie as he got off the mat and tossed him over the opposite side. Rufus R. Jones, who had been in a fierce battle with Yokouchi and Fuji, was almost thrown over the top but grabbed both the tag team champs and back dropped them at the same time over the rope.

We were down to me, Angus, Bob Orton Sr., Omar Atlas, The Viking, Terry Martin, Rufus R. Jones and Steve Bolus. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the Viking grabbed me in a move to body slam me and was drop kicked by Omar Atlas, propelling Viking and me over the top rope onto the arena floor. The fans jumped to their feet and applauded Omar for his efforts.

After I regained my feet, I kicked the Viking, who was still on his back, with those steel-toed, hand-made dingo boots, and he had to be carried out on a stretcher. I approached the ringside and extended my hand in a courtesy move to poor old dumb Omar. He came to the side and put his hand over the top rope, and I pulled with all my efforts, and he came right over the top rope and onto the floor.

At the same time, Orton Sr. and Rufus battled near the ropes and were pushed over the top by Angus. While regaining his composure, Angus was struck from behind by Bolus and Martin. They tried everything they could do in the next 10 minutes to dispose of Angus. They began to get frustrated with each other, and Bolus finally used a flying tackle to upend Martin and propel him over the top.

Now, it was down to Steve Bolus and Angus. I was still arguing the fact that I had a valid manager's license in the state of Missouri and had every right in the world to be at ringside with Angus. I kept screaming at Bolus to just leave the ring and save himself a beating that he would get from Angus if he stayed.

He kept coming near me and swinging his fists at me every chance he could. I knew that I was getting to him by the way he was acting. The fans were shouting "THROW ANGUS OUT," "THROW ANGUS OUT," and "GET FRIEND, GET FRIEND." The two battled until they were near the side, and Angus took a wild left-handed swing at Bolus that would have knocked him into next week if he had connected.

Bolus sidestepped him and grabbed him in a giant swing and began to swing him round and round the ring. I heard Angus cry out as he came by me for the seventh time. Bolus turned him loose and staggered towards the side I was near. I reached up and pulled the top rope down, and Bolus went right over the top onto the floor. Angus was declared the winner as I raised his hand from the prone position in the ring.

It took 12 uniformed officers to get us back to our dressing room as fans were throwing everything that wasn't tied down at us. Angus was handed the $1250 purse that the winner of the Battle Royal got. I quickly grabbed it and took my 35% out of it before handing him the balance. He was happy with the $400 balance.

Steve Bolus went on St. Joe television the next evening and cried out to Gust Karras about him being robbed out of the match by me and asked for a handicap match between him and Angus & me in the future.

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