- Kurt Brown

Karl and Pistol Pete booked these shows with quite the motley crew of local talent. Green as grass rookies like myself, seasoned locals like Hector Guerrero, Wildman Jack Armstrong, Ric Drasin and Billy Anderson. Karl was new to the pro wrestling biz, and had plenty to learn; but he recognized that Southern California’s Latino luchadores were talented folks with a hard work ethic, so he made certain to book several luchadores like Cosmos and Angel de la Muerte on each show.  

The only other hurdle I had to jump was getting my license from the Athletic Commission. I had a wicked case of anxiety at that thought, because while my cardio level wasn’t bad and I hit the weights, I wondered if I would pass a physical with all the weight I packed on during the previous year. 

Now--- I put on the pounds for the obvious reason. Most promoters, whether small time or top dog, went by that old adage that wrestling was a big man’s game. That’s one area where I think the indie scene today is a vast improvement over yesteryear. While Titan Sports still keep behemoths on top, most independent groups I see these days are open minded when it comes to pushing lighter wrestlers. And back in the 80s, most indie promoters I met were complete marks for big men. If a bodybuilder walked through the door, they thought they had an instant Hulkamania box office attraction. Hefty bearded dudes looking ill from gout dropped by the gym, and the indie promoters wanted to rush them on a show ASAP because they had the next Haystack Calhoun. When the shows drew a heavily papered crowd of 30, they would scratch their heads trying to figure why the masses weren’t swarming to see these wonders of physical culture.  

I knew that no matter how well I could work in the ring, nobody would take a second glance at me if I was under the 180 pound mark. But that’s where my wisdom about the matter ended.