You are here: Home>Regional Territories>WWA - Los Angeles>#6


Search Kayfabe Memories

Regional Territories 4

This section contains monthly articles on over two dozen territories. To relive those wonderful days of old, click here.

Wrestlers 4

Enter this section for bios/profiles of various wrestlers from the regional days. To find more out about your favorite pro wrestler, click here.

Stories 4

This section contains stories from the pros themselves told exclusively to Kayfabe Memories. Want to know more as told from the wrestlers themselves? Click here.

Old School Book Reviews4

Click here to find various book reviews from old school wrestlers. 

KM Links 4
For tons of links to old school related sites, click here.
KM Micro Wrestlers4
What are Micro Wrestlers?  Click here  
to find out.
KM Interviews... 4
Click here to read exclusive interviews with stars from the regional territories.
 

View Old Guestbook

 
 

www.kayfabememories.com is © 2004 AtomDesigns. All promotional art, characters, logos and other depictions are © their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.

All contents save Wrestler Stories are © Kayfabe Memories.

Website designed and maintained by  AtomDesigns © 2004 . If you experience any problems with this site or have any questions, please contact the Webmaster.

 

1980s SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INDIES (part 3)

 - Kurt Brown

Azteca Gym in Downtown Bell, California, is just that--- a boxing gym. It wasn’t built for public sporting events, but that hasn’t stopped local wrestling promoters from running shows there. It could seat a maximum of one hundred people, and the wrestlers are stuck working in a boxing ring with absolutely no give. There was no public restroom, thus the fans had to use the locker room toilets where the boxers showered. Promoters improvised by using the gym manager’s office as the heels’ dressing room (spacious) and one of the storage rooms as the babyface dressing room (cramped).

Karl Lauer and Pistol Pete Marquez ran the first show there on July 23, 1983. The only reason that the date of a tiny indie show stands out in my mind is because I debuted on that show.

Pete was an interesting booker in retrospect. He really understood how to book a palatable show with the resources he had. He was a bit delusional in that he saw more potential in his students than existed, but he structured a good indie wrestling show.

I was booked in the opener against Surgeon #2, who was a fellow named Frank. It was his first match too. The main difference between us was that I had been training for six months, while Frank had maybe three wrestling lessons. He was a relative of somebody who pulled a few strings in landing Pete and Karl the building, so they were obligated to use him on the show as a favor.

Pete was up front with me. Frank was green as the grinch, and I would have to carry him. Pete knew the combination of my lack of experience and first-match-nerves greatly limited my carrying power, so he instructed me to keep it very simple: some basic matwork, let Frank’s babyface ways outshine me, and then go all-out heel on him. The match would go five minutes, and the finish would be cut and dry: I throw him into the turnbuckle, I charge him for a tackle, Frank moves, I bonk my head, Frank cradles me for a three count. Simple.

I had no clue how to call a match or the finish. Pete left the finish to the referee. "The ref will tell you when to go home. Then you just toss Frank in the turnbuckle and the rest is a piece of cake."

Simple.

Or so I thought.

Turns out the referee was greener than Jimmy Cyclone and Surgeon #2 combined.

The gym was sold out, and the small unventilated building felt like a sauna of beer and perspiration. I hit the ring, scared out of my mind, but I gave the most contemptuous scowl I could, and that gave me instant catcalls from a beautifully feisty crowd.

Frank was decked out in the Surgeon outfit, and he actually looked pretty cool in the Medic throwback gimmick. We locked up, and I just kept it simple with go behinds, front facelocks, and a few dropkicks. More...

If you'd like to discuss the WWA-LA region with other fans, please visit the KM Message Board

KM DVD/VHS Store 4
Click here to purchase DVD or VHS products direct from the official distributors.
KM Replica Masks 4
Click here to purchase pro quality replica wrestling masks of all your favorite old school masked wrestlers.   
KM Store 4
The KM Store now features products featuring the GCW logo as well as some other very cool images.  To see what's new and to purchase T-Shirts, ball caps, mouse pads and more, click here
KM Message Board 4

Want to chat with other fans of regional wrestling? This message board has forums for over two dozen promotions. Click here.

KM Belt Gallery 4

This section contains an extensive title belt gallery... images of heavyweight, tag, U.S. and various regional title belts.  To view it, click here.

Old School Tape Review 4

Reviews of various PPV's, commercial tapes and regional wrestling TV shows are available in this section. To read more, click here.

 

Website designed & maintained by

 

 

Thanks for visiting!