Saturday, August 31, 2019

Elvis, Hawaii Five-O, and the Brushy Mountain Penitentiary Revisited


A departure from Mid-Atlantic Wrestling for a moment, as we go back to 1977 in the Southeastern Wrestling territory out of Knoxville, TN.

This article was in one of the Southeastern Championship Wrestling programs sold in the arenas. I'm printing it here because it reminded me so much of the articles written by legendary heel manager J.C. Dykes in the Mid-Atlantic area in the early 1970s. I loved how heel managers would make excuses or explain things with a straight face that were so obviously not true.

I grew up in a town that was able to get both Southeastern Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Wrestling on our fledgling cable system. I remember seeing this incident with Mongolian Stomper and his manager Gorgeous George, Jr. in their feud with Ron Fuller. I also remember the normally-low-key Les Thatcher's angry reaction to it all.

So just for fun, we present one of Gorgeous George, Jr.'s Southeastern Wrestling manifestos. 

THIS PAGE PAID FOR BY GORGEOUS GEORGE JR.

Arizona Wrestling History
I must take this time to tell you how hurt I was to hear about what happened to Ron Fuller last Friday night. I received a phone call from someone telling me of how a fan jumped in the ring and threw something into Ron Fuller's eyes. Oh how awful! How simply awful! I sent him some flowers even though I really don't care for any of the Fullers. I mean, wrestling is wrestling, but to hear something like that happening to a human being is simple awful.

I want to explain how shocked I am that Les Thatcher accused me of being the culprit that did that horrible, evil deed. I swear to you, and to everyone that I was home last Friday night watching television (in fact, I was watching Hawaii Five-0 as I always do). To think that a paid announcer like Mr. Thatcher, who is like a blood brother to the Fuller Clan, could stir up such hatred between me and the Fullers. The reason I said what I did about Robert Fuller is that Thatcher went too far in his accusations. So, if Robert wants to blame me for something I didn't do, then he will have to answer to the Stomper, whom I have instructed to repeat to him what happened to Ron.

I'm so proud that my Stomper has won the Southeastern trophy and the TV Title, that I could just jump with joy. Oh, by the way, I saw that film of that man that jumped Into the ring -- I bet it was one of those convicts that escaped from Brushy Mountain along with Mr. Ray.

I have written a letter to the NWA to inform the Southeastern Promotions to triple the ringside seat tickets for June 24, when Harley Race loses his world's heavyweight championship to The Mongolian Stomper in Knoxville. Now tell me, wouldn't it be worth $15.00 to see a world's title change hands? This title change would top the Elvis show!

- Gorgeous George, Jr.
Southeastern Championship Wrestling

Originally published August 29, 2017 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

http://horsemen.midatlanticgateway.com