I feel real old talking wrasstlin’. I grew up in Tampa, watched Gordon Solie and the shows from Ft. Hesterly Armory, and house shows at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg. NWA territory. Championship Wrestling from Florida. Eddie Graham was the promoter.
Dusty Rhodes was the top face. Mike Graham, Steve Kerin, Bob Backlund’s early days. Pedro Morales. Jack and Jerry Briscoe. Jos LeDuc. Don Muraco,
Heels coming through like Superstar Billy Graham, Ox Baker, The Assassin, Lars Anderson. Occasionally Harley Race, Dory Funk Jr., and Terry Funk.
Favorite event attended was a house show where LeDuc challenged Billy Graham to a bench press contest. Dusty was helping LeDuc, I forget Graham’s partner. As the ‘weights’ increased and it looked like LeDuc would win, Graham threw chalk into chalk into Rhodes’ face and slammed it into the racked plates. Later, the main event was LeDuc vs Graham. Near the end, Rhodes ran out of the locker room, bandaged and bloody, and he and LeDuc fought Graham and his partner back to backstage.
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