FELLER, & A SHORT HISTORY of PRO WRESTLING IN HAGERSTOWN

Good morning everyone! I hope everyone has a great day, so, in the immortal words of my friend Rob "The MAESTRO" Kellum..."Happy Thursday".

BTW.....is this name dropping thing getting on anyones nerves? I kinda think its catchy & wanna use it as my gimmick, but I don't want to annoy the "fan base" that may read this daily.....I received some advice from my old friend Ike Turner years ago - "don't be a name dropper", but I've found it amusing- at least to myself.

I guess the biggest news this morning is that Cleveland Indian great/MLB Hall of Famer Bob Feller passed away last night at the age of 92.

Feller credentials speak for themselves- 266 wins, 2500+ career strikeouts, 3 no hitters; the first pitcher to have won 20 games before the age of 21; never pitched a game in the minors; won 17 games his rookie year, when he was 17 years old; the list goes on. More impressively, Feller was the first MLB player to enlist in the Navy, the very day after the infamous Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941- he subsequently lost the next 4 years of his career while fighting for our country in the biggest war in history.

I have but vague recollections of it now, but I met Mr Feller at the Valley Mall in Hagerstown,Md at a special autograph signing, circa 1982.  If memory serves, my brother Shawn was in the car, suffering from a stomach ailment, and I walked inside with my mother to obtain an autograph- I believe it was a picture; whatever it was, I'm sure Shawn has it in his treasure trove of books,media guides,& autographs. I seem to recall Mr Feller as a bit gruff, but as I have aged, I have learned that is just the manner of many from his generation...RIP Mr Feller, may you always be remembered for your greatness on the field, and your selfless contributions to your country. ( a tip of the hat to CBSsports.com for much of the information provided)
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Color me excited that TNA WRESTLING is making a tour stop in Hagerstown,Md. on January 16,2011 at the historic Maryland Theatre.

I have lived in Hagerstown,or its surrounding area, my entire life....and as a wrestling fan and later, a wrestler, I have first hand knowledge of most of this areas professional wrestling history, and am glad TNA is adding to a rich tradition next month.

TNA's appearance in Hagerstown marks the first time one of the "Major League" wrestling organizations have been to Hagerstown since July 1989, when approximately 5,000 fans (myself included)  converged upon the venerable Hagerstown Fairgrounds to witness "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes face "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase, Demolition defend the then WWF (WWE) Tag titles vs. the Twin Towers ( Akeem/ One Man Gang & Big Bossman) & The Barbarian vs. Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart in the evenings top bouts.

( As an aside, to show what a hot market Hagerstown was at that time, another card was held about a month later at the Fairgrounds, promoted by my late mentor Neil Superior & his father, Tricky Dick Caricofe, & drew approx 3,800 for a card featuring "Olympic Strongman" Ken Patera vs. "Ugandian Giant" Kamala, The Original Wild Samoans vs. "Rock n Roll Express" Ricky Morton & Big Sohn Studd, and The Brothers Superior (Neil & Doug) vs. The Cream Team as the headliners. BTW, I have camcorder footage of the aforementioned bouts, still in outstanding condition)

During the 1960s-early 1970s, Hagerstown was a frequent stop for the WWWF ( now WWE), using the Hagerstown Armory on North Potomac St for monthly bouts.....an wrestling aquientance sold me several posters from that era, and my research showed me the bouts took place from 1967-1971....such legendary performers as Pedro Morales,Killer Kowalski, 601 lb Haystacks Calhoun, Chief Jay Strongbow, Domenic Denucci, Dick "Bulldog" Brower and others headlined or appeared at the Armory during this period as well.

Going back a little further, the greatest champion of them all, Bruno Sammartino, verifiably defended the WWWF Title at the Armory as well during the early to mid 1960s, one time facing the infamous "Hollywood Fashion Plate" himself, Freddie Blassie! A 1966 title defense against the big man from the Isle of Malta, Baron Mikel Scicluna, also took place at the Armory.

As the years wore on, bigger towns ( Boston, Pittsburgh, New Haven) were added to the WWWF loop, wrestling appeared less frequently in small towns like Hagerstown, as bigger money was to be made, obviously in cities with bigger populations.....

Tomorrow, perhaps I can dig out my old programs & photograph old show posters...I'm not a wizard on a computer by any means, so downloading photos might as well be the Boston marathon, but I can provide results & publicity from a forgotten time.....

So until next time....
SSS