Wrestling Superstars Circa 1971

Like most young males, I went through a period where I really enjoyed watching Wrestling on TV. For me that period was in the early seventies. Bobo Brazil, seen above, was the hero, the nice guy and for quite awhile the Champ.  

Pampero Firpo was the requisite wild man. After he retired in the eighties, he got a job at the Post Office.

Haystacks Calhoun was pretty much a novelty act as he was so big he would just fall on people and win his bouts. 

Lord Layton was the announcer during the years I watched. himself a former pro wrestler and supposedly a titled royal.

The Sheik was the Big Bad who cheated and got the fans to boo him on a regular basis. He also took the championship several times. 

 The Stomper with his Sleeper Hold was my favorite--a solid good guy with a great rapport with fans. I found out later he also wrestled under various other names and "looks" over the years--about a dozen in fact--sometimes as a good guy and sometimes as a bad guy. Ultimately he was best known as "Jerry Valiant" of the Valiant Brothers.

Ben Justice was The Stomper's partner in tag team championship but ultimately turned against him and became the stereotypical egotist of the type later popularized by Rowdy Roddy Piper. 

The Fabulous Kangaroos were an ever-changing pair dating back into the fifties. They had a massive feud with Te Stomper and Ben Justice during my years of watching.