Certainly a great read from which we can see that a true accolade was when foreigners were allowed a winning run. Most, like Jean Ferre, even, were required to lose more than they ever won.
And as Martin points out, the same went the other way.
Shozo Kobayashi seemed fairly invincible, though I realise he doesn't qualify for Martin's particular ocean
The description of the ups and downs of Crusher Verdu never fails to amaze.
Love Martin's presentation of visiuals.
Did anyone else think they got a glimpse of Alan Sergeant in there?
You're exactly right Saxonwolf. I watched the interview again last night, it was Ken Patera who spoke of the incident itself. Also, Baron Von Raschke a former amateur wrestler, appears to be one of the few names mentioned by some who may have been capable of staying the course against Robinson. Then again amateur wrestling isn't submission wrestling.
Yes Ken Patera and Flair signed up to learn pro wrestling together. Patera was an ex-Olympic weight lifter who was working as a bouncer at a club at the time.
Flair often said he tried to quit from the training camp on a couple of occasions, on the final one, Verne Gagne himself drove to Flair's house, knocked on the door and dragged him outside, then drove him back to the training camp. Flair said keep the money, I just want to quit, but Gagne had seen something in him that made him think he could make it. Something like that anyway.
By the way, the "Iron Sheik" had numerous chances to get his own back on Billy Robinson, if he really wanted to shoot on him during a match, but from the quick checking I have done, he lost to Billy every single time. Which makes me think he was smart enough to know that double crossing Robinson would have been foolish.
I don't think I have ever read anyone saying that training with Billy Robinson was easy. As soon as Verne Gagne (an Olympic wrestler himself) saw Billy wrestle catch-as-catch-can style, he knew he had found the best system (and coach) for real wrestling and pro wrestling and made him head trainer for the AWA immediately.
Flair witnessed the above, during a training session during his days learning to pro-wrestle for the AWA at Verne Gagne's farm, in a barn.
He said that Hossein Khosrow Al Vaziri, who was later known as "The Iron Sheik", was a former Olympic Wrestler and was training in the pro style at the same time as Flair. Vaziri said that no one could turn him over from the wrestling base position, but didn't say "using strict Olympic rules", as far as I can gather he just said no one could turn him. Billy Robinson said he could, and when Vaziri was on all fours, Billy (on his knees) wrapped his arms around his waist, then quickly kneed him in the side/top of the thigh, causing a dead leg, and quickly whipped him over.
I don't think Flair ever claimed that he did the same and beat Billy Robinson, but he did say the training under Gagne and Robinson was brutal. Both were real wrestlers and both had a mentality that you needed to be able to wrestle properly and be in great condition, at all times.
I wonder which "Sheik" Robinson worked with. There's a couple of stories drifting around on Youtube that Robinson accepted a mat challenge in the early 1970's during a training session in the U.S. Said challenge was that Robinson couldn't turn The Sheik back to mat from the amateur wrestler's referee's position ( face to mat on all fours). The interviewee stated The Sheik had a good amateur background and Robinson couldn't turn him, out of frustration Robinson kneed The Sheik in the kidneys hurting him! Several wrestlers watching weren't too happy with the incident. Another wrestler who reputedly bested Robinson in this challenge was a young Ric Flair !!!
Great stuff. Because this is the type of thing I notice, I'm about 90% sure that "The Sheik" that Robinson wrestled on that Winnipeg bill was Adnan al-Kaissie. I don't know of Farhat working for the AWA at that time, though he and Robinson definitely met up in the ring in Japan and maybe other places.
Certainly a great read from which we can see that a true accolade was when foreigners were allowed a winning run. Most, like Jean Ferre, even, were required to lose more than they ever won.
And as Martin points out, the same went the other way.
Shozo Kobayashi seemed fairly invincible, though I realise he doesn't qualify for Martin's particular ocean
The description of the ups and downs of Crusher Verdu never fails to amaze.
Love Martin's presentation of visiuals.
Did anyone else think they got a glimpse of Alan Sergeant in there?
P.s. Thanks Riot Squad & Martin Campbell for a great article, especially as it also featured one of my boyhood heroes "Mighty John Quinn."
You're exactly right Saxonwolf. I watched the interview again last night, it was Ken Patera who spoke of the incident itself. Also, Baron Von Raschke a former amateur wrestler, appears to be one of the few names mentioned by some who may have been capable of staying the course against Robinson. Then again amateur wrestling isn't submission wrestling.
Flair witnessed the above, during a training session during his days learning to pro-wrestle for the AWA at Verne Gagne's farm, in a barn.
He said that Hossein Khosrow Al Vaziri, who was later known as "The Iron Sheik", was a former Olympic Wrestler and was training in the pro style at the same time as Flair. Vaziri said that no one could turn him over from the wrestling base position, but didn't say "using strict Olympic rules", as far as I can gather he just said no one could turn him. Billy Robinson said he could, and when Vaziri was on all fours, Billy (on his knees) wrapped his arms around his waist, then quickly kneed him in the side/top of the thigh, causing a dead leg, and quickly whipped him over.
I don't think Flair ever claimed that he did the same and beat Billy Robinson, but he did say the training under Gagne and Robinson was brutal. Both were real wrestlers and both had a mentality that you needed to be able to wrestle properly and be in great condition, at all times.
I wonder which "Sheik" Robinson worked with. There's a couple of stories drifting around on Youtube that Robinson accepted a mat challenge in the early 1970's during a training session in the U.S. Said challenge was that Robinson couldn't turn The Sheik back to mat from the amateur wrestler's referee's position ( face to mat on all fours). The interviewee stated The Sheik had a good amateur background and Robinson couldn't turn him, out of frustration Robinson kneed The Sheik in the kidneys hurting him! Several wrestlers watching weren't too happy with the incident. Another wrestler who reputedly bested Robinson in this challenge was a young Ric Flair !!!
Martin is a great story teller and has given us so much of late. Thanks Martin.
Great stuff. Because this is the type of thing I notice, I'm about 90% sure that "The Sheik" that Robinson wrestled on that Winnipeg bill was Adnan al-Kaissie. I don't know of Farhat working for the AWA at that time, though he and Robinson definitely met up in the ring in Japan and maybe other places.
What a fantastic read , a good half hours worth of gems.
Good stuff!!