|
PHOTOS: Dory Funk Jr. defends NWA title: 1973
On February 11, 1973, Dory Funk Jr. successfully defended the NWA world heavyweight title at Maple Leaf Gardens against challenger Johnny Valentine.  A good portion of the match consisted of Valentine holding Funk in a front face-lock, but February 11 would turn out not to be Valentine's day, as Funk would come back to win the match in 28:12. Reported attendance was 14,000. The referee is Tiger Tasker.  You can see in the photos how the crowd lights would go out during the matches, leaving only the lights above the ring. You can also see the famous Gardens ramp in the background. -by Gary Will  |
PHOTOS: Dory Funk Jr. defends NWA title: 1973; Gary Will's TWH
Unmasked! -- Wrestlers who lost their masks in Toronto : Gary Will's TWH
| DATE | NAME | UNMASKED AS | UNMASKED BY |
| 36/06/18 | The Unknown | Hal Rumberg | Jim McMillen |
| 38/09/29 | Masked Marvel | Ted Cox | Mayes McLain |
| 41/11/27 | Masked Wolf | John Grandovich | The Angel |
| 43/08/12 | Red Shadow | Leo Numa | Wild Bill Longson |
| 44/01/05 | The Czar | Dick Lever | Bobby Managoff |
| 48/01/08 | The Mummy | Pedro Martinez | Masked Marvel |
| 49/01/27 | Mr. X | Earl McCready | Masked Marvel & tag partners |
| 49/02/17 | Masked Marvel | Lew Reynheer | Whipper Billy Watson |
| 51/02/22 | Masked Manager | Mayes McLain | Whipper Billy Watson |
| 51/08/30 | Masked Marvel | Lou Newman | The Zebra |
| 51/11/29 | The Zebra | George Bollas | Whipper Billy Watson |
| 52/12/26 | Masked Marvel | Frank Valois | Red Mask |
| 53/06/11 | Red Mask | Dutch Hefner | Lou Thesz |
| 59/06/04 | Great Bolo | Al Lovelock | Whipper Billy Watson |
| 61/05/25 | Black Terror | Laverne Baxter | Whipper Billy Watson |
| 64/01/16 | The Destroyer | Joe Christie | Johnny Valentine |
| 64/05/06 | Mighty Hercules | not identified | Johnny Valentine |
| 66/07/10 | Masked Yankee Dandy | Bob Stanlee | Whipper Watson/Bulldog Brower |
| 66/07/10 | Masked Yankee Doodle | Moose Evans | Whipper Watson/Bulldog Brower |
| 71/07/11 | Masked Assassin | Guy Mitchell | The Sheik |
| 74/04/07 | The Crusader | Dewey Robertson | The Sheik |
| 80/05/25 | Masked Superstar #2 | John Studd | Blackjack Mulligan |
| 84/04/15 | Assassin | Ray Hernandez | Jimmy Valiant |
The later versions of the Masked Marvel were sometimes called The Mask, as in the ad at right. That's for the August 30, 1951 show where Zebra unmasked The Mask and revealed him to be Vancouver's Lou Newman.
The Mighty Hercules from 1964 was said to be Bobby Graham in the papers, but he was the only one who was not formally identified after having his mask removed.
-by Gary Will
MLG Footage - 1957 Part Card
Thanks to Jon Boucher - Twitter @jon_boucher for converting this and sharing with the fans!
Jan 17 1957 MLG
Billy Red Lyons vs Baron Gattoni
Bill & Ed Miller vs Pat Flanagan & Ken Kenneth
Edouard Carpentier vs Steve Stanlee
A tag bout in the middle of the card and the main are not included.
Whipper Watson vs Gene Kiniski
Moto & Hito vs The Brunettis
Note from Roger'Thanks for the wonderful wrestling that took place at M.L.G. so long ago, I remember all of the participants. Phil Lisner, refs Bert Maxwell, Cliff Worthy, Bunny Dunlop,and old friend Joe Gollub. How I remember sitting at times with announcer Jerry Hiff at the ring side table, however always keeping my eyes on what was going on. As for the wrestlers on this card, Carpentier, Billy Red Lyons, Baron Gattoni who I saw previously on TV from Buffalo, Ed and Bill Miller, Steve Stanlee, and our own mule kicking Pat Flanagan.I may very well have been in attendance for this show, not sure. Was a ticket holding fan, about a year away from becoming a roaming wrestling reporter.'-Roger Baker
Toronto's Longest Runs -- The 25-Year Club: Gary Will's TWH
These are the wrestlers with the longest gap between their first Toronto appearance for a major promotion and their last:
This is different from a list of wrestlers with the most matches in Toronto, since several of these guys had lengthy gaps where they made no appearances here. For example, Dick Beyer didn't wrestle in Toronto after 1961, until returning 18 years later as The Destroyer. Don Jardine didn't wrestle in Toronto for over 20 years after starting in the area in the late 1950s, but he came back for a few matches as The Spoiler in the mid-1980s. Nanjo Singh served a prison sentence for killing his wife before his final run in Toronto. -by Gary Will  |
Whipper Billy Watson vs Gorgeous George, March 12, 1959: Gary Will's TWH
It may be the most famous match in Toronto that didn't involve a world title switch. On March 12, 1959 Whipper Billy Watson defeated Gorgeous George in a match where the stipulations were that Watson would retire if he lost and George would have his head shaved if he was defeated. It was a no-curfew, there-must-be-a-winner match, so promoter Frank Tunney had just about guaranteed the fans that one of the stipulations would be carried out. And it was.
George had just turned 44 the previous month, but he was an old 44 and his hall-of-fame career was clearly on the downswing. He had made his first appearance in Toronto in 1948 and wrestled Watson at Maple Leaf Gardens that year and again in 1956. Watson had won both of the previous matches and this would be their third meeting in Toronto.The stipulations were only announced five days before the match. On February 26, George had made his first appearance in Toronto in three years, defeating a clean-cut youngster named Wally Sieber who was being groomed as the next Whipper Billy Watson (it didn't last long; he soon left town and went back to his earlier evil German gimmick and became known world-wide as Waldo Von Erich). Watson himself had been away for nearly three months, and came back on the same show to wrestle Gene Kiniski in the main event. The show drew 12,000 fans.
Neither Watson nor George appeared on the next Toronto show on March 5, but a couple of days after that card, it was announced that they would meet each other in a hair vs career match on the 12th.
It drew 14,000 fans, which was the largest attendance for any Toronto show that year. The end came with George in Watson's sleeper, the Canuck Commando Unconscious, and Kiniski running into the ring to attack Watson, earning Whipper a DQ win. A parade of babyfaces -- Sieber, Pat Flanagan, Ilio DiPaolo and Mike Valentino (the future Baron Mikel Scicluna) -- raced in from the dressing room to save Watson and after chasing off Kiniski, they helped referee Joe Gollob keep George still while Gardens barber George Hansen did the honours. George's valet (and real-life wife), Cherie, caught the hair in a towel as it was shaved off.
A shorn George was back two weeks later for a rematch against Watson, which Whipper again won. Watson had put up his hair in that match, which drew 12,000. George then wrestled in a couple of main event tag matches partnered with Kiniski.
George came back to Toronto two years later and drew 5,000 fans for a main event against Watson, which was a good number at that time. In May 1961, George lost again to Watson in a match where Cherie's hair was at stake. It drew 8,000. A few pieces of hair were cut off, but then the chivalrous Watson told the barber to stop. There was one rematch between the two the following week, and that was the last time George wrestled in Toronto.
In November 1962, George lost his hair again -- this time to The Destroyer in Los Angeles.
-by Gary Will
Title Histories: Canadian Heavyweight Title: Gary Will's TWH
TORONTO: CANADIAN TITLE | |||
| 22/07 | George Walker | ||
| Billed as champion on arrival; still billed as champion, 24/02 | |||
| ---------- | |||
| 29/05 | Jack Taylor | ||
| Billed as champion on arrival | |||
| ---------- | |||
| 31/05 | Earl McCready | ||
| Billed as champion on arrival; still billed as champion, 34/10 | |||
| ---------- | |||
| 38/06 | Yvon Robert | ||
| Billed as champion on arrival | |||
| ---------- | |||
| 41/06 | Earl McCready | ||
| Billed as champion on arrival; Whipper Billy Watson claims the title after defeating McCready in the second fall of a best-of-three match, that went to a draw, 41/06/05, Toronto, ON; Watson claims the Canadian title was on the line in each fall; McCready defeats Watson, 41/06/12, Toronto, ON, to end the dispute; a scheduled match between McCready and Yvon Robert on 41/11/06, Toronto, ON, is billed as a battle between Canadian title claimants; Robert is a no-show for the match and neither wrestler's claim to the title is mentioned again | |||
| ---------- | |||
| 54/06 | Al Mills | ||
| Billed as champion on arrival for one match | |||
| ---------- | |||
| 78/12/17 | Dino Bravo | Toronto, ON | |
| Defeats Gene Kiniski | |||
| 79/04/08 | Greg Valentine | Toronto, ON | |
| 79/06/03 | Dino Bravo [2] | Toronto, ON | |
| 79/09 | VACANT | ||
| Bravo leaves the area | |||
| 79/09/09 | Dewey Robertson | Toronto, ON | |
| Defeats Greg Valentine in tournament final | |||
| 80/05/25 | Great Hossein Arab (Iron Sheik) | Toronto, ON | |
| 80/07/20 | Angelo Mosca | Toronto, ON | |
| 80/08/10 | Great Hossein Arab [2] | Toronto, ON | |
| 80/12/28 | Angelo Mosca [2] | Toronto, ON | |
| 81/07/12 | Mr. Fuji | Toronto, ON | |
| 81/07/26 | Angelo Mosca [3] | Toronto, ON | |
| 81/09/20 | Big John Studd | Toronto, ON | |
| 82/01/17 | Angelo Mosca [4] | Toronto, ON | |
| 83/07/24 | Sergeant Slaughter | Toronto, ON | |
| 84/01/22 | Angelo Mosca [5] | Toronto, ON | |
| 84 | VACANT | ||
| 84/04/29 | Ivan Koloff | Toronto, ON | |
| Defeats Brian Adidas in tournament final | |||
| 84/06/10 | Angelo Mosca Jr. | Toronto, ON | |
| 84/06 | ABANDONED | ||
-By Gary Will
Whipper's Beverages Ltd 1948-1951
If you browse on e-bay from time to time you will find some old 'Whipper's Beverages' bottles, caps , and occasionally other merchandise from the short lived foray by Whipper Watson into the beverage business.
The bottles are highly collectable and can go for hundreds of dollars. They featured a pose of Whipper with his British Empire Title from the mid 1940's on the front while the back of the neck had 'The Champion of Drinks.' The reverse of the bottle featured a wrestling hold illustrated and the name of the hold below it.
I'm not sure how many different versions there were but have noted about 10 different holds pictured on the bottles I've seen.
Whipper got in to the beverage business in early 1948. It was set up through Dominion Beverages and he went in with his brother George who worked for the RCMP at the time and for many years after. They were evidently very busy as of July 1948 as Whipper was out looking for new digs as they had too much inventory for their current location.
An item at the time also mentioned another venture with George, a cabinet making operation said to be worth 20k, while the Beverages company with 3 trucks said to be worth 40k.
They were, in the meantime, keeping their overflow at a farm, likely Whipper's spread up in Kewsick, Whipper was talking with area storekeepers who were eager for him to make personal appearances to promote the drinks.
They didn't list ingredients back then but it's likely there was a ton of sugar in these, kind of against the healthy living that Whipper promoted throughout his life. They had Cream Soda, Root Beer, Orange, Lime, and others.
The marketing involved Whipper's Safety Club which you could join by sending in some bottlecaps from the drinks. They claimed up to 150,000 members across Canada and into the U.S.
Whipper was very busy on all fronts as he was making real money by this time headlining the weekly cards in Toronto. He also buys into a Kitchen run by his (other) brother Larry which ran out of a plant where they prepared the orders. Whipper also enlisted some friends as Distributors, fellow wrestler Billy Stack handled his home area of Bowmanville in 1950.
By 1951 it was done
Notice to creditors
Trustee under the Bulk Sales Act to receive purchase monies from the sale of the plant and equipment of Whippers Beverages Ltd 435 Dawes Rd Toronto which have been sold to Seven-Up Ontario and Dominion Dry Ginger Ale Company for distribution among the creditors of Whippers Beverages Limited.
Whipper was very busy on all fronts as he was making real money by this time headlining the weekly cards in Toronto. He also buys into a Kitchen run by his (other) brother Larry which ran out of a plant where they prepared the orders. Whipper also enlisted some friends as Distributors, fellow wrestler Billy Stack handled his home area of Bowmanville in 1950.
By 1951 it was done
Notice to creditors
Trustee under the Bulk Sales Act to receive purchase monies from the sale of the plant and equipment of Whippers Beverages Ltd 435 Dawes Rd Toronto which have been sold to Seven-Up Ontario and Dominion Dry Ginger Ale Company for distribution among the creditors of Whippers Beverages Limited.
-AC
Photos nostalgia mapleleafwrestling.com collection
Ron Hutchison: Pain Torture Agony!
Do yourself a favor and order the fantastic new book by Toronto's Ron Hutchison
Pain Torture Agony Excerpts and available at http://crowbarpress.com/cbp-books/44-rh.html
Ron is a local legend around here but he will be familiar to all wrestling fans as THE trainer of stars. There were many that would endure his regimens which he dubbed PTA -Pain Torture Agony - the title of his autobiography.
Christian, Edge, Trish Stratus, Gail Kim, Beth Phoenix, Johnny Swinger, Joe E. Legend, and many others passed through Ron's training in Toronto, and the telling of his life as he made his way through the wrestling world is truly a fascinating read.
As a local fan who grew up in Toronto watching the same stars, his tale of fan-to-wrestler is the ultimate wrestling fans dream. He takes you from his days as a fan and into Sully's Gym as he realizes his dream of being a pro wrestler- and wrestling at Maple Leaf Gardens!
It's evident from the first days hounding Powers & Siki to train him that there is no substitute for HEART, hard work, and a desire to succeed. That message is abundant throughout the book.
In addition to the very thorough narrative (almost 200 pages with smaller print) there are a ton of great photos from his personal collection scattered throughout with a full album at the back of the book.
There's lots of great stories. A mix of road and ring and a ton of info around the wrestling scene in the late 80's through the 90's, and beyond. The East Coast tours in particular for this Canadian fan, are both revealing as well as a source of some great road tales.
It's a super interesting look at what goes into training, getting work, running TV, promotion, and arranging shows. The chapters dealing with pro training are a virtual encyclopedia on a side of the sport we rarely see.
I really learned a lot, both about Ron and the inner workings of that era. As it turns out I had missed Ron's pro wrestling debut in Summer 1983 on a McKigney show by one card (went to both on either side of Ron's debut, and tell me it isn't so re: payoff!). Did recall his WWF TV bouts early in the WWF years here (covered with some great local recollections), and didn't realize I was at the very first Apocalypse Wrestling card in Scarborough in which he had a hand in (have my own Abdullah connection to that one).
In typical Canadian fashion he downplays the role he played in others successes but there are lots of tributes added in from others. It works very well in the context of the book, lots of positive messages, working back to where it all started -Toronto's iconic Sully's Gym -which is prominent throughout..
It's a very honest and revealing look at pro wrestling as it really was. From defending being a fan in schoolyards, rinks, etc. (did that too) to dealing with all the issues that go with wrestling in Ontario, across Canada - and Worldwide (see India!).
Overall a very informative and fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed Ron's story and would recommend it for wrestling fans of all ages. A great book to take to the beach - in any weather.
Well done! 👍👍
Pain Torture Agony Excerpts and available at http://crowbarpress.com/cbp-books/44-rh.html
Ron is a local legend around here but he will be familiar to all wrestling fans as THE trainer of stars. There were many that would endure his regimens which he dubbed PTA -Pain Torture Agony - the title of his autobiography.Christian, Edge, Trish Stratus, Gail Kim, Beth Phoenix, Johnny Swinger, Joe E. Legend, and many others passed through Ron's training in Toronto, and the telling of his life as he made his way through the wrestling world is truly a fascinating read.
As a local fan who grew up in Toronto watching the same stars, his tale of fan-to-wrestler is the ultimate wrestling fans dream. He takes you from his days as a fan and into Sully's Gym as he realizes his dream of being a pro wrestler- and wrestling at Maple Leaf Gardens!
It's evident from the first days hounding Powers & Siki to train him that there is no substitute for HEART, hard work, and a desire to succeed. That message is abundant throughout the book.
In addition to the very thorough narrative (almost 200 pages with smaller print) there are a ton of great photos from his personal collection scattered throughout with a full album at the back of the book.
There's lots of great stories. A mix of road and ring and a ton of info around the wrestling scene in the late 80's through the 90's, and beyond. The East Coast tours in particular for this Canadian fan, are both revealing as well as a source of some great road tales.
It's a super interesting look at what goes into training, getting work, running TV, promotion, and arranging shows. The chapters dealing with pro training are a virtual encyclopedia on a side of the sport we rarely see.
I really learned a lot, both about Ron and the inner workings of that era. As it turns out I had missed Ron's pro wrestling debut in Summer 1983 on a McKigney show by one card (went to both on either side of Ron's debut, and tell me it isn't so re: payoff!). Did recall his WWF TV bouts early in the WWF years here (covered with some great local recollections), and didn't realize I was at the very first Apocalypse Wrestling card in Scarborough in which he had a hand in (have my own Abdullah connection to that one).In typical Canadian fashion he downplays the role he played in others successes but there are lots of tributes added in from others. It works very well in the context of the book, lots of positive messages, working back to where it all started -Toronto's iconic Sully's Gym -which is prominent throughout..
It's a very honest and revealing look at pro wrestling as it really was. From defending being a fan in schoolyards, rinks, etc. (did that too) to dealing with all the issues that go with wrestling in Ontario, across Canada - and Worldwide (see India!).
Overall a very informative and fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed Ron's story and would recommend it for wrestling fans of all ages. A great book to take to the beach - in any weather.
Well done! 👍👍
Excerpts and available at http://crowbarpress.com/cbp-books/44-rh.html
Ron is on Twitter at @RonHutchison1
We had a lengthy chat with Ron about growing up a fan in Toronto
Ron is on Twitter at @RonHutchison1
We had a lengthy chat with Ron about growing up a fan in Toronto
North American Heavyweight Title: Title Histories
North American Heavyweight Title: Big Bear - Ontario
| Archie Gouldie | 1974/05 | |
| Holds Calgary version, also billed as champion in London, ON. | ||
| Luis Martinez | 1974/05/29? | London, ON? |
| Archie Gouldie [2] | 1974/06/09 | Sarnia, ON |
| Vic Rossatani | 1974/07 // | |
| Sometime after 74/06/26. | ||
| Archie Gouldie [3] | 1974/07/10? | London, ON? |
| Bobo Brazil | 1974/08/21? | London, ON? |
| Still champion as of 74/10/13. | ||
| [...] | ||
| Stan Stasiak | 1974/12/21 // | |
| [...] | ||
| Tony Parisi | 1975/07/25 // | |
| Billed as champion at start of season; still champion as of 75/08/22 | ||
| [...] | ||
| Waldo Won Erich | 1976/05 | |
| Billed as champion at start of season. | ||
| Billy Red Lyons | 1976 | |
| Chris Colt | 1976/08/17 | Simcoe, ON |
| Billy Red Lyons [2] | 1976/08/24 | Simcoe, ON |
| [...] | ||
| Geeto Mongol | 1977/06/15 // | |
| Billed as champion at start of season; inactive until 82 | ||
| [...] | ||
| Whipper Watson Jr. | 1982/07 | |
| Billed as champion at start of season. | ||
| Chris Colt [2] | 1982/07/04 | Scarborough, ON |
| Canadian Wildman (Dave McKigney) | 1982/07 | |
| Chris Colt [3] | 1982/08/01 | Scarborough, ON |
| Whipper Watson Jr. [2] | 1982/08 | |
| [...] | ||
| Chris Colt [4] | 1983/08 | |
| Billed as champion after the start of season. | ||
| Johnny Valiant | 1983/08 | Cornwall, ON |
| Title inactive | ||
Arena Gardens: Toronto's original wrestling palace (1922-1938) : Gary Will's TWH
Maple Leaf Gardens is Toronto's most storied wrestling venue and is one of a handful of sites that can credibly be called a pro wrestling mecca. For 64 years, the Gardens was host to top level pro wrestling matches, including four NWA world title changes.
But before there was Maple Leaf Gardens, there was another Gardens that was Toronto's primary wrestling venue -- the site where major league pro wrestling became established in the city. That was Arena Gardens -- later known as Mutual Street Arena.
Arena Gardens was where Ivan Mickailoff began promoting weekly shows in 1929. It was also where he presented his final Toronto show in 1938 -- the last time the building was used for pro wrestling.
Even before Mickailoff came to town, Arena Gardens had been the site of two matches between Stanislaus Zbyszko and Canadian champion George Walker in 1922 and 1924 (see ad at right).
Some of the names that Michailoff presented at the Arena included Strangler Lewis and Toots Mondt, as well as reigning world champions Gus Sonnenberg, Ed Don George, Henri Deglane, Jim Londos, Ali Baba, and Everett Marshall, who all defended their title in the building (as did light heavyweight champion Billy Weidner). Toronto-made world champion Vic Christie defended his title there once as well.
Rival promoter Jack Corcoran also promoted some shows at the Arena in 1931 before moving over to Maple Leaf Gardens when it opened in November of that year.
Arena Gardens was built in 1912 for $500,000 and was at the time the largest indoor arena in the country. It was located east of Yonge on Mutual Street between Dundas and Shuter, not far from Massey Hall, which was also used at times for pro wrestling shows, particularly when the Arena was closed for repairs. Sir Henry Pellatt, the man behind Casa Loma, was one of the Arena's primary backers.
The NHL's first Stanley Cup winners, the Toronto Arenas (1917-18), were named after the building and played their home games there, as would the Toronto St. Pats and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In 1938, the Arena was leased to William Dickson who turned it into a recreation facility offering ice skating in winter and roller skating in summer. Dickson bought the building in 1945 and it remained in the family for the next 43 years. Curling sheets -- 18 of them -- were added in a 1962 renovation, and the building was renamed The Terrace, a name it kept until it was sold in 1988 to become the site of a condominium complex. It closed its doors on April 30, 1989 and was demolished a few months later.
In the Toronto Star, Jim Proudfoot wrote:
Soon it'll be gone and shortly after that, forgotten.
And so it's goodbye forever to another chunk of what's made Toronto what it is today, about to join Sunnyside [amusement park], Thorncliffe [racetrack], Dufferin [racetrack], Icelandia [skating rink/arena], Ravina [Gardens -- one-time practice rink for the Leafs] and Long Branch [racetrack] in a dim and distant past - just a trivia question of the 21st century.
- by Gary Will
But before there was Maple Leaf Gardens, there was another Gardens that was Toronto's primary wrestling venue -- the site where major league pro wrestling became established in the city. That was Arena Gardens -- later known as Mutual Street Arena.
Arena Gardens was where Ivan Mickailoff began promoting weekly shows in 1929. It was also where he presented his final Toronto show in 1938 -- the last time the building was used for pro wrestling.
Even before Mickailoff came to town, Arena Gardens had been the site of two matches between Stanislaus Zbyszko and Canadian champion George Walker in 1922 and 1924 (see ad at right).
Some of the names that Michailoff presented at the Arena included Strangler Lewis and Toots Mondt, as well as reigning world champions Gus Sonnenberg, Ed Don George, Henri Deglane, Jim Londos, Ali Baba, and Everett Marshall, who all defended their title in the building (as did light heavyweight champion Billy Weidner). Toronto-made world champion Vic Christie defended his title there once as well.
Rival promoter Jack Corcoran also promoted some shows at the Arena in 1931 before moving over to Maple Leaf Gardens when it opened in November of that year.
Arena Gardens was built in 1912 for $500,000 and was at the time the largest indoor arena in the country. It was located east of Yonge on Mutual Street between Dundas and Shuter, not far from Massey Hall, which was also used at times for pro wrestling shows, particularly when the Arena was closed for repairs. Sir Henry Pellatt, the man behind Casa Loma, was one of the Arena's primary backers.
The NHL's first Stanley Cup winners, the Toronto Arenas (1917-18), were named after the building and played their home games there, as would the Toronto St. Pats and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In 1938, the Arena was leased to William Dickson who turned it into a recreation facility offering ice skating in winter and roller skating in summer. Dickson bought the building in 1945 and it remained in the family for the next 43 years. Curling sheets -- 18 of them -- were added in a 1962 renovation, and the building was renamed The Terrace, a name it kept until it was sold in 1988 to become the site of a condominium complex. It closed its doors on April 30, 1989 and was demolished a few months later.
In the Toronto Star, Jim Proudfoot wrote:
The birthplace of professional hockey in Toronto is about to disappear - torn down and replaced by, yes, yet another picturesque pile of residential condominiums. Before long, people will dwell at Cathedral Square and they'll have no idea, most of them, that their homes sit precisely where so much of this city's history took place. A Stanley Cup was won there and the Maple Leafs started out there. Sammy Luftspring fought there and Frank Sinatra sang there. The Harlem Globetrotters entertained there and Torchy Peden rode his bike there. Foster Hewitt broadcast his first hockey game there.
Soon it'll be gone and shortly after that, forgotten.
And so it's goodbye forever to another chunk of what's made Toronto what it is today, about to join Sunnyside [amusement park], Thorncliffe [racetrack], Dufferin [racetrack], Icelandia [skating rink/arena], Ravina [Gardens -- one-time practice rink for the Leafs] and Long Branch [racetrack] in a dim and distant past - just a trivia question of the 21st century.
- by Gary Will
Al "Bunny" Dunlop: wrestler, referee, promoter: Gary Will's TWH
Al "Bunny" Dunlop was a fixture on the Toronto wrestling scene for 40 years, working as a wrestler and referee. And, for a few months in 1947, Dunlop promoted his own shows under the banner of the Atlas Athletic Club.The first appearance I've found for Dunlop as a pro wrestler in Toronto is a 1932 match organized by Jack Corcoran at Oakwood Stadium (near Oakwood and St. Clair) as part of a YMCA fundraiser. Fifteen years later, Oakwood Stadium would become an important venue for Dunlop.
He wouldn't make it to Maple Leaf Gardens until 1934, losing to Bert Rubi in the first match on the first card presented by Maple Leaf Gardens (not the first show at MLG, but the first one that was promoted by Maple Leaf Gardens itself and not by Corcoran).
Dunlop was invariably described as fat but strong. In a 1943 profile, it was said that he had been a weightlifter before becoming a wrestler. During the day, he was a truck driver for the York Township parks department -- a job he held for many years.
He was strictly a prelim wrestler for Corcoran, and then for Frank Tunney, until 1942 when Dunlop wrestled Whipper Billy Watson in two semi-final bouts and was featured in Toronto's first ever team match -- partnered with John Katan to take on Watson and Earl McCready.Dunlop was also in a high profile match against Joe Kayorie (who would go on to be better known as Joe "Killer" Christie), who made his Maple Leaf Gardens debut billed as a boxer with an open challenge to all wrestlers. Dunlop accepted the challenge and defeated Kayorie in under four minutes. Along with Watson and McCready, wrestlers who defeated Dunlop in Toronto included Frank Sexton and Danno O'Mahony. Dunlop and Pat Flanagan, who would also go on to become a referee, wrestled each other many times on the undercard at the Gardens.
In 1943, Dunlop got his first singles main event in Toronto, wrestling Watson (see ad at right). For the most part, however, he was still wrestling in prelims. His final regular appearance as a wrestler at Maple Leaf Gardens was in 1946.
The following year, Dunlop became a promoter, in partnership with long-time friend Dave Johnston, identified as an ex-garage operator. Dunlop and Johnston created the Atlas Athletic Club and ran shows under that banner at Oakwood Stadium.
Dunlop was originally told by Ontario Athletic Commissioner Syl Apps -- the Leaf hall-of-famer -- that he couldn't have a wrestling license, but when he argued that Oakwood Stadium was just outside the boundary of the city of Toronto in York Township, Apps relented.
The Atlas Athletic Club ran shows through the summer of 1947, featuring Kayorie, Joe Maich, Frank Hewitt, Sandor Kovacs, Bill Stack, and Dunlop himself. They were not a financial success. According to Dunlop, for one show in September that attracted 800 fans paying a $700 gate, $155 was spent on advertising and tickets, $140 went to the federal government, $105 was paid to the stadium, $85 went for police and other contract services, $60 was paid to the Diamond Athletic Club for use of the ring, $55 was spent to rent chairs, and $14 went to the Ontario Athletic Commission, leaving $86 to split between eight wrestlers and a referee. Dunlop said he lost $600 on his first four show -- that would be over $6,000 in today's dollars.Dunlop went back to work for Tunney as a referee in April 1948. An incident involving Dunlop which is retold to this day occurred at some point in the last half of the 1950s. He was working as a referee on a show that included former amateur standout (3-time NCAA heavyweight champion) and future pro world champion Dick Hutton. Backstage, someone played a rib on Hutton -- possibly giving him a hot foot. Incensed, Hutton stormed off to get revenge on the prankster and confronted Dunlop. According to the stories, Hutton tried a leg takedown on Dunlop, who had the size and strength to fight it off, grab Hutton in a front headlock, and choke him out. It significantly damaged Hutton's reputation as a shooter.
Dunlop stepped out of retirement to don the tights for two Gardens main events against Watson in 1958 and 1959. In both cases, Watson was seeking revenge for decisions Dunlop had made in previous bouts as a referee. Dunlop's final appearance as a wrestler was in 1960, taking on Terrible Ted the Bear, over whom Dunlop had scored a count-out victory in 1959.Dunlop continued to work as a referee into the 1970s. He was the official who disqualified Tiger Jeet Singh in his February 1971 main event against the Sheik which was the first Maple Leaf Gardens wrestling show to sell over 18,000 tickets. Dunlop retired later that year.
-by Gary Will
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