From Nanjo to The Sheik: Tales from Toronto Wrestling
Chapter: Lou Thesz and the NWA Title p 33-51
Excerpt begins page 38 and ends page 41
....Dick Hutton who had been offering $1000 to anyone who could pin him in less than 20 minutes would keep his money both times he faced Whip for the title. The first bout Whipper pinned him- but after the 20 minutes. In the second bout before 5,500 fans Hutton got back-dropped and flipped over the top rope to be counted out by ref Bert Maxwell. Steve York of the Globe asked 'do you suppose Hutton really has a $1,000 bill?' Hutton was frequently pictured in the papers with a bill stuck to his chest.
In the Sat Nov 10 edition of the Star the byline reads 'St Louis, MO: Thesz grabs Whip's title in count out shemozzle.’ Whipper had lost the title to Thesz in a wild match and was coming home without the title belt. Whipper was said to have had bouts set up in Florida which were cancelled but that was where he was anyways – to take a break after the title run.
Though Watson would only hold the title for 8 months, he defended it in his hometown 16 times between March and November 1956 before losing it back to Thesz.
Tunney was said to have offered Thesz $10k for the re-match to be held in Toronto while Whipper claimed he was robbed by the 20 count they used in St Louis as opposed to the 10 count used here. The re-match at MLG on Nov 22 1956 went to curfew under the watchful eye of special ref Jack Sharkey to deny Whipper another run with the title. In front of 11,000 Watson had a claw hold on Thesz as time ran out on the bout after 42 minutes.
Thesz would return in May 1957 to face Gene Kiniski. In front of 9,500 fans Thesz would hold Kiniski to a draw after 32:58 when the bout was called at the 11:15pm curfew. Kiniski would be the force in the bout however with his usual roughhouse tactics though the crowd would cheer on Thesz anytime he would get the upper hand.
When Lou returned again in Nov 1957 to face the 3 time NCAA champ Hutton, the Toronto fans would see another title change when Hutton beat Thesz after 35 minutes of action.
Hutton had been enjoying a good run in Toronto since arriving here in April 1956. He had been un-beaten for a stretch while offering his $1000 challenge keeping his money against stars including O’Connor, Whipper, Ilio Dipaolo, and Dick Beyer (later aka The Destroyer).
Hutton, on this night, pledged double his money against the champ, an extra thousand to charity if Thesz could beat him. It was declared a no time-limit bout in which there had to be a winner. Either the title changed hands or Hutton’s $2,000, with Sam Muchnick holding onto the money.
One report said Hutton spent 8 weeks with Atkins. It was said that Atkins got Hutton's weight down through his extreme conditioning regiments. Atkins claimed Hutton was an 'alcoholic for cake' so he 'ran him through the sand until he dropped, then insulted him till he got up and ran some more.' Observers noted Hutton looked a lot trimmer than he had in some time when he met Thesz for the title.
Hutton would return 3 weeks later to defend against Yukon Eric in his first of 9 title defenses in Toronto. In addition to Yukon, Hutton would face Whipper (4 times), Wild Bill Longson, Thesz (2 times), and Hombre Montana.
Hutton would face Whipper in Jan 1958 with the bout ending in a dq win for Hutton in front of 8,000. Ref Dunlop disqualified Whipper after he had pinned Hutton and thought he had won the title. The lights went on and the crowd roared but Dunlop noticed Hutton's foot on the ropes and ruled the pin wasn't legal. Watson, incensed by the verdict threw Hutton over the ropes to the floor and lost the bout. Hutton (as happened several times in Toronto) would have to be stretchered out.
The rematch 2 weeks later ended in a curfew draw after 36 minutes. 10,000 were on hand to see the bout described later by Jim Proudfoot as 'It’s the first time in recorded history that a National Wrestling Alliance titleholder has gone through a whole bout without wrestling.'
For this one the Fabulous Kangaroos tag team was appointed as special referees. They called the bout fairly although Steve York of the Globe remarked 'And then there was that goofy business of making wrestlers Al Costello and Roy Heffernan referees. Whoever heard of two referees for a regularly scheduled championship bout?'
The second bout vs Thesz on Aug 21 ends in a curfew draw after '36 minutes of ‘skill, science and Hutton's canny rewrites of the NWA rule book, if there is one.’ Thesz would try to get an extra 5 minutes added while special ref Wilbur Snyder checked with Hutton who would have nothing to do with it. Snyder was said to have been mutually agreed upon by both participants. Whipper, who was on hand again would challenge the winner of the bout beforehand but would have to wait as there was no winner......
Black & White 240 pages with many rare photos 16.99 CDN Dec 2020
