A Chat with Roger Baker: Sweet Daddy Siki

Best of mapleleafwrestling.com

This time Sweet Daddy Siki, Toronto debut March 1962...

Siki facing Al Costello Maple Leaf Gardens 1967

AC - Do you remember seeing Siki for the first time, what were your thoughts, and had you seen him in action before on TV or in other cities before he settled here

Roger - If I recall the first time that I saw Siki was very soon after he first appeared here in Toronto. I had never seen a black wrestler who had bleached blond hair before, and I must say that he was certainly an originator in that regard. Siki was able to immediately generate attention to his appearance as well as his persona, what with his skill with a mic in hand, and his unique hair style.

3 legends! Jet Star, Sweet Daddy Siki, Roger Baker 2015

You took lots of photos of Siki in action, did you ever get to interact with him back then, show him any photos, he seems very reserved in 'real' life, was he always that way - in comparison to his ring persona

I remember so well the first time that I had a chance to interact with Siki, was with a friend at the time, we were on the QEW. driving to Hamilton to take in a wrestling show at the Hamilton Forum. We were halfway along the highway to our destination, when suddenly we spot S.D. driving right along side of us, we waved and shouted at him, and he waved back. We drove along side each other for perhaps a half mile, and we told him that our main purpose for our trip to the Forum was to see him in action, he had a big grin on his face and waved goodbye as the traffic was building behind us. 

Jet Star & Siki check out Roger's photos

I got to know Siki very well after our first encounter on the highway, we became very good friends I had the opportunity to spend a lot of quality time with Mr. SDS as we traveled together to a few of his mat appearances, and I had the chance to meet his charming wife on two occasions. My wife and myself had them both up to our apt. way back, shortly after he arrived on the Toronto scene, the occasion was for an interview, and a photo shoot. 

Recently, about 8 yrs ago (2008) wrestler Jet Star and myself visited Siki at the Duke of York tavern. He has performed at this venue for years, performing karaoke Saturdays for his legion of fans who enjoy to listen as well as participate with Siki. The purpose of our visit was to see S.D.S. perform, as well I had assembled a very extensive collection of photos of Siki that I had taken so many years earlier. It was a great pleasure for me to be able to leave those photos with Siki. 

Can remember an opportunity that just presented itself one Saturday afternoon back around 1964-65, I was going to cover an upcoming heavyweight fight at MLG that featured George Chuvalo in a ten round fight with then ranked Ernie 'The Octopus' Terrell. It occurred in a tavern in downtown Toronto, Terrell was doing some sparing upstairs above the tavern, there was a heavy bag, mats, and skipping ropes along with other boxing gear, when I saw this as an opportunity to get two well known boxing and wrestling greats together. I phoned Siki at home and explained who was training at this gym and can you make it over so that we could have an introduction between the two take place. Regi Siki was on the scene in about twenty minutes, and it proved to be a very enjoyable experience for all of us. We both had many pleasant interactions during the sixties.
 

Siki holds court

You saw all of the major stars of the 1950's 1960's, where does Siki fit in when you look back at Toronto wrestling history

SDS was a very unique wrestler in that even though he was at the prime of his mat career, he stood out as an original ring performer with his blond hair, magnificent capes, mic skills, and a very powerfully built body. His shoulder muscles resembled two over sized grapefruits.  

During his heyday he wrestled all of the top wrestlers that were appearing in Toronto's MLG. He faced some very tough wrestlers, to mention a few; Yukon Eric, Whipper Watson, Bulldog Brower, Lou Thesz, and Bruno Sammartino. Siki told me during our get together at the Duke Of York, that he once wrestled the mighty Lou Thesz to a ninety minute draw in Texas some time during the late fifties. Siki had it all, personality, great mat skills, outstanding physique, and the ability to mix it with the best of them during his era.
 
Any bouts that stand out for you , at MLG or in one of the smaller arenas around the area

The one bout that I saw Siki in that still remains in clear detail in my mind took place in the town of Sutton On. during the summer months. Sutton is very close to Lake Simcoe and cottage country so the scheduled wrestling card was sure to draw a large crowd, being that there were so many people in the area at this time. The main event that promoter Tommy Nelson had on was a tag team match, it pitted Ilio DiPaolo and John Paul Henning vs Dick Bulldog Brower and Sweet Daddy Siki. 

Roger & Star visiting with Siki 2008

This match was to take place in Sutton Arena, it was a very warm night and it was an older venue without air conditioning. The match started out as expected for about two or three minutes, then all hell broke loose, Brower and Siki got into a private personal beef, I saw Siki nail Brower on the jaw with a very stiff punch, Brower went bonkers and tried to tear Siki apart, the other two wrestlers saw what was unfolding and left the ring altogether. 

Meanwhile Brower was so crazed at this point that he tried to pull down one of the arena's supporting beams to use as a weapon to use against his own partner Siki, when he could not accomplish this, he ran out to the back of the arena, he reappeared a moment later brandishing a large steel wheel barrow over head, his intent was obvious, he wanted to badly hurt and injure his own partner Siki. 

Siki was able to back peddle out of the enraged Brower's range, and Brower who was so intent on maiming Siki started to slow down, no doubt he was tiring, this was triggered by a personal beef between the two. When visiting with Siki at the tavern where he has appeared for years, I mentioned that match to him, wanting to know what was the trigger to set that type of violence up, Siki's only memory of the incident was the wheel barrow.

Originally published January 2016
............
Thanks so much Roger

Photos by AC & Roger Baker
There is lots of great footage of Siki at Toronto Classic Wrestling on YouTube

-AC

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Angelo Mosca in Toronto

Best of mapleleafwrestling.com 

Originally published 2005 revised 2021

MEAN & NASTY 

Angelo Mosca was already a well known star by the time he first appeared at MLG in 1969. He was in the middle of his second go around with the Hamilton Tiger Cats and near the end of his Hall of Fame career in the Canadian Football League.

He had started wrestling in Ottawa and Montreal in 1960 on a part time basis while earning his reputation as 'Mean and Nasty' on -and off- the football field. He had been in some trouble while at University of Wyoming in 1958. They cancelled his athletic scholarship for 'scholastic deficiency and disciplinary reasons.' He had also been sent away from Notre Dame for similar infractions.

Just around the start of his wrestling career he was in Montreal playing for the Ottawa Shaffers in the Eastern Canada Senior Basketball playoffs (alongside some other CFL'ers earning extra money) when Mosca slugged the referee and was promptly suspended. He had taken a kicking and kneeing penalty earlier in the game and took it out on the ref with a right to the jaw. The coaches hauled Mosca off and convinced the ref not to call the game. Once the ref had visited the dressing room and returned he ordered Mosca to the showers. This time Mosca hit him with a left to the jaw. His own teammates now dragged him to the dressing room and Mosca left the arena while the ref threatened to charge him with assault. That was the end of the playoffs for Mosca who stuck to causing trouble on the field and in the ring.

When he finally made his Toronto wrestling debut years later it was the Sheik era in the city. Mosca got his chance vs Sheik in June 1971, his first main event at the Gardens.

MOSCA GIVES SHEIK TROUBLE

Angelo Mosca, evidently so unnerved at hearing Torontonians actually cheering for him, erred on a flying tackle, wrapped himself around a ring-post and ultimately, lost his wrestling assignment against the Sheik last night. In the autumn, Mosca is a 270 pound lineman with Hamilton Tiger-Cats and seems to rate the most verbal abuse when the Toronto Argonauts are hosting other Canadian Football League teams at CNE Stadium. He forgot however that a Maple Leaf Garden's wrestling crowd would throw roses to Adolph Hitler had he ever faced The Sheik. 

Allan Ryan Globe and Mail June 21 1971

Mosca gave The Sheik trouble but still notched another mark on Sheik's unbeaten streak, then at 49 wins 0 losses and 7 double dq/double countouts. That marked his last appearance at MLG for a time but he remained a regular around Ontario. He spent a few tours with Wildman Dave McKigney, as well as the crossover WWA (Indianapolis/Michigan) cards held around the southwestern portion of the province. He had a tough main event feud with Stomper Archie Gouldie over the Wildman's North American Heavyweight title in summer 1974. At the end of that summer Mosca got into an altercation with a man after leaving a restaurant in downtown Hamilton. The other guy filed charges for assault after he was left with a 'bump on the head and torn clothes after a scuffle' with big Ange. The following year he retired from the field and turned to wrestling full-time.

In late 1975 he returned to MLG, this time as a full out heel playing up his football reputation. In Dec 1976 he faced Andre the Giant in the semi final bout under a rare Sheik title loss (to Thunderbolt Patterson).

BIG ANGE RETURNS

Angelo Mosca weighed 285 pounds when he played defensive tackle for Ottawa and Hamilton. Now, as a pro wrestler, he goes 310. He's on the Boxing Day card at Maple Leaf Gardens Sunday evening up against Andre the Giant. 'I'd done a bit of wrestling when I was playing but I got very serious about it after we won the 1972 Grey Cup in Hamilton, and I retired from football.' says Mosca, who maintains a home in Mississauga, even while travelling all over the continent. 'It's certainly better financially. I'm getting up close to six figures a year.' Naturally Mosca in a villain, as he was in football. 'There's no dough in being a good guy.' he argues.

Jim Proudfoot Toronto Star 24 Dec 1976

When Frank Tunney turned to use the AWA stars in Fall 1977 the stage was set for the now 'King Kong' Mosca to return and this time he stayed. In the AWA he was a heel with the fans chanting 'Ping Pong' in deference to his new nickname. For his first card back Mosca arrived at MLG with AWA champ Nick Bockwinkel and Bobby Heenan and the night was memorable for another reason. There was no ramp. For the first time since 1948 the memorable ramp to the ring was absent. They ran rope where the ramp usually was, with regular steps up to the ring. It was never revealed why the ramp was out but as far as we know it never happened again.

THE MEANEST MAN SAYS HE IS -NOW

Now that he is the heavyweight wrestling champion of Georgia, Angelo would welcome the kind of disaffection which in football, was so completely undeserved. He worked Maple Leaf Gardens , on Frank Tunney's Sunday night show, and he confesses to having developed villainous impulses since he left the refining influences of the Tiger-Cats. 'Even in the Yamaha snowmobile commercials, you get the impression I'm a pretty tough character,' Mosca boasts. 'I am. Well let me tell you I haven't been uunder $65,000 a year since I left football. Best money I ever made in football was $23,000. That was in my last three seasons with the Ti-Cats.' The heavyweight champion is in heavy demand.

Milt Dunnell Toronto Star July 28 1978

He worked his way up the cards facing the top stars of the AWA & WWWF including Chief Peter Maivia and AWA British Empire champion Billy Robinson. For a May 1978 card Mosca was acknowledged as the Empire champ having beat Robinson in an AWA proper bout. That title different from the Empire title Whipper had held here back in the boom days. In July 1978 he made his first appearance as a fan favorite, facing champ Bockwinkel in the co-main alongside a Backlund vs Superstar Graham WWWF Title bout. Almost two months later he got a re-match with Bockwinkel, this time they were the main event over a title bout between Backlund and Gorilla Monsoon.

THE CANADIAN TITLE YEARS

On his next return here the Mid Atlantic era had begun. By early 1980 he was firmly seated to become the main local star on the scene. Previous local stars Dino Bravo and Dewey Robertson, had both finished their main event runs, Bravo had left in 1979 while Dewey was soon to go. With the launch of the new Canadian Heavyweight Title (back in Dec 1978)we had a local title that Mosca went on to hold through 5 reigns.

I'M NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE IN THE CROWD

Angelo Mosca said with mock solemnity at a lunchtime tete-a-tete yesterday. 'When I'm wrestling in the southern states, they bill me as King Kong Mosca. Up here in Canada, the promoters don't bill me as a villain. They are aware of the real me-gruff, rough, but lovable. What does the future hold? If you look after yourself, you can last for a long time in wrestling.' he says. 'But I'd like to become a wrestling promoter somewhere down the line. And I'd like to get back into doing television commercials.' 

Jim Coleman Toronto Sun July 23 1980

Around the time Mosca first won the Canadian title he was also a vicious heel in the WWF, appearing there regularly while holding the strap (he was photographed backstage with the belt but as far as we know never defended the title there). There was no mention of Toronto while on WWF TV, but the magazines ran stories on him where they had observed the personality change depending on the location he wrestled. Mosca replied with, 'I wrestle the same way everywhere. The fans can decide to cheer or boo.' He did and they would. He was back in the WWF gunning for Backlund’s crown and prone to some serious fits of violence. He was managed there by Lou Albano and appeared both on the WWF TV tapings and at the big shows around the Northeast.

This was a bit of a conundrum for the Maple Leaf fans as we got the WWF TV show here at midnight Saturdays on WUTV Buffalo. When he later looked to have killed Pat Patterson with a water pitcher it left many of us scratching our heads.

While Canadian champ, Mosca challenged NWA champ Harley Race. This card was moved to a rare 1:30pm afternoon start as the Maple Leafs were in a playoff series with the New York Islanders (we lost!). Both Mosca and Race were counted out after a tough brawl with very few wrestling holds.

His new-found popularity as the star of Toronto wrestling attracted some mainstream coverage which had been minimal in the recent past. All three Toronto dailies, the Globe, the Star, and the Sun featured full page articles on the wrestling revival, with more coverage than had been seen in many years. Big Ange was the star of several features both in and around Toronto and in other towns on the circuit. On the May 20 1981 episode of the Global Network’s That’s Life, one of the stories was a 'visit with Angelo Mosca.’ On one afternoon in London for a card, he appeared on CFPL radio’s Sports Call and people were calling in for 2 1/2 hours to talk to him. The Toronto Star also ran a full page feature looking at his wrestling and football careers with a photo from a recent MLG bout vs Ivan Koloff.

ANGIE STILL HEARS THE CHEERS

'I built this image,' says Mosca, his face a bloody mask after his bout with arch-rival Ivan Koloff, 'of a guy who loved to be hated and now it's different. All of a sudden, it changes. People Like me, really like me. That's the way it goes in this game. One night you're the good guy, the next you're the villain. It gets confusing. 

Kevin Boland Toronto Star June 18 1981

At the big 50th Anniversary card on Nov 15 Mosca faced Studd in front of 16,000 noisy fans. Our Canadian Title took 3rd semi behind Andre vs Kahn, and the main of Flair vs Race. There was two referees and they brawled their way to the floor where Studd had enough and fled to the dressing room. It left Mosca the winner but not the champ. Mosca eventually regained the title a few months later in a cage bout.

The memorable title win came in Jan 1982. After a bloody Johnny Weaver-Alfred Hayes cage bout they left the cage up for a Canadian Title bout Studd vs Mosca. The two faced down on the ramp as Mosca waited for Studd to climb the stairs. Mosca attacked and the bout was on. It ended with Studd pinning Mosca. It appeared that way anyways. Ref Terry Yorkston, inside the cage as was the case here, gets hit, and in a daze (Yorkston played the semi-buffoon type well) awarded the victory to Mosca. The fans went wild when Mosca grabbed the belt to celebrate but the celebration didn't last long with Studd viciously attacking the new champ. Weaver (bandaged up from his bloody cage bout) along with John Bonello returned to the cage to help Mosca. Both end up taking a beating from Studd before helping Mosca get the upper hand. A bloodied Studd emerged from the cage and took a lot of abuse from the fans on his way down the ramp. Mosca, bloody and beaten emerged from the cage as the new champ to begin his fourth reign with the title. 

In April 1982 the feud between Canadian champ Mosca and Studd continues with Studd announcing he was bringing a mystery opponent to 'permanently maim the champ.' Studd had hyped it for the two weeks previous to the show. Fans were talking and many names were being brought up as to who could be the mystery opponent set to meet Mosca on the Apr 4 1982 card. One of those names was Andre the Giant. Andre was still a few years away from his first heel turn in North America but at the time it seemed like a good idea. When the time came it wasn't such a big name. When Norm Kimber announced Tarzan Tyler, the crowd was disappointed to say the least. Tyler was a ways past his prime by this point and mostly unknown to the younger fans. He had appeared here sporadically from 1964-1978 and was a fine wrestler in his prime but... Special ref Sonny Fargo had been assigned to officiate and the bout was generally a letdown since it had been so highly touted. Mosca didn't have much trouble defending his title.

A big card two weeks later was a double world title night. Flair vs Race and Mosca vs Bockwinkel. The AWA champ was making his first appearance since 1979 and had a tough bout with Mosca. Big Ange battered the champ and looked to be on the verge of winning when John Studd charged the ring and attacked Mosca. He and Bockwinkel laid a beating on Mosca until he was able to fight back and chase them from the ring. Official decision was a dq win for Mosca.

A feud with Gene Kiniski in June 1982 was better than expected. Kiniski, who went way back here (debut 1956) was still as ornery as he was back then. Stomping and snarling, he was a good opponent for Mosca in a short run. Kiniski had held versions of a Canadian title in his career and they played up the mutual football backgrounds and ‘greatest Canadian’ bit.

At the big Night of Champions card in July 1983 Mosca faced One Man Gang in front of anywhere from 16-22,000 fans at the old Exhibition Stadium. At the follow up two weeks later in front of 10-14,000 Mosca lost the title to Sgt. Slaughter.

In early 1984 Mosca beat Sgt. Slaughter to regain the Canadian title and promptly disappeared. He was said to be upset with the low drawing cards in Toronto as the NWA days came to a close. He took the belt and went to Florida for an extended trip often managed by JJ Dillon. As per usual he was a vicious heel -and did defend the title a few times- while the fans up here were left scratching their heads, again.

BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER

'We (Sr&Jr) spend 1 1/2 or 2 hours in the gym together working out and in some mat training. Then we drive or fly to the town where we have our matches, then back home to Charlotte. We don't live together. Junior's not married yet, but I have a very understanding wife,' explains Sr. 'The best thing about wrestling is working with this guy right here,' says Junior, thumping his father on his hammy thigh.' 

Alison Gordon Toronto Star May 20 1984

His son Angelo Jr. debuted here in 1984 after Sr. had been stripped of the title for not appearing. 'Injury' was the wrestling reason and they held a tournament for the vacant title with Junior announced as an entrant. Jr. was a good athlete cut from the same cloth as his father. He had attended a Ti-Cat camp for high school players in 1977 (at 17) but in June 1981 he had been cut after trying out as a defensive guard at the BC Lions camp, effectively ending his pro football aspirations. He went on to earn a degree from Concordia University before trying out pro wrestling. After Jack Tunney had switched exclusively to WWF in July 1984 Sr. stayed on for a bit and also announced while Jr. got his brief run with the WWF here. When done, both father and son appeared on the Wildman's Big Bear circuit in and around Toronto.

MOSCA MANIA

By 1985 Sr. was planning to bring the NWA back to Ontario. In Feb 1986 he ran a show at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. While Hulkamania may had taken over Toronto, there were still a lot of fans from the NWA days. Sr., with a long history in Hamilton, announced the show to be dubbed 'Mosca Mania.' Jr. appeared in an opener. The card did well drawing 12,000 fans with a gate of $140,000 to see a main of NWA champ Ric Flair vs Dusty Rhodes. Mosca Jr. teamed with Vic Rossitani against the Kelly Twins.

At the time Mosca was 50 years old, mostly retired from the ring, and doing TV ads and running several different business ventures around town. A few days after the show in Hamilton he was in Toronto doing a TV commercial for Lite beer and said he made 25k in what was his 14th or 15th commercial since he had done the Schick Razor 'Tell it to my face' campaign some years before.

MEAN ANGELO MOSCA MEANS TO KEEP RAKING IN BIG BUCKS ON TV

It's not only amazing that Angelo Mosca is making a fortune doing TV commercials, but he's making them, period. Don't get me wrong: Mosca's good at them -he has charisma and style- but as the former villainous Mr. Mean of the Hamilton Tiger Cats and, more recently, the villainous King Kong of pro wrestling, Mosca's always held that butts were made for kicking, not kissing.'

Earl McRae Starweek June 15 1985

Angelo Sr. was a guest star on the popular Night Heat TV show, and in June of that year was elected to the CFL Hall Of Fame. In Nov 1986 he was alongside Whipper Watson when Whipper received an award from the Canadian Children's Foundation. Mosca accompanied Whip as he carried a child on his shoulders, as he had done at the many Easter Seals dinners.

Did you know.....The CFL Hall of Fame induction class of 1987 included another wrestler. 

Dick Huffman, a star with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Calgary Stampeders, had wrestled at MLG and around the area in 1956. Maple Leafs - Ti-Cats owner Harold Ballard also in that class.

A month prior to the first Mosca Mania card, he had met with CFL commissioner Doug Mitchell to discuss becoming a goodwill ambassador. The reports later said that the CFL missed the boat by not using him as he was a born promoter and 'mouthpiece.' Sr. teamed with former teammate Len Chandler to promote the show with corporate sponsor Amstel Brewery on Feb 2 1986. It was a huge success with over 12,000 fans and a gate of $140,000. A dollar from each ticket went to the Spinal Cord Society and the fans were treated to a great show.

The main event brought Toronto favorite Ric Flair back for the first time since May 1984 to defend his NWA Title against Dusty Rhodes. At that time Flair was a heel while Rhodes was a fan favorite but the fans didn't want any of it. Flair had long been beloved here and during the Flair-Rhodes bout the fans started cheering Flair. They reversed roles with Rhodes 'second' Baby Doll Roberts interfering. Flair took the win to a huge ovation and the card which also featured the Road Warriors, Jimmy Valiant (always hugely popular here), Abdullah The Butcher, Sgt. Slaughter and a host of local guys was declared a huge success. Longtime MLG ring announcer Norm Kimber, recently let go by the Toronto office, did the introductions for the night.

MOSCA MANIA A HIT

Every now and then the wrestling world has a brainstorm which produces a card that leaves audiences shouting for more. A classic example was yesterday's Mosca Mania, which attracted some 12,000 fans to the Copps Coliseum here. No One left the building disappointed. 

Sam Scrivo Toronto Sun Feb 3 1986

At the time Mosca had declared that he was seeking to become the exclusive promoter at Copps, similar to how the Tunney's had exclusive use of MLG. He also owned the syndicated TV rights for the TV show Pro Wrestling Canada which was produced by the great Milt Avruskin. They showed NWA bouts which were sometimes up to a year old and did voice-overs on the bouts. PWC ran from May 1986 to Oct 1986 on the CTV Kitchener affiliate channel 13 locally but that channel wasn't available to all in the Toronto area.


Mosca later told a reporter that he couldn't get the show on in Toronto and that's what killed it. Doug Bassett, head of the CTV had told him 'it wasn't family oriented television.' At that time they had WWF, International Wrestling from Montreal, and the Maple Leaf WWF shows on TV in Toronto. While the WWF was tame, the International show was a harder style, a throwback to the 70's with bloody bouts and great brawls. If Mosca had been able to last, the Montreal based stars may have appeared here. Bravo, Abdullah, etc. but he would have had to run the Gardens or the EX. MLG was still exclusive so it was limited venues outside of summer months.

EX VILLIAN CHARMS 

'He (Mosca) is president and promoter of Pro Wrestling Canada, with shows on 10 TV stations in the east and two in the west. He stages live shows in Kitchener, Ottawa and Toronto (Varsity Arena), when he is not busy lifting trucks in Chevy commercials.' 

Milt Dunnell Toronto Star Nov 30 1986

He never promoted any shows at Varsity Arena or Ottawa as far as I know. Outside of the Hamilton shows and one in Kitchener the only others of record were a TV Taping, and a card in Peterborough on Feb 17 with Tully Blanchard vs Barry Windham as the main 

The TV show later appeared on TSN as well as CTV and is a good show to seek out. Mosca not the greatest announcer (whole other article) but Avruskin one of the best. Sr. presented another card in Kitchener on Nov 23rd 1986 with a main of Nikita Koloff vs Wahoo McDaniel as Mosca Mania II. This one was a reverse of the first one, several no shows and most of the cast filled out with locals. Only 1.500 showed up, most of whom went to see the Road Warriors. Hawk never showed and was replaced by manager Paul Ellering. Jr. took on Siki and then it was back to the circuit for both Jr. and Siki. Despite the setback it was not to deter Mosca from staging another Hamilton show in Feb 1987.

Unfortunately he ran it on the same night as big WWF show at MLG featuring Roddy Piper vs Adrian Adonis in a 'retirement bout and Savage/Steamboat. Mosca in turn had  Flair vs Nikita Koloff but only drew 3,000 compared to the 17,000 at a packed MLG. On Mosca's show Blanchard battled Rhodes and they reversed roles too with the fans booing Dusty. A fan told me he had 'stickered' the MLG bathrooms prior with notice of the upcoming Hamilton card but it didn't seem to help much. There were rumors of bad payouts on shows (heard years later), and then he sold his interest in it and that was the end of Mosca's promotional tenure.

Both Moscas were featured on the popular CTV show Lifetime which ran the same night as a big WWF show at MLG. Sr. continued to show up in  TV commercials, and various ventures capitalizing on his name. Remember the Peach Pages?; a business directory he started with a partner in 1989. In recent years he had revisited his old Canadian title belt at tribute and fan events in the area, sometimes accompanied by a still fit (and very friendly to the fans) Junior. 

RIP to a true legend of the ring - and the field. 

-AC

From 2005 revised 2021

Photos, nostalgia,  mapleleafwrestling.com collection

Mosca Mania items from Eric Peddle collection

Pics from 1978 out of 'Alias King Kong Mosca' Canadian magazine

The Sheik Streak by Gary Will is at The Sheik's unbeaten streak: 1969-1974: Gary Will's TWH

 

BUDDY ROGERS VS BRUNO SAMMARTINO TORONTO 1962

Film from Maple Leaf Gardens Aug 1962. The first meeting between World champ Buddy Rogers and Bruno Sammartino in July 1962 ends when Bruno can't continue after hitting the mat head first and is is unable to get up before the 10 count. Two weeks later in front of 14,000 fans Bruno controls the bout and when Rogers attempts to leap over Bruno he gets hit below the belt by a charging Sammartino. Ref Tiger Tasker is ready to declare Bruno the new champ but Bruno, being the rule abiding hero, addresses the fans (in Italian) refusing to accept the title under the circumstances. A rematch is set for August. For the 3rd meeting (film clip) in front of 14,000 again (and with traffic jams outside MLG) Bruno gives Rogers a beating but Sammartino tries for another drop kick and lands badly on the ropes. Tasker declares him done. Rogers takes the win, and next returns to Toronto to lose the title to Lou Thesz in Jan 63. Film mapleleafwrestling.com. Click on pic below to see more clips on YouTube.

OWH: Whip and Togo set Oshawa on fire

 'Used to be a time when people were happy to see three good fights. I remember three shows 

at the old Oshawa Arena where Whipper Billy Watson and The Great Togo brought 

in 10,000 people and boy was it hot in there...you couldn't breathe'

Pat Milosh 1985 reflecting on Oshawa wrestling history 

   In the summer of 1953 Whipper Watson & Great Togo start a feud that revitalizes the Oshawa wrestling scene. The two set attendance records helping to make it the most successful season in the towns rich wrestling history. The first bout set it on fire. The feud - not the arena. In fact the Oshawa Arena did burn down that season, right before the last card of the year a few months later. The feud may have had something to do with it.

WHIPPER WATSON GOES BERSERK, OSHAWA ARENA 

Headline June 24 1953

Whipper was well into his long tenure as the British Empire champion while Togo had previously starred at MLG performing pre-bout exhibitions of strength and breaking bricks and planks with his bare hands.

The first bout set the tone with the often (though not always) rule-abiding Whipper going berserk and attacking Togo with a chair. This was after the two had upset the announcers table and brawled into the first rows of the crowd. The chair shot opens a huge cut on Togo's head that later requires stitches and it sets off a mini-riot. Amid the chaos the police, ushers, and even young promoter Pat Milosh battle to separate the two and to keep the fans away from Togo.

The following week saw Togo matched with Timothy Geohagen whom he dispatched quite easily sending Geohagen in for medical attention. That card drew 2,500. A week later the re-match for Whipper-Togo II has the eager fans lined up outside. 3,000 of them, a new record. The previous reported high had just been set earlier that month when Gorgeous George's visit drew 2,750 fans to see him take on local favorite Pat Flanagan.

Average attendance in those years was 500-1,300 a week with occasional spikes. It started picking up in 1952 and by the 1953 season 21 cards drew almost 50,000 fans. Don Leo Jonathon, Bobo Brazil, and a hot tag scene including Canadian champs Plummer & Raines and the Lords, Layton & Blears helped fill up the seats.

THIS TIME IT'LL BE MURDER: THE WHIPPER SEEKS REVENGE 

Headline July 6 1953

Whipper and Togo end their second bout much like the first one, with the fans on the verge of rioting. Whipper is disqualified after slugging ref Bert Maxwell and doesn't take the loss well. Either do the fans. This time Milosh had extra police in place and they, along with the ushers, Milosh, Bobo, and Geohagen, got it under control.

 

GET YOUR RESERVED TICKETS EARLY! 

Ad for Aug 18 1953

Milosh gets into the action

For the third bout a week later they again break the attendance record, somehow cramming 3,300 fans into the Arena. That holds until 1956 when 4,600 packed the outdoor Kinsmen for Hardboiled Haggerty vs Yukon Eric. And that one wouldn't be broken until the WWF years in 1985 with 5,000 at the Civic to see Andre, Bravo, Hart/Neidhart, and Randy Savage.

Special referee Geohagen was assigned and the OAC (Ontario Athletic Commission) Commissioner Merv McKenzie was in attendance surely to monitor the proceedings. After a rough bout with each taking a fall they took the fight outside the ring where it ended, the winner unclear but the fans happy.

The red hot Togo tears it up all over the circuit with mains in many of the towns. A battle in Niagara Falls vs Ilio DiPaolo ended with the fans tossing chairs and the police again having to separate the wrestlers and keep the peace. 

In Oshawa in the coming weeks he faced Geohagen again and then Don Leo Jonathon in a wild battle that had both on the arena floor fighting up the aisle as they were counted out. Togo pictured in the paper the next day with another huge cut in his head. Milosh ran another Watson-Togo series at the end of the summer again hitting the 3,000 mark.

OSHAWA ARENA GUTTED 

Headline Sept 16 1953

The season had been one of the hottest since the first pro card in Oshawa in 1929. So it was somehow fitting that on the morning of the last card of the season, the Oshawa Arena burned to the ground. Promoter Milosh is relegated to start the 1954 season at the Bowmanville Arena just east of Oshawa, before moving the cards to the Kinsmen baseball stadium directly adjacent to the old Arena.

Togo returns again that year too, soon with brother Tosh in tow. They team up vs Whipper & Flanagan and despite the rain on many of the outdoor nights, drew well again (1500+). The Togo's go on to have a good run on the main circuit in Ontario holding the tag titles and facing all sorts of teams including the rough Lisowski's and the strength of Claybourne & Lindsay.

-AC

Photos & nostalgia mapleleafwrestling.com collection

 

1961 Convention in Toronto- Best of mapleafwrestling.com

Quick Bits: Ali vs Inoki Closed Circuit MLG

There were several closed-circuit cards shown at Maple Leaf Gardens over the years, and at other spots around Toronto. The 1976 Ali-Inoki 'War of the Worlds' card was a rare one that included pro wrestling.

A couple of weeks earlier they had  shown the Foreman -Frazier bout from Las Vegas at MLG. Attendance was listed at 4,000 to see Foreman win by knockout in the fifth round. All Canada Sports Promotions and Concerts West promoted the telecast. All Canada was headed by Irv Ungerman, a long-time boxing promoter.

Ungerman would also present the Ali-Inoki telecast, this time alongside Frank Tunney Sports. Tunney held exclusive rights to hold wrestling at MLG which was the extent of his involvement (cut of the $), having long since removed himself from the boxing wars in Toronto.

The card was set to start at 830pm and included some bouts from New York's Shea Stadium wrestling show which had Bruno Sammartino vs Stan Hansen and a few other bouts, Andre the Giant vs Chuck Wepner in a wrestler vs boxer bout for 10 rounds, and then the Ali-Inoki from Tokyo scheduled for 15 rounds. Tickets in Toronto were priced from $8-15, a bit cheaper than the Foreman-Frazier bout which were priced at $10-20.

For comparison Tunney's regular wrestling shows were $2.50- 7. 

Prior to the show in a Jim Proudfoot Star column, Gene Kiniski had predicted 'if it's on the level, Ali hasn't got a chance.' Kiniski, a pretty smart guy, predicted that Inoki 'has got to go to the canvas, that's where any wrestler would go - for the legs- if Inoki stays on his feet, you'll know he's going to get himself knocked out.' Kiniski added 'I've wrestled Inoki a few times and...he's nothing special.'

As the bout played out, it was generally viewed as a rather big disappointment after all the hype.

The next day on the front page of the Star was a pic of Ali looking down at Inoki on his back. The caption, all in caps screamed ...

About 8,000 turned up at MLG to watch it, one of 18 locations across the country to show it. Ungerman declared it 'a disgrace.' 'Never again. We blew a tube at our Hamilton location and had to refund admissions to about 1,000 people. They were lucky.'

The wrestling fans weren't quite so upset. Different expectations.

The sports world was slow to accept the combo of boxing and wrestling (known as mit-mat cards in the early days). Writer Jim Kerhaghan in the Star wrote that the Andre-Wepner bout was 'highly suspect' and after Andre got Chuck in a headlock ‘those who were watching closely noticed that Andre had his hand on Wepner's head and bonked his own knuckles.'

-AC 

Classic Cards: Double World Title 1982

Best of mapleleafwrestling.com

Apr 25 1982 was the last time 2 of the major world/fed titles were defended on the same card at Maple Leaf Gardens. This also marked the first time both the NWA & AWA titles shared the stage here. 

We saw wrestlers from all three major groups of the time (NWA, WWWF/WWF, AWA) so we had several double title nights in the later years. 

WWWF & NWA  : Jul 1977 SBG vs Strongbow, Race vs Sheik

WWWF & AWA  : Nov 1977 SBG vs Stasiak, Bockwinkel vs Carpentier

WWWF & AWA  : Dec 1977 SBG vs Strongbow, Bockwinkel vs Carpentier

WWWF & AWA  : May 1978 Backlund vs SBG, Bockwinkel vs Brunzell

WWWF & AWA  : Jun 1978 Backlund vs Patera, Bockwinkel vs Rufus Jones

WWWF & AWA  : Jul 1978 Backlund vs SBG, Bockwinkel vs Mosca

WWWF & AWA  : Sep 1978 Backlund vs Monsoon, Bockwinkel vs Andre
WWWF vs AWA : Mar 1979 Backlund vs Bockwinkel
NWA & AWA      : Apr 1982 Flair vs Race, Bockwinkel vs Mosca

In Jan 1979 both the NWA & AWA titles were to be defended but Harley Race never made it in. They finally rectified that in Apr 1982 with NWA champ Ric Flair to take on Race while AWA champ Nick Bockwinkel was to face Canadian champ Angelo Mosca. 

It was a busy day with many on the card appearing on an afternoon show in Buffalo which drew 10,000. By 8pm there were over 11,000 at MLG for the evening show. 

The opener in Toronto was an unannounced bout that ended up being a jewel. Ray Stevens returned as a good guy and faced off against local veteran Tony Parisi. They shook hands at the bell and went on to have a great scientific bout with endless holds and counters. It ended in a draw and the crowd was especially appreciative for the great prelim action. 

Next up was Johnny Weaver vs Private Nelson followed by the number one challenger to the Canadian Title -John Studd - vs Ron Ritchie. Studd flattened Ritchie quickly including a big slam on the ramp and it marked Ritchie's last appearance here.  

Ivan Koloff & Don Kernodle teamed up to take on the fan favorites Jimmy Valiant & Porkchop Cash. As Norm Kimber was making the intros Valiant & Cash stormed the ring causing Norm to make an escape with the big boom box that had heralded Valiant's intro. Even with hazy memory.. most of the bout was exactly what I captured in that photo.

An Indian Strap bout was next with Jay Youngblood seeking revenge against Ninja who had sprayed his green mist in Youngblood's eyes at their previous meeting. Ninja again tried the mist but Youngblood turned and took it to the body, enabling him to take the advantage and drag his opponent to all 4 corners to secure the win. That's ref Terry Yorkston counting out 'two!'

AWA champ Bockwinkel soon made his way down the ramp with the fans united in a thunderous boo. His opponent was the reigning Canadian champ and area's top good guy Mosca. Big Ange got the best of the champ and was on the verge of winning the title when his archenemy John Studd ran in and helped Bockwinkel beat Mosca down. That led to a tag bout on the next card with Bockwinkel & Studd vs Mosca & Jake Roberts (who subbed for Blackjack Jr.) and marked Bockwinkel's last appearance in Toronto. 

Though this was Bockwinkel's last title defense at MLG, he defended the following day vs Youngblood in Ottawa (attendance; 10,000). Note the ref in the ring with Bockwinkel above is Bill Alfonso who later found fame with the ECW. He stayed to ref the final bout too. Toronto favorite NWA champ Flair vs #1 challenger Race. Both were disqualified after an exciting bout. Flair covered in blood and some of the other wrestlers coming out to break up the post bout brawl. This fan left very happy with another great card at the Gardens!

More on Flair vs Race

More on Terry Yorkston
World Title & Fed Titles in Toronto from 1950-1984

- AC and photos by....
Posted Apr 25 2022

Early TV Wrestling in Ontario Part 1

Best of mapleleafwrestling.com: Excerpt from 'From Nanjo to the Sheik...'

As early as 1940 it was being discussed in Toronto papers of how Television would impact the country's game - hockey. In New York they were televising boxing and other sports to movies theaters. Conn Smythe, owner of the Maple Leafs and MLG had been invited to take in a Football game at a theater in New York and while not duly impressed remarked 'It was like the old flickers, but remember the handicap of making these impressions outdoors and on a cloudy day.'

In 1947 the President of RCA suggested that Television may soon be received in Toronto and Hamilton from across the border in Buffalo, NY. As the 'TV receiver' was available in the U.S. for 200-300$, it was reasonable to expect the Canadian price to be 395-435$. At that point there was said to be 45,000 TV's in use in NY and another 35,000 in the rest of the U.S. with a projected 160,000 over the next year.

 An article claimed that of all sports, boxing probably televises best, because the camera can focus on the ring and remain in fixed position. Basketball and Football came next. Baseball was said to present a problem because of the players spread out, No mention of wrestling and already, promoters in boxing were blaming TV for low attendance at bouts.

Football too was blaming short attendances on TV while other sports blamed what was on at the same time as their event. A boxing promoter claimed to have been going broke as his weekly show took place at the same time Milton Berle was on TV.

Conn Smythe was quoted in Nov 1948 as saying 'Sure, I'll go for television if the television people pay me the equivalent of a capacity house each time they televise.' 

At the same time Frank Tunney felt television in the homes would hurt him grievously on rainy, snowy, or cold nights. 'I know it would hurt my business on such nights, Tunney said, his fingernails starting to bleed just at the thought.' 'Otherwise I couldn't say just how it would affect boxing and wrestling.'

By 1949 TV's were on sale in Toronto by General Electric with the sales byline of 'see and hear your favorite programs daily, hockey, fights, wrestling, and news.' You had to order now or face wait times of up to 6 months to see 'Wrestling matches from Buffalo,' and 'Boxing matches from Madison Square Garden.' You also needed $599 - installation extra, plus each household needed a license. The CBC was said to be moving with 'extreme caution.'

By 1950 those lucky enough to own a TV in the Toronto area could look forward to 2 channels. WHAM from Rochester, and WBEN in Buffalo airing from about 12 noon to 12am. Wham had wrestling variously on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights at different stages showing the Dumont wrestling from Chicago. WBEN had 'Wrestling at the Aud' which featured many of the local Toronto stars. Ontario fans could catch announcer Chuck Healy and Sports Director Ralph Hubbell calling the action and interviewing wrestlers during the preliminary bouts on Friday evenings from Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo.

Roger Baker:

'We had a TV at home from the time that I was twelve, and I was glued every Saturday night to that little box to see all of the great stars that appeared in Chicago. These shows were shown on The Dumont Network and featured stars such as Verne Gagne, Hans Schmidt, Yukon Eric, Killer Kowalski, Bob Orton, Wilbur Snyder, The Mighty Atlas, and many others that entertained the faithful viewers weekly. These events were televised live from The Marigold Arena. As well I watched TV broadcasts of top flight wrestling from Buffalo N.Y. These matches took place in Buffalo's War Memorial Auditorium, and this show ran for years. The play by play announcer for many years was Chuck Healy, a very popular Buffalo sports announcer.’

Closed circuit broadcasts were being shown here in theaters of select boxing cards from NYC. It was said to be in the test stage though they were adding about 100 theaters to the network which could open a card to 200,000 people. It was still viewed as small time compared to what was coming. Other ways of getting the public to buy included 'Phonevision' where you would order by phone and pay at the end of the month, and 'telemeter' by dropping coins into a box attached to your TV.

In early 1950 Tunney was quoted as saying to be 'weighing the options of TV after success in the US.'  He also pointed out though that pal Paul Bowser of Boston had put his shows on TV for 23 weeks-and almost starved to death. Many of his regular ticket-holders cancelling their ticket holds. It was opined that Tunney would do well to allow the New York lead. To build up the wrestlers by televising shows and then when matched at MSG, to cut the TV off. 

In a 1951 'Canadian Sports Parade' column it imagined the effect of TV on Canada's sports. Wrestling, due to its attraction in the U.S. had its success assured. They asked that Frank Tunney and the other Canadian promoters follow the national trend. 'Tunney could come up with a whole galaxy of Canadian wrestlers suitably titled. Imagine such drawing cards as the 'Brampton Benumber,' the 'Terrible Torontonian.' or the 'Ottawa Ostrich', and perhaps the Kitchener Kook.'

Conn Smythe was still resisting TV at MLG saying 'I think the radio broadcast is good enough.' The NHL owners chief complaint was the same as Tunney's., that the fans would not brave winter weather to come to the arenas. The fight among the NHL and the emerging technology would continue to debate until 1952 when the CBC first started to televise hockey.

In fact the first try was from Maple Leaf Gardens when they televised a Memorial Cup game in closed circuit to executives from the network and advertisers in order to prepare for the coming NHL season. The first game from Montreal on Oct 11 1952 was followed by the first game from MLG, called by Foster Hewitt.

Hewitt had once called the wrestling over the radio from MLG starting with that first card on Nov 19 1931. He would pick up the card for the main event and sometimes second to last bout from high up in the gondola and broadcast live after the late news on CKCL. Coverage was sporadic but would continue even after TV took hold. Foster's son Bill would also call wrestling occasionally on Foster's station CKFH in the early-mid 1950's picking up around halfway through the card at 930pm. Prior to MLG being built there had previously been radio broadcasts from the cards held at Mutual St Arena.

In May 1952 it was announced Canada would begin its TV programming production in September with 3 hrs or less daily. Ad rates set at $1600 hourly for Toronto, Montreal at $500 as there were few TV's in Quebec. They would be connected with the 4 U.S. networks but would focus on Canadian production and development of shows in Toronto and Montreal.

On Sept 8 1952 CBC would open CBLT transmitting on channel 9 with an opening ceremony lasting three hours. Montreal's CBC station CBFT would start on the previous Saturday. Quebec got started first in the homegrown wrestling side also. In the fall of 1952, they presented wrestling every Tuesday night live from the Verdun Auditorium. Right away TV was the talk of the Toronto sports columns. Tunney's Wrestling shows were regarded as 'a likely feature.'

Here by mid-1952 you could get 5 channels including CBLT which only ran a few hours a day. The price had come down to about $300 (still huge in today’s equivalent) and in the ads for sales, Wrestling was getting billing after Hockey, Baseball, and Boxing. Wrestling could now be found not only on WHAM and WBEN, but also WICU out of Erie, PA showing live bouts from Pittsburgh.

In early 1953 CBLT started showing wrestling at 1030 on Friday nights and again on Saturday in the same time slot as WHAM. Along with the others you could also get a show on WHEN out of Syracuse at 11pm on Saturday. 

The CBLT show initially consisted of film from other spots. One 1953 item said much of the Toronto TV wrestling came from the 'Grapefruit Belt' of the Southern U.S. The first broadcast appears to be Feb 23 1953. In a recap of the Dec 10 1953 card, Joe Perlove noted that the Yvon Robert vs Mr Kato bout had been the 'feature TV match.' 

It didn't take long for wrestling to become one of the most popular programs on CBLT, with Holiday Ranch, and Playbill rounding out the top 3. More channels would come aboard including CKSO Sudbury, Canada's first privately owned TV station. And in 1954 they started airing a Wrestling show after the news at 10pm Saturdays.

CBLT/CBC here and in Montreal and later in Ottawa were broadcasting from the live card and would not turn to in-studio wrestling until later in the decade.

By the close of 1954 viewers now had access to 20 channels depending on where in the province you were. And there was quite a bit of wrestling to choose from. Eleven stations had wrestling as part of their programming.

CBOT first tried live coverage on July 13 1954 at the Auditorium in Ottawa. Producer Pierre Normandin headed a 15 member mobile unit crew for a card featuring a main event of Killer Kowalski vs Bobby Managoff. The broadcast of all three main bouts did not go beyond the building and was said to be a trial run in anticipation pf live telecasts from ringside in the near future

In 1955 more channels appeared with more wrestling including WKTV Utica, WEWS Cleveland, as well as WCNY Watertown with 'Texas Wrestling.' WGN added Wrestling in 1956 from the studio in Buffalo. It was said to be the first to originate from a studio in Western New York - and Ontario. The Buffalo show would become a favorite in the Toronto area right into the 1960's.

When I spoke to Barry Lloyd Penhale some years back he said he hosted the first Studio Wrestling show in Canada. A 1957 article included a look at Penhale, now on CKGN North Bay. The author says 'he (Penhale) staged the first studio live wrestling events to be seen in Canada -or anywhere else with two exceptions.' CKGN in North Bay had decided to produce their own local shows instead of showing old movies in the evening; one of those was Live Studio Wrestling. The Penhale show featured the stars of Northland Wrestling headed by Larry Kasaboski and often featured stars from MLG who would make the trip up North.

By 1957 in addition to the U.S. channels, there was CKVR Barrie, CHEX Peterboro, CKWS Kingston, CKCO Kitchener, CFCL Timmins, CKNY Wingham, and CHCH Hamilton all running wrestling. Some, being CBC affiliated, would have been a twin of the CBLT show. Some would show tape from Winnipeg.

Kingston's CKWS ran Texas Wrestling while CHCH (later to host the homegrown show for many years) and CKCO ran wrestling from Chicago and the 'Wrestling from Ringside' show out of Ohio. If you had tuned into CHCH on Apr 12 1957 at 11:30pm you could have caught Verne Gagne & Bobby Bruns vs Al Williams & Rudy Kay, and also Lou Thesz vs Bronco Nagurski. (The Gagne/Bruns tag is on youtube with the announcer introducing Vern GAG-NEE).

Just a few years in and wrestling had taken hold on TV here. The stars of MLG including The Fabulous Kanagaroo's, the Kalmikoff's, Yukon Eric, Lord Layton, and Whipper Watson were now 'TV stars' and in high demand across the country. 

The Whipper-Gene Kiniski feud in 1957, along with many of the Toronto area wrestlers would travel through Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver due to the coverage from TV wrestling. They had moved away from the 'live' aspect by then, a letter in the Star from a fan in Nov 1957 asked to have 'live wrestling returned.'

The CBLT show was still film of the Thursday MLG shows at least till mid-1960. A tidbit in May noted the CBC were moving the Saturday night CBLT show to Friday to allow CBC to meet the late movie competition of other channels, but that the show will continue to run on Saturdays 'on the network.' 

CBOT in Ottawa was also on the air with wrestling in 1960 while CFTO and CHCH would take over the weekly Maple Leaf show with Lord Layton as announcer.  

Roger Baker:

'Wrestling was taped by the CBC at a studio on Yonge St. near Dupont. You had to be there early to get in to watch the taping. The announcer's name was Fred Sgambati. I saw him interviewing Ivan Kalmikoff and the Russian kept repeating that there are people in the know that agree that he and his partner Karol Kalmikoff are superior wrestlers. Sgambati insisted that Kalmikoff reveal the name of the wrestling expert. Kalmikoff blurted out, 'his name is Earle Yetter' who at that time was active in as a wrestling photo journalist working out of Buffalo NY.'

Lord Layton would take over announcing duties in 1961 and go on to host the Toronto ‘Ringside’ show into the 1970’s. Pat Flanagan would also host both on the CBLT & CFTO shows right through the 1960s. 

In 1977 at the conclusion of the Sheik era the TV show was renamed Maple Leaf Wrestling. That name would become synonymous with the brand as they moved into the 1980’s, now with former star Billy Red Lyons hosting.  

-AC  2018 (included in 'From Nanjo to The Sheik..') Thanks to Roger!

Flair vs Race: Science & Violence

During the Mid Atlantic era 1978 -1984 there were a few matchups that could pack the fans in at MLG. Ric Flair vs Harley Race surely ranks near the top. Their six bouts in Toronto, all over the NWA title, are long remembered by the fans for both their science- and violence. 

At the time of the first match-up in Nov 1980 Race was World champ and Flair was the most popular star in Toronto. He was coming off successful feuds against old tag partner Greg Valentine as well as Hossein the Arab/The Iron Sheik, whom he had just chased to the dressing room to end their latest bout. 

Flair won the NWA title from Dusty Rhodes in Oct 1981 and appeared here as champ for the 50th Anniversary card held in November. They pack 16.000 in for that one and the next time the two match-up was another special card. A double World title card featuring both the NWA and AWA titles. AWA champ Nick Bockwinkel defended against our Canadian champ Angelo Mosca while Flair and Race had another hard fought battle that was action from start to finish. 

The main photos were taken at that bout. In the sequence the battle rages from the ring to the ramp and Race catches Flair with a piledriver after turning the tables on champ Flair. The last pic of the sequence shows Flair being restrained by Ron Ritchie and Johnny Weaver from going down the ramp after Race.

In the summer of 1983 Jack Tunney had recently taken over for Uncle Frank and took a risk promoting two big shows at Exhibition Stadium. They were packed with title bouts and topped by Race vs Flair. Both cards. 

The last matchup takes place in early 1984, just months before Jack aligns with the WWF. That card stood as the last great turnout of the NWA days.

11/16/1980 NWA Title - Harley Race D/COR Ric Flair est 14,000 not reported
11/15/1981 NWA Title - Ric Flair W Harley Race Att: 16,000 
04/25/1982 NWA Title - Ric Flair D/COR Harley Race Att: 11,000 
07/10/1983 NWA Title - Harley Race W/DQ Ric Flair Att: 20,000 est
07/24/1983 NWA Title - Harley Race W/DQ Ric Flair Att: 14,000 est
02/12/1984 NWA Title - Ric Flair W Harley Race Att:17,700

More on the 50th Anniversary card at 50th Anniversary Card
The 83 Ex shows are covered a bit at Open Air Wrestling in Toronto

-AC and photos, nostalgia by...

*Results are from the paper where available, estimated in person, and bulletins of the day

Myths and facts of Maple Leaf - Short version
Some misconceptions about the Toronto promotion we see commonly online and in books etc. 

Frank Tunney was Jack Tunney's Uncle

TRUE! Jack (John Jr) Tunney was John Tunney's son. John was Frank's elder brother who took over with Frank from Jack Corcoran in 1939. John died suddenly in Jan 1940. Frank's son Eddie Tunney later joined the office. See Smiling John: The forgotten Tunney & Frank Tunney: The Early Days 

Toronto was a one city territory like St Louis or Houston

FALSE!  For most of the history of the Toronto office there was a busy and vibrant circuit. Ivan Mickailoff began the weekly cards at Arena Gardens in Toronto in 1929. Right from the start he was branching out with cards around the region. Hamilton, London, Brantford, Kitchener, Oshawa, Timmins, and other towns. When businessman and boxing promoter Jack Corcoran entered the wrestling scene in 1930 he replicated the outward growth. He started to build the circuit using associates in the smaller towns. 

Frank Tunney continued the circuit growth with stops in over 30 cities many seasons. He took advantage of his associate promoters setting up a strong network of former wrestlers and old-timers. Sometimes two towns a night with split crews. 

By the end of the 60s and into the Sheik era, Frank was 30 years in as promoter. The roster was gone. Many of the smaller towns were now left to Dave McKigney and others, occasionally still in tandem with Jack & the Toronto office. For a time Jack even ran with McKigney before it all turned sour. 

With the Mid-Atlantic era (1978) and the success it brought, they went back to an office run circuit. The difference by that time was that much of our top tier talent was now imported. While many of the M-A stars stayed on past the MLG card, others continued back south. The circuit also only ran for a week a month or so though there were some spot shows on the off weeks, more so in the summer months. 

We looked at 'The Circuit' in Quick Bits: The Best (and rest) of Toronto Wrestling

Whipper Watson was not a good wrestler/old guy (nary a mention in the great 'wrestlers' talk)

FALSE! There are a few things to consider when looking at Whipper's career to be able to judge him fairly as a wrestler. His prime, shortened by injuries early in his career came mostly before the advent of TV. By the time Watson became the big Canadian star with CBC's TV Wrestling from Maple Leaf Gardens in the mid 1950's, his best years were mostly behind him. 

In his prime in the 1940's, his early years on the busy amateur circuit and his training under Phil Lawson are also worth a look to gain insight to his skills in the ring. 

We looked at 'The Myth of Whipper Watson' in Quick Bits: The Best (and rest) of Toronto Wrestling

Frank Tunney was complacent or unambitious

FALSE! Frank was a smart and well respected businessman in the city. His early efforts and creating key allies (Longson, Muchnick, Thesz etc) laid the foundation for over 40 years as the only wrestling promoter in town. Maple Leaf Gardens was a jewel and with a busy circuit from the 1930s to the 1960s there was no need to expand out of Southern Ontario for the most part (a few East Coast tours and others and mostly in the off-season). Frank did test Kasaboski & Northland in the 50s but opted to let it be. That was covered in Beyond the Boom in From Nanjo to The Sheik.

In those early days Toronto was a key NWA member and Frank was known for being 'easy to deal with' & 'a man of honor.' NWA head Sam Muchnick often looked to Frank as a 'voice of reason.' By wrestling promoter standards Frank was an anomaly. A nice guy, his handshake as good as gold. By his 30 year mark (1969 at age 57) Frank stepped back while nephew Jack took the reins and they started to bring in outside help. Detroit, then AWA, and finally Mid Atlantic. 

Vince McMahon bought Maple Leaf

FALSE! After Frank Tunney died in 1983 nephew Jack & son Eddie took over the office. The new Maple Leaf Wrestling was formed in June 1984 during a meeting with McMahon in June 1984. The partners were 50% Titan Sports (WWF), 33.33% Tunney Sports (50% Jack, 50% Eddie) and 16.66% George Scott. The deal was such that Tunney Sports would continue to run the business but only use WWF talent. McMahon and the WWF invested no money in the partnership. We looked at that in The Canadian Heavyweight Title: The Complete History 1978-1984.

'The Maple Leaf Gardens?'

HMMM...Many people outside of Toronto refer to the Carlton St cashbox as 'The Maple Leaf Gardens.' Always sounded strange to me. For Torontonians it was 'Where is the game tonight?' 'At Maple Leaf Gardens.' Or at 'The Gardens.' I suspect it came from that and partly as the Gardens (not Garden as in Madison Square) was synonymous with the Maple Leafs who played there from beginning to end. And their history and ownership was tied to the building. The Maple Leafs. Maple Leaf Gardens. The Maple Leaf Gardens. Even the papers occasionally inserted 'The.' We mostly call it the abbreviated MLG or just 'The Gardens! 

-AC