Make Believe Gardens !

The fine folks over at the Mid Atlantic Gateway  have been featuring a great diorama with figures representing the best of Mid Atlantic action circa late 70's early 80's.

Well we now have our own featuring a capture of the action at Maple Leaf Gardens circa 1982-83!

Thanks to highly underrated and slightly unknown star Barry Hatchet ('Kicking ass is my business...and business is good!') for these pics of a bout featuring Hatchet with Ninja and Ivan Koloff (and manager Sir Oliver Humperdink) in a handicap bout vs Blackjack Mulligan and 'Bad Bad' Leroy Brown.

Wouldn't be complete without everyone else from MLW ....we have
Norm Kimber making introductions
Billy Red Lyons waiting to interview Hatchet
Frank Tunney directing traffic at the curtain to the ramp
Refs Fred Atkins and Terry Yorkston (he of the pompadour)
Fans leaning on the ramp while the ushers hassle us.

Check out the table (that was there at least from the 40s right to our era, as with much of the stuff at MLG)
The ring bell (now adapted with a button, but looked like the same bell from the 40s!)
Norm's cheat sheet
The NWA ring apron
Jimmy Valiant's boombox
The gate (they never had that in the 40s and 50s, wrestlers would just pile out into the crowd)

-AC

Thanks to Barry Hatchet! 

And Griff.

Repost from 2017

Gene Kiniski at Make Believe Gardens

Another fine recreation from our friend Barry Hatchet continuing our look at the heels and heroes of Make Believe Gardens. Gene Kiniski was an integral part of the wrestling scene in Toronto a main event star over 4 decades from his debut in 1956 to his last appearance in 1982. 

He caused a lot of mayhem in and out of the ring and as per Roger 'he never met a mic he didn't like.' One of the most important and notable of the many stars that spent considerable time here. Thanks to Barry Hatchet, great job !

And Griff

-AC

More from Make Believe Gardens!

More of these outstanding figures from our friend Barry Hatchet tearing it up at MLG, or in this case MBG. A great job recreating our stars from the late 70's early 80's era.

Mosca Jr, Billy Red , Parisi, The Wildman and Ginger? (hard to tell the bears apart 😁 ), Goldie Rogers, Johnny Weaver, Jos Leduc, Kurt Von Hess, Leo Burke, Lord Alfred Hayes, and the Original, Intelligent, Sensationaaaaaaalllll Destroyer !

Thanks to Barry Hatchet for his fine handiwork recreating our era!

And  Griff

-AC