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A Couple of Larry's Summer Memories
"Wrestling at the Chase" June 9, 1962
Lorenzo Parente went to a draw with Duke Keomuka 10:00. Guy LaRose beat Jack Steele with a body slam 9:01. NWA Champion Buddy Rogers beat Bill Dromo with the figure four grapevine 9:50. Rogers continued to kick Dromo after the bout, although Dromo appeared to have been injured. Dromo had been billed as the protégé of Johnny Valentine. At that point, Valentine charged into the ring and attacked Rogers, opening a gash in Buddys forehead. Valentine then draped Rogers across the announcing table of Joe Garagiola and pounded him until restrained. Johnny Valentine beat Tarzan Tyler with the brainbuster 1:17. Interview with Johnny Valentine
Kiel Auditorium Friday, June 15, 1962 Attendance announced as sellout of 12,876
Lorenzo Parente beat Pierre LaSalle with the Olympic stretch 11:15. Hans Schmidt and Stan Stasiak beat "Whipper" Billy Watson and Bobby Managoff. 1st fall-Schmidt beat Managoff with the Boston crab 11:35. 2nd fall Watson beat Schmidt with a running body slam in 48 seconds. 3rd fall Stasiak beat Watson with an atomic knee drop (to the tailbone) 6:32. Rip Hawk and Edouard Carpentier went to a draw 20:00. Millie Stafford, Judy Glover and Evelyn Stevens won from Barbara Baker, Dot Dotson and Jessica Rogers. 1st fall Glover pinned Baker with an airplane spin 9:35. 2nd fall - Baker pinned Stevens with a body slam. 3rd fall Stafford beat Dotson with a back body drop 7:15. NWA Champion Buddy Rogers defeated Johnny Valentine. 1st fall Rogers won with the sleeper hold (thats right, the sleeper !) 16:30. 2nd fall Valentine won, after a series of brainbusters, with the back breaker submission hold over the shoulder 5:25 3rd fall Valentine got Rogers in the back breaker, but Buddy grabbed the top rope. Referee Lou Spandle kicked Rogers hands loose, but that made Valentine lose balance and fall underneath Rogers where Johnny was pinned 2:01. Now, think if this would happen in 2006 after the bout, with every fan standing, Valentine took the microphone and said (I have the notes written in my little notebook), "Ladies and gentleman, I tried my best. Im sorry I lost." He walked out and, as I recall, got a standing ovation.
And twenty years later, on June 12, only a week after the famous "Wrestling at the Chase" show where Dick "the Bruiser" stole Ric Flair's robe, this is what happened at The Checkerdome (Arena) before 19,027. Truthfully, with all those turned away back in 1962, the Rogers-Valentine showdown probably would have drawn as much if that match had been at The Arena.
Mike George and Roger Kirby drew 15:00. Mark Romero beat Kabuki on disqualification 9:41. Rufus R. Jones beat the masked Superfly with a cradle 9:40. Superfly did not unmask but your intrepid ring announcer, unhappy about this change in policy Sam Muchnick had had for decaddes, annoucned that Superfly was Ray Candy. David and Kerry Von Erich won from Ken Patera and Crusher Blackwell when David pinned Patera with a body press 22:06 after Patera had been flattened by a punch from Blackwell. King Kong Brody beat Bob Sweetan with a giant knee drop 4:52. Dory Funk Jr. beat Dewey Robertson with a "small package" 11:47. The bout sending Dusty Rhodes and Ted DiBiase against Harley Race and Dick Murdoch ended with both teams disqualified 12:28. NWA Champion Ric Flair defeated Dick "the Bruiser." 1st fall - Flair won with a cradle 12:01. 2nd fall - Bruiser won with a piledriver 7:28. 3rd fall - When Bruiser tried another piledriver, Flair won with a back body drop 10:01.