Our deep dive into the secret history of pro wrestling continues as Johnny Powers goes from top guy to top promoter in this chapter of the "first" national wrestling promotion. At the same time, Matt gets nostalgic about a "backyard" wrestling company that was just teenagers fighting on some random Brooklyn beach.

From Buffalo, To Cleveland, To Tokyo and beyond we look at the rise of Powers and Pedro Martinez' first joint effort, Powers putting on the first "Super Bowl" of Wrestling at Municipal Stadium, to Powers returning to heel form and setting off a riot, plus how Antonio Inoki won his first world championship nearly a decade before the IWGP would find it's way into the Lion's Den

Resources

https://www.cagematch.net/?id=8&nr=739&page=8

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CLE/1972-schedule-scores.shtml

https://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/ohio/cleveland/cleveland-history.html

https://www.kayfabememories.com/Regions/pittsbuffclev/pitts12.htm

https://www.clevescene.com/news/wrestling-legend-ox-baker-whose-1974-match-caused-a-riot-in-cleveland-dies-at-80-4395064

http://wrestlingclassics.com/cgi-bin/.ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=163319

https://web.archive.org/web/20220218164234/https://buffalonews.com/news/pedro-martinez-famed-buffalo-wrestling-promoter-dies/article_b6f6b5d6-6b7a-5463-bc42-fa599e7dee37.html

https://www.legacyofwrestling.com/PedroMartinez.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzQhKyCBwIs

https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=85954

https://www.cagematch.net/?id=8&nr=739&page=4

http://wrestlingclassics.com/.ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=9;t=007490

https://www.wvxu.org/2023-07-18/50-years-and-counting-cleveland-shows-its-still-a-champ-in-the-world-of-wrestling

http://wrestlingclassics.com/cgi-bin/.ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=print_topic;f=18;t=029935

http://wrestlingclassics.com/cgi-bin/.ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=print_topic;f=9;t=036913

http://wrestlingclassics.com/cgi-bin/.ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=9;t=013217

http://wrestlingclassics.com/.ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=163879;p=1

https://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/misc/nwf.html

https://www.kayfabememories.com/Regions/pittsbuffclev/pittsbuffclev.htm

https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/NWF_North_American_Heavyweight_Championship

https://prowrestlingstories.com/pro-wrestling-stories/hottest-wrestling-feuds-60s-70s/

https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2023/01/08/mat-memories-a-farewell-to-johnny-powers/

https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/wrestling/the-life-and-times-of-legendary-golden-adonis-johnny-powers/article_547cdb6e-9380-11ed-994b-3b40a3d1cfa5.html

https://www.postandcourier.com/staff/mike_mooneyham/pro-wrestling-superstar-johnny-powers-was-pioneer-risk-taker/article_8fd28936-5b08-5f8a-a37c-731d3b77ba1d.html

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.