St. John's Bachelor's Club Wrestling Poster - Dec. 2, 1938 - Elton Owen & Gorgeous George

Someone on the Fans of Portland Wrestling Facebook group shared this poster that they 

recently found at St. Jon's Bachelor's Club.  This is a great piece of Portland Wrestling history

and shows Herb Owen as the promoter.  Elton Owen was wrestling, and so was George Wagner.  George was later known as Gorgeous George. I love the name Mouthy Donavan!

 

Al Madril Is Hilarious!

Al Madril in the ring with Jeff Warner, Don Owen, and referee Sandy Barr.

During Grappler's One Man show, he had some stories to tell about Al Madril.  It reminded me of a

time when we were standing in line waiting for the Sports Arena to open on a Saturday night.  The 

crowd was big because it was Kids Free Night.  Al Madril walks out of the arena from the side 

door wrestler's entrance.  He's dressed in his street clothes, which were always tight jeans, 

snakeskin boots, and a white t-shirt. He walks up and down the line yelling about snot-nose little brats, 

and freeloaders.  Everyone is yelling and screaming at him!  It was a great heel moment.
 

It's COLD outside, but it was HOT in there!

Southern Rockers Fan sold at the Sports Arena on hot August nights.

Oh boy is it cold outside.  33 degrees right now, but I came across this fan today, and I remember how dang hot that it would be in the Sports Arena on hot August nights.

The Portland Sports Arena was once a bowling alley, and converted into an arena in the 70's.  It's a church now, but has been drastically remodeled.

Waving around your $1 Lucky Number program, to get cool, just wasn't enough.
There were some large doors, but those rarely were opened.  I guess they feared people would get in for free.  But on these hot nights, they would be thrown wide.  It didn't help much either though.

In 1989 these fans were sold for 4 or 5 weeks in the summer.  I think they were $2.50.  They sold hundreds.  Whomever came up with this idea was a genius! 

Every super hot Saturday night, during the announcements of the first match, Don Owen would get on the microphone and tell everyone, "If you are hot, you are all free to take your shirts off.  Well, only the gentlemen of course."  Something like that anyway.  Everyone would laugh.  People thought Don Owen got confused when he would do the announcing, but I don't think so.