Message-ID:  

http://kayfabememories.com/Stories/mickkarch/mk18.htm

When I was 20 years old, I had designs on becoming a pro wrestler. In
hindsight, they were misguided designs. I had lousy knees, not too
much stamina, and the staying power of a snowball in Scottsdale. While
mentally pursuing that elusive dream, I participated in what really
was kind of a precursor to today's "backyard" wrestling.

A group of us would get together and put on "shows" for the
neighborhood kids, charge a half a buck for admission, and take our
version of bumps to entertain ourselves more than we did the crowd. In
the summer of 1971, I was the "headliner" in an outdoor extravaganza
at someone's backyard in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. I weighed all of
about 155 pounds at the time, but following the wrestling formula, I
jacked the weight up to 170 in the mimeographed 'programs' we sold for
a quarter.

My opponent for the evening was also a huge AWA and Nick Bockwinkel
fan. That's how we met, at the WTCN TV studios in Minneapolis, at an
AWA taping. We both loved the business and had a lot in common. We
were both fans of the heels, ahead of our time as we cheered the 'bad
guys' every week. On this particular afternoon, however, he was not a
friend...he was the Masked Dr. Death." It was 90 degrees and muggy and
this poor SOB was wearing a ski mask in the searing Minnesota heat.

We wrestled on blankets, for heaven's sake, surrounded by four stakes
pounded into the ground and held together by the kind of ropes you
bind newspaper with. We were slapping, kicking, and pounding. I think
at one time I actually used a legit wrestling move, putting Dr. Death
in an arm twist into a takedown! Pretty damn impressive to the huge
throng of about 17 brave souls watching our 'card.'

As I recall, he won the first fall, I came back to win the second
with....get this...a figure four leglock (properly applied!), and he
won the third and decisive fall by some screwjob finish. If memory
serves me, he used the blankets and a handful of my cut-off Levis to
score the controversial pin. They still talk about it to this day in
that neighborhood. At least, I still do.

Years later, my dream of actually wrestling for a living fell way
short, but I did wind up on televised wrestling with a microphone in
my hand. Not bad, all things considered, and after all, I don't have
to take the bumps. And I legitimately weigh as much as some of today's
pros do, although that hasn't been my goal, unfortunately.

As it relates to good old Dr. Death in the ski mask. I guess he made
it, too. He became Playboy Buddy Rose.


--- Internet Rex 2.29