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http://kayfabememories.com/Stories/mickkarch/mk14.htm

Big Moose Cholak, a legend around the Illinois-Indiana area in the
60's and into the 70's, had a brief stint working in Minneapolis in
1964. The Moose, whose finishing move was the "El Squasho," a running
body press where he dropped his 350 pounds on his opponent, worked a
program with Reggie Parks. Reggie's claim to fame was his powerful
abdominal development (remember when he would let a VW Van "drive"
across his stomach to demonstrate the strength of his stomach
muscles?) The program with Moose and Reggie was a natural.

Of course, this has nothing to do with the crux of this column....just
a little background info to let you know what Big Moose did during his
AWA stint. The episode I want to share happened outside the ring,
after an evening of wrestling in Minneapolis. As a 13-year old kid, I
was among a handful of fans waiting in the lobby of the building to
obtain autographs from the wresting stars of the day. (Didn't I just
do the same thing in Vegas? )....At any rate, about a half hour after
the show was over, out comes the Big Moose himself.

The concourse at the building was set up so you exited one set of
doors from the main arena to an outer lobby before you reached the
doors to the outside. The weather was quite cold., and the Moose was
wrapped up in some big, bulky fleece gimmick and ear muffs. He had a
grin on his face as he stopped to sign a few autographs. Looked to be
in a pretty good mood. For the moment.

He set his athletic bag down and scribbled a few signatures, then
realized that he had forgotten something back in the locker room.
Simple enough, except that the door leading to the main arena had
locked behind him. He pulled on several doors to no avail. Couldn't
get back in. But there was a light at the end of the tunnel. The big
man spotted an usher standing down the hall, staring right at us.
Moose tapped door, the usher looked, and Moose motioned that he needed
the door opened. The usher just stood there and did not come forward.

Moose banged on the door a little louder, this time barking, "open
this door!" Again, the usher looked at us, but for some reason, didn't
flinch. My take on it is that the Moose, even as big as he was,
appeared to be a fan who just wanted to get back into the building to
use the phone, take a leak....something....and Mr. Security wasn't
about to leave his post. This did not set well with Mr. Cholak who now
was yelling at the top of his lungs to "open this fk*n door!!!" The
usher, this time, turned around and walked away. Holy Hannah. Business
was "about to pick up."

My life passed in front of me. Cholak picked up his bag and started
swinging it wildly at the door, as the remainder of brave "marks"
scattered to the chilly outdoors. That was pretty much enough for me,
too. I did a quick two-step out the door onto Third Street. To this
day, I don't know how long Cholak was there or if he ever got back in
to get whatever it was he had forgotten.

I wonder if the usher would have recognized him if he had been wearing
that big old moose head of his.


--- Internet Rex 2.29