Today we have lost an iconic figure in the history of professional wrestling in george. Detroit wwj detroits place in pro wrestling history is the focus of a documentary battles, bouts, and brawls premiering this week at the maple theater in bloomfield. Map of the territories from the comic book history. Hometown moddingham, england height 5 ft 6 inch weight 14 stones10 birthdate none of your mod damned business has been knighted by t. Being a wrestling results guy, this detroit book fills a lot of holes in my own results files. This is a full episode of big time wrestling that aired locally in the metrodetroit area back in october of 1978. Bigtime wrestling detroit history sold by original artist carl lundgren 6681.
Local man preserves detroit wrestling through photographs. Big time wrestling 1964 1980 national wrestling alliance detroit 1948 1964 harry light wrestling office 1945 1948. But as the memories of detroits wrestling history fades with the. Big time wrestling was a staple not only in the detroit wrestling scene, but the national one as well. A look back at the amazing detroit wrestling promotion. One of wrestling s most hated villains, the sheik bought the detroit territory in 1964 and ran it until it went out of business in 1980. The detroit nwa promotion stopped promoting in detroit edward farhat continued to promote in flint michigin semiregularly for about a year also promoted on and off in the detroit area until the early 1990s. Best upcoming pro wrestling shows near detroit cbs local.
It was 2006 when big time wrestling first came together, leading to. It was located at 3527 woodward, at the junction with stimson. Big jim lancaster appeared on first iwa taping in savannah, georgia july 1976. Burzynski was a photographer for big time wrestling and also a manager for several. At that time he was a defensive tackle for the san diego chargers and, at 69 tall and 315 pounds, was one of the. It started to get really bad by 75 and by 80 it was completely done. Nov 16, 2012 detroit wrestling tv from the 60s and 70s. The detroit promotion broadcasted their weekly tv program called big time wrestling december 1980.
A professional wrestling company out of ohio, which promotes events featuring legends, tv stars. Big time pro wrestling that runs in the detroit area although it looks like they are not running. World classic professional big time wrestling facebook. Awardwinning beat writer tom gage recounts the living history of the tigers, counting down from no. Big time wrestling was a territory that ran for decades in detroit and was the home promotion of the sheik original, not iron and bobo brazil. The video i found of this lists it as being from the 60s but it looks a lot newer than that, perhaps into the mid to late 1970s. Led by the nwa in detroit this territory was highlighted as the first renegade promotion in the usa, their battles were bloody their feuds were intense with such. Follow me for more cool shit twitter facebook instagram. Bigtime wrestling detroit history sold by original artist. A page for wrestling fans that covers over 100 years of northern california pro wrestling history. Detroit had been run hard when they offered it to ed farhat and his partner francis fleisher. In many ways, the book is a cautionary example of the mental and emotional wreckage a more than 20year wrestling career will leave on a persons psyche. Farhat ushered in a genre of wrestling that would change the business. Big time wrestling btw promotions database cagematch.
Histories of the pro wrestling championships, recognized in the detroit territory of the national wrestling alliance. Best of big time wrestling, relive the 70s, rare lewin vs shiek match with creetchman as referee, 16 matches, over 2 dozen stars, the sheik, mark lewin, abdullah the butcher, austin idol, haystacks calhoun, bobo brazil, title, grudge, tags, and tons of other action detroit was a hot bed of wrestling from the 1960s through the 1970s. In 1967, carl lundgren was illustrating posters for a detroit rock venue run by russ gibb called the grande ballroom. Like andre, bobo wrote his own ticket though doing most of his work for the nwa in michigan. Results big time wrestling btw promotions database. May 08, 20 burzynski, who became an official photographer for big time wrestling, has compiled old photographs into books and is currently working on a documentary about wrestling in detroit. August 1962 issue of big time wrestling story on the. Learn how some of the biggest stars in the sport can help you achieve your fundraising goals. Detroit style wrestling has many events scheduled for the rest of 2016, and the first is at the trenton scarecrow fest, on oct. Professional wrestling debuted in detroit in the 1920s when nick londos began promoting events in the detroit olympia.
Special thanks to jim painter aka jim lancaster for emailing us and helping to complete this profile. The big time wrestling territory was owned by the sheik from 1964 until it closed for good in 1980. The 628 page book has 42 feature articles that gives the. Mar 29, 2017 wrestling fans wait outside the silverdome before wrestlemania iii, which began at 4 p. The big cat first tried his hand at wrestling as a publicity stunt. Map of the territories from the comic book history of pro. For years and years, those were the two main weekly wrestling venues in detroit. Big time wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion headquartered in detroit, michigan in the united states. Michigan had 3 big ten champions in 1961, 1940, 1938 and 1927. Big time wrestling tv 15 ep 1 detroit 1960s youtube.
Wwe detroit schedule the entire wwe detroit event schedule is available at the ticketsupply website. Our latest book covers one of old school wrestling s greatest territories, detroit s big time wrestling. Thats crazy to me since big time wrestling hasnt been a thing in like 45 years. At 64, 275 pounds, he was a renowned spoiler though exchanging the coveted u.
When it was big time sports league facebook 114 photos. Also, arcadia gardens sometimes called the sports palace was in the mix for a time, too, after wwii. His famous hubris is on full display in this book, and it comes off as written by a man with a very large ego who is concerned that his rightful place in wrestling history wont be recognized. Detroit big time wrestling online world of wrestling. Our latest book covers one of old school wrestlings greatest territories, detroits big time wrestling. With big time wrestling tickets, fans end up right in the middle of the action hat is known for being as wild as it is difficult to anticipate, creating the type of raucous atmosphere that has helped btw make a major mark on the pro wrestling world. World classic professional big time wrestling, chillicothe, ohio. World classic professional big time wrestling home. About wwe tickets in detroit you can purchase wwe detroit tickets securely online or over the phone. This video is a little overview of the big time wrestling promotion based in detroit and run by the sheik ed farhat. The fight took place at the sold out joe louis arena in detroit.
Get the best deals on big time wrestling when you shop the largest. See more ideas about awa wrestling, great memories and wrestling. Dick the bruiser, abdullah the butcher, andre the giant. Detroit big time wrestling august 1979 not complete roy luciers wrestling classics. We can provide you with the cheapest wwe detroit ticket prices, premium seats, and complete event information for all wwe events in detroit. Professional wrestling debuted in detroit in the 1920s when nick. Details about bigtime wrestling detroit history sold by original artist carl lundgren 6681. Cobo arena in detroit, michigan united states of america 1. There are quite a few similar lists out there, but not a single one. Apr 25, 2020 this board will feature photos, programs and anything nostalgic from this historic promotion, look for a lot of the original sheik see more ideas about wrestling, big time and sheik. Big ten wrestling history and conference championships summary. After the two had tried to go national and failed, they wanted to get out. The detroit territory has been a fixture in wrestling s history dating back to sometime in the 1920s when it was run by nick londos and adam weissmueller. This is a full episode of big time wrestling that aired locally in the metro detroit area back in october of 1978.
Michigan has never won a ncaa championship, but finished runnerup five times. That night, history was made with joe louis himself in attendance. The promotion changed hands several times through the years finally ending up in the hands of the original sheik, ed farhat. Big time wrestling also known as nwa detroit was a professional wrestling promotion headquartered in detroit, michigan in the united states. Detroit wrestling results 1970 preserving wrestling history. Few cities have as rich a cultural and sporting history as detroit. He and colleague brian bukantis, of fraser, who was also a wrestling photographer, have created the website just for nostalgic wrestling fans. Big time wrestling was the subject of the mockumentary i like to hurt people. Jim lancaster teamed with rick otoole of detroit as the lancaster brothers, big jim and rick lancaster. Wrestling fans wait outside the silverdome before wrestlemania iii, which began at 4 p. Big time wrestling detroit, a defunct professional wrestling promotion headquartered in detroit, michigan, united states.
The wolverines also had 4 big ten champions in 1974, 1967, 1955 and 1930. Photo book, autograph books, american, 1950s, photos, june, wrestling, vintage, stars. Big time wrestling detroit, a defunct professional wrestling promotion headquartered in detroit, michigan, united states nwa allstar wrestling, a defunct professional wrestling promotion headquartered in vancouver, british columbia. Apr 18, 2014 in the early 60s, he returned to detroit and bought a chunk of jim barnetts midwestern nwa fiefdom. Big time wrestling nwa detroit 19641980 in the early 1960s, detroit had been taken to new heights under the guidance of promoters johnny doyle and jim barnett. Although a big underdog, kenty shocked the world by winning the lightweight championship of the world, knocking out ernesto espana in the 9th round. In the early 60s, he returned to detroit and bought a chunk of jim barnetts midwestern nwa fiefdom.
New documentary pins down detroits storied wrestling past. I used to watch big time wrestling in the early 1970s, which was based in detroit, but many of its stars competed in other franchises across. The men and moments that made the detroit tigers is an amazing, fullcolor look at the 50 men and moments that made the tigers the tigers. Book your big time wrestling vip meet and greet tickets, or big time wrestling ticket packages 2020, find big time wrestling tour dates and schedule 2020 click here. Big bobo was undoubtedly the greatest black athlete in wrestling history. Jun 11, 2019 big time wrestling was a territory that ran for decades in detroit and was the home promotion of the sheik original, not iron and bobo brazil. Anyone who was anyone back then came through the detroit territory, and this is before vince mcmahon turned his little corner of the wrestling territory into the juggernaut it is today. Upcoming big time wrestling events in my area today, near my city tonight, this weekend, this summer. The promotion enjoyed its greatest success and fame in the 1960s and 1970s. Aug 09, 2016 this is a full episode of big time wrestling that aired locally in the metro detroit area back in october of 1978. He named it big time wrestling, and although the moniker seemed aspirational. Burzynski, who became an official photographer for big time wrestling, has compiled old photographs into books and is currently working on a documentary about wrestling in detroit.
Nwa detroit big time wrestling the untold story wrestling. A book was written in 20 that summarized the history of big ten wrestling. Detroit big time wrestling august 1979 not complete. The detroit territory has been a fixture in wrestlings history dating back to sometime in the 1920s when it was run by nick londos and adam weissmueller. Nwa united states heavyweight title detroitversion match. The opening video features the sheik and bobo brazil, the two biggest stars in the areas history who battled into the late 1990s on indies. The last time the wolverines earned the big ten championship was 1973. Ok so there is awwl big time wrestling that runs in jackson, mi. Big time wrestling also known as nwa detroit was a professional wrestling. The detroit nwa promotion stopped promoting in detroit edward farhat continued to promote in flint michigin semiregularly for about a year also promoted on and off in.
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