Steven Verrier - Professional Wrestling in the Pacific Northwest: A History, 1883 to the Present

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina

Photographs courtesy of Matt Merz.

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e-ISBN: 978-1-4766-2967-4

2017 Steven Verrier. All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Front cover: Oregon native Jake Pappenheim, who wrestled under the name Kurt von Poppenheim (Matt Merz)

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
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To the promoters, the wrestlers, and the fans
together, architects of pro wrestlings
rich Northwest tradition

While growing up in small-town Ontario, Canada, I seldom missed a wrestling show on television, and I was an ardent fan of one of the programs I discuss at some length in the pages that followAll-Star Wrestling, from Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, which for years was syndicated across Canada.

Long after leaving that small Ontario town, I continued to keep a finger on the pulse of the wrestling industry even while pursuing graduate studies in the United States and engaging in jobs and travel in distant parts of the world. In some of those distant corners I came across professional wrestling companies reflecting the nature and distinct character of their settings, and it soon became apparent that the spectacle of professional wrestling was in many ways a microcosm of the setting and society in which it existedand of the world at large. While much of what takes place in a wrestling ring may be staged, it is abundantly clear that wrestling itself is a player on a larger stage. As a result, wrestling, when given a chance to shineas it often did during the territorial days of wrestling when there were dozens of thriving regional wrestling companies across the United States and around the worldhas done much to reflect and help define what is special about region after region.

After settling in the Pacific Northwest in early 2014, I set out to research the history of the wrestling industry during its entire lifespan in the region, from 1883 to the present. In pursuit of that goal, I viewed much of the surviving video footage, read widely, and contacted numerous people involved in the wrestling industry as I began working on a narrative chronicling key events and players over a 13-decade period and drawing connections between some of the events that took place in Northwest wrestling ringsand behind the scenesand other facets of life and history in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The account that follows aims to provide a meaningful historical perspective on wrestling in Oregon, Washington State, and British Columbia from 1883 to the present, over 134 years after the sport appeared in the region.

Many years of closely following historical events and observing the wrestling industry played heavily in my decision to write this book, but a project of this sort would have been far more difficult without the assistance of some key people who were willing to share their expertise when I brought my undertaking to their attention. While numerous writers, historians, and wrestling specialists helped in some way to lay the groundwork for this book, special mention has to be made of a few: Vance Nevada, who generously offered information, contacts, corrections, and suggestions to support and strengthen this project; Dean Silverstone, who kindly offered support, information, and reminders of what makes the wrestling industry so special; the late J Michael Kenyon, who after reading my manuscript with a critical eye took the time to point out areas where I needed to do more research; Matt Farmer, who was always quick to answer questions and share his broad knowledge of wrestling personalities and events in the Northwest; Mike Rodgers, who read my manuscript, answered questions, and made important suggestions; and Matt Merz, who provided key information on wrestling, past and present, in Oregon and Washington and generously shared many outstanding photographs that would have been difficult to find elsewhere. All of these people have done much over the years to preserve wrestling history in the Northwest, and I am thankful for their support.

Meanwhile, of the wrestlers and promoters, past and present, that I interviewed for this booksome of whom are quoted in the pages that follownearly all were extremely gracious in sharing their time and thoughts, and I am grateful for their input.

Besides being so generous in supporting my effort, Vance Nevada and Dean Silverstone are authors of outstanding bookscited numerous times in the pages that followthat are vital to an understanding of wrestling history in the Northwest. Nevadas Wrestling in the Canadian West and Silverstones I Aint No Pig Farmer! (with Scott Teal)both published by Scott Teals Crowbar Press, which has done much to preserve wrestling history which otherwise might have been lostfocus on important aspects of wrestling history in British Columbia and Washington. This book, meanwhile, is intended to provide a solid historical backdrop for such worksas well as for any future books that may be written about any aspect or period of professional wrestling in the Northwest.

And finally, I hope this book will meet the approval of people with a keen interest in wrestling and others who may not care much about wrestling but are simply interested in viewing the Pacific Northwest over a 134-year period from a new perspective.

The 2003 version of WrestleManiaalmost universally considered pro wrestlings premier annual event since its inception in 1985drew a full house of over 54,000 to Seattles Safeco Field. That was far and away the largest crowd ever to attend a professional wrestling event in the Pacific Northwest.

The 54,000 fans drawn to March 2003s WrestleMania 19 did not hail entirely from the Seattle area, Washington State, the Pacific Northwest, or even the United States and Canada. WrestleMania, established by Vincent K. McMahon in his World Wrestling Federations march to national and international dominance in the pro wrestling industry during the 1980s, had evolved into a major sporting or quasi-sporting event attracting thousands of fans from around the world to a series of events held over several days and culminating in a wrestling spectacular that typically sold out major venues long before WrestleMania Sunday in late March or early April of each year.

WrestleMania 19 was no different. Headlined by a series of matches including former Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar, Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Dwayne The Rock Johnson, and Hulk Hogan vs. 57-year-old Vince McMahon, WrestleMania 19 drew a gate estimated at nearly $3 million and is believed to have contributed millions more to the Seattle economy.

While WrestleMania 19 numbers may pale in comparison to a Super Bowls, cities and major sporting facilities vie annually for the opportunity to host a WrestleMania event guaranteed to attract a large number of visitors to local hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality businesses. Wrestling fans have often been regarded as a rowdy bunch not noted for having a particularly high disposable income, but this perception has largely been forgotten when it comes to fans willing and able to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to attend the worlds preeminent annual wrestling event, for which tickets can run into hundreds of dollarsand higher for ringside.