Another newcomer appeared on the scene in January. He was a masked man who called himself The Rugged Russian. This man was one of the Russians tag team that had appeared in the WWWF in the early 70s and I believe he was actually Pedro Godoy under the hood, but cannot swear by it. Whoever he was he made his presence quickly known in the area by defeating the always-rugged Flash Monroe in his first appearance. The Russian was fond of coming on television with a suitcase, which he claimed held the title belts from the 32 different countries in which he had been champion.  The German team of Kurt & Karl Von Fritz made an appearance in the area, losing by disqualification to the team of Frank Dalton & Nick Russo. I have no idea who these two gentlemen were. 

January was also the month that the matches in Mobile moved from the long-standing Wednesday night to Tuesday night. Tuesday, with a few special exceptions, would remain wrestling night in Mobile for the remainder of the time Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling operated. It would also be that way for the duration Ron Fuller's Southeastern Championship Wrestling. 

Others appearing in the area in January were Bobby Fields and Tom Tate. 

FEBRUARY: 

The Wrestling Pro & the Mysterious Medic continued their battles with the team of Cowboy Bob Kelly & Ken Lucas. At stake were the United States tag titles and three weeks pay. But the beginning of a new month didn't change anything. For the fourth straight week, both teams were disqualified and the belts and pay purses were held up. Finally, on February 13^th a change of scenery did Kelly and Lucas some good. Wrestling in Mobile moved to the new Expo Hall adjacent to the Municipal Auditorium where the matches had been previously held. The change of venue proved lucky for Kelly and Lucas as they finally defeated the Pro & the Medic to win the U.S. titles and four weeks pay. Also playing a part was the fact that the NWA had appointed a special referee in Jay French to officiate the match. The Pro & the Medic blamed their manager, Frenchy, for the loss and promptly fired him.  

Rick Gibson continued his battles with Jim Bass. In the third encounter between the two, Bass gave Rick quite a going over and was disqualified. In a return match, Rick won over Bass with a clean pin. 

NWA World's Jr. Heavyweight Champion Danny Hodge returned to the Gulf Coast in February. His challenger this time was the rugged Wrestling Pro. In fact, the Pro probably would have won the title had he not gotten carried away with pounding Hodge in the corner. Hodge crumbled to the mat and the Pro covered him for the pin. Rather than count Hodge out, however, referee Joe Powell informed the Pro that he had been disqualified for not breaking by the 5 count when he had Hodge in the corner. The Pro immediately challenged the champion to a rematch and Hodge agreed. Hodge won the rematch to retain his title, but again controversy reigned. Hodge had leapt unto the Pro from the ropes and rolled him up for the pin. What referee Powell failed to see, though, was the fact that the Pro had his foot across the bottom rope. Powell made the count and Danny Hodge remained the Jr. Heavyweight Champion of the World despite the Pro's protest. Hodge was jumped after the match by the Pro and his tag team partner the Mysterious Medic. 

Lady wrestlers Lily Thomas and Donna Christentello made appearances. Thomas teamed with Bob Boyer in a mixed tag team match to defeat Christentello and Ronnie Paul. 

Billy Spears returned after an absence of several months. Spears was now sporting an eye-patch on his left eye due to a legitimate injury that occurred in Georgia. Spears had just finished a match against Roberto Soto and was headed back to the dressing room. A fan stepped out of the crowd and swung a belt at Spears. The buckle caught Spears in his left eye and caused some serious damage. It was thought at first that he would lose the eye, but luckily he didn't. He was required to wear the eye-patch which he used to his advantage. He was not above hiding a match inside the eye-patch and using it behind the referee's back to burn his opponent. Spears formed a tag team with Leo Seitz only to lose to U.S. tag team champs, Kelly & Lucas, in a non-title match.    

Eddie Sullivan & Rip Tyler returned to the area for the first time in the new year, as did the Spoiler. All three left after a couple of weeks. 

The Rugged Russian continued his winning ways, hoping to get a shot at the Gulf Coast Heavyweight Champion, Cowboy Bob Kelly. He was hoping to add the Gulf Coast belt to his suitcase full of title belts. 

Chief Thundercloud made his first appearance in the area and made quite an impression by defeating Billy Spears in his first match. He also won a disputed match with the Medic. The Medic protested and asked for a rematch in which he was disqualified for the rough tactics he used against the popular Apache from Arizona. 

Popular Dennis Hall returned to the Gulf Coast after a four-year absence. Dennis and his "cousin" Roger Kirby had held the Gulf Coast tag team titles in 1967. The two also teamed with a third "cousin" Les Thatcher also had quite a feud with the Dirty Daltons, Jack. Frank and Bob. 

Others in the area in February were "Scufflin' Hillbilly" Vick Nichols, lady wrestler Peggy Patterson, and Frank Dalton. 

MARCH: 

Promoter Lee Fields opened the month of March with a "Mardi Gras Special" at Expo Hall in Mobile. The following matches took place: 

·         Rick Gibson defeated Jimmy "Bad Boy" Hines

·         Chief Thundercloud defeated the Rugged Russian by disqualification

·         8 Man Tag Team Match - Dennis Hall, Frank Dalton, Thundercloud & Gibson won over Black Bart, Leo Seitz, Hines and the    Russian.

·         Cowboy Bob Kelly & Ken Lucas defeated Billy Spears & Jim Bass

·         Danny Hodge & Mike "Hippie" Boyette defeated the Wrestling Pro & the Mysterious Medic 

Hodge was upset at the fact that the Pro and the Medic had jumped him after his title match against the Pro the previous week. He wanted a tag team partner he could trust to go against the two masked men. He was aware of Boyette from his title defense the previous December against the popular Hippie. Boyette agreed and returned to the area after an absence of two months. The Medic and the Pro were still not satisfied and challenged Hodge and Boyette to a rematch with unique rules. The Pro had bragged about the fact that he was a former amateur boxing champion and claimed he could beat Hodge at boxing. Hodge was at one time a Golden Gloves amateur champion and was ranked as a top ten heavyweight boxer as a pro before returning to pro wrestling. Hodge figured that with this background and the Hippie as his partner he would have no problem with the two masked men. However when time for the match came, the Pro refused to put on the gloves. The Medic insisted on wearing them and got knocked out by Hodge for his trouble. Hodge still wasn't satisfied and pleaded with promoter Lee Fields to book him in a boxing match with the Pro. Fields agreed and the match was set. Boyette would face the Medic on the same card and serve as Hodge's second in the boxing match. The Medic would be in the corner of the Pro. Hodge and Boyette had another surprise for the two masked men. The Pro and Medic's former manager, Frenchy Bernard, had contacted them. Frenchy was still upset by the fact that the team had blamed him for the loss of the U.S. tag team titles and that they had fired him. He offered to become Boyette and Hodge's manager and share what he knew about the masked men. Frenchy made the difference in the match between the Medic and Mike Boyette. Just as the Medic got the upper hand, Frenchy threw a coke in his face which allowed Boyette to pin the stunned masked man. As for the Pro, Hodge knocked him out in the fifth round. Once he was revived though, the Pro tossed Hodge from the ring and suplexed both Boyette and Frenchy. The Pro and the Medic demanded another tag team match with Hodge and Boyette. Due to his championship commitments, Hodge was unavailable. Not to be outdone, Frenchy contacted Mexican sensation El Sicodelico (Pablo Rodriguez), younger brother of the legendary Mil Mascaras (Aaron Rodriguez). Boyette and Sicodelico won the match when Sicodelico pinned the Pro. 

The Rugged Russian brought in a new tag team partner, The Mighty Mongol (Ed Sullivan). Their first match together was against Ken Lucas & Flash Monroe. They were disqualified when the Mongol caught Lucas in a bearhug and refused to turn him loose. This led to Lucas and Bob Kelly challenging the Russian and the Mongol to a tag team match. In that match Lucas and Kelly were disqualified when Lucas used Kelly's cowboy boot to beat the Mongol with it. The Mongol had Kelly trapped in his bearhug and was not letting go. This led to Kelly and Lucas defending their U.S. tag titles against the Russian and the Mongol. During the match, Kelly and the Russian were the legal men in the ring. The Russian got to close to the corner and Lucas grabbed him and clamped the sleeper hold on him. While the referee was trying to break up this action, the Mongol entered the ring and applied his bearhug to the already tired Kelly. When Kelly was sufficiently worn down, the Mongol tossed him to the mat. Finally the Russian got free of Lucas, climbed to the second rope, jumped off on the prone Kelly and pinned him. The Rugged Russian and the Mighty Mongol were the new United States tag team champions. 

Rick Gibson was barely recovered from his battles with Jim Bass when he became embroiled in a feud with another blonde badman, Battlin' Billy Spears. These two met in a match in Mobile that went to a savage twenty-minute draw. The next week Gibson and Frank Dalton battled Spears and Bass to a thirty-minute draw, with Spears and Gibson carrying most of the action. The feud moved to Gibson's home town of Pensacola were the two fought each other several times with no clear-cut winner. This feud would eventually last several years and spread to Georgia when both men were competing there. 

A special appearance by midget wrestlers occurred when the team of Bobo Johnson & The Haiti Kid (Kessler Raymond) defeated the team of The Little Bruiser & Frenchy Lamonte (Roland Barriault). 

It was announced that Harley Race had defeated Dory Funk Jr. on March 24^th in Kansas City, Missouri to become the new NWA World's Heavyweight Champion. 

APRIL: 

The Wrestling Pro & the Mysterious Medic were not happy with their loss to the team of Mike "Hippie" Boyette & El Sicodelico, nor were they happy with their former manager, Frenchy Bernard. So in order to settle all issues, they challenged Boyette, Bernard and Sicodelico to a handicap match. The Pro managed to catch El Sicodelico in the suplex and pinned him for the win. However the Medic caught hold of Frenchy after the match and proceeded to manhandle the little manager. The referee saw this action and reversed the decision and awarded it to Boyette, Sicodelico and Bernard. Bernard was injured by this action and left the territory and moved to Florida where he became a respected referee. El Sicodelico also left the area, leaving Boyette with out a partner. But that would soon change! During a television interview the Pro and the Medic were bragging about chasing Sicodelico and Frenchy from the area and said that they would soon rid the area of Boyette as well. Boyette came out during this interview and challenged the two masked men. The Pro and the Medic told Boyette he could choose any partner and they would meet them in a match. Boyette said he had a new partner and told the masked men to get into the ring there on TV and he would go to the back and get his partner. The Pro and the Medic did just that. They stood in the ring and waited, along with the TV audience, to see who Boyette would bring out. Boyette soon returned and had with him Mickey Doyle! Doyle had been gone from the area since August of the previous year. The California Hippies were reunited! The Pro and the Medic were not ready for this and decided to take refuge in the safety of the dressing room. The two teams met in Mobile the following week in a wild melee that saw the Hippies getting the win when Doyle used a rolling cradle to pin the Medic. In the midst of this brewing feud, 600-pound Man Mountain Mike made an appearance in the Gulf Coast. In his first match in the area he faced the Wrestling Pro. The Pro was disqualified during this match when the Medic entered the ring to help him beat down the big man. The following week a Russian Battle Royal was held. Man Mountain Mike claimed that he had never lost such a match due to the fact that in order to eliminate a man, he must be tossed over the top rope and onto the arena floor. Since Mike weighed 600 pounds, he offered $600 dollars to the man who won the Battle Royal. Mike felt safe in making this wager since he figured no one could get him over the top rope and he would naturally win the match. Besides Mike, the following wrestlers were entered in the Battle Royal: The Wrestling Pro, the Mysterious Medic, Mike "Hippie" Boyette, Mickey "Hippie" Doyle, Arman Hussein, Billy Spears, Jim Bass and the man who would be the biggest threat to Man Mountain Mike, the 400 pound Pascagoula Plowboy, Tiny Frazier. As it turned out, both Mike and Tiny were eliminated early with all of the others ganging up on them to heave them over the top rope. It came down to the Pro, the Medic and the Hippies as the remaining men. All four fought wildly, and finally promoter Lee Fields called a halt to the match and held up the $600 prize. The money was put up for grabs in a rematch between the Hippies and the Pro/Medic team. The Pro lost the match and the money for his team when he was disqualified for suplexing Boyette outside the ring unto the concrete floor. 

The Rugged Russian & the Mighty Mongol faced a serious challenge for their United States tag titles from the team of Ken Lucas & Dennis Hall. Hall & Lucas were not exactly strangers with one another. In fact, they two had been a very successful tag team in the late sixties in Tennessee. They held the Tennessee versions of both the Southern and World tag team titles. They would be formidable opponents for the hated U.S. champs. The trouble started during a six-man mixed tag team match in which the champs were teamed with midget Little Bruiser against Lucas, Hall and midget the Haiti Kid. Lucas won the match by putting the Russian to sleep. This led he and Hall to demand a title shot. In the title match, Lucas again caught the Russian in the sleeper only to have the Mongol hit him from behind. The Mongol was disqualified for his action and therefore Lucas and Hall were declared the new United States tag team champions. A rematch between the two teams turned into a donnybrook and was declared a "no contest". A third match between them was held with the Russian and Mongol regaining the titles when the Mongol forced Hall to submit with his dreaded bearhug. The Russian and the Mongol were once again the U.S. tag champs. 

Cowboy Bob Kelly defended the Gulf Coast Heavyweight title against the strong challenge of The Sheik of Arabia (not Ed "The Sheik" Farhat). The Sheik was disqualified for fighting with Kelly outside the ring. After this loss the Sheik left the area.  

Others in the area in April were Rick Gibson, Frank Dalton, Leo Seitz, Dick Dunn, newcomer Buddy Atlas and midget wrestlers Frenchy Lamonte and Bobo Johnson. 

MAY: 

The feud between the Wrestling Pro & the Mysterious Medic and the California Hippies came to a head. Promoter Lee Fields had decided that a final match between the two teams would be held and that the loser of the deciding fall would have to leave the Gulf Coast for 90 days. Boyette got the win for his team by causing the Pro to submit to the Hippie Hold. The Wrestling Pro would have to leave the area for 90 days. Win this win under their belts, the Hippies then decided to concentrate on winning the United States tag team titles from the Rugged Russian & the Mighty Mongol. The Hippies had enjoyed a five-month reign as U.S. champions in 1972 and they were eager to get those belts again. The Russian and the Mongol said that the Hippies would have to meet them in a non-title match first. This match ended with the Mongol getting disqualified for refusing to release his bearhug on Boyette. There was more to this action that met the eye. Prior to this match, the Mysterious Medic had challenged Boyette to a special challenge match to take place after the tag team title. The Medic was still upset that Boyette had forced his partner, the Wrestling Pro to leave town. Boyette agreed to the match, but had taken such a beating during the tag match that he was no match for the Medic, who won the match. Boyette was upset by the fact that the Medic attacked him immediately after the tag match that he challenged the Medic to a rematch. But since he and Doyle had earned a U.S. tag title shot, he wanted them as well. The Hippies facing the Russian/Mongol team in a title match, then Boyette facing the Medic in a challenge bout after a ten-minute intermission settled this. It turned out to be a good night for Boyette as he forced the Rugged Russian to submit to the Hippie Hold to capture the U.S. belts for he and Doyle and then beat the Medic so bad in their bout that the masked man left the ring and ran back to the dressing room.  

The Hippies title reigned proved to be short lived, however, when they dropped the title to their old archenemies Rip Tyler & Eddie Sullivan. Sullivan and Tyler had been on an extended tour of the Orient and had not been in the Gulf Coast in quite a while. This victory began their fourth reign as United States tag team champions. 

The Rugged Russian left the area after he and the Mighty Mongol dropped the U.S. belts to the Hippies, but the Mongol quickly found success as a single. He defeated Cowboy Bob Kelly to win the Gulf Coast title. He turned out to be a fierce champion, but met defeat in a non-title match to a newcomer to the Gulf Coast area Lumberjack Luke (Don Morrison). 

Kelly meanwhile had other problems besides the loss of the Gulf Coast title. An old problem reared its ugly head. That old problem was spelled F-A-R-G-O! Here's what happened: During a television taping a man approached TV host Don Griffith and stated that he was a reporter with a major wrestling publication and wanted an on-air interview with Cowboy Bob Kelly. Griffith called Kelly out and the interview was soon underway. Things got ugly when the man asked Kelly about his feud with the Fargo family. Before Kelly could answer him, the "reporter" hit Kelly with the microphone and busted his head open. He continued to pound Kelly to the astonishment of the stunned crowd. Just as Kelly was about to mount a comeback, another man appeared and joined in with Kelly's attacker to regain the advantage. Finally the others wrestlers came out and broke up the melee and helped Kelly to the back. The "reporter" and his friend then returned and introduced themselves to Griffith and the audience. The "friend" was Don Reeves and the "reporter" proudly revealed himself to be none other than… Roughhouse Fargo (Sonny Faggart), "brother" of Jackie and Donnie! He said he was there to exact revenge for his brothers for Kelly having run them out of the Gulf Coast in 1972. A match was quickly set up between Kelly and Fargo. In this match, Kelly jumped Fargo at the bell, bulldogged him and pinned him in a matter of seconds. Fargo and Reeves (who was at ringside) protested but the decision stood. A rematch between them went pretty much the same way as Kelly battered Fargo into submission and won the bout. 

The "King of Wrestling" Bobby Shane made a surprising, albeit brief, return to the Gulf Coast in May. He was disqualified in his match with popular Ken Lucas for making contact with Lucas outside of the ring. Lucas had Shane in his sleeper hold when Shane managed to slip out of the ring, dragging Lucas with him. He then proceeded to attack Lucas on the arena floor thus prompting his disqualification. 

Shane brought a protégé with him named The Great Gamma (Eric Verbal), from the Land of the Nomads. 

Others who made appearances in May were Arman Hussein, Tony Russo, Rick Gibson, Dennis Hall, Dick Dunn, Billy Spears, Jim Bass, Flash Monroe, Tom Tate, Bobby Fields, Buddy Atlas and special NWA referee Jay French. 

JUNE: 

Lumberjack Luke (now called just The Lumberjack) surprised many by defeating Gulf Coast heavyweight champ the Mighty Mongol in his initial appearance in the Gulf Coast. Actually these two had met before and had had many battles in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Lumberjack at that time was known as Beautiful Brutus. By way of his defeat of the Mongol, the Lumberjack was awarded a title shot. The title match ended in a disputed win for the Mongol, allowing him to retain the title. The dispute came as to whether the Lumberjack threw the Mongol over the top rope or if the Mongol "helped" himself over to cause the Lumberjack's disqualification. The Mongol also defeated the Lumberjack by pin in a return title match, but the big man from the north managed to defeat the Mongol in a final title match to become the new Gulf Coast Heavyweight champion. The Lumberjack also defeated the Mongol in a special challenge match where each man fought with cane sticks. 

Cowboy Bob Kelly continued his dominance over Roughhouse Fargo. He injured Fargo's partner Don Reeves in a match in Pensacola and caused him to leave the area. Then he and Fargo met in Mobile in a ten-round boxing match. With Reeves gone, Fargo chose the Mysterious Medic to serve as his second. Kelly chose Mike "Hippie" Boyette to serve in his corner. Kelly managed to knock Fargo out in the fourth round and thereby rid the Gulf Coast of another Fargo. 

Kelly and the Medic got into a fracas after the boxing match and this led to Kelly challenging the Medic to don the gloves. The Medic was disqualified in this match when it was discovered that he had slipped a pair of brass knuckles into his glove. Kelly was still anxious to get his hands on the Medic so he challenged him to another boxing match. The Medic had bragged that he would knock Kelly out in three rounds was himself knocked out in the third round.  In another match between the two Kelly's City of Mobile championship was put up for grabs. This turned into a pier-six brawl and was declared a no contest. The Medic was so upset by this decision that he attacked the referee, who then awarded the match and the trophy to Bob Kelly. 

Former ballet master Ricky Starr made his debut in the Gulf Coast by defeating one half of the U.S. title-holders, Rugged Rip Tyler. Starr was a major sensation dating back to his wrestling debut in the late fifties. His combination of ballet moves and wrestling skill made him a hard man to beat. 

Another debut was made in June. One that was destined to set the Gulf Coast on its ear. That was the debut of The Bass Family, Ronnie & Donnie (Ron & Don Herd) and their manager and "mother", Maw Bass (Mae Weston). The debut match ended with them losing by disqualification to the team of Ricky Starr and Rick Gibson. The referee was pushed around quite a bit after the match as all 3 Bass Family members argued the call. They were disqualified again in a match against Starr and Buddy Atlas, and a match against Ken Lucas and Dick Dunn. In fact Maw went after both Lucas and Dunn with her purse after their match with the Bass boys. 

A third debut in the area was that of "Mr. Wonderful" Rock Riddle (S.W. Riddle). Riddle was accompanied by his wife/valet Miss Pamela. Comparisons were quickly made between Riddle and "Wonder Boy" Bobby Shane. Riddle had gotten into pro wrestling as a protégé of Rip Hawk (Harvey Evers). He had once been the president of Hawk's fan club as a teenager. 

Shane also returned to the area and faced Ricky Starr. The match between the two was a real corker and ended with Starr getting disqualified. 

The United States tag team champions Rip Tyler and Eddie Sullivan were pretty confident of a long reign when their biggest challengers, the California Hippies left the area. But stiff competition arrived quickly when the Magnificent Brothers Monroe, Rocket & Flash returned to the area. The Monroes carried S&T to a wild and bloody 30-minute draw in a non-title match. Another wild non-title match that went to a 45-minute draw followed this up. The third match between the two teams resulted in a 60-minute draw.  

Others in the area this month were Arman Hussein and Greg Lake. 

JULY:
On Tuesday July 3, 1973 promoter Lee Fields presented his "Firecracker Wrestling Spectacular" in Mobile's Municipal Auditorium. The following are the results of the matches: 

·         The Great Gamma defeated Gene Lewis (Gene Petit)

·         Ricky Starr defeated The Mighty Mongol

·         Arman Hussein & Frank Dalton drew Don Carson &  Silento Rodriguez

·         Rock Riddle & The Mysterious Medic defeated Roy Lee & Jackie Welch

·         12-Man Tag Match - Ricky Starr wins $300 prize.

·         Six-man Mixed Tag Match - Ronnie, Donnie & Maw Bass defeated Ken Lucas, Dick Dunn & Bobbie Peterson

·         Special 20-minute Challenge Match: whichever wrestler at a disadvantage at the 20-minute mark loses the match for his team. Rocket & Flash Monroe defeated Rip Tyler & Eddie Sullivan. Tyler loses the fall.

·         Gulf Coast Championship Match - The Lumberjack defeats Bobby Shane to retain the title.

·         Ladies World Title Match - The Fabulous Moolah defeats Debbie Johnson to retain her title. 

As a result of an altercation between Maw Bass and Ken Lucas after the Bass Family defeated Lucas, Dick Dunn and Bobbie Peterson, Lucas asked Ricky Starr to be his tag team partner against the Bass boys. To keep Maw at bay they also recruited lady wrestler Ann Casey to serve as their tag team partner in another mixed six-man tag match against the Bass Family. Maw pinned Casey to win this match. Starr and Lucas then went out and got Susan Green to be their partner, but Green, too, fell victim to Maw. A frustrated Lucas and Starr then contacted Vicki Williams, who was considered the top lady wrestler in the world and number one challenger to the Fabulous Moolah's crown. But even Miss Williams was not enough to handle Maw Bass. What else could Lucas and Starr do? They went out and got the best there was, Moolah herself. In a wild battle that saw Moolah wind up with a bloody head, the Bass Family lost the match due to disqualification. 

The Monroes, Rocket & Flash continued their battle with U.S. tag team champs, Rip Tyler & Eddie Sullivan. S&T felt cheated by the special 20-minute rule that they had lost under at the "Firecracker Spectacular" and demanded a no disqualification match with a 30-minute time limit against the Monroes. Rocket and Flash agreed and the match was set. As it turned out the match never really took place. Sullivan and Tyler jumped the Monroes in the hall outside the dressing room and caused a severe neck injury to Flash. Rocket continued the battle to the ring and managed to bloody both Sullivan and Tyler, but the match was declared a no contest. With Flash unable to compete due to the neck injury, Rocket placed a call to big brother Sputnik Monroe (Rocco Brambaugh). Sputs had not been in a Gulf Coast ring since 1965. The resulting match ended in a double disqualification and heavy fines for both sides. A rematch was set up between the two teams. Sputnik & Rocket, with Flash serving as their manager won the rematch when Sullivan and Tyler were disqualified for their foul tactics. Sputnik had to leave the area to fill other commitments, so he was unable to stay and help his brothers. However a fourth "Monroe Brother" of sorts was brought in, "Soul Brother Monroe". This "brother" was Norvel Austin, protégé and long-time tag team partner of Sputnik Monroe. He even had the world famous Monroe blonde streak in his hair. Norvel & Rocket, again with Flash as their manager, took the measure of Tyler and Sullivan in the first meeting of the two teams. Sullivan and Tyler's U.S. tag team titles were not on the line, however. 

The Lumberjack continued to successfully defend the Gulf Coast title. He took the measure of Bobby Shane, the Great Gamma, and the Mysterious Mr. R (no, this wasn't Tommy Rich or Brad Armstrong) in title matches. Finally, toward the end of the month, he dropped the title belt to Ronnie Bass in Pensacola and left the area. Ronnie Bass was the new Gulf Coast champion. 

A new masked man calling himself The Gladiator arrived on the scene. He impressed everyone by taking the Mysterious Medic to a draw in his first bout in the area. He also scored a victory over Donnie Bass, which caused a confrontation between he and Maw Bass. 

Others in the Gulf Coast area in July were Duke Savage and Rick Gibson. 

It was announced that Jack Brisco had defeated Harley Race on July 20^th in Houston, Texas to become the new NWA World's Heavyweight Champion. Race's title reign lasted just under four months. 

AUGUST: 

With Ronnie Bass winning the Gulf Coast title, the Bass Family were on a roll. But it wouldn't last. The Bass Family was upset at a new masked wrestler called the Gladiator who had defeated Donnie in a singles match. Maw was claiming she knew who was under the mask and that she would reveal who he was. During a TV match involving the Gladiator, Maw sent her boys in to attack him. They pounded the Gladiator to the mat and unmasked him, revealing Bob Griffin. Maw was in shock. She called the boys over and said that he wasn't who she thought he was. Griffin was livid. He demanded a match with Ronnie Bass for the Gulf Coast title. The match was set for the next night in Pensacola. Griffin gave Bass quite a beating during the match and apparently also won the title. Two nights later in Mobile, Ronnie was severely injured in a tag team match between he and Donnie against Ken Lucas and the returning Mike "Hippie" Boyette. It was then announced on TV the following Saturday that the NWA had ruled that it had not sanctioned the Gulf Coast title match between Ronnie Bass and Griffin and ordered Griffin to surrender the belt. A rematch was to be set up between the two. But since Ronnie was hurt, it was agreed that Donnie would face Griffin with the winner to be the new Gulf Coast champion. On Tuesday August 14, 1973 Bob Griffin defeated Donnie Bass to become the Gulf Coast heavyweight champion. 

The loss of the Gulf Coast title and the injury and subsequent departure of Ronnie Bass from the area was hard on the Bass Family, but more problems lie ahead for Maw. The Fabulous Moolah had recovered from the head injury she had suffered at the hands of Maw Bass and was demanding a match with Maw. She even agreed to defend her Ladies World title against the Bass matriarch. It what turned out to be one of the greatest women's matches ever seen in Mobile, Moolah defeated Maw by disqualification to retain her title. Moolah was not satisfied by winning via disqualification and demanded another match. In the rematch Moolah was giving Maw quite a beating when Maw left the ring and went to the dressing room and refused to return to the ring. This led to a wire fence match between the two, in which Moolah stipulated that she would beat Maw within 15 minutes or she would give Maw her title and retire. As it turned out Moolah only needed 1 minute and 7 seconds to defeat Maw Bass once and for all. 

With the loss of Ronnie Bass to injury, the Bass Family brought in another "brother" to reform the team with Donnie. This would be Bobby Bass (Dennis Baldock).  

The Monroes and Norvel Austin continued the war with Eddie Sullivan & Rip Tyler. Flash Monroe had recovered from his neck injury suffered at the hands of the U.S. champions and was anxious to get another shot at them. Sullivan & Tyler picked the Mighty Mongol as their partner for a series of six-man matches against the Monroes and Austin. The first two meetings between the six ended up in double disqualification and all six wrestlers had their pay held up. Finally a cage match was arranged to settle things. This match too ended up a double DQ and still no one was paid. Another cage match was booked, winner take all and there must be a winner. Four weeks pay was at stake. This match ended with all six men attempting to climb out of the cage at the same time. The Monroes and Austin managed to knock Tyler, Sullivan and the Mongol back into the ring at the same time and climbed out to be declared the winners. It turned out to be a bad week for Sullivan & Tyler as they dropped the United States tag team titles to Donnie & Bobby Bass in Pensacola the Sunday prior to this match.   

A newcomer by the name of Steve Lawler (Steve Kyle) debuted in August. As the "brother" of Jerry Lawler, Steve was a rough customer. He and Jerry had been Tri-States tag team champions in Bill Golden's promotion in Montgomery, Alabama. 

Sweet Daddy Watts, a 402 pounder managed by Al "Spider" Galento also arrived on the scene. Galento had wrestled in the Gulf Coast area in the late fifties and early sixties with his "brothers" "Skinny" Tony Galento and Mario Galento. Now he planned on using his knowledge to lead the huge Watts to the Gulf Coast title. 

Mike "Hippie" Boyette won the Gulf Coast title by defeating Bob Griffin in a televised match on August 25. It was a clean, scientific but hard fought battle between the two, but Boyette managed to come out on top. Griffin left the area after this match. 

Others competing in the area this month were Rock Riddle, the Yankee, Ricky Starr, Jimmy Jones, Big Jim Williams and Tom Tate. 

SEPTEMBER: 

Cowboy Bob Kelly was staying pretty much on the Mississippi end of the promotion. He was the Mississippi State champion and was having a series of battles with Rocket "He's Magnificent" Monroe over the title. They also engaged in a series of brass knuckles matches. Monroe was also having his hands full with Ken Lucas and the Mighty Mongol. The Mongol was surprisingly popular with the Mississippi fans as he battled the hated Monroe. Monroe, however, was popular with the Mobile/Pensacola fans while the Mongol was hated.   

Rocket and his brother Flash were engaged in a family feud of sorts with the new U.S. tag champs, Donnie & Bobby Bass along with their manager Maw Bass. The Monroes won the first meeting of the families, after which Maw became so upset with the referee that she gave him a beating with her purse. Bobby & Donnie were disqualified in the next match between them and again Maw got involved. The Monroes then took a page out of Ken Lucas and Ricky Starr's book and contacted the Fabulous Moolah to help them combat the ever-involved Maw Bass. Moolah was quick to agree and returned to serve as the manager of the Monroes. But even with Moolah in their corner, Rocket & Flash couldn't get a clean win over the Bass boys. Moolah managed to get Maw's purse from her, but Maw ended up using her belt on the Brothers Monroe. The return bout saw Moolah and Maw handcuffed together and the Monroes finally got the clean win. A wild melee took place after the match, however, with all six going at it.  

Mike "Hippie" Boyette dropped the Gulf Coast title to Sweet Daddy Watts. The massive 402-pound Watts used a front face lock as his finisher. As bulky as he was, once he clamped it on his opponent had no choice but to concede or be smothered. Watts' manager, Al "Spider" Galento claimed that this hold would allow his man to be champion forever. Boyette claimed that he also was an expert at the front face lock and challenged Watts for a rematch with the winner only being able to win with that particular hold. Watts was the first one in the rematch to be able to apply the front face lock and thereby won the match and retained the title. Boyette did receive another match with Watts under the same stipulation but without the title on the line. Boyette managed to get the huge Watts in the front face lock and won the match. Watts was still champion, however. 

A new tag team arrived on the scene in September. This team was The Samoans (Tio & Reno Tufuuli). They featured a version of the sleeper hold that they applied with their legs wrapped around their opponent's head in a figure four fashion. They also refused to revive their opponents once they had them unconscious. This led to a confrontation with Ken Lucas, himself an expert of the sleeper, who usually had to be called upon to revive the victims of the Samoan Sleeper. Lucas teamed with a variety of partners, such as Frank Dalton and newcomer Lumberjack Dupree, but could not get the measure of the Samoans. Lucas then teamed with Chief Thundercloud, who was just returning to the area and they managed a win over team from Samoa. 

Ricky Fields, son of promoter Lee Fields made his debut as a referee. Ricky was only 15 years old at the time. 

Others appearing in the area in September were Norvel Austin, Ricky Starr, Jerry Davenport, Rock Riddle, Jimmy "Bad Boy" Hines, Steve Lawler,  and lady wrestlers Lily Thomas and Miss Pam Riddle. 

OCTOBER:

NWA World's Heavyweight Champion Jack Brisco made an appearance in the Gulf Coast area on October 12^th in Dothan, Alabama. He defeated Ken Lucas to successfully defend his title. The decision was widely disputed and Lucas was promised a return match.

With a clean win under their belts, the Monroes demanded and received a title match for the U.S. tag team titles held by Donnie & Bobby Bass. A stipulation of the title match was that a match between Moolah and Maw Bass would take place prior to the title match. The winner of that match would be allowed to accompany her team to the ring while the loser had to stay in the dressing room. Moolah defeated Maw and without her interference to tend with, the Monroes defeated the Bass boys to win the U.S. tag team titles. This loss upset the Bass Family so much that they packed up and headed out of the Gulf Coast area. 

The Monroes defeated the newly formed team of Steve Lawler & Jim White in a non-title match. White had been the long time partner of Jerry Lawler in Tennessee and was a wily veteran. He and the young powerful Steve Lawler made quite a team.  

Another team arrived to pose a challenge to the Monroes for the titles. This was a masked team from South America called Los Diablos.  I am not sure who these two were, but I am almost positive one of them was veteran journeyman Tony Russo. Los Diablos were disqualified in their title match with the Monroes and the second match between them saw the bout stopped by referee Mike Stringfellow and the belts held up. Finally, in the third match between the two teams the Monroes came out victorious and were the U.S. champions. 

Mike "Hippie" Boyette regained the Gulf Coast title from Sweet Daddy Watts by causing the big man to submit to his famed Hippie Hold. After the match was over, Watts' manager Al "Spider" Galento hit Boyette with his cane and proceeded to give the Hippie a good thrashing. Help for Boyette came from a surprising source when the Mighty Mongol hit the ring to come to Boyette's aid. Seems Galento had crossed the Mongol somewhere along the line and now the fierce man wanted revenge. Galento challenged Boyette and the Mongol to a match against he and Watts, which was quickly accepted. The Hippie and the Mongol gave Sweet Daddy and Spider quite a thrashing. Again Boyette forced Watts to submit to the Hippie Hold, but Galento wasn't through. He challenged Boyette to one more match for the Gulf Coast title with the loser to leave the area. Boyette agreed and won the match to retain the title and to send Sweet Daddy and Galento packing.  

Ken Lucas and Chief Thundercloud continued their battles with the Samoans. After two weeks worth of battles with no clear-cut winner, Lucas and Thundercloud challenge the Samoans to a Lumberjack match. In this match all four men would be in the ring at the same time and the ring would be surrounded by other wrestlers to prevent anyone from leaving the ring. Thundercloud and Lucas gave the Samoans a severe beating and won the match. The Samoans left the area after this match. 

The Mysterious Medic returned and stated that he was after Boyette and a Gulf Coast title match. Boyette managed to defeat the Medic via count-out in a non-title match and the Medic was disqualified in a second non-title match between the two. 

Others in the area this month were Ricky Starr, Dwayne Bailey, Lumberjack Dupree, Norvel Austin, Jimmy "Bad Boy" Hines and Rick Gibson. 

NOVEMBER: 

The big news in November was on November 6^th in Mobile's Municipal Auditorium. Lee Fields presented "The Night of Champions". 8 championship matches were presented. The following are the results of those matches: 

·         Alabama State Championship - Champion Dynamite Dick Dunn defeated Norvel Austin.

·         Southeastern Jr. Heavyweight Championship - Champion Les Thatcher defeated Kubla Khan.

·         Mid-South Ladies' Tag Team Championship - Susan Green & Peggy Patterson defeated Champions Paula Kaye & Dottie Downs to become the new champions.

·         United States Tag Team Championship - The Infernos (Curtis Smith & Mike McManus), managed by J.C. Dykes defeated Champions Rocket & Flash Monroe to become the new champions.

·         Gulf Coast Heavyweight Championship - The Mysterious Medic defeated Champion Mike "Hippie" Boyette to become the new champion.

·          Ladies' World Championship - Champion the Fabulous Moolah successfully defended her title by defeating Toni Rose.

·         NWA World's Jr. Heavyweight Championship - Champion Danny Hodge defeated Jackie Fargo.

·         NWA World's Heavyweight Championship - Champion Jack Brisco defeated Ken Lucas to remain the heavyweight champion of the world.  

The Infernos left the Gulf Coast area with the United States tag team titles. This marked the first time the U.S. tag titles had been out of the area in 3 1/2 years.  

A new tag team arrived on the scene in the form of Kubla Khan & Gunga Din. The two ruffians from Lebanon made it clear that they were out to make things hard on every other team. They were disqualified for their rough tactics in matches against Ken Lucas & Dwayne Bailey and Lucas & Chief Thundercloud. By the end of the month they obtained the services of a new manager in the form of "Mr. Wonderful" Rock Riddle. Under the guidance of Riddle, Khan and Din managed to become the United States tag team champions. They had supposedly defeated the Infernos in a match in Atlanta, Georgia to win the belts. 

Another newcomer to the area was Steve Keirn. He and fellow Florida native Rick Gibson formed quite a team.  

The world's largest twins Billy & Benny McGuire (McCrary) made an appearance in the Gulf Coast in November. They were quite a site when they rode their Honda mini-bikes out to ringside. Billy weighed in at 700 pounds while Benny tip the scales at 720 pounds. They easily defeated Jim White, Rock Riddle & Steve Lawler in a handicap match.  

Another new face was Jerry "Duke" Miller. He made it clear that there was only one match he wanted and that was a Gulf Coast title match. Miller would make quite an impact in the next several months. 

Mike "Hippie" Boyette defeated the Mysterious Medic to regain the Gulf Coast title Boyette quickly met the challenge of Duke "the Guillotine" Miller. Boyette won a non-title match by disqualification. 

The Wrestling Pro returned to the area for the first time since the end of April. He lost his first match back by disqualification to Steve Keirn. He also teamed with El Diablo (Tony Russo) only to lose to the team of Keirn and Rick Gibson when Gibson pinned El Diablo. 

DECEMBER: 

Mike Boyette was upset with how he was manhandled by Duke Miller in their non-title match so he put the Gulf Coast title on the line to get Miller back in the ring. Actually he had played right into Miller's hands because the Duke had been after a title match since the day he arrived in the area. Miller appeared to have won the match and the title  but got carried away with himself and decided to hit Boyette with his patented "Guillotine" elbow drop off the ropes after the match. Referee Joe Powell reversed the decision and gave the title back to Boyette. Miller then challenged Boyette to put the title on the line in a best two out of three falls, no disqualification match. Boyette agreed but it cost him the belt. Boyette won the first fall with his famed Hippie Hold, but Miller took advantage of the no DQ rule and beat Boyette mercilessly so that Boyette was unable to answer the bell in the remaining two falls. Boyette had to be helped to the dressing room and Duke Miller was the new Gulf Coast champion.

Cowboy Bob Kelly returned to the Mobile/Pensacola area to team with Chief Thundercloud. They challenged Kubla Khan & Gunga Din, whose manager Rock Riddle would only agree to a match in which the U.S. titles of Khan & Din were not at stake. At the start of the match, Riddle was not at ringside. He and his wife/valet Pamela Riddle had just wrestled in a match where they had defeated Rick Gibson & Lily Thomas and Riddle had not yet made it back out to the ring to be with his team. A concerned Gunga Din left the ring and went back to the dressing room to get Riddle. By the time they got back, they found Khan receiving a beating at the hands of Kelly & Thundercloud. The cowboy and the Indian were disqualified for double teaming Khan. This led to a rematch that was won by Din & Khan in a highly disputed manner. Rock Riddle had also managed to steal Thundercloud's Indian headdress. Riddle then told Thundercloud that if he and Kelly defeated Khan & Din in a rematch, he would return the headdress. Kelly & Thundercloud did win the rematch, although it was by disqualification and Riddle refused to return the headdress.  This led to a singles match between Riddle and Thundercloud, which ended in a draw, and Riddle still held onto the Chief's headdress. Bobby Fields replaced Thundercloud on the team with Kelly and they managed a win over Khan & Din in a non-title match. 

It was announced that Ken Mantell (Ken Lusk) had defeated Danny Hodge on December 19^th in Jackson, Mississippi to become the new NWA World's Jr. Heavyweight Champion. 

Duke Miller and the Wrestling Pro formed an alliance of sorts. The Pro had been scheduled to face Ken Lucas, but balked at facing his longtime nemesis come match time. Instead he made a challenge to Norvel Austin. Austin came out to ringside and Lucas agreed to step aside for him to face the Pro. Norvel was getting the upper hand on the Pro when Miller came out and entered the ring. He and the Pro then proceeded to double suplex Austin. Rocket Monroe then came out to help Austin and the four went at it. This led to a tag team match between the four that ended in both teams being disqualified. A rematch was scheduled with 2 weeks pay at stake. Monroe & Austin won this match by disqualification, but refused the win and the money. Therefore nothing was resolved and the money was still held up going into the New Year. 

Al "Spider" Galento returned with a new charge to challenge Mike "Hippie" Boyette. Boyette had run Galento and his last man, Sweet Daddy Watts out of the area and the Spider was back for revenge. His new man was called "The Wildman" (Duke Savage). He was dressed in ragged clothes and barefoot with his long black hair covering his face. Galento led him into the ring by a chain from the parking lot of the building, he wouldn't even go to the dressing room. Along the way to the ring, the Wildman would lunge at the fans only to be restrained by Galento and the chain as the fans scattered. All of that did no good as Boyette used the Wildman's own chain to beat him down and pin him after a savage battle. 

Former referees Johnny Wayne Fields (son of Don Fields) and Buddy Carson (brother-in-law of Don Fields) made their debuts as pro wrestlers. They wrestled to a draw in a tag team match against the team of Black Bart & Dwayne Bailey. 

Others in the area at the end of the year were the Mysterious Medic, Jimmy "Bad Boy" Hines, Steve Lawler, Steve Keirn and Tony Russo. 

That's are look at the year that was 1973. Hope you enjoyed it. 

Special thanks go out to my daughter, Spenser Norris for all her help in researching and assembling the information for this report. Also thanks to Curtis Smith and Dean Silverstone for information provided by them. Thanks everyone! 

NEXT MONTH: 

1974 - World's Heavyweight champ Jack Brisco returns to the Gulf Coast. World's Jr. Heavyweight champion Ken Mantell makes his way in as well. Haystack Calhoun appears in the area, the formation of Murder, Inc. and the Bass Family returns.