He let it go for a while before stopping the match and declaring Carson & Dunn the winners and new champions. The Monroes were so upset that the jumped all three men and were giving them quite a beating when Cowboy Bob Kelly entered the ring and chased them out. And once again, Carson & Dunn were stripped of the titles in the dressing room and the belts returned to the Monroes.  

Carson was so upset that Rocket had bloodied his head that he demanded a match with him. Monroe agreed but Carson would have to put his Gulf Coast title on the line. Carson agreed and the match was set. Carson won the first fall when he used a neckbreaker on Monroe. During the second fall Carson was bloodied by Monroe but managed to apply the sleeper hold on Rocket. Monroe was on the verge of losing when Flash Monroe hit the ring. He clobbered Carson and together both Monroes administered a severe beating to Carson. Only the entrance of Bull Williams saved Carson from permanent damage. Carson had saved Williams earlier in the evening when the Monroes jumped him. He had been scheduled to wrestle Terrible Ted, the wrestling bear, but the bear did a no show. As Williams waited in the ring, the Monroes decided to use him as target practice. They were giving him a going over when Carson made the save. After Williams returned the favor, Carson was awarded his match and retained his title. The Monroes demanded a tag team match against Carson & Williams but refused to put their titles on the line against a new team. Carson & Williams didn't care about any belts; they just wanted to get their hands on the Monroes. And that they did…and more.  In the first fall Carson was being double-teamed by the Monroes until Williams came in and flattened the Magnificent Ones with his head-butts. Carson then caught Flash with a neckbreaker to score the fall. In the second, Rocket Monroe kept thumbing Carson in the throat and choking him. He finally pinned Carson by illegally pulling his trunks to score the fall. Carson & Williams came out for the third fall and made short work of Rocket and Flash. Williams head-butted Rocket into submission as Carson clamped the sleeper on Flash. Williams & Carson had won and showed that they would be a team to be reckoned with. 

Cowboy Bob Kelly had his hands full with Sugi Sito. First he absorbed a beating from Sito & Akio Yashihara in a tag team match in which Kelly had Bobby Whitlock as his partner. Sito kept using Judo chops while Kelly resorted to his fists. This led to a special Judo match between Kelly and Sito. Sito was on the verge of losing to the cowboy when he rubbed salt in Kelly's eyes and got disqualified. Kelly then demanded that matchmaker Rocky McGuire book he and Sito in a boxing glove match. He figured Sito couldn't use the salt pack if his hands were encased in boxing gloves. Kelly knocked Sito out to win the first fall, but Sugi came back and pinned Kelly in the second after ramming him into the ringpost several times. During the third fall Yashihara, serving as Sito's second sprinkled salt onto Sito's gloves. Sito again blinded Kelly and was knocking him around pretty good. Bobby Fields, who had been serving as Kelly's second climbed into the ring only to be blinded himself when Yashihara threw salt into his eyes. Referee Speedy Hatfield disqualified Sito and awarded the match to Kelly.  

Sito & Yashihara didn't fare any better in tag team action. They lost a tag team match to Bobby Whitlock & Ramon Perez when Whitlock & Perez worked over Yashihara and forced him to submit. The Japanese pair decided that Yashihara would stick to the managerial role and Sugi Sito brought in his brother Mitsu Sito to be his new tag team partner. They gained a measure of revenge on Whitlock & Perez in their first match as a team, winning in straight falls. Mitsu pinned Whitlock to decide the first fall after hitting him with a Judo chop. During the second fall Perez fell victim to the wily Japanese team as they dropped him throat first across the top rope and pinned him to win the match. 

Perez & Whitlock also teamed up in a losing effort to the Interns, who made a one night return to the Gulf Coast before leaving again. The Interns were without Dr. Jerry Graham serving as their manager. 

Others in the area in January were Pancho Villa, Sander Jackson and Thurston Pace. 

FEBRUARY: 

Don Carson & Bull Williams were making noise to gain a title shot at the Gulf Coast tag champs, Rocket & Flash Monroe. They faced off against the Sugi & Mitsu Sito to determine which team were the top contenders. The Japanese pair prevailed in straight falls as they forced Williams to submit twice.  In both falls they kept Williams in their corner and punished him by double-teaming him. Referee Mike Gordon was also busy keeping his eye on the Sitos' manager Akio Yashihara. This allowed Sugi & Mitsu to keep Williams from ever tagging Carson and he just couldn't withstand the punishment. After the match, Carson tried to exact some revenge for his partner but he, too, fell victim to their double-teaming tactics. Carson then gained a new partner in Randy Curtis (Randy Culkin).  The Sito brothers lost the first fall when they both went after Carson. The promotion had just instituted the tag rope rule that they man outside of the ring had to keep a hold onto a three-foot piece of rope until tagged into action. The Sitos ignored this rule and it cost them the first fall. They Japanese team won the second fall when they double-teamed both Carson & Curtis before forcing Curtis to submit to a toehold. They continued to work over Curtis' leg during the third fall while preventing him from tagging Carson. Finally, Carson had had enough. He let go of the tag rope and charged the ring. Referee Clem Courtney immediately disqualified Carson, but Carson cleared the ring of the Sitos and Yashihara. 

The Sitos were on a roll as they defeated Rocket & Flash Monroe for the Gulf Coast tag team titles. The new team of Ramon Perez & Cowboy Bob Kelly immediately challenged them. The first meeting of the two teams saw Kelly & Perez victorious in a non-title match. Kelly won the first fall for his team by dropkicking Sugi Sito and pinning him. The second fall saw the Japanese team constantly double-teaming Perez in their corner while their manager, Akio Yashihara kept referee Speedy Hatfield occupied.  They worked over Perez until he finally submitted to a headlock by Mitsu Sito. In the third fall, the Japanese team continued double-teaming, first Perez, then Kelly. Just as they were on the verge of victory, Kelly tagged Perez who leapt over Sugi Sito and pinned him with a sunset flip. The Japanese team was stunned. This led to a title match for Kelly & Perez and they made the best of it. Kelly & Perez continually worked over Mitsu Sito's leg in the first fall, finally making him submit to take the fall. In the second fall, they continued to punish Mitsu before he managed a tag on Sugi. Sugi Sito came in and pinned Perez after hitting him with Judo chops as he bounced off the ropes.  After the fall Sugi grabbed Perez and rammed his head into the ringpost. Perez only had a two-minute rest period to recover. Kelly asked for an additional two minutes for his partner, but was refused by the Japanese team. Perez managed to make into the ring, but was at the mercy of the Sitos. Finally he managed to tag Kelly who went after both Sitos with flying fists. The Sitos managed to wear Kelly down and soon had him in trouble. They worked over his left arm until he was unable to move it. Perez was also on the receiving end of several slams by Mitsu Sito before catching him by surprise with a backslide to gain the pin. Bob Kelly & Ramon Perez were the new Gulf Coast tag team champions. 

The Gulf Coast Heavyweight title also changed hands as Don Carson lost the title to Bobby Fields on the 14^th in Dothan. Carson immediately challenged Fields to a rematch and one was set on the 19^th in Mobile. Fields won the first fall by punishing Carson's arm and hand until he submitted. Carson came back and forced Fields to submit to a leg lock in the second. Carson lost control in the third fall and started using some questionable tactics on Fields until being forced to submit to another of Bobby's arm locks. Bobby Fields was the new Gulf Coast champion. Fields also faced Rocket Monroe in a non-title match. Fields won the first fall by forcing Rocket to submit to an abdominal stretch. Rocket came back to win the second after thumbing Fields in the throat and kneeing him in the stomach. Rocket used a little illegal leverage to pin Fields in the third fall by holding him by the trunks as he pinned him after an atomic drop. Fields would only appear sporadically for quite a while and the Gulf Coast Heavyweight title would become dormant until July of 1970. 

Dickie Steinborn made his debut in the area as he defeated Pancho Villa (who had taken to wearing a mask) in his initial match. Steinborn won the first fall with a backslide. Villa came on strong in the second fall and nearly had Steinborn out with his choking tactics.  Steinborn came back and pinned Villa after hitting him with a pair of dropkicks. As an added measure, Steinborn tossed referee Speedy Hatfield out of the ring and chased Villa back to the dressing room. Steinborn then had a wild match with Flash Monroe. Monroe pinned Steinborn to win the first fall after kicking him in the stomach as he bounced back off the ropes. Flash tried the same thing in the second, only to have Steinborn avoid the kick and roll Flash up for the pin. As referee Clem Courtney was raising Steinborn's hand, Monroe smashed him across the back and sent him reeling. Steinborn crashed into Courtney and both men hit the mat. Steinborn groggily got to his feet as Monroe grabbed him and sent him crashing back to the mat headfirst with an illegal piledriver.  Monroe then climbed out of the ring and waited for the referee to regain his senses. When Courtney got back to his feet, he saw Steinborn out cold in the ring and Monroe on the floor acting as though he was in pain. The ringside fans told Courtney what had happened and his awarded the match to Steinborn. 

Also appearing in the area this month were Dick Dunn, Chief White Eagle, Phil Robley and lady wrestlers Cora Combs and Mae Gooden.   

MARCH: 

An announcement was made in March that Lee Fields was retiring from active competition and was taking over from Rocky McGuire as the promoter of Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling. Little did the fans know that Lee Fields had actually owned the promotion since 1959 and that McGuire was the matchmaker. The announcement was made in order to have McGuire leave the Mobile/Pensacola end of the promotion and have it appear that Fields was his replacement. The truth was that Lee wanted Rocky McGuire to concentrate on the Dothan/Panama City end and to have Cowboy Bob Kelly serve as the matchmaker in the Mobile/Pensacola end. Kelly would also continue to book the Mississippi end. 

The new Gulf Coast tag team champs, Bob Kelly & Ramon Perez faced stiff competition from Rocket & Flash Monroe. The first match between the two teams saw the belts being held up after a double disqualification. Kelly won the first fall for his teamed when he bulldogged Flash twice and pinned him. Rocket Monroe pinned Ramon Perez after an atomic drop to even the score in the second. The Monroes spent most of the third fall working over Perez with their illegal tactics. Finally Kelly had had enough and charged into the ring to save his partner. All four men went at it until referee Tommy Rollins called a halt to the proceedings and stopped the match, holding up the titles. The rematch saw Kelly again beat Flash Monroe with the bulldog to gain the first fall for he and Perez. Kelly had Flash set up for the bulldog in the second, but Monroe managed to escape and tag Rocket. Kelly also tagged in Perez and he and Rocket began crisscrossing the ring, bouncing off the ropes. Flash Monroe reached through and tripped Perez allowing Rocket to score with a neckbreaker to get the pin for the second fall.  Meanwhile Kelly, who had witnessed what Flash had done ran around the ring during the break and was challenging him. Special referee Phil Robley became occupied trying to keep Kelly and Flash apart. While his attention was diverted, Rocket grabbed up Perez and delivered a piledriver rendering him unconscious. Kelly spent the remaining time between falls trying to revive his fallen partner, but to no avail. Perez had to be carried back to the dressing room, leaving Bob Kelly to go it alone. Kelly actually managed to single-handedly give the Monroes a severe beating until he made a miscalculation. He backed both Monroes against the ropes and gave them a double monkey-flip. When he tried it a second time Flash Monroe grabbed the ropes and held he and Rocket in place as Kelly slipped and crashed to the mat. This allowed Rocket to score the pin-fall and the Monroes were now 3-time Gulf Coast tag team champions. 

The Monroes immediately defended their newly won crown against a strong team out of Florida, Jack Brisco & Nick Kozak. Brisco, a former AAU collegiate champion from Oklahoma would go on to hold many titles in his career including the NWA World's Heavyweight championship. Kozak, too, would go on to be a title-holder in many territories, including the Gulf Coast in 1976. The match with the Monroes was a hard fought one with Brisco & Kozak winning the only fall. Since two falls needed to be won, the match was declared a 60-minute draw and the Monroes held onto the titles. The Monroes weren't so lucky in a non-title match against Don Carson and newcomer Bob Boyer. Boyer was getting battered around in the first fall by Flash Monroe until he reversed a whip into the corner buckles. As Flash rebounded out of the corner, Boyer caught him in a sunset flip to score the pin. In the second, the Monroes worked over Carson until he was a bloody mess and was forced to submit. Carson continued to get battered in the third and deciding fall until Rocket tied him into the ropes. As Rocket charged at Carson with a tackle, Boyer pulled him out of the way. Rocket crashed into the ropes and then hit the mat. Carson then fell on him to get the pin and the victory. 

Boyer also had his problems with the Japanese team of Sugi & Mitsu Sito, along with their manager Akio Yashihara. He teamed with Chief White Eagle for a match against the crafty pair. Boyer won the first fall when he forced Sugi Sito to concede to a back breaker. The Japanese duo decided to concentrate on White Eagle for the remainder of the match, forcing him to submit for the next two falls. He gained a measure of revenge when he teamed with Don Carson to defeat the Japanese team in straight falls.  White Eagle also teamed with Dennis Hall in a losing effort to the Sitos. 

Rip & Randy Tyler returned to the area only to lose a best two out of three fall match against Cowboy Bob Kelly & Bobby Fields. 

A family reunion of sorts occurred with the appearance of Lester Welch in the area. Welch, of course, was the youngest of the famed Welch Brothers Roy, Jack, Herb and Lester. Lester later had two sons that would become pro wrestlers, Jackie and Roy Lee. Roy Welch was the father of former Gulf Coast promoter Edward Welch AKA "Buddy Fuller". Fuller's own sons Ronald and Robert would also become wrestlers and Ron Fuller would by the Gulf Coast territory from Lee Fields and create Southeastern Championship Wrestling. The Welch's sister Bonnie was married to Virgil "Speedy" Hatfield, who was the father of Lee, Bobby and Don Fields. Lester teamed with Cowboy Bob Kelly to face a team that was also making a special return to the area. That was the team of The Mysterious Medics (Tony Gonzales & Donald Lortie). Welch had won the first fall for he and Kelly when forced one of the Medics to submit with and Abdominal Stretch. The Medics won the second fall after one of the kneed Kelly in the groin and pinned him.  In the third fall, Welch was shoved into referee Speedy Hatfield by one of the Medics. Hatfield was dazed but managed to count Welch out as he was pinned by the Medic. After that count, Welch rolled the Medic over and the confused Hatfield tolled another three-count. Hatfield then rose the hands of Welch & Kelly in victory. The Medics tossed Welch & Kelly out of the ring and then went after Hatfield, who managed to scoot out of the ring and harm's way. 

APRIL: 

The Alabama State Heavyweight Championship was reinstated in the Gulf Coast area for the first time in six years. The title was last held by Don Fields but had been vacated when Fields was injured in a car accident in August of 1963. A statewide tournament was set up to determine a new champion in the cities of Mobile, Dothan, Huntsville and Birmingham. Each city would crown a city champion and then the four city champions would meet to determine the State champion. Only Mobile and Dothan were actually Gulf Coast promotion cities. Birmingham and Huntsville fell under the promotion of Nick Gulas & Roy Welch. 

A new tag team arrived on the scene in April. They were a masked team known as The Blue Yankees (Curtis Smith & Billy Spears). They were also managed by a man simply known as Frenchy (this was not Frenchy Bernard who later was Gorgeous George Jr.'s valet in 1972). At first the fans took to this new team as they were scheduled to face the hated team of Rip & Randy Tyler. Randy Tyler was injured prior to the match and a newcomer named Bill Taylor replaced him. The Yankees won the first fall when referee Joe Powell had his attention distracted while trying to keep Rip Tyler out of the ring. The Yankees tied Taylor's head into the ropes and the "little" Blue Yankee (Spears) jumped off the top rope onto his back as the "big" Blue Yankee (Smith) held him stretched out by his legs. When Powell turned his attention back to the action in the ring, the big Blue Yankee had Taylor pinned. Taylor was injured and had to be carried back to the dressing room by Tyler. Tyler tried to carry on alone but was no match for the rough Yankees. They double teamed him mercilessly and pinned him to win the second fall. They continued to stomp the fallen Tyler until help came from a surprising source. Don Carson hit the ring and tried to rescue Tyler. For a little bit Carson held his own but he, too, was overpowered. Finally Bob Boyer entered the fray and he and Carson chased the masked men and their manager from the ring. Rip Tyler left the area after this match.  

All of this led to a tag team match between the Blue Yankees and Don Carson & Bob Boyer. Boyer managed to pinned one of the Yankees with a backslide. The Yankees came back to win the second fall after Carson was forced to submit when the Yankees worked over his arm. Carson, Boyer and the fans protested after the fall that the big Blue Yankee seemed to load something in his built-up boot. The Yankee claimed that the boot was a medical necessity since he had one leg shorter than the other. This boot would become a real source of controversy for the Yankee (and his other guises) over the years. During the third fall, the Yankees managed to get Carson trapped in their corner. While referee Joe Powell worked trying to keep Boyer out of the ring, the Yankees manager, Frenchy climbed to the top rope and jumped off driving his cane into Carson's back. Once was not enough for the little manager and he decided to go for a second try. As one Yankee held Carson's head draped over the middle rope, the other Yankee stretched him out by the feet. Frenchy climbed to the top rope once again. But this time, Powell turned around just as he jumped. The Yankees were disqualified for their manager's actions. 

The Gulf Coast tag team champions, Flash & Rocket Monroe, also added a new manager to their team. This man was Dr. Ken Ramey.  Ramey made an immediate impact during a tag team match between the Monroes and the team of Bob Kelly & Bobby Fields. Rocket won the first fall after kicking Bobby Fields in the face and pinning him. Kelly came back and pinned Flash after a dropkick to win the second fall.  During the third fall referee Joe Powell was trying to break up a ringside fight between Fields and Rocket Monroe while Kelly and Flash Monroe were the legal men in the ring. Kelly actually had Flash pinned twice but Powell was not around to make the count. The second time, Ramey took advantage of the situation and squirted a liquid into Kelly's eyes and blinded him. This enabled Flash to make the pin as Powell finally turned his attention back to the action in the ring. The Monroes won the match but weren't through yet. With Kelly incapacitated, Flash & Rocket turned their attention to Fields. They hemmed him up in the corner and gave him a real working over. Finally help came in the person of the 400-pound Tiny Frazier. Frazier had returned to the area after an six- month absence after being unmasked as "The Convict" by Dr. Jerry Graham in October of 1968.

Fields then asked Frazier to be his partner in a match against the Monroes. Frazier agreed and the match was set. Frazier spent much of the first fall tossing Flash Monroe around the ring. Rocket finally couldn't take anymore and entered the ring to help out his younger brother. But when he did he let go of the tag rope and was disqualified by referee Bob Cross. During the second fall, Bobby Fields grabbed Ramey from ringside and flipped him into the ring. Before Fields could do any damage to him, however, Rocket Monroe grabbed Bobby from behind and Ramey kicked Fields in the stomach. Meanwhile Flash Monroe clobbered Frazier from behind and knocked him from the ring. Both Monroes and Ramey gave Fields a going over and finally tossed him from the ring as well. Referee Cross again disqualified the Monroes and awarded the match to Frazier & Fields. 

Fields was not satisfied and demanded another match with the Monroes, this time with Joe Scarpa as his partner. Scarpa was a former Gulf Coast heavyweight champion, having held the title in 1960. Scarpa was well known throughout the Southeast, particularly in Florida and Georgia. Later in his career he would gain his greatest fame as Chief Jay Strongbow in the WWWF promotion. 

The Monroes were so confident that they agreed to put their Gulf Coast tag team titles on the line against Scarpa & Fields. Scarpa was forced to submit to a hammerlock after the Monroes continued to double-team him in the first fall.  Scarpa came back and pinned Rocket to secure the second fall for he and Fields. In the third, Scarpa caught Flash Monroe in his sleeper hold when Ramey squirted liquid in his eyes, blinding him. With Scarpa unable to help, the Monroes grabbed Fields and held him as Ramey kicked him in the stomach. This caused a riot as the ringside fans ripped up chairs and began tossing them into the ring. Speedy Hatfield, Cowboy Bob Kelly and Bob Boyer came out and climbed into the ring in an attempt to calm the fans, but it didn't help. The fans surrounded the ring and were determined to get their hands on Ramey & the Monroes. Ramey squirted his liquid at the fans and caused them to back away from the ring, allowing he and the Monroes to get out of the ring. As the police surrounded the trio the fans continued to hurl chairs at them all the way back to the dressing room. But the Magnificent Monroes were still the Gulf Coast tag team champions. 

Besides Scarpa, other longtime favorites appearing in the area were Lester Welch and his nephew Buddy Fuller. Lester had asked Fuller to team with him in order to gain some revenge on the Mysterious Medics after the Medics gave Welch & Cowboy Bob Kelly a going over after a match. Buddy agreed and returned to the area where he was once the promoter. The Medics were disqualified for their tactics to lose the first fall, but came back and pinned Welch to win the second. The third fall became a total melee with all four men in the ring at the same time battling it out. Referee Leo Morgan had no choice but to disqualify both teams and throw the match out. 

Midget wrestlers Wee Willie Wilson and Fuzzy Cupid made an appearance in the area. A match between the two saw Wilson pin Cupid to get the win. 

Others in the area this month were John Bunyon, Mitsu & Sugi Sito, Chief White Eagle, "Wildman" Joe Turco and Dale Jones. 

MAY: 

The city champions were crowned in the Alabama State Championship tournament. They were Bob Boyer in Mobile, Billy Boy Hines in Huntsville, Dickie Steinborn in Dothan and Ken Lucas in Birmingham. Lucas was a longtime favorite and 3-time former Gulf Coast champion who had not been in the area since 1967. Out of the city championships, only the City of Mobile Championship continued to be recognized. 

The one-night finals were held in Mobile. Billy Boy Hines and Bob Boyer fought to a rough thirty-minute draw; thus both men were eliminated. This left the match between Ken Lucas and Dickie Steinborn to decide the new Alabama State champion. Lucas won the match when he whipped Steinborn into the corner and Steinborn's shoulder was injured. This allowed Lucas to get the pin and become the new Alabama State Heavyweight champion.  

Rocket Monroe had actually injured Steinborn's shoulder the week before on TV and was re-injured in the match with Lucas. Not only did he not win the Alabama title; he also had to face Monroe in a special challenge match after the match with Lucas. Monroe took advantage of the situation and continued to work on Steinborn's shoulder. But Steinborn managed to catch Monroe as he bounced off the ropes and slammed him to the mat knees first. As Monroe rolled on the ring in pain, his manager Dr. Ken Ramey climbed onto the apron to distract the referee. Steinborn then hit the pesky manager with a dropkick and then went on to pin Monroe for the win. This led to a rematch in which Steinborn win the first fall after slamming Monroe's head into the mat. In the second fall, Steinborn leapfrogged over Monroe as he bounced off the ropes, and then attempted to do it again without turning around. Monroe caught him in mid-air however and applied an atomic drop to get the pin. In the third fall, Steinborn had Monroe in a headlock and decided to ram Rocket's head into the corner. Just before they reached the corner, Monroe managed to escape and sent Steinborn crashing into the corner and pinned him. 

Flash Monroe immediately challenged Ken Lucas for a match for the Alabama title and Lucas agreed.  Lucas won the first fall with his abdominal stretch and then put Flash to sleep to win the second. Lucas then announced that he was going to bring in his brother Chris Lucas (Paul Christy) in order to defeat the Monroes for the Gulf Coast tag team titles. 

The title match between the Brothers Monroe and the Lucas Brothers was a wild one. Rocky McGuire was assigned as the special referee and the rule that allowed a title not to change hands on a disqualification was waived. The Lucas duo won the first fall as Chris Lucas put Flash Monroe out with the sleeper hold. Rocket Monroe came back and pinned Chris Lucas after thumbing him in the throat several times and kneeing him in the stomach. In the third fall Rocket Monroe got pushed into McGuire and knocked him to the mat. Dr. Ken Ramey took advantage of this and climbed onto the ring apron. Ken Lucas spotted him and flipped him over the ropes and into the ring. Ramey was desperately trying to pull out a chain that he had with him, but Lucas got it first. He knocked Ramey around with it and then went after the Monroes. In the meantime, McGuire got back to his feet, saw Ramey in the ring and disqualified the Monroes. This gave the match and the title to the Lucas brothers. Ken & Chris Lucas were now the new Gulf Coast tag team champions. 

The Monroes had no better luck with the team of Bob Boyer & Bobby Fields. Boyer had forced Rocket to surrender to an abdominal stretch, but Rocket came back and pinned Fields after thumbing him in the throat. During the third fall, referee Bobby Howell caught Dr. Ken Ramey separating the ropes as Bobby Fields was bouncing off of them, causing Fields to tumble out of the ring. Howell disqualified the Monroes for Ramey's actions. The Monroes pounded Fields and Boyer after the match and strutted back to the dressing room with Ramey. 

Referee Howell also made a sharp call during a match between the Blue Yankees and Billy Boy & Bad Boy Hines. Billy Boy Hines won the first fall by putting the big Blue Yankee to sleep. The Yankees came back when the big Blue Yankee managed to load his built-up boot and kicked Billy Boy in the head. This allowed him to get the pin. In the third fall Billy Boy was in the ring with the little Blue Yankee when the bigger masked man entered the ring and again kicked Hines in the head with his loaded boot. This time, however, a tag had not been made and the Yankees were disqualified. The Hines brothers also defeated the big Blue Yankee and Flash Monroe in a tag team match. Without their regular partners, Monroe & the Yankee just didn't gel well as a team and couldn't handle the Hines boys. The Hines brothers continued their roll with a win over Mitsu & Sugi Sito. 

Billy Boy Hines didn't fare as well in singles action. He challenged Bob Boyer to a match with Boyer's City of Mobile title on the line. Boyer and Hines had had a torrid match that ended in a draw eliminating both from the Alabama State title tournament. Hines wanted to prove he was the better man by defeating Boyer and taking his Mobile title, but it wasn't to be. Hines won the first fall after kneeing Boyer as he bounced from the ropes. Hines continued to use rough tactics on Boyer in the second fall but was pinned after Boyer managed to slam him to the mat. In the deciding fall, Hines got caught up in arguing with special referee Rocky McGuire and was pinned when Boyer surprised him with a backslide. 

Boyer also defeated a newcomer called The Arkansas Mauler in a non-title match in about two minutes. Not sure who the Mauler was because this was his only appearance in the area. 

Others in the area this month were Joe Turco, Charles Irby, Pat Valentino, and Bobby Pico.  

JUNE: 

In order to get a chance to regain the Gulf Coast tag team titles; Rocket & Flash Monroe along with their manager Dr. Ken Ramey offered the new champions, Ken & Chris Lucas $1000 for a return match. The Lucas' agreed and the match was on. Prior to the match, a letter from Dr. Ken Ramey was read to the fans that stated that he would not be at ringside with the Monroes because the promotion had plans to have him injured. A week or so later it was announced that Ramey had been suspended from the Gulf Coast. In reality, Ramey had simply left the area to go to Tennessee. There he hooked up with a couple of wrestlers named Jim Starr and Billy Garrett. Garrett & Starr had wrestled in the Carolinas as The Masked Marvels. In Tennessee, the were called The Medics (not to be confused with the original Mysterious Medics.) They later changed their name to The Interns. Again the original Interns were Dr. Jerry Graham's team of Interns (Joe Turner & Bill Bowman) who had competed in the Gulf Coast. Bowman & Turner were now competing in Georgia as Joe & Bill Sky (they were real-life half-brothers), so the Interns name was up for grabs. Tom Andrews who had wrestled in the Mid-West as The Claw soon replaced Garrett. Dr. Ken Ramey's version of the Interns became the most famous version. Ramey and Starr (as the Intern) would return to the Gulf Coast in 1976. 

The title match saw Chris Lucas take the first fall for his team by putting Flash Monroe out with the sleeper. Rocket Monroe came back to even the score when he applied a neckbreaker on Ken Lucas and pinned him to take the second fall. In the third and deciding fall, Chris Lucas had Rocket against the ropes and was reigning forearm blows across his back. Suddenly Rocket raised up and flipped Chris over the top rope. This resulted in an immediate disqualification against the Monroes. The Lucas brothers were still the tag champs, but Chris suffered and injury as a result of the fall. Rocket continued to fight with Ken Lucas after the match and this led to a singles match between the two. Lucas agreed to put up his Alabama State title in order to get Monroe back in the ring. Lucas won the first fall with his abdominal stretch, holding it after the fall until he was forced by the referee to let go. Rocket dropped to the mat and it was questionable as to whether or not he would be able to continue. Brother Flash came out to administer aid to him. Lucas decided that it was not wise to remain in the ring with both Monroes, so he headed for the ropes. Just as he was stepping through the ropes, Flash grabbed him. Lucas was ready, however, and clamped a sleeper on to Flash. By this time, Rocket had gotten to his feet and he went to his brother's aid. Together the Monroes gave Lucas quite a beating and Rocket was disqualified.  Lucas was declared the winner and still Alabama champion. Lucas was itching for revenge, but with his brother out with an injury he was without a partner to battle the Monroes. Lucas wanted someone who was as rough and tough as the Monroes so he settled on the original Mysterious Medic (Tony Gonzales). Lucas & the Medic made a surprisingly strong team. They won the first fall when Lucas forced Flash Monroe to submit to an abdominal stretch. The Medic spent much of the second fall using the tag rope to strangle Flash Monroe, and then slammed him to take the second fall. The Monroes had lost in straight falls.  

The Monroes did manage to come back at the end of the month and defeated Ken & Chris Lucas to win the Gulf coast tag team titles back. This made the Monroes champions for the third time. Chris Lucas left the area after this defeat. He made his way to Indianapolis where he wrestled under his real name, Paul Christy for Dick the Bruiser's WWA promotion. 

Two other sets of brothers continued having differences. Billy Boy & Bad Boy Hines against the Sito Brothers, Mitsu & Sugi. Billy Boy teamed with lady wrestler Betty Bouchette to face Mitsu Sito & lady wrestler Vivian Vachon. Hines kneed Sito in the stomach to win the first fall, while Sito came back with Judo chops to pin Hines in the second. Bouchette pinned Vachon after tossing her around by her hair to win the third and deciding fall for her and Hines. In a tag team match between the Hines' and the Sitos, the teams had each won a fall when the Sitos went to work on Billy Boy Hines. They clawed and bit at his ear and then flung him over the top rope. This resulted in a disqualification against the Japanese team.  A rematch was ordered and again the Japanese duo used illegal tactics to make things rough for the Hines boys. Mitsu Sito pinned Billy Boy Hines to win the first fall after hitting him with a Judo chop to the throat. Billy came back in the second and pinned Mitsu after kneeing him in the stomach. In the third fall, Billy was giving both Sitos a going over. Special referee Pat Valentino got into an argument with Bad Boy Hines and while his attention was diverted, Mitsu Sito threw salt into Billy Boy's eyes and pinned him. 

The Blue Yankees faced Cowboy Kelly & Bob Boyer in a match that had a strange ending. Kelly had won the first fall by pinning the little Blue Yankee after applying a bulldog. In the second fall, the big Blue Yankee tossed Boyer into the ropes and kicking him with his loaded boot. Boyer had bumped referee Pat Valentino and knocked him out of the ring. Valentino tolled the count on Boyer from outside the ring as the Yankee pinned him. When he climbed back into the ring, however, the groggy Valentino raised Boyer's hand, and he and Kelly got a lucky break to win in straight falls. The Yankees, who were now without their manager Frenchy, protested but to no avail

Lady midget wrestlers Darling Dagmar and Diamond Lil appeared in the area. Dagmar won the match by pinning Lil after applying an airplane spin. 

JULY: 

A tag team match between the Blue Yankees and the team of Cowboy Bob Kelly & Bobby Fields was set to determine which team would get a shot at the Monroes' Gulf Coast tag team titles. The match ended up with both teams getting disqualified. This made the Monroes happy because now they figured their titles were safe with no contenders. They were mistaken however when the team of Ken Lucas & Don Carson defeated them in Dothan to win the titles. 

Flash Monroe injured his arm in that match and was unable to team with Rocket in a match to face the team of Ramon Perez & Silento Rodriguez. Both Perez and Rodriguez were returning to the area after brief absences. Since Flash was injured, Rocket chose a masked man called The Black Hand (Joe Turner) to be his partner. The masked man wore a black glove on his right hand, thus the name. During the match, the Black Hand lost the first fall and was about to lose the second when Flash Monroe, serving as the Hand's and Rocket's manager for the evening, slipped a different glove over the original one. This glove was obviously weighted as the Black Hand used it on Perez by smashing him in the throat with it and pinning him. Ken Lucas came to ringside to tell referee Bob Cross what had transpired, only to have the Black Hand attack him. While the Hand battered Lucas in the ring, the Monroes stomped Perez & Rodriguez outside the ring. Finally the Monroes and their new ally left for the dressing room. 

This led to Ken Lucas challenging the Black Hand to a match and putting his Alabama State title on the line in order to get it. Lucas won the first fall by forcing the Hand to submit to an abdominal stretch. The Hand came back and won the second fall with an atomic drop. In the third fall Lucas was thrown into referee Pat Valentino. As Lucas and Valentino went down, the Black Hand pulled out his loaded glove and smashed Lucas with it. Valentino recovered and saw the Hand pinning Lucas and counted the fall. The Black Hand had won the Alabama State title.  Lucas came back the next week in a return match to regain the title, but he needed outside help to do it. The Black Hand won the first fall by kicking Lucas in the throat and pinning him. Lucas roared back and won the second fall in less than a minute by simply battering the Hand into submission. During the third fall, Lucas had the Hand pinned into a corner and was giving him a real going over. Referee Jack Atkins got a little too close to the action and was inadvertently hit by one of Lucas' elbows. Lucas turned to help the referee to his feet and while this was going on the Black Hand pulled his loaded glove from his tights. Before he had a chance to use it he was distracted by Mac McFarland who was watching the action and jumped up on the ring apron. While McFarland distracted the Hand, Lucas approached him from behind and applied the abdominal stretch. Atkins recovered in time to hear the Hand submit and Ken Lucas was once again the Alabama State champion. 

The Black Hand brought in a second masked "Black Hand" in a special challenge match against Ken Lucas & Mac McFarland.  In this rough match the second Black Hand was unmasked and turned out to be Frank Dalton, returning to the area after a year's absence. The original Black Hand used Dalton's unmasking to his advantage as he used his loaded glove on the unaware McFarland to knock him unconscious to score the winning fall.  

Lucas & McFarland were also now the Gulf Coast tag team champions. Lucas & Don Carson had defeated the Monroes to win the titles but Carson left the area right after. Lucas was allowed to pick a new championship partner and he picked McFarland.  

McFarland & Lucas defeated the Blue Yankees in a non-title match. Lucas won the first fall over the big Blue Yankee with an abdominal stretch. The big Yank then kicked Lucas with his loaded boot to secure the second fall. In the third fall, McFarland caught the little Yankee in an airplane spin and the big Yank tried to make the save. The little Yank's feet struck his partner as he was in a spin and the bigger masked man was unable to keep his partner from being pinned. 

The Japanese team of Mitsu & Sugi Sito were not doing to well to keep themselves in title contention. They lost to the team of Ramon Perez & Silento Rodriguez in straight falls. The Sitos had tried to crush Silento between them as they charged from opposite sides of the ring. Rodriguez moved at the last minute and the Sitos crashed into one another. Perez tagged in and pinned Sugi easily to win the first fall. In the second fall, Rodriguez jumped onto Mitsu Sito from the ropes and pinned him. 

Billy Boy & Bad Boy Hines continued to show that they were one of the top teams in the area. They defeated former champions Rocket & Flash Monroe in a rough and tumble match, but they looked like anything but winners afterwards. Bad Boy Hines forced Flash Monroe to submit with a rolling toehold to win the first fall. In the second fall, the Monroes worked over Billy Boy until they had his ear torn and bleeding. They then tossed him head first into the ropes and caused him to get hung between the middle and top rope. As Billy hung there they continued to batter his already bloody ear until referee Speedy Hatfield stepped in and disqualified them. The Monroes ignored that fact and continued to pound on Billy until Jimmy got him loose from the ropes. The Hines boys then managed to chase the Monroes from the ring. This led to a Texas Tornado match with all four men in the ring at the same time. Both teams spent the entire match using fists, thumbs to the throat, and other rough tactics to batter their foes. The Hines brothers won in straight falls by keeping Rocket out of the ring and working over Flash's leg. Both falls saw Flash submit to a rolling toehold to give the Hines boys the victory. Billy Boy Hines also defeated Rocket Monroe in a 10 round boxing match.  

Others in the area this month were Wildman Joe Turco, Bob Boyer and Rip Tyler. 

AUGUST: 

Ken Lucas & Mac McFarland put their Gulf Coast tag team titles on the line against the rough team of Frank Dalton & the Black Hand. McFarland subdued Dalton with an airplane spin to win the first fall and Lucas forced the Hand out with his abdominal stretch to take the second. After the match, Rocket Monroe came out to the ring and he, Dalton & the Hand gave the champs quite a beating. This led to Lucas & McFarland asking Don Carson to be their partner against the villainous trio. Carson won the first fall for his team when he applied the neckbreaker to Dalton. In the second, the Black Hand distracted referee Alex Medina while Dalton & Monroe used a double atomic drop on McFarland. This allowed the Hand to pin McFarland to win the fall. Medina got distracted again in the third fall as well. Lucas had caught Dalton in an abdominal stretch when Monroe entered the ring to break it up. This brought Carson in who chased Monroe from the ring and continued to chase him around ringside. Lucas again applied his hold on Dalton, but Medina was too busy watching Carson chase Monroe to notice that Dalton had conceded. Meanwhile, the Black Hand had slipped on his loaded glove and hit Lucas with it, knocking him out. The Hand then dragged Dalton across the prone Lucas and when Medina finally turned his attention back to the action in the ring, he counted Lucas out. The fallout of this match led to Dalton & the Hand getting another crack at the tag team titles. In that match McFarland cost his team the first fall by arguing with the referee who was trying to keep him out of the ring. While the referee's back was turned Dalton & the Hand double teamed Lucas into submission. In the second it was Lucas who did the damage to his team. He accidentally knocked the referee out of the ring and went to help him back in. While this was happening, McFarland had the Black Hand trapped in a bearhug. Dalton, noticing the absence of a referee, slipped on the Hand's loaded glove and knocked McFarland to the mat with the Black Hand on top of him. When Lucas finally got the referee back into the ring, he counted McFarland out. Frank Dalton & the Black Hand were the new Gulf Coast tag team champions. 

The Hand & Dalton also got involved in a singles match between their buddy Rocket Monroe and Don Carson. Carson was hammering Monroe around pretty handily when Dalton & the Hand hit the ring. The three gave Carson a severe beating that left him a bloody mess. Only the arrival of newcomer Siki Samara (Frank Hester) saved the day. 

Samara had come into the Gulf Coast to face another newcomer Jimmy (later Burrhead) Jones in a match for what was recognized as Jones' Southern Jr. Heavyweight Championship. Jones won that match when referee Speedy Hatfield failed to notice that Samara's foot was across the bottom rope while the pin was being counted. Samara demanded and received a return title shot. Samara pinned Jones in the first fall with a shoulder slide and then came back to win the second with a head-butt. Samara was now the Southern Jr. Heavyweight champion, but the title would not be recognized nor defended in the area again. 

Samara & Carson then teamed up to seek a little revenge against Dalton & the Black Hand. Carson & Samara started out quick and attacked the Gulf Coast champs before the introductions were even made. Then Samara hit Dalton with a series of head-butts and won the first fall in a little over a minute. The Hand & Dalton mounted a little more offense in the second but Dalton fell again at the 10- minute mark to Carson's neckbreaker. Carson & Samara were now demanding a title match.   

Rocket Monroe beat Ken Lucas to win the Alabama State title. Lucas won the first fall with the abdominal stretch, while Monroe used an atomic drop on Lucas to even the score. In the third fall, Monroe managed to maneuver Lucas into a pinning position where the referee wouldn't notice that Monroe was using his feet on the ropes for added leverage. Lucas protested loudly, but Monroe was the new Alabama champion. 

Cowboy Bob Kelly had a wild series of matches against the big Blue Yankee that would prove to be the first in many feuds these two would have over the years. The first match saw Kelly end up with a bloody head and both wrestlers disqualified for their rough tactics. The rematch was set as a no-disqualification, one fall to a finish affair. The two battered each other around mercilessly when the Yankee managed to load his boot and kick Kelly in the head with it. Kelly was counted out and lost the match. He managed to get some revenge after the match, however, when he removed his belt and whipped both the Yankee and referee Alex Medina. 

The Hines Brothers had been hearing the fans' cheers for the last few months as they made life rough for the villains in the area. That all changed during a match between them and the team of Bob Boyer & newcomer Sabu Singh (Jose Gonzales).  The match started out a scientific battle with went back and forth. Finally Jimmy Hines pinned Boyer with a shoulder slide to win the first fall. In the second fall, the Hines boys tried to keep the already tired Boyer in the ring and away from his partner. They were trying to wear him down to get the fall and were doing a very good job of it. Finally, Singh could take no more and entered the ring without benefit of a tag. As the referee was forcing him out, the Hines brothers double-teamed Boyer, with both picking him up and dropping him throat first across the top rope. Billy Hines easily pinned Boyer after that. Boyer demanded a rematch and asked Cowboy Bob Kelly to be his partner. This match however ended with the same result. As the referee was keeping Kelly out of the ring, the Hines boys dropped Boyer across the top rope and pinned him. 

Also competing in the area this month was Wildman Joe Turco.  

SEPTEMBER: 

Don Carson & Siki Samara were demanding a title match against the Gulf Coast tag team champs, the Black Hand & Frank Dalton. They were awarded a title shot based on their victory of the champs in a non-title match. The title match was a rousing battle with Samara dropkicking Frank Dalton into submission to take the first fall for his team. The Black Hand made use of his loaded glove to flatten Carson to win the second fall. In the third fall, it was Samara who felt the sting of the Hand's loaded glove. He was knocked out of the ring and when he got to his feet he returned to the dressing room, leaving Carson to fend for himself. Carson held his own for a while but was soon pretty battered. Still Carson managed to avoid getting pinned, but where was his partner? Had Samara abandoned him? Not at all! Samara soon rushed out of the dressing room with his right hand heavily bandaged with adhesive tape. He climbed back into the ring and flattened Dalton, the Hand and referee Bob Cross. Turns out that he had used the bandage to conceal the fact that he was wearing brass knuckles! Samara was disqualified for his tactics, but neither he, Carson nor the fans cared at this point. Another rematch was set, this time with Carson & Samara putting their hair on the line. If they lost, they would lose their hair. This match was just as wild as the others with Dalton getting the final pin-fall on Samara. What referee (and Samara foe) Jimmy Jones failed to see was that Samara's foot was on the bottom rope during the pin. Carson & Samara protested the referee's decision, as did the fans. The Hand & Dalton were demanding that the haircuts commence, when Rocky McGuire came out to ringside. He stated that on behalf of the promotion, he was starting the third fall over. Samara & Carson jumped into action and had their opponents pinned in thirty seconds. They got to keep their hair, but still had no championship belts. 

Samara was so upset over Jones' officiating of the match that he challenged him to a 10-round boxing match. That ended a little oddly, when in the fifth round, Jimmy Jones accidentally slugged referee Billy Boy Hines. Hines immediately stopped the bout. He waved Samara over and removed the gloves from his hands. Hines then put the gloves onto his own hands and proceeded to knock Jones out. He then awarded the match to Siki Samara. Samara left the area after this match and ventured down to Florida to work under his real name, Frankie "Hurricane" Hester. Jones stayed around a while longer, mainly working as a referee before moving to the Montgomery, Alabama Tri-States promotion run by Bill Golden. There he became well known under the name of Burrhead Jones. He would return to the Gulf Coast under that name in 1974. 

Don Carson was still itching to get his hands on the Gulf Coast tag team titles held by the Black Hand & Frank Dalton. He asked Ken Lucas to resume being his partner and Lucas agreed. Lucas & Carson had held the titles earlier in the year, but when Carson left briefly, Lucas was allowed to replace him on the team with Mac McFarland. Lucas & McFarland had dropped the titles to Dalton & the Hand, so Lucas was anxious for some revenge as well. The Hand & Dalton agreed to face Lucas & Carson, but only in a non-title match. Carson won the first fall with a neckbreaker on the Black Hand. The Hand evened things up in the second fall by choking Carson out using a concealed piece of chain. In the third fall the advantage swayed back and forth several times. Again Billy Boy Hines, serving as the referee, contributed to the outcome of the match. As Lucas and Dalton were criss-crossing the ring by bouncing off the ropes, the Black Hand tried to toss Dalton the chain. Dalton missed it and it landed on the mat. Hines bent over to pick it up just as Dalton bounced off the ropes. As Hines stood up, he caught the stunned Dalton in a backdrop. Lucas then fell on Dalton and Hines counted him out. This led to a title match between the two teams in Pensacola which saw Lucas & Carson defeat the Black Hand & Dalton to win back the Gulf Coast tag team championship. 

The Alabama title also saw a lot of action. Rocket Monroe put his title on the line against former champion Ken Lucas. Lucas won the first fall with his abdominal stretch as Monroe took the second by thumbing Lucas in the throat. Lucas had the upper hand in the third fall and seemed well on his way to regaining the title when the Black Hand got involved. He came out and stood at ringside causing Lucas to fear a sneak attack. As Lucas was arguing with the Hand, Monroe sneaked up behind him, delivered an atomic drop and pinned him to win the match and keep his title.  

Monroe also got involved with a series of matches with Mobile City champion, Bob Boyer. Boyer had successfully defended his title against the big Blue Yankee and demanded a State title match. Monroe won the first fall of the title match with his atomic drop. Boyer came back and caught Monroe in a shoulder slide to win the second. The third fall saw both men totally lose control and begin fighting outside the ring. They were both counted out, but Monroe got the better of the fight when he smashed Boyer in the head with his own City of Mobile trophy. Monroe then took the Alabama State title belt and continued to beat Boyer with it until he was a bloody mess. A rematch was set up and again it was a wild battle. Boyer caught Monroe from behind as he was arguing with referee Bob Cross and pinned him with a backslide to win the first fall. Monroe came back and battered Boyer into a bloody mess in the second, finally pinning him. In the third fall, Boyer managed to fight back enough to have Monroe bleeding as well. Monroe then tied Boyer into the ropes and proceeded to stomp and pound him mercilessly. Ken Lucas came out and chased Monroe away with one good punch. Boyer won the match by disqualification, but Monroe was still the State champion. A third title match was set up, this time as a Texas Death Match. They battered each other while the battled swayed back and forth. Slowly Monroe started gaining the advantage, bloodying Boyer and hurting his arm. Suddenly the two men crashed into each other and both went down, Boyer outside the ring and Monroe inside. Referee Jimmy Jones began to count each man out. Since Monroe was inside the ring, he was only allowed a ten count to get to his feet while Boyer, outside the ring, was allowed twenty. Monroe was counted out first and Bob Boyer was declared the winner and new Alabama State champion. 

 Others in the area in September were the little Blue Yankee, Mac McFarland, Pat Valentino, Alex Medina, Ramon Perez, Sugi Sito, Jimmy "Bad Boy" Hines and Steve "The Brain" Bryant. 

OCTOBER: 

Rocket Monroe was seething that he had lost his Alabama State title to Bob Boyer and was demanding a rematch. He offered Boyer $500 to meet him in a title match. But not just any title match. Monroe was demanding a "Chain Match". In which the two men would be bound together by a six-foot chained attached to their wrists. Boyer agreed and the match was set. The two men spent the match battering each other with the chain until both were a bloody mess. Suddenly Boyer caught Monroe in a Bow and Arrow hold and seemed on the verge of retaining his title. Out of nowhere appeared Flash Monroe who climbed into the ring, unchained Boyer from his brother and proceeded to knock Boyer from pillar to post. A fan climbed into the ring to try and help Boyer, only to get knocked back out of the ring by Flash Monroe. The Monroes decided that things may get a little too carried away for their own safety, so they left the ring for the sanctuary of the dressing room. Boyer was still the champion and he also had Rocket's $500. 

Boyer was not satisfied, however, and he wanted another crack at the Monroes. So he went out and got a partner. But not just any partner. He got someone who was just as rough and adept at breaking the rules as the Monroes were. He got Mario Galento!  

In the meantime, Rocket & Flash defeated Ken Lucas & Don Carson in Pensacola to win the Gulf Coast tag team titles for the fourth time. Lucas & Carson made one successful defense of the titles by defeating former champions Mitsu & Sugi Sito, but it took some doing. Wrestler Steve "the Brain" Bryant was chosen to referee the match and he definitely leaned towards the challengers in his officiating. During the match Sugi Sito tossed Carson, who was the legal man for his team, out of the ring. Carson's foot got tangled in the ropes and he was hanging helplessly. Lucas jumped into the ring to keep the Japanese duo off of his partner, but was double-teamed for his efforts. Finally Lucas fell to the mat after a vicious karate attack and was pinned. Referee Bryant allowed the pin although Carson was the legal man. Referee Speedy Hatfield had been watching the action from the back and he ran to the ring and reversed the decision, disqualifying the Japanese team and giving the win to Lucas & Carson. They retained the titles but would lose them four nights later to Rocket & Flash Monroe. 

The Monroes refused to put the titles on the line against the Boyer/Galento team however. It's a good thing, too, as Boyer & Galento gave them a real rough time of it. Rocket won the first fall for the Monroes by pinning Boyer after a series of thumbs to his throat. After that, the Monroes just had no control of the match. Boyer forced Rocket to submit to the bow and arrow hold to win the second. In the third it was Flash's turn to get punished as both Boyer and Galento knocked him around. Finally Mario Galento forced Flash to submit to the hangman's hold. 

Mario also had a wild singles match with Rocket Monroe that ended in a 45-minute draw. Galento forced Monroe to surrender to a spinning toehold to win the first fall, while Monroe won the second after thumbing Galento in the throat and pinning him. The two punched and kicked away at each other until the time limit was up and the match declared a draw. 

The Monroes also had their hands full with the team of Bobby Fields & Ken Lucas. Lucas & Fields had held the Gulf Coast tag crown briefly back in July of 1967 and they wanted a second chance as champions. The match see-sawed back and forth for quite a while until Flash Monroe got carried away applying back body-drops on Bobby Fields. As he spun Fields into the ropes to catch him on a rebound, Fields managed to tag Lucas. Flash was stooped over to catch Fields and didn't notice the tag. Fields leap-frogged over Monroe, closely followed by Lucas who caught Monroe in a sunset flip and pinned him. Bobby Fields & Ken Lucas were the new Gulf Coast tag team champions. 

Unfortunately it wouldn't last. A rematch was scheduled and was to be a Texas Death Match. Referee Mike Stringfellow obviously didn't know that the rules of a Texas Death Match are that there is no rules! He continued trying to enforce the rules, as all four men were content to just batter each other. Once, while trying to force Lucas back out of the ring, Stringfellow had his back to the Monroes, who grabbed Fields and applied an illegal piledriver on him. When Stringfellow turned back around, Fields was out cold and was being pinned by Flash Monroe. Stringfellow counted the pin and awarded the first fall to the Monroes. Unfortunately for Lucas, Fields was out cold and unable to continue the match. Lucas would have to defend the titles on his own. Lucas was holding his own until he spun Rocket into referee Stringfellow. Stringfellow was knocked to the mat by the collision. Monroe took advantage of the situation and slugged Stringfellow a couple of times while he was down. Lucas managed to drive Flash Monroe out of the action and then turned his attention to Rocket. He grabbed Rocket and punched him, knocking him to the mat. Stringfellow began to regain his senses and looked up to see an irate Lucas standing over a prone Rocket Monroe. He asked the wrestlers as to who had hit him. Monroe pointed at Lucas and sense Lucas was standing while Monroe was on the mat; the dazed referee disqualified Lucas, although this was a Texas Death Match. Stringfellow awarded the match and the titles to the Monroes. The Magnificent Monroes were the Gulf Coast tag team champions for the fifth time. 

The Black Hand brought in a new tag team partner, appropriately known as The Black Hand #2, but this time it was not Frank Dalton under the mask. They made an impressive debut as a team by defeating Ken Lucas & Billy Boy Hines in two straight falls. The first fall was won when one of the Hands pinned Lucas after kneeing him in the stomach. During the second fall, the original Black Hand hit Lucas with his loaded glove and had Ken bleeding from the forehead. The second Black Hand battered Lucas all around the ring until Lucas managed to tag Hines. Billy Boy jumped into the ring and was giving both Hands fits until he got backed into the Hands' corner. He too fell victim of the loaded glove as he received a shot to the back of his head and went down. He was easily pinned and the match went to the masked men. Lucas then went out and recruited Bob Boyer to be his partner against the masked pair. Boyer won the first fall for his team when he pinned the Black Hand #1, but lost the second fall when he was kicked in the throat by the Black Hand #2 and was pinned. In the third fall, the Hand #2 tried to kick Lucas in the throat as he bounced off the ropes, but Lucas sidestepped him and caught the off balanced masked man and pinned him. Nonetheless, the Black Hands issued a challenge to the Monroes for a title match for the Gulf Coast tag team championship.  

Billy Boy Hines continued to have problems when he was asked to referee matches. He was assigned to be the special referee in an Alabama State title match between champion Bob Boyer and Mario Galento. Things were going quite fine until the third fall. Boyer and Galento had each won a fall when in the third Boyer was working Galento over with a side headlock. Galento shoved Boyer off intending to shoot him into the ropes. Instead he sent Boyer crashing into Hines, sending both men sprawling to the mat. Galento fell onto Boyer for the pin, but Hines refused to make the count. Instead he ordered Galento to get up. He then waited until Boyer rose to his feet and then flattened him with a right to the jaw. Hines then proceeded to drop his knee into the throat of the prone Boyer. Galento pulled Hines from Boyer and knocked him to the mat. Hines then slid out of the ring and headed to the safety of the dressing room. That left no referee to decide the fate of the match. Galento decided it himself when he went to ringside and retrieved the championship belt. He climbed back into the ring and handed it to Boyer and raised Boyer's hand in victory as the fans cheered this sportsmanlike gesture on the part of Galento. Boyer wasn't through with Hines though. He demanded a match against Billy Boy and received it. Boyer won the first fall when he pinned Hines with a backslide. Hines came back and evened the score in the second when he kneed Boyer in the stomach and pinned him. In the third fall, Boyer was giving Hines a real going over when Hines pulled a metal chain from his trunks and wrapped it around his fist. He proceeded to knock Boyer out with one punch and pinned him. As the fans protested to referee Speedy Hatfield, Hines slid out of the ring to avoid getting searched and headed for the dressing room. 

Lady wrestlers made appearances in the Gulf Coast in October. Donna Christentello defeated Kathy O'Dea in a singles match. The following week saw Christentello teamed with Vivian Vachon as they faced O'Dea & Toni Rose. Vachon & Christentello double-slammed O'Dea to win the first fall and were disqualified in the second. In the third and deciding fall, Christentello had Rose in an airplane spin but got a bit dizzy herself. After slamming Rose to the mat she missed diving onto her for the pin. Rose managed to move out of the way and then rolled on top of Christentello to get the winning fall. 

Others in the area this month were Ramon Perez, Cowboy Bob Kelly and Maxie York. 

NOVEMBER: 

The Black Hands offered up $500 in order to get a title match against Gulf Coast tag team champs Rocket & Flash Monroe. The Monroes agreed and the match was set with Mario Galento serving as the special referee. Since Galento had no love for either team, it was assured that he would show no favoritism. The Hands gave their $500 to Galento for safe keeping prior to the match and then it was underway. The first fall was surprisingly tame between the two rough and tough teams, but went to the Monroes as Rocket pinned the Black Hand #2 with a crossover toehold. In the second fall, Galento got involved in trying to keep Rocket Monroe out of the ring while the masked men double-teamed Flash Monroe. While Galento was distracted, the Black Hand #2 illegally jumped off the top rope onto Flash and then the Black Hand #1 used an illegal piledriver on him. When Galento finally turned around he saw Flash was being pinned and counted the fall. Flash was unable to continue in the third fall, so Rocket went it alone. He was more than holding his own as he battered both Black Hands around the ring. Finally the Black Hand #1 went for his loaded glove but was caught by Galento. He disqualified the masked duo and awarded the match to Rocket Monroe. The Monroes were still the champions. But before Galento could give the $500 to Rocket, the Hands knocked Monroe from the ring and then descended on Galento. They double-teamed Galento and removed the money from his pocket and headed to the dressing room.  

Galento demanded a match with the masked ruffians to gain some revenge and was surprised when Rocket Monroe stepped up and volunteered to be his partner. The two had no lost love between them but respected each other enough to face their common enemies, the Black Hands. Rocket Monroe pinned the Black Hand #2 after an atomic drop to win the first fall for he and Galento. #2 returned the favor in the second when he kneed Monroe in the groin and pinned him for the fall. The third fall was going back and forth until the Black Hand #1 made use of his loaded glove. He used it to knock Monroe unconscious and then both masked men went to work on Galento. Before they were able to inflict too much damage, Ken Lucas hit the ring and he and Galento sent the masked pair scurrying. The match was awarded to Galento & Monroe on a disqualification.  

Rocket Monroe was still upset with all of this but was just a little wary of relying on Galento and especially hated rival Ken Lucas to help him in his battles with the Black Hands. And with brother Flash out due to an injury caused by the Black Hands, he was forced to take them on alone. First he challenged Hand #1 to a match. To make it more interesting, Monroe put his distinctive Monroe hairstyle of jet-black hair with the blonde center streak on the line against the Black Hand's mask. The loser would either unmask or have his head shaved. And furthermore it was decided that the match would be a Texas Death Match! Rocket battered the masked man around and decided that he would unmask him and not wait for the outcome of the match. And unmask him he did, revealing Joe Turner to the crowd. Turner in turn used his loaded glove to twice knock Monroe to the mat. Monroe managed to get to his feet both times and even caught Turner in a piledriver. Neither man was able to make it to their feet before the count of ten, however, and the match was declared a no contest. So Rocket didn't win, but he didn't lose his hair either. And he managed to unmask the Black Hand in the process. Turner was so upset at losing his mask that he left the area. But Rocket Monroe wasn't through yet. The Black Mask #2 was still lurking around. He suffered the same fate as he lost to Monroe in a match with his mask at stake. However, #2 managed to cover his face after unmasking and slipped out of the ring without revealing his identity. The damage was done, however, and he left the area as well.    

Rocket was on a roll and ended up the month of November as the Alabama State champion. Billy Boy Hines defeated Bob Boyer for the title in Mobile on November 12^th. Boyer had pinned Hines with a backslide to take the first fall, but Hines won the second by using a chin-lock to force Boyer into unconsciousness in the second. What was unseen by referee Joe Powell was that Hines had removed the string from his trunks and had wrapped it around Boyer's throat. The rope was hidden by Hines' arm under Boyer's chin. Boyer was so upset by this that he gave Hines a tremendous beating in the third fall. He had several opportunities to pin Hines but kept pulling him off the mat to keep beating on him. Finally Hines made it to the ropes and as referee Powell stepped between the two men; Hines hit Boyer in the jaw and knocked him for a loop. Hines then fell on the prostrate Boyer and got the pin. Hines' title reign only lasted a day, however, since the Alabama Boxing & Wrestling Commission stripped him of the title the following day and returned it to Boyer. Hines was also suspended indefinitely by the commission. Boyer then lost the title to Monroe in Dothan on the 21^st. Boyer remained the City of Mobile champion, however. 

The tag team scene on the Gulf Coast got quite crowded in November. Rocket & Flash Monroe were still the Gulf Coast tag team champions, but with Flash out with an injury, Rocket was working solo. Mitsu & Sugi Sito were making their presence known. They defeated the popular team of Ken Lucas & Ramon Perez.

Lucas had secured the first fall for his team with an abdominal stretch on Mitsu. But the Japanese team made things too rough in the next two falls, using illegal karate chops while referee Speedy Hatfield was distracted to win each fall. Lucas had his problems with both Sitos when he faced Sugi Sito in a singles match as well. Mitsu was sitting in his brother's corner as Lucas wrapped him in an abdominal stretch. Mitsu came into the ring and broke it up causing Sugi to lose by disqualification. Lucas managed to get his hands on one of Sugi's heavy wooden clogs and used it to hit both Japanese over the heads and chase them from the ring. 

Another veteran team returned to the Gulf Coast, the team of Chin Lee & Duke Savage. They made their return in dramatic fashion as they faced the team of Bob Boyer & newcomer Jimmy Golden. Golden was the young son of former Gulf Coast-Louisiana booker Bill Golden. Boyer & Golden were impressive in the first fall which Boyer won for his team by knocking out Chin Lee with a right handed haymaker. Lee came back in the second and hit Boyer with a double judo chop to the throat and pinned him. The third fall was decided when the huge Savage forced Golden to submit to a punishing skull crusher hold. 

Another team that returned was the Blue Yankees. They had a new manager in tow in the person of Colonel Beauregard Van Buren (Marvin Cheatham). They faced the very capable team of Ken Lucas & Bob Boyer in their first match back. Lucas forced the little Blue Yankee to submit to an abdominal stretch in the first fall, while Boyer fell victim to the big Blue Yankee's neckbreaker in the second. Lucas had the little Yank again in the abdominal stretch in the third when Van Buren entered the ring and hit him with his walking cane. This caused the Yankees to lose the match via disqualification. 

A match took place between two of the most colorful men in the sport when Mario Galento faced off against "Spaceman" Frank Hickey. Galento won when he forced Hickey to submit to his hangman hold. 

Others in the area during the month of November were wrestler/referee Jimmy Jones and The Turk. 

DECEMBER: 

The Alabama State title and the Gulf Coast tag team titles were thrown into purgatory when the Alabama Boxing & Wrestling Commission indefinitely suspended Rocket & Flash Monroe.  Here's what happened. Former Alabama champ Bob Boyer demanded a rematch against current champion Rocket Monroe. Monroe refused to give him a match, but said that if Boyer beat Flash Monroe, just returning from an injury, he could earn a title shot. Boyer agreed and the match was set. Boyer managed to beat Flash in straight falls. He forced Monroe to submit to his bow and arrow hold in the first. In the second fall Boyer continued to work over Flash's arm until he was forced to concede the fall and the match. Rocket came out to ringside after the match and was challenged by Boyer to get into the ring.  Rocket got into the ring and was tended to Flash when Flash suddenly reached out and tripped Boyer. When Boyer hit the mat, Rocket began to stomp him. Then both Monroes picked him up and delivered a piledriver on him. The commissioner then suspended both Monroes for their actions. The year ended with no Gulf Coast, Gulf Coast tag team or Alabama state champions being recognized. 

The Blue Yankees continued their battles with Ken Lucas. Lucas recruited a new partner. Dick Dunn returned after a lengthy absence and agreed to help Lucas battle the masked men. In the first match between the two teams Dunn won the first fall by pinning the little Blue Yankee. In the second, Dunn had whipped the big Blue Yankee into the ropes and was preparing to deliver a backdrop but the Yankee instead kicked Dunn in the head with his weighted boot and pinned him. The third fall saw Lucas again get victimized by Colonel Van Buren. He was tossed from the ring by the big Yankee and was struggling to get to his feet when Van Buren smashed him in the head with his cane. Lucas went down again and when he came up the second time he was bleeding from the head. He managed to get back in the ring, but was no match for the Yankee, who pinned him to win the match. A rematch was ordered but this time Van Buren would be chained to Mario Galento in a neutral corner. Dunn pinned the big Yank after a monkey-flip to win the first fall for he and Lucas. Lucas had the little Blue Yankee in an abdominal stretch in the second fall when Van Buren, despite being chained to Galento, managed to slide into the ring. Galento followed him but was hit in the head with the chain for his troubles. The big Blue Yankee then held Galento as Van Buren freed himself from the chain. Once free Van Buren reached into his pocket and brought out another chain, which he wrapped around his fist and flattened both Lucas and Dunn. Referee Joe Powell disqualified the Yankees for their manager's actions. This of course led to a six-man tag team match with the Yankees and their manager facing Dunn, Lucas & Galento. The Yankee team won the first fall as the little Blue Yankee pinned Lucas after kneeing him in the stomach. Dunn caught the little Blue Yankee in a rolling cradle to get the win in the second. The third fall saw all four men going at it when the big Blue Yankee hit Galento in the head with his loaded boot. This allowed Van Buren to fall on Galento and get the pin and win the match for his team. 

Others in the Gulf Coast area at the end of the year were Jimmy Golden, Chin Lee, Duke Savage, Frank Hickey, Jimmy Jones, Frank Dalton and Mitsu Sito. 

That's it for our look at 1969 and our flashbacks. I hope you enjoyed this and it brought back some memories to those of you who were lucky enough to have been there the first time around. 

NEXT MONTH: 

We return to the 1970s and continue our journey with a look at 1976. Bruiser Bob Sweetan and ken Lucas continue their battles. The arrival in the area of the fabulous Poffo Family and new NWA World's Heavyweight champion Terry Funk makes his way to the Gulf Coast.