Thornton rolled helplessly onto his back, the camera moving in for a close-up. He was writhing slightly—more like a convulsion, really. His eyes were open wide, his mouth stretched into something like a smile. It was easily the scariest thing I'd seen in wrestling.

Malenko wasn't through. He sprang on Thornton again, shoving him under the bottom rope and into the ring. Then he clamped on the Russian Sickle (which was the same as a camel clutch, but of course renamed for a different breed of evil foreigner). Thornton didn't even try to defend himself. Farber quickly called for the bell. Malenko wouldn't break the hold, even to let Farber raise his hand.

Other wrestlers hit the ring to help Thornton. As was the rule in those days, the prelim guys arrived first. Malenko dispatched several of them—clearly his earlier helplessness had been a ruse. Finally the Funk brothers arrived, and Malenko scuttled out of the ring like a spider and disappeared. Thornton had recently sided with Lord Al Hayes against the Funks, but they were all good guys, and it was no surprise to see them putting aside their differences against someone like Malenko.

Thornton vanished for several weeks, victim of a crippling injury. After one match in the territory, Malenko was its most hated man. The Russian sickle was suddenly over as a killer finisher.

Though he had started by crippling an Englishman, Malenko soon made clear that he reserved his real contempt for West Texans, all of whom were, in his view, ignorant, ill-mannered, and unacquainted with the uses of soap. Furthermore, he felt that West Texans exhibited an unhealthy interest in marrying their close relatives. He revealed these sentiments in TV interviews. They always started with his back to the camera, so that the audience could read his name on the back of his warm-up jacket (even though he mentioned on several occasions that he lacked faith in his audience's ability to read). After pointing to his back to make sure everyone got his name, he would turn around to deliver his insults. Like most "Russians" of that period (and most "Germans," for that matter), he spoke in a guttural, heavily accented voice. Unlike most of the others, he used an oddly clipped delivery and had great comic timing. He was an odd mix of humor and menace. When he was through insulting everyone, he turned his back to the camera again, refusing to answer any further questions.

Thornton eventually returned to avenge his injury. Malenko had a good run here, working in main events against the Funks and others as well as Thornton. 

Comments? Email me: ggrice@pressenter.com 

NEXT MONTH: 

The Texas Outlaws ride