Crusher and Bruiser wasted no time in making an impact on the AWA tag team scene when they defeated Larry Hennig and Harley Race to win the AWA tag team titles on May 28th, 1966 at the Convention Hall in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Crusher and the Bruiser not only met Hennig and Race in several rematches but defended the AWA tag team titles against many outstanding tag team including the Assassins (Joe Tomasso and Guy Mitchell), The Big K Stan Kowalski and the Alaskan Jay York, The Kentuckians Luke Brown and Jake "Grizzly" Smith and Mad Dog Vachon and the Alaskan. On January 6th, 1967 at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, Larry Hennig and Harley Race defeated Crusher and Bruiser to regain the AWA tag team titles.

While he spent the majority of his time competing as a babyface in AWA cities like Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Denver, Moline and Davenport, the Crusher often wrestled in other territories such as St. Louis and Pittsburgh. During his stays in Pittsburgh and St. Louis, the Crusher was a heel hated by the fans. Crusher beat all the opposition in Pittsburgh until he was matched against that area's top star WWWF champion Bruno Sammartino. Crusher and Bruno fought to a no contest on November 11th, 1966 to set up a rematch on December 2nd, 1966 which was won by Sammartino. Crusher competed in main and semi main events in St. Louis often teaming with other top heels like Fritz Von Erich, Dick the Bruiser, Waldo Von Erich and Gene Kiniski or battling the likes of Lou Thesz and Wilbur Snyder in singles contests.

The AWA had grown by leaps and bounds by 1967. Once a promotion that only held cards in the state of Minnesota, the AWA had branched out into Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, Illinois and North Dakota. The addition of Illinois, the city of Chicago being the crown jewel, to the AWA greatly impacted the careers of Crusher and Bruiser. Bruiser took over the city of Indianapolis, Indiana from Balk Estes in 1964 and formed his own promotion called the WWA World Wrestling Association. Crusher had joined Verne Gagne's Minneapolis, Minnesota based AWA in 1963. Gagne and Bruiser struck a deal to co-promote Chicago in late 1965. Chicago would feature stars from both the AWA and WWA on its cards every three weeks at the International Amphitheatre. It was decided by Gagne and Bruiser that the AWA champions would be recognized in Chicago and the WWA champions would not be mentioned. How Chicago became an official AWA city in storyline was simple as then AWA champion Mad Dog Vachon beat then WWA champion Dick the Bruiser in early 1966 at the International Amphitheatre. From that point forward the WWA titles were never mentioned again in Chicago even though the WWA title holders appeared on almost every Chicago card. This copromotional arrangement between the AWA and the WWA allowed Bruiser and Crusher to team up in Chicago on a frequent basis. Bruiser would often travel to the other AWA cities to team with Crusher while Crusher would go to the WWA homestead in Indianapolis to team with Bruiser. This arrangement benefited all parties involved. Whenever Crusher and Bruiser would team up whether it be in Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee or Minneapolis, fans would view it as a major event and would turn out in droves.

After dropping the AWA tag team titles back to Hennig and Race, Crusher and Bruiser weren't without gold for very long as they beat the Devil's Duo, Angelo Poffo and Chris Markoff, for the WWA tag team titles on January 21st, 1967 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Poffo and Markoff with help from their manager Pretty Boy Bobby Heenan regained the WWA tag team titles from the Crusher and the Bruiser on February 17th, 1967 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Crusher and Bruiser feuded with the Devil's Duo for several months before emerging triumphant by downing Poffo and Markoff to win back the WWA tag team titles on July 15th, 1967 at Victory Field in Indianapolis, Indiana.

While battling Poffo and Markoff in the WWA, Crusher and Bruiser were involved in two other tag team feuds during the same time period. The rivalry with Harley Race and Larry Hennig kept going with Hennig and Race holding onto the AWA tag team titles by getting themselves intentionally disqualified or being counted out of the ring. Harley and Larry used the AWA rulebook to their advantage knowing titles could not change hands on a countout or a disqualification. Crusher and Bruiser did gain some retribution against Race and Hennig by defeating Harley and Larry in a few non title death matches. The other feud involving Crusher and Bruiser took place in Kansas City, Kansas against the hated team of Bob Geigel and Bulldog Bob Brown. Crusher and Bruiser fought Geigel and Brown three times during the second half of 1967 in Kansas City. The first meeting was a no contest, the second bout a win for Geigel and Brown and the third contest a victory for Crusher and Bruiser.

In August of 1967, a mysterious masked man known simply as Doctor X (Dick Beyer) invaded the AWA. For several weeks, Doctor X sat at ringside observing the televised AWA matches on All Star Wrestling. 

Eventually Doctor X made his presence felt by attacking and injuring AWA champion Verne Gagne before Verne's scheduled match on television. This heinous attack of Gagne immediately made Doctor X the most hated man in the AWA. While Verne Gagne recovered from his injuries, one of the men who battled Doctor X was the Crusher. Doctor X and The Crusher met each other in the ring no less than nine times during the remainder of 1967 with the matches ending in a Doctor X victory or a no contest.

Thanks again go out to George Lentz, the publisher of the Crusher Lisowski record book. Without the work of people like George, columns like this one would not be possible.

NEXT MONTH:  

I'll continue the saga of the Crusher.