The weekly Florida wrestling program in CWF during the mid 1970s was creatively called “NWA Wrestling.” Costing a mere fifty cents, every fan that attended the matches in the sunshine state always picked up a copy upon entering the arena. Conservative estimates at one point had the weekly readership at close to the ten thousand mark. The program underwent several name changes, using the moniker “Action” in the early 1970s, and would go on to be revered as the finest weekly wrestling program when it was renamed “The Grapevine” in May 1978. To the faithful that read the CWF publication, writers such as J. Ralph Hogan, Humphrey Dumbrowski, South Carolina Williams, and Bartholomew C. Appleyard lll became household names. Though any issue of a CWF program would credit several writers, all of the writing could be traced back to Jerry Prater. Prater had been publishing the program since the 1960s, often mixing serious commentary with wrestling storylines. It was not uncommon to find detailed coverage of world events, such as the Iran hostage crisis of 1980 alongside an interview with Bugsy McGraw or Bubba Douglas. Advertisements for “Khomeini Sucks” bumper stickers shared space with the latest Brisco brothers T-shirt. It was this dichotomy that made the program a “must-read.” 

Often, a wrestler or manager would get his own byline. Sir Oliver Humperdink had his own feature entitled “A Touch Of Class” that ran for several months, and Mr. Saito’s column, “Samurai,” set back Japan–US relations at least a decade with it’s anti-American rants. One of the best series that I remember coming from these programs was “The Voice Of The People,” which was “written” by the Missouri Mauler (Larry “Rocky” Hamilton) from February to November 1976. The column often featured a photo that showed the Mauler wearing a seersucker suit and sitting at a desk with a poster of Harry S. Truman on the wall, and a framed photograph of Jesse James next to him. The Mauler would in no uncertain terms express his views on everything from affairs of state to Dusty Rhodes and Norvel Austin, and the Mauler made no attempt at being politically correct. Only Missouri, and all things Missouri, seemed to escape his fury. Even though it was Prater who was actually doing the writing, you’d have to think that Hamilton gave his blessing. After all, Mauler DID refer to Dusty Rhodes as a “low down, kinky-haired, gizzard-lipped hog thief” on more than one occasion. 

I’ve pulled a sampling of what I think are some of the Mauler’s finest quotes. It may be cliched, but they really don’t make them like this anymore. 

The second week of February saw the Missouri Mauler’s column, “The Voice Of The People,” make it’s debut. 

“I am happy to announce that this column is going to be a regular weekly feature in this publication.  It is my honor and privilege to contribute a column each week, because the views expressed herein are those of the people. As a matter of fact, it was the people of Florida who demanded that my column be included every week.  The are sick and tired of hearing a lot of one-sided talk about how great people like Dusty Rhodes and Thunderbolt Patterson are supposed to be.  I intend to give the people the truth, not a pack of lies.  I am reminded of the words of President Truman, who once said,  ‘There is nothing more honest than the truth’.”   More...