Dick Dunn was also challenged for his Alabama State Championship. That challenge came from the wily Japanese wrestler, Oki Shikina. Shikina was disqualified for his use of karate chops. After the loss, he attacked referee Jack Arnold.

Other wrestlers in the area during the month of January were Duke Savage, Salvador Dominique, Jack Vansky, Jimmy "Bad Boy" Hines, Jim Dalton and lady wrestlers Vivian Vachon and Sandy Stevens.  Besides Arnold, referees working the territory were Joe Powell and Speedy Hatfield.

FEBRUARY:

The Dunn-Shikina feud continued into February, with Dunn managing to hold onto the Alabama title.

Rocket Monroe's suspension was up, so he returned to the ring. His first opponent was Ken Lucas. Monroe's protege, Karl Krauser managed to get involved in these matches, so Lucas brought in Eddie Sullivan (Rueben Huizar) to even the sides. Sullivan had campaigned in the Gulf Coast area a few years earlier, and his return was welcomed with the fans with open arms. Krauser ended up turning on Rocket, which led grudge bouts between them.

Karl Krauser also challenged Bob Boyer for the City of Mobile Championship. This came about when Boyer refereed a match between Krauser and Monroe. Krauser took exception to Boyer's refereeing and knocked him around a bit. Boyer made the challenge, but Krauser insisted on a title shot. Krauser failed to win the title and left the area.

The Blue Demons and their manager, Gentleman Jim continued giving Greg Peterson fits. Peterson teamed with Cowboy Bob Kelly and Jimmy Hines at various times to face the evil trio. The Demons departed the area mid-month, leaving Jim without any charges. He faced Kelly in single battles, which led to him bringing in The Blue Yankee as a partner. Kelly then teamed with Ken Lucas to even up the odds.

The end of the month saw the arrival of Mike Boyette (Mike Bowyer). Known initially as "the Angry Man". Boyette was constantly getting himself disqualified for his rough tactics.

Also, the end of February brought the arrival of another who would soon make waves in the Gulf Coast, The Wrestling Pro (Leon "Tarzan" Baxter).  Others in the area were Red Donovan, and referees Speedy Hatfield and Tommy Hatcher.

MARCH:

The first week in March saw promoter Lee Fields present a unique "Wrestle Royal". In this type of match five men enter the ring, the first man eliminated is done for the night and received no pay. After the next two were eliminated, they faced off in a singles match, but were no longer eligible for the prize money either. The final two men would face each other in a two out of three fall singles match with the winner receiving the prize money. Each man put up a $20 entry fee for a total of $100. Fields matched that with an additional $100. The total prize money was $200. The participants were Mike Boyette, Eddie Sullivan, The Wrestling Pro, Bob Boyer, and Dick Dunn. Boyer was the first out, so he had worked for nothing. Boyette and Sullivan were next out, and Boyette lost the subsequent match by disqualification for hitting referee Jimmy Hines. That left Dunn and the Pro to face each other for the prize money. The Pro pinned Dunn for the first fall after kneeing him in the stomach. Dunn bounced back, winning the second fall with a slam. Dunn was on the verge of winning the third and deciding fall, when the Pro slipped a piece of metal into his mask and knocked Dick out with a head-butt.

The Blue Yankee/Gentleman Jim feud with Bob Kelly & Ken Lucas continued into March. The Yankee used his "loaded" boot to his advantage, bloodying Lucas and Kelly many times. To make matters worse for the popular Kelly/Lucas team, the Yankee's manager Colonel Beauregard Van Buren returned in mid-March to accompany to Yankee/Jim team. These four couldn't settle their differences even after a series of "no disqualification" matches throughout the month.

Mid-March also saw the arrival of The Great Mephisto (Frankie Cain), with his manager P.J. Calvington. Their stay was brief. After three weeks, they left the area.

Roberto Soto made his debut in the area in March and impressed the fans with wins over the Wrestling Pro and Mephisto.  Others in the area were Mike Savas, Mr. Kleen, referees Speedy Hatfield and Joe Powell.

APRIL:

Lee Fields came up with a unique way to try and end the Bob Kelly/Ken Lucas against Blue Yankee/Gentleman Jim feud. He made one member of each team wear boxing gloves in a three out of five fall match. Kelly proved to be a better boxer for his team than Jim did for his. This feud then encompassed into a six-man feud because of the seconds in this match. Dick Dunn joined Kelly and Lucas, where Yankee and Jim brought Mike Boyette on board. Bob Kelly and the Yankee got into a battle after the six-man match and battered each other for ten minutes before they could be separated. This led to singles matches between these two at the end of the month. In one match, Kelly promised to beat the Yankee in two straight falls in less than twenty minutes or he would toss $50 in cash to the ringside fans. The Yankee managed to avoid Kelly long enough to cost him the money. This lead to Kelly challenging and beating the Yankee in a strap match.

Popular Ramon Perez returned in April. He faced the Pro in a series of savage matches that all ended in draws. He also teamed some with Roberto Soto to face the Pro and Gentleman Jim in tag matches.

Rocket and Flash Monroe made a brief return in April, but were then gone as soon as they arrived.

Rip Tyler returned at the end of the month and had his "brother" Randy Tyler (Carl Reed) along with him.

Tony Russo made his debut in the Gulf Coast area in April. Tony would be in and out of the area many times of the next few years. He was a true journeyman who worked all across the United States in his career.

The Blue Yankee # 2 made his debut in the area. The original Blue Yankee came to be known as the "big" Blue Yankee and #2 was the "little" Blue Yankee.

MAY:

Colonel Van Buren made a challenge to Cowboy Bob Kelly to face The Blue Yankee in a match with the Yankee making the rules. He also said that they would not reveal those rules until the night of the match. Van Buren and Yankee had hoped this would make Kelly back down from his onslaught of the Yankee. They underestimated Kelly's desire to get his hands on the masked man. Kelly agreed to the stipulations, which turned out to be that Kelly had to wrestle the Yankee in a two out of three fall, submission only match. Furthermore, the Yankee was allowed to get the first hold in each fall. And finally to make it even harder on Kelly, the Cowboy had to wrestle without his cowboy boots and belt. The Yankee was so sure of himself with these lopsided rules, he agreed to unmask if he lost. Despite the unfair slant the rules gave to the Yankee, Kelly nearly defeated the masked man. Only the Yankee's use of his loaded boot kept him from losing and having to unmask. Kelly came back for the next match with some special rules of his own. This time, the Yankee would have to wrestle barefoot, and manager Van Buren was handcuffed at ringside to Ken Lucas. During the heat of the battle, Kelly managed to rip the mask from the Yankee's head. Before his identity could be revealed, Yankee #2 pulled him from the ring. Ken Lucas, now free from Van Buren, grabbed #2 and pushed him into the ring, where Kelly unmasked him as well. #2 managed to get out of the ring and make his way back to the dressing room, thus keeping his identity a secret as well. This led to a "hair vs. mask" match between the Blue Yankees and Kelly & Lucas.  Kelly and Lucas defeated the masked men, who tried to leave the ring without living up to their promise to unmask if beaten. Promoter Lee Fields forced them back into the ring and they unmasked, revealing that the "big" Blue Yankee was Curtis Smith and the "little" Blue Yankee was Billy Spears (Bill Spearman). However, the Yankees were unfamiliar to the fans, and they refused to reveal their names.

The Tyler brothers got a big surprise during a tag match against Dick Dunn and Roberto Soto. The Mysterious Medic (Tony Gonzales) entered the ring in dress clothes and went after the Tylers. The Medic had not been in the Gulf Coast area in quite awhile, and his return took everyone by surprise. He never revealed what his beef with Rip and Randy was, but it caused the fans to side with the once hated masked man in white. The Medic went through several partners, including Rocket Monroe, who had once managed Rip. The Tylers also added Gentleman Jim as their new manager.

Popular Eddie Sullivan shocked the fans by turning villain in a match against another fan favorite, Bob Boyer. Sullivan's new rough tactics made him one of the most hated men in the Gulf Coast in a short time.  Others in the area in May were Alex Medina, Jimmy "Bad Boy" Hines, The Wrestling Pro, Tony Russo, Mike Boyette and referees Speedy Hatfield and Tommy Hatcher.

JUNE:

The Medic's battles with Rip and Randy Tyler continued. Even with rough Rocket Monroe as his partner, he wasn't getting the results he wanted, so he asked former foe, Cowboy Bob Kelly to be his partner. However this partnership was not meant to be. During the match, Kelly was tying to stop the Tylers' double-teaming of the Medic, but was knocked out of the ring. When the Medic broke free and went to his corner to tag, Kelly was still on the floor of the arena and unable to tag. This caused the Medic to be pinned for the loss of the fall. The angry Medic confronted Kelly verbally, and then left the ring. Kelly followed him back to the dressing room, trying to explain exactly what had happened. The Medic appeared to accept Kelly's explanation and returned for the third fall. During the third fall, Kelly was being battered by the Tylers, but broke free and went to tag the Medic, who walked to another corner and waved for Kelly to come there. When Kelly made it to that corner, the Medic repeated the action, moving to another corner. All along, the Tyler boys battered the popular cowboy into a bloody mess. Finally, the fans had seen enough and knowing that the Medic wasn't going to help Kelly, several fans stormed the ring armed with chairs. The Medic, Rip and Randy Tyler, and referee Jimmy (later "Burrhead") Jones all felt the wrath of these angry fans before calm was restored.  The Medic ended up with a bloody forehead after being hit with a chair.

All of this led to a series of wild battles between the Mysterious Medic and Cowboy Bob Kelly, ending the month with a boxing match in which Kelly knocked the Medic out in two straight falls.

Eddie Sullivan continued his villainous ways. He had taken to wearing a mask, and calling himself Eddie "The Masked Man" Sullivan. He also formed a potent tag team with another masked grappler, the Wrestling Pro.

Former Gulf Coast tag team champions, Dick Dunn & Ken Lucas, teamed again during the month of June for a series of battles with the Tyler brothers. Gentleman Jim continued managing the Tylers.

Former Gulf Coast heavyweight champion, David "Silento" Rodriguez returned to the area. Although a deaf-mute, Silento was a very capable wrestler. He teamed with Roberto Soto for some wild battles with Sullivan and the Pro. Others in the area during June were Rocket Monroe, Tony Russo, Mike Boyette, referees Tommy Hatcher and Speedy Hatfield.

JULY:

The dormant Gulf Coast Heavyweight Championship was brought back to the forefront at the first of July. The local papers and most title histories state that the title had been in possession of Bobby Fields (Robert Hatfield) and had not been defended since February of 1969. In truth, Bob Kelly had been the champion for awhile, but only defended in sporadically. On July 1, 1970, the match between Kelly and the Mysterious Medic was to determine who the champion would be.

Under special stipulations, the man with the most falls after sixty minutes would be declared the winner and Gulf Coast champion. Kelly won the match 7 falls to 2, but did not win the title. The Medic won the first 2 falls by pinning Kelly after kneeing him in the stomach. Kelly roared back winning the next 3 falls with his famed "Bulldog" hold. The Medic was disqualified in the next four falls for refusing to break his "Boston Crab" hold after Kelly ceded the falls. At the beginning of the tenth fall, a female spectator entered the ring and refused to leave Kelly's corner. The police finally removed her, but in the confusion Kelly failed to answer the bell. At first, the Medic was declared the winner and new champion, but then it was decided to hold up the title until the two men could face each other again.  In the rematch, Cowboy Bob also agreed to have his head shaved if he did not win the title. Kelly managed to reverse the Medic's Boston Crab hold and pin the masked man. Kelly, a bloody mess, was the Gulf Coast champion and got to keep his hair.

Kelly declared that he would be a fighting champion and put his title up against the challenges of Randy Tyler and Gentleman Jim Hyde right away. He defeated Tyler and Jim handily. But the Medic was insisting on a rematch. Kelly was set to defend his title against another masked man, The Intern. On television the week before that match was set to take place, Kelly answered the persistent Medic's challenge. He told the Medic and promoter Lee Fields that the Medic could have the Intern's shot. In that match, Kelly had set the Medic up for the bulldog, but Medic shoved him into referee Charlie Smith. While Smith was down, the Medic climbed to the top rope and jumped onto Kelly, an automatic disqualification. But since Smith was down, he didn't see the infraction and the Medic pinned Kelly for the win. However, Preston Hall, the Alabama State Boxing and Wrestling Commissioner (yes, it was a real state job) held the title up due to how the Medic won the match.

The team of Eddie "The Masked Man" Sullivan & The Wrestling Pro had a torrid feud going with the team of Dick Dunn & Ken Lucas. This escalated into a six-man feud with Lucas & Dunn being joined by Bob Boyer, and the Intern joining Sully and Pro to make a masked threesome.

The "big" Blue Yankee returned to action. He was once again under a mask and refused to give away his real identity.     Others in the area were Alex Medina, Ramon Perez, Mike Boyette, Silento Rodriguez, Tony Russo, The Golden Terror #1 and referees Jimmy Jones, Speedy Hatfield and Tommy Hatcher.

AUGUST:

The summer heat on the Gulf Coast couldn't match the heat that had been generated between Cowboy Bob Kelly and the Mysterious Medic. After several torrid battles between the two, nothing had been settled and the Gulf Coast title had been held up. Promoter Lee Fields decided to end it once and for all. A fight to the finish, with no disqualification, would be held. One fall and the winner would be the Gulf Coast champion. Kelly finally vanquished the Medic in a bloody battle and won the title.

Kelly continued to be a fighting champion. His next challenge came in the form of another masked man in white, the Wrestling Pro. The Pro had risen to the number one challenger position by defeating popular Ken Lucas. Kelly and the Pro had each won a fall, when the Medic interfered on behalf of the Pro in the deciding fall. The Pro was disqualified and Kelly kept his title. But he was no through with the Medic.

After the title match, a battle royal was held with the winner getting $300. Scheduled in the match were Kelly, the Pro, the Medic, Ken Lucas, Don Greene, Dick Dunn, Eddie "The Masked Man" Sullivan, and Alex Medina. Kelly was unable to compete because of the battering he had taken at the hands of the Pro and the Medic in the title match. It came down to Lucas, Medic and Pro as the final three. Lucas managed to eliminate the Pro, but was getting a pretty good going over from the Medic when Kelly charged out of the dressing room. He bulldogged the Medic, allowing Lucas to get the win and the money. The Pro came back into the ring and it became a four-way battle with Lucas and Kelly getting the upper hand. The Pro and the Medic swore revenge.

A tag team match between the four was scheduled, but Lucas showed up with a bandaged eye. He said that he had had an operation to remove a cyst from the eye and couldn't compete. Kelly offered to take on either the Medic or the Pro, but the masked duo insisted on a tag match. Dick Dunn volunteered to take Lucas' spot so the match was set. Kelly took the first fall by beating the Pro with the bulldog in less than a minute. The masked men won the second fall and then it got interesting. The Medic had Kelly in a Boston Crab while Dunn and the Pro battled outside the ring. As referee Joe Powell tried to contain the action on the floor, Lucas entered the ring and hit the Medic. As Powell returned to the ring, he found Kelly pinning the Medic and counted the deciding fall for Kelly and Dunn. Kelly's Gulf Coast title had also been at stake in this match. Kelly had stated that his title would be up for grabs in any match he was in, including tag team matches. Anyone who managed to get a deciding fall on him in any match would be the champion. Therefore, with Lucas' action, the Medic was denied a title win as well.

A rematch between Lucas & Kelly and the Pro & the Medic was scheduled for Ft. Whiting in Mobile, Alabama on August 26, 1970. But on a television program the Saturday prior to the match, the Medic was demanding a single title shot. The Pro was in agreement with it, as he would also get to face old nemesis Lucas in a singles bout as well. But Cowboy Bob said he would only do it under one condition. The Mysterious Medic would put his mask up. But not as a stipulation of losing the match, the Medic would have to unmask before the title match began. Kelly said that he fans were always being cheated by wrestlers refusing to unmask, even if they loss under such a stipulation. Therefore if the Medic wanted a title shot, he would have to show the fans his face before the match. The Medic refused, stating that he had been wrestling under the mask for fifteen years and had never lost it or been unmasked. Later in the program another confrontation occurred between Kelly and the Medic and the Medic agreed to the stipulation. But he said he would not reveal his name, not would photographers be allowed. The match was sold out and they were turning people away hours before the start of the matches. Traffic was so bad that it was causing traffic jams in downtown Mobile, which is several miles from Ft. Whiting. The police were not even allowing cars near the building by the time the matches started. But the Medic was true to his word and wrestled without the mask. Still he couldn't get a break. During the match, referee Speedy Hatfield was knocked down. The Medic took advantage of this situation and fouled Kelly. However, Hatfield was still down and couldn't count the pin on Kelly. The Medic got up and went over to help the groggy Hatfield to his feet. As this was going on, Kelly removed one of his cowboy boots and walloped the Medic in the head with it. Kelly fell on the Medic and got the pin and kept his title.

Mike Boyette was still running roughshod over his opponents, but it was all to no avail. He had yet to win a match due to constantly being disqualified. The already unpopular Boyette didn't endear himself to the conservative fans in other ways as well. He grew his long hair out even further, took to wearing love beads and granny glasses, and called himself "The California Hippie". He stated that the younger generation looked up to him and to the hippies, he was a hero. This made the working class southern fans hate him even more.  Others in the area in August were Gentleman Jim (now wrestling since he had no one to mange), the Blue Yankee, the Intern, Billy Hamilton, The Golden Terror #2, Silento Rodriguez, Bob Boyer, Rocket Monroe and referees Tommy Hatcher and Jimmy Jones.

SEPTEMBER:

Bob Kelly continued to defend the Gulf Coast title weekly, and his first challenger in the month of September was Mike "the California Hippie". Even though Boyette had not won a match in the Gulf Coast (he kept losing by DQ) he forced Kelly to give him a title match by interjecting himself into a conversation between Kelly and Lee Fields concerning Kelly's schedule of title defenses. A shoving match incurred and Kelly demanded a match with Boyette. Alabama commissioner Preston Hall further stated that it would be a title match, with the winner getting the Gulf Coast title, but having to pay a $100 fine. The loser would be suspended for 30 days. Kelly defeated Boyette, kept the title and paid the fine. Boyette was suspended for 30 days. Kelly had also beaten Boyette twice in matches involving "Peugeot" sticks. These are the heavy padded sticks used in military training. Boyette claimed that he was a former Marine and was an expert at the use of the sticks, (actually, Boyette had been in the Navy). Kelly, also a former Marine took up Boyette's challenge. The first week, Boyette wore a helmet and heavy pads to protect himself, while Kelly had just his wrestling gear. In the rematch, Lee Fields ordered Boyette to enter the ring in just his wrestling gear the same as Kelly. Cowboy Bob beat the Hippie all the way back to the dressing room with the sticks.

The Intern continued his unlucky streak when it came to title shots. This time his scheduled title shot was given to the Blue Yankee, as he and Kelly renewed their feud from earlier in the year. They had several matches with the title and both wrestlers' pay being held up. Finally at the end of the month Kelly won a winner take all match, getting the title and three weeks worth of his and the Yankee's pay.  

The Wrestling Pro continued his bloody feud with Ken Lucas. Lucas came very close to unmasking the Pro on several occasions, but came up short. Lucas also teamed with Dick Dunn on several occasions, taking on the Pro and partner, Eddie "the Masked Man" Sullivan.

Dunn had less success teaming with Rocket Monroe. Monroe turned on Dunn during a tag match against Dandy Jack (Frank) Morrell & Gentleman Jim Hyde. Dunn had tried to knee Hyde while Monroe held him from behind. Hyde moved and Dunn smashed into Monroe. Monroe was upset, but continued on with the match. Later in the match, Dunn grabbed Monroe and whipped him into Hyde, knocking Hyde senseless. This would have allowed Monroe to pin Hyde for the win, but Rocket took exception to how Dunn had gone about it. Instead of pinning Hyde, he jumped on Dunn, and then left Dick to the mercy of Hyde and Morrell. This led to a grudge battle between Dunn and Monroe that ended in a 30-minute draw.

The legendary Mario Galento (Bonny "Butch" Boyette) returned to the Gulf Coast for a series of matches. The fans forgave his rowdy past, as he was hearing cheers from the fans.  Others in the area were Billy Hamilton, Silento Rodriguez, Bob Boyer, The Outlaw, Vic Velasco (who also refereed), Bob Boyer, referees Joe Powell, Jimmy Jones and Speedy Hatfield.

OCTOBER:

Cowboy Bob Kelly continued his war with the Blue Yankee. Promoter Lee Fields decided that since the two only wanted to punch each other; he would put them in a 10 round boxing match. Kelly was seconded by Ken Lucas and the wrestling Pro served as the Yankee's corner man. During the second round, Lee Fields caught the Pro trying to load the Yankee's glove with an object. He made the Pro move to Kelly corner and had Lucas move to the Yankee's. This didn't work out either, as the Pro kept beating up on Kelly between rounds. This left Kelly at the Yankee's mercy, and then the two masked men turned on Lucas and beat him down as well. This, of course, led to a tag battle between Yankee & Pro against Kelly & Lucas. The two teams faced each other several times, including a Texas death match and a match with no referee in the ring. Kelly and Lucas got the better of the two masked men in each match. In a final showdown on October 28, 1970 it was decided whoever lost the fall would leave the area for 30 days. The Blue Yankee lost and was forced to leave the area.

Jim & Jack Dalton (Jim Baggis & Randy Colley) made their debut in October. Jim had been in the Gulf Coast in the sixties with another Jack Dalton (Don Kalt AKA Don Fargo). This pair of Daltons made their presence known by beating Dick Dunn and Bob Boyer in their initial match.  Dunn was also double-teamed by the pair during a singles match with Jim Dalton. This lead Dunn to request help from his former partner Don Carson (Don Gaston). Carson and Dunn were twice the Gulf Coast tag team champions in the sixties and also held the Tennessee version of the Southern tag and World's tag titles in the sixties (Dunn wrestled as the masked Red Shadow).

Mike "Hippie" Boyette's suspension was up in mid-October, but his return showed that he had not learned his lesson. His first match back was a five man "Wrestle Royal" involving Dandy Jack Morrell, Carson, Eddie "the Masked Man" Sullivan, Bob Boyer and himself. Morrell was eliminated first, so he left with empty pockets. Carson and Sullivan were the next two out, so they squared off for a singles match that ended in a double DQ. That left Boyette and Boyer to face each other for the  $300 prize in a 2 out of 3 fall match. Boyer won the first fall with his "Bow and Arrow" hold. Boyette managed to pin Boyer in the second, but lost the third fall for biting Boyer and hitting referee Tommy Hatcher. Boyette finally won his first match on October 21, 1970 by beating Pat Valentino, after eight months of disqualification losses.  Others in the area in October were lady wrestlers Fran Cavett and Vivian Vachon, the Intern, Rocket Monroe, Greg Peterson, Gentleman Jim Hyde, Silento Rodriguez and referees Speedy Hatfield, Joe Powell, Vic Velasco and Jimmy Jones.

NOVEMBER:

With the Yankee gone, Kelly defended the Gulf Coast tile against the other masked man, the Wrestling Pro. The Pro managed to take the title from Kelly at the first of the month and refused to give Kelly a rematch. In response, Kelly refused to wrestle anyone but the Pro and said he would also make sure that the Pro didn't wrestle anyone but him. Kelly interfered in the Pro's matches against Greg Peterson and Ramon Perez, giving him quite a beating each time. Still the Pro refused to defend the title against Kelly. At the end of the month, a mysterious masked man appeared on the scene to challenge the Pro. This man called himself The Intruder. He dressed all in black, but wore cowboy boots. Again, the Pro swore that this man was Kelly and would not face him. But promoter Lee Fields told the Pro that he had signed a contract to defend against the Intruder and must do so. The Intruder gave the Pro quite a beating, but was disqualified. Therefore the Pro ended the month still Gulf Coast champion.

Gentleman Jim Hyde had found himself with no one to manage since the departure of Rip and Randy Tyler, so he took up with Jim and Jack Dalton and became their manager. The Daltons continued their battles with Dick Dunn and Don Carson. Dunn was injured in one encounter with the Daltons, so Carson brought in the 400 pound "Pascagoula Plowboy" Tiny Frazier to help him. Carson also won a $300 battle royal by eliminating both Daltons for the prize. After that win the Daltons and their manager Jim triple-teamed Don until Frazier came back out to help him. That led to Carson and Frazier challenging Jim and Jack Dalton and Gentleman Jim to a 2 against 3 match. At 7 foot and 400 pounds, Frazier made up for the lack of a third man. However, when match time came, Gentleman Jim was nowhere to be found. Eddie "the Masked Man" Sullivan took his place, but Carson and the Plowboy were still the victors.

Bob Boyer defended his City of Mobile trophy for the first time in a long time, and probably wished that he hadn't. He dropped the title to Rocket Monroe.  Others in the area were Flash Monroe, Ken Lucas, Dandy Jack Morrell, Silento Rodriguez, the Intern, Mike Boyette, Vic Velasco and referees Speedy Hatfield, Joe Powell and Tommy Hatcher.

DECEMBER:

Things got interesting in December. The Wrestling Pro was signed to defend his Gulf Coast crown against the Intruder in a rematch. The Saturday before the rematch, a second Intruder showed up on television and called out the Pro. He said that he was the true Intruder and was passing through the area on his way to California. He said that he had seen in the newspaper where the Pro was set to defend his title against someone called "The Intruder" and since he was the Intruder and it wasn't him in the title match, he wanted to know what was going on. The Pro assured him that he had nothing to do with the man calling himself the Intruder and that he felt that the impostor was Cowboy Bob Kelly. This Intruder further stated that he would be at ringside for the title match to get to the bottom of the mystery. A special stipulation of the match was also set that if the Intruder (the first one) didn't defeat the Pro for the title, he would have to unmask. Well, things didn't quite go as the Pro and the "real" Intruder had hoped. The first Intruder defeated the Pro for the title, using Bob Kelly's bulldog hold. The Pro and the other Intruder protested the win, but to no avail. Kelly, er.. Intruder was the new champion.

The next Saturday on television, the "real" Intruder confronted Cowboy Bob Kelly and accused him of being the fake Intruder. Kelly protested his innocence, but was punched in the eye by the Intruder. Later on, the Intruder that was Gulf Coast champion came out and challenged the "real" Intruder. He said that he would defend his title and if he didn't win in two straight falls, he would give over the title and unmask. The champion made good his boast by beating the challenger two straight falls with the bulldog. He also unmasked the "real" Intruder, revealing Canadian wrestler George LaCourse. The Pro attacked the Intruder after the match. This resulted in the Pro getting his rematch after having to wait for two weeks until the "Intruder" mess was cleared up. During the third and deciding fall of the rematch, the Pro twisted the Intruder's mask over his eyes so that he couldn't see. The Intruder had no choice but to remove his own mask, which he did revealing..Cowboy Bob Kelly! Kelly went to work on the Pro and had him set up for the bulldog. The Pro, however, rolled out of the ring and left, losing the match on a count out. So after a two-month wait, Cowboy Bob Kelly was the Gulf Coast champion again. But the year wasn't over yet.

Another unmasking took place, but in a different manner. The Intern had been campaigning in the area for quite awhile. In fact, he was one of the team of Interns that had held the Gulf Coast tag titles in the late sixties under the management of Dr. Jerry Graham. He had been back in the area as a solo with mixed results when he received a shot at the City of Mobile title held by Rocket Monroe. He said that he Mobile championship was something very special to him and that he would unmask if he won it. He did when it and unmasked himself to reveal Mobile native, Joe Turner, under the mask. Unfortunately, Turner's title reign was short-lived. He dropped the title after one week to Mike "Hippie" Boyette.

The next week saw Bob Kelly put the Gulf Coast title up in a 10-man tag match. Kelly said that since he won the title as the Intruder, and that he had unasked himself as the Intruder, he felt the fairest way to defend the title was to let everyone have a shot at it at once. So he put it up in a tag match where every man was for himself. The match starts with two men in the ring and they can take out to anyone on the outside of the ring. As a man was pinned, submitted or was disqualified, he was eliminated. The match continued until there was a winner. The winner would be the Gulf Coast champion. The 10 men entered were Kelly, Boyette, Greg Peterson, Flash Monroe, Joe Turner, the Wrestling Pro, Tiny Frazier, Eddie Sullivan, Billy Hamilton and Dandy Jack Morrell. Prior to the tag match, Kelly had also challenged Boyette in a match for the Mobile championship. Kelly defeated Boyette and was now a double champion. However that would last. In the tag match, the elimination went as such: Morrell was disqualified for refusing to accept a tag, Kelly eliminated Joe Turner, the Pro tossed Flash Monroe, Boyette beat Hamilton with his "Hippie Hold" (a Camel Clutch), Greg Peterson pinned Sullivan and the Pro forced Frazier out. That left Kelly, Boyette, Peterson, and Pro. While Pro and Peterson were in the ring, Boyette attacked Kelly and rammed his head into the ring post. Peterson pinned the Pro inside the ring and was attacked by Boyette and beaten with a Hippie Hold. Kelly managed to stagger to his feet and get into the ring but was no match for the Hippie. Mike Boyette was the new Gulf Coast champion.
 
The final card held in 1970 was topped by a match between Kelly and Boyette for the Mobile title. Boyette also reluctantly agreed that if Kelly won he would give him a rematch for the Gulf Coast crown in January of 1971. Boyette won the first fall with the Hippie Hold, but was disqualified for hitting referee Joe Powell in the second fall. Kelly used his bulldog to beat the Hippie in the final fall to keep his title and to secure a rematch for the Gulf Coast title.

The final card also saw the arrival of The Wrestling Pro #2. The Pro was wrestling Don Carson and had "injured" his leg and return to the dressing room between falls. When the third fall began, a different Wrestling Pro came out to the ring. Promoter Lee Fields discovered the ruse, and disqualified the Pro.  Others in the area in December were Ken Lucas, Bob Boyer, Ramon Perez, referees Speedy Hatfield and Vic Velasco.

I hope you enjoyed the new format and this month's look at the year 1970. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I would also like to thank Cowboy Bob Kelly and his lovely wife Chris for their hospitality and allowing me to visit them in their home. Thanks as always to Bob for his help in putting this together.

NEXT MONTH:

I will take a look at 1971. More battles between the Cowboy and the Hippie, with surprising results. And the arrival of Mr. Personality "Wonder Boy" Bobby Shane.