- Bob Miller

Thanks for checking out my second installment of Tri-State Wrestling memories. This month I am presenting brief summaries and anecdotes of ten wrestlers whom I believe to have been the preeminent workers of the McGuirk era (roughly 1960-80). Though any list is of course arbitrary, one thing is inarguable about these ten men: they entertained the hell out of us hillbilly marks! I would appreciate any comments or anecdotes you have about this listing, email me here.  Without further ado....

The Tri-States Top Ten

10. “Crazy” Chuck Karbo

He may have been the last heel of the old school, a wrestler who both looked and acted the part of a bad guy without the ironic smirking and playing to the crowd that are the hallmarks of today’s villains. Though he was only six feet tall and 240 pounds, Karbo was a frightening figure whenever he stepped into the ring. He was a master at crowd psychology, at hiding weapons in his tights from the referee, and every other heelish tactic imaginable. Karbo, billed as being from Muleshoe, TX played the perennial Texas versus Oklahoma and Arkansas rivalry like a conductor, inciting fans to riot nearly every time he appeared. 

His edgy promos were sublime in their menace, and certainly wouldn’t be allowed to air in our current era. One memorable hype had him claiming that he would lie in wait at the Texas border, and any car passing by with Arkansas or Oklahoma license plates would be shot at. Over the top, yes, but it only put more butts in seats to see him get thrashed. His accent was almost comical (“I’m gunna whup you, Daynee Haw-udge”), but combined with his severe haircut, spiked sideburns, and devilish goatee, he was for most of his Tri-States run the incarnation of ultimate evil to the marks.