Who remembers....?

[Prince Valiant]

Wrestlers from the greatest era of wrestling that there ever was? Namely the period when wrestlemania 1 occured?

I mean, hulk hogan, andre the giant, The Thing, George "the Animal" Steele, original british bulldogs, Randy "the macho man" Savage, Iron Shiek, so on and so forth?

See, that was the time when wrestleing was great...no stupid and ongoing side-stories, vince mcmahon was just an owner and a bit-player, no weddings...the only hot girl was all that would ever be needed (The lovely miss elizabeth, RIP)...

...well one of the most feared guys from that time will be at Moe's Southwest grille (1350 W capitol Dr., Pewaukee) from 5-8pm on thursday night. Freakin' KING KONG BUNDY!!!! I'm going to go there just to see if he was really as big as they said back then (6'8" and some 450lbs IIRC)

Hey, here's a chance to meet a legend and have a great burrito :thumbsup

[Brian98GTP]

...the Bush Wackers... Hacksaw Jim...ohhhhh yeahhhh...


Miss Elizabeth is dead?? :confused

[JC70SS]

Chris, I have it on tape!! How is your car coming along anyway?

[pOrk]

Hacksaw jim Dugan OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH

:rolf

[DirtyMax]

You wanna go waaaay back. The Crusher... the wrestler that made Milwaukee famous.

I was baptized the same day in the same church as his granddaughter, so my parents and all them thought it would be a cool idea to get a pic of him holding me. :headbang

[Prince Valiant]

Yeah, elizabeth died
Article here (http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCO/is_2_5/ai_104609878) :(

Doesn't the crusher still live on the south side? I got to meet Baron von Raschke at Moe's about 3 months ago...I still haven't washed that hand, lol.


Chris, I have it on tape!! How is your car coming along anyway? The car has been on hiatus as of the past what? 2 months (let's see, vacation in aspen, did my first triatholon, bought a new bike, disected my 2nd human being...legally I might add, and stood up in a wedding in which I met 4 future mrs valiants, lol)? I actually plan to work on it friday...tying up some odd bits and pieces (throttle bracket namely) and then I will likely order a whole new ignition and screw the crap I've got in there now. Likely I'll go with an MSD


ANYOnE going to meet king kong too?

[DirtyMax]

Doesn't the crusher still live on the south side?

Yes. So. Milw. I believe.

[Al]

Bushwackers...forgot about those two.

How about Sergent Slauter?


I was never really into wrestling, but my brother and I used to stay up late watching Vader do the Vader Bomb! Then, when my brother pissed me off enough (like all little brothers do), I would do my own Vader Bomb and end up knocking the wind out of him. :rolf

[ponyride00]

You forgot Jake the Snake, The Anvil Jimmy Hart, and all of the ultimate Warriors(Let most if not all of the Warriors rest in peace). Oh yeah, Mr Perfect, the Million Dollar Man, Brutus the Barber Beafcake, and Roddy Piper.

[BadAzzGTA89]

Yes. So. Milw. I believe.
Yes he does :thumbsup

[Rocket Power]

Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka :D

Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and Rowdy Roddy Piper were some of my favs back then

[97z2801ss]

tito santana, Ric Flair, The rockers, Legion of doom, sgt slaughter, Honkey tonk man, Koko B ware, Mr. Wonderful, the heart fondation... :chair:

[ponyride00]

tito santana, Ric Flair, The rockers, Legion of doom, sgt slaughter, Honkey tonk man, Koko B ware, Mr. Wonderful, the heart fondation... :chair:


I forgot about the Legion of Doom. Those guys were awesome. What about the Big Boss man.

[u_say_go]

now THIS is a topic I can relate to! :thumbsup
Does anyone remember going to the Arena in the late 70's early 80's for AWA Wrestling? The Crusher, **** the Bruiser, Greg Gagne, Jim Brunzell, Rock-n-Roll Buck Zoomhauf, Jerry Blackwell.......man, those were the days!
A lot of wrestlers have passed away over the past few years- Miss Elizabeth (drug od) Rick Rude (drugs) Million $ man (drugs) brian pillman (drugs) mr. perfect kurt hennig (drugs) bruiser brody (murdered in locker room) Hawk from the Road Warriors (drugs).....
Check out this site, some good stuff http://www.wrestlingmuseum.com/homeie.html

Oh yea, I saw King Kong Bundy at Carthage college last year, still HUGE! You'll be able to get your picture taken with him for $5

[Prince Valiant]

Most don't even remember the AWA...that's where the legion of doom got their start iirc...

I remember the wrestling mags used to rank all the wrestlers in their respective leagues (WWF, NWA, AWA, Florida, etc, etc, etc) and then have a ranking irespective of leagues for both individuals and tag teams...the legion of doom (road warriors) were always in the top spots for tag teams and Ric flair was always number one, rick martel of the awa #2, and hulk hogan #3 for the individuals....I used to follow the rankings religiously.

...one name I really remember, but he was more a southern local wrestler back then was abdullah the butcher. That guy was crazy, and any match he was in would feature just insane amounts of blood (okay, read water)...

[u_say_go]

that guy was freaky! other southern wrestlers I liked were "boogie woogie man Jimmy Valiant", barry windham, tony atlas, moondog rex.....oh man, those were the days. wrestling now kinda sucks.
what do you think of the new show "hogan knows best"? I like seeing actors/musicians off stage, behind the scenes in their real life. I think the show is pretty cool. Almost seems like hogan is getting shorter (that, or he was never as tall as they listed him) His wife has some nice fake cans :thumbsup

[wikked]

heh I remember all of them, the generic wrestlers were funny... although I can only remember Barry O..who would kneel down and make an 'O' symbol with his fingers and then get the **** kicked out of him and pinned in about 3 seconds.

Brutus Beefcake is dead as well if I remember right. Same with Adrian Adonis (gross!)

I remember going to some huge event at some place downtown in the early 80's that I can't remember, my brother has alot of pics from it, but mostly of Savage/Elizabeth =P

I was at a concert not too long ago (last fall?) at the Rave, and King Kong Bundy was there signing autographs, he didn't look all that big to me?

Pipers pit with the coconut smashed into Snuka's head <--- classic :D

gah...who's that guy that had the bushy long hair that had the huge ass section of chain around his neck, like 5ft of it...

Where's Kamala the Ugandan giant these days? :goof

[Prince Valiant]

I remember Tony Atlas was pretty big in the WWF as well for a brief period...that guy was huge though. Biggest arms I've ever seen :eek:

I remeber jimmy vlaint

one of the generic wrestlers I remeber from those days was "AL-G". God he was horrid...but it was funny that when matched against a heel, people cheered him on. Against the good guy they booed him.

I remeber Paul "mr. Wonderful" Onfero (sp, I know) that guy was strong...but kind of short-lived in the wwf. He was another guy that as a kid I thought would contend for the wwf championships...

...I don't follow anything with wrestling anymore...including hogan's new show. I did see a short bit in which he was being a protective dad over his daughter and her dates and I was thinking "Man hulk, the protective dad thing is a little late considering your girl looks like a slut...."

[wikked]

Orndorff :goof

Im surprised he let his daughter go out with a 22yr old! on national tv!
I thought that show would be alot worse than it was... was pretty funny.

I -knew- they'd show the Supra within minutes of the show starting too :rolleyes:

For those that don't know.. do a google image search for 'hogan supra' although the links no longer work, you can see the thumbnails :)

[Rocket Power]

I remember watching the AWA as a kid (born in 1971).

[BadAzzGTA89]

Did anyone know "Hulk Hogan" was a bouncer at Tommy's boom boom room in the mid to late 70's :thumbsup

[Teufelhunden]

Somebody looks hungry
http://austinwm.club.fr/HTLM/Photos/K/King_Kong_Bundy/King_Kong_Bundy_-_Christopher_Pailles_01.jpg

[Stangman98]

The Von Erich's were the best
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
Demolition (Wanna be Road Warriors)
JunkYardDog (RIP)
The list goes on and on :thumbsup

[u_say_go]

gah...who's that guy that had the bushy long hair that had the huge ass section of chain around his neck, like 5ft of it...

Hercules was his name.

[Nix]

What about Andre the Giant? I believe he was in a movie called Princess Bride in the 80's and he died shortly after that?

[Prince Valiant]

Adre died in late 93 whereas the princess bride came out in 87...

[lotsals1]

Yes. So. Milw. I believe.Yup i grew up there --he used to drive around a big sky blue lincoln with white interior.He knew my father well i guess.

[BadAzzGTA89]

Yup i grew up there --he used to drive around a big sky blue lincoln with white interior.He knew my father well i guess.
He dated my bosses aunt for awhile back in the day.

[BadAzzGTA89]

PRIDE OF 'DA CRUSHER'
Wrestling legend's grandson becomes first in his family to make it to the state tournament
By JOE SHINNERS
Special to the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Feb. 25, 2004
The instant the Cudahy High School junior's hand was raised in victory, the Lisowski family exploded in celebration.

'The Crusher'


Photo/File
Reggie Lisowski, the former wrestler known as "The Crusher," flexes his biceps in a 1986 photo.



Photos/Dale Guldan
Cudahy High School wrestler Jake Lisowski (right) has qualified for the WIAA state wrestling tournament, which starts today in Madison. His proud grandfather and wrestling legend Reggie "The Crusher" Lisowski (left) has been at his grandson's side since the boy started the sport in the fifth grade. The two clowned around in the wrestling room at Cudahy High School on Monday.




WIAA Wrestling Tournament

WHERE: Kohl Center, Madison.
WHEN: Thursday-Saturday.
TICKETS: $8 per session.
More information: Tournament facts, schedule, undefeated entrants, returning champions, top qualifiers.
Quotable

It's all about Jake. He's a hard worker, and I've never had a problem with him. Not a one. He gets good grades. He's just a good kid.

- 'The Crusher',
on the grandson

'The Crusher': A Tough Life

He proudly shows off the scars on his forehead from brutal cage matches.
He displays his crooked arm, which was broken twice but never set.
He also had two hip replacements, a knee replacement and multiple heart bypass surgeries.

"Everyone was giving me hugs and everything," recalls Jake. "It's hard to explain. It was one of my goals that I had all year. I was just relieved I was going to state."

And now it can be said that Jake is the most successful wrestler in Lisowski family history.

Wait a second. Better make that the most successful amateur wrestler. Because one of the Lisowskis cheering the loudest Saturday was Jake's grandfather, Reggie Lisowski.

Dat's right. Jake's grandfather is the same Reggie Lisowski more commonly known as "Da Crusher," the flamboyant American Wrestling Association professional beloved by generations of Wisconsinites from the 1950s, '60s and '70s as "the wrestler who made Milwaukee famous."

When the state tournament begins at 5 p.m. today at the Kohl Center in Madison, you can bet the entire Lisowski family - including its famous patriarch - will be there. And Jake wouldn't have it any other way.

Grandfatherly advice
He has often leaned on his grandfather for wrestling advice, and Reggie has been at his side since Jake started the sport in the fifth grade. The two have lifted weights together and often run through the Seven Bridges of Grant Park, stopping and doing push-ups along the way.

Nothing, though, prepared Reggie Lisowski for the thrill of seeing Jake qualify for state, breaking a series of near-misses for the family over the years.

Jake didn't qualify as a freshman or sophomore. And Reggie's son, Larry, now 54, was a solid high school wrestler who never made it to state, suffering an injury just before the regional meet as a senior in 1967.

Now, finally, The Crusher is off to Madison to watch a family member compete for a championship.

"It was one of the greatest thrills of my life," Reggie, 77, says of seeing Jake win his sectional title. "Everyone was hugging and crying. My daughters were there, and my granddaughters were there. It was exciting."

Role reversal
It's a bit of a role reversal for The Crusher, a father of four, grandfather of nine and great-grandfather of one.

Now he's the one watching from the stands - and from there, he is getting some much-needed support of his own. Because Jake's success is helping Reggie deal with the most painful time in his long, eventful life as one of the state's most beloved celebrities.

His wife of 55 years, Faye, passed away last March. An aneurysm ruptured while she was hospitalized for tests to determine why she was in so much pain at the time. Her passing left Reggie without his true love and lifelong companion.

"(Jake's) greatest fan was my wife, Faye, his grandmother," Reggie says. "I had to take her to Whitnall last year. She wanted to see him pin a guy again.

"I was in some tough spots in my life, but nothing ever bothered me like her being gone. It's been tough."

Jake delivered that pin for his grandmother a year ago at the Whitnall Sectional, ending his opening match against Whitnall's Eric Schmidt in 1 minute 15 seconds. Not long after Faye struggled through pain to get to the meet, she died.

"It's been a really difficult year for us," said Jake's mother, Sherri Brozoski, 44. "I think it really became apparent with the wrestling season, because she pretty much died a couple weeks after sectionals last year. That was so important to her, that she saw his last pin of the season.

"This year has been really difficult, because we're so used to being together. After the matches she'd always say - and I can still hear her - she'd say 'Atta boy, Jacob.' "

What Faye would have seen this year was the culmination of Jake's dream. The path won't be easy in Madison, though.

Jake owns a 34-3 record with 17 pins this season, but he won't be playing the role of favorite that The Crusher so often did in those AWA cage matches, paired with his old tag-team partner **** the Bruiser, or in grudge matches against Mad Dog Vachon.

But the tension, and the stakes, will still be high.

Jake, seeded No. 5 in a 16-man field, opens the tournament with a preliminary match today against Stoughton junior Rick Nelson (39-10). Also in Jake's half of the bracket are second-seeded Pulaski senior Eric Bath (43-1) and sixth-seeded Milwaukee Custer senior Sherman Brown (44-6).

In the other half of the bracket is No. 1-seeded Watertown senior Ben Pero (40-0). Pero finished second in the 160-pound weight class a year ago and is favored to win the title this time.

So Jake, who has a three-year high school record of 78-23 with 40 pins, will have to play the role of spoiler at state.

"I'm pretty much the underdog in all the matches that I'm going into," Jake says. "So nobody really knows that much about me. I feel like I don't have to have any pressure on me because nobody is really expecting anything from me besides myself."

It's a far cry from the hoopla that surrounded The Crusher for most of his career. His legendary workouts with full beer kegs and his trademark call-out - "You turkey-neck!" - are still fondly recalled by many.

Still in good shape
Today, Reggie's profession and his age have taken their toll. He proudly shows off the scars on his forehead from those brutal cage matches, and displays his crooked arm, which was broken twice but never set. He's also had two hip replacements, a knee replacement and multiple heart bypass surgeries.

Still, Reggie is in remarkably good shape for his age. And as one of the most influential early professional wrestlers, he is quick to point out that there would be no The Rock without The Crusher.

He still has the same hearty handshake, closely cropped hair and biceps people half his age would be proud to show off. And he boasts with that same gravelly voice that he still lifts weights with his grandson, Matthew, 24, in the basement of his South Milwaukee home.

Jake and his sisters, Cudahy senior Samira and freshman Shereen, all worked out there when they were younger. They are all solid students, and Jake is on the honor roll, as is his University of Wisconsin-bound sister, Samira.

Both Lisowski sisters are shot putters and discus throwers for the Cudahy track and field team, and Samira is a two-time team captain.

"Jake benches 300 pounds and squats 400 pounds," Reggie boasts. "That's not too bad for a little 160-pound kid. But I never pushed them. They all like to work out."

Jake's da man now - and that's just the way Da Crusher wants it. He doesn't give interviews often, but he did at the high school this week, strictly for Jake's sake.

"It's all about Jake," Reggie says. "He's a hard worker, and I've never had a problem with him. Not a one. He gets good grades. He's just a good kid."

Cudahy's fifth-year coach, Quinn Elliott, agrees.

"He's always worked hard," Elliott says. "In the summertime he's going to camps, making the dedication. He's a class act."

Jake knows going to his wrestling meets helps his grandfather, especially now.

Something to look forward to
I think it gives him something to look forward to," Jake says. "My grandma really enjoyed going to all the wrestling meets and everything. She went to pretty much all my wrestling meets. I think it makes him happy to go see it."

And while some may have forgotten - or never seen - the larger-than-life character The Crusher was for all those years, he's still fondly remembered by many. In many ways, it's therapeutic for Reggie to attend Jake's meets after Faye's death.

"At the sectionals, I can't tell you how many people came over and stopped and talked and they wanted pictures with him," said Sherri, a pool nurse at a south side hospital. "I think it helps him a lot to have that conversation, because they were together for 55 years and to have somebody to talk to all of the time and then nobody there, it's been hard."

Before Jake leaves for Madison today, his mother will again offer words of encouragement and ask her mother, Faye, for some help.

"The last thing I say every time that he leaves is, 'Jake, remember why you're wrestling,' " Sherri says. " 'You love wrestling, and it's fun.'

"I think of my mom. I talk to her before each match. I never ask for anything, but I always tell her to give him the strength to know that he can do this."

Then, maybe, Jake will hear one more "Atta boy, Jacob," and bring another smile to The Crusher's face.