J.R.'s Family Bar-B-Q

From left the immortal Lou Thesz, Announcer Sam Mennaker, and Mexico’s most famous international masked man Mil Mascaras.

From left the immortal Lou Thesz, Announcer Sam Mennaker, and Mexico’s most famous international masked man Mil Mascaras.

Lou Thesz was really the Babe Ruth of wrestling and represented the NWA with class and dignity 24/7 during his many title reigns which started in 1937 and ended in the 60s. Today’s generation of young wrestlers could learn a thing or two about class and professionalism from Lou Thesz. Thesz and Danny Hodge once went to a 90 minute draw in LeRoy McGuirk’s old territory, I think it was in Springfield, Missouri, that old timers still talk about. The match was built around a head lock which today’s younger audience would hate because there were no broken tables and multiple chair shots. These two legends actually wrestled with the headlock focal point of the contest. It may sound boring to some of you but trust me it wasn’t.

Photo provided by wrealano@aol.com

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 I remember Sam well. Called matches from Indianapolis and Fort Wayne for Dick the Bruiser's WWA promotion. This was some of the first wrestling I watched back in the mid-1970s. Every Saturday at noon from a station in Fort Wayne. Sam had a great voice and style for calling matches. 

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