Portland Wrestling

Introducing: The Attraction Archive: Episode #1 – Giants, Legends, and Attractions That Drew the Crowd

Introducing: The Attraction Archive Bigger Stories. Bigger Personalities. Bigger Than EverBefore. The archive is open… and Portland Wrestling is about to get larger than life. After the success of Mid-Card Chronicles, host FrankCulbertson launches an all-new deep-dive podcast series designed to spotlight the wrestlers, attractions, spectacles, and unforgettable personalities that didn’t just fill out a wrestling card… They sold the tickets. And unlike the fast-paced 5–7 minute Chronicle episodes, TheAttraction Archive expands the format into a richer, more cinematic experience— with longer episodes, deeper storytelling, more historical context, and the kind of behind-the-scenes wrestling history fans have been asking for. These aren’t quick snapshots anymore. These are feature presentations. Episode #1 – Giants, Legends, and Attractions That Drewthe Crowd The debut episode of The Attraction Archive openswith four unforgettable names from Portland Wrestling history: Man Mountain Mike A 600-pound spectacle whose very presence changed the energy inside the building. Battle royals, giant reactions, and the night his destruction helped launch the terrifying Baron Von Krupp. Pepper Gomez A true wrestling star with roots stretching back to the 1950s Northwest scene, connecting Portland to Seattle, Texas, San Francisco, Pedro Morales, Peter Maivia, and the golden age of territory wrestling. Wendi Richter Before MTV. Before Rock ’n Wrestling. Before becoming one of the biggest women’s wrestling stars of the 1980s… she stopped in Portland as an NWA Women’s Tag Team Champion alongside Joyce Grable. Cowboy Lang One of the most beloved and recognizable special attractionsin wrestling history — and the source of one of Mike Rogers’ funniest and most unforgettable personal wrestling stories. More Than Matches This series explores: • The attractions that made fans buy tickets • The legends who could instantly change the atmosphere in a building • The women who broke barriers • The giants, novelty acts, traveling stars, and unforgettable personalities who made Portland Wrestling feel different from every other territory Because sometimes… The attraction was the main event. A New Era of Storytelling With expanded runtimes, richer narration, deeper research,and a stronger documentary-style format, The Attraction Archive is designed to be the most immersive Portland Wrestling audio series yet. If Mid-Card Chronicles was about the glue that held wrestling together… The Attraction Archive is about the names fans never forgot. Based on the research and historical records from TheEncyclopedia of Portland Wrestlers by historian Mike Rogers, available now on Amazon. New episodes of The Attraction Archive drop every Friday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Open the archive. The attractions are waiting.

🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #36 – The OWF: The Promotion That Almost Changed Portland Wrestling

🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #36 – The OWF: The Promotion That Almost Changed Portland Wrestling One ring. One city. A thousand stories. And this week… the story of the wrestling war that almost changed everything in Oregon. When Lisa Hughes spins the wheel, the envelope sendsFrank Culbertson and Portland Wrestling historian Mike Rogers back to 1988 and the rise—and collapse—of the Oregon Wrestling Federation. Billy Jack Haynes had the name. The publicity. The TV deal. The building. And for one brief moment… It looked like Portland Wrestling might finally have realcompetition. The Birth of the OWF The OWF launched with: • A sold-out debut crowd in Oregon City • TV on Fox 49 • Big newspaper coverage • A 30,000 square foot arena • And Billy Jack Haynes promising something bigger and more modern than Portland Wrestling Frank and Mike break down: • Billy’s ambitious plans • Why he called himself the “Pete Rose of Professional Wrestling” • And what Don Owen was likely thinking as a competitor suddenly appeared in his territory for the first time in years The Roster – Familiar Faces and New Names The OWF brought together: • Billy Jack Haynes • Rip Oliver • Black Stud Williams (Ray Candy) • Hercules Haggerty (Tugboat) • Corporal Kirschner • Brian Adams • Mike Miller • Coco Samoa • JT Southern • Johnny Ace (John Laurinaitis) • And even future names like The Terminator and Tiger Chung Lee Some were rising stars. Some were veterans. And some were just trying to survive another territory. Real Stories From the Locker Room This episode goes beyond match results. Mike shares firsthand stories and interviews from: • Mike Miller • Joey Jackson • And The Grappler Including: • Wrestlers jumping promotions for promised money • The frustrations of working only one night a week • Stiff matches with Hercules Haggerty • Why some wrestlers quickly left the OWF • And how Don Owen quietly waited for the competition to collapse As the Grappler explains: “You don’t mention the other promotion on TV. All that does is put them over.” Old-school wrestling psychology—inside and outside the ring. From Sellouts to Empty Buildings The story of the OWF changes fast. What begins with excitement slowly turns into: • Smaller crowds • Repetitive booking • Missing wrestlers • Financial problems • Unpaid talent • Canceled shows • And confusion over championships, tournaments, and even who was still employed By the final cards… The dream is barely holding together. Don Owen Fights Back While Billy struggled, Don Owen and The Grappler countered with loaded Portland Wrestling cards featuring: • Buddy Rose • Matt Borne • The Assassin • Steve Doll & Scott Peterson • Avalanche • Colonel DeBeers • Curt Hennig • Jimmy Jack Funk • And more This episode compares the two promotions week-by-week—showing exactly why one survived… and the other didn’t. Hogan, Magazines, and What Could Have Been Mike also shares the unforgettable story of attending BillyJack’s gym appearance with Hulk Hogan—a massive event that drew thousands and even led to Mike’s photographs appearing on the cover of a national wrestling magazine. For a moment… The OWF really felt like it might work. Special Thanks A special thank you to Rich Patterson for digitizing the original OWF opening audio used in this episode… and to superfan Jody Day for helping preserve and share this piece of Northwest wrestling history. Your work helped bring this story back to life. The OWF lasted only months. But for wrestling fans in Oregon… It remains one of the biggest “what ifs” in Portland Wrestling history. Step into the arena. This is Ringside in Rose City Wrestling wrestling the way it should be.

Mid-Card Chronicles #11 – The Ones Left Behind

Mid-Card Chronicles #11 – The Ones Left Behind Main events get remembered. Champions get photographed. But this week… we look at the wrestlers who proved one hard truth about the territory system: Talent alone didn’t guarantee your spot. In Episode #11 of Mid-Card Chronicles, Frank Culbertson closes out the series by focusing on four wrestlers whose careers reveal how quickly momentum could shift in professional wrestling—and how even accomplished performers could suddenly find themselves pushed aside. Because in Portland Wrestling…sometimes being good wasn’tenough. John Anson – The Wrestler Replaced No story in this episode captures frustration quite like JohnAnson. Again and again: • Winning tag titles • Building momentum • Finding success Only to suddenly be replaced when bigger names or hotterprograms emerged. First it was Ron Bass moving on to a bigger feud. Then Bull Ramos stepping in to take his partner. And yet outside Portland? Anson had championship credentials everywhere: • Detroit • Los Angeles • Japan • Vancouver A proven champion in one territory… an afterthought in another. That’s wrestling. Frankie Lane – The Connector Some wrestlers leave a bigger impact than fans realize. Frankie Lane wasn’t just a solid tag wrestler and dependable heel. He’s the man who brought a young Jimmy Snuka into Portland Wrestling. That one decision helped launch one of wrestling’s biggeststars. But Lane’s own story was layered: • Tag title runs • Cowboy heel turns • In-ring weddings • Bullrope feuds with Steven Little Bear And eventually… A violent injury in Alabama that changed everything. Rip Rogers – Three Weeks That Felt Real When Rip Rogers returned to Portland in 1980 and defeated Roddy Piper—not once, but twice—it shocked fans. Because in the territory days…you didn’t expect a wrestler to come in for only three weeks. But that was the plan. Rogers was there to: • Build credibility quickly • Help transition Piper out • Complete the story And because fans didn’t know the ending ahead of time…it worked. That unpredictability? That was the magic of the territory system. Kurt Von Hess – Big Somewhere Else Few wrestlers better represent the difference betweenterritories than Kurt Von Hess. In Vancouver: • A major tag team force • Multiple title reigns • Established credibility In Portland? Just another wrestler passing through. It’s a reminder that wrestling success was often geographic. One territory could make you a star. Another might barely notice you arrived. This episode isn’t about failure. It’s about the realities of wrestling: • Timing • Positioning • Opportunity • And how fragile momentum could be Because the middle of the card wasn’t just filled withwrestlers… It was filled with careers balancing on a knife’s edge. And while this wraps up Mid-Card Chronicles… the story of Portland Wrestling is far from over. Starting next week: The Attraction Archive. From André the Giant… to women wrestlers who broke barriers… to the unforgettable attractions that sold tickets and packed buildings… The next chapter begins. Step back into the territory one last time. This is Mid-Card Chronicles — because without the middle,there is no main event

Ringside in Rose City #35 – March 1969: Chaos, Chains, and the Road to Memorial Coliseum

Ringside in Rose City #35 – March 1969: Chaos, Chains, and the Road to Memorial Coliseum One ring. One city. A thousand stories. And this week… Portland Wrestling completely loses control. When Lisa Hughes spins the wheel, the envelope sendsFrank Culbertson and Portland Wrestling historian Mike Rogers into March 1969—a month where the feuds stop simmering and start exploding. The crowds are back. The Portland Sports Arena is packed. And every major rivalry in the territory is spiraling into violence. Billy White Wolf vs. Everybody No wrestler dominates March 1969 quite like Billy WhiteWolf. Fresh off returning from injury after the Von Steigersshattered his nose, White Wolf spends the month tearing through opponents in brutal Indian Death Chain Matches: • Kurt Von Steiger • Karl Von Steiger • Lonnie Maine And somehow… he survives all of them. The chain matches become so violent the newspapers describe them as: • “Blood splattered” • “One-sided beatings” • And even claim White Wolf “almost scalped” Karl Von Steiger (As always, some language from 1969 reflects a verydifferent era and newspaper style than today.) At one point, six wrestlers literally drag Kurt Von Steigerback into the ring against his will so White Wolf can continue the match. That’s not modern wrestling. That’s territory chaos. The Unholy Alliance Grows Stronger While White Wolf is fighting the Von Steigers… Lonnie Maine and Tony Borne are becoming one of the hottest heel teams Portland has ever seen. • Banned from buildings • Constant interference • Referees knocked unconscious • Police officers stationed around ringside in Eugene • Chairs, chains, and flying knee drops everywhere And through it all… Lonnie Maine evolves into something even darker. The papers call him: • Belligerent • Bloodthirsty • Dangerous And honestly? For once, the newspapers may have undersold it. The Territory Starts Expanding March also feels like Portland Wrestling becoming somethingbigger. • Packed crowds in Salem and Longview • Spot shows in Baker City, Pendleton, and Coos Bay • TV expanding into the Rocky Mountain region • Big names arriving like Dutch Savage, John Tolos, Buddy Marino, and Edward Carpentier The territory suddenly feels alive. And unstable. Flashy Eric Frolic Yes… Mike Rogers finally gets to discuss one of his favorites: Flashy Eric Frolic. The “flippity-flip” specialist of 1969. Back handsprings. Flying dropkicks. Scientific matches. And apparently enough athleticism for Mike to compare him to Will Ospreay. Which may or may not have broken Frank emotionally. Island Interlude – Hawaii Gets Weird The trip to Hawaii this month includes: • Nick Bockwinkel • Bobby Shane • King Curtis • Wahoo McDaniel • Pedro Morales • Ripper Collins • Lord Blears • And Rocky Montero winning… an Abdominal Stretch Match Yes. An actual stipulation match that could only end with anabdominal stretch. Even Mike doesn’t know what to do with that. And somewhere in the middle of it all, Frank and Lisapresent Mike with a one-million-dollar bill featuring Lisa in a grass skirt and coconut bra, and Frank on the back of the bill in the same outfit! As one does. The Road to April 1st By the end of March, everything is building toward oneenormous showdown at the Memorial Coliseum: Luther Lindsay & Shag Thomas vs. The Von Steigers The tag titles are held up. The hatred is real. And nobody trusts anybody anymore. Exactly how Portland Wrestling liked it. March 1969 wasn’t clean. It wasn’t polished. And it definitely wasn’t under control. But it was unforgettable. Step into the arena. This is Ringside in Rose City — Wrestling  wrestling the way it should be.

Mid-Card Chronicles #10 – The Ones Who Adapted

🎙️ Mid-Card Chronicles #10 – The Ones Who Adapted Main events get remembered. Champions get photographed. But this week… we focus on the wrestlers who adapted, reinvented themselves, and found ways to survive in a business that never stopped changing. In Episode #10 of Mid-Card Chronicles, Frank Culbertson continues the journey through Portland Wrestling’s dependable talents with four wrestlers who each carved out their place in the territory in very different ways. Because sometimes success in wrestling isn’t about becoming the biggest star… It’s about learning how to evolve. Depending on where you saw him, he might have been: • Ali Hassan • Sheik Abdullah • The Sheik • Or even Sheik Abdullah Hussein Same wrestler. Different presentations. Hassan arrived in Portland in 1982 and quickly became far more than just another heel. Within months he defeated Brett Sawyer to capture the Northwest Heavyweight Title—holding it for over five months. That’s not a placeholder champion. That’s trust. Along the way he introduced fans to the bizarre and chaotic Iranian Death Match, aligned himself with Rip Oliver, and later battled his former allies in a Loser Leave Town feud. Some wrestlers never completely leave. Moose Morowski drifted in and out of Portland Wrestling for years: • 1969 • 1970 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1981 • 1983 Sometimes a heel. Sometimes masked as the Black Avenger. Always reliable. Moose represents the classic territory journeyman: the wrestler who could step into any role, at any time, and make the card work. When Curtis Thompson arrived in Portland in 1990… He arrived hot. • Defeating Northwest Champion Scotty the Body immediately • Building momentum quickly • Turning heel alongside Ricky Santana • Capturing the Northwest Tag Team Titles But like many late-era Portland runs… It happened fast. And ended fast. Before long, Thompson moved on to national television where fans would know him better as: Firebreaker Chip. When Mike Masters came into Portland in 1981, he entered directly into the orbit of Buddy Rose. That mattered. • Wins over Chris Colt, Brett Sawyer, and King Parsons • Tag matches alongside Buddy Rose and Stan Stasiak • The classic Don Owen-era Full Nelson finish Masters looked like a wrestler on the rise. But wrestling careers evolve. After Portland, he shifted into promoting and training, eventually helping shape future generations of wrestlers. This episode isn’t just about wins and losses. It’s about reinvention. Adaptation. And finding ways to stay valuable in a business constantly changing around you. Because in wrestling… sometimes the most important skill isn’t winning. It’s lasting. And while Mid-Card Chronicles rolls on… something new is coming soon. 📦 In two weeks, Ringside in Rose City begins an all-new series: The Attraction Archive. From André the Giant… to women wrestlers… to unforgettable special attractions who stormed through Portland for a short time and left lasting memories… A brand-new chapter is almost here. Step back into the territory. This is Mid-Card Chronicles — because without the middle, there is no main event.