One Day in Old School Professional Wrestling - The Inflation Calculator

Funk's Corner - One Day in Old School Professional Wrestling - The Inflation Calculator

Plainview, Texas was one of three weekly Saturday night spots in the Amarillo Territory, Littlefield and Hereford being the other two. It those days, spot shows were heavily supported by Illegal Immigrants,” Cotton and Vegetable workers who came across the U. S. Mexican Border to work at reduced salaries for West Texas Farmers. (Sounds like the present)

Only six wrestlers were needed to put on a ninety minute to a two hour show.

The main event was Tokyo Tom, master of the dreaded Karate thrust to the neck vs Rapid Ricky Romero. Paul Christy was the referee. Also on the card and running the show that night was Dory Funk Sr.

The Plainview Sports Arena was packed, mostly Latin Americans. The card was:

************************

One Fall Ten Minute time limit
Dandy Dan Miller vs The Viking

Best 2 out of 3 Falls, 45 minute time limit.
Dory Funk Sr Sir Nelson Royal
Dan Miller vs The Viking

Two out of Three Falls, One hour time limit.
Ricky Romero vs Tokyo Tom

***************************

Tokyo Tom and Ricky Romero were in the third fall of a two out of three fall match. Both men were perspiring freely from the hot lights and hard work in a building with no air-conditioning.

Ricky Romero made one of his spectacular hot fighting comebacks. He had Tokyo Tom in the corner. Paul Christy, the young referee gave Ricky the four count and then tried to step in between to stop Ricky's onslaught of punches. In a flash, Ricky grabbed the referee and threw him across to the opposite turnbuckle. When Paul hit the turnbuckle, he didn't turn his back to the turnbuckle like most wrestlers, he took the bump like a referee might. He hit the turnbuckle running forward and jumping at the last second. Paul was draped over the opposite turnbuckle facing forward, Looking out over the crowd.

Ricky then grabbed Tokyo Tom and threw him toward the same turnbuckle however Tom reversed the throw and whipped Ricky into the same turnbuckle. Ricky took
the bump like wrestlers do and bashed backward into Paul Christy's buttock hanging over the turnbuckle.

You have the picture, Paul Christy draped over the top turnbuckle and Ricky crammed up against Paul's ass.

Now Tokyo Tom sees the opportunity to throw the illegal and devastating "Karate Thrust to Ricky‘s neck. Tom advances toward the battered Ricky Romero and unleashes the deadly Karate Thrust.

At the last second, Ricky moves out of the way and Tokyo Tom shoves the dreaded karate blow ten inches up Paul Christy's ass.

Paul Christy jumped up off the turnbuckle screaming at the top of his lungs, then fell to the mat and scooted on his ass across the middle of the ring like a dog with worms.

All of the wrestlers were watching but were under orders from Dory Funk Sr. not to laugh in front of the fans at what happened in the ring.

Ricky slipped behind Tokyo Tom with a cradle for the win and the largely Hispanic crowd in Plainview, Texas went wild.

Funk Sr. came into the dressing room laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes.

Just one night in the wrestling business, “Old School.”

Wrestler's pay was in cash envelopes with six wrestlers and the referee dividing the wrestler’s portion of the gate.

Payoff for that Saturday night in Plainview, Texas only 60 miles from home was $70 per wrestler. According to my inflation calculator $70 in 1965 is equal to $439.78 in today’s purchasing power.

One of the best wrestling shows produced at the Funking Conservatory featuring TNA‘s Gail Kim and Scott D‘Amore and the stars !BANG! TV, Support the Troops 12, “Cold War 2” is now up in it’s entirety at www.dory-funk.com.

Our next !BANG! TV Taping is Support the Troops 14, "PayBack" coming Sunday March 25th. Tickets to PayBack are now on sale on our website and at Devon Self Storage in Downtown Ocala, Florida.

For training information and schedules at the Funking Conservatory, Call - 352-895-4658.