The Underrated Living Legend

Not that long ago I made what some would consider to be a controversial statement to my friend. No, I didn’t endorse a political candidate (they’re all awful!). I didn’t denounce Taylor Swift (although I don’t quite get it). I didn’t even say that classic wrestling is better than modern wrestling (though if you think otherwise I doubt you’d have been reading this particular blog for fifteen years). The declaration that I made was that, in the realm of two wrestlers who were very similar in a lot of ways and were also contemporaries, I prefer Larry Zbyszko to Tully Blanchard.

I don’t dislike Tully. Don’t take it that way at all. I’m a big fan! He should’ve had a longer run in his prime, but sadly his salad days and prime earning years collided. Still, even though they had little if any interaction despite being contemporaries, I think that Blanchard and Zbyszko are very similar in a lot of ways. Both had great careers but each left you wanting a bit more. Both had great singles runs but could tear it up in tag teams as well. Both were excellent tag team partners for “The Enforcer” Arn Anderson, each with their own comparative style, in teams that could’ve gone on longer! Tully was a founding member of The Four Horseman. Larry was a pillar of The Dangerous Alliance. They do size up quite nicely.

I will say that, in my opinion, Zbyszko is a tad underrated compared to Blanchard, especially when he had a comparatively longer career. “The Living Legend” celebrated his 72^nd birthday earlier this week and was still making the occasionally in-ring appearance less than a decade ago. I’m sure that many, like myself, would’ve enjoyed a WWF run during the national expansion. In my opinion he would’ve fit right in and probably been upper-mid-card as far as roster status, but it wasn’t meant to be. It could be a lack of a run there, something that Tully did have, albeit briefly, that gives him less of an edge in comparing the two. Another advantage of Tully’s, being part of the aforementioned best-remembered supergroup or faction, is something that I would’ve enjoyed seeing Zbyszko part of as well. 

That being said, Larry Z made his own impact. He was definitely of the more recognizable faces in the dying days of the AWA. He had video tapes, action figures and plenty of magazine covers. He was a frequent coverboy for the WWWF programs of the ‘70s and later into the very early ‘80s once his famous feud with mentor Bruno Sammartino shocked wrestling fans in the northeast. His too-brief run with Jim Crockett Promotions in the late ‘80s, between stints with the AWA, landed him several trading cards in the famous Wonderama set, including with The Western States Heritage Championship belt. He once told me that he had been signed by Jakks to be part of the Legends of the Ring figure series (part of their TNA line) and that the figure would include that particular belt. It didn’t end up happening, but Larry did finally get his due with a modern figure in the Mattel line around the time that he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Let’s not forget his several year stint as a WCW announcer, though he never seemed to have the top color commentator spot that he really deserved. With zero disrespect to Bobby Heenan, “The Brain” just wasn’t anything close to what he was in the WWF after he went to WCW. Zbyszko should’ve had the prime spot but, again, it just was not meant to be. The announcer position did lead to a few returns to the ring, but the thought of Larry being part of that great 1993 active WCW roster really brings some regret that it didn’t happen. Didn’t like the Paul Roma version of the Horsemen? Why not try Larry in there? Ultimately we did get that great feud with Lord Steven Regal, but I always felt underwhelmed when Larry feuded with “the new World odor.” Perhaps if Dusty had stepped into the ring during his brief nWo run we could’ve had an intriguing legends feud.

I enjoy seeing Larry at shows and conventions. He seems to be one who got out of the business with happiness and contentment. If he didn’t, he’s putting on an awfully good show. He doesn’t take it too seriously and is always up to talk to fans and reminisce about all of those GLORIOUS years. He truly is a star, that while underrated, made his mark in all of the biggest promotions of the day. He’s certainly memorable, still discussed to this day and best of all he lived to talk about and enjoy it. I don’t think that it gets more successful than that. Oh yeah, and like me, he’s a Pittsburgher! It doesn’t get much better than THAT, either!

PowerTown Arrives: Lou Thesz & Verne Gagne

For as many great legends figures as we’ve received over the years, the true early television era of wrestling has largely been ignored. While no one ever expected figures of a Hans Schmidt or a Wilbur Snyder (although…), fans have clamored for representations of the champions and megastars of the day. In PowerTown’s Ultra Series 1 we’re finally treated to certainly two of the biggest names of that era and the championships that defined them. Put away the signs, cellphones and t-shirts. Put on your Sunday suit, slick back your hair and, as much as I detest it, light up your unfiltered ciggies: we’re going back in time!

For some collectors the entry of Lou Thesz and Verne Gagne into the first PowerTown set was disappointing. They aren’t as recent as the other four men in the lineup. You cannot count myself, nor you, among those people. Not only did we want them as figures but I think that they actually may be the sleeper hits of the set. Didn’t think that action figures of wrestling stars of seventy years ago could be exciting? Think again! My one and only qualm was that we weren’t getting the older version of Verne that many of us grew up knowing. I’ve long wanted a figure of the Minnesota legend from that era and I still feel that he is a glaring omission from the Remco AWA line. I have a feeling that PowerTown will take care of all of that in the future, but that’s just my own speculation. In the meantime I’ve truly come to love the figure that we did get.

As shown in our Stan Hansen review, the packaging is very nice and unique in design. I don’t know that I’ll ever find the strength to purge these boxes even considering how big they are. Even without the figures inside they truly feel like part of the product rather than just a disposable means of delivering the figure to collectors. It should be noted that the NWA Championship included with Thesz is labeled as such but the AWA Championship with Gagne is just called the “Police Gazette” (named after the Police Gazette presenting the belt to Gagne as Wrestler of the Year) belt. Ultimately it doesn’t matter when it pertains to the figures and the accessories.

Each figure comes with their respective championship belt, towel and a changeable fist for their right hand. Thesz has a robe while Gagne has a ring jacket proudly proclaiming “VERNE” on the back. These pre-match gear items are both soft plastic as we’ve seen in virtually every wrestling figure line of the past few years. They can be a bit difficult to remove and replace, but they do look spectacular when on. The colors are perfectly muted for the era and really help to make these figures look as if they stepped right out of a black and white photo.

Speaking of photos, the longtime fan can easily pinpoint the promotional photos that were used to design each of these figures. That’s because, again, they look just like the photos. Some companies would have tried to get away with generic faces here, but PowerTown did not go that route. They brought the respect that these guys deserved. Each has an expression that is easily recognized with these golden age champions. The lower legs/boots are removable just like on the other PowerTown figures even though there aren’t kneepads with these two. Kneepads? Who in the ‘40s and ‘50s needed kneepads? As mentioned above the hands are removable, too, which greatly helps when utilizing the robe and jacket.

One thing that was big in the era was the “wrestling stance.” That look where a wrestler looks as if he’s about to go for a takedown. The poseability here is perfect just for that. Want these two to go an hour Broadway? You can do it. LJN may have said “twist ‘em! turn ‘em!” four decades ago, but that’s what these two grappling greats will be doing. Only now it looks insanely real! No flippity floppity thigh slapping good times here, this is real wrestling. No sociopolitical agendas being promoted with keyboard warrior fans complaining about missed spots. Real men who were unafraid to act as real, respectable people.

With Stan Hansen I didn’t dive too much into the belt, especially since we’ll be looking at that belt again, but I will go that route here. If you had asked me to make a list of wrestling world championships that we would have in figure form one day I never would’ve guessed these. This AWA Championship was indeed the one that Gagne wore back then, but you may remember it from its revival in the late ‘80s with Jerry Lawler and Larry Zbyszko. Some of the PowerTown championships have very large straps but this one is absolutely perfect compatibility wise. I’ve already tried it on a figure of Lawler and let’s just say that The King is on top again! This version of the NWA Championship is best remembered with Thesz, but in a cool move he actually presented it to Adrian Adonis upon the latter winning the Southwest Championship Wrestling tournament. Lou took it back, of course, but that’s one of my first recollections of seeing it on tape.

As I believe will be the standard for PowerTown, I feel that two huge gaps in the wrestling figure world have finally been filled. If you already have these or have them coming to you, congratulations! I knew that these would be a worthwhile pre-order and it’s nice to see my prediction come true. If you didn’t partake in the pre-order I sadly don’t have any further info for you. What I can tell you is not to sleep on Series 2 when it’s finally announced. There has been a long standing rumor that yet a third legend from this era will be coming shortly from PowerTown. It would fill another gap, to be sure.

Get your Georgie pins ready…

Wrestling MarketWatch: The American Wrestling Association

I'm flat tired out of WrestleMania! Too much of a good thing, at least the glory days. Since that's all we've been talking about here on the blog lately, let's move on. Well, not quite onward, but back to the past as usual. Instead of the bright lights of the World Wrestling Federation it's time to look at another popular wrestling entity of the 1980's. This one that, aside from a bleak final year and change, pretty much had its last stand in the '80s. Of course we're talking about Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association. As a kid, doing my research, I once felt that "everyone" came from the AWA originally. I was half right. Most huge stars did have at least a cup of coffee there. In this edition of MarketWatch we'll look at the recent selling prices of some items that reflect the era, the promotion and its stars.

*Many of the items from '80s AWA represent the brief partnership between the AWA and Jim Crockett Promotions: Pro Wrestling USA. Though the alliance didn't last, it was a key effort to try and battle the now-national WWF. They certainly had the wrestling talent to be competition. In Remco's initial AWA action figure offering a two-pack was produced featuring Larry Zbyszko against "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. Who wouldn't have wanted a Flair figure back then? I consider this set to be one of the cornerstones of the beloved Remco figure line and thankfully for collectors it's one of the easiest to locate. Carded examples have recently sold for between $189-$249.

*That Pro Wrestling USA partnership spawned several "supershows" in regular WWF strongholds. In 1985 one such show, Star Wars, was held at East Rutherford, New Jersey's Meadowlands Arena. Flair, Sgt. Slaughter, Rick Martel and The Road Warriors were just a few examples of the talent on the lineup. An audience of 12,000 fans saw Stan Hansen dethrone Martel for the AWA World Championship in the main event. A program possibly purchased by one of those fans back in 1985 recently sold for $25.

*The AWA certainly had hopes of becoming what the World Wrestling Federation was slowly blooming into and to prove it they distributed a high-quality press kit in the early 1980's. This is interesting as even the WWF itself hadn't released such a full press kit as of yet. While some of the claims printed within are dubious to say the least, it certainly paints the AWA in a glorious light. We've taken a deeper look at this treasure before both in a vlog last year and here on the blog. The rather rare kit recently sold for $230.

*While the WWF had WrestleMania and the NWA had Starrcade, AWA had big shows of its own. SuperClash and WrestleRock would be at the top of that list. WrestleRock '86, though somewhat disjointed at times. is visually fun to watch (especially once they're smart enough to move the fans inward for the sake of the cameras) and overall an enjoyable show. You can watch it on Peacock and it doesn't appear that the PC Police which have gotten to other WWE-owned content on the streaming service have bothered to watch this one yet. I'd love to have gotten a glimpse at the merchandise stands at this show because it would be fun to see what all was sold. A bandana from the event recently sold for $82.

*Finally, from the fabled Mat Mania series, comes "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers. For those unaware, the first few Remco AWA figure series were comprised of two and three packs such as the Flair-Zbyszko set above. When the final series was released it was made up of Somers, Buddy Rose, Shawn Michaels, Marty Jannetty, Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissie, Nord The Barbarian and Boris Zhukov all on single "Mat Mania" cards. Referee Dick Woehrle, Ric Flair, Paul Ellering and Nick Bockwinkel were also re-released as part of the series. The "Pretty Boy," loose and complete with jacket, recently sold for $225.

All of these items are a reminder that the WWF wasn't the only wrestling league with marketing back in the '80s. The selling prices are a testament to the popularity that the promotion and its stars still have. We'll be getting new AWA merchandise this year with the first ever figure of Verne Gagne. Now if we can get that Remco-styled '80s version...

JW’s Wrestling Memorabilia Vlog Vol. 1

Not a true entry here but a bit of a “digest” of sorts for a few recent vlog entries that I’ve made as a supplement to the blog. You’ve wanted to dive a bit deeper into the classic press kits of wrestling? Look no further!

Enjoy and thanks for watching!

The Territory Photo Albums--AWA 1974

Who doesn't love looking through the old territory photo albums? Even non-collecting wrestling fans get a kick out of them. They're a time capsule of a particular promotion and are usually from a golden era. If business was down and the stars weren't exactly top notch the promoters probably weren't going to spend a lot of money to advertise that fact. As I said in the first installment of this feature many years ago, you didn't have the Internet where you could fly to any promotion's website or app and instantly view the current roster, alumni, Hall of Fame, etc. So what did you do? You spent a couple bucks and bought a photo album if your area was lucky enough to have one.

Being one of the premiere wrestling promotions in the country, the American Wrestling Association had many photo albums. In this case, way back in 1974, it's a yearbook. I've long wanted this particular publication and the price is usually fairly high when it comes up. I've not only been on an AWA "kick" as of late, but I happened upon a small but amazing collection chock full of items from both this promotion and "nearby" Central States. I'm sure we'll be seeing much more from that lot both here on the blog and on the associated social media pages. I must say that I'm particularly thrilled over the inclusion of a side of a popcorn box that was used for collecting autographs. It really isn't even the autographs that are as exciting to me as it being an actual piece of a popcorn box from a nearly fifty-year-old wrestling show. If you wouldn't be feeling the same, get off of this blog now.

Kidding, of course! We've got 1974 to go back to here. If you've already browsed through the photos or own this book yourself, you may notice the resemblance to the 1976 World Wide Wrestling Federation Championship Wrestling Yearbook. That yearbook was also published by the team of Gary Halvorson and Gary Juster and is very similar in feel and format. Juster, of course, is best remembered for his involvement in World Championship Wrestling in the early '90s and was still around the wrestling business within the last few years. Seeing as that the WWWF version was listed as being published in St. Paul, Minnesota, one has to wonder if Vince McMahon or another WWWF promoter saw this AWA work and decided that they wanted to commission one for themselves.

The table of contents for this AWA yearbook lists Verne Gagne, The Crusher, Billy Robinson, Billy "Superstar" Graham, Nick Bockwinkel, Ray Stevens, Bobby Heenan, Larry "The Axe" Hennig, Ivan Putski, Baron Von Raschke and Horst Hoffman, Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell, Dick The Bruiser, Buddy Wolff, Geoff Portz, Chris Taylor, Andre The Giant, and Nikolai Volkoff among the top wrestlers. Of course there are also a few pages with additional wrestlers as well as other dignitaries. In showing how everyone wanted to stay "fresh" in those days, several of the stars featured would end up in the WWWF version two years later. 

It's no surprise our cover boy is Verne Gagne himself. I've said it many times, but I still can't believe that we didn't get a Remco Verne figure. Nonetheless, here he is demonstrating his pure wrestling prowess on Billy Robinson and featuring in the first, and biggest, bio. Son Greg is on the inside cover. I don't agree with the hate that Greg gets, but it's just simply telling that he's right there. While you might've guessed Robinson as the second bio, you would be wrong. He came in third right behind The Crusher. Even as he was getting up in age, I'm sure that Reggie "Crusher" Lisowski was still a top drawing card in the region, especially in Milwaukee. Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!

We get a look at Billy Graham (when "Superstar" got middle billing) and then arrive upon the man that I, personally, connect most closely with the AWA, the one and only Nick Bockwinkel. He may have been the classiest champion that there ever was, but you could also argue that he was the classiest heel, too. While I'm sure that Nick Aldis in our modern era is mostly trying to emulate Ric Flair, he actually comes across much more in the style of Bockwinkel as far as promos and presentation. Nevertheless, both in and out of the ring Bockwinkel is unmatched. 

While they don't have the bios that the "home based" AWA talent gets, Andre the Giant and Nikolai Volkoff share a featured page that obviously points out their importance. With Andre it was no secret. Looking through AWA results of the era you can see the many tours that Andre did throughout the Midwest, often competing in a battle royal or helping dispose of the most dastardly AWA heels. Volkoff was likely coming in from the WWWF, as he's pictured with a nice head of hair and "Classy" Freddie Blassie who would not have made the trip, being a WWWF lifer at that point.

There are two full pages of smaller pictures displaying "More Wrestling Stars." It's sort of surprising to see Dusty Rhodes here instead of getting a full profile, though this would be right when he was becoming "The American Dream" in Florida. We do get to see a photo that I have never seen before of young "Rick Flair," probably not too far removed from the days when he yearned to be known as "Rambling" Ricky Rhodes. We also get to see Rene Goulet, Red Bastien, Larry Heiniemi (Lars Anderson), Khosrow Ali Vaziri (The Iron Sheik), and a young, slim, dark haired grappler named Paul Perschman who would later be immortalized in plastic by the AWA as "Playboy" Buddy Rose. Interestingly we also get a photo of "Odd Job," labeled as such. This is obviously actor Harold Sakata who played the famous James Bond villain, but I wasn't aware that he actually wrestled under the character name. Rather I recall him being billed in the ring as Tosh Togo.

After the wrestlers we get a full page dedicated to promoter Wally Karbo (who Bobby Heenan had a million stories about) and a subsequent page with other AWA officials. Stanley Blackburn, Bob Luce, Al DeRusha, Lord James"Tally Ho" Blears and Ed Francis are a few of the more familiar names. We end the publication with a profile on longtime AWA broadcaster Marty O'Neill and two unsurprising ads. The first is for the publications produced by "The Wrestling News." Although the ordering address is in New York, these publications were largely produced out of the AWA territory and always seemed to have a large focus on that area. Last but not least is an ad for the film "The Wrestler." This is, of course, the 1974 version which co-starred Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson. It's worth going out of your way to see, is widely available, and the bar fight featuring The Texas Outlaws (Rhodes and Dick Murdoch) is a real highlight. And there's Harold Sakata again looking a lot like Odd Job.

Did I say how much I love these old books? I know that I'm not the only one. I can't cram all of the pictures into one blog entry, but I do try to feature enough to convey the look and feel. If you want to see more, give us a follow over on Instagram (@jws_wrestling_memorabilia) where I just recently posted a brief tour of this yearbook with photos you did not see here including Wahoo McDaniel, Vivian Vachon, Ken Patera, Wilbur Snyder, and one of my off-beat favorites from the era, Bull Bullinski. If there was ever a wrestler of the '70s, it's Bull.

While Ron Trongard wasn't in this particular AWA publication, can't you just hear him? "From coast to coast, continent to continent, border to border, it's the A-DOUBLE-YEW-A!"

Wrestling MarketWatch: The Road Warriors

Longtime readers know that when it comes down to tag teams with face paint, I'm pretty biased. In fact with tag teams in general I'm beyond biased. I am a Demolition guy. Aside from paint and the era in which they came, I honestly never saw much similarities between Demolition and The Road Warriors. Are Sting and The Ultimate Warrior the same just because they both wore face paint in the '80s and '90s? Not at all. That being said, as much of a Demolition fan as I am, I have always been thoroughly entertained by the LOD, as well, and greatly respect what they did for the business.

As of press time we have just recently mourned the passing of Road Warrior Animal. It's time to look back on a small sampling of the merchandise created in the images of Animal, Hawk, and manager Paul Ellering. While a few items may have seen a slight inflation over their regular market value, I think that you'll notice relative stability seeing as that merchandise of "the boys" is usually in high demand regardless.

*For many fans their love affair with the team began with their first action figures. They, of course, came courtesy of Remco and the American Wrestling Association in 1985. Originally Hawk and Animal came sold in a two-pack. It was later expanded to a three-pack by including Paul Ellering. The trio has great accessories and are still the best figure representations of the early days of the Legion of Doom. Although Mattel has promised us that this will change next year, this is still the only released figure of Ellering. The figure was later re-released singly as part of the infamous "Mat Mania" line. The threesome is averaging $100 loose and complete, which isn't too far out of the ordinary for figures that many consider to be highlights of the series.

*Sticking with early LOD we've got what is probably their best remembered magazine cover appearance. The Pro Wrestling Illustrated issue from March 1984 was not only the "year end" issue for 1983, but also a true iconic moment for Hawk and Animal. The cover may proclaim them "Tag Team of the Year" but the combination of their unique look and the incredible photography (horror lighting, anyone?) made sure that no one would forget them even thirty-six years after hitting the newsstands. In what may be a record for the issue it recently sold for $70. This could be the one price listed in this entry that is higher solely from Animal's passing.

*The Road Warriors competed nearly everywhere, but many fond memories stem from their time with the NWA and Jim Crockett Promotions. The underrated memorabilia produced by JCP has long been celebrated in this blog and you may recall seeing many of those southern stars plastered on bandanas. The first one that I owned featured none other than Hawk and Animal. There are actually several designs featuring the tag team, but the one shown here has been selling for an average of $50. Considering how high these bandanas can go, it's actually a fair price.

*Even after Road Warrior Hawk's passing, Animal continued to venture in pro wrestling. He returned to the big time in the mid-2000's with another run in WWE. He still looked good and I was always pleased to see him continue to take part in the business. The company tried to utilize him in several different ways, though he was ultimately released in 2006. Several action figures were born out of this run as were trading cards and promotional photos. His solo promotional photo from this run, complete with the classic face paint and spiked shoulder pads, recently sold autographed for $20. 

*Ending as we started with action figures, we now look at what are probably their best remembered pair. In the ever popular Hasbro line The Legion of Doom was represented in what turned out to be the second and final series of tag team two-packs. The other set, The Nasty Boys, saw manufacturing problems thus causing Hasbro to send LOD-only cases to retailers early on. The Nasty Boys pack was the single Hasbro WWF item that I never saw at retail. Many other fans encountered the same issue. Due to this, many of the over-shipped LOD two packs sat on clearance. This has done nothing to hurt their value or take away from the fact that they are fun figures. You may recall that the Hasbro Hawk even made a cameo appearance at their WWE Hall of Fame induction. The pair of loose figures has been selling for an average of $90.

Hawk and Animal may be gone physically, but their influence will assuredly always be felt in the world of professional wrestling...and its merchandise. What else is there to say? What a rush!

The Marketable Visage Of Rick Martel

When you heard the strumming of the harp strings, you knew that the arrogant one was about to enter the arena. Yes, he was "The Model," and despite beginning his career in the relatively merchandise-light era of the 1970's, Martel ended up being featured on a load of items over the next few decades. Some of those pieces were reeking with arrogance, while others showed a clean cut hero who was virtually always striking with force. As we take a look at a few of them, perhaps you will want to cue up his famous WWF theme as mood music.

Originally making his mark in tag team wrestling on the '70s World Wide Wrestling Federation scene, Martel ended up honing his craft all over the world. The French-Canadian star began, as mentioned above, as a babyface who made the men cheer and the women swoon. Similar to his later partner Tito Santana, Martel may have had an accent but the fire in his promos came across crystal clear to all audiences. That fire translated perfectly into the ring with a style that was adaptable to virtually any opponent. Add it all together and Rick Martel had the perfect recipe for success.

Many fans will recall when Rick Martel shot to the top of the American Wrestling Association. "Ricky" made a credible AWA World Champion and was a good compromise between the ever-changing 1980's wrestling scene and the often-antiquated AWA approach to the industry. Martel, always a favorite with the magazine publishers in those days, appeared on covers as both "World Champion" and "rising star" simultaneously.

Famously, this period also saw the first action figure of Rick Martel. Originally packaged with opponent Baron Von Raschke, Martel's figure is one of the first that flashes to mind when the Remco AWA line is mentioned. Complete with jacket and occasionally a championship belt as well, there were several head sculpt variations for the figure that have previously been shown in these pages. Martel also appeared on the kid-sized championship belt carrying case that was supplemental to the Remco figure line.

In 1986 Martel jumped back to the World Wrestling Federation and immediately returned to the tag team ranks. Initially teaming with Tom Zenk as The Can-Am Connection, Zenk's departure led to Martel joining forces with Santana as Strike Force. The team saw a nice burst of success including a classic theme song in "Girls In Cars," a tag team championship run, and inclusion in LJN WWF Wrestling Superstars figure line.

1989 finally brought us a side of Rick that we did not yet know existed. At WrestleMania V, Martel turned on Santana and became an arrogant heel. Later that year, Martel became "The Model." Complete with his own cologne appropriately named "Arrogance," Martel took the ball and ran with the character. While he did not add any titles to his resume during this time, "The Model" had several memorable feuds all the way up to 1995. His inclusion in the Hasbro WWF figure line has always been a favorite of mine and in many ways was unexpected when released in 1993. Over the years "The Model" has also been produced by Jakks and Mattel as action figures, was included in the Remco WWF Superstars Shoot-Out table top hockey game, and appeared in several video games.

As arrogant as "The Model" was, Martel himself has always seemed to be a likable guy. Though he has appeared on the convention circuit in the past, promoters report that he has been relatively unavailable for bookings in recent years. By all accounts, Martel has had a happy and successful family and business life outside of the wrestling world. With all of the tragedy and sorrow that has surrounded many of his colleagues from the same wrestling era, this can only be taken as good news. Last seen on WWE television over twelve years ago, I think it's time that we hear that harp one more time, perhaps as part of the WWE Hall of Fame?

Wrestling MarketWatch: More From The Bookshelf

Summer reading, anyone? If you're undertaking such an endeavor, you need some quality wrestling-related reading on the menu. No, this isn't the sports entertainment version of Oprah's book club, but just as in with any other forms of wrestling memorabilia, the values of books rise and fall as time goes by. Several years ago books were looked at in Wrestling MarketWatch, but in this sequel we only revisit one title to see what has happened with its secondary market value.

*Kicking it off we have my all-time favorite wrestling book. From a man who saw it all in the business came "Wrestlers Are Like Seagulls." Wrestler, manager, and office man James J. Dillon was part of the business through several of its hottest periods with virtually all of  the major territories and companies. Undoubtedly Dillon has enough stories for several volumes, but it's here that we get a rare look into the inner workings of late '80s - early '90s WWF, a time period still rather clouded in mystery. Other books have given us a story here and there, but here is the man who was working directly with Vince McMahon and Pat Patterson at a very hot, and sometimes tumultuous, time for the company. The book recently sold for $52.

*Looking back on our first MarketWatch entry covering books it's time to once again check out "Killer Pics - A Collection of Images from a Pro Wrestling Legend." From Hall of Fame villain Walter "Killer" Kowalski comes a book featuring his own photography illustrating both wrestling and the world around us. The book was in much demand at one point and was selling for as much as $52 when we last looked at it. More recently it sold for $14.50.

*Widely considered the first wrestling book, "Whatever Happened To Gorgeous George" was first published in 1974. Author Joe Jares, who passed away two years ago, was the son of a wrestler and put the book together based upon his childhood memories from touring with his father. If a book were to endear the mainstream public to pro wrestling before Mick Foley wrote his first autobiography, this may have been the one that did it. The book recently sold for $40.

*No longer in publication and, according to Jim Cornette, not in any reprinting plans, The Midnight Express 25th Anniversary Scrapbook has become highly collectible. The book is a complete history of the storied tag team and is very autobiographical for their manager Cornette as well. Thanks to copious notes kept by Cornette during the run of the team, we can easily find out where the team was, who they wrestled, how well the show performed, and even what the boys made for their efforts. Peppered with road stories, behind-the-scenes info, and plenty of reprinted press and rare photos, you could not ask for a better treasury of any wrestler or tag team. It's no surprise that the book just fetched $129.

*Do you remember Pro Wrestling U.S.A., the alliance attempted by Verne Gagne and Jim Crockett to try and combat the WWF? Did you know that it had an official book? Mat Wars was the name, and this large, glossy publication by Gagne and late wrestling journalist/historian Jim Melby can prove difficult to find for a decent price. Recently it sold for $23, considerably less than in years past.

Another five that you may already have on your bookshelf. If you don't, all offer plenty in terms of learning more about different eras of classic professional wrestling. And although we did not look at any released by the company, keep in mind that wrestling publications do not lie solely with those put out by WWE. Amazing works by men like Mark James and Scott Teal are widely available online and offer a variety of stories about some of the greatest stars ever to set foot in a wrestling ring. Got a "staycation" coming up? Google those authors and order up some great reading.

Bloody Disgusting!

Maybe this list should've been saved for Halloween! Who else loved the bloody wrestling magazine covers of yesteryear? I can't imagine many saying that they didn't. These covers are almost a foreign concept in a world where wrestling matches are stopped when a drop of blood comes trickling out. It's a different time, and not necessarily a better one. Thankfully, we have these artifacts to look back on, showcasing the gory, wild west world of vintage professional wrestling.

The stars of the '70s were wild in and out of the ring. Two of the most notorious were Harley Race, who could fill a bloody cover story all by himself, and the late Blackjack Mulligan. In March 1979, the two were seen in a gruesome bloodbath on the cover of Inside Wrestling. Mulligan's infamous clawhold seems to be actually causing the blood to squirt from the head of Race...

Speaking of wild, how about Buddy Colt? This top talent in such areas as Florida and Georgia may not be a common name to today's fans, but students of the past are more than familiar with the grappler. In fact, it's the very photo used on the cover of a 1974 Wrestling Yearbook issue that shows up time and again when Colt comes into the conversation. The caption? "Buddy Colt Loves Blood - Even If It's His." Well then...

Speaking of loving their own blood, you get a feeling that "The Brain" may have been the same way. There are tons of magazine covers featuring Bobby Heenan's mug covered in a "crimson mask," but none are more iconic than the November 1970 issue of The Wrestler. The magazine had it's own feature on this blog at one point, and Heenan still lights up when he sees this particular cover.

One of Heenan's most connected protege's also shed blood on occasion, that being Nick Bockwinkel. On a 1980 Wrestling Annual magazine, the erudite champion is seen on the cover after a brutal AWA Championship defense. His famous belt barely held up, the dazed Bockwinkel likely just had the fight of his life.

Of course, bloody covers can come in the form of programs, too. Each territory had their programs, but few may have been cooler than those from Memphis. The September 26, 1979 program cover features a very young Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy covered in a mass of blood. The photo may be black and white, but that does not stop the intensity of the moment from coming through.

A small sampling? Yes, but some of the best. The blood is often missed from today's product, but looking at these images certainly keeps the gruesome past alive. Bloody Hell!