15 Years Later…Bruno & The Wrestling Legends Cards Are Still Uno

It’s an odd feeling to be doing a follow-up to an entry published nearly fifteen years to the day earlier. Even odder is that I had to research when the original was done and it just so happened to be way back on July 20^th 2010. A completely different world is so many ways, yet, here we are without any huge visual changes like in the span of, say, 1965-1980 or 1980-1995. I almost feel like visuals have stopped changing somehow but that’s not the topic at hand.

Back in 2010 I either tracked down or was pointed in the direction of a man named Tim Ferrante who, back in the ‘90s, was vice president of a company called Imagine Inc. While many know the company for publishing trading cards and other items in the vintage horror/sci-fi genre, wrestling fans are aware of the name for being behind Bruno Sammartino’s autobiography and the 1991 Wrestling Legends trading card set. It was the latter which Mr. Ferrante was kind enough to speak about. He even provided rare trade show photos highlighting the association with “The Living Legend.” It became one of the highest-read entries in the history of this blog.

Fast forward to March 15^th 2025 and I finally find myself speaking to the other side of the creative force behind these early ‘90s Bruno relics – a man by the name of Bob Michelucci. From being one of the zombies in the original “Dawn of the Dead” film (made in a huge location of my childhood – Monroeville Mall) to being involved in endless other projects in design and marketing around the Pittsburgh area and beyond, Michelucci is an unsung hero to so many of us. Speaking with him you not only walk away with more behind-the-scenes info than you ever thought you’d know but you also get the feeling that Mr. Michelucci is unaware of how much joy he’s brought to so many, whether it be in the spotlight or behind the scenes. It’s just his life’s work.

It was the “Bruno Forever” event, covered in an earlier entry, where I finally met Mr. Michelucci. A few months later he hosted a weekend long event, at the aforementioned Monroeville Mall, called a “living estate sale.” Even with being involved with and/or behind so many projects over the years, Michelucci is a collector himself. Like with all of us collectors eventually comes the time to downsize. A small portion of the large sale included items from Michelucci’s days working with “The Living Legend.”

I was able to add a few things to my own vast Bruno collection including the trade show photos that you see here which also feature Bill “Chilly Billy” Cardille (Pittsburgh broadcasting legend and host of of Pittsburgh’s Studio Wrestling), Johnny Valiant and photographer George Napolitano. They’re a fascinating glimpse back to when you actually had to bring a camera to such an event. No whipping out your phone here. The photos range from the Vegas trade show which was also shown thanks to Mr. Ferrante back in 2010 to local signings here in Pittsburgh.

I also finally picked up a signed Bruno LJN Wrestling Superstars poster. I never did start getting the LJN posters signed, instead concentrating on having the carded figures themselves signed, but what a way to start. Normally I’m not interested if something is signed to someone who isn’t me, but occasionally an exception is made. When it’s signed to the co-author of the autobiography of the signer it’s definitely one of the latter times.

Rounding out the Bruno haul was an original flyer advertising the book’s availability and the last piece to the Wrestling Legends trading card set. There was an initial base set which my father bought for me way back when the cards were new. There was also a set featuring a special eight card gold bordered autographed subset. This version, which was very affordable even back when I did the initial blog entry, has soared in the recent years as it features the only officially signed cards of Buddy Rogers and Lou Thesz. What I still needed was an unsigned set of those eight special cards which was also released. My set is finally complete.

Best of all were all the stories Bob has about those Imagine Inc. and Bruno days. He mentioned that, even then, some guys just weren’t able to be part of it. This was long before the days of “Legends Contracts” but you can imagine that names like Gorilla Monsoon, George Steele, Jay Strongbow and Pat Patterson probably would’ve been included but were still very much employed by the WWF at the time. Bob also never let it goes unmentioned as to what a great guy Bruno was. He is so very much right.

Stay tuned to our Facebook blog page for info on future “Living Estate Sales” that Mr. Michelucci will hold as I will be passing the info along there. Also, I still stand by my claim from the original entry in 2010: the 1991 Wrestling Legends trading cards are STILL the most underrated wrestling cards of all-time.

From The Musty Yellowed Pages—Wrestling’s Main Event March 1984

When thinking of ‘80s wrestling magazines certainly the Weston/Apter mags and the official WWF Magazine come to mind, but they weren’t the only boys on the block. Often you would find other titles with some great photography and perhaps even peeks at wrestlers that you didn’t see in the other publications. Most of those are discussed nowadays as “The Napolitano Mags” as their editor was legendary photographer George Napolitano. These titles were often just as visible at the newsstand as Pro Wrestling Illustrated or The Wrestler and were even perhaps a bit less “kayfabe” than those books. In this look back we’re going thirty-nine years into the past to March of 1984 with Wrestling’s Main Event. Ric Flair following his NWA Championship win at Starrcade 1983 is our lead story and cover picture.

The magazine, published by Pumpkin Press in NYC, was a mere sixteen bucks for a full year subscription back in 1984. Not even $2 an issue! No wonder Haku himself, King Tonga as he was known then, is letting us know that this publication is numero uno. I wouldn’t disagree with the man, even being the true sweetheart of a guy that he is. It should be noted that Les Thatcher is listed on the staff here. In addition to wrestling, announcing and training, Thatcher helmed many wrestling magazines of the ‘70s including Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Magazine and WWWF Wrestling Action. Both of those titles have been covered extensively here on the blog over the past near-fifteen years. Les has always been kind enough to share memories and stories of these magazines both for publication here and in comments on social media.

The official rankings are a bit different and less extensive than in other wrestling magazines of the day. One page covers what seems to be the contenders for four major championships, listing those champions above all else. The NWA, WWF, AWA and WWC Championships are the titles featured. WWC action featuring Carlos Colon, Abdullah the Butcher, Bruiser Brody and others was featured more than once on the covers of these titles. Unlike the other magazines which tended to shy away from bloody covers as the ‘80s dawned, the Napolitano mags still seemed to go by the old adage that “red equals green.” Still, it wasn’t as prevalent as the blood-soaked covers of the ‘70s were. I love going through old rankings sections and counting who all I’ve been lucky enough to meet over the years. Counting all of the champions and contenders on this page only four eluded me. That number may go down to (and stay forever at) three soon, but I never count my chickens.

Up-and-comers who weren’t getting much press at the time were often featured in these pages. A great write-up later in the issue features a very young Dr. Tom Prichard, but early in the pages we get an article on someone who’s a favorite of many, The One Man Gang. The OMG is obviously not too far removed from his early incarnation as Crusher Broomfield. The long hair was a great look and possibly made him look even more maniacal than he did with the later mohawk. Of course, I’m partial to Akeem The African Dream, but I’ll take George Gray in any shape or form. He’s a great guy and was a great big man wrestler. The article tells of how he’d recently been managed by both J.J. Dillon and the sort of lost-to-time “Gentleman” Jim Holliday.

The Gang is shown in an epic battle with Florida hero Mike Graham. Are you ready for your centerfold? Feast your eyes on more Graham than you thought you could handle. In all seriousness, Mike Graham gets bad talked these days for no good reason. It seemingly stems from his appearances on the old WWE Legends of Wrestling roundtable shows, but come on. He acts just as braggadocios as virtually anyone else on that (great) show did. In my meetings with Mr. Graham I found him to be nothing but kind, humble and engaging. I treasure the autographs and memorabilia that I have from him and was saddened by his untimely passing and its circumstances. If anyone says that he wasn’t over, they know nothing of the Florida wrestling legacy. I wish that he were still here to celebrate it.

Next we have my pin-up. No, not Jimmy Garvin. Sure, we all love Precious and her Remco AWA figure. There was even the original Precious (yes, before Jimmy’s wife, Patti) for a spell. But the best of them all, in my view, was Sunshine. If there was ever a “girl next door” look, she had it. Sadly, for various storied reasons, she wants nothing to do with the business today. She should be out there milking it like some who had far less visibility than she did, but we have to respect her decision. Nevertheless, here she is flanking Gorgeous Jimmy himself. The article discusses Garvin’s feud with David Von Erich, a World Class Championship Wrestling classic, for sure!

As with most old magazines when chronicled here, we have to dive into the seedy side. This is usually near the back pages, in black and white, and somewhat hidden. While there are plenty of black and white pages in this title like most magazines of the day, they’re all slick. These magazines also seemed to feature much more color (and not just blood…) than their rivals. While the ads are much tamer than some from the ‘70s that have been featured in this blog, they’re really no less shady. Mail-order brides? 8mm film? Wholesale fishing equipment? Don't threaten me with a good time, right? The last listing is probably the most amusing. For only $3.95 you could get your hands on a newsletter with information on a certain infamous viral infection. Who did you write to in order to receive this fountain of information? “ROH.” See, decades before Ring of Honor was making wrestling magazine headlines you had yet another ROH getting print in the back pages.

What better way to end this than with a hoe down? But this isn’t just any hoe down. This is Scott Casey’s Texas Hoe Down in San Antonio. Casey hosted droves of Southwest Championship Wrestling fans in addition to Bobby Jaggers, Buddy Moreno, Alex Perez, Mando Guerrero, Ricky Morton and El Santo Negro. If the pictures are to be believed, there was music, dunk tanks, Hoe-Down Queens and smiles all around. I can only imagine the stories that could be told out of this one. On second thought, maybe those stories best go untold. Just call it a hunch. I must say, though, that there is a definitely a joke to be made when “Scott Casey” and “Hoe Down” are used in the same sentence. I’m sure that a good time was had by all.

Like with all of the magazines shown here on the blog we can’t show every page. Check out Instagram (@JWs_Wrestling_Memorabilia) this weekend for even more goodness from the issue and while you’re at it, give a follow!

WWWF Wrestling Action #1

I've always been very proud, and humbled, that this blog has simultaneously opened discussion and answered questions regarding wrestling memorabilia and merchandise while even helping to discover certain items altogether. As I often say, wrestling is a genre of collectible that has been relatively unexplored and uncataloged. Even with all of the action figures, cards, and programs, among other items, that have been discussed here, by far the most storied is the five-issue WWWF Wrestling Action magazine.

The magazine was the very first in-house authentic World Wide Wrestling Federation publication. While the many great magazines already on the market featured a ton of coverage regarding the McMahon-owned promotion and its stars, this was an entirely different animal. Publisher (and as I like to call him, "wrestling renaissance man") Les Thatcher brought an elegant design to the magazine that he similarly instituted in his Mid-Atlantic and NWA Magazines. A lot of color, slick pages, and amazing illustrated covers were a staple in the Thatcher publications.

A few blog entries have already been dedicated to Wrestling Action, but I have always wanted to take a look at each individual issue, highlighting the best and most interesting features. This is the first of five, going in order. You'll note that despite only lasting five issues, the title actually spanned around two years. In the wild days of 1970's wrestling, it's no surprise that even publications were a bit erratic. Nonetheless, the five issues that we did get have spawned their own legend in wrestling memorabilia.

The first issue, officially titled WWWF Wrestling Action Vol. 1 No. 1., starts off with a bang right on the front cover. Superstar Billy Graham had just dethroned the legendary Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship. As with Sammartino's first championship defeat, fans were shocked and saddened. Graham, however, did have his own fanbase. Many, including Graham himself, feel that his title run could have lasted a lot longer and possibly even included a stint as a babyface. While we will never know how that would have turned out, perhaps a glance forward at Hulk Hogan's initial run may be a bit of an indication.

When I completed my own set of five Wrestling Action issues, it was still possible to collect a fully signed run of the "stars" of each cover. For the first issue I obtained Graham as well as publisher Les Thatcher and famed wrestling photographer George Napolitano. Almost all of the issues elicited a great response from the signers. This first issue was no different. Obviously, even the stars themselves look back on this publication with fond memories.

Each issue has a small "As I See It" column allegedly penned by a major name in the WWWF. For this first issue it is then-WWWF President Willie Gilzenberg. The first regular feature is a story regarding Bruno Sammartino and his vow to avenge his April 30, 1977 loss to Graham. The photo of Sammartino used here would be the basis for the cover of the second Wrestling Action issue. Also of note here is an attached subscription card advertising a deal of six issues for $9.00. Quite the deal now, even considering that we now know that the magazine would only last five issues.

The Sammartino-Graham story is continued on the next two pages with some great photos in full color. Several photos are from the aforementioned title change in Baltimore. Keeping with Bruno's character, the champ is said to have claimed that he would have been happy had the title went to Ivan Putski, Chief Jay Strongbow, Larry Zbyszko, Tony Garea, or Bob Backlund, but is instead in the wrong hands with the likes of Graham. Less than a year later, the championship "wishes" of Sammartino would be granted with the long-planned win of Backlund.

Features on Putski as well as Professor Tanaka and Mr. Fuji are next, prefacing something that would become a Wrestling Action staple: the full-color centerfold. Each issue features one or a number of stars in a stunning large photo. As with the cover, the first issue features Superstar Graham in the centerfold. In a classic pose, likely taken at Madison Square Garden, Graham poses with his newly-won championship belt. The photo would look just as good signed as the cover does.

Next up is a two-page story on Ken Patera and his issue with Strongbow and "Indian" partner Billy White Wolf (later known as Sheik/General Adnan). We then return to color with another two-pager on the fabled High Chief Peter Maivia. The world now knows him as the grandfather of The Rock, but Maivia had quite the career in his own right. His well-documented tribal tattoos are showcased here both in photos and the written word. Maivia will figure into future Wrestling Action issues as well, including in a run that is less well-remembered than the one shown here.

At just sixteen pages total, the first issue of Wrestling Action is a bit shorter than the rest. We finish with a one-page story on Bob Backlund titled "Born To Wrestle." One has to wonder if Vincent J. McMahon may have possibly instructed this feature to be included. The story barely goes two paragraphs before Backlund is labeled to be "the man who possesses possibly the best credentials to knock Superstar Billy Graham off the top spot in the WWWF area." The inside back page features a small, black and white, photo gallery of various WWWF stars, and the back page is one more color shot featuring an epic struggle between Sammartino and Stan Stasiak.

I've never been able to pick a "favorite" wrestling collectible, but when pressed, the Wrestling Action set has definitely come up. They're an amazingly well-crafted set of time capsules from a very important period in the biggest wrestling company in history. By the time that we reach the final issue, it will become clear just how much history is collected, and preserved, in these five publications.