Investigation Continues In Liz’s Death
By Mike Mooneyham May 4, 2003 She had style and grace, all wrapped up in a pretty package that enthralled a new generation of wrestling fans. She was a pioneer who helped pave the way for women in what had been almost exclusively a man’s business. And, more than just eye candy and window dressing, [...]
Miss Elizabeth Dead At Age 42
By Mike Mooneyham May 2, 2003 Liz Hulette, known to a generation of pro wrestling fans as the lovely “Miss Elizabeth,” died early Thursday morning after being rushed to the hospital from an Atlanta area home she shared with veteran wrestler and longtime companion Lex Luger. Rescue workers had responded to a 5:30 a.m. 911 [...]
Sailor Art Thomas Dies At Age 79
By Mike Mooneyham March 23, 2003 Sailor Art Thomas, whose chiseled physique and massive strength made him a top name in the wrestling business during the 60s and 70s, died Thursday at age 79 at a hospice facility near his home in Madison, Wis. The 6-4, 275-pound Thomas, a former bodybuilder and one of only [...]
Burrhead Jones: Legend Of The Ring
By Mike Mooneyham Feb. 23, 2003 He’s performed in front of thousands and traveled around the world, but it was his rural Berkeley County roots that helped prepare Burrhead Jones for a career in professional wrestling nearly 40 years ago. “I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth,” says Jones, who didn’t let [...]
Remembering “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig
By Mike Mooneyham Feb. 16, 2003 He may not have been perfect, but he wasn’t far from it. For a stretch during the late 1980s and early 90s, there was no better worker in the wrestling business than Curt Hennig, whose Mr. Perfect character fit the consummate grappler to a tee. A second-generation star, he [...]
Sheik: Flame’s Extinguished, But Memory Lives On
By Mike Mooneyham Jan. 26, 2003 Just the mention of his name could send chills down the spine of the most discerning believer. His face, framed by wild, piercing eyes and a crazed stare, was among the most recognized in the business. And, if you ever saw him perform, it’s doubtful you’d ever forget him. [...]
Remembering George “Two Ton” Harris
By Mike Mooneyham Dec. 15, 2002 As a wrestler, he rarely moved beyond preliminary and mid-card status. But as a manager, he was a main-event act. George “Two Ton” Harris, who died Nov. 29 at the age of 75, leaves behind a wealth of enduring memories in the Carolinas, where he achieved his greatest fame [...]
Petty Found Success Late In Career
By Mike Mooneyham Sept. 20, 2002 “Let’s make this a fun match. Wrestling hasn’t been much fun lately.” With those words to opponent “Crowbar” Devon Storm (Chris Ford), Ted Petty worked his last wrestling match on Sept. 21 in Jersey City, N.J. Theodore James Petty, an accomplished technical wrestler who ironically made his fortune getting [...]
Lou Thesz: The Best There Was…
By Mike Mooneyham May 5, 2002 “And the winner – and still heavyweight champion of the world – is…” Lou Thesz probably heard those words more times than any other champion in the history of professional wrestling. But early last Sunday, the man many regarded as the greatest wrestler of all time, passed away in [...]
Tomahawk Chops and Sledgehammer Blows
By Mike Mooneyham April 28, 2002 “There’s only one Wahoo.” I first penned those words 20 years ago in a front-page piece I did on one of professional sports’ most colorful and enduring characters. I repeated the same line 18 years later when I introduced him at a local wrestling show where he was making [...]