Ringside in Rose City #55 — November 1969: Death Matches, Dusty Finishes & Thanksgiving Fireballs November 1969 may not have been Portland Wrestling’s biggest month—but it certainly wasn’t boring. Frank Culbertson and Portland wrestling historian Mike Rodgers return to the Portland Sports Arena, where Rip Kirby and Beauregard are right in the middle of everything, Lonnie Mayne’s painfully slow transformation into a fan favorite continues, and Billy White Wolf apparently needs not one...not two...but three Indian Death Matches with Kirby to settle their feud. And somehow, even a Death Match can end in a draw. November also brings the return of Pepper Gomez, who immediately finds himself chasing Kirby and the Northwest Heavyweight Championship. Special referees seem to be everywhere, decisions are reversed, titles are held up, and Frank and Mike discover so many finishes that would later become associated with Dusty Rhodes that maybe somebody owes Don Owen some royalties. Meanwhile, something strange is happening with Tony Borne. He's still wrestling like a heel, sometimes teaming with Lonnie Mayne, sometimes serving as a referee—and occasionally refusing to accept his own partner's version of what happened right in front of him. By Thanksgiving week, the territory begins changing quickly. Billy White Wolf wrestles his final Portland match. Buddy Marino is on his way out. Pepper Gomez's brief return comes to an end. But just as familiar names begin disappearing, Kurt and Karl Von Steiger return, fresh from a successful tour of Hawaii and the Orient, and suddenly Portland's tag-team division looks dangerous again. Before all of that, the show pauses to remember George Wells, whose family recently confirmed that he passed away in 2020. Mike looks back at Wells' 1979 Portland run, including his part in one of the territory's memorable eight-man matches, while Frank remembers his later WWF appearance against Jake Roberts at WrestleMania 2. Then it's time for a special edition of Kayfabe Curveballs. This time every question eventually leads back to a story from Mike's book, Books, Balls, and Squirrel Paws—his funny, personal and occasionally unbelievable account of 30 years as an educator. What could possibly connect a Slip 'N Slide, Mister Rogers and a Frisbee? Mike Rodgers. Among the stories: three concussions at field day, a student mistakenly believing Mike had died, and Mike somehow tearing his bicep throwing a Frisbee. If you enjoy Mike's stories on Ringside in Rose City, you'll find plenty more in Books, Balls, and Squirrel Paws, available now on Amazon. And when the ukuleles start playing, it's time for another Island Interlude—Thanksgiving in Hawaii. Lisa has the grass skirt ready, the turkey is wearing a lei, and the wrestling gives us Pedro Morales against The Sheik—with a fireball thrown in for good measure—Don Leo Jonathan against Fred Blassie, and the return of Johnny Barend. Back in Portland, the month ends with plenty of questions still unanswered. Kirby and Mayne aren't finished. Beauregard has discovered the power of a taped thumb. The Von Steigers are back. And Portland Wrestling is heading toward December with the pieces moving once again. November 1969 — three Indian Death Matches, questionable refereeing, Thanksgiving wrestling, Hawaiian fireballs and enough strange finishes to keep Frank and Mike arguing for another month. Ringside in Rose City is hosted by Frank Culbertson and Portland wrestling historian Mike Rodgers, author of The Encyclopedia of Portland Wrestlers, the Excitement in the Air series, and Books, Balls, and Squirrel Paws, available on Amazon. New episodes drop every Thursday. One ring. One city. A thousand stories. Wrestling... wrestling the way it should be.
