Doug Schwab, Sammie Henson, Tolly Thompson. Those are among the many names that will go down in the history of Real Pro Wrestling among the pioneers of the new league of superheroes.
But what if Real Pro Wrestling, like the NFL, NBA, or MLB, had a deep history? What if it had a Joe Montana, a Wilt Chamberlain or Mickey Mantle, someone who has endured success in the past and could be a measuring stick of which to compare future greatness?
Who would the stars have been?
When it comes to the history of wrestling Mike Chapman is a walking encyclopedia. If it happened in the sport, Chapman can probably tell you about it. The founder of Wrestling International News magazine and executive director of the International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Newton, Iowa rattles off a long list of wrestling greats when pondering that thought.
In the 1960’s it could have been Olympian Doug Blubaugh. In the 1970’s the mammoth Chris Taylor, the brother’s Peterson “Ben and John, Wild Wayne Wells, and the man himself, Dan Gable, would have shined, says Chapman. In The 1980’s, the Banach twins, Ed and Lou, or maybe Randy Lewis. Perhaps the Schultz brothers, Mark and Dave. The 1990’s could have included another set of brothers, Tom and Terry Brands, big bad Bruce Baumgartner, and Olympic and World great John Smith.
“It would have been a great, talented group,” says Chapman, who has written over 500 columns on the sport of wrestling. “It would have been neat to see these guys have an opportunity like they have with Real Pro Wrestling.”
They never had that opportunity. Until now, there wasn’t a league like RPW. There wasn’t a chance to wrestle professionally (unless you’re talking about the fake stuff), and there were also strict rules in place about athletes accepting money. Back then, it was a big no-no, and any money received for competing in a league like RPW would have ended amateur status.
“If I was offered the opportunity back then I would have loved to have the chance,” says Mark Churella, who won NCAA titles in 1977, 1978 and 1979 for the University of Michigan. “But the rules, the way they were set up then, didn’t allow it. If you accepted a dime you risked being ineligible.”
Like Churella, Lee Roy Smith, a World silver medalist, NCAA champion and three-time All-American at Oklahoma State who is now the Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma, believes many of his wrestling and coaching colleagues would have competed as long as it did not jeopardize their Olympic training and competition goals, educational and career pursuits.
Smith says guys that could have mastered the RPW style and rules are Andre Metzger, Nate Carr, Andy Rein, Mark Schultz, Bill Scherr and Greg Gibson. Others Smith said he would have liked to see include Gene Mills, Dave Schultz, and Baumgartner.
As for the style of wrestling Shelby Wilson, who won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics and was a member of two national championship teams at Oklahoma State, didn’t mention names, but did offer some opinions on how collegiate wrestling can benefit from the style of Real Pro Wrestling.
“The wrestlers in college today seem to spend more time in what I call stalling positions, than in time trying to outsmart the other guy,” says Wilson. “I am a firm believer that most of the wrestling should be done in the middle of the mat and when a fella runs off the mat or stalls in any way he should be penalized for his actions”¦the RPW rules could really do some good for our college wrestling if we had some officials who would enforce the rules.”
As a rule, the cream rises to the top and those wrestlers who were on top in college and would go on to make World and Olympic Teams, are the same individuals who would have excelled at RPW, said Smith.
“Occasionally, there have been exceptions to this rule,” he said. “You know, those wrestlers who never reached the pinnacle of college wrestling, like a Lloyd Keaser, Jim Humphrey, John Peterson or Jamill Kelly, yet eventually reached the top of the food chain by earning medals in world and Olympic competition, could have equally succeeded in RPW.”
Oh what could have been. Wrestlers of the past are left to only wonder what could have been. Today’s wrestler can now dream about what will be.
“It’s a great opportunity to have,” says Chapman. “Something these guys would have loved to do I am sure.”
Story By Staff Writer, RPW Home Office
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