Every time we have seen a major evolution in the world of communications, one type of entertainment has been at its forefront… professional wrestling.
That was especially true in the early days of television. Pro wrestling was tailor-made for TV. It could be easily contained in a small area. It was easy to light and its larger-than-life characters brought the battle of good vs evil to eager fans sitting home learning to enjoy the new world of home entertainment.
Across the country, the likes of Gorgeous George, Verne Gagne, and Antonino Rocca fascinated people.
There was also a local market for wrestling. In Roanoke, Virginia, the stars wrestled in the American Legion Arena on a weekly basis. But first, they brought their battles to the studios of WDBJ TV for “Wrestling from Roanoke.”
Live every Saturday from the studios at the Roanoke Times building, the show was designed for the grapplers to talk the fans into buying a ticket and coming to the arena.
The first mention of a live wrestling TV show from WDBJ came in 1957.
It aired Saturday, June 8 from 10 pm to 11 pm. The Roanoke Times documented the historic event in the next morning’s paper.
“WDBJ-TV introduced live wrestling from its studios in the Times-World Bldg last night with two matches that had the studio audience sitting on the edge of the seats. The hour of wrestling will become a regular Channel 7 Saturday evening attraction with the wrestlers featured stars on the weekly cards in Roanoke.
In the main go last night popular George Becker tossed rugged Johnny Heidman In two falls winning on a body stretch and a package hold.
And in the opener, Billy Two Rivers, a real Indian, threw Tom Bradley in a bout that saw the two big boys hurling each other around the studio ring in reckless abandon. Jim Crockett who books the weekly Roanoke wrestling bouts out of Charlotte NC came to Roanoke to witness the initiation of studio television wrestling in Virginia.”
That was just the start for “Wrestling from Roanoke.” It began a run that would last until late 1966. Every week the stars of Jim Crockett Promotions would come to the studios of WDBJ. They followed the station when it made its big move to a spacious new studio on Colonial Avenue.
WDBJ weatherman Hal Grant and local promoter Pete Apostolou were the hosts of the show. Years after the fact, WDBJ employees would talk about how the bad and good guy wrestlers would get together backstage to discuss what they were going to do in their matches. This was of course outside the view of the dozens of fans who packed the studio to watch the action.
Jim Crockett was known as a tag team wrestling territory. It featured such stars as the Bolos, the Masked Medic, Johnny Weaver, Nelson Royal, and the Flying Scott Brothers, Sandy and George.
Fans packed the studio at WDBJ for years, excitedly cheering on the favorites and booing the bad guys.
In 1961, one fan may have gotten too excited. The 69-year-old man had a fatal heart attack while watching in the studio.
The weekly program was a big hit with the fans for several years. Every Saturday after the broadcast, many would follow the wrestlers over to the Arena where they purchased a ticket to see the continuing action.
The program would continue until late 1966. An ugly on-air incident led to its cancellation. Wrestler Johnny Weaver shared the story. The civil rights movement was going full steam when Ike Eakins reportedly used a racial slur live on the air during the telecast. It was directed at Luther Lindsey, a popular African-American wrestler. Needless to say, the remark did not go over well. The WDBJ General Manager rightfully said that if Eakins did not apologize the next week on the air, “Wrestling From Roanoke,” would be canceled.
When the next week came, Eakins repeated the slur two more times. And just like that, wrestling was done at WDBJ.
The TV station was still owned by the Roanoke Times at this point. It did not cover the incident, but a few weeks later it acknowledged the show was gone.
Jesse Chapman wrote on January 6, 1967:
“The long-running wrestling show has been killed off by WDBJ-TV and will not return in the foreseeable future, a decision I applaud as the shenanigans on the mat and outside the ring often got out of hand and in the area of bad taste. The rabid fans of the will be vocal in protest one may be assured.”
While the WDBJ telecast was over, a few weeks later the wrestlers found a new home on Roanoke’s WSLS. However, this show was taped in another market and sent to Roanoke.
I remember going to a match at the studio with my Cub Scout group. Wahoo McDaniels was wrestling that night and saw us in the stands with our Uniforms. He went to the corner and gave us the Cub Scout Salute!