Billy Howard

April of 1972 brought about a lot of new and young stars to the Heart of America Sports roster.

Billy Howard had come in from Minneapolis ... Jim Lancaster had come in from eastern Ohio... Juan Sebastian had come in from New York City without his tag partner Pedro Godoy... Belle Starr had come in from Wyoming ... and the Stomper (Archie Gouldie) had returned from a huge string of victories in Calgary.

The territory was on a roll, headlined by top stars like Omar Atlas, the current Central States Champion Black Angus Campbell, Harley Race, Danny Littlebear, Rufus R. Jones, Chati Yokouchi, and Yasu Fuji.

Other greats, like Steve Bolus, Bob Orton Sr., Benji Rameriz, and Ronnie Etchison were supplying a tremendous undercard wherever the booking team sent them.

Small cities like Paola, Hutchinson, Emporia, Salina, Great Bend, and Dodge City were drawing record crowds in Kansas like in the big cities of Kansas City, Wichita and Topeka.

In Missouri, towns like Sedalia, Columbia, Moberly, Kirksville, and St. Joseph provided quality matches on a regular basis with a lot of smaller towns running in the summer season at state fairs and local festivals.

Iowa also saw a lot of action, as towns like Ottumwa, Fort Madison, Keokuk, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque, Ft. Dodge, and Des Moines battled for the rights to have our great stars from the Midwest offices in Kansas City come to their cities.

Promoter Gust Karras was never tight-fisted in providing enough money to lure the stars of wrestling to his towns or others connected to the Heart of America Sports office. He had that certain enigma about himself that stood out in a room. When he spoke, you just shut up because you just knew that it would be in your best interests.

Billy Howard debuted in Des Moines on April 5, 1972. He faced a huge man in Bob Orton Sr., who had left a trail of broken bones and short paychecks on his opponents. Billy had a reputation of being a moderate tempered man in the ring. Bob changed his mind about being all that nice in the Midwest.

Bob had learned under the guidance of Frank Aultman from Kansas City. He spent one and a half years in training before he had his first professional match before a crowd. He was a true ring general and a hated man by wrestling fans all over the world. His vicious Heart Punch had won him many victories over top named stars, and he was battling for the right to be on top of the heap again.

Billy and Bob locked up in a deathlike grip, and, for nearly five minutes, they tried each other out for best position. In a desperate move, Billy dropped one of his arms down and caught the unsuspecting Orton in a fireman's carry over his shoulder and to the mat to the delight of the crowd. Billy then grabbed a top wristlock and began to put pressure on Orton until his hand turned almost pure white from no circulation.

As they fought back and forth, the time limit ran out, and the two men had to settle for a draw. Orton, the cagey veteran that he was, extended his hand to the much younger opponent and pulled him into his chest and then threw him to the mat. He grabbed the hair of the youngster and then heart punched him three times before grabbing the mike and pronouncing to the fans attending, "That's what you get for trusting me and grabbing my hand."

Fans had already started to converge on the ring and were not going to let Orton out to the safety of the dressing room. It was only after a riot squad was called in that they let him out of the ring. By then, he had again picked up Billy and dropped him again with another heart punch.

The next night, Billy was scheduled to wrestle in Kansas City but had not passed the physical that the ringside doctor had put him through. Promoter Gust Karras, because of the treatment that Billy was given by Orton, paid him.

St. Joseph, Missouri the following night had Steve Bolus against Orton. Billy went to promoter Gust Karras and pleaded with him to change the bouts and let him wrestle Orton in his place. Gust was always willing to satisfy the needs and wants of his wrestlers and agreed.

When the bell rang for the third match on the card, Bob Orton was in the ring waiting for Bolus. Billy came up the aisle on his blind side and did a number on the veteran. He busted his nose and opened a huge gash on his head to repay him for the treatment he had been given a few nights before in Des Moines.

The crowd at St. Joseph knew the reputation of Orton but did not know why this youngster had come with such vengeance towards him. Billy won the match with a twisting neck breaker that he had learned from Verne Gagne. The crowd carried him out on their shoulders and left Orton in a heap in the middle of the ring.

Billy changed his style a little later in his career became a rough style wrestler that broke a lot of rules. He retired from active competition in 1984 and began his own business in Kansas City.

At the recent Cauliflower Alley Club reunion, I came face to face with Billy, and we spoke about a lot of the guys that were involved in the business while we were in Kansas City.

I now have his address and will keep in touch with this great friend that I had lost track of. By the way, at my suggestion the following day before we left to come back home, I had Billy and his wife meet me at the Peppermill and have breakfast. I didn't tell him that I had also invited Bob Orton Sr. and Paul Farber to the meal.

Their eyes met, and Bob threw down his crutch and was starting to square off towards Billy when he suddenly extended his hand and said, "I won't beat the living heck out of you this time.... It sure is good to see you again, kid ... How long has it been?" We had a beautiful breakfast, and then Billy and his wife had to depart for the airport to get back to Kansas City. Paul Farber, Rhonda Orton (Bob's daughter) and I finished up our meal, and then we were gone as well.

I wonder what might have happened if Paul Farber and I had not been there … I wonder just what might have happened between the two old veterans?

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers