Famous Indians

I have some great memories when I think back to the real early days for me watching wrestling on the old Dumont television network. They were out of Chicago in the old International Amphitheater, and the matches were sent to various cities that the stars competed in. Flint, Michigan was one of those cities.

I would have to consider some of the greatest Indian mat men in the business coming to that facility and others all over the world. The first that comes to mind is Chief War Eagle (John Bell), who was related to Don Eagle (Carl Don Bell) of later fame in the Buffalo territory in the 60's.

I remember him coming to the ring with a young lady that carried a tom-tom with her. She was dressed in a buckskin dress with a beaded headband. When the going got tough for War Eagle in the ring and he needed support, she would grab the tom-tom and begin to beat on it. Suddenly, as if the great spirits above were giving him an extra breath of air in his lungs, he would make a tremendous comeback and beat his foe in the ring.

I remember him wrestling Johnny Kace and nearly losing, as Kace had jumped from the ring and tore the tom-tom from the grip of the lady and began to stomp it to pieces at ringside. Before he could do permanent damage, Chief War Eagle came to her rescue. He promptly threw him back into the ring and delivered several Tomahawk chops that caused the top of Johnny's head to burst open, then he threw him to the mat and pinned him for a three count.

War Eagle died in 1966 and will always be remembered in my thoughts. Don Eagle died in 1979.

Another great Indian star was Chief Big Heart (Richard Vest) from Oklahoma. He toured extensively on the East Coast and headlined many sellout events against Dr. Jerry Graham, Gorilla Monsoon, Buddy Rogers, Bob Orton Sr., and many others.

I remember one evening in a dressing room in Dayton, Ohio. I mentioned to him that there was a big hunt on for a missing Indian along I-70. Big Heart asked me where I had gotten the information, as he wanted to help with the search. I told him that there were signs all along I-70 from Kansas City warning to "Watch out for FALLING ROCK." He laughed until tears were coming down his face and said to me that my day would be coming when he could get even with me.

He was quite a sight going down the highway in the pure white Cadillac with the BIG Gold letters CBH on the driver's door. Big Heart died in 1993 and is missed by yours truly.

Chief Little Wolf (Benny Tenario) is another of the superstars that I enjoyed as a young man. I met with him a few times in my early career in New Mexico and Arizona.

Billy Rolling Thunder (Dale Patrick) is another big name to come into my thoughts. He was a fantastic performer in the ring and a gentleman outside. When he was not wrestling, he visited a lot of hospitals in helping to bring a little joy into terminally ill patients. He died in 1998.

Who could also forget Chief Thunderbird and Chief Kit Fox, or Jay Young Blood (Steve Romero), son of Ricky Romero from the old Amarillo territory. They were all terrific mat technicians that brought that little extra excitement into every wrestling card with their talents.

When you consider greats that made it in the wrestling business, you can't forget Lionel Giroux, the wrestling midget who made his mark as Chief Little Beaver. Little Beaver captured the hearts of many wrestling fans when he was in a Wrestlemania and was bodyslammed by King Kong Bundy. Beaver passed away in 1995, but will always be remembered in the bouts he had with Sky Low Low, Fuzzy Cupid, Colonel Tom Thumb, Irish Jackie, Farmer McGrunder, Little Lord Littlebrook, and many others.

When mentioning famous Indian wrestlers, I would be reluctant in not including Danny Little Bear. He and the guys I managed had some fantastic matches all over the Midwest and sold out many buildings. I never knew any man that could incite a riot as well as he could. All he needed to do was lift his hands and call out to the fans.

One of the greatest bouts I ever had with him was in Topeka, Kansas. He was in a 10-round boxing match against Angus, and if he beat Angus, he would get five minutes with me. I ended up facing him, but he never laid a hand on me. It took a riot squad to get us back to the dressing room. The fan's carried Danny out on their shoulders.

Danny left us just 10 short years ago this week and is greatly missed. His son, Mathew Little Bear, has begun to train in hopes that he will be able to follow in his father's footsteps. I wish him the best of luck in everything he does. If he is anything like his dad, watch out.

Recently, at the CAC reunion in Las Vegas, I had the pleasure of being in the company of Billy Two Rivers. Don Eagle taught him, and I must say that the short time spent was very educational and emotional. We had not seen each other in a lot of years and had many stories to tell.

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers