Mabel Party

Calgary, Alberta, Canada was probably one of the toughest territories in North America to go into, mainly because of the Hart clan and the big guys that they brought in to wrestle with.

Stu Hart was, himself, one of the toughest old galoots to ever come down the pike during the last century. He was always trying to stretch somebody with a wrestling maneuver. It didn't matter if you were from the local newspaper or if you were a visiting member of Parliament. He did not have any favorite hold he would grab you with, nor did he care if you were big or small.

The sons of Stu and Helen Hart followed in their father's footsteps, and most were involved in the ring wars of the old Stampede Wrestling territory. Some had different ideas as to what to do with their off time besides trying to stretch somebody. Each took on his own personality and did it with a lot of pride. After all, they had a family name to consider upholding.

A lot of great men have wrestled for the Hart promotion. Some of the earlier ones included "Classy" Freddie Blassie, "The Old Pro from St. Joe" Ronnie Etchison, and Hans Schmidt, to name a few. They imported some of the top gals and midgets as well. They liked big men like Archie Gouldie (The Stomper), Angus Campbell, and Klondike Bill, because this was an area that enjoyed the best that the business had to offer.

One of the biggest guys to ever wrestle in the Calgary area was The Great Antonio. He stood nearly seven feet tall and weighed in excess of 375 pounds. He had a huge beard and long hair parted down the middle that hung to his shoulders. I had seen strongman stunts that he did in Montreal and Quebec City, like pulling a bus loaded with people down a main street using a chain and harness made from heavy leather that he hooked himself into. I even saw them hook him up to a diesel locomotive, and he pulled it down a set of tracks for about a city block.

I never had the opportunity to wrestle with this guy, but then again, after seeing all the stuff he did, I am not too sure that I would have cared to match wrestling holds with the guy. Antonio also loved garlic. He would eat clove after clove of the stuff, as he said it gave him lots of internal strength, and it kept his heart good. He never had too many dates with even the worst looking gals that followed the guys around the arenas. The truth was that his body reeked from the garlic.

His initial week in Calgary was one that the record books will show that he almost became the North American Heavyweight Champion. He went into the ring with every aspiration of becoming a titleholder, but a riot changed the outcome of that battle. I imagine that the people of Calgary had never seen such a vicious competitor in their rings and did not like the idea of this ugly guy with long hair and a beard beating one of the Harts and becoming their champion.

Antonio lived by himself during the short time he was in the territory and drove to the matches in his own specially built International truck. He never hung around with the guys afterwards to enjoy a few beers or have a good time in the local bars. He just went to his hotel and stayed there, watching whatever television program was on.

About two weeks after he had been in the territory, he received a phone call from a local fan, a lady in her own right. She asked him how he was enjoying Calgary and if he had made any friends while he had been there. Of course, he was very happy to hear the sweet voice of a female fan and started relating to her how lonely life on the road was for him. He spoke of the long, lonely nights traveling between towns that he wrestled in. He also talked about home and how he longed to be there.

He talked about missing his childhood sweetheart and the good times they had before she died. He spoke of companionship back home, where the guys would at least chat with him in his native language of French. He started to cry on the phone to this total stranger who had called him. It was then that he said he was sorry and that he had to go and do something. She said to him, "Wait. Why not come to my house? I live not far from the arena where you wrestle. We can sit and talk and visit with each other."

She went on to say that she was a very lonely lady as well and they might have a great time together. After listening to her for a few minutes, Antonio agreed to go to her home. He asked if there were something that he could bring to her home as a token of friendship. She said, "Why not get a case of beer and about a dozen sandwiches and bring them with you? I know that you must have a great taste for food with your size."

Antonio agreed and said that he would be at her home that day at around 4 p.m. He said it is a day off for all the guys, as there were no wrestling towns running. She thanked him for his kindness, told him her name was Mabel, and she would be looking for him.

Antonio went to a local deli not far from the hotel he stayed at and had them make up some huge sandwiches with all the stuff he enjoyed in them. Then, he bought a case of Molson beer for the party. He then went down the street where a local florist was and bought a dozen red roses. What a day this was going to be for him. He had not felt this way in years. His heart was pounding with anticipation.

At roughly 4:10 he pulled in front of the address that he was given on the phone. It was a beautiful English Tudor style home that was brightly painted and well manicured. As he got out of his truck and grabbed the sandwiches and beer in one arm, he placed the roses in his spare hand and started up the walkway towards the front door. The big guy had a huge smile on his face, as he would be spending a wonderful afternoon and maybe evening with a lady. What did she look like, he must have thought.

The front door opened, and out came this young and quite attractive redheaded lady. She had a beautiful smile that showed a perfect set of teeth. She was a very well endowed lady who could have compared with Marilyn Monroe or Jayne Mansfield. She had taken very good care of herself while growing up.

She ran to where Antonio had stopped on the sidewalk and grabbed him in a great hug and planted a kiss on his cheek. By now he was blushing very badly from the experience and did not notice the man coming at him from the left side. His only thoughts were of this lovely person and him having a good time. He had all the beer they could drink in one sitting and a dozen sandwiches. What more could they ask for?

He handed Mabel the flowers that he brought for her and tears started to flow down her face. Just then, his train of thought was stopped when, from the left side of the property, came a big guy who resembled somebody he had met during one of the trips he had just made the past week. The guy had a shotgun in his hands and was coming straight at him.

Antonio's eyes got as big as saucers as he looked down both barrels of the gun. The guy shouted, "So you're the S.O.B. that has been chasing my MABEL? I wondered who she had been going to see when I am on the road." It was then that Antonio turned to her and asked what in the HECK was going on??? She said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, I am married, and that's my husband. He is a very jealous man and thinks that I cheat on him all the time. He said that he was going to shoot the guy he caught me with right in the heart."

Just then, a guy came from next door. Antonio spotted him and knew him as one of the boys from the matches. It was Dave Ruhl, a guy that had helped him with travel in the territory. Ruhl started to explain to the guy that was holding the shotgun that Antonio meant no harm and that he would never come around Mabel again. "Just let him go and be on his way. neighbor."

It was then that the guy with the gun unloaded both barrels, and the body of Ruhl went flying backwards to the lawn with his chest covered in red. With this going on, Antonio, his heart beating a mile a minute, dropped the beer and the sandwiches and started to run back to his truck. He got in and fired it up and drove as quickly as he could back to the hotel.

Ruhl got up from the lawn as soon as Antonio's truck was out of sight and pulled off his shirt, which was covered with a red dye, and went to the guy holding the shotgun with the blanks in it. He shook his hand and grabbed the case of beer in one hand and the box of sandwiches with his friend and went to the backyard, where all the rest of the guys from the territory were at, and they had a MABEL party at Antonio's expense.

Six months later, Mabel invited another new guy by the name of Black Angus Campbell, who looked a lot like Antonio, to a party. He never took the bait, as Antonio talked about this horrible near-death experience with him in a dressing room at the Royal Albert Hall in London. I guess they never told him the truth.

What some guys do to amuse themselves. Till next time...