Harley vs. Rufus Part One

One of the best feuds in the Midwest was with Harley Race and Rufus R. Jones. These two grapplers fought their way across the flatlands of Kansas. They fought in the foothills of Missouri. They fought in the plains of Iowa and even into the neighboring state of Illinois.

I could best reminisce a match that happened in Des Moines, Iowa in 1972. These two had fought on three cards previous to this one and had nothing resolved about who the better man was. Harley had won one, Rufus gained a victory in one, and the last, a Texas Barn Match with guys surrounding the ring, had no real winner as it turned into a battle royal before the night was out.

Harley Race began his career as a pretty tough kid, taking on all comers at a carnival and whipping some of the best that Iowa and Missouri had to offer. This, by the way, was at the tender age of 15. Harley was given the chance to turn to pro wrestling after he pleaded with the late Gust Karras of St. Joseph, Missouri. He was extremely successful in his early years and was doing fine until an accident stopped him. He was told at that point that he would never wrestle again and that, in all likelihood, he would be in a wheelchair the rest of his life. Gust Karras had Harley taken to a specialist, and Harley was given a new outlook in life as his problems were cured by a surgeon's talents.

After going through rehab, Harley went back to what he knew best … wrestling. Gust was happy about the outcome and promoted the young Race with vigor. He pitted him against the best that St. Joseph and the other towns he promoted had to offer . Guys like Ronnie Etchison, "The Old Pro from St. Joe," Sonny Myers, Bob Orton Sr. and Larry Hamilton. Harley had some fantastic matches against these men and set a pace that most guys would only look at and never attempt to copy. He would sometimes wrestle as many as 325 nights a year and was a top money maker for Karras and other promoters.

Rufus Jones was billed from Amarillo, Texas and tipped the scales at around 275. He was big but could move like a cat when he was angered by opponents. He was a no-nonsense type of guy that kept pretty much to himself and didn't socialize with too many of the guys in the business. His favorite move was the Head Butt, a maneuver that Bobo Brazil used with great success. Rufus enjoyed a good battle and was always in great physical condition during his entire career.

The feud that began as a regular pairing, when Rufus arrived into the Heart of America Sports area, was simply a wrestling match that promoter Karras put on one of his many cards at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Kansas every Thursday night. It was evident that these two would be money makers for Karras, and he just let the rule book be thrown out on their matches.

Race and Rufus had a lot of battles for the Central States Belt as well. It was a prestigious title that only a few good men wore around their waist. Many gallons of blood were lost by a lot of good men defending that belt. Many broken and dislocated bones were a part of that belt’s history. Many nights were spent traveling to a lot of cities defending its honor. Too much to be written about at this time.

The downtown Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines had been host to many super cards of wrestling. A lot of men battled in the ring set in the middle of the building. A few riots were caused at ringside by fans and wrestlers as well. Many feuds were started and ended here as it became evident that this was the place that the buck stopped.

The fans came from as far away as Kansas City and Waterloo and Omaha to see the matches every two weeks. They were good wrestling fans that respected the huge and mighty grapplers in the ring. Many had the nerve to come to the backstage area and ask for pictures and autographs. Most of the guys were very kind to the fans and gave them their wishes. After all, they were, in fact, working for the fans.

I was proud to be asked by Harley Race to be in his corner when he met Rufus. Of course, I never did anything for the fun of it and subjected Harley to a contract for the match. We arrived at the auditorium at 6 p.m. and went directly to the dressing room area, where Harley started to do some warm up exercises. It was very much a part of our business to be in shape and warmed up for a match. If not, you can suffer a lot of problems later in life with arthritis and pain.

To be continued…

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers

2003 BWC Hall of Fame Inductee
2004 CAC Hall of Fame Inductee
2006 LWA Hall of Fame Inductee
2007 TCCW Hall of Fame Honoree