Pittsburgh Legend Gone

[jeffrefrig]

Pittsburgh's legendary pro wrestler John "Jumpin' Johnny" DeFazio passed away yesterday. When I was growing up in the 60s, we had a local show on Saturday evenings called Studio Wrestling, and Johnny DeFazio was a regular. I believe he won 4 WWF championships. I didn't know it but he was a big time union official for a long time, then he was president of the newly formed Allegheny County council in 1994 until, I think a couple years ago.
Almost every kid in the Pgh Channel 11's broadcast range watched studio wrestling on Saturdays. Guys like George "The Animal" Steel, among a gang of others were on that show. It was cool, because the "audience" was made up of life size pictures of people and just a handful of real people, including "Ringside Rosie!" Nobody can forget her! It was hosted by Bill "Chilly Billy" Cardille, who also hosted Chiller Theater at 11:30 PM on Sat. nights. They always showed 2 "B" horror films until Saturday Night Live came to be; then they only showed one after that was over. You were somebody if you could brag about seeing the second movie in school Monday!
Jumpin' Johnny, R.I.P.

 

[ACORN]

I remember Johnny.
My grandmother loved Studio Wrestling. It was a Saturday night ritual.
Bruno Samartino, Jumpin' Johnny, Baron Sicluna, Professor Tanaka, to name few. When the midgets were on it was a special treat.
My grandmother would be hollering at the TV to Izzy Moidell(referee) that George The Animal Steele had something hidden in his trunks. (No not that)
My friends dad worked with Bobby Hurricane Hunt in the now defunct USS Duquesne Works.

 

[Bib]

R.I P. Johnny. I too grew up watching Studio Wrestling with my Dad. Sadly no tapes of Studio Wrestling (and Chiller Theater) exist as they used the same tapes over and over on the local shows back then....

 

[raljr1]

Those were the days my friend...

Robert

 

[BAM-BAM]

Those were the days my friend...

Robert

Says it all..... Saturday evenings a 6PM IIRC...... the world or at least the Burgh stopped to watch.....tag teams, midgets and even a few lady wrestlers.

 

[bummer]

Yes , I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember George eating the turnbuckle covers and always having a foreign object. Chilli and Terminal Stare

 

[LDM]

Thursday nights was the CKLW (Windsor, Ont) wrestling show. They featured Dick the Bruiser, Wilbur Snider, Verne Gagne, the Sheik and other supporting stars.

Saturday afternoon was the WXYZ show. It featured Louie Klein, Leaping Larry Chene, Ricky "The Crusher" Cortez, Johnny "Dynamite" Gates and more.

Fun to watch. Real action instead of the soap opera type show business you see on WWE and AEW these days.

 

[ACORN]

Says it all..... Saturday evenings a 6PM IIRC...... the world or at least the Burgh stopped to watch.....tag teams, midgets and even a few lady wrestlers.

Followed by Lawrence Welk if I remember correctly. We used to beg Nana to not watch LW but we never won that argument that I remember.
Happier days.
She'd make popcorn and we kids would wash it down with Regent pop.
Decades past but fond memories.
Thanks.

 

[sheepdawg]

Saturday morning at 11 am. in Memphis. Top rated show. Jerry "the King" Lawler, Bill Dundee, Koko Ware, Dutch Mantell, Kamala, Joe Leduc. and plenty of young wrestlers that wound up big stars getting their start. Chains, chairs, fire, etc. Today's wrestling is awful.