Action Photos 7
Action Photos 7
I took this photo in Sacramento in 1970 or early 1971. It was a Texas Death Match Tag Team Bout. NWA World Tag Team Champions Ray Stevens and Peter Maivia were defending their titles against Pat Patterson and The Masked Gladiator (Ricky Hunter).
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Ray Stevens and referee Frank Nocetti are pulling someone off of Peter Maivia during a Big Time Wrestling episode.
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Peter Maivia rushes out to rescue Ray Stevens. I don't remember the guy's name who Peter is about to hurt. Maybe Moondog Moretti will tell me who he is? The leg on the left belongs to his partner, Enforcer #1 (Clyde Steeves.)
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Payback is a bitch and Ray Stevens is giving it to that guy from the last photo with the help of the turnbuckle. All three of them are outside of the ring!
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During Kayfabe ...
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This is a scan from one of my programs, showing Billy Graham, his head cut open after being smashed into the ring post. That is Frank Nocetti helping him back on his feet. I had to crop the photo like I did or Roy would have had a fit. Looks pretty innocent, doesn't it?
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. . . After Kayfabe
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Here is the same picture today -- Billy Graham is trying to put the blade back under the tape on his finger before anyone notices. I have a bunch of pictures like this I will try to find. I have a couple of Pat like this, too. This was probably one of Billy's first blade jobs. Frank Nocetti is trying hard not to look -- the fans will follow his eyes and look wherever he does. Magicians know this, too. It's called misdirection. Even today, thirty years later, it feels very strange to print pictures like this.
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This is the heel Pat Patterson. He was a mean one, too. He is arguing with Pepper Martin. Pat is holding onto his mask in his left hand. Back in those days I could not imagine him turning into a babyface at all.
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Pat Patterson was making a rude comment to me while I was taking this photo -- probably asking me if I knew how to put film in my camera. Does he look like he hates me or what? That is Dr. Ken Ramey with him, although I don't remember why he was with Pat that night. They are waiting for that interview with Pepper Martin to begin. That is his mask in his left hand. He always took it off right after his match was over. He wore it so he could slip a foreign object into the forehead and head butt his opponent into unconsciousness.
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Pat Patterson and Rocky "Soulman" Johnson had a few tough matches against each other in Sacramento. It looks like Rocky leaped off the top rope onto Pat.
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Pat Patterson is about to rescue Billy Graham from Rocky Johnson's Boston Crab finish. I can't tell who the referee is from this view.
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Pepper Gomez watches in wonder as Rocky Johnson leaps off the top rope to do a Giant Splash (?) on Pat Patterson.
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The Great Mephisto throws another unidentified opponent out of the ring as referee Larry Williams watches. Can anyone identify him?
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Copyright 2003 Viktor Berry •
.Copyright 2003 Viktor Berry •
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
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