West Texas Wrestling Territory
Brief History:
Prior to the Funk Family ruling West Texas, the territory was controlled by Cal Farley and Dutch Mantell, and then Dory Detton during the 1950s. Detton would be the NWA's first member and operate a territory stretching from the Northern tip of the Texas panhandle southward to San Angelo, and west to Albuquerque. Although the latter portion of his assigned region was left for debate in a struggle with Mike London, Detton's influence in the promotion of non-heavyweights was fully recognized by the Alliance. Detton's retirement left Amarillo and the entire scene to be purchased by "Doc" Sarpolis and Dory Funk Sr., and when the former passed, Dory's sons Terry and Dory Jr. bought in. Without question, West Texas saw some of the wildest, bloodiest, and most innovative wrestling anywhere in the entire world. The creative booking habits of Funk and Sarpolis set trends that were followed in Florida by Eddie Graham, and likely elsewhere. A night at the Sports Arena in Amarillo was fully of mayhem that fans grew to expect and the honchos in control behind-the-scenes were sly in their approach, keeping things fresh, and understandably aware of overkill of both certain techniques and even the area wrestlers frequently competing in the terrritory.
Background:
The Western Texas wrestling scene was refined and built into a money-making machine by two former professional wrestlers in the 1930s. Although matches had been held in Amarillo and the surrounding area on occasion going back to the early 1900s, it was Dutch Mantell and Cal Farley who made the mat sport into a regular occassion for local enthusists. Their shows were highly regarded, entertaining events that put the territory on the map, and non-heavyweights from across the country flocked to Amarillo for jobs...which, of course, were matches.
Mantell and Farley had something very important in common that may have been the contributing factor in their united effort to promote wrestling. They were both extremely sympathetic to the less fortunate and charitable in all respects.
Around 1926, Farley arrived in Amarillo to play pro baseball for the local team in the Pecos Valley Baseball League. The team folded soon thereafter, leaving the second basemen to find alternate means to earn capital. After World War I, he reportedly won an AEF welterweight crown, then wrestled as a professional in both the welter and middleweight divisions. Cal settled in Amarillo permenantly, and, in 1932, he founded the Maverick Club for community children. The premise was to get kids off the street and get them into organized activities. That idea evolved, and in 1938, he teamed with Julian Bivins to found the famed Boys Ranch, a home for wayward boys that sat on his property 38 miles northwest of Amarillo. The Boys Ranch took in young men of all ages from across the country and Farley gained much publicity for his efforts.
Farley's baseball and wrestling exploits, coupled with his dedication as a civic leader, earned him a spot in the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame on January 28, 1962. He was the fourth man of that elite clique. On Sunday, February 19, 1967, Cal died at the age 70 in Amarillo.
A welterweight, Alfred "Dutch" Mantell was from Los Angeles by way of El Dorado, Kansas. In the early 1920s, he chased champion Jack Reynolds, and was known for a rough style that today is more connected to a heel-type style. His obituary (below), which lists his apparent full real name, states that he competed on the mat for more than 30 years, which could be entirely possible. He joined Farley in Amarillo and worked in the office to promote matches, concentrating on non-heavyweight athletes.
Professional wrestling was revived in Amarillo and parts of West Texas during the early parts of 1946 by Dory Detton. Detton, who moved his family to the area recently, toured many different towns to see whether or not there would be enough interest to sustain a grappling circuit. Planning to utilize junior and light heavyweights, as his predecessors had, Detton formed a headquarters and staged his first program on Thursday, March 14, 1946 at the Tri-State Fairgrounds Automobile Building. The Amarillo Globe stated that it was the "first professional mat card scheduled here in more than five years." In the main event was Dory's brother Dean, the former heavyweight champion of the world.
One of Detton's earliest partners in this newly developing operation was Sled Allen of Lubbock.
In 1953, Detton booked to a circuit that included:
Sled Allen - Lubbock
Pat O'Dowdy - Odessa
Guy Lawrence - Hereford
Vic Weber - San Angelo
Benny Wilson - Abilene
Bob Cummings - Borger
Gorilla Poggi - Albuquerque
It was a historic night at the Sports Arena in Amarillo on Thursday, October 2, 1958 when Dory Funk challenged Dick Hutton for the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title. Through two early falls, the audience was standing and yelling for their hero to dethrone the heelish titleholder, and take hold of the coveted NWA belt. During the final stanza, Funk threw Hutton over the top rope, a move that would have earned a disqualification, but the referee didn't see it. Moments later, Dory secured his spinning toe-hold on the champion, and edged out a submission victory, apparently capturing the World Heavyweight Title.
The impossible and become possible, and the elated fans left the facility believing that their idol had won the top wrestling championship. However, Hutton claimed that Funk should have been disqualified before he gave up in the third fall, and that he was still the titleholder. A petition was made, and Hutton's plea was backed by the National Wrestling Alliance. He remained champion. The Texas State Wrestling Commission met the following Tuesday, October 7, in Dallas to decide whether or not Funk had a claim in the "Lone Star State." The members agreed not to take action on the matter, leaving Funk with one option - to take the issue before the Grievance Committee of the National Wrestling Alliance. Regardless if an official complaint was made, Hutton was the one and only heavyweight champion backed by the NWA.
Wrestlers from West Texas:
Television Milestones and Commentators:
Miscellaneous Notes and Milestones:
Texas Labor Commissioner Leonard Carlton appointed Roy Greenhill of Amarillo to serve as the local wrestling and boxing commissioner in early February 1946. Greenhill, who served in both world wars and left service as a lieutenant commander, had worked as commissioner before, between 1934-'37.
Around September 1959, longtime Lubbock promoter Sled Allen sold his interests in the Lubbock promotion to Dr. Karl Sarpolis of Amarillo due to illness. Waco Arena owner Judge D.W. Bartlett reportedly financed Sarpolis in the purchase.
Obituaries:
Longtime wrestler and West Texas referee, Olan Boynton (Olan Walter Boynton) died on November 19, 1950 in Potter County, Texas.
Buffalo Gap wrestler Eugene Debs "Gene" Blackley died of a heart attack on April 21, 1959 at the age of 45 in Tuscola, Texas. Reportedly a wrestler for 15 years, sometimes appearing as "Gene Blakely," Blackley was a World War II veteran and a native of Taylor Country, Texas.
Ex-baseball player and Lubbock wrestling promoter Fletcher Manson "Sled" Allen died on October 16, 1959 at the age of 73. Allen, who played one year in the Majors for the St. Louis Browns, was a catcher, and played for seven years in the Texas League. He had promoted wrestling in Lubbock for more than 25 years.
San Angelo promoter Victor Weber passed away on December 8, 1960 at the age of 55. Weber was a former pro wrestler.
Former World Light Heavyweight Champion Billy Weidner (William Weidenauer) passed away at the age of 62 on Saturday, January 1, 1966 while hiking in Thompson Park in Amarillo, Texas. He was to be cremated in Albuquerque. Weidner was surived by his wife and three children.
The legendary Dory Funk Sr. (Dorrance Wilhelm Funk Sr.) died on Sunday, June 3, 1973 at the age of 54 in Amarillo, Texas. Funk, the father of Dory Jr. and Terry, helped build West Texas into one of the finest territories in the country. He was survived by his wife, five children, and his parents. He would be buried at the City of Canyon Cemetery.
Frank B. "Benny" Wilson was a longtime promoter in Abilene. He died on April 12, 1988 in Bastrop County, Texas.
Internationally known superstar Dick Murdoch (Hoyt R. Murdoch) passed away at the age of 49 on June 15, 1996 in Canyon, Texas.
Recognized as a figurehead "commissioner" of professional wrestling in West Texas, Stanley Blackburn died on November 20, 1997.
Longtime fan favorite Ricky Romero (Henry M. Romero) died on January 15, 2006. He was also billed as Enrique Romero.
West Texas Wrestling Titles:
Southwest Junior Heavyweight Title
West Texas Wrestling Results:
Amarillo Wrestling Results - 1948
Amarillo Wrestling Results - 1951
Amarillo Wrestling Results - 1961
Amarillo Wrestling Results - 1962
Odessa Wrestling Results - 1958
Arena Addresses:
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