Book Pro Wrestlers

From WOW to AEW to OVW - Tatevik stands out everywhere she wrestles. Give her a follow @therealTatevik

“It was in Philadelphia. I drove Owen to the arena and back to the Days Inn. That night, he wrestled Bad News Brown. After the match, he hurt his leg, so he stayed in his gear, deciding to skip the shower and head straight to the hotel. Owen was still dressed as The Blue Blazer when we returned, and that’s when I snapped this picture.”

📸 Story shared by Mike Jones, who worked with WWF over the years and allowed us to share this never-before-seen photo of Owen Hart during his early WWF days.

- Steve Stasiak, Book Pro Wrestlers

“I first met Iron Sheik at a Glen Burnie Walmart in 1997. Glen Burnie is a town about 10 minutes from Baltimore, Maryland.

I met Sheik about six or seven times from 1997 to 2008. He came to this Walmart signing and had a big line. Autographs and Polaroids were only $10 each.

Sheik was soft-spoken and courteous and took his time with each fan, especially the younger ones. He was not good at spelling, so fans’ names had to be spelled multiple times.

I wound up with an autograph that read “To JASLM,” and he traced over the L and M with O and N. When some wrestlers just give initials, Sheik went above and beyond to give his best.

As we learned from some Book Pro Wrestlers fan stories, Sheik was a guy who loved the fans. The evil, bad guy Sheik we saw on TV was nothing like his real-life persona. He loved the fans.

My friend Nikolai also told me Sheik loved the fans and loved signing autographs. Nikolai said he liked to sign too, but Sheik’s signing habits scared him. He said Sheik would be signing so much that it would get to the point of almost missing their plans for takeoff.”

— Jason Strecker, Book Pro Wrestlers Senior Contributor

Before you walk that aisle, you have to slip in through the back door! Ric Flair arriving at the historic Dorton Arena.

NOVEMBER 8, 1986 — 40 YEARS AGO TODAY

A rare photograph showing Bam Bam Bigelow working as Crusher Yurkof in World Class Championship Wrestling, with his trainer, “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe, at ringside.

Bigelow was just 25 years old and less than two years into the business when this photograph was taken. His opponent that night was Chris Youngblood.

The story behind the Crusher Yurkof gimmick according to Gary Hart’s autobiography, World Class booker George Scott was still operating with a 1950s mentality and believed Bigelow needed to be repackaged as a Russian heel.

The decision was particularly questionable considering Bigelow was already one of the most talked-about young prospects in wrestling. At nearly 400 pounds, he could execute moves that most men his size wouldn’t even attempt. He had also received national exposure in Sports Illustrated, which was hardly an everyday occurrence for a wrestler with so little experience.

Larry Sharpe had trained Bigelow at his Monster Factory in New Jersey and was instrumental in getting his career started. Seeing the two together during this early period is one of the most interesting aspects of the photograph.

Bigelow’s World Class run was relatively brief. He would soon move on to Japan, where he established himself as a legitimate attraction, before joining the WWF in 1987.

Within a year of this photograph, he would be working on national television under the Bam Bam Bigelow name, with a considerably different presentation.

An excellent look at a young Bam Bam Bigelow during a transitional period in his career, before the major contracts, national exposure, and main events that would come.