The 1970s presented professional wrestling much differently than the sports entertainment most fans have grown to love since the WWE Golden Era of the 1980s. In the 70s, wrestling in the United States was headlined by the AWA, the NWA, and the WWWF (WWE today). Yet, regions throughout the country had their own territories to cheer for. Before the expansion of cable television, regional promotions would run their local shows as the only wrestling in town.
In the 1970s kayfabe was a very real and at times, dangerous part of professional wrestling, The sports entertainers of the day did not want the truth about their performances being scripted to be widely known. While the 1970s produced some of the biggest household names of wrestling's future such as Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes, Bob Backlund, Nick Bockwinkle, the decade also had many of their own superstars. Today's fans are familiar with the Living Legend Bruno Sammartino, Pat Patterson, Vern Gagne, Gene Kiniski, Gorilla Monsoon, but many of the stars of the 70s aren't household names.
Waldo Von Erich
Waldo Von Erich would debut in 1950 and wrestle until 1979. Waldo was the kayfabe brother of Fritz Von Erich, patriarch of the infamous Von Erich wrestling family. That means in wrestling kayfabe terms, Waldo would be uncle to the Texas Tornado and his brothers that rocked 1980s professional wrestling.
Waldo, himself, played a Prussian villain, who would battle some of the golden babyfaces of WWE in the 1970s. Waldo would have matches with legends like Bob Backlund and Bruno Sammartino. Waldo's ability to draw heat made him one of the most notorious heels of his time.
The Battman Tony Marino
Tony Marino would mostly retire his "The Battman" gimmick in 1970, yet his popularity throughout the decade remained undeniable. First, tapping into the superhero craze of professional wrestling by becoming The Battman around the Pittsburgh wrestling area, his popularity was highlighted on Studio Wrestling TV in Pittsburgh.
In the 1970s, Marino would team with Victor Rivera and capture the WWE International Tag Team Championships. Marino would also compete in the NWA, and capture their tag team championships (Detroit version) with Flyin Fred Curry. He would feud with Killer Tim Brooks and Abdullah The Butcher.
