Olympics

Awards continue to pile up for Kurt Angle

Posted by Greg Oliver | Aug 28, 2024 | CAC, Interviews

There’s a famous story where hockey icon Wayne Gretzky kept all of his awards and trophies...

Wrestlers’ Court: Olympics a reminder to live in the moment

Posted by Jonathan Schwartz | Aug 9, 2024 | Opinion, The Sporting Connection

I am not an Olympics fan, but I live with someone who is. My wife particularly loves gymnastics,...

Ken Patera’s book is weighty and ribald

Posted by Caleb Smith | Jun 18, 2024 | Gary Howard Memorial Library, The Sporting Connection

Ken Patera is a unique figure in the microcosm of professional wrestling. He seems to always be...

Mat Matters: Recruiters, go get weightlifter Maude Charron!

Posted by Greg Oliver | Jul 28, 2021 | News, Opinion

There’s a rich history of Olympians becoming professional wrestlers, and not always from the...

Behind the Gimmick Table: Let’s Wrestle Apparel was Faruqui’s destiny

Posted by Rasslin Merch Machine | Aug 3, 2020 | Canadian Hall of Fame, Not Another Collectible!, The Sporting Connection

Today Farhan Faruqui is the merchandise mogul behind Let’s Wrestle Apparel. He is an entrepreneur...

Kiniski’s aid helped Molle grapple to ’84 Olympic medal

Posted by Steven Verrier | Jan 21, 2019 | Canadian Hall of Fame, Interviews, The Sporting Connection

Gene Kiniski had a long association with amateur wrestling dating back to his teenage years in...

Gene Kiniski’s deep ties to amateur wrestling

Posted by Steven Verrier | Aug 26, 2018 | Canadian Hall of Fame, Interviews

Gene Kiniski, known throughout Canada and elsewhere as Canada’s Greatest Athlete, held the...

Masa Saito dead at 76

Posted by Greg Oliver | Jul 16, 2018 | Interviews, Obituaries

When Masa Saito was inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame...

Jeff Cobb a star on the rise

Posted by Greg Oliver | May 9, 2017 | Interviews

Jeff Cobb may not yet be a name you are familiar with, but chances are it won’t be long...

Jim Ross: Kurt Angle ‘was born to be a wrestler’

Posted by Kari Williams | Jul 8, 2015 | Interviews, Tragos/Thesz HOF

While Kurt Angle’s career began in the no-nonsense world of amateur wrestling, the skills he...

Career interrupted: The story of “The Great Wojo” Wojciechowski

Posted by Greg Oliver | Jun 17, 2015 | Interviews, Tragos/Thesz HOF

Had circumstances been different, more people would have known about the wrestling career —...

Mad Dog Vachon dead at 84

Posted by Greg Oliver | Nov 21, 2013 | Canadian Hall of Fame, Interviews, Obituaries

Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon, one of the greatest heels of all-time and a former Canadian...

Olympic wrestling’s lifeline is good for the pros too

Posted by Slam Wrestling | Sep 12, 2013 | Interviews

On Sunday, the world of amateur wrestling breathed a sigh of relief as the International Olympic...

Olympics plan to drop amateur wrestling

Posted by Greg Oliver | Feb 12, 2013 | News

What do Mad Dog Vachon, Riki Choshu, Danny Hodge, Hiro Hase, Kurt Angle, and Jumbo Tsuruta all...

Harry Madison: Canadian Olympian turned ruffian

Posted by Greg Oliver | Aug 6, 2012 | Canadian Hall of Fame, Interviews

The transformation of an 18-year-old Maurice Vachon at the 1948 Olympic Games into a “Mad...

Remembering the forgotten Jim LaRock

Posted by Greg Oliver | Feb 1, 2007 | Interviews, Obituaries

Sometimes a death flies under the radar, and no one takes note. It just shouldn’t happen to...

Pendleton’s unparalleled route: Olympics, pros, Hollywood

Posted by Greg Oliver | May 25, 2006 | Hollywood Headlock, Interviews

When Olympians turned actors are discussed, names like Johnny Weissmuller and Glenn Morris are...

Olympic swimmer turned wrestler hits 90

Posted by Greg Oliver | Oct 23, 2004 | Canadian Hall of Fame, Interviews, The Sporting Connection

There was a time when swimming and wrestling mixed in Hamilton, Ontario, when the ring was set up...

The Olympian life of Dale Lewis

Posted by Greg Oliver | Aug 17, 2004 | Interviews

To make an Olympic team in any sport is a great accomplishment; to make an Olympic team within six...

Former NWA champ Dick Hutton dies

Posted by Greg Oliver | Nov 25, 2003 | Interviews, Obituaries

His first bout was a loss to Wild Bill Longson in 1952. Strangler Lewis, who acted as the manager...

From the Olympics to the Pros

Posted by Greg Oliver | Sep 29, 2000 | Interviews

OLYMPIAN STORIES Mad Dog Vachon, 1948 Bob Roop, 1968 Danny Hodge, 1952, 1956 Bad News...

Mark Henry: Two-time Olympian

Posted by Greg Oliver | Sep 28, 2000 | Interviews

Going into the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Mark Henry was considered one of the favourites in...

Earl McCready was great, amateur or pro

Posted by Greg Oliver | Sep 27, 2000 | Canadian Hall of Fame, Classics

REAL NAME: Earl McCready 238 pounds BORN: June 15, 1908 in Landsdowne, Ontario DIED: December 9,...

Chris Taylor: The giant Olympian

Posted by Greg Oliver | Sep 26, 2000 | Classics, Interviews, Obituaries

Chris Taylor was the biggest Olympian ever in 1972, competing in freestyle wrestling in Munich,...

For Hodge, Olympics meant meeting people

Posted by Greg Oliver | Sep 21, 2000 | Classics, Interviews

For Danny Hodge, it was meeting athletes from other countries that really stood out from his...

Bad News on his judo bronze medal

Posted by Greg Oliver | Sep 20, 2000 | Canadian Hall of Fame, Classics, Interviews

Allen Coage has some Bad News to share. He doesn’t have his Olympic bronze medal anymore....

Olympics just another step for Bob Roop

Posted by Greg Oliver | Sep 19, 2000 | Classics, Interviews

Getting to the Olympics as a Greco-Roman heavyweight was a natural progression for Bob Roop. He...

Young Olympian was not yet a Mad Dog

Posted by Greg Oliver | Sep 15, 2000 | Canadian Hall of Fame, Classics, Interviews

When people think of Mad Dog Vachon, they think of a wild, snarling beast, wreaking havoc inside...

Danny Hodge: The giant Junior Heavyweight

Posted by Greg Oliver | Sep 14, 2000 | Classics, Interviews

Danny Hodge sits on his porch in Perry, Oklahoma these days with his wife Dolores, content to take...

Jumbo Tsuruta memorial planned

Posted by John Molinaro | May 27, 2000 | Obituaries

After the wrestling world was sent into shock over the passing of Japanese wrestling legend Tomomi...

Jumbo, Baba and The Destroyer

Posted by Greg Oliver | May 17, 2000 | Obituaries

The Big Three when the All-Japan Pro Wrestling Promotion was formed in the early 1970s were Giant...

Friends remember Jumbo Tsuruta

Posted by John Molinaro | May 16, 2000 | Interviews, Obituaries

Tomomi “Jumbo” Tsuruta was perhaps the best wrestler ever in the 28-year history of...

Jumbo Tsuruta dies of kidney failure

Posted by Greg Oliver | May 16, 2000 | Obituaries

Tragedy struck the wrestling world as the Japanese media reported that former All Japan Pro...

Kurt Angle’s winning ways

Posted by Greg Oliver | Dec 27, 1999 | Interviews

Kurt Angle may be only a beginner in the WWF rings, but looking back at his gold medal win...

Coage still actively delivering Bad News

Posted by Greg Oliver | Mar 22, 1998 | Canadian Hall of Fame, Interviews

REAL NAME: Allen Coage BORN: October 22, 1943 in New York City 6’2″, 255 pounds AKA:...

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