by Daniel Johnson
Sonny Myers vs. Baron Arena
“The Missouri Meteor” Sonny Myers was involved in the wrestling industry in one way or another fo six decades before he passed away in the 2007. Myers began his career in the 1940s and like so many of his peers he eventually found his way to Fred Kohler’s NWA territory. In this bout preserved by Chicago Film Archives through the Russ and Sylvia Davis Collection, 1932-1970, Myers wrestles Baron Arena at the Chicago International Amphitheatre.
Russ Davis starts the clip off by doing a stereotypical Italian accent to poke fun at Baron Arena. Hey, if the Super Mario Bros. had, had a live action adaptation a few decades earlier maybe he could have beaten “Captain” Lou Albano to a payday.
As for Baron Arena he looks like a jobber straight out of the mid 1980’s WWF. Perhaps Arena could not have been up there with some of the truly great jobbers like “Iron” Mike Sharpe, Steve Lombardi and Barry Horowitz, but something tells me if Arena wrestled into the 1980s he’d spend more time with his back on a canvas than on a mattress.
This match features Arena getting caught in an extended headscissors. When he finally escapes Arena looks to make a comeback in front of this excitable Chicago crowd, but since he was a jobber of the day he falls right into a hammerlock. Meanwhile Davis on commentary critisizes Arena for eating “too much lasagna” and at one point even yells to Arena, “Better look out twinkle toes!” Yes, if there is a way to compare Russ Davis to Jamie Dundee it is that neither could ever be accused of being too politically correct.
For the finish Myers hits two snapmares, two dropkicks then another snapmare and an atomic drop to beat Arena.
The full match can be seen right here:
For more in the Old School Flashback series featuring some legends of the squared circle performing in Chicago click here and here.
Categories: Wrestling Clips
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