🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #8 – Giants, Mountains, and Skyscrapers of Portland Wrestling
One Ring. One City. A Thousand Stories. And this week… a thousand pounds in every corner.
On this episode of Ringside in Rose City, Mike Rodgers and Frank Culbertson fire up the wheel and land on one colossal topic: the giants of Portland and Pacific Northwest wrestling. From carnival-attraction big men to legit Olympians and future movie villains, this one is wall-to-wall heavyweights.
Mike and Frank dig into:
Haystacks Calhoun – his battle royals, wild handicap matches, that tiny town of Soap Lake drawing huge crowds, his friendship with Abe Jacobs, legendary MSG stories with Bruno Sammartino, and the time he and Andre ate so much at an all-you-can-eat diner they paid six times the bill out of guilt.
Man Mountain Mike – the “replacement” super-heavyweight who became a Northwest favorite, teaming with Lonnie Mayne, winning battle royals, and then being absolutely destroyed by Baron Von Krupp in the match that made the Baron and ended Mike’s Portland run.
Chris Taylor – the 425-pound Olympic star turned pro, his big AWA wins, his impressive heel run in Portland teaming with Ron Bass, six-man tags against Andre, Dutch Savage, and Snuka… and how illness cut short what could’ve been a huge career, especially in Japan.
Avalanche (Paul Neu) – over 400 pounds and bumping like a cruiserweight, winning tag gold in Portland (including as one half of the “Whales on the Beach” with Buddy Rose), moving on to WCW as PN News, and reinventing himself as Cannonball Grizzly in Europe.
The Tall Division – stories and memories on the skyscrapers of the territory:
Don Jardine (The Spoiler) walking the ropes long before The Undertaker
Don Leo Jonathan, one of the all-time Northwest greats, his NWA shots, epic battles with Andre, and surprisingly philosophical outlook on life and travel
John Quinn, from Kentucky Butcher to Vancouver mainstay
Tex McKenzie, awkward as hell but a proven draw
Bill Francis, big upside, big chances… and why it never fully clicked
Baron Von Krupp, mud puddles, temper, and terror
Mike York, part of the Alaskans and uncle to Ricky Morton
Sky Hi Lee / Tyler Mane, debuting in Portland and later becoming Sabretooth in X-Men
It’s a super-sized tour through the giants, oddities, attractions, and legit athletes who towered over the ring ropes—and the territory’s history.
🎧 Ringside in Rose City – hosted by Mike Rodgers & Frank Culbertson, produced by Lisa Hughes.
đź“… New episodes every Thursday.
📲 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your wrestling fix.
🏷️ Ringside in Rose City – One Ring. One City. A Thousand Stories.
🎬 A Yaskey Production.