Just a few years earlier
the two men had paired up a few times, partners against common enemies; now
they were on opposite sides, both seeking vengeance. It was November 10, 1973 at the
With fans rooting for their hero Patterson to tame the wild Moondog, the
two battled fiercely in a match that resulted in a draw, and even when they met
again on December 1st, with legendary tough guy Peter Maivia as the
special referee, nothing was settled as Moondog Mayne lost the 3rd
fall of the rematch on a count out. The
only things that were decided was that Patterson and Mayne wanted another shot
at each other and that Maivia had made a new enemy as he and Lonnie had gotten
physical during the match up.
10,000 fans had been treated to an intense back and forth battle and
promoter Roy Shire knew he had gold. 3
weeks later the two were matched up yet again, and 12, 517 screaming fans
packed the Cow
Palace
There would be rematches with Patterson as well as challenges from other
formidable foes such as Don Muraco, Rocky Johnson, and Peter Maivia. And in the summer of ’74 Moondog would find
himself in the position of challenger once again.
The Champ comes to town
NWA World Heavyweight
Champion Jack Brisco was coming to San
Francisco Cow Palace fans would have, if this dog food eating,
glass chewing animal who held the U.S.
Each man had won a fall in the July 27, 1974 title match when Mayne
cracked the champion with a devastating punch while wearing brass
knuckles! It went unseen by referee
Larry Williams who then delivered the 3 count as Mayne covered Brisco for the
pin and it seemed that there was a new champion. However the Moondog’s victory was short lived
as another referee, Frank Nocetti, entered the ring and informed Williams that
Mayne had used brass knuckles. The
decision was reversed with Moondog Mayne now being disqualified and Brisco
escaping with his title! Well easy come,
easy go.
Of course this called for a rematch and Shire was willing to give the
NWA Champion his typical healthy slice of the gate for their return match 3
weeks later which also saw Brisco leave with his title claim intact. Well at least Moondog still had his U.S. San
Francisco , Sacramento , and Las Vegas
And in the sometimes strange world of professional wrestling, Lonnie
Mayne again displayed some of his versatility as a performer in the summer of
’75 when he not only became a “good guy” but he also began teaming with
ex-bitter enemy Pat Patterson and even Pepper Martin himself! The fans were now rooting enthusiastically
for the “Moondog” but this run in San
Francisco
On The Road Again
After a stopover in Portland it was on to Georgia for Lonnie Mayne where
he again “flipped the script” becoming a hated heel, teaming with the likes of
“Crazy” Luke Graham and Abdullah the Butcher, and opposing such “fan favorites”
as Mr. Wrestling II, Dick Slater, Bob Backlund, Bobo Brazil, and Thunderbolt
Patterson. After 6 months of that it was
on to the Lone Star
State , where he feuded for several
months with Jose Lothario, challenged the America ’s
Heavyweight Champion Chavo Guerrero in a rare title defense outside of Los Angeles
And as if things weren’t interesting enough, as 1976 was drawing to a
close, the vicious Moondog again became a fan favorite, just in time to engage
in a series of matches against the Sheik in what must’ve been like watching two
pit bulls going at it. Lonnie found a place
in the hearts of the Texas Wrestling fans.
It inspired Ricky Ringside to produce a 45 single entitled “The Ballad
of Moondog Mayne” which was played during Moondog’s walk to the ring and sold
at the arena concession stands, and it caused fans to delight as Mayne stormed
the ring dressed as Santa Claus and swung a bag of toys at the heels who made a
quick exit.
Before he left the area in the spring of ’77, Lonnie would wrestle NWA
World Champion Terry Funk to a draw and also challenge new champion Harley Race
as well. While he didn’t walk away with
the title, he gained many new fans who remember the man for whom “every day is
like Christmas” and who seemed at times to be a mischievous butt-kicking
version of old St. Nick himself.
Did He Really Call You Crazy?
In February of 1967, almost right from the start of Lonnie Mayne’s
career in the Pacific Northwest , Ringside
commentator Frank Bonnema was right by his side along for the ride. Bonnema was always the epitome of composure
which was in stark contrast to the sometimes chaotic atmosphere which was part
of the Portland Wrestling television program.
Shown live beginning at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday nights, Bonnema was a
cherished fixture, as much as the salesmen hawking used cars with vinyl seats,
mobile homes and recreational vehicles, and appliances from Tom Peterson’s
where you could pick up anything from washers and dryers to cb radios and faux
wood console stereos complete with AM/FM radio, an 8 track cassette player and
flashing disco lights. And Frank and Lonnie seemed to complement each other
perfectly.
Now, it was the spring of 1977, 10 years since they first worked
together, and Lonnie Mayne was back in Oregon Cow Palace in San
Francisco
“Because all I heard”, Lonnie was saying during his promo, “He said I
was crazy and let me you one thing Smirnoff…tonight in the Cow Palace
While
he never liked to be called “crazy” Lonnie “Moondog” Mayne seemed to do all he
could to convince the fans that he was and there was a method to his “madness”,
as he could alternately cause his audience to fear and despise him, or embrace
him warmly. And in the Pacific
Northwest it was with open arms that he was welcomed back.
Don Owen’s Pacific Northwest territory was promoted in a way that
would appeal to its audience who were mostly comprised of simple,
unpretentious, blue collar workers and their families, who had a strong sense
of community. It wasn’t unheard of for
Don Owen to offer “specials” where for each paid adult admission a child would
get in free or to offer free coloring books to the children for showed up to
the arena events.
These were wrestling fans that no
doubt agreed with the policy of “speak softly and carry a big stick” although
those fans could get quite loud and vocal in the Portland Sports Arena and
little old ladies were known to substitute a swing of a cane for a big
stick. They boisterously booed the
villains and wholeheartedly cheered and embraced their heroes and Lonnie was
one of the most popular wrestlers ever in the area.
This
wild looking man who wasn’t always articulate in his interviews but would still
leave no doubt as to the point he was making, was a genius at cultivating the
love the fans had for him. He would
dedicate his victories to his fans and promise to “do it for the people” and
was known to sometimes where t-shirts to the ring that read “Love Oregon
He was also a “Pied Piper” as this man who had in years past struck fear
in the hearts of ringside fans and had even been billed alternately as “MadDog Mayne”,
“Moondog Mayne” and “Mauler Mayne” in
some instances, now had children running up to him to touch him and shake his
hand on his way to the ring. In the
Northwest, he was simply known as “Lonnie”.
I can still recall the image of him soundly thrashing Buddy Rose and
tenaciously chasing him around the ring, only to soon after have a girl around
the age of 5 run up and give him a hug.
He would then lift the child in his arms and walk with her up the aisle
to the applause and smiles of those in attendance. He was that crazy but loveable uncle, Santa
Claus with a couple of shots of Southern comfort in him to keep himself warm on
a cold Christmas Eve. It was a testament
not only to his appeal with the fans but to his tremendous versatility as a
performer. – RR
Next: Saying Good bye to Lonnie
Special thanks to Doug McCleer for sharing some of his photos for this article.
Top photo by Viktor Berry
Sources:
Wrestlingdata.com
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