Episode 7 dives into three powerful figures who shaped thePacific Northwest’s wrestling identity across multiple eras — the veterans, the world-travelers, and the raw-boned brawlers who helped define Portland Wrestling’s heart and soul.

Host Frank Culbertson spotlights:

🥋 Haru Sasaki — one of the longest-tenured wrestlers in Portland history. Sneaky, expressive, and beloved as a heel, Haru wrestled an estimated 5,000 matches for Don Owenand held multiple tag titles alongside legends like King Curtis and Mr. Fuji.

🌎 John Quinn — a rugged powerhouse who battled Bruno Sammartino, dominated Vancouver, toured Europe as a top villain, and always made an impression when he passed through Portland to wrestle names like Lonnie Mayne, Dean Higuchi, and Ed Francis.

🤠 Sam Oliver Bass — the big, raw-boned brawler whose name was changed so fans could chant “S.O.B!” Bass rose fast, beating Jimmy Snuka for the Northwest Heavyweight Title and delivering intense main events before moving on to national success.

These men weren’t megastars — but they were the fanfavorites and fierce rivals who defined an era in the Northwest.

Based on The Encyclopedia of Portland Wrestlers by historian Mike Rodgers, available now on Amazon.
Follow on Spotify and Apple Podcasts — new episodes every Friday.

🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #17 – Foggy Memories

One ring. One city.A thousand stories.
And this week… the names that make fans say, “Yeah… I kind of remember that guy.”

On this episode of Ringside in Rose City, Frank Culbertson and Mike Rogers dig into the forgotten, overlooked, andunder-appreciated wrestlers who helped build Portland Wrestling from the opening bell to the final fall—without ever making the Top 10 lists.

As always, Lisa Hughes opens the show, spins the wheel, reveals the envelope, and keeps the conversation moving as the topic lands on “Foggy Memories”—a deep dive into the wrestlers who filled out the cards, tested newcomers, protected the main events, and quietly kept the territory running night after night.

This episode explores the concept of the “carpenter”—thedependable pros who:
• Set the tone in opening matches• Tested young talent on the way up• Gave veterans a safe, solid opponent• Took losses when it was time to move on• And made the stars look like stars

Frank and Mike break down careers, booking patterns, andforgotten stories involving names like:
• Crazy Chuck Carbo – the alligator-wrestling gimmick,disqualifications, and a perfectly booked rise-and-fall
• Tito Montez – the ultimate carpenter and Arizona legend
• Ivan Kamaroff – a former champion quietly closing out a long career
• Pierre LaGrande – size, potential, and the puzzle promoters couldn’t quite solve
• Steve Bolos, Bill Howard, Fred Baron, Gene Kelly /Gene Lewis, Vinny Valentino, Steve Lawler, Jerry London,Barry Orton, Eddie Mansfield, Kim Song, Chung Lee, and more

Along the way, the episode uncovers:
🎯 Why draws mattered🎯 How booking protected talent 🎯 The difference between a “jobber” and a professional 🎯 Why not everyone was meant to be Buddy Rose or Roddy Piper
🎯And how wrestling history gets confusing when names, gimmicks, and aliases collide

Plus, Lisa brings the chaos once again with Kayfabe Curveballs, where wrestling trivia, pop culture, and real life blur—leading to wild detours, unexpected stories, and one more reminder that this show is as much about memory as it is about matches.

And a special shout out to Joe Sousa!

These aren’t the headliners.These aren’t the legends.But without them… there is no Portland Wrestling.

Step back into the fog.

This is Ringside in Rose City.

Episode 6 spotlights three wrestlers who helped define theupper-middle tier of Portland Wrestling — the dependable stars, hometown favorites, and fierce villains who carried the territory from night to night.

Host Frank Culbertson breaks down:

🔹 Jerry Oates — the smooth, athletic babyface who broke a long-standing pattern by capturing the NW title in 1978 and teaming with a young Jesse Ventura.
🔹 Art Barr — Portland’s own, transformed into the wildly popular “Beetlejuice” before becoming a major star in Mexico as The American Love Machine.
🔹 Mike Miller — the rugged brawler who rose through the ranks, became a key member of Rip Oliver’s Clan, held multiple singles and tag titles, and later reinvented himself as a fan-favorite babyface swinging his 2x4 “Lucille.”

These weren’t megastars — they were the men fans came to see every week, the backbone of the territory.

Based on The Encyclopedia of Portland Wrestlers byhistorian Mike Rodgers, available now on Amazon.
Follow on Spotify and Apple Podcasts — new episodes every Friday.

🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #16 – Excitement in the Air, Volume Two (New Year’s Show)

One ring.
One city.
A thousand stories.
And a brand-new year.

Ringside in Rose City kicks off the New Year with a deep dive into Excitement in the Air – Volume Two, Mike Rogers’ secondcollection of long-form wrestler interviews, featuring voices that helped shape Portland wrestling, the Pacific Northwest, and the business worldwide.

As always, Lisa Hughes opens the show, spins the wheel, and keeps the episode moving—introductions, transitions, trivia, and all—while Frank Culbertson and Mike Rogers break down the stories behind the stories.

This episode explores:

• Ivan Koloff – From Red McNulty to Cold War villain, the power of mystique, health struggles, and the reality behind his brief WWWF title reign
• Bad News Allen – Intimidation vs. kindness, race in wrestling, promoters, Dynamite Kid, and refusing to play a degrading role
• Billy White Wolf / Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissie – A career spanning decades, cultures, continents, and controversy
• Don Jardine – One of the saltiest interviews ever conducted, with brutally honest opinions on promoters, partners, and the business
• Don Wyatt – Faith, family, wrestling’s changing style, and walking away at the right time
• Bobby Jaggers – Blood, bar fights, Florida stories, Puerto Rico, ribs, and life as one of wrestling’s great heels
• Mad Dog Vachon – Riots, caskets, chains, Lonnie Mayne, and one of the greatest publicity photos ever taken
• Lanny Poffo – Poetry, Boston heat, ribs, and the birth of “The Genius”
• Rip Rogers – Portland booking brilliance, Buddy Rose, Roddy Piper, Puerto Rico, and life as a legendary trainer
• Steve Rosano – One of the most powerful and difficult interviews in the series, examining the real cost of hardcore wrestling
• Dory Funk Jr. – Vancouver, Gene Kiniski, NWA politics, championships, and carrying the title with quiet authority

Plus:
🎲 K-Abe Curveballs – New Year’s trivia where wrestling knowledge takes a back seat to chaos
📚 Book talk, Portland memories, road stories, and the philosophy behind what makes wrestling believable

This is not just a recap—it’s a reflection on careers,consequences, creativity, and change, told by the people who lived it.

Welcome to the New Year.
Welcome back to the territory.
This is Ringside in Rose City— wrestling…wrestling the way it should be.

NW Favorites: The Heart of Portland Wrestling Episode #5Episode 5 highlights three standout stars who defined theNorthwest’s middle-to-upper card — wrestlers who brought credibility, excitement, and emotional investment to Portland Wrestling without being the territory’s absolute megastars.

Host Frank Culbertson covers:

🔹 Les Thornton — the technical master and “man of 1000 holds” who brought British style, legitimate toughness, and multiple title reigns to Portland.
🔹 Johnny Kostas — a world-traveling enigma with a dozen identities and a reputation for toughness, athleticism, and mystery everywhere he went.
🔹 Steven Little Bear — the fiery babyface who stepped into Lonnie Mayne’s spot, beat Bull Ramos for the NW title, and became one of the most beloved stars of the early 1970s.

These weren’t the megastars — they were the wrestlers whocarried Portland’s cards, anchored the semi-main events, and earned the crowd’s respect night after night.

Based on The Encyclopedia of Portland Wrestlers by historian Mike Rodgers, available now on Amazon.
Follow on Spotify and Apple Podcasts — new episodes every Friday.

🎄🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #15 – Christmas at the Portland Sports Arena

One ring. One city. A thousand stories.
And this week… Christmas in the Rose City.

On this special holiday edition of Ringside in Rose City,Frank Culbertson and Mike Rogers unwrap decades of Christmas night wrestling at the Portland Sports Arena, tracing how Don Owen turned December 25th into one of the most unpredictable—and unforgettable—nights on the wrestling calendar.

From Wednesday night capacity crowds to Tuesday specials,Sunday matinees, and the final Christmas cards before the territory closed, this episode dives deep into how Portland Wrestling celebrated the holidays the only way it knew how: with grudges, chaos, and unforgettable moments.

Frank and Mike break down Christmas cards spanning 1968through 1991, including:

🎁 Title changes on Christmas night, including the Von Steigers shocking fans and “ruining Christmas” by taking the Northwest Tag Titles
🎁 Coal Miner’s Glove wars, Battle Royals, cage matches, and scientific classics
🎁 The rise of future stars like Billy Jack Haynes, Tom Zenk, Bret Sawyer, Chris Adams, and Mike Miller
🎁 Rare Sunday afternoon Christmas shows, canceled TV tapings, and oddball start times
🎁 The unforgettable Rip Oliver–Billy Jack Haynes Santa Claus angle, one of the most legendary swerves in Portland history
🎁 The final Christmas cards as Portland Wrestling winds down—still packed with talent, but without the TV lifeline that once fueled the territory

Along the way, the episode spotlights how Christmas crowdswere different, why Don Owen booked riskier finishes on holidays, and how certain matches served as “placeholders” while others quietly shaped long-term feuds.

🎄 Lisa Hughes sets the festive tone throughout—opening the show, keeping the wheel spinning (or not), guiding the Christmas envelope reveal, and adding holiday flair as onlyshe can. From Santa cameos to eggnog-fuelled studio moments, Lisa remains an essential part of the Ringside experience.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a Christmas episode without Kayfabe Curveballs, holiday trivia, unexpected celebrity “judges,” and stories that blur the line between wrestling history and holiday myth.

It’s nostalgic.
It’s chaotic.
It’s Portland Wrestling… wrapped in tinsel.

Merry Christmas from Ringside in Rose City. Step into thearena, hit play, and celebrate the holidays the Portland way. 🎄🎁

Episode 4 dives into three wildly different personalitieswho helped define Portland Wrestling from the mid-card to the semi-main event level — the wrestlers fans loved, hated, and never forgot.

Host Frank Culbertson spotlights:

🎤 Scotty the Body (Raven) — the sharp-tongued, quick-witted heel who talked his way into Portland Wrestling and became one of the territory’s most entertaining personalities. A three-time NW champion and future ECW icon.

🔥 Al Madril — the veteran fans watched grow from rookie to master manipulator. Charismatic, crafty, and a natural heel, Madril was a Northwest staple for more than a decade.

🤠 Tex McKenzie — awkward, unorthodox, and impossible not to cheer for. Despite his clumsy style, Tex drew crowds everywhere he went and became one of the Northwest’s most beloved big men.

These weren’t the megastars — they were the performers who kept the territory alive with personality, unpredictability, and heart.

Based on The Encyclopedia of Portland Wrestlers byhistorian Mike Rodgers, available now on Amazon.
Follow on Spotify and Apple Podcasts — new episodes every Friday.

🎙️ Ringside in RoseCity #14 – Oh Yeah: The Hawaii–Portland Pipeline

Ringside In Rose City #14

One ring. One city. A thousand stories.
And this week… we trade the rain for palm trees and trace the wild, tangled history between Hawaii wrestling and Portland wrestling.

In Episode #14 of Ringside in Rose City, FrankCulbertson and Mike Rogers crack open an envelope marked “Hawaii” and dive into the wrestlers, angles, and behind-the-scenes chaos that forever linked the islands to the Sports Arena.

Frank, Mike, and producer Lisa Hughes (keeping thestudio festive, spinning the wheel, and springing K-Fabe Curveballs) walk you through:

🌺 Buddy Rose on the Beach – The infamous “Playboy in Hawaii” video, the Fremont Bridge belt toss, suspensions, and why half of Portland swears they were there to “catch” the title.

🌴 Piper, Martel, the Sheepherders & Siva Afi – How booking in Honolulu became a dry run for one of Portland’s hottest eras, and why Hawaii was paradise and financial quicksand.

🏟️ Parade of Champions, 1967 – Stack the card with Lord James Blears, Ripper Collins, Johnny Barend, Pat Patterson & Ray Stevens, Lonnie Mayne, Tony Borne… and still slip in Don Leo Jonathan vs. Stan Stasiak in a “super dreadnought” clash.

⚓ Lord Blears’ Real-Life War Story – Torpedoes, a submarine, an escape from mass execution, and clinging to a makeshift life raft in the Pacific.

🤯 Eric Pederson: Torpedoes, Geiger Counters & the Orchestra Pit – World-title shots blown off to go uranium hunting, jailhouse bodybuilding photos, and the night adropkick sent him into the orchestra pit with his head stuck under the stairs.

👑 The Francis Family & Who Really Owned Hawaii – Ed Francis borrowing money from Don Owen to buy the territory, going off TV, restarting, selling to Steve Rickard, the murky rise of Peter Maivia as promoter, and letters that only make the story stranger.

😴 Blindfold Battle Royals & Sleeper Holds – The Portland blindfold battle royal with one unmasked surprise entrant… and Ed Francis’ terrifyingly “serious” sleeper that needed a neck massage and back-slap revival every time.

🔥 Pampero Firpo / The Missing Link – Short, weird run in Portland, legendary status in Hawaii, riots, scars, “Ohhh yeah!” long before another guy said it, and why he should have been a much bigger star here.

🐻 Bears in Hawaii & Dutch as Dutch Schultz – Dutch Savage vs. a bear, King Curtis, Ripper Collins, and the wild Rat Pack years.

🌊 Dean Ho / Dean Higuchi – Portland babyface favorite, Hawaiian gym owner, WWWF tag champ, and a man so nice the boys still ribbed him by calling him “Mr. Fuji.”

Plus, Lisa drops in with a holiday-flavored K-Fabe Curveballs segment—wrestling questions, Christmas music, Santa judging the naughty list, and Mike trying to go 3-for-3 without getting figuratively bodyslammed.

Hawaii. Portland. Full nelsons, bears, submarines, orchestrapits, and belts in the Willamette.

Step into the arena.

Hit play.

This is wrestling—wrestling the way it should be.

NW Favorites: The Heart of Portland Wrestling

Episode 3 dives into three of the most memorable villains inPortland Wrestling history — the intimidating, wild, and fiercely believable heels who helped define the territory just beneath its superstar tier.

Host Frank Culbertson covers:

💀 Killer Brooks —a rugged, chaotic brawler who debuted the same night as Roddy Piper, teamed with him, feuded with him, and became one of the only territories to ever cheer him as a babyface.
🪓 Rasputin (Black Angus) — a monstrous presence with long hair, a choking strap, and a reputation for terrifying toughness. He battled Dutch Savage, Jimmy Snuka, and even captured the Northwest title.
☠️ The Skull — one of Portland’s most unforgettable villains, teaming with Tony Borne, feuding with Lonnie Mayne, and cutting promos so bizarre and compelling that Vancouver promoter Sandor Kovacs called him “the biggest drawVancouver ever had.”

These weren’t the megastars of Portland Wrestling — theywere the semi-main event staples, the heat magnets, the characters fans never forgot.

Based on The Encyclopedia of Portland Wrestlers byhistorian Mike Rodgers, available now on Amazon.
Follow on Spotify and Apple Podcasts — new episodes every Friday.

And this week… one epic, extra-long, 90-minute dive into the voices that built the Pacific Northwest.

Frank Culbertson & a very congested but tough-as-nails MikeRodgers crack open the envelope marked “Excitement in the Air — Volume 1.”
What follows is a journey into three decades of Mike’s interviews with the wrestlers who defined the territory.

These are the conversations that shaped Ring Around theNorthwest, preserved history long before podcasts existed, and connected Mike directly with the legends themselves — from world champions to outlaws, technicians to territorial gods.

📖 Bull Ramos – The Breakout Heel Who Broke Arms and Box Offices

The three-day drive from Houston to a territory he “didn’t even know existed.”

Fritz Von Erich sending him north because “Portland needs akiller heel.”

Breaking Lonnie Mayne’s arm on night one… and instantlybecoming a main-event sensation.

The hilarious story of Dutch Savage’s stinky-finger prankinvolving salmon eggs.

Bull loved the territory, loved the crowds, and made history— even if he thought coming here “was a mistake.”

😡 Dutch Savage – The Most Salty, Explosive Interview Mike Ever Did

Dutch comes in hot, and never cools down:

The rib that almost ended Mike’s interview before it began.

Tales from Dutch’s days in Hawaii, wrestling bears, and working with Ed Francis and Lord Blears.

A nuclear-level blow-up with Don Owen involving a napkin, a buyout, and insults that scorched the table.

Why Dutch thought Bull Ramos was one of the greatest heelshe ever faced — maybe the greatest.

This is Dutch at full volume: blunt, fiery, hilarious, and utterly unforgettable.

🏆 Lou Thesz – The World Champion in Full “Hooker Philosopher” Mode

Why he hated tag team wrestling but respected Dory Funk Sr.

His deep admiration for Don Leo Jonathan, and why hebelieved DLJ could’ve been unbeatable with two years of pure hooking training.

A spontaneous Portland match in 1981 against Gene Kiniskiafter Don Owen asked, “Do you have your gear?”

His old-school approach to finishes: “If there’s a disagreement, we take it to the ring and see what happens.”

Classic Lou — direct, sharp, and living history.

💥 Killer (Bad News) Brooks – Wheelbarrows, Snakes & Portland’s Only Babyface Run

The legendary wheelbarrow promo with Piper, Rose, andWiskowski — one of Portland’s most iconic segments.

Why turning babyface in Portland was the strangest twist ofhis career.

The rib from Race Bannon involving a snake in Piper’s car that nearly sent them both off the highway.

💪 Scott Norton – Green as Grass, Strong as an Ox

His disastrous first match

The infamous Al Madril clothesline incident that almost ended in a fight.

Don Owen wanting to fire him on day one…

…and then later begging him to stay.

The classic Don payoff speeches: “I had to put tiles in thebathroom… the electric bill went up $3…”

🎲 K-Fabe Curveballs – Christmas Edition

Charlie Brown mac & cheese math

Bird-counting nightmares from “The 12 Days of Christmas”

A big Joe Turner jam leading into earthquake trivia

And yes — Mike finally gets one right.

Chaos, confusion, Christmas cheer… classic Curveballs.

💼 Red Bastien, Ricky Hunter, Don Leo Jonathan & More

Red Bastien, one of wrestling’s kindest souls and a connector of generations

Ricky Hunter, who instantly won the respect of the Northwest

Kurt Von Steiger, Nick Kozak, and the lost art of enforcing tag ropes

Don Leo Jonathan, including the night Andre the Giant accidentally fell on him and changed his life

And a rare, perfectly kayfabed interview with Stan Stasiak, who gave Mike exactly nothing about winning the WWWF title

History. Humor. Heart. All in one episode.

Grab a warm drink (Mike certainly needed one), settle in, and enjoy this 90-minute tribute to the interviews that kept the Northwest alive.

Hit play and feel the excitement in the air.