Wrestling at the Chase : The Inside Story of Sam Muchnick and the Legends of Professional Wrestling

Wrestling at the Chase is a fond, informative, amusing, and even poignant look at the who's who of professional wrestling and legendary St. Louis promoter Sam Muchnick. St. Louis was the capital, and Muchnick the ruler of professional wrestling, before Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment took over. What happened in St. Louis paved the way for today's multi-billion-dollar sports entertainment industry. The centrepiece of this magical operation was “Wrestling at the Chase,” a television program which broadcast from 1959 to 1983 from the majestic Chase Hotel. Larry Matysik was Muchnick's protégé and longtime announcer for the television show. With an insider's eye for detail and accuracy, he recalls funny and amazingly touching tales about the characters who created professional wrestling as we know it. Ric Flair, “King Kong” Brody, Dick “the Bruiser,” the Von Erichs, Lou Thesz, Gene Kiniski, Pat O'Connor, Johnny Valentine, Dick Murdoch, Harley Race, Buddy Rogers, Jack Brisco, and Andre the Giant are all prominently featured. So is Muchnick himself, the Damon Runyan of wrestling, a man who helped mould the bizarre business of circus and sport. The savage twists of the politics of wrestling are on display as well, particularly the changes that rocked the mat world during the early'80s. Wrestling at the Chase is a fond, informative, amusing, and even poignant look at the whos who of professional wrestling and legendary St. Louis promoter Sam Muchnick. St. Louis was the capital, and Muchnick the ruler of professional wrestling, before Vince McMahons World Wrestling Entertainment took over. What happened in St. Louis paved the way for todays multi-billion-dollar sports entertainment industry. The centrepiece of this magical operation was Wrestling at the Chase, a television program which broadcast from 1959 to 1983 from the majestic Chase Hotel. Larry Matysik was Muchnicks protg and longtime announcer for the television show. With an insiders eye for detail and accuracy, he recalls funny and amazingly touching tales about the characters who created professional wrestling as we know it. Ric Flair, King Kong Brody, Dick the Bruiser, the Von Erichs, Lou Thesz, Gene Kiniski, Pat OConnor, Johnny Valentine, Dick Murdoch, Harley Race, Buddy Rogers, Jack Brisco, and Andre the Giant are all prominently featured. So is Muchnick himself, the Damon Runyan of wrestling, a man who helped mould the bizarre business of circus and sport. The savage twists of the politics of wrestling are on display as well, particularly the changes that rocked the mat world during the early 80s.

Legendary St. Louis promoter Sam Muchnick and the magical television wrestling show broadcast from the opulent Chase Hotel from 1959 to 1983 are captured in this informative, amusing, and sometimes poignant story of one of wrestling's greatest eras. The high-class establishment of the Chase Hotel and the rough-and-tumble world of professional wrestling made strange bedfellows, but they worked together to produce an addicting spectacle under the direction of Muchnick. Ric Flair, King Kong Brody, and Andre the Giant are just some of the many characters who are featured in the engrossing, funny, and touching tales. Any fan of pro wrestling will delight in the history, humor, and uniqueness of Sam Muchnick and the Chase.

Belleville News-Democrat

Details St. Louis' rich wrestling tradition as one of the country's top venues throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

Cover 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 9 FOREWORD 13 HOOKED 17 SAM 29 SAM & ME 51 SAM & ME: Part II 69 SAM & ME: Part III 93 FRIDAY NIGHT 113 SATURDAY 141 SUNDAY 167 THE WAR 191 BRODY 209 A DIFFERENT TIME 229 EPILOGUE 241 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 245 CLASSIC ST. LOUIS WRESTLING VIDEOS 247