Ron Historyo Goes On the Stampede Trail
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Don’t believe all you read about the North American Heavyweight Title. Various websites have got in a twist about the exact lineage for the champ. I am glad I don’t have to sort it all out. The first British wrestler to hold this title was our greatest wrestler Billy Robinson in 1969. A great year for the title, nothing weak about Stampede Wrestling. Champions that year include Archie “Stomper” Gouldie, Dory Funk Jr and our Billy. In 1971 for a short period Les Thornton and Wild “Black” Angus were holders. In 1972 we had Geoff Portz and Kendo Nagasaki doing a two time swap. It was to be 1984 before Dynamite Kid and Davey Smith were added to this list.
But there is another Brit who held a Stampede title for two weeks even managing to span the two years of 1969 and 1970. That man was Dangerous Danny Lynch.
Early in 1969 Lynch had been over in Japan and at that particular time our boys Billy Robinson and Pat Roach were out there with him. Of note Lynch did some tag matches, in particular with Canadian Dave Ruhl as his partner. That fact, it seems to me, was a significant pointer to Danny spending about ten weeks in Stampede Wrestling later that year.
1968 had been the big year for our Brits going to Japan and it was after that many of them started to crop up in Stampede. Clearly worldwide, some degree of “Networking” was going on. I’ll come back to Dave Ruhl, but first let’s have a look at Danny and his stay with Stu Hart’s Promotion.
On 24th October 1969 Lynch crops up first at Calgary fighting Eric Neal who is unknown to me and again on the 26th at Edmonton against the same man. 30th October at Regina looks a formidable opponent in Len “Kojak” Shelley. Take a look at this solid guy on YouTube and see what I mean.
The last day of October at the Victoria Pavilion Calgary, Dory Funk was retaining his championship with a win against George Gordienko. Our own Hans Streiger was on that card losing against Jerry Christie. But the night was opened by Danny Lynch against Dan Kroffat. After winning all his matches, this was a great push for Lynch beating Kroffat with a Claw Hold. Kroffat was part of the inner machinery of Stampede and was a booker with them. In mid November, like Streiger before him with Bobby Christie, Lynch had no luck with brother Jerry Christie.
The second real push of the tour though was to be a feud with Chris Tolos. Tolos was a forty year old Canadian from Ontario who was perhaps two thirds of the way through a long career, similar to his brother John Tolos.
In the first bout on 21st November, playing the heel, Tolos gave Lynch a beating before the opening bell and Danny was all at sea. He did manage a fall but ended up being unable to continue the bout due to the punishment that he had taken. Of course Stu Hart got involved, stating that the result was not satisfactory so there was to be another bout next week.
On the 28th it was Danny’s turn to apply the aggression, but as a result he lost on a disqualification. This led to a third Friday night at Calgary and this time a fight to a finish. The problem this time was Lynch got tied up in the ropes and took a terrific beating illegally. Stu Hart got involved and calmed Tolos with a crusher of an elbow smash and offered Lynch the match.
Of course it was to go on next week with a Loser Leaves Town match. As it happens I think Chris Tolos must have left town early because on the 12th of December Danny Lynch took it out on replacement Dan Kroffat, so the fourth match never happened.
Of course the feud probably played out in several venues. You see what I mean when I show you this bill at Lethbridge.
So the feud with Tollos was over and then a few bouts with Reggie Parks take us up to Christmas. Now I have an observation to make at this point concerning Stampede Champions. Look at the Calgary Bills again for 28th November and 5th December and you will see that Dave Ruhl crops up again as Canadian Champion. This was a different belt to the North American one.
The final push was to be a series against Ruhl who had been Lynch’s tag partner in Japan. But of course we know the nature of wrestling and it works like this. Dave Ruhl was Stu Hart’s main Booker and if I tell you that he was born in 1920 you will workout that he was ending his fifth decade. He had wrestled solidly since the war. I guess today you might talk of a wrestler working in “Creative.” The scene was set for a Boxing Day Rumble in the Victoria Pavilion.
Well, Stampede wrestling must be a funny old world, you don’t have to be Canadian to get a Canadian Title shot. Danny must have gone down well because he won the match 2-0. The circumstances are that Ruhl cut his head on the corner buckle and was dazed. Lynch got the pin fall press. As Ruhl was coming back he collided with the referee and in trying to revive him, Lynch fell on Ruhl and sneaked another pin. So the following week came the rematch and the new champion, our Englishman has his name in lights. What’s more it was a successful title defence. Although by the look of the brief report, it was well worked as a riot.
The third week it was the completion of a trilogy and there could be only one result. Danny Lynch had come to the end of his tour and it was time to move on again. Other parts of Canada were to get to see Danny Lynch. Summer was spent in Montreal.
But, did I say Trilogy? Well, I meant at Calgary. In fact more data suggests that there were matches in other Stampede Towns. The last seven matches of the tour that I can actually find were all working with Ruhl.
Ruhl did what was right at the time for the business and lost to Lynch in Saskatoon and Edmonton and they certainly cropped up in Lethbridge as well.
And if anyone out there really likes fine detail I am going to leave you with a small mystery. On the 23rd March 1969 in Japan Danny Lynch was in his last match. Had he decided to wrestle in Canada after meeting Dave Ruhl and did they go from Japan together.
If we have never thought about it before, by anyone’s definition this was a good tour.
Lynch must have been well liked and appreciated. Danny more or less did it all, Royal Albert Hall, famous for blood matches and some would say wasted by Joint Promotions.
Canada, Japan, Germany, a great career and without a doubt should stand alongside those other Stampede tourists of ours as a great Ambassador.
Page added 15/10/2017
Reviewed 04/08/2023
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