History
The ESA, a member of the National Wrestling Alliance (1975–76), was owned by Al Zinck in partnership with Rudy Kay (1969–75) and Bobby Kay (1975-76) and promoted wrestling under the marquee name International Wrestling. In 1977, the ESA dissolved and Bobby Kay formed Trans-Canada Wrestling, and Al Zinck continued to promote International Wrestling under the name 'Maritime International Sports Ltd' with George Cannon and later Don Carson as bookers. At the end of the 1977 season, Al Zinck retired from promoting until 1984, when he reactivated International Wrestling with James J. Dillon as booker.
They ran cards seven nights a week across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The nightly cards were almost identical for the week, so they could be promoted by one TV show. The week would start Saturday nights in New Glasgow, with their main stop at the Halifax Forum every Tuesday night, followed by a TV taping on Wednesday morning at the CJCH-TV studios on Robie Street in Halifax. This show would be broadcast across the Maritimes Saturday on the ATV network. Host Clary Fleming would announce the matches, do the play by play and interview the wrestlers. Eight events a week, including the TV show, was a heavy schedule, but it was for only about six months a year (May–October). In the winter months, hockey dominated arena bookings, and poor driving conditions on the roads could keep fans home and make it difficult for the wrestlers to travel from town to town on schedule. The first card of each new wrestling season would feature a Battle Royal.
The Cormier brothers (Rudy Kay, Bobby Kay, Leo Burke and The Beast [Ivan]) were the top faces, along with Johnny Weaver (1975) and Tommy Gilbert (1976-77). The top heels were Freddie Sweetan, Mike Dubois, Killer Karl Krupp, Jim Dillon, "Bulldog" Bob Brown, Lord Alfred Hayes, The Brute, Bolo & Gito Mongol and The Mercenaries. The Stomper and Eric Pomeroy were heels who turned face.
Future stars Rick Martel, Roddy Piper, Tony Atlas, Rocky Johnson and Terry Gordy also paid their dues here. As well, former world champions Pat O'Connor, Harley Race, Dory Funk Jr. and Lou Thesz made appearances. Jack Brisco, Terry Funk and Rick Martel defended their World Titles under the banner of International Wrestling.
Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling. When Mike Graham tried a return to promoting, the rights to the name had been acquired by an outside party, forcing him to use another name, Florida Championship Wrestling.
Alfred George James Hayes, was an English professional wrestler, manager and commentator, best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wrestling Federation between 1982 and 1995 where he was known as Lord Alfred Hayes. Hayes was distinguished by his "Masterpiece Theatre diction" and "Oxford accent".
Léonce Cormier is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He was born in Dorchester, New Brunswick. He competed across Canada, in several American promotions, and wrestled internationally for both Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council (WWC) and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in New Zealand. In Canada, where he spent the majority of his career, Cormier used the ring name Leo Burke. In the United States, however, he competed as Tommy Martin.
Yvon Cormier was a Canadian professional wrestler. Competing primarily under the ring name The Beast, he and his three wrestling brothers made up the Cormier wrestling family. He wrestled in many countries but regularly returned to Canada, where he competed for the Eastern Sports Association (ESA) and the ESA-promoted International Wrestling (IW). He also competed in the Calgary, Alberta-based Stampede Wrestling for many years.
Grand Prix Wrestling (GPW) is a professional wrestling promotion run and owned by Emile Duprée. Grand Prix Wrestling has recently finished the 2013 Rising Sun In The Maritimes Tour. Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling tours parts of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. It has no connection with Paul Vachon's Grand Prix Wrestling promotion of Montreal in the 1970s. J.P. Simms is widely considered the biggest star in the history of maritime wrestling though he has recently lost multiple times to Covey Christ at Kaizen Pro Wrestling.
Kurt and Karl Von Steiger were the ring names of professional wrestlers Lorne Corlett and Arnold Pastrick worked under for most of their careers. The Von Steiger gimmick was that of two German villains, called heels, despite both wrestlers hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Arnold Pastrick used the name Kurt Von Steiger, and Lorne Corlett worked as Karl Von Steiger. The Von Steigers are best known for competing in Pacific Northwest Wrestling in Portland, Oregon between 1968 and 1973 but also competed in Tennessee, San Francisco, Stampede Wrestling, Australia, the American Wrestling Alliance and the Carolina territory.
Trevor John Zinck is a Canadian former politician, a former member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly who represented the riding of Dartmouth North as an Independent and a New Democrat. He was first elected for the New Democratic Party in the 2006 election, succeeding retiring NDP MLA Jerry Pye. He served as the Community Services critic for the NDP, and was re-elected in the 2009 election. Zinck pleaded guilty on June 17, 2013 to charges of fraud over $5,000 and breach of trust by a public officer and later resigned as a result.
Eastern Sports Association's International Tag Team Title was represented by a Trophy, and was defended in the Maritimes from 1969 to 1975.
Continental Wrestling Association was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually referred to as Mid-Southern Wrestling or the Memphis territory. This promotion was a chief NWA territory during the 1970s and early 1980s while operating out of Tennessee and Kentucky. The CWA was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance until 1986 and affiliated with the American Wrestling Association until 1989. In 1989, the CWA merged with the World Class Wrestling Association to form the United States Wrestling Association thus ceasing to exist as a separate entity. Lance Russell and Dave Brown were the television commentators and hosts for the Memphis territory, including the Continental Wrestling Association.
Mike Hughes is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Hangman Hughes. Hughes has competed on the North American independent promotions throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s as a co-founder and mainstay of Real Action Wrestling as part of the heel stable the "Kardinal Sinners" which includes "The Natural" Bobby Rude, Kingman and the Acadian Giant. Hughes briefly appeared with World Wrestling Entertainment in 2003 and performed for the Puerto Rico-based International Wrestling Association in the mid-2000s.
The Fabulous Kangaroos were a professional wrestling tag team that existed in various forms from 1957 until 1983. The first incarnation of The Fabulous Kangaroos was formed when Italian Australian Al Costello teamed with Australia native Roy Heffernan and adopted an "Ultra Australian" gimmick complete with boomerangs, bush hats, and the song "Waltzing Matilda" as their entrance music. Costello and Heffernan are arguably the most famous version of The Kangaroos, regarded as one of the top tag teams to ever compete in professional wrestling, and are often credited with popularizing tag team wrestling in the late 1950s and 1960s.
Hubert Gallant is a Canadian retired professional wrestler and trainer who competed in North American regional promotions during the 1970s and early 1980s including Stampede Wrestling and Emile Dupree's Grand Prix Wrestling as well short stints in the National Wrestling Alliance, specifically the Mid-South and Carolinas regions. Among the wrestlers he trained are "Wildman" Gary Williams and Hangman Hughes.
Freddie Prosser was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Freddie Sweetan. He competed in certain North American regional promotions including the National Wrestling Alliance as well as Grand Prix Wrestling, Maple Leaf Wrestling and Stampede Wrestling during the 1960s and 1970s, most notably teaming with Paul Peller as the masked tag team The Butchers.
John Cozman was a Canadian professional wrestler and trainer, known by his ring name "Principal" Richard Pound who competed in North American independent promotions, most notably as a mainstay of Stampede Wrestling during the 1980s and late 1990s.
Michel Vigneault was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Michel "Mad Dog" Martel. Martel is best known for his appearances with promotions such as Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling, Stampede Wrestling, International Wrestling Enterprise and the World Wrestling Council in the late 1960s and 1970s. He was one-half of the tag team The Mercenaries with Frenchy Martin and the older brother of fellow wrestler Rick Martel.
Jean-Louis Cormier was a Canadian professional wrestler, best known by his ring name Rudy Kay. Cormier competed primarily in Canada and often formed a tag team with his brothers; together, they are known as the Cormier wrestling family. He also worked behind the scenes, operating both the Eastern Sports Association (ESA) and its television program, International Wrestling. Kay held seven championships while wrestling for the ESA: five tag team titles while wrestling alongside his older brother Yvon; the short-lived Taped Fist Championship; as well as the promotion's most prestigious singles title, the North American Heavyweight Championship.
Romeo Cormier was a Canadian professional wrestler best known by the ring name Bobby Kay. He was a member of the Cormier wrestling family, a group of four brothers who were all successful professional wrestlers. He worked in Canada and the United States from 1967 to the mid-1980s, briefly owning and operating part of the Eastern Sports Association. After retiring from wrestling, he performed country music professionally before taking a job with Loblaws.
The Cormier wrestling family was a group of Canadian brothers who competed in professional wrestling. They were born in New Brunswick and wrestled primarily in Canada. They also competed in the United States and had stints in several other countries. On many occasions, the Cormiers wrestled together as tag team partners. Two of the brothers were also involved in promoting wrestling. The family has been honored by the Cauliflower Alley Club, a social organization composed of people in the wrestling business, for their contributions to the sport. Jean-Louis died in 2008, Yvon in 2009 and Romeo in 2020.
Gary Jessome is a Canadian professional wrestler and trainer, best known by his ringname "The Canadian Widowmaker" Duke MacIsaac, who has competed primarily in the Maritimes-based All Canadian Wrestling, East Coast Pro Wrestling, Grand Prix Wrestling and Real Action Wrestling, but has also toured Great Britain and the United States.
