"The Loaded Boot" - July 1, 1967
"My two brothers and I were really wanting
to go to the wrestling matches on that Saturday night in
Winston-Salem. It didn't look too promising early in the week leading
up to the card because Dad wouldn't be getting off work until 10:00
p.m. that night and I was not quite old enough to drive yet.
By mid week we got lucky and worked out a deal with Jimmy, a close friend
of the family. My brothers and I would help Jimmy chop the weeds out
of his tobacco field in exchange for him driving us down to the
Coliseum. He loved wrestling too.
My mom had never learned to drive at this point but she had made up her
mind to do so. She had just bought a 1957 Dodge with the big fins on
the back for $200. She let Jimmy drive that old Dodge to wrestling
because the only thing that would run on his farm that day was his
tractor. Well, Jimmy must never have driven anything so powerful as
that old Dodge. He flew past every vehicle we came upon that night
between Mt. Airy and Winston-Salem. Just imagine if you will three
kids and one nut (just kidding Jimmy) flying down U.S. 52 in a
"Batmobile" going to wrestling!
The old Coliseum was hot that night as it was nearly a full house and I
don't believe that grand old building ever had air conditioning.
George Becker had made a promise on "Championship Wrestling" the previous week
that he and Johnny Weaver had a big surprise for the Infernos and J.C.
Dykes. The Infernos managed by J.C. Dykes had been wreaking havoc all
over Virginia and the Carolina's during the Spring of 1967 with the
Loaded Boot. Mr. Dykes explained in T.V. interviews that one of his
Infernos was born with one leg shorter than the other. That was the
reason he had to wear a built up boot. They won match after match when
that Inferno would tap the toe of that boot to load it and kick his
opponent in the stomach, then tap the heel to unload it.
In this match with Becker and Weaver the Infernos won the first fall with
the loaded boot over Johnny Weaver. In the second fall Johnny Weaver
used his rollup on Inferno1 and Inferno 2 came in and started tapping
the toe of his boot to the mat. Of course the referee had his back
turned while pushing George Becker back to his corner. Just as Inferno
2 went to kick Johnny, Weaver caught his foot and took him down. Becker
then knocked the referee down so he could join Johnny.
Of course George and Johnny got disqualified which resulted in them losing two straight
falls to the Infernos. No matter, they were going to remove that loaded
boot at all costs. After they got the boot off, Johnny loaded it and
started swinging it, clearing the ring of J.C. Dykes and the Infernos.
Johnny then sat down in the middle of the ring and removed his own boot
so he could try the loaded boot on. It would not fit Johnny , so in
future matches with the Infernos, George Becker wore the boot. George
would later loan the boot to the Scott Brothers(Sandy wore the boot)
and Tex McKenzie and Nelson Royal(Nelson wore the boot). Rip Hawk and
Swede Hanson got disqualified in the semi-main event against the
Kentuckians.
Was chopping weeds all day worth getting to see all this? You bet!"
Carroll Hall
April 2005