Monday, March 19, 2007

Gorgeous Michelle Starr makes plans for the reunion.

When I started coming around the business in 1985 I use to go to the shows promoted by Karl Lauer in Southern Callifornia. That is where I met alot of the guys that I still consider my friends today like Karl, Bill Anderson, Jesse Hernandez, Jack Armstrong, Tim Patterson, Larry Sampson and many others.

A couple of guys that helped me when I was starting out that have since passed are Professor Toru Tanaka, Jay York and Ripper Savage. Bill trained me in a place called Gils Garage and East LA. Funny how later in my career I would wrestle Gil in TJ. I also did some training with Jesse Hernandez and the Great Goliath. It was quite the honor getting to tag with Great Goliath in Tijuana. Man he knew how to work the crowd. Larry Sampson and I started wrestling in Tijuana together and from there we went up to work full time in Canada.

Larry was known as Sweet Daddy Sampson in BC. We had weekly tv that was seen coast to coast. I was greener than green and had to learn the hard way and the best way in the ring on the job. I would like to thank Al Tomko for giving me the chance to learn and grow as a wrestler. Another man who was a big help to be in Canada was Moose Morowski. Moose always had time for us young guys and he still has time for us today.

Gorgeous Michelle Starr is a flamboyant character patterned after Exotic Adrian Street, Adrian Adonis and the Mexican Wrestlers that do the same gimmick. I always liked the reaction of the fans from my gimmick. Some in pure disgust and others who loved it. Who would think the qay gimmick would be a face in Japan but it was.

I have done 10 tours of Japan for IWA Japan for Mr. Asano. I did 5 Tours of South Korea for WWA Korea here I got to meet the famous Kim Ill (Headbutt the called him). I went to England and Scotland for Brian Dixons All Star Wrestling. In England I met many guys and the one who looked after me here was Chic Cullen aka Robbie Stewart from Stampede. He helped me with the English style. British Columbia for Al Tomko, Portland Wrestling for Sandy Barr and numerous other indys up and down the coast. I also started my career in California and Mexico and had alot or my early matches in The Auditorio in Tijuana and Arena 72. I also have had my fair share of tv matches over the years for the WWF(now WWE), AWA(Verne Gagne) and WCW.

I Started my own group with partners in 1995 called ECCW(Extreme Canadiana Championship Wrestling). At the high point in the promotion we were running over 100 shows a year and sometimes 2 shows a night in BC and > Washington State. We used talent like Matt Borne, Billy Two Eagles, Moondog Moretti, Payboy Buddy Rose, The Honkytonk Man, Steve Corino and others over the the years. I left ECCW at the end of 2006. I am currently wrestling for AWA Pinnacle Wrestling in Washington State about once or twice a month.

My real job is working on the docks as a Longshoreman in British Columbia. I consider myself a Canadian. And look forward to this years reunion.
Mark Vellios
aka Gorgeous Michelle Starr