Tag: Portland Wrestlng

Portland Wrestlecast: A talk with Nick Wayne’s grandfather ‘Moondog’ Ed Moretti

Posted on by Jim Valley

There’s a new book out — The Encyclopedia of Portland Wrestling from the House of Action — and on this episode of the Portland Wrestlecast, I talk to both author Mike Rodgers and “Moondog” Ed Moretti, former wrestler and the grandfather of current AEW star Nick Wayne. 

We talk about Ed’s family, seeing them on AEW TV, his career, ribs like the time Andre the Giant farted on Buddy Rose, fun road stories, and, of course, the book.

From wrestlers you knew came through Portland like Roddy Piper to wrestlers you didn’t know came through the territory like Jake Roberts, the book is over 500 pages of information and history.

This show has a lot of fun and wrestling history. Check it out.

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Portland Wrestlecast: ‘Excitement in the Air: The Voices of NW Wrestling’ author Mike Rodgers

Posted on by Jim Valley

Happy American Thanksgiving from The Portland Wrestlecast!

Author and historian Mike Rodgers joins me for a conversation about all things Portland Wrestling like his thoughts on the Portland episode of Vice’s Tales from the Territories, a very funny story about Dutch Savage and salmon, Matt Bourne, just how cool Roddy Piper was, Lonnie Mayne, Tony Bourne, Buddy Rose, Bull Ramos, Jesse Ventura, and many, many more. 

Check out his three book series Excitement in the Air: The Voices of NW Wrestling right now on Amazon, just in time for the holidays.

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Portland Wrestlecast: Tales from the Territories with The Grappler

Posted on by Jim Valley

The Portland Wrestlecast returns with some Tales from the Territories.

“The Grappler” Len Denton, just off recording the Portland-focused episode of the Vice TV show, talks about his experience on the set and some of the stories you can expect when the episode airs. 

Plus, Denton talks about how he and Roddy Piper changed what had been a very traditional territory. There’s also a wild and classic story about the time Curt Hennig got his AWA title held up in Portland and why a second match never happened which you will want to hear.

(Listener note: It takes a minute or so for Denton’s signal to improve on his phone. It’s not terrible, but it gets better.)

There are lots of great tales from the Portland territory on this episode so check it out!

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Portland Wrestlecast: Former PNW Champion Jerry Oates

Posted on by Jim Valley

This week’s Portland Wrestlecast features one of the best interviews I have ever had on the show: former PNW Champion Jerry Oates.

Oates wrestled in the Pacific Northwest in 1978, the same time as Jimmy Snuka, Jesse Ventura, Buddy Rose, and others. He held the tag team titles with Ventura and feuded with Ed Wiskowski over the heavyweight title. A Georgia native, he has wrestled in All Japan, Georgia, Mid-Atlantic, Florida, Louisiana and more.

On this episode, he tells some incredible old school stories including a real life dressing room confrontation between Jimmy Snuka and Dutch Savage. Savage wasn’t only a veteran wrestler as he also promoted wrestling for Don Owen in Washington State and, on TV, was portrayed as a mentor to Snuka.

Hear about the unique way he got into Portland and his thoughts on the territory given his vast experience. Don’t sleep on this episode as Jerry Oates stood out among a region filled with talent in 1978. 

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