October 31, 2005 Observer Newsletter: The Crusher passes away, TNA Bound for Glory

When Steve Austin hit big as a beer drinking anti-authority heel turned face in 1997, a lot of people tried to credit it toward some kind of a social shift in values. But I remember when it was suggested to me, I knew it was bunk. Steve Austin was nothing more than a modern rendition of the “man of the people” babyface, who isn’t pretty, but in the end, the people have confidence is the toughest man in the ring and will always get the job done in the end.

Look no further than The Crusher, who in the Midwest during the 60s and 70s was the predecessor of Stone Cold. He was the man known as “The wrestler who made Milwaukee famous,” a take off a popular Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer commercial with the phrase, “The beer that made Milwaukee famous,” at the time.

A former weightlifter, who had a herculean physique based on the standards of the pre-steroid era when he broke into the business in the around 1950, Reggie Lisowski was the top heel, who became the top babyface, and more than Verne Gagne or anyone else, truly carried the AWA territory. 

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