Figure Four Weekly 10/31/2016: California wrestling regulation in 1977

In reaching out to various athletic commissions to get whatever old pro wrestling-related records I can find, I may have hit a relative jackpot with the California State Athletic Commission. Record retention at the different commissions varies wildly, and while the CSAC doesn’t retain event-specific records from the pre-computer era, they do have the minutes of their monthly meetings going back to 1977. After a recent request, where their records custodian couldn’t find anything about what I was looking for specifically, she decided to, I guess because she had already pulled the boxes, scan everything from 1977 to 1981 and send it to me. And while some of what’s contained within is mundane, a lot of it isn’t, because a lot of weird things can happen when territorial era pro wrestlers collide with regulators.

A surprising number (considering that this was the territory system, that is) of wrestlers and other talent would get fined for working without licenses. In March, a number of familiar or otherwise historical names pop up:

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