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Is Tulsa ready for throwback pro wrestling?

Posted: Aug 27th 2015 By: Jimmie Tramel - TulsaWorld.com

Steve Cox ? ex-farmboy from Liberal, Kansas, and ex-University of Tulsa football lineman ? was talking about his long-ago introduction to professional wrestling.

He said Steve ?Dr. Death? Williams and Skandor Akbar were present when he auditioned for Cowboy Bill Watts.

?They didn?t really watch me or talk to me,? Cox said.

?I just kept running and hitting the ropes. Finally, (Watts) goes ?You?re hired. I?ll see you in two weeks.??

On-the-job training came in front of crowds.

Said Cox: ?Crowbar. Beat up. Tore up. Now I?m ready to go back at it and see what?s out there.?

Cox, alias Steve ?Do It To It? Cox, wrestled from 1986 to just this side of 2000. He isn?t planning on hitting the ropes again. He?s aiming for a different type of throwback.

He wants to bring old-school professional wrestling entertainment back to Tulsa.

?I know this business,? Cox said. ?I know what sells. I know what works.

And we are going to feed that beast and create a niche.?

Pro wrestling and Tulsa have been tag-team partners since the dropkick learned how to fly.

Tulsans hissed at heels and cheered for baby faces throughout the territorial reigns of Sam Avey, Leroy McGuirk and Watts.

Many Tulsans have stories about attending wrestling matches with their fathers, Cox said. One of those people is his business partner.

?My dad died when he was 46 years old,? Gregg Swab said. ?And the one thing that I remember about my father was standing next to him when he was talking to Leroy McGuirk and watching (wrestler) Michael PS Hayes. I know that doesn?t mean anything to anybody, but the point I am making is you never forget those kind of moments. It?s part of childhood.?

Cox and Swab said they hope to re-create the memory-making environment. They intend to stage monthly pro wrestling shows at the Expo Square Pavilion, and they?ve got names (Rikishi, Big Vader, the Steiner Brothers) wrestling enthusiasts should recognize on a card for a Sept. 12 launch.

Swab described the venture as a reboot. The plan is to go back to the way it was.

So, how old school will the show be?

?If I could get away with it ... I would give cigars to the girls, and we would have a smoky-feel, blood-and-bulls, knock-down, drag-out fight that?s not politically correct,? Cox said.

?And the people on the west coast and east coast would say ?That?s what?s wrong with America today,? and you and I both know that?s what?s right with America today. We?re going to show up. We?re going to give them a good time.?

Cox, who wrestled in thousands of bouts all over the globe before retiring to Tulsa, used his industry connections to snare veterans for the inaugural show. He said he has worked with 90 percent of the guys in the business.

?You name a guy and I have either worked with them or been on the card with them, excluding Hulk Hogan and a few others,? he said.

Fans may not know the younger blood on the first show?s undercard, but Cox said you will be impressed. Here?s what he means by impressed: ?When you see these guys in the ring, I want every guy in the crowd thinking ?I don?t think I would get in there. I don?t really want in there.? And you don?t.?

Cox, in answering a question about whether there is a market for old-school wrestling, said there is a market for WWE. World Wrestling Entertainment is the pro wrestling company helmed by Vince McMahon.

?The thing of it is, Vince has done a great job,? Cox said. ?They say he killed off the territory. He just had the best product on the market.?

In jump-starting this territory, Cox said he would like to take the best of the old ?and apply the best of what we watch with (the WWE?s) model, within reason, and keep our brand. Literally, that?s our approach is the next-best thing to New York entertainment wrestling.?

Cox said the community ? and the wrestling community ? want Tulsa?s pro wrestling comeback to be successful.

?The bottom line is the best way to help us succeed is to just come give us one shot,? he said. ?It?s kind of like that fine restaurant. Are you that good? Give us that one try. I know money is tight, but when you are ready to spend it, I want you to spend it well. It will be the best dollar you spend this year for entertainment.?

Professional wrestling

Featuring Tokyo Monster, Rick Steiner, Scott "Big Poppa Pump" Steiner, Big Vader, Rikishi Fatu, Jr., Shawn Hernandez and more.

When: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12.

Where: Expo Square Pavilion.

Tickets: 918 376-6000.

General admission seating: Adult 16-up, $18; child 3-15 $10; seniors 60-up, $10, military w/ID $10.

Reserved seating: VIP floor seats, row 1-3 $65 for ages 3-up; premium floor Seats, rows 4-back $45 for ages 3-up.