Brisco was wrestling’s ultimate pro

Posted Feb 2, 2010 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Feb 11, 2010 at 11:21 PM

Forgive this deviation today. I’m going to recall fond memories from my youth. Every Saturday during the early 1970s, I eagerly waited for “Championship Wrestling From Florida” to air on Channel 5 in West Palm Beach, hoping that Gordon Solie would interview Jack Brisco. Or even better, Brisco would wrestle on TV.

Brisco died Monday at age 68 of complications from heart bypass surgery he had on Jan. 2. A piece of my youth died, too. First Solie, and now Brisco. The bell tolls.

You can debate all you want about the legitimacy of pro wrestling as a sport. It’s irrelevant. The wrestlers were real, and the fans sure were. And in the rough-and-tumble world of pro wrestling — before Vince McMahon Jr. glitzed it up, guttered it down and homogenized it, to his enormous profit — there were many different personalities, particularly in the National Wrestling Alliance. Jack Brisco stood tall among them.

“A gentleman all the way,” remembered Pam Allyn, Solie’s daughter.

“Dad’s quote would be ‘Jack is a class act in and out of the ring and a very close friend.’ ”

To paraphrase Solie, certainly no question about that.

Brisco was the No. 1 contender for the NWA’s world heavyweight title during the early ’70s, a belt held by Dory Funk Jr. (who won it in Tampa’s Fort Hesterly Armory on Feb. 11, 1969).

Their matches were one-hour main events all over Florida, and most went the distance. The matches would start slowly, then build up to an agonizing crescendo. Both wrestlers would apply their signature moves (Funk’s spinning toehold, Brisco’s figure-four leglock), but the matches always ended in a draw. The better to bring the crowds back the following week, of course.

On his Web site (www.dory-funk.com), Funk said Brisco was “a beautiful person to work with in the ring.”

“I never had a match with Jack Brisco less than spectacular for the wrestling fans,” Funk wrote. “Jack was a great worker and exceptional athlete.”

Ric Flair had more charisma. Dusty Rhodes had his mooooovement. Gorgeous George polarized crowds. But like Solie, Brisco oozed professionalism. And like Funk, he was all business.

“Both Dad and Jack were perfectionists with a passion for the art of wrestling,” Allyn said. “Their friendship continued after wrestling in monthly lunches at Cricketers in New Port Richey.

“Jack was a true grappler. Right up there with Lou Thesz and Don Curtis.”

Solie and Curtis teamed up in early 1972 for what I still believe was Gordon’s greatest five-minute stretch of announcing. Funk was scheduled to wrestle Johnny Walker on TV, but Brisco convinced “The Grappler” to give up his spot. That led to a confrontation at Solie’s desk between Brisco and Funk, and one slap in the face later, both men were battling in the ring.

As Curtis noted at the time, “The pace of this match … is tremendous.”

Solie called the frenetic match until “our time has completely gone … in fact it has gone … we’ll see you next week.”
There was that hook again. You had to watch next week.

“I have spent more time in the ring with Jack Brisco than any other wrestler in my career,” Funk noted on his Web site.

Brisco never beat Funk for the NWA title, but he did finally win the strap when he defeated Harley Race in Houston on July 20, 1973. He lost the belt to Shohei “Giant” Baba on Dec. 4, 1974, in Japan but regained it four days later. Brisco held the title for another year before losing it to Terry Funk on Dec. 10, 1975.

Brisco also held numerous titles during his career. Although he only wrestled in McMahon’s WWF (now the WWE) for a brief time in the 1980s, Brisco was inducted into that organization’s Hall of Fame in 2008 (the Funk brothers followed last year). He entered the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005.

Away from the ring, Brisco was a passionate stock car racing fan and enjoyed nothing better than attending the Daytona 500 with friends.

“He had a very calm demeanor. A gentleman through and through,” Allyn said. “Walking behind him onto the stage at Wrestlemania was a WOW moment. He had a way of making you feel at ease with all the commotion.”

The commotion has been silenced. Rest in peace, Jack.