The Blawyer launches History of Pro Wrestling Blog!

The Great Togo, circa. 1950

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the Blawyer's latest venture: a blog dedicated to the history of professional wrestling! Are you familiar with Bobby Managoff and Man Mountain Dean? What about Kazuo George Okamura and George Wagner? If not, you're in for a treat. If you are, well you've come to the right place anyway.

My proposition is simple: tell a broader story about America through the lens of professional wrestling. Pro wrestling serves, in many ways, as the ultimate reflection of American society. For instance, over 120,000 Japanese-Americans were imprisoned in internment camps during WWII. Their crime? Being of Japanese ancestry. One wrestler in particular, Kazuo George Okamura, a Japanese-American wrestling champion from Oregon, better known throughout professional wrestling circles as The Great Togo, became one the most feared villains of the silver screen as a result. His job was simple: scare the crap out of Leave it to Beaver America (and Canada) and put over wholesome white wrestlers. Undoubtedly he could have annihilated most of the men he faced, Togo was a superb ring technician, but he laid down for them because the wrestling business said he had to. Ethnic bad guys represented the Axis and good guys represented the allies during this period.

This blog is in its infant stage, so please be patient. Research can take an immense amount of time to complete, especially wrestling history (look for a blog in the future that addresses why pro wrestling is difficult to research). Suggestions are always welcome, and if you think a particular wrestler should be highlighted, please don't hesitate to shoot a message my way! I'm certain I can find a relevant juxtaposition...