Sputnik Monroe
Born:
December 18, 1929 in Dodge City, Kansas
Died:
November 3, 2006 in Florida
Sputnik Monroe was a headlining wrestler in many
territories from the 1945 until his retirement in 1988. Today, Monroe is
remembered for fighting to end segregation in Memphis and shattering attendance
records against his biggest rival in the territory, Billy Wicks. Their
attendance records would stand until the Monday Night Wars of the late-1990s.
Debuting as Rock
Monroe in 1945, Monroe began his career by wrestling in traveling carnivals.
He changed his name to Rocky Monroe in 1949 and adopted the nickname “Sputnik”
in 1957.
Monroe cultivated an
“evil” heel gimmick. In a wrestling-related incident, he had had an opponent
locked in a worked submission hold and threatened to break his arm. A local
sheriff threatened to shoot Sputnik if he did, to which Monroe replied he would
hold the opponent until he either gave up or starved to death; he eventually
released him when the sheriff counted to three. He drew heat from crowds by
describing himself arrogantly as being made of “twisted steel and sex
appeal”.
In 1957, while
driving to a wrestling show in Alabama, Monroe became tired and invited a black
hitchhiker he met at a gas station to take the wheel. Upon arriving at the
arena, Monroe placed his arm around the man, which drew a chorus of boos and
insults from the white crowd; in response to this, Monroe kissed the man on the
cheek. Monroe would later use this underlying racism as a promotional tactic
and become a noteworthy figure in Memphis cultural history.
During a period where
legal segregation was the norm at public events, and a general decline in the
popularity of professional wrestling, Monroe recognized segregated wrestling
shows (whites sat in floor seats and blacks sat in the balcony) were not
properly marketing to black fans. The witty, flamboyant Monroe began dressing
up in a purple gown and carrying a diamond-tipped cane and drinking in
traditionally black bars in the black area of Memphis, where he would openly
socialize with black patrons and hand out tickets to his wrestling shows.
Because of this, police frequently arrested him on a variety of vague,
trumped-up charges, such as mopery. In each case, he would then hire a black
attorney and appear in court, pay a small fine, and immediately resume the
behavior that resulted in his prior arrests. Although he was a heel, his
popularity soared among the black community, at his shows, floor seats in
arenas would be half empty with white patrons, black patrons would pack the
balcony to capacity with many others unable to enter due to the balcony selling
out.
Monroe, having become
the biggest wrestling draw in the territory, soon refused to perform unless
patrons, regardless of their race, could sit in any seat at the Ellis
Auditorium.
As a result, the promoter had to desegregate his wrestling shows,
which then completely sold out with Monroe’s black fans, sometimes over 15,000
at a time, filling the auditorium. Soon, other Southern sporting events,
recognizing the enormous financial benefits and desegregated.
Tagging with Norvell Austin
In
late 1971, Sputnik Monroe teaming with Norvell Austin formed one of the first
“mixed races” villainous teams seen in the south. Norvell would dye a blond
streak in his hair to match Monroe’s and even hinted Austin could be Sputnik
Monroe’s son.
Together the team won
the NWA Mid-America version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship from the
team of Bearcat Brown and Len Rossi in May 1972. They’d lose the titles to Karl
and Kurt Von Brauner about a month later. Winning the tag team gold was far from
the only achievement Austin and Monroe had while in Mid-America, in what was a
reversal of an infamous angle that saw “The Interns” paint Bearcat Brown with
white paint the heel duo dropped black paint on white wrestler Robert Fuller.
This led Sputnik Monroe to state that “Black is Beautiful” to which Norvell
Austin replied “White is wonderful”, something that would become a catchphrase
for the team.
Austin and Monroe
also saw success outside the Alabama area where NWA Mid-America operated,
mainly in Florida where they worked for Championship Wrestling from Florida
under promoter Eddie Graham. In Florida the team won the NWA Florida Tag Team
Championship on October 10, 1972 by beating Robert Fuller and Jimmy Golden.
Austin and Monroe held the titles until November 16, 1972, where Jack and Jerry
Brisco beat them for the titles. After working with Rocket Sputnik (kayfabe
brother of Sputnik Monroe) for three years, Norvell Austin decided it was time
to end his association with Sputnik Monroe.
Championships and Accomplishments
Cauliflower Alley Club
Gulf Coast/CAC Honoree (2000)
Championship Wrestling from Florida
NWA
Florida Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocket Monroe
NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Norvell Austin
NWA World Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (2 times) – with
Rocket Monroe
Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling
NWA Gulf Coast Louisiana Championship (1 time)
Mid-South Sports
NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
National Wrestling Alliance
Humanitarian Award (2012)
NWA Hall of Fame (2012)
NWA Mid-America
NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time) – with
Norvell Austin
NWA Tennessee Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Tommy Gilbert
NWA Tri-State
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
Class of 2017
Southwest Sports, Inc.
NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Danny McShain (1) and
Rocket Monroe
United States Wrestling Association
Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 1994)
Western States Sports
NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Amarillo version) (1 time) –
with Ken Lucas
NWA Western States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Baby Blimp
WWE
WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2018)
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