Ringside In Rose City: From Portland to the WWF: The Forgotten Launchpads of Legends

🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #9 – From Portland to the WWF: The Forgotten Launchpads of LegendsOne Ring. One City. A Thousand Stories.And this week… a thousand miles to superstardom.On this episode of Ringside in Rose City, Mike Rodgers and Frank Culbertson spin the Wheel of Topics and land on a stunner — the wrestlers who passed through Portland before exploding onto the national stage of the WWWF and WWF. The household names you know… and the ones you never realized got their start right here in the Pacific Northwest.Mike and Frank dig into:Antonio Inoki – before Japan’s biggest legend was an icon, he wrestled under a mask in Portland as “Mr. Komodo,” learning the ropes before shocking the world by beating Bob Backlund in a title match WWE refuses to recognize.Red McNulty (Ivan Koloff) – the Irishman with an eyepatch who became the “Russian Bear” and the man who ended Bruno Sammartino’s seven-year reign.Pat Patterson – the Northwest’s own creative genius, from wild brawls in Portland to the “phantom” Intercontinental Title win in Rio that never happened—but changed wrestling forever.Don “The Magnificent” Muraco – debuting here as the skinny Don Morrow before transforming into the musclebound Intercontinental champ who dropped Snuka off the cage in MSG.The Wild Samoans (Afa & Sika) – before they were the foundation of the Bloodline, they were Portland regulars in the mid-’70s, undefeated and untamed.Larry Zbyszko, Greg Valentine, Adrian Adonis, Lanny Poffo, and even Jake “The Snake” Roberts — all cut their teeth in Don Owen’s ring before going worldwide.Plus: Kayfabe Curveballs returns with Lisa Hughes throwing Mike off his game on topics from candy corn to The Brady Bunch — and an unforgettable story about saving a pristine Dodger jersey from a blood-soaked brawl with Diamond Timothy Flowers.It’s a time-traveling look at how Portland quietly built the stars who’d soon headline the Garden, main-event WrestleMania, and define the golden age of wrestling.🎧 Ringside in Rose City – hosted by Mike Rodgers & Frank Culbertson, produced by Lisa Hughes.📅 New episodes every Thursday.📲 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your wrestling fix.🏷️ Ringside in Rose City – One Ring. One City. A Thousand Stories.🎬 A Yaskey Production.