Special Bonus Episode 49: A Special Tribute to Frankie Cain, The Life & Career of The Great Mephisto

Our podcast focuses in on a by-gone era of regional booking offices of wrestling talent in historic towns and legendary buildings around the world. Jimmy Ault aka Frankie Cain aka The Clubfoot Inferno aka The Great Mephisto and on and on was one unique individual. Born in Columbus, Ohio in the early 1930s, Cain grew up mostly destitute and in extreme poverty, often homeless and starving. He learned how to survive on the streets, working gimmicks and cons just to stay alive with the other street kids he hung around. He learned learned how to box, became a “smoker” and became a traveling carnival worker . At one point, he learned how to become a wrestling shooter and was indoctrinated into the business in Al Haft’s Columbus promotion where he saw the guy he still considered the greatest professional wrestler he ever saw, a guy who called himself, “The Great Mephisto.” Cain then set about traveling through almost every territory of the 20th century during the territory era becoming beloved by Cowboy Clarence Luttrall, Roy Welch and others. He became teenage friends with Eddie Gossett (Graham) while living near Chattanooga, Tennessee traveling the roads and talking about their dreams together when they made it in the wrestling business. Frankie Cain was probably the last living person in the wrestling business who dated back to Jim Londos’ time in professional wrestling. Later in life, Cain became friends with Crowbar Press publisher, Scott Teal while the two were attending a Gulf Coast Wrestlers’ Reunion Event. After gaining Cain’s trust, Teal began to record and document Frankie’s memories both in audio and video form and published some of them in his “Whatever Happened To?” newsletter while also making Frankie a regular columnist. After Teal stopped doing the newsletter and starting publishing books, the two took their conversations about Cain’s life and published a two-volume set of books documenting the life of Franke Cain. In the last few days, Frankie Cain passed away and today, I am proud to welcome Scott Teal to the Richards Ranch to pay tribute to the life and career of his close, personal friend, Frankie Cain. I hope you enjoy our conversation. Chapters (00:00:02) - Podcast(00:00:33) - Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel History Bonus Episode(00:02:01) - Frankie Kane: From The Inferno to Raising Cain(00:06:56) - Tribute To Frankie Kane(00:12:08) - Frank Sinatra on His Early Days(00:18:47) - WWE Legends(00:22:32) - How long was it before you met Frankie Monroe's(00:25:13) - Frankie's Whatever Happened To My Book...(00:31:48) - Was Rocky Smith Your Best Friend?(00:32:06) - Frankie Chicane(00:38:53) - Frankie Jones on Working For Nick Jackson(00:45:31) - Favorite Memory Of Frankie(00:50:31) - Frank Sinatra on Frankie Ray's Contribution To Wrestling(00:55:21) - Crowbar Press Remembrance of Frankie Kane(00:57:55) - Tribute To Frankie Kane