"235 pounds of twisted steel and sex appeal": Sputnik Monroe
July 1, 2017 8:38 AM   Subscribe

Appalachian wrestling's greatest villain, 'The Progressive Liberal,' may be making waves these days with his liberal agenda moves, but let's look back to the man, the myth, the legend: Sputnik Monroe, “235 pounds of twisted steel and sex appeal," the most hated wrestler in Memphis, and a champion of integration in the Jim Crow South.

How Roscoe Monroe Brumbaugh became Sputnik: "A man who embraced a moniker that would be considered the worst thing to be called in America in the 1950's, Monroe kept the name Sputnik after being called such by an elderly white lady who saw him giving a ride to a black hitchhiker and making his acquaintance. She referred to him as "nothing more than a damned Sputnik."" You can hear him talk about the moment here.

Mental Floss:
In a segregated Memphis, Monroe was looking to make news and fill seats at Ellis Auditorium. The difference between “Sputnik” and other pro wrestlers of the era was that he welcomed—and eventually insisted—that his black fans sit wherever they chose.

In living out his ring persona on racially divisive streets, Monroe was about to single-handedly desegregate public venues. While wearing only his underpants.
Monroe knew he held the power of the purse--literally. As he saw it, "'There used to be a couple of thousand blacks outside wanting in. So I would tell management I’d be cutting out if they don’t let my black friends in. I had the power because I’m selling out the place, the first guy that ever did, and they damn sure wanted the revenue.'” (Note: Read the comments for lots of memories of Sputnik.)

His best-known match was probably a 1959 bout with Billy Wicks, "as a small but tough blue collar appealing character [and t]he perfect foil to the glamor boy image of Gorgeous George." Their fight set a record in Memphis, drawing a greater attendance than Elvis Presley had at the city's Rosswood Park three years earlier. (Upon a return visit to the city in 1988, Monroe said "I get kissed by people on Beale Street who didn't see me wrestle. They heard from their parents or grandparents what I had done and thanked me for doing it. That's pretty emotional, to have people walk up on the street and hug you and tell you ‘thank you' for something you did 40 years ago. Its he** to see the toughest son of a b**ch in the world cry when that happens.")

His career made for uneasy relationships at home as well: "According to Sputnik's Memphis-born son, chip-off-the-old turnbuckle Quentin Brumbaugh, better known as professional wrestler "Bubba Monroe, the Cajun Brawler,"..."Mamma had our name changed to her maiden name, Bell," he said, out of fear for the family. Then, he said, she moved them back to Louisiana....Because of Sputnik's "negro" relationships, "My grandfather would not sit at the table and eat a meal with him," said Natalie Bell, 57, Sputnik's daughter and a nurse practitioner in Tucson, Arizona."

After retiring from wrestling, he went on to a quieter life as a security guard and a shuttle bus driver. His health declined; he had half a lung removed, and fought his way through bouts with prostate cancer, gall bladder surgery and gangrene.

Sputnik Monroe died in his sleep at age 77, on Nov. 3, 2006. He's remembered in the documentary Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin’, and every March 24, National Sputnik Monroe Day.

Soundtrack: Otis Gibbs, "Sputnik Monroe."
posted by MonkeyToes (5 comments total) 29 users marked this as a favorite
 
Mod note: Couple comments deleted. If folks want to talk about the Progressive Liberal, there's a post over here for that.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:10 AM on July 1, 2017


Can we make John Darnielle go back and write an extra song for Beat the Champ?
posted by howfar at 9:35 AM on July 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


Great post!
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:31 PM on July 1, 2017


It is a peculiar world.
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:21 PM on July 1, 2017


Amazing post. This is my America and this is what a goddamn hero is. Someone unapologetically up front about what's right and what's wrong.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 5:50 PM on July 1, 2017 [3 favorites]


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