May '25: Beneath the Glitter and Gleam

On the final episode of Charting the Territories, Al Getz and Jon Boucher are joined by Chad Olson plus a surprise guest. They discuss the second stage of Bobby Shane's pro wrestling career and his emergence as a major star before his untimely death in 1975. They also discuss "what might have been" had Shane not passed. Also, Jon and Chad play Gordon Solie's Championship Wrestling Trivia one last time, but this time it's a TEAM CHALLENGE SERIES with special guests Mike Sempervive, Kris Zellner, John McAdam, Ian Douglass, John LaRocca, Todd Rosiak, Cary Silkin, and an 11-year old husky named Titan.

This month's episode begins with some INCREDIBLE personal news from Jon Boucher! Then, he and Al Getz are joined by Chad Olson for the entire episode. The podcast delves into the first six years in the pro wrestling career of Bobby Shane. They also set up the big Gordon Solie's Championship Wrestling Trivia challenge for next month's final episode. And there's a twist!

This month, Al Getz and Jon Boucher discuss some of the little persons prevalent in pro wrestling in the early 1970s. They're joined by author David Gibb and focus on Lord Littlebrook, recapping his life and his journey from circus performer in England to the 'manager' of the premier troupe of little persons in the U.S. and Canada, with some humorous and salacious stories along the way. David also challenges Jon to a round of Gordon Solie's Championship Wrestling Trivia.

This month's podcast begins with an announcement from Al Getz about the future of Charting the Territories. Then, Al and Jon Boucher talk about women's wrestling in the early 1970s, going over many of the notable ladies who graced wrestling rings at the time, with a focus on Kansas-based Betty Niccoli.

This month Al & Jon look at the early pro wrestling career of "Superstar" Billy Graham, from his earliest documented matches in Stampede to his time in Southern California and then all the way to Japan, it a look at THE Superstar before he was A superstar.

This month, Al Getz and Jon Boucher look at some of the early stops in the career of Greg Valentine, charting his path in the early 1970s on his way to stardom. Plus, Jon Plays Gordon Solie's Championship Wrestling against "The King of Old School" STEVE CORINO!

This month, Al Getz and Jon Boucher look at the life and wrestling career of "Hangman" Bobby Jaggers, They focus on his runs in the Gulas territory, Western States (Amarillo), and Northern California (Shire) in 1974-75. He might be the only person in history ever to work for Nabisco and with (Larry) Zbyszko. Plus Jon Plays Gordon Solie's Championship Wrestling Trivia against ChatGPT (is Jon smarter than a computah, daddy?) and all our regular features.

This month, Al Getz and Jon Boucher look at two wrestlers who found great success in the territorial era as foreign heels named Hans. First, they look at Hans Mortier, focusing on his '69-'70 run in East Texas as Lord Charles Montague. Then, they look at Hans Schmidt and his many documented challenges for the NWA World Heavyweight title between 1952 and 1970. Plus, Jon plays Gordon Solie's Championship Wrestling Trivia against his first non-human challenger (?) and all the regular features.

This month, Al Getz and Jon Boucher look at Abdullah the Butcher and Paul "Butcher" Vachon, focusing on the territories they wrestled for in 1970 and 1971. ThIs leads to a discussion of the Montreal wrestling war that began in '71. Plus, Jon Plays Gordon Solie's Championship Wrestling Trivia against a very surprising opponent. Plus lots more!

This month Al Getz and Jon Boucher look at the WWWF in 1971, including one of the most shocking title changes in wrestling history! They discuss the circumstances around Ivan Koloff defeating Bruno Sammartino, plus some of the other big stories in the promotion during the year. Jon also faces Mike Sempervive in the biggest Gordon Solie's Championship Wrestling Trivia battle to date; it's the year-end spectacular, the grandaddy of 'em all, it's CHARRTCADE!