Tales of the Road - New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
I was Freddie Sweetan’s tag partner one night in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. We were on last, the main event, and Freddie liked
to wait until the fans had gone before leaving the arena. This helped to prevent any confrontation with the fans. I took my
time getting ready. When we were showered and dressed, I looked out of the dressing room to find only two people, the two
biggest men I have ever seen in my life. They looked like twin ogres. They had huge black beards, jeans, and lumberjack
coats, with a big black cowboy hat each. They were well over seven feet tall, broad as a barn door, and wild looking. And
they were blocking the only door we could go out of. I expected trouble, and told Freddie. He decided to wait a bit longer,
so we gave it more time. By now it was getting late, and we had a long drive back to New Brunswick. Freddie, who was a bit
braver than I was, decided to approach them and tell them to clear off. Freddie strode up to them and said "What do you
want?" One of the giants said "Can we carry your bags, please, Sir?" We gave them our bags, and left the arena, the giants
roaring at the remaining crowd; "STAND BACK. WRESTLERS COMING THROUGH!" It must have given them a buzz to be associated
with the wrestlers in front of the fans. Why they were not wrestlers themselves, I don’t know. Freddie gave them both an
autographed photo, and called them loudly by name so the fans could hear, just to make their night. That's the kind of guy
Freddie was. In another small town in the Maritimes, whose name escapes me, I got there early and lay down in the dressing
room. As I walked out for my match, I saw that every single man in the audience was Red Indian. I was very apprehensive,
thoughts going through my mind of Custer’s last stand, and tomahawks flying into the ring. Coming from England, this was
something strange to me, wild people straight from the plains. I did not know how they would react. French Canadians are
crazy enough. As it happened, they were exceptionally well behaved. They had me worried for a minute, though.
Earl Black
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