A Story of El Pantera Plata

When El Pantera Plata was still an active wrestler, he didn't care much for traveling. He had a home, he had a family, and he had a goal in spending as much time there as he could. If an opportunity came up to visit another territory, maybe make some friends elsewhere, get a higher position on the card, he would pass them up.

However this one time a promoter friend of his was in a real bind. Calls him up at almost the last second, begging for his help. The flu was rampaging through his locker room, he'd run through all his local backup guys, would Arturo please, please, please come help him out? He didn't want to travel but this promoter was in a spot and never let it be said that El Pantera Plata would not go to help a friend in need. Finally he said yes. The promoter was grateful and said the travel would be all taken care of, nothing to worry about, just get to the airport as soon as he could so he could get to Florida to wrestle that night!

No big deal, right? A flight from Milwaukee to Miami is only a couple hours, you can make that easy. Except that it was already mid-afternoon. No time to waste.

Now Arturo knows his buddy must be desperate if he was needed to call in a favor from that far away, but he's still grumpy that he has to travel at the last second, on a weekend, etc. Maybe he could fly down there, wrestle, and fly right back. If not, it's Miami and it could get a couple hours of sun and warmth before returning to the Wisconsin winter. So as he's heading to the airport, he's trying to find the silver lining in all this rushing.

He gets to the plane with no problem: ticket's waiting for him as promised, he only has an overnight bag so no problems with luggage, he's hurrying, but the plane doesn't get delayed because of him.

But the plane does get delayed.

While the plane is boarding, the wind picks up over nearby Lake Michigan and they have to delay take-off. Now, the downside to this is Arturo is concerned about being late. He's not that keen to go but, if he's going to go, he wants to do it properly. The upside is that he's sitting in first class. He's comfortable. He's getting fed drinks. His nervousness about being late is being calmed by the alcohol. Besides, if he's late, it's not his fault. He doesn't control the weather. About a half-hour late, the wind subsides enough for the plane to take-off.

Once he arrives in Miami, he has some control of the situation again. He's hurrying. The first thing he notices is that it's cold. It's like forty degrees. He's shivering. It's not a good start. On the plus side, he has a limo waiting for him. First class all the way on this trip! He has another drink to settle himself on the way to the show. The drive to the show takes longer than expected and he doesn't arrive until the intermission.

His promoter friend, John something or other, I think, is thrilled to see him. Very appreciative that Arturo has traveled all this way to 'save his show'. While John is going on and on and on thanking him, he lets slip that Arturo is wrestling in the Main Event for the Southeast Heavyweight Championship.

Now Arturo is nervous again; completely sober but nervous. Arturo was generally not positioned so highly on the card and rarely wrestled for belts. He was outside his comfort zone. Now he's worried he can't perform at that level and he'll ruin John's show.

He gets in the ring and the champ is a big muscular fella, ah, what was his name? Bill? Bob? Yes! Big Bob Burns, thank you. He's almost a foot taller than El Pantera Plata. Just looks overwhelming. More nerves for Arturo as he doesn't want this big guy to steamroll him and beat him in seconds. That's not a quality Main Event.

Arturo starts running and dodging and quickly realizes he can outwrestle Bob. To your point Robbie, at the time he was a big muscular lunkhead but at least he had charisma. Some anyway. Arturo starts wearing him out, hit and run, floating and flying.

Bob catches him out of the ring, slamming Arturo into the safety railing between the audience and the action. While Arturo is stunned, Bob runs at him, apparently planning to crush Arturo between Bob and the railing. Arturo's not stunned enough, moves, and Bob crashes into the railing at top speed.

No one realizes it at the time but Bob knocks himself out during the crash. He gets up and gets back in the ring but is too out of it to fight off Arturo. DDT. Three count. Arturo wins!

Then he realizes he's won the belt and he'll have to return to defend it.

Once again, there's an up side and a down side.