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This is the 18th and final part of a series on John Ringley, a trusted confidant of the late Jim Crockett Sr. and an influential force in Jim Crockett Promotions during the late 1960s and early ‘70s. For John Ringley, it’s been a good life.
Now 85 years old, Ringley reminisces about the halcyon days working with his father-in-law , the late Jim Crockett Sr., a man he still speaks of in reverential tones. “Mr.
Crockett and I were very close. My father died young, and he became my father. He was a good man.
There wasn’t anybody to follow him,” said Ringley. The two shared the same birthday (though three decades apart), attended the same high school in Bristol, Va., and even had the same English teacher.
“Mrs. Baldwin ..
. I still remember those English lessons” said Ringley with a smile. “I got good grades because every time she was going to grade papers, I went by her house with a dozen donuts.
I started promoting real early.” Ringley took over many of Crockett’s responsibilities when his beloved mentor’s health began to decline. Despite being long beset by heart issues, Crockett Sr.
had soldiered on for years, promoting wrestling, sports and entertainment shows throughout the Southeast. “When Frances and I got married, we had to get him out of the hospital,” recalled Ringley. “He had heart problems.
I think he was tired. His knees were killing him. They didn’t have the replacements back then that they do now.
” “I remember going through that old Atlanta airport, and he’d have to stop,” Ringley said of Crockett, who at one time weighed more than 400 pounds. “At that time I didn’t realize all the pain he must have been in until I started having hip problems, and I didn’t carry all that weight. I don’t know how he did it.
” Big Jim was only 64 when he died following a heart attack on April 1, 1973. Ringley smiles when talking about the parade of colorful characters he crossed paths with during his time at Crockett Promotions. Most are no longer with us, Ringley lamented, but their names alone evoke special memories of a time and place when the Carolinas was the hotbed of professional and Charlotte was the pulse of the territory.
But as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. John and Frances Ringley leaving for their honeymoon in Daytona Beach in their ’57 Chevy ragtop. A 15-year marriage to Frances Crockett Ringley produced five “great children,” but the marriage didn’t survive.
Traveling more than a million miles — mostly by car — promoting and setting up for wrestling shows and musical events in towns throughout the Southeast didn’t help. With the exception of the financial advantages, he said, “All my traveling didn’t do anything for her.” A salesman by trade who helped grow Crockett Promotions to new heights, Ringley would eventually be the odd man out when a family situation arose.
Despite the setbacks, the two have maintained a good relationship over the years. “Frances was a great girl ..
. she still is a great girl,” Ringley said without hesitation. The two have two sons and three daughters together, while Ringley also has a daughter from his second marriage, which lasted 12 years.
“The kids have all done great, and I’m very proud of them. Frances did a fantastic job with them. I admire her.
I would never think any less of her,” said Ringley, who also has seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. Frances, now 84, lives in a gated community in Charlotte. Other than having to use a walker, said Ringley, “I think she’s doing well.
I check with the kids, and they let me know how she’s doing. Her vitals are all good.” As for Ringley, he’s had three hip replacements and a shoulder replacement, and he has traveled throughout the world.
“As long as Auto Zone is making parts, I’m good. My heart is good, all my vitals are good. And I still mow my own lawn.
” Old School Championship Wrestling will return to The Windjammer on the Isle of Palms for its annual beach show April 27. The lineup will include OSCW champion Zuka King, OSCW tag-team champs The Stew Crew, and OSCW ladies champ Amanda Kiss, along with others such as former WWE star Kevin Thorn, current NWA star AJ Cazana and former WCW star Lodi. Bell time is 4 p.
m. with doors opening at 3. Adult admission (cash at the door) is $15; kids 12 and under $10.
For advance tickets, visit tinyurl.com/ycmprbtf or www.oscwonline.
com For more information, call 843-813-6592. Reach Mike Mooneyham at [email protected] , or follow him on X at @ByMikeMooneyham and on Facebook at Facebook.
com/MikeMooneyham . His latest book — “Final Bell” — is available at evepostbooks.com and on Amazon.
com . Lex Luger Lex Luger, who is set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2025 during Wrestlemania weekend, recently revealed on the 83 Weeks podcast that he is now a married man. “Seventeen years, didn’t date.
No women in my life at all. And I met this girl last year, Robin. We started hanging out a little bit and, you know, sparks started flying a little bit,” said the 66-year-old Luger, whose real name is Larry Pfohl.
Luger shared that “Pastor Steve,” who previously baptized and ordained him, also officiated the wedding. “And to have Steve — Pastor Steve — there for my salvation, my ordination and my marriage, like the trifecta. I mean, he’s like my own brother,” said Luger.
Fifty-two years ago today on this date (April 13, 1973): Jerry Brisco and Thunderbolt Patterson defeated Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson in the main event of a four-match card at County Hall in Charleston. In other bouts: Klondike Bill and Big Boy Brown turned back Frank Morrell and Don Ritchie; Jm Grabmire pinned Mike Hall; and Tony Romano won over Chuck Richards. Penta and Ludwig Kaiser go crashing through an announcer’s table during their No Holds Barred match on a recent edition of Monday Night Raw.
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