Ring-a-Ding-Dong-Dandy: Glimpses of Wrestling History

    Sweet Daddy Siki admires himself in his twin mirrors. Photo by Bob Leonard

Ring-a-Ding-Dong-Dandy: Glimpses of Wrestling History

September 25 to November 5
@ The Link Gallery – 1st Floor – University of Saskatchewan Main Library

One man’s garbage may be another man’s treasure.  Some dismiss professional wrestling as buffoonery, a lowbrow mock mortal combat.  Others argue that wrestling—at least when done right—is an art form.

Professional wrestling is a difficult, dangerous and precarious vocation.  To quote American wrestler, Road Warrior Hawk, “Broken necks, splattered patellas, severed arteries: These are the things from which dreams are made of.”  Unlike skilled performers in other popular entertainments, most wrestlers enjoy little public respect since individuals are inaccurately stereotyped as insensitive jug heads or low IQ palookas.

The upcoming exhibit, Ring-a-Ding-Dong- Dandy: Glimpses of Wrestling History, hopes to draw attention to the historical impact of professional wrestling on the prairies.  The show steals its title from one of the signature quotes of Ed Whalen, the long-time voice of the weekly television program, Stampede Wrestling, which was broadcast throughout Saskatchewan from 1957-1989.  Drawing from a proposed gift to the University Archives, the exhibit will display various photographs, programs, posters, books and fan magazines from the 1930’s through the 1970’s, including the Golden Age of Wrestling in the 1950’s to 1960’s. The University Library believes this material lends itself well to an examination of the role photographs and other visual images played in wrestling’s growth and definition. 

This exhibition is a contribution from the University Archives and Library to a month-long series of campus events entitled Lessons from the Squared Circle that explores and celebrates the colourful history and influence of wrestling, both professional and amateur.