Wrestling with Sin: 583

Brian Damage

This is the 583rd installment of the ‘Wrestling with Sin‘ series. A group of stories that delves into the darker, underbelly of pro wrestling. Many of the stories involve such subjects as sex, drugs, greed and in some cases even murder! As with every single story in the Sin series, I do not condone or condemn the alleged participants. We simply retell their stories by researching interviews, newspapers, magazines and various other sources of media.

Stan Your Ground

On August 23, 1995, in Akita, Japan, Kenta Kobashi teamed with Masao Inoue to take on Stan Hansen and Richard Slinger. According to Kobashi, Stan Hansen was in a foul mood that day and took his frustrations out against his opponents…in particular…Inoue. As Hansen was relentlessly whipping Inoue with his bullrope, Kobashi jumped in and ripped it out of Hansen’s hands.

Hansen grabbed a chair from ringside and violently swung it at Kobashi, hitting him in the arm. The force of the chair cut Kobashi’s arm open to the point where you could see the bone inside. Kobashi was able to finish the match, but was incensed and confronted Hansen backstage. The two got into a fist fight and had to be separated by several wrestlers.

All Japan officials called for an ambulance to tend to Kobashi’s arm injury, but Kobashi initially refused it. Kobashi stated that he had never been in an ambulance in his life and somewhat feared it. After some convincing Kobashi went into the ambulance and was taken to a nearby hospital where he received 22 stitches to close his wound. Kobashi said that he and Hansen were able to talk after and Hansen apologized and the two mended their issues.

Road Rage

A former WCW Power Plant trainee and a Tough Man competitor named James Thurber was arrested in October of 2004 after acting erratically on the side of a road in the Tampa, Florida area. It all started when Thurber accidentally sideswiped another vehicle knocking off that driver’s side mirror. Thurber got out of his car and started becoming angry and aggressive. Thurber’s brother and fellow wrestler Courtright Thurber came out of the passenger side of the car to try and restrain James. 

Police arrived at the scene of the accident and Courtright instructed his brother to lay on the ground. James Thurber did so and began to start flailing his arms and legs while screaming at the top of his lungs. The cops at the scene tried to handcuff Thurber, but he started kicking the officers and headbutted one of the cops that was directly behind him injuring the officer’s neck and jaw.

Another officer administered pepper spray and it took three officers and the driver of the other vehicle to restrain the wild Thurber to arrest him. At the jail, the police asked Thurber to take a breathalyzer test, but refused…demanding to take a blood test instead. James Thurber’s wife was able to post bail at $20,750. Thurber was charged with DUI, Disorderly conduct, Battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence and refusing to take a breathalyzer test.

The Art of Burning Bridges

In 1986, Art Crews was wrestling for the Central States territory and was the reigning TV champion. By March of that year, the World Wrestling Federation came calling and offered Crews a tryout match with their company. For whatever reason, Crews took it as if he was officially joining the WWF. Crews decided to take the Central States Television title and throw it through their office window.

Crews had his tryout match in the WWF and worked a great match…almost too good. The opponents that he faced during his tryout complained to Vince McMahon that he sold too well and made them look inferior in their matches. Crews was not offered a spot in the company. He ended up having to return to Central States and begged for his job back.

Bad Gene

Helbert Sanner was a professional wrestler in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. He competed under the name of ‘Gene Sanner.’ In early July of 1976, years after he had quit the wrestling business, Sanner was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida by the FBI on charges of a string of burglaries in various places.

Sanner was wanted in places like Illinois and Miami, Florida for burglaries and armed robberies. When apprehended in a Holiday Inn parking lot, the FBI discovered burglary tools and a handgun.No word of how long Sanner spent in jail for the alleged crimes he committed. 

To read other articles in the Wrestling with Sin series…Please Click Here.