"Piehu" as he was known, was a friend of my Dad's and used to visit our house when I was a small boy. I have never met anyone like him and was so in awe of his affectionately boisterous personality. He was so kind; I didn't know how to react to someone like him but he called me his "partner" and would drink and fall into extravagant speeches like this promo, off the cuff, in and out of his storytelling so naturally on our porch. I will never forget him. Love you, Uncle.
Curtis, The best promo and interview in the history of pro wrestling! Nobody was better than him, NOBODY !!!! The way the audience was dead silent, focused on Curtis was awesome !!!!
I'm from Hawaii and Curtis "Da Bull" Iaukea was the most feared wrestler in the state. I sure miss the territory days of wrestling. In those days we had "our" promotion that we could relate to. Curtis Iaukea, Ripper Collins, The Missing Link Pampero Firpo, Mr. Fuji, Don Muraco, Bill and Russ Francis, Karl Von Steiger and so many more. I know so many of us around the world had the wrestlers we watched every week. They were good and innocent times for an 8 year old boy
WCW in Australia's roster was loaded with superstars in the 70's. You had King Curtis, Mark Lewin, KK Kox, Arion, Milano, Bulldog Brower, Abby, Big Bad John, Waldo Von Erich, Spoiler, Brute Bernard, Tiger Jeet Singh and many others coming in to do shots. To top it off you have the brillant Gary Hart and Mark Lewin doing the booking.
In working for The Spectrum In Philly for 30 years I was so fortunate toward the end of his career King Curtis came back to the WWF as The Wizard which was suppose to be the incarnation of the Grand Wizard.I got pictures with him and he was so nice when I told him how afraid I was of him when I was little and Lou Albano brought him into The WWF along with Baron Sicluna.
Jason, thanks for that info. I did not know that about The Great Kabuki. I grew up in the Carolinas and will never forget Gary Hart bringing in the mysterious and dangerous Great Kabuki in 1982! A very unique character in his own right.
When Curtis was living and wrestling in New Zealand he used to come into my dads hardware store often to buy the odd thing, but more often just to hang out and have a yarn with Dad. Myself and my brother were just in awe of the big fella, but he was really nice to us. He lived quite close to my dad's shop in south Auckland. One day while he was in the shop, all these kids were gathering outside peering in the shop window. He winked at Dad and me, turned around, and roared at all the kids, and they just scattered in all directions!! He was a really nice man, and when he left New Zealand he gave our family a top-of-the -line colour TV set which he had in his house. I believe he didn't want to leave New Zealand at the time, but he told us he couldn't get a work permit to stay longer, and had been offered a contract back in Hawaii.
What about The Von Steiger Brothers..I remember them being interviewed by Wayne Kirby..they stood feet over Kirby and said that they lived in the toughest street in Berlin, and Karl said to him “and do you know something Kirby the further you went down that street the tougher the people got” then Karl said “do you know something else Kirby...we lived in the last “house! Brilliant!
Curtis "Da Bull" Iaukea. Wrote the book on how to do an interview. Self Promotion wizardry. Iaukea was THE MAN!! I remember when he feuded with a young Nicky Bockwinkel for the Hawaiian Ring Magazine Gold Belt. The Legend.
King Curtis mentioned Hiro Tojo's brother, who was known then as Hito Tojo and is best known as the Great Kabuki. Amazingly, King Curtis was a babyface at this time.
I love to see characters in wrestling that are creative and bring something fresh to the business. Roddy Piper, Sgt Slaughter, Dusty Rhodes, Jake Roberts and Mad Dog Vachon are good examples of that. I had heard about King Curtis, but never saw him wrestle or talk. I grew up on Ric Flair, Blackjack Mulligan and Wahoo McDaniel. So my standards are very high regarding strong, intense characters. Curtis is off the hook!!!!
This was the golden years of wrestling!!!! The roster was loaded with stars. Truly one of the best angles ever, as it was copied many times over the years. Where do you think the NWO, Nexus and S.C.U.M. came from???
I just read that Randy Paffo saw this guy once when his Dad took him to a match & he copied some of his speech patterns & movements for his own Macho Man.
This is great Is that Lord Athol Leyton doing the interview?I remember watching watching World Championship Wrestleing on Ch 9 n the 60's/70's and going to the Horden Pavillon in Sydney to watch these guys in action
He’s mentioning a Tojo, I vaguely recall there was some Japanese wrestler by the name of the Great Togo, a slightly different from Tojo, who Curtis respected himself, they weren’t a bad pair when they joined towards against Lewin and Martel. Better than McGraw or Brannigan, they themselves were better off with themselves.
did big john stud steal his name or got the idea from big bad john or did they ever cross paths for a while I thought big bad john change his name and gain size cause call Ken Patera said stud took hgh and grew to 6/10 so that is why I thought big bad john was stud but now seeing video there is no way I was surprise how he looked in the ring with the giant then in interviews he looked smaller and lighter
king curtis has the ugliest front in wrestling, he beat out dusty, butcher and brody, talk about cut up, oh and the sheik. because of those cuts he caught an infection on some dirty mats that it lead to his retirement.
+MrStevie57 King Curtis was in an Indian Death match against Chief Billy White Wolf, (White Wolf was actually an Iranian). They were both tied together with a chain. King Curtis started choking White Wolf then a fan jumped into the ring and hit Curtis in the head with a folding chair thus saving the Chief. White Wolf then punched Curtis into a corner, Curtis was still stunned. The Chief then grabbed half of the chain and did a shoe shine Curtis's forehead. He was really cut up bad. Billy White wolf won the match. I was at the match about 1961or 62, it's been so long ago. Back then King Curtis was Hawaii's greatest wrestler. IMO
Wow, did not expect an answer, never knew all that.I used to watch the wrestling in Sydney as a boy in the 60s and 70s and remember King ,it was very entertaining in those days,thanks.
I lived on Oahu from '64-'68 and I remember King Curtis Iaukea feuding with my favorite wrestler Gentleman Jim Hady.....as a young boy Iaukea scared me to my core! Cheers
![The Wizard (Curtis Iaukea) Interview [1986-11-15]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dHfQGKLmlWc/mqdefault.jpg)
Curtis was my brother-in-law until he passed away. He was married to my sister for over 40 years. Cheers, guys.
"Piehu" as he was known, was a friend of my Dad's and used to visit our house when I was a small boy. I have never met anyone like him and was so in awe of his affectionately boisterous personality. He was so kind; I didn't know how to react to someone like him but he called me his "partner" and would drink and fall into extravagant speeches like this promo, off the cuff, in and out of his storytelling so naturally on our porch. I will never forget him. Love you, Uncle.
Curtis, The best promo and interview in the history of pro wrestling! Nobody was better than him, NOBODY !!!! The way the audience was dead silent, focused on Curtis was awesome !!!!
King Curtis < Ernie Ladd, Superstar Billy Graham, Dusty Rhodes…I could go on.
@@paulbright5081 Piper
It’s like 12 people in there 😂
Curtis was my brother-in-law until he passed away. He was married to my sister for over 40 years. Cheers, guys.
Reply
When I saw this guy for the first time on TV as a 9 year old in the New Zealand Based On The Mat, he frightened the life out of me.
This is how a promo is cut as it must. King Curtis was almost untouchable on the mic
I'm from Hawaii and Curtis "Da Bull" Iaukea was the most feared wrestler in the state. I sure miss the territory days of wrestling. In those days we had "our" promotion that we could relate to. Curtis Iaukea, Ripper Collins, The Missing Link Pampero Firpo, Mr. Fuji, Don Muraco, Bill and Russ Francis, Karl Von Steiger and so many more. I know so many of us around the world had the wrestlers we watched every week. They were good and innocent times for an 8 year old boy
I wish I was born 20 years earlier to have witnessed the greats in Hawaii. What a promo.
Pampero…. OHHHHHHH YEAHHHHHHHHH
@@jasonvoorhees6416 The Missing Link Pampero Firpo was my favorite growing up.
Curtis was my brother-in-law until he passed away. He was married to my sister for over 40 years. Cheers, guys.
Reply
This is amazing. I thought I was watching Orson Welles doing Shakespeare.
Actually remarkably close to Orson Welles doing Long John Silver in Treasure Island, possibly an influence
Kings forehead gave the Abdullah the Butcher a run for his money !!
WCW in Australia's roster was loaded with superstars in the 70's. You had King Curtis, Mark Lewin, KK Kox, Arion, Milano, Bulldog Brower, Abby, Big Bad John, Waldo Von Erich, Spoiler, Brute Bernard, Tiger Jeet Singh and many others coming in to do shots. To top it off you have the brillant Gary Hart and Mark Lewin doing the booking.
Curtis was my brother-in-law until he passed away. He was married to my sister for over 40 years. Cheers, guys.
Reply
In working for The Spectrum In Philly for 30 years I was so fortunate toward the end of his career King Curtis came back to the WWF as The Wizard which was suppose to be the incarnation of the Grand Wizard.I got pictures with him and he was so nice when I told him how afraid I was of him when I was little and Lou Albano brought him into The WWF along with Baron Sicluna.
King Curtis needs to be in the Hall of Fame!!!
I agree !
I agree !
He is , Curtis was my brother-in-law until he passed away. He was married to my sister for over 40 years. Cheers, guys.
Reply
King Curtis and Bulldog Brower did the most amazing interviews and were excellent wrestlers. Bruiser Brody as well!
THANK YOU! The RUclipss are critically lacking in Iaukea promos.
Jason, thanks for that info. I did not know that about The Great Kabuki. I grew up in the Carolinas and will never forget Gary Hart bringing in the mysterious and dangerous Great Kabuki in 1982! A very unique character in his own right.
When Curtis was living and wrestling in New Zealand he used to come into my dads hardware store often to buy the odd thing, but more often just to hang out and have a yarn with Dad. Myself and my brother were just in awe of the big fella, but he was really nice to us. He lived quite close to my dad's shop in south Auckland. One day while he was in the shop, all these kids were gathering outside peering in the shop window. He winked at Dad and me, turned around, and roared at all the kids, and they just scattered in all directions!! He was a really nice man, and when he left New Zealand he gave our family a top-of-the -line colour TV set which he had in his house. I believe he didn't want to leave New Zealand at the time, but he told us he couldn't get a work permit to stay longer, and had been offered a contract back in Hawaii.
axebaker I agree with you King Curtis's mic skills were the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What about The Von Steiger Brothers..I remember them being interviewed by Wayne Kirby..they stood feet over Kirby and said that they lived in the toughest street in Berlin, and Karl said to him “and do you know something Kirby the further you went down that street the tougher the people got” then Karl said “do you know something else Kirby...we lived in the last “house! Brilliant!
Wow, what a promo!
King Curtis!!! 😂 One of my favourites as a kid! In Australia, during this era we all loved the theatre of WCW!
Curtis was my brother-in-law until he passed away. He was married to my sister for over 40 years. Cheers, guys.
Reply
I want to see more of his matches. Alot more
Lets all see if we can get this stuff on DVD the quality is like second to none.
Curtis "Da Bull" Iaukea. Wrote the book on how to do an interview. Self Promotion wizardry. Iaukea was THE
MAN!! I remember when he feuded with a young Nicky Bockwinkel for the Hawaiian Ring Magazine Gold Belt. The Legend.
This is the same guy who was the Wizard, Kamala's and Sika's manager in WWE in 1986-87 and the Master of the Dungeon of Doom in WCW in 1995.
R.I.P. :(
SULLLLIVANNNNN MY SONNNNN!!!!!!!
@@douglasjames1943BY THE MANY MOONS OF JUPITER
Curtis was my brother-in-law until he passed away. He was married to my sister for over 40 years. Cheers, guys.
Reply
I was listening to Steve Austin talking to Terry Funk. Funk said that one of the guys he learned to cut a promo from was King Curtis.
King Curtis mentioned Hiro Tojo's brother, who was known then as Hito Tojo and is best known as the Great Kabuki. Amazingly, King Curtis was a babyface at this time.
LOL.
He kicked me in the arse after a bout in Canberra ~1971. I was hassling him as he left for the change room.
I bet you liked it, straight up the mangina.
those were the good old days of wrestling !! Unlike the crap that WWE puts out today.
I do like TNA though, they still have some old school traits
If I recall Lord Al Leyton worked for the Original Sheik in Detroit & Montreal
missing the mayhem and blood at Cobo Arena in Detroit
"LOOOWIN!!!! LOOOOOOOOOOOWIN""I used to be a pretty boy too Lewin!..........before I got these scarrrrrs!!!"
King Curtis’ forehead reminds me of my grandma’s knitting - all over the place 😆
Bloody Hell... Rusev must be way older than i thought!
I love to see characters in wrestling that are creative and bring something fresh to the business. Roddy Piper, Sgt Slaughter, Dusty Rhodes, Jake Roberts and Mad Dog Vachon are good examples of that. I had heard about King Curtis, but never saw him wrestle or talk. I grew up on Ric Flair, Blackjack Mulligan and Wahoo McDaniel. So my standards are very high regarding strong, intense characters. Curtis is off the hook!!!!
My grandfather was a friend of King Curtis. My mom would tell me how they would make tea for him.
Wow, one of the few wrestlers who bladed alot but doesn't show any effects or scarring from it!
Man he kills it here
hans scroder saw him wrestle in texas in 75-76 good heel
This was the golden years of wrestling!!!! The roster was loaded with stars. Truly one of the best angles ever, as it was copied many times over the years. Where do you think the NWO, Nexus and S.C.U.M. came from???
the grand wizard of wrestling when he was young
My favourite wrestler was Brute Bernard..I loved his antics...good days.
great promo!
I just read that Randy Paffo saw this guy once when his Dad took him to a match & he copied some of his speech patterns & movements for his own Macho Man.
Macho Man got a lit of his promo from King Curtis. Ooooh yeah!
Clear understanding
His mic skills were 2nd to none
Curtis and Terry Funk gave the funniest interviews ever!
Great promo
King Curtis could talk wrestle do great promos
Why don't people mention King Curtis when they talk about the great promo guys in wrestling? Man, this guy was epic on the mic.
👽
Both were economics majors and they didnt take screw ball tactics in pay from promoters.
That forehead of King Curtis looks like a road map in a pop-up book.
stuck out his forehead : took many a bite / blade / bottle before he was best MAN
Fun fact. This man helped randy macho man savage become who he was
Macho Man studied him for his promos
This is great Is that Lord Athol Leyton doing the interview?I remember watching watching World Championship Wrestleing on Ch 9 n the 60's/70's and going to the Horden Pavillon in Sydney to watch these guys in action
Lord Layton was ALL man in the ring ! used to see his long hair in front swing with the punches : next grunted , but silent & deadly
I heard randy poffo used his mic skills watching king curtis...they r both sound kind of similar....
Savage took his Macho Man persona from king Curtis. He watched him in Hawaii as a teenager while traveling with Angelo.
Curtis was a major influence to King Kong Brody. H
Curtis was my brother-in-law until he passed away. He was married to my sister for over 40 years. Cheers, guys.
Reply
thats what ended king's career, those cuts were infected and it almost killed him.
I’m sorry, I can only hear “the Master” whenever King Curtis talks. 😂🤦♂️
SULLIVANNNNN!!! MY SON!!!!
Did he go through a windscreen?
He HAD to have used single-edged blades... That or Xacto knives to get juice...
broken beer bottle in street fight
Alexander Rusev looks like he could be King Curtis's Son, no more like Grandson.
The original hardcore
He’s mentioning a Tojo, I vaguely recall there was some Japanese wrestler by the name of the Great Togo, a slightly different from Tojo, who Curtis respected himself, they weren’t a bad pair when they joined towards against Lewin and Martel. Better than McGraw or Brannigan, they themselves were better off with themselves.
I dont know who.he is but like his promo style
Why was they still filming in Black and white
Because colour tv came to Australia only in 1975.
I listened, what he say doe? Came away not understanding one word he was talkin about
did big john stud steal his name or got the idea from big bad john or did they ever cross paths for a while I thought big bad john change his name and gain size cause call Ken Patera said stud took hgh and grew to 6/10 so that is why I thought big bad john was stud but now seeing video there is no way I was surprise how he looked in the ring with the giant then in interviews he looked smaller and lighter
king curtis has the ugliest front in wrestling, he beat out dusty, butcher and brody, talk about cut up, oh and the sheik. because of those cuts he caught an infection on some dirty mats that it lead to his retirement.
Wow! That forehead is worse than Abby and New Jack
King
You are amazing .and would of Standard UP to The World order take over of New Zealand Australia and Canada take over 💰
What's the issue with his forehead? Can't really be scar tissue.
Its from blading to have blood (color) in his matches. * Red = Green*
What happened to his head and why is he yelling.
+MrStevie57 King Curtis was in an Indian Death match against Chief Billy White Wolf, (White Wolf was actually an Iranian). They were both tied together with a chain. King Curtis started choking White Wolf then a fan jumped into the ring and hit Curtis in the head with a folding chair thus saving the Chief. White Wolf then punched Curtis into a corner, Curtis was still stunned. The Chief then grabbed half of the chain and did a shoe shine Curtis's forehead. He was really cut up bad. Billy White wolf won the match. I was at the match about 1961or 62, it's been so long ago. Back then King Curtis was Hawaii's greatest wrestler. IMO
+MrStevie57 Curtis was known Prince Curtis Iauke. Then became King .
Wow, did not expect an answer, never knew all that.I used to watch the wrestling in Sydney as a boy in the 60s and 70s and remember King ,it was very entertaining in those days,thanks.
I lived on Oahu from '64-'68 and I remember King Curtis Iaukea feuding with my favorite wrestler Gentleman Jim Hady.....as a young boy Iaukea scared me to my core! Cheers