Corporation Name: Sports Activities, Inc. Corporation Officer: Pedro Martinez - President Rochester Office: 103 Reservoir Avenue, Rochester 20, New York Phone Number: Monroe 2766 In January 1953, Martinez sold his interest in the New York City wrestling office, resigned from the National Wrestling Alliance, and returned to Upstate New York, where life was way less complicated. Or was it? Between the bickering back-and-forth with Ed Don George, and the problems getting money out of "Toots" Mondt over the booking agency sale, Martinez was still neck deep in the muck. Martinez's story of being stiffed out of thousands of dollars is a clear example of the ugly side of wrestling's backstage dealings, and also depicts the dark side of "Toots" Mondt. Mondt was one of the worst handlers of money in professional wrestling history, and that is putting it nicely. For Mondt, money came in one hand, and went out the other. His controversial legacy in Los Angeles in the late 1930s and in New York City is well known, and Martinez was actually caught being a believer that "Toots" would uphold his end of the bargain when Martinez sold out of the Manhattan Booking Agency. Martinez was still owed $20,000 when he wrote an October 12, 1953 letter to Sam Muchnick. In that letter, he vented about the growing list of problems, and how the New York office was being run into the ground. Other evidence to that fact comes from the problems in Baltimore and Philadelphia regarding the poor quality of grapplers being sent into their cities. Al Haft was owed money, as was Yukon Eric for his last appearance in Philly, "which took place about six weeks ago, and also owe money to other wrestlers, as you must know." Owing wrestlers money was a problem Mondt had in the 1939-'40 time-frame in Los Angeles. It was a glaring marker in the downfall of wrestling in New York City. Martinez reminded Muchnick that he still owned 25 shares of the Manhattan Booking Agency, and wanted "the Alliance to re-instate me as an Alliance member with half vote as I had before." Muchnick responded on October 19, 1953, telling Martinez that "the Alliance does not want to engage in any legal controversies, such as you and Toots Mondt are having." He wrote that it was a case for the courts, and that Martinez would have to file a new application for NWA membership. Research by Tim Hornbaker |
Pedro Martinez Wrestling History |