Maine Wrestling Legend Robbie Ellis 1943 - 2025

On August 9th I was at the Colisee in Lewiston before the Limitless Wrestling 2025 Vacationland Cup chatting with a few people when Dango told me that Robbie Ellis, Robert Elowitch, had died a couple days ago.  I was pretty surprised because Robbie seemed like he was going to be around forever.  I searched for his obituary and found that it had been posted earlier in the day.  He had passed away on August 7th at the age of 82 at his home in Portland. 

Four years ago I was doing some Maine Pro Wrestling History segments for the Limitless Wrestling YouTube page and I did one on Robbie Ellis.  I wrote up a script that I followed for the video.

Video: Maine's Pro Wrestling History: Robbie Ellis

The “Sports Illustrated Legend” Robbie Ellis is a truly legend in Maine wrestling.  A native of Portland, Maine he was born April 8, 1943.  He attended college at UMass Amherst and in1966 during his senior year he started training to be a pro wrestler in 1966 in Boston. 

 

A year later had his first match coming up short against Pepe Perez.  Graduating college he worked for his father’s tire company until he and his wife opened the Barridoff Galleries in 1978.  He kept his wrestling a secret for years only wrestling out of town, he was concerned how it would affect his Art Gallery.  That was until June 1985, when at his wife's insistence he accepted a booking  at the Portland Expo wrestling Brian Walsh.  A large photo in the local paper the next day exposed his secret.  

He was then featured in the December 2, 1985 issue of Sports Illustrated and over the years would be featured on ABC World News Tonight, The Today Show, The MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour and many other media outlets.  In 2007 & 2008 he had a career resurgence teaming in CHIKARA with “Sweet & Sour” Larry Sweeney & Mitch Ryder.  He toured Italy in 2006, 2008, & 2009.  

In 2010 the documentary Canvasman: The Robbie Ellis Story was released and you can find it on home video.  And watch it at this link on IMDB: Canvasman

On January 7, 2012 in Brewer, Maine he defeated Ricky Williams to win the IWE Heavyweight Championship three months shy of his 69th birthday.  The final matches of his 46 year career took place the weekend of February 3rd and 4th 2012.  On the 3rd in Fairfield, Maine he defeated Larry Wilder retaining the IWE Heavyweight Championship and then on the 4th in Brewer he lost the Championship back to Ricky Williams in what would be his final match.

On August 12, 2012 in Fairfield, Maine 12 men gathered for the Robbie Ellis Super Juniors tournament, with Matt Taven defeating Eddie Edwards in the finals.  On November 14, 2013 a second tournament was held in Everett, Massachusetts with Eddie Edward defeating Alexander Chekov in the finals.

In 2008 he was inducted into the New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, and in 2010 he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.  In 2014 he returned to Chikara as the storyline owner of Chikara in what may have been his last act in professional wrestling. 

Back then when I chatted with Robbie he wanted to let me know that at 78 years old he is still active running five days a week and lifting weights six days a week. He told me his favorite matches of his career were with Kidd USA Jay Jaillette.  

When I think of Robbie Ellis the image that pops into my brain is his legend post, he would stand with his arms bent at the elbows in a biceps pose, with his thumbs pointing at himself and as he wiggled them back and forth he would say "LEGEND!" And he was indeed a Maine Wrestling Legend.

Thank you for reading, please leave a comment, check out my other posts, and if you want like my blogs Facebook page.  You can also head over to Amazon and pick up a copy of my book the 2024 Limitless Wrestling Almanac, or any of my other books.

Until next time!

The Brain Busters WWF World Tag Team Championship Reign

In this post I take a look at the WWF World Tag Team reign of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, the Brain Busters!

In the summer of 1988 Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard were in the hottest faction in all of wrestling, The Four Horsemen and had been selling out houses across the region for Jim Crockett Promotions for years going back to the groups formation in 1985.  Feeling under appreciated monetarily even after discussing it with Jim Crockett on numerous occasions, the then NWA World Tag Team Champions put in their notice to leave JCP.

On September 10, 1988 they lost the titles to another heel tag team the Midnight Express on a house show in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  They would make their debut in the WWF on October 5, 1988 as the Brain Busters with their manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan at a Superstars TV taping in Toledo, Ohio

They would spend the next few months on the house show loop wrestling tag teams such as The Young Stallions: Paul Roma & Jim Powers, The Rockers: Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty, The Bushwackers: Luke & Butch, and finally Demolition: Ax & Smash.

On July 18, 1989 in Worcester, Massachusetts they would defeated Demolition in a 2 out of 3 falls match to captured the WWF World Tag Team Championships on a Saturday Night's Main Event taping that would air on NBC July 29, 1989.

Celebrating their victory with the Heenan Family

Their reign lasted until October 2, 1989 at a Superstars TV taping in Wheeling, West Virginia when Demolition would regain the titles in a short match that aired on November 4, 1989.

Wikipedia lists their reign as being 76 days, from July 18 - October 2nd

WWE lists their reign as being 109 days from July 29 - November 4th 

After the TV taping they would continue to defend the titles on the house show loop as champions against Demolition until the match aired on TV.   

In total they defended the titles 24 times, 23 times against Demolition and once against the Bushwackers which ended in a double disqualification.  The won only 1 of these matches defeating Demolition by disqualification.  The remaining matches against Demolition they lost by disqualification, except the match where Demolition regained the tag titles.

They won a few TV squash matches against jobbers.  Their biggest match during their title run was a non-title match at Summer Slam 1989 defeating The Hart Foundation. 

After the title change aired, they had few more house show matches and a loss on Saturday Night's Main Event to the Rockers in a two out of 3 falls match.  Tully and Arn would team for the final time on November 5, 1989 on a house show Waukegan, Illinois losing to Demolition.

Shortly after Tully would be sent home for failing a drug test, and Arn would finish out his contract teaming with Haku losing a series of house show matches to Demolition, with his final match taking place at the 1989 Survivor Series on November 23, 1989 in Chicago as a member of the Heenan Family in a losing effort to The Ultimate Warriors.

Their Saturday Night's Main Event match with the Rockers would air two days later, on Saturday November 25th.

November 28th at Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia, Arn would debut in WCW without Tully whose offer was rescinded do to the failed drug test.  Arn would reform the Anderson's teaming with Ole defeating Pat Rose & The Galaxian. 

After looking into their title run, it's kind of sad that it wasn't that great.  I mean yeah they were champions, but they only won one match by DQ.  It doesn't change that they are one of the all time greatest tag teams who are still revered today 36 years after they stopped teaming. 

Thank you for reading, please leave a comment, check out my other posts, and if you want like my blogs Facebook page.  You can also head over to Amazon and pick up a copy of my book the 2024 Limitless Wrestling Almanac, or any of my other books.

Until next time!

Digger's Dungeon

Over on my family blog I posted about Wesley and I's day trip to Digger's Dungeon while on our annual Ocean City, Maryland vacation.

If you are a Monster Truck fan and want to check it out, head on over via the link and take a look see.

Digger's Dungeon - Ocean City 2025 Day Trip

Thank you for reading, please leave a comment, check out my other posts, and if you want like my blogs Facebook page.  You can also head over to Amazon and pick up a copy of my book the 2024 Limitless Wrestling Almanac, or any of my other books.

Until next time!