That Time WWE’s Iyo Sky Nearly Went To Prison
Triple H might like certain wrestlers a touch more than the actual fandom, like Austin Theory, or fail to capitalise on the popularity of the odd fan favourite, like LA Knight, but he’s mostly in tune with his audience and will not, after a while, force his projects upon them. He loves Johnny Gargano, but Gargano didn’t get over on the main roster, and so Gargano’s presence is now fleeting. We are as close to a true meritocracy as the millennial-aged fan has ever witnessed. Furthermore, unlike in a bygone era, nobody wants to stab Iyo Sky in the back. She is profoundly respected and well-liked. Nobody wants her spot, and nobody tries to belittle or even ruin her.
In years gone by, wrestling was a cutthroat business often compared to the mafia by old heads, and while this might scan as corny hyperbole designed for the purposes of tough guy myth-making, the legends are sometimes real. A moment of grotesque sabotage was etched into pro wrestling apocrypha in 1973.
A man named John Cazana was promoting the Knoxville region at the time, and was locked in a conflict with fellow promoter Nick Gulas. Wrestler ‘Dandy’ Jack Donovan was allegedly approached by Gulas to screw Cazana; when he refused, in what was heavily rumoured to be a revenge attack for his disobedience, Donovan ran afoul of Tojo Yamamoto. A match was scheduled between the two men. Donovan was approached by a referee, Ronnie West, and was told to put Tojo over. Donovan refused, citing the fact that it would badly undermine his imminent babyface turn, and tried to get West to contact anybody of influence. This didn’t happen, arousing Donovan’s suspicion, and Tojo started to indeed shoot on him during their match. The problem is that the revenge attack did not go to plan. The wrestlers of that era were told, when faced with a double-cross, to gouge the other guy’s eye out. That’s what Donovan was almost successful in doing. When Plan A did not work, Plan B was initiated; the next night, July 18, Donovan was said to have been locked in a room with Yamamoto, Jackie Fargo, and Jerry Jarrett. Donovan immediately pressed Yamamoto up against the wall. A gun flew out of his pocket. With Donovan vulnerable, according to urban legend, Jarrett and Fargo grabbed each one of his arms, allowing Yamamoto to split his head open using his gimmick wooden shoes. A concussed Donovan was hospitalised for over a month and required close to 100 stitches to un-mutilate his face. This tale feels like something from a different industry, much less a different era, and in most ways, it is. The act of politicking and sabotage died out generations ago. Or did it?
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