7. Sputnik Monroe
You might not have heard of Sputnik Monroe, but he played a major (and I do mean MAJOR) role in the development of professional wrestling, as well as American society in general. After serving his country in WW2, Roscoe Monroe Brumbaugh became a wrestler on the carnival circuit. He was working as Rocky Monroe in 1957, when an enraged female fan labelled him a communist, referring to Monroe as a damned sputnik. Hey, it made the fans mad, so Monroe, who was a natural heel in the ring, decided to go with it. Sputnik Monroe became a major draw in the Memphis territory. He doesnt appear to have been a huge star anywhere else (although its likely he always produced a good gate), but in Memphis, he attained near Jerry Lawler-levels of adulation, at one point drawing over 13,000 fans (with thousands more turned away at the gate). It was the event that helped make Memphis a major territory. However, Sputniks time on top coincided with a dark era in American history, especially in the Southern states. Segregation was commonplace, Jim Crow laws were firmly in effect and racism was institutionalized to the point of being practically mandatory. Like everything else in the South, wrestling audiences were segregated, whites in the good seats, blacks in the colored section. Monroe, on the other hand, had other ideas. Most of his friends were black and, as a result, the police routinely harassed Sputnik for drinking in colored (and I shudder as I write that) establishments. A man ahead of his time, Sputnik simply couldnt understand segregation. So, in the 1960s, he took a stand against it. His strategy was simple. Sputnik Monroe just refused to wrestle until African American fans were allowed to sit wherever they damn well pleased, regardless of their skin colour. Of course, he was risking his own career by taking such a courageous path, but Sputnik was a proven draw in the area and so, promoters grudgingly acquiesced. Pretty soon, Sputniks stance caught on and other wrestlers and promoters joined in. Today, thankfully, there is no segregation of wrestling audiences and, although I cant furnish Sputnik with all the credit, his place in wrestling history is certainly assured.