10 Wrestling Matches That Started Riots
1. Ernie Ladd Vs. Johnny Powers - January 1974
The video of this footage may actually list it as taking place in the 1960s, but the truth is that this particular match is from 1974. To be precise, it's from 31 January 1974's Steel Belt Wrestling show out of Cleveland, Ohio.
Likely the most infamous wrestling riot in history, the source of this all-out insanity was a man who wasn't even involved in the match. As Ernie Ladd took on Johnny Powers with the aim of breaking Powers' patented Powerlock submission and winning $5,000 in the process, Ox Baker joined the action and cemented his spot as one of the most heat-inducing villains in all of wrestling.
Just when Ladd looked to be escaping Powers' grip, Baker hit the ring and nailed the Big Cat with six devastating Heart Punches - a move that fans of the day believed could genuinely bring on a heart attack, after two wrestlers suffered just such a horror mere days after taking the move.
So over was Ernie Ladd, you can hear the sheer shrieks of terror from the watching crowd as they fear the worst for their beloved hero. But as a result of that adoration for Ladd, that meant that the crowd turned riotous - to the point that you actually got to see Johnny Powers legitimately running for his life.