The "Human Orchid!" "The Toast Of The Coast," Gorgeous George Inducted Into WWE Hall Of Fame!

Moments ago (as I write this) Gorgeous George, one of the true creators of the modern Pro Wrestling landscape, was inducted by ex-wife Betty Wagner into the WWE HOF. The first wrestling match I ever saw, back when I was only recently graduated from wearing diapers, was George vs an opponent (I don't remember his name).

Even at that early age, the Gorgeous One, preceded by Betty who sprayed the ring with perfumed water, tossing "Georgie Pins" to the women in the crowd who scrambled to get them, wearing robes that looked more like something my Mother, rather than my father would wear,made an unforgettable impression on my young mind.

He challenged sexual stereotypes, as well as cultural values, and marketing techniques. Wife Betty, who played the role of his valet, richly deserved her moment in the spotlight. She not only sewed his costumes, she was the originator of many of his angles. Unfortunately, as so many entertainers have, George found the pressures of fame and celebrity more than he could bear without the aid of alcohol, and other vices.

In the end those pressures destoyed his marriage, consumed his fortune, and led to his death at the all too early age of forty-eight. There is a legend that when we die, and stand before the throne of judgment, our Guardian Angel will lean over the Book of our deeds, and surreptiously erase the record of our failings.

I would like to believe that whether a Guardian Angel, or the passage of enough time, the fall from grace that took George Wagner from the heights to a lonely death in a Hollywood flophouse, has faded and we can at last appreciate the genius of this wrestling pioneer.