The OTHER Flying Disc Mystery of 1947

 

The summer of 1947 brought the mystery of unidentified flying objects, known as flying saucers or flying discs. The topic sold a lot of newspapers, and soon was the subject of commercial exploitation.

In Miami, Florida October 21, 1947, a mysterious professional wrestler appeared, going by the name “Flying Disc.” He wore a green hood, and besides his flying saucer name, his gimmick was that he would remove his mask and disclose his identity if an opponent could defeat him. The Flying Disc was a villain who fought with “vicious ring tactics”

Miami News, Oct. 21, 1947

Miami Herald, Oct. 10, 1947

Miami News, Oct. 28, 1947

Not Flying Disc. It's "Mr. X," flying here. Miami News, Oct. 11, 1947 

Miami News, Nov. 11, 1947

Miami News, Dec. 12, 1947

The Flying Disc had a run of 30 bouts with no losses.

From The Big Show-Off, 1945

The Big Test

Miami News, Jan. 30, 1948

Friday night, Jan. 30, 1948, at the Civic Center, Miami, Florida: Flying Disc Vs. Black Jack LaRue. The results were described in Miami News, Feb. 3, 1948, which teased their rematch. 

LaRue unmasked Flying Disc, and he was revealed to be Eddie Parquett. 

Miami News, Feb. 3, 1948

Eddie Parquett continued to wrestle unmasked under his own name, but for a while had to be referred by as the ex-Flying Disc.

Miami News, Feb. 5, 1948

We found listings for matches in Miami with Parquett for the rest of the year, but nothing after that. There was another Flying Disc competing in Miami in 1949-50, but not in the wrestling ring. 

The Hialeah Park racetrack was where that Flying Disc could be found running against the other racehorses.

The Wrestler from Mars

Around the same time , there was another alien-themed wrestler. Below is an excerpt from "The Great Zuma: A Mysterious Martian that Turned out to be a Blue Demon" by By Brittan Nannenga:

“In 1950, the world of wrestling was introduced to a masked competitor that called himself 'Zuma, Man of Mars.' Also known as The Great Zuma, the man entered the ring wearing a long cape secured with a chest plate bearing the letter “Z," and an otherworldly headpiece with an antenna-like top that concealed his face. Zuma gained popularity on the wrestling circuit during his debut year, garnering attention for being quick on his feet and winning the majority of his matches. It was that fancy footwork—and a striking resemblance—that ultimately unveiled the true identity of the mysterious Martian to be Carl J. Engstrom, a DePaul student and former star boxer for the university.”

Probably the most famous UFO-related wrestling product was the 1967 movie from Mexico, Santo el Enmascarado de Plata vs La Invasión de Los Marcianos, aka Santo vs. the Martian Invasion.

While professional wrestling and ufology would seem to have little in common, there is a fantasy element and a substantial show biz aspect to both. And as a spectator sport, both attract a colorful and vocal fan following.

. . .

Exploitations of the popularity of flying saucers began early. See other examples in STTF articles:

Flying Saucer Clickbait from 1947

The Saucer Pin-up Girls of 1947

Flying Saucers & the Regatta Queen Contest: Two Case Studies from 1947