Should Masked Marauder Have a License to Thrill?

When the World Wrestling Federation rolls into the San Diego Sports Arena on Friday, fans will witness the body slams and atomic death grips of King Duggan, the Ultimate Warrior, Red Rooster, the Brooklyn Brawler, the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers and more.

The arena will be packed, the heroes will be heroic, the villains villainous, and the fans will go home hoarse but happy.

Three days later, serious-minded public servants will meet in Sacramento to debate whether what the San Diego fans saw was real.

At issue is a bill by Assemblyman Dick Floyd (D-Carson), who says that pro wrestling is more show business than a sporting event. He wants the state to quit requiring wrestlers to have state licenses, as boxers do.

After all, the state doesn’t make actors, musicians or clowns have licenses. It’s time to deregulate Hulk Hogan and Macho Man, argues Floyd.

You might think the reality matter had been settled. State law already says that any event in which “the winner may have been selected before the performance commences” cannot be billed as a match or contest.

Accordingly, WWF uses the term “exhibitions.” And WWF likes Floyd’s bill because licenses cost money.

In mid-June, the bill passed the Assembly by a 50-2 vote and was set for a July 10 meeting of the Senate Business and Professions Committee.

Two years ago, a similar bill was pinned to the mat by three formidable performers in the political ring: Gov. George Deukmejian, the State Athletic Commission and committee Chairman Sen. Daniel Montoya (D-La Puente).

Deregulation will mean loss of revenue (about $200,000), according to the governor. Deregulation will leave the state without the power to punish rowdy wrestlers, said the commission.

Floyd promises some surprises this time. Maybe an appearance by a WWF star in costume. Maybe a philosophic approach: If the state licenses WWF wrestlers, why not mud wrestlers and roller derby participants?

Floyd figures Montoya is unmovable. But he hopes that other committee members might be persuaded, especially conservatives who want government to butt out whenever possible.

One of those seen as key is Sen. Bill Craven (R-Oceanside). He is neutral on AB1040, but he admits he was surprised to learn that pro wrestlers are licensed by the state.

He promises to consider the bill strictly on its merits. He is not a wrestling fan. His athletic addiction is college basketball, particularly Villanova, his alma mater.

No Sissies Allowed

Move over, Over-the-Line. Make room for the first Downtown San Diego Stickball Tournament, Saturday, July 22, sponsored by the Central City Assn.

It’s an urban sport, lots of diving onto pavement to catch a ball, none of this sissy stuff of landing in soft sand. The rules are an amalgam of stickball’s various East Coast and Midwest venues, including all-important Rule 9:

“Once a player is substituted, that player is out of the game unless there is an injury. Umpire shall determine if a player is faking an injury!”

No Hard Feelings

Douglas K. Seymour, the former San Diego reserve cop who sued the Police Department for stress suffered while infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan, has resurfaced in La Crosse, Wis., working in the construction business and writing a book about his exploits.

Shortly before he accepted a $300,000 settlement last August, Seymour dropped from sight to escape what he said were death threats against him and his family.

Now he has resumed giving interviews and appearing on the Phil Donahue and Oprah Winfrey shows and talking about his 2 1/2 years skulking in the KKK.

In an interview with Ted Vollmer, a former Times reporter now working for the La Crosse Tribune, Seymour says he’s no longer interested in going undercover but he’s willing to give lectures for $2,000 each.

He says he bears no ill will toward San Diego, despite a bruising trial. On his office wall is an SDPD cap and a commendation from the brass for a job well done.