| ARTICLES |
Passing of Rocket Monroe Marks End of an Era
June 9, 2010
– Rich Tate
Maury High, perhaps better known to wrestling fans throughout the southern
United States as Rocket Monroe, passed away on Monday, June 7, 2010. He
had spent a few days of the previous week hospitalized with an infection, and
was discharged over the weekend. He was the lone remaining member of the
Brothers Monroe.
For anyone who never saw Rocket in action or never personally knew him
missed out on one of the true characters of old school wrestling. Few could
tell a story like he could, and even fewer had as many stories to tell.
High was once a promising young football player at Somerville High School in
Tennessee. His dream of playing professional football came to a crashing
halt when he suffered a serious knee injury before being able to enjoy the
perks of an athletic scholarship at Memphis State University, now known as
the University of Memphis.
After graduating high school and in search of a new dream, hunting buddy
Johnny Alexander invited High to join him at a workout. Alexander was
wrestling for Jim Holly, who not only wrestled but was also promoting in
opposition to Nick Gulas at the time.
“I had a friend who was a wrestler” High told Georgia Wrestling History in a
2003 interview. “He convinced me to start working out with those guys. I spent
a week getting beat up by him and Billy Wicks. They worked me like a yard dog
because they wanted to see how tough I was. It was rough, but after awhile
they loosened up on me.”
June 9, 2010
– Rich Tate
Maury High, perhaps better known to wrestling fans throughout the southern
United States as Rocket Monroe, passed away on Monday, June 7, 2010. He
had spent a few days of the previous week hospitalized with an infection, and
was discharged over the weekend. He was the lone remaining member of the
Brothers Monroe.
For anyone who never saw Rocket in action or never personally knew him
missed out on one of the true characters of old school wrestling. Few could
tell a story like he could, and even fewer had as many stories to tell.
High was once a promising young football player at Somerville High School in
Tennessee. His dream of playing professional football came to a crashing
halt when he suffered a serious knee injury before being able to enjoy the
perks of an athletic scholarship at Memphis State University, now known as
the University of Memphis.
After graduating high school and in search of a new dream, hunting buddy
Johnny Alexander invited High to join him at a workout. Alexander was
wrestling for Jim Holly, who not only wrestled but was also promoting in
opposition to Nick Gulas at the time.
“I had a friend who was a wrestler” High told Georgia Wrestling History in a
2003 interview. “He convinced me to start working out with those guys. I spent
a week getting beat up by him and Billy Wicks. They worked me like a yard dog
because they wanted to see how tough I was. It was rough, but after awhile
they loosened up on me.”
He noted that after he passed on his scholarship, which was cut in half due to the fact he could no longer play, he “just went to work. I
worked a bunch of places – just a bunch of different types of jobs to make money.” Wrestling as Rocky Montez, High made his debut in
1960 against Holly in Marktree, Arkansas. One week later, he won the Arkansas State Title from Joe Deaton, although he was only
wrestling part time.
It wasn’t until 1965 that High had confidence he could make a career of pro wrestling, when he was paired with Sputnik Monroe. High had
just gone into the Gulf Coast territory for some spot work for promoter Rocky McGuire. McGuire already had worked it out for Sputnik to
come into his area when his run in Florida ended.
Noticing a resemblance between Sputnik and High, he spawned the idea of pairing them up as a team in his territory. He made
arrangements for High to go to Florida to work with Sputnik and return together. The rest, for High, was history as he became the new
Rocket Monroe.
“There was already a guy who worked with that name” High remembered. “Bill Fletcher. He had started working with Sputnik, but they
weren’t working together anymore. Rocky McGuire gave me that name, and it stuck for the rest of my career.”
worked a bunch of places – just a bunch of different types of jobs to make money.” Wrestling as Rocky Montez, High made his debut in
1960 against Holly in Marktree, Arkansas. One week later, he won the Arkansas State Title from Joe Deaton, although he was only
wrestling part time.
It wasn’t until 1965 that High had confidence he could make a career of pro wrestling, when he was paired with Sputnik Monroe. High had
just gone into the Gulf Coast territory for some spot work for promoter Rocky McGuire. McGuire already had worked it out for Sputnik to
come into his area when his run in Florida ended.
Noticing a resemblance between Sputnik and High, he spawned the idea of pairing them up as a team in his territory. He made
arrangements for High to go to Florida to work with Sputnik and return together. The rest, for High, was history as he became the new
Rocket Monroe.
“There was already a guy who worked with that name” High remembered. “Bill Fletcher. He had started working with Sputnik, but they
weren’t working together anymore. Rocky McGuire gave me that name, and it stuck for the rest of my career.”
| Promotional Photo of Rocket Monroe |
| Promotional Photo of Sputnik (rear) and Rocket Monroe (foreground) |
During their initial run together, the Brothers Monroe were
managed by ‘Gentleman’ Saul Weingeroff, but Rocket didn’t
like that part of the deal. “He thought he was better than
everybody.”
Likewise, the team of Sputnik and Rocket wasn’t always a
pleasant relationship. “He was a great worker, and a good
guy when he was sober. When he was drinking it was a
different story.”
Still, the trio had a long run of success in Florida, Georgia,
Oklahoma, and the Gulf Coast territories. But the daily grind
of personality clashes with Sputnik and Weingeroff wore on
Rocket, and he felt the need to branch out on his own.
“I got tired of being around him because he got to where he
was always drinking,” Rocket said, “so I left and went out on
my own. It also made me mad that Saul would sit around
and do nothing and draw the same money I was getting for
working my butt off. I had made enough of a name for myself
by then that I knew I could do it without them. It wasn’t too
long before I started working with Gene Dundee – he was
Flash Monroe.”
Of his new partner in comparison to his old situation, Rocket
noted, “Oh, man – he was great. We worked together for
about eleven years and never had a problem.”
The new duo had a great feud in Georgia with the Assassins
(Tom Renesto and Joe Hamilton).
managed by ‘Gentleman’ Saul Weingeroff, but Rocket didn’t
like that part of the deal. “He thought he was better than
everybody.”
Likewise, the team of Sputnik and Rocket wasn’t always a
pleasant relationship. “He was a great worker, and a good
guy when he was sober. When he was drinking it was a
different story.”
Still, the trio had a long run of success in Florida, Georgia,
Oklahoma, and the Gulf Coast territories. But the daily grind
of personality clashes with Sputnik and Weingeroff wore on
Rocket, and he felt the need to branch out on his own.
“I got tired of being around him because he got to where he
was always drinking,” Rocket said, “so I left and went out on
my own. It also made me mad that Saul would sit around
and do nothing and draw the same money I was getting for
working my butt off. I had made enough of a name for myself
by then that I knew I could do it without them. It wasn’t too
long before I started working with Gene Dundee – he was
Flash Monroe.”
Of his new partner in comparison to his old situation, Rocket
noted, “Oh, man – he was great. We worked together for
about eleven years and never had a problem.”
The new duo had a great feud in Georgia with the Assassins
(Tom Renesto and Joe Hamilton).
“That was a dream,” said Rocket. “We sold out everywhere. I don’t know if it was the masks or what, but we’d go into the same towns the
next week against some clean guys, and you’d think we were the worst guys in the world. We wrestled Jody and Tom one night in Griffin
and there was this little guy sitting there. He had one tooth in his mouth. He cussed me like you wouldn’t believe.
“Well, me and Flash beat Tom and Jody that night, and he got the police to bring him back to the dressing room. He shook my hand and
said, ‘Rocket, I’m so glad you beat those boys that I’ll never cuss you again.’ His name was Gene.
“The next week we were back down in Griffin and there he was cussing me. I left the ring and said, “last week you told me you’d never
cuss me again.” He said, ‘that’s right, Rocket, and I’m not.’ I didn’t get in the ring good and he was cussing me again.”
next week against some clean guys, and you’d think we were the worst guys in the world. We wrestled Jody and Tom one night in Griffin
and there was this little guy sitting there. He had one tooth in his mouth. He cussed me like you wouldn’t believe.
“Well, me and Flash beat Tom and Jody that night, and he got the police to bring him back to the dressing room. He shook my hand and
said, ‘Rocket, I’m so glad you beat those boys that I’ll never cuss you again.’ His name was Gene.
“The next week we were back down in Griffin and there he was cussing me. I left the ring and said, “last week you told me you’d never
cuss me again.” He said, ‘that’s right, Rocket, and I’m not.’ I didn’t get in the ring good and he was cussing me again.”
| Promotional Photo of Rocket (left) and Flash Monroe (right) |
Southern wrestling fans were always the most passionate, as can be
evidence by the time Rocket had a run-in with a lady at ringside in
Pensacola, Florida. “She was a big woman,” said Rocket. “She had
always wanted to take a shot at me, so one night I told her to go ahead
and do it. She had it [a liquor bottle] in her pocketbook, and told me she’d
been wanting to hit me in the head so many times.
“I said, ‘honey, just come on over and take you a poke.’ And she did. It hurt,
but it didn’t bother me too long,” Rocket claimed, before adding “she
landed a couple rows back.”
Rocket reformed his team with Sputnik when Ann Gunkel took most of the
talent from the Atlanta office to form the All-South Wrestling Alliance.
Returning together to aid the Atlanta office in fending off the cross town
competition, Rocket noted that Sputnik “was still hitting the juice –
probably worse then. It didn’t last very long and I went back to Mobile
again. If he could’ve kept the juice out of his mouth, there’s no telling how
far we could have gone together. When we had the World Tag Title down
in Florida, Lou Thesz and Sam Steamboat wanted to work with us.
Sputnik was probably one of the best performers in and out of the ring that
there ever was, but he let the juice and his mouth ruin him.”
Despite the good relationship and success he had with Flash, Rocket
said his best matches were when feuding with ‘Cowboy’ Bob Kelly in
singles matches.
evidence by the time Rocket had a run-in with a lady at ringside in
Pensacola, Florida. “She was a big woman,” said Rocket. “She had
always wanted to take a shot at me, so one night I told her to go ahead
and do it. She had it [a liquor bottle] in her pocketbook, and told me she’d
been wanting to hit me in the head so many times.
“I said, ‘honey, just come on over and take you a poke.’ And she did. It hurt,
but it didn’t bother me too long,” Rocket claimed, before adding “she
landed a couple rows back.”
Rocket reformed his team with Sputnik when Ann Gunkel took most of the
talent from the Atlanta office to form the All-South Wrestling Alliance.
Returning together to aid the Atlanta office in fending off the cross town
competition, Rocket noted that Sputnik “was still hitting the juice –
probably worse then. It didn’t last very long and I went back to Mobile
again. If he could’ve kept the juice out of his mouth, there’s no telling how
far we could have gone together. When we had the World Tag Title down
in Florida, Lou Thesz and Sam Steamboat wanted to work with us.
Sputnik was probably one of the best performers in and out of the ring that
there ever was, but he let the juice and his mouth ruin him.”
Despite the good relationship and success he had with Flash, Rocket
said his best matches were when feuding with ‘Cowboy’ Bob Kelly in
singles matches.
“Me and Kelly have been in any kind of match there is except a scaffold match,” said Rocket. “They was going to put us in one of them, but
I wasn’t going for it because I was scared of heights.
“I had some of my best matches with Kelly. We had one in Laurel, Mississippi, where the Chief of Police came in the ring to stop the
match. He said it was too brutal. We was working somewhere else one time and the police came in to stop it because we were bleeding
like crazy. I told him I wasn’t stopping. We kept going. They were trying to hit us with their night sticks and I told them again that I wasn’t
stopping, and then one of them hit me with mace. I said, ‘Kelly, let’s stop.’”
Rocket once lost a loser leaves town match in Mobile, Alabama. The following week, he returned under a mask. “The first night I came in
under the mask in Mobile – the first person I saw was a little seven year old kid. He said, ‘Rocket Monroe, I thought you was supposed to
leave town.’
“I went back in there and told Rocky McGuire to either take the mask off me or I will. He told me that it would get over. I said, ‘no, it won’t –
the first person I saw was a seven year old boy that told me I was supposed to have left town.’ I said, ‘we ain’t fooling nobody.’”
Rocket hung up his boots in 1980, finishing up his career working on the occasional spot shows around Georgia and could often be
seen putting over the younger up-and-coming stars on WTBS’ Georgia Championship Wrestling program.
“I wanted to get out and get me a job and get some retirement and benefits started,” Rocket said. “You didn’t have any of that in wrestling.
So I got out and went to work with the City of Riverdale as the Public Works Director. I did that for a while and kept wrestling pretty regular
– four or five nights a week. Me and the City Manager didn’t hit it off too well, so I left and went to work for the county. When I went to work
there I stopped wrestling altogether.” He wound up working there as a building inspector until he retired just a few years ago.
Of his time in the wrestling business, Rocket said, “I met a lot of folks – a lot of great folks. I made some really good friends. The best
friend I got out of it was Bobby Simmons. I came to Georgia and met Bobby while he was a sophomore in high school, and he kind of
took up with me. He used to come to my house and spend the whole weekend, and we’ve been friends ever since.”
Thus, it was fitting that Simmons, who pastors at Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta, headed up a private service today for family and
friends, in what Simmons noted was to be “a celebration of his life.”
High was preceded in death by a son Heath. He is survived by wife Denise, and their children Michelle, Justin, and Heather, as well as
Tommy, Bobby, and Rita, from a previous marriage.
Simmons, who co-hosts a weekly radio program on the GWH Radio Network, Peach State Pandemonium, will be working with co-hosts
John Cannon and Jerry Oates to put together a tribute show, set for Thursday, June 17.
I wasn’t going for it because I was scared of heights.
“I had some of my best matches with Kelly. We had one in Laurel, Mississippi, where the Chief of Police came in the ring to stop the
match. He said it was too brutal. We was working somewhere else one time and the police came in to stop it because we were bleeding
like crazy. I told him I wasn’t stopping. We kept going. They were trying to hit us with their night sticks and I told them again that I wasn’t
stopping, and then one of them hit me with mace. I said, ‘Kelly, let’s stop.’”
Rocket once lost a loser leaves town match in Mobile, Alabama. The following week, he returned under a mask. “The first night I came in
under the mask in Mobile – the first person I saw was a little seven year old kid. He said, ‘Rocket Monroe, I thought you was supposed to
leave town.’
“I went back in there and told Rocky McGuire to either take the mask off me or I will. He told me that it would get over. I said, ‘no, it won’t –
the first person I saw was a seven year old boy that told me I was supposed to have left town.’ I said, ‘we ain’t fooling nobody.’”
Rocket hung up his boots in 1980, finishing up his career working on the occasional spot shows around Georgia and could often be
seen putting over the younger up-and-coming stars on WTBS’ Georgia Championship Wrestling program.
“I wanted to get out and get me a job and get some retirement and benefits started,” Rocket said. “You didn’t have any of that in wrestling.
So I got out and went to work with the City of Riverdale as the Public Works Director. I did that for a while and kept wrestling pretty regular
– four or five nights a week. Me and the City Manager didn’t hit it off too well, so I left and went to work for the county. When I went to work
there I stopped wrestling altogether.” He wound up working there as a building inspector until he retired just a few years ago.
Of his time in the wrestling business, Rocket said, “I met a lot of folks – a lot of great folks. I made some really good friends. The best
friend I got out of it was Bobby Simmons. I came to Georgia and met Bobby while he was a sophomore in high school, and he kind of
took up with me. He used to come to my house and spend the whole weekend, and we’ve been friends ever since.”
Thus, it was fitting that Simmons, who pastors at Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta, headed up a private service today for family and
friends, in what Simmons noted was to be “a celebration of his life.”
High was preceded in death by a son Heath. He is survived by wife Denise, and their children Michelle, Justin, and Heather, as well as
Tommy, Bobby, and Rita, from a previous marriage.
Simmons, who co-hosts a weekly radio program on the GWH Radio Network, Peach State Pandemonium, will be working with co-hosts
John Cannon and Jerry Oates to put together a tribute show, set for Thursday, June 17.
