Georgia Wrestling History: View from Inside the Ring

VIEW FROM INSIDE THE RING

THE POWER OF THE THUMB
– Dick Steinborn

November 14, 2007

Growing up on the streets of Queens, New York, in my early years, I tried just about every sport there was available.

At age 14, it was sandlot football. We put socks in our jerseys for shoulder pads and played on a lot between two buildings. Stick ball was in the middle of the street. The heavy iron sewer-cover was always home base.

I was still on the wrestling team at school, and still learning my trade in my dad’s gym, in the basement of the six-story apartment we lived in.

Now for the power of the thumb:

I always pulled a trick on my team members and friends when we headed for the local sandwich shop and bottled Pepsi-Colas. When my friends were not looking, I wedged the bottle cap off with a coin I held in my hand. Of course, everyone’s attention was elsewhere while I pried open the bottle cap, and then squashed it back down on the bottle neck.

When everyone was settled down, I quickly snatched that bottle by the neck, ramming my thumb under the cap, as the fizz started to force whatever pressure was left in the bottle to the top. BANG! The cap would fly into the air, and of course my friends would be shocked, even more so the young girls as they now saw me as “Superboy”. It was done only a few times and no one ever knew my secret. It was something you just didn’t give away, ever.

Then I went to Europe at age 17 with my dad and former World Boxing champion, 6 foot 7" and 290 pound Primo Carnera.

Throughout the three months of traveling through so many countries, Primo started telling me some of the intimate stories in his life, such as the strange occurrences he had against the Germans when they invaded Italy, about his boxing manager Duffy, and his untimely association with gangster and crime boss, Al Capone. Then I decided to tell Primo about the power of the thumb rib I had pulled on my friends.

Well, give the man a cigar. Primo leaped all over that story and he insisted we pull this prank, especially when he was at a large gathering. All eyes were always on the former champ when I would slowly lower the beer bottle under the table to slowly wedge off the cap. Usually these functions and even restaurants had tablecloths that rested on your thighs. It was quite easy. We did it a total of seven times in Europe. It even was written up in the Milan newspaper in Italy, with a full description from patrons in a restaurant who witnessed the gigantic event.

And so, you now have the secret, and you may now have some fun. It would be interesting to go to Google and pull up Primo Carnera. He did tell me one time he had a fling with then movie queen Clara Bow.