Western PA Native Mosorjak Has Written The Book On Wahoo McDaniel

By Thomas Leturgey

Greg Mosorjak’s interest in professional wrestling began the same way that countless others did in Western Pennsylvania: he wanted Pittsburgh’s Studio Wrestling. Growing up about 67 miles due west of Pittsburgh in Johnstown, PA, Mosorjak became a fan of Bruno Sammartino. The young fan started to attend matches at the Cambria County War Memorial when the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) routinely brought its show on the road. There an on television, young Greg enjoyed the in-ring exploits of George “The Animal” Steele, Ivan Koloff, Waldo Von Erich and others.

As soon as he could, Mosorjak worked as a newsletter editor and journalist in the professional wrestling field. Along the way he made friends such as Brian Hildebrand (aka Mark Curtis) and Ken Jugan (who would later become Lord Zoltan). He also worked for Pittsburgh promoter Gene Dargen during this time.

In the early 1980’s, Mosorjak expanded from the news field and began to work in the wrestling business as a referee and manager. He worked a lot in independent wrestling up and down the east coast before being sidelined due to an automobile accident that also included Hildebrand. Mosorjak left wrestling for a while after graduating from West Virginia University; however, like other professional wrestling “retirements,” it didn’t take.

In the early 1990’s he was back in the business and created the “Count Grog,” a Transylvania-born-and-bred character he still embodies occasionally to this very day. It was during that initial run that Mosorjak first met and worked with Edward “Wahoo” McDaniel. Wahoo was in his early 50’s and in the twilight of his notable, 34-year career. The two became friends and when McDaniel died of renal failure and diabetes in 2002, Mosorjak decided to journalistically concentrate on the big Indian. That’s where “Wahoo McDaniel Record Book: 1962-1996” began.

“The book didn’t start as a book” Mosorjak detailed in a recent email. “I have always been a results geek, and I have many wrestlers I had started to compile.” The long-time North Carolina resident used Georgiann Makropoulas’ record book on Sammartino (as incomplete as it is) as inspiration. “I thought I could do this,” he continued.

Mosorjak initially talked about the project with famed professional wrestling author Scott Teal. Teal encouraged him to pursue the book, but it was put on the back burner. A few years later Mosorjak attended an NWA Fan Fest in Charlotte and ran into “old friend” and fellow results-collector Mark James. Two decided to form a partnership and worked on gathering interviews and results. They found more than 3,500 results from Wahoo’s career. “The indy results are the hardest as no one keeps those and 100 people attend an indy show, it’s hard to find one writing that stuff down,” Mosorjak added.

Along the way Mosorjak also found uncooperative sources that wanted to be paid for their information, some didn’t respond to requests and others simply forgot details from long ago.

[Above: "Count Grog" at a recent independent wrestling event in Ohio.]

From start to finish, the book took about nine years to complete, according to Mosorjak. The next venture will be a similar tome on another famed professional wrestler named Ed: Edward Farhat, The Sheik.

In the meantime, Mosorjak will continue to be involved with professional wrestling. His GOUGE promotion continues in North Carolina and he continues to show up as Count Grog. He recently traveled to Ohio to be a part of “Fantastic” Bobby Fulton’s final match.

“Wahoo McDaniel Record Book: 1962-1996” is available at wahoobook.com and other online book sellers.