By Dan Ninham

The memory of Charley “Thunderblood” Norris, Red Lake band member and professional wrestler, took the main event center ring in mid-July at the Seven Clans Casino Thief River Falls. The outdoor ring, surrounded by ringside and extended seating, on an 80 degree late afternoon under partly sunny sky was where the showcase event was held. About 500 spectators attended the Midwest All-Star Wrestling (MAW) main event.

This was a showcase event with international wrestlers with the names of legends Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Cowboy Bob Orton, and Sam Houston plus Paul Virk, The Real Drago, Garrison Creed, The Widowmaker, and Samantha Starr.

“The family of Charley Norris approached the casino with the idea of a wrestling tribute show,” said Verdell Beaulieu Jr., Seven Clans Casino Thief River Falls General Manager. “When I came on as GM in TRF we were exploring different options for summer events. I remember going to wrestling shows at the TRF casino when I was a kid and it peeked my interest.”

“Just wrestling alone would have been exciting, but having the honor to help make this show a reality only meant that much more to me as a community member of Red Lake. My role in the event was to ensure that everything went according to plan. Frances at Marketing, (and) David from MAW both did a great job planning everything out and it was our job at the casino to execute,” added Beaulieu Jr.

To be able to stage a showcase athletic event, the planning and management had to be top notch. And the beautiful weather definitely helped.

“Leading up to the event we met weekly with the management teams,” said Beaulieu Jr. “We went over checklists, overall layout of the event and then marketing efforts promoting it. This also included setting up areas needed for the event like a wrestler locker room that could easily lead to where the event took place and much more difficult than it sounds.”

“I remember seeing Charley around our community. My mom was always so happy to see him, and she would share stories of when wrestling was a big thing in Red Lake, all thanks to Mr. Thunderblood Norris,” said Beaulieu Jr.

Charley Norris’ (October 21, 1963-February 6, 2023) career was explained in detail in his Wikipedia bio link located at the end of this story. Norris was a five-time Heavyweight Champion and a two-time Tag Team Champion. He mainly competed for Pro Wrestling America (PWA) but also for World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

According to Wikipedia, on August 15, 1994, Norris won his first Tag Team Championship with Sam Houston. Not only Sam, but Sam’s daughter and third generation pro wrestler Samantha Starr was on site and in the ring later in the evening.

“The event on July 19th was a memorial event held in honor of my friend, my brother, and my tag team partner Charley ‘Thunderblood’ Norris,” said Sam Houston. “It was a phenomenal event for me as my daughter was given her Indian name.”

“My heart is filled with the love that this event brought last year when I received my Indian name. My daughter was present, she gave Jason tobacco and asked for her name. This year’s ceremony was Friday the 18th. It was a small intimate ceremony with members of Charley’s family and my own. It was said that my daughter’s name came about through some pretty tough changes in her life. Just as her namesake goes through the changes in its life. She was gifted with Memengwa, butterfly and she made me proud through all that she does,” added Houston.

“Before her match she was given an eagle feather to be worn in her hair,” said Houston. “I and we are Cherokee on my mother’s side and Comanche on father’s side.”

Thomas X, a nephew of Charley, said words of tribute from the family in the ring at the beginning of the event. He also performed during the intermission.

“I knew that Charley Norris was a wrestler in the early 90’s and he wrestled in WCW and that he was a tag team wrestler,” said spectator Talon Sather. “I will say I’ve always found it fascinating that a community member of Red Lake made it to World Championship Wrestling and wrestled on TBS.”

Check out Charley “Thunderblood” Norris in action on this YouTube video vs. The Terrorist (1993-09-050: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7ygzGVGFHw

Charley Norris Wikipedia page: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Norris