When the greatest met the greatest

“Gorgeous George” was born George Raymond Wagner in 1915. He grew up in a tough Houston neighborhood, where he learned to wrestle at the local YMCA and soon established himself as a freestyle champion.

He later became a self-promoting professional wrestler and the sport’s first superstar villain. After growing his blond hair long and dyeing it platinum, Wagner began calling himself Gorgeous George. And that was just the beginning.

The savvy showman also started making entrances that could be labeled bona fide spectacles. Amid catcalls and jeers from the sellout crowds, George, bathed in a purple spotlight, would stroll slowly down the aisle in a red velvet gown on a red carpet amid the booming strains of “Pomp and Circumstance.”

Once inside the ropes, his valet would spray a scented mist around the ring. After loudly proclaiming his greatness to the people there, George would then usually proceed to vanquish each challenger.

In the late 1940s, in the early days of television, he helped bring professional wrestling — with all its well-rehearsed antics — into America’s living rooms. By the 1950s, George was the best-known wrestler in the world, raking in over $100,000 a year (when the hourly federal minimum wage was $1) and becoming one of the highest paid athletes of his time.

One day in June 1961, at a Las Vegas radio station, he met a rising young boxer from Kentucky named Cassius Clay. Each was there to give an interview to promote an upcoming event in their respective fields at the nearby Convention Center.

Clay went first, calmly and politely answering questions about his future opponent, a Hawaiian named “Duke” Sabedong.

Things changed when George, who was there to wrestle “Classy” Freddie Blassie, took the mic. Asked what Gorgeous

Brentwood at Elkhart — Providing consistent, high-quality care

At Brentwood at Elkhart assisted living, we believe there’s a direct correlation between the length of time our staff has been with us and the quality of the care we provide our residents.

Our team has a combined 190 years of service at our community, with more than 65 years from our leadership team alone. With one of the lowest turnover rates in the area, our team continually works together to learn and share best practices and strives to truly get to know you and your unique needs.

Don’t just take our word for it, though. In the past few years, we’re proud to have earned:

• Consistently deficiencyfree surveys, which constitutes a perfect score in evaluation of care and safety;

• Recipient of our Top Clinical award in 2023;

• Top scorer on resident and family satisfaction surveys out of all 70-plus Integral Senior Living communities in 2023.

We’re also proud to have had no agency staffing in over two years, meaning the team serving you has a chance to truly get to know your individual needs and how to care for you best.

These team members work together to operate our Vibrant Life and Elevate dining programs, which provide each resident with enriching

George would do if he lost to his opponent, the aging showman thundered, “I’d crawl across the ring and cut my hair off! But that’s not going to happen, because I am the greatest wrestler in the world!”

After the interviews, the 46-year-old George gave the 19-year-old Clay some sage advice: “Boxing, wrestling, it’s all a show. A lot of people will pay to see someone shut your mouth. So keep on bragging, keep on sassing, and always be outrageous!”

Cassius took the words to heart. As the Louisville Lip, he began boasting that he was the greatest boxer ever. (Like George in his prime, he had the skills to back up those boasts.) Clay would also offer such witticisms as “I should be a postage stamp. That’s the only way I’ll ever get licked!”

George’s star eventually dimmed, and on the day after

Christmas 1963, he died anonymously at 48 of a heart attack.

Two months later, on Feb. 25, 1964, Clay, at age 22 a 7-to-1 underdog, defeated heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston. That night, Cassius — soon to become Muhammad Ali — echoed the words of the man who had changed his future and bellowed to the ringside press, “Eat your words! I am the greatest!” And, truly, he was. and fun activities on a regular basis and three flavorful, nutritious meals each day. All of this comes together to help you live a worry-free lifestyle at Brentwood at Elkhart Assisted Living.

Call us at (574) 266-4508 or visit BrentwoodAtElkhartAssistedLiving.com to schedule a tour and meet our team today. Brentwood at Elkhart is located at 3600 E. Bristol St.

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