Originally posted by gwlee7 on March 10, 2005:
 

 
Art was one of my favorites. I "hated" him at first because he as an enemy of Weaver's. Then he and Weaver became a team. I turned heel with Nelson when he turned on Weaver and I've been a heel fan ever since.
 
 
Originally posted by davemoore on March 21, 2005:
 
Art Nelson is my very favorite wrestler from my "early" years....
I saw him many, many times in the early 70s. Two of my favorite Art Nelson memories are as follows.....
 
1) During his battles with Johnny Weaver... they engaged in many taped fist matches.... at the time they were being called "Lights Out matches" ( I remember the ad in our newspaper read "the lights will be out during this entire match"... which WASN'T the case)
 
In 1971 or 72, I saw Nelson and Weaver square off in one of their final "lights out" contests..... during the course of the match.... Weaver hit Nelson with absolutely everything he had..... nothing Weaver did could stop the Mighty Art Nelson .... Weaver hit him time and time again... but Nelson kept coming back, eventually beating Weaver to a bloody pulp for the win and the crowd was nearly rioting. As he left the ring.... Nelson was slammed over the head with a steele folding chair by an irrate fan, a little old white headed man looking to be in his 70s. Nelson was knocked cold.
 
The man took off running but was caught by security..... I will never forget the sight of them all sliding into the rows of ringside seats as the "unstoppable" Nelson layed genuinly unconscious at ringside and Johnnny Weaver watched from the corner of his eye, stretched out "unconscious " in the middle of the ring. This was on Halloween night of that year.
 
2) My other favorite Art Nelson memory takes place during the period when him and Gene Anderson were feuding with Hawk and Hanson. It was a singles match and Gene was fighting Swede Hanson. Hawk had become somehow involved and Art Nelson came up the Isle to keep an eye on things. He was standing about ten feet from ringside, arms crossed, watching the action. I approached him with my souviner photo book... and asked for an autograph, in the midst of all of the confusion. He signed my book and then asked me to please go back to me seat so I didn't get caught up in any "turmoil". Within minutes, Gene Anderson was laying at ringside, a bloody mess..... and Art Nelson was being double teamed by Hawk and Hanson in the exact spot I had been standing..... having his bicep cut repeatedly by a metal coat hanger......
 
Art Nelson was a true class act..... the likes of which does not exist in "sports entertainment" today....