Episode Details

One ring.
One city.
A thousand stories.
And this week… we go ringside with one of the men who held it all together.

On Episode #30 of Ringside in Rose City, Frank Culbertson and Portland Wrestling historian Mike Rogers welcome a special guest whose name may not have headlined the posters—but whose work made those posters matter:

Rocky Della Serra.

This is a conversation about the carpenters of professional wrestling—the dependable, skilled workers who opened the show, anchored the middle, and made the stars look like stars.

And Rocky was exactly that.

From Montreal to Germany…
From Newfoundland to Calgary…
From Vancouver to Portland during one of its hottest years ever…

Rocky lived the territory system from the inside.

🥊 The Carpenter Role

Before the interview begins, Frank and Mike break down whata “carpenter” really is:

• The wrestlers who set the tone early in the night
• The ones who could work with anyone
• The pros who didn’t outshine the main event—but made sure it delivered

Because without them…
there is no show.

🎤 A Life in the Territories

Rocky shares stories from across the wrestling world:

• Breaking into the business with almost no formal training
• His unforgettable first match in Montreal
• Touring Germany and learning the hard way with Japanese training sessions
• Newfoundland’s summer territory and the grind of the road
• Calgary bookings that started with “we don’t need you”… and turned into steady work
• And finally, arriving in Portland in 1980, surrounded by Piper,Martel, Buddy Rose, and the Sheepherders

📖 Wrestling With a Rocky Life

The episode also spotlights Rocky’s new book:

Wrestling With a Rocky Life

A firsthand account of the territory era—told by someone wholived it night after night, town after town.

🏟️ Portland 1980 – Learning From the Best

Rocky reflects on working in one of the greatest locker rooms in Portland history:

• Watching Roddy Piper control a crowd
• Working with Rick Martel—“like a night off”
• Learning timing, psychology, and pacing from the best in the business
• And understanding what separated good wrestlers… from great ones

This episode isn’t about championships.
It’s about craftsmanship.

The workers who didn’t always win…
but made everything else work.

Step into the arena.

This is Ringside in Rose City —

Wrestling

 wrestling the way it should be.