Spiros Arion
American wrestlers became especially popular with the public during the early 1970s. One of the biggest US tours occurred in 1972 when Big Bad John, Bulldog Brower, Les Wolff, King Curtis Iaukea, Spiros Arion, Mark Lewin, Thunderbolt Patterson, Sweet Daddy Siki, Tarzan Tyler, Dewey Robertson and Haystacks Calhoun wrestled throughout New Zealand. Calhoun and his wife were often seen and talked about in the national media. The couple made numerous television appearances, press interviews and visited schools. That same year, the Rickard-Barnett partnership ended when Barnett sold his share of Big Time Wrestling, an Australian wrestling program that had briefly aired in New Zealand, and returned to work in the United States. Rickard then decided to promote wrestling events full-time with All Star Pro-Wrestling. Rickard's later affiliation with the National Wrestling Alliance ensured the arrival of many wrestlers from North America and elsewhere for the next several years.