Many years ago, I read an article in an anthology called My Father was the Thing My Father was "the Thing." I could not easily find a wrestler called the Thing on Searchy, but I bet there was more than one with that name. Although I remember nothing about the article, except that the anthology was compiled around 1950, it may have been an early instance of breaking kayfabe.
The Joe Jares SI article is on-line. Good read - it was fleshed out into book form, don't know about the anthology reference. I'm guessing the art would be closer to 1960 than 1950. Interesting blend of kayfabe and inside the biz.
Trivia - there was a real Frank Jares and a bogus one that used the name on occasion. Whatever happened to that character???
[ 06-10-2011, 10:07 PM: Message edited by: Blind Guy ]
-------------------- Michael Moriarty as Henry Wiggen in, "Bang the Drum Slowly" (1973)