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AWA Tag Team Championship
The American Wrestling Association (AWA) World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991. History When the NWA Minneapolis Wrestling and Boxing Club operated by Verne Gagne withdrew from the National Wrestling Alliance in May 1960, Stan Kowalski and Tiny Mills were the recognized champions of the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version). At the time, the AWA continued to recognize the NWA champions as their World champions. However, by August 1960, and having recently recaptured the NWA Tag Team championships for a second time, Kowalski and Mills were recognized as the first AWA World Tag Team Champions when AWA stopped recognizing NWA champions. As the promotion grew, the AWA World Tag Team Championship became one of the most coveted tag team titles in the United States from the beginning until the late 1980s, when the AWA's talent roster was de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The promotion was born out of the Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club, originally founded in 1933, which served as the Minnesota-based territory of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 1948 onward, before breaking away from the NWA and becoming an independent territory in 1960. History Pre-AWA years (1933–1960) Anton Stecher, brother and manager of former World Heavyweight Champion Joe Stecher, was a founding member of the NWA in 1948 and had promoted wrestling in Minneapolis since 1933 through his Minneapolis Boxing and Wrestling Club. In 1952, he sold a one-third interest in the promotion to his son Dennis and Wally Karbo. Stecher died on October 9, 1954, and control of the promotion passed to Karbo and Dennis. Verne Gagne, an amateur wrestling champion, had become a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lenny Montana
Lenny Montana (born Leonardo Passafaro; March 13, 1926 – May 12, 1992) was an American actor who played the role of the feared hitman Luca Brasi in '' The Godfather''. Before becoming an actor, he had a successful career as a professional wrestler and worked as an enforcer for the Colombo crime family. Biography Early life and early wrestling career Montana was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 13, 1926. He was of Italian-American heritage and was fluent in both English and Italian. His wrestling career began in neighboring New Jersey in 1953. He wrestled under the name of the "Zebra Kid" and was billed at the height of 6'6". It was not long before he found success. Along with Golden Terror, he won the New Jersey tag team titles on April 4, 1953. He began to travel, wrestling in the Midwest. He soon won the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship, defeating Dave Sims on October 1, 1953, in Kansas City. However, he lost the title on December 11, 1953, to Sonny M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harley Race
Harley Leland Race (April 11, 1943 – August 1, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promotion, promoter, and trainer. Race wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He was a nine-time world champion, having won the WWA World Heavyweight Championship (Indianapolis), WWA World Heavyweight Championship once and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship List of NWA World Heavyweight Champions, eight times and was the first List of WWE United States Champions, NWA United States Heavyweight Champion (now WWE United States Championship). Race is one of six men to have been inducted into each of the WWE Hall of Fame, the NWA Hall of Fame, the WCW Hall of Fame, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. He is widely considered as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick Steinborn
Richard Steinborn (September 28, 1933 – April 18, 2020) was an American professional wrestler who was best known as Dick Steinborn in various territories including Georgia Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico. Professional wrestling career The son of Florida wrestling promoter Milo Steinborn; Steinborn got into wrestling in 1951. In 1959, Steinborn won the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Georgia version) where he became a three-time champion. In 1962, Stienborn teamed with Doug Gilbert in Minnesota for Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association as High and Low. Steinborn was known as Mr. High. Steinborn made his debut in Puerto Rico in 1974 for the newly World Wrestling Council where he became a three-time WWC World Junior Heavyweight Championship and a four-time WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship. He retired from wrestling in 1984. Death Steinborn passed away on April 18, 2020, at 86 from years of declining health. Championsh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Doug Gashouse Gilbert
Douglas Allan Lindzay (1937 – November 4, 2013) was an American professional wrestler who was best known as Doug Gilbert or Gashouse Gilbert in various territories including American Wrestling Association, Georgia Championship Wrestling, and the World Wide Wrestling Federation. Professional wrestling career Made his wrestling debut in Chicago in 1958. In 1961, Gilbert would make his debut in Minnesota for American Wrestling Association. In 1962, Gilbert teamed with Dick Steinborn as Mr. High and Mr. Low and won the tag team titles. In 1963 they broke up and Gilbert stayed in AWA until 1968. After AWA, Gilbert made his debut for Georgia Championship Wrestling. From 1968 to 1973, Gilbert was a six-time NWA Georgia Tag Team Champion. In 1972, he worked for Championship Wrestling From Florida as Redbeard and won their version of the tag team titles with football player Mike Webster. In 1975, he worked for New Japan Pro Wrestling as the Professional. From 1975 to 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio River, Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line with Kentucky. It is the List of cities in Ohio, third-most populous city in Ohio and List of united states cities by population, 66th-most populous in the U.S., with a population of 309,317 at the 2020 census. The city is the economic and cultural hub of the Cincinnati metropolitan area, Ohio's most populous metro area and the Metropolitan statistical area, nation's 30th-largest, with over 2.3 million residents. Throughout much of the 19th century, Cincinnati was among the Largest cities in the United States by population by decade, top 10 U.S. cities by population. The city developed as a port, river town for cargo shipping by steamboats, located at the crossroads of the Nor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stan Holek
Stan Holek (April 4, 1933 – November 28, 2015) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Stan Lisowski and Stan Neilson. He became known for being part of two famous "brother" tag teams, the Lisowskis (with Reggie Lisowski) and the Neilsons (with Art Neilson). Professional wrestling career Holek originally got into wrestling after his older brother began wrestling in Detroit. At age 18 in 1951, he debuted after training with Bert Rubi, The Sheik and Larry Shane in Detroit. He then began teaming with Reggie Lisowski as the Lisowski Brothers. After the team split up, Holek began teaming with Lisowski's old partner Art Neilson. Neilson and Holek became known as the Neilsons. The Neilsons would become AWA World Tag Team Champions in 1962 defeating the team of Bob Geigel and Stan Kowalski. They lost the title later that year to Mr. High ( Doug "Gilbert" Lindzy, no relation to the latter Doug Gilbert) and Mr. Low (Dick Steinborn). In addition, Holek wrest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Kalmikoffs
The Kalmikoffs were a professional wrestling group of fictitious Soviet brothers. It began as a tag team consisting of Ivan (Edward Bogucki) and Karol (Karol Piwoworczyk) who were later joined by "brothers" Nikita (Nikita Mulkovitch) and Stan (or Igor) ( Eric Pomeroy). They were very successful in the mid-1950s to early 1960s, especially the original tag team of Ivan and Karol. History The original two members debuted on October 28, 1953 in Amarillo, Texas as Ivan Kalmikoff and Karol Krauser against George and Jack Curtis. Already known as the Kalmikoffs, they later became fictional brothers; they also became a successful tag team in the Minneapolis territory (future American Wrestling Association) and in Canada winning several titles. In 1962, after the formation of the AWA, Karol shortly left the promotion and Ivan begun teaming with another brother, Nikita with some success. After Karol returned to the AWA, the original duo won the AWA World Tag Team Championships. By 1963 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Weekly'' website in 2008, becoming ''Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online''. The newsletter is often considered the first "dirt sheet", which is a wrestling publication covering the art from a real-life perspective. History The beginnings of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' date back to 1980, when Meltzer began an List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards, annual poll amongst those with whom he corresponded regarding professional wrestling. According to Meltzer, he was just a fan at first. A short time later, he began maintaining a tape-trading list, and would occasionally send match results and news updates along with tape updates. Meltzer stated that he wanted to keep his friends in college "in the loop" for his tape trading as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boris Malenko
Lawrence J. Simon (June 28, 1933 – September 1, 1994), better known by the ring name Boris Malenko ( rus, Бори́с Маленко́, p=bɐˈrʲis mɐˈlʲenkə), was an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling trainer. He is best known for his appearances with Championship Wrestling from Florida and Big Time Wrestling in the 1960s and 1970s as a Russian heel. He was the father of professional wrestlers Joe and Dean Malenko. Early life Simon was born in Newark, New Jersey and raised in Irvington, New Jersey. As a teenager, Simon competed at amateur wrestling in YMCAs. Before becoming a professional wrestler, he worked as a truck driver in the Garment District in New York City. Professional wrestling career Simon made his professional debut in 1955 as "Larry Simon", wrestling in the Eastern United States. In 1957, he joined the Dallas, Texas-based promotion Big Time Wrestling under the ring name "Crusher Duggan", winning the NWA Texas Heavyweight Champio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dale Lewis (wrestler)
Dale Folsom Lewis (August 29, 1933 – August 30, 1997) was an American wrestler who competed in the Greco-Roman heavyweight division at the 1956 and 1960 Summer Olympics and later a professional wreslter. He won the 1959 Pan-American Games in Greco-Roman wrestling. Lewis was also a two-time NCAA wrestling champion at Oklahoma. After graduating from college he became a professional wrestler from 1961 until 1980. Championships and accomplishments *American Wrestling Association **AWA Nebraska Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **AWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) **AWA Midwest Tag Team Championship ( 3 times) - with Stan Pulaski (2) and Francis St. Claire (1) * George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame ** Class of 2007 *Georgia Championship Wrestling ** NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * St. Louis Wrestling Club ** NWA United National Championship (1 time) *Championship Wrestling From Florida **NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Florida ver ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Geigel
Robert Frederick Geigel (October 1, 1924 – October 30, 2014) was an American professional wrestling promoter and professional wrestler. He operated the Kansas City, Missouri-based Heart of America Sports Attractions promotion from 1963 to 1986, and served three terms as the president of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1978 to 1980, from 1982 to 1985, and finally from 1986 to 1987. Early life Geigel was born on October 1, 1924, in Algona, Iowa to Frederick Samuel and Leota May Geigel. He attended Algona High School, graduating in 1942. After graduating, Geigel enlisted in the United States Navy. He served in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of World War II as a Seabee. After leaving the navy, Geigel began studying in the University of Iowa in 1946. He graduated in 1950 with a degree in physical education. Geigel was a champion amateur wrestler during his college years, coming in third place during the 1948 NCAA Championships in the weight division. After graduating, Ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
