Abe Jacobs
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Abner Robert Jacobs (18 June 1928 – 21 August 2023) was a New Zealand
professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
. He was one of the first men to follow fellow New Zealander Pat O'Connor to the United States where, like O'Connor, Jacobs became a major star in the
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...
during the " Golden Age of Wrestling". One of the most recognisable "babyfaces" during this period, he was billed as the "Jewish Heavyweight Champion" and wrestled in a number of high-profile matches with many stars of the era including numerous bouts against NWA World Heavyweight Champions
Lou Thesz Aloysius Martin Thesz (April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002), known by the ring name Lou Thesz, was an American professional wrestler and wrestling coach. Considered to be one of the last true shooters (legitimate wrestlers) in professional w ...
,
Gene Kiniski Eugene Nicholas Kiniski (November 23, 1928 – April 14, 2010) was a Canadian athlete who played football for the Edmonton Eskimos and then became a three-time professional wrestling world heavyweight champion. "Canada's Greatest Athlete", as he ...
, Buddy Rogers, Dick Hutton and Pat O'Connor. His bout against O'Connor in 1961, which aired on Capitol Wrestling's weekly television show, was the first time two New Zealanders wrestled for a championship title on foreign soil. Jacobs was also an established journeyman wrestler, touring Europe and Japan on several occasions, travelling around the world four times and wrestling over 8,000 matches in his 30-year career. Although never reaching the heights of O'Connor as a singles wrestler, he was very successful as a "
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...
specialist" winning the NWA Florida-version of the
NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...
with Don Curtis, the NWA Los Angeles International Television Tag Team Championship with Haystacks Calhoun, and the
NWA Western States Tag Team Championship The NWA International Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling title, originally created as the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, Western States Sports. The title w ...
with
Pez Whatley Pezavan Whatley (January 10, 1951 – January 18, 2005) was an American professional wrestler best known for his time with NWA Mid-America. Professional wrestling career Whatley played football and wrestled for Notre Dame High School in Chat ...
. Other partners included George Becker,
Antonino Rocca Antonino Rocca (born Antonino Biasetton; 13 April 1921 – 15 March 1977) was an Italian naturalized Argentinian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He tag teamed with partner Miguel Pérez (wrestler), Miguel Pérez. He was posthumous ...
, Sailor Art Thomas, Klondike Bill, Man Mountain Mike and "Coloured Heavyweight Champion" Luther Lindsay. Jacobs spent the final years of his career in the Carolinas where he became a mainstay for Jim Crockett's NWA Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling during the 1970s and early-1980s. Best remembered by "modern" American wrestling fans as an undercard wrestler, he was the first opponent of "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair when making his debut in the promotion in 1974. Flair's victory over an established veteran such as Jacobs was a critical step in his early career and is partially credited for helping Flair become a major star in the Mid-Atlantic territory. During his 10-year career in the amateur ranks, Jacobs won seven provincial titles, was a runner-up to the nationals and a winner of the national championships. Jacobs is credited for creating the "Kiwi Leg Roll", a modified amateur submission hold, which was especially popular among fans and to date has never been duplicated. He was also widely respected in the industry, managing
Ricky Steamboat Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promo ...
's gym during the 1990s, and was officially inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame in 2008. Although he was not as well known in his native country in his professional career, Jacobs was named one of the "Top Ten New Zealand Born Wrestlers" by Fight Times Magazine, and was also featured on a special commemorative edition of the
New Zealand ten-dollar note The New Zealand ten-dollar note is a New Zealand banknote. It is issued by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and since 1999 has been a polymer banknote. It was first issued on 10 July 1967 when New Zealand decimalised its currency, changing f ...
.


Early life and amateur career

Abner Robert Jacobs was born on 18 April 1928, on the isolated
Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ; Moriori language, Moriori: , 'Misty Sun'; ) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island, administered as part of New Zealand, and consisting of about 10 islands within an approxima ...
in
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, where he was also raised. His father managed a
cattle station In Australia and New Zealand, a cattle station is a large farm ( station is equivalent to the American ranch), the main activity of which is the rearing of cattle. The owner of a cattle station is called a '' grazier''. The largest cattle stati ...
with 6,000 head of sheep and a few thousand cattle. Jacobs had a very rural upbringing working on the station and regularly travelled long distances by horseback; he once rode 85 miles in a two-day ride. At the age of 13, Jacobs broke his first horse and herded 1200 head of sheep on a three-day trip to be shipped to the mainland, and began training sheep dogs. He also attended a local
elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
and completed
high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
via a correspondence course. He saw his first automobile as a young man in
Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
and his first television set while competing in Hawaii years later. In the late-1940s, he became interested in professional wrestling while listening to live radio broadcasts, aired twice a week by the
Dominion Wrestling Union The Dominion Wrestling Union (DWU) was the first professional wrestling promotion in New Zealand. It was one of two organisations first active in the Australasian region, along with Australia's Stadiums Limited, and served as the country's sing ...
, and reading the local newspapers. He was once able to hear a match between
Gorgeous George George Raymond Wagner (March 24, 1915 – December 26, 1963) was an American professional wrestler known by his ring name Gorgeous George. In the United States, during the First Golden Age of Professional Wrestling in the 1940s–1950s, Gorgeou ...
and George Temple being broadcast in
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
for 20 minutes before the signal faded. He would later have the opportunity to wrestle many of these wrestlers while competing professionally in the United States. Jacobs began weightlifting which, in addition to working on his family's ranch, would give him a distinct strength advantage when he started his amateur wrestling career as a teenager. Although conventional wisdom discouraged weight training at the time, then believed that becoming "muscle bound" would slow speed and agility, Jacobs continued working out after reading a magazine article which claimed that the fastest Olympian was an Egyptian lightweight power lifter. He was invited to an Easter Camp, where amateur wrestlers had the opportunity to train with the 1952 light heavyweight Olympic Champion, but was forced to leave by the head of the wrestling association for his weightlifting. Despite this setback, he eventually won three Canterbury Provincial Titles, four Wellington Provincial Titles and runner-up
silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...
ist in the New Zealand Nationals. Jacobs later won the New Zealand Championship and held the title until 1953 when he was defeated by John da Silva in
Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
. He also tried out for the 1956 Olympics but lost to another wrestler by one point.


Professional career


Early career (1958-1959)

After the Olympic trials, Jacobs decided to wrestle as a professional and was trained by The Zebra Kid. He was assisted by Al Costello, whom he trained with as an amateur, and future tag team partner Don Curtis. Jacobs made his professional debut against his trainer, the Zebra Kid, in
Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...
in 1958; substituting for George McKay, their match served as the main event. It was during this match that he debuted his trademark submission hold, the "Kiwi Roll", which was covered by local newspapers the following day. After wrestling nearly a dozen matches for the New Zealand Wrestling Union, among his opponents being Ricky Waldo, Tony Olivas, Dick Hrstich, Andre Drapp, Fred Wright and Jack Bence, he was brought over to the United States where he worked for promoter Al Karasick in Hawaii. This was one of the most popular territories to work for at the time due to its high salaries, little travel time and, due to the promotion running only three shows a week, there was generally plenty of recreational time.


Capitol Sports and Jim Crockett Promotions (1958-1965)

Three months later, he arrived in the continental United States and spent a year for Vince McMahon, Sr. in Capitol Sports, then based in
Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, and began appearing on their weekly television show in 1958. As one of their up-and-coming "babyfaces", Jacobs was billed as the "Jewish Heavyweight Champion". He took on the promotion's top "heel" NWA United States Heavyweight Champion "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers that same year which saw Haystacks Calhoun interfere in the match. The match was recorded on
kinescope Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 1940s ...
and, later featured on ''Wrestling's Greatest Villains of the Golden Era'', is one of the oldest surviving matches from that era. Jacobs met Buddy Rogers on eight occasions during his career, the majority for the United States Championship, and at least once for the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...
. On 23 February 1959, Jacobs made his debut at its home arena at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
appearing on the undercard against
kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe (pronounced ) is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants. The term has evolved to become a code word ...
Nazi sympathizer Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was frequen ...
Karl Von Hess defeating him via disqualification. His feud with Von Hess caused some controversy when, during a pre-match interview with announcer Ray Morgan, Von Hess said that Jacobs' family ''"better start saying the
Kaddish The Kaddish (, 'holy' or 'sanctification'), also transliterated as Qaddish, is a hymn praising God that is recited during Jewish prayer services. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the lit ...
"'' (Jewish Prayer for the Dead); his threatening words generated telephone calls, hate mail and resulted in a probe by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
. He later scored victories over Kenny Ackles, Johnny Valentine, The Sheik, "Wild" Bull Curry and Dr. Jerry Graham. He also briefly teamed with
Antonino Rocca Antonino Rocca (born Antonino Biasetton; 13 April 1921 – 15 March 1977) was an Italian naturalized Argentinian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He tag teamed with partner Miguel Pérez (wrestler), Miguel Pérez. He was posthumous ...
and together fought Dr. Jerry &
Eddie Graham Edward F. Gossett (January 15, 1930 – January 21, 1985), professionally known as Eddie Graham, and Rip Rogers was an American professional wrestler. He was also the promoter and booker for Championship Wrestling from Florida and President of ...
. In January 1960, Jacobs faced
Bruno Sammartino Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (October 6, 1935 – April 18, 2018) was an Italian-American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with the WWE, World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). Sammartin ...
who later became the promotion's top star for over a decade. Shortly afterwards, Jacobs began touring in other parts of the United States and in Canada where he won the NWA North American Championship in North Bay. On 28 February 1961, he wrestled then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Pat O'Connor at Sunnyside Garden in
Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
. This was not only the first meeting between the two men but was the first time two New Zealanders wrestled for a championship title in a foreign country. This match later aired on Capitol Wrestling's TV show however, unlike his bout with Rogers, no known footage survives of this match. On 5 July of that year, Jacobs wrestled also Rogers for the NWA World title in
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
. The two wrestled for 55 minutes before Jacobs fell from the ring after missing a flying tackle and injured his shoulder. Jacobs also wrestled in Detroit and Chicago and, while in the latter city, he took part in the first
Comiskey Park Comiskey Park was a ballpark in Chicago, Illinois, located in the Armour Square neighborhood on the near-south side of the city. The stadium served as the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from 1910 through 1990. Built by Wh ...
show wrestling "Rubberman" Johnny Walker in front of 36,000 fans. When Jim Crockett, Sr. was looking for outside talent, Jacobs was recommended by McMahon and brought into
Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions, at times branded as Eastern States Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, is a Family business, family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United Sta ...
in early 1961. His first run in the territory lasted a year and a half during which time he wrestled Swede Hanson and teamed with George Becker and Haystack Calhoun. He also teamed with The Flying Scotts ( George & Sandy Scott) in 6-man tag team matches. In later years, Crockett paired him with other "big men" such as Sailor Art Thomas, Klondike Bill and Man Mountain Mike. Jacobs eventually left the Mid-Atlantic area for the West Coast to team with Haystack Calhoun in the fall of 1962. Together they won the NWA Los Angeles International Television Tag Team Championship from Sir Alan Garfield & Karl Von Schober on 31 October, and lost the titles to The Destroyer and Don Manoukian the following month. Though he returned to the Carolinas afterwards, Jacobs continued to travel throughout the United States and elsewhere for much of his career. In between wrestling for Crockett, he won the NWA North American Championship in North Bay, Canada. On 5 May 1964, he and Don Curtis defeated
Hiro Matsuda (July 22, 1937 – November 27, 1999), best known by his ring name , was a Japanese professional wrestler and trainer. Professional wrestling career Kojima played an active role as an ace pitcher at baseball in Nittai Ebara High School Baseball ...
& Duke Keomuka in
Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
, to win the
NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...
in NWA Florida. The two held the titles for over a month before losing the belts to
Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, and Christine. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), Nigerian autho ...
&
John Tolos John Tolos, nicknamed "The Golden Greek", (April 5, 1931 – May 28, 2009) was a Canadian professional wrestler, and professional wrestling manager. Professional wrestling career Tolos was born on April 5, 1931, in Hamilton, Ontario to G ...
in
Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
. In late 1964, he and Curtis competed in a 10-man tag team tournament held by promoter Cowboy Luttrell in Tampa and Miami to earn a title shot against to meet
Eddie Graham Edward F. Gossett (January 15, 1930 – January 21, 1985), professionally known as Eddie Graham, and Rip Rogers was an American professional wrestler. He was also the promoter and booker for Championship Wrestling from Florida and President of ...
&
Sam Steamboat Samuel K. Mokuahi (May 4, 1934 – May 2, 2006) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Sammy Steamboat. Early life Mokuahi grew up in Honolulu, attending President Theodore Roosevelt High School, where he pl ...
for the
NWA Florida Tag Team Championship The NWA Florida Tag Team Championship is the primary tag team title in NWA Florida Underground Wrestling. It started out in 1968 as the main tag team title in Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was ...
. The other four teams included Tarzan Tyler & Joe McCarthy, Tony Marino & Steve Bolus, The Russian Wolfmen, and The Executioners. Jacobs and Curtis defeated The Russian Wolfmen to advance to the finals where they lost to The Executioners. Jacobs also challenged several NWA World Heavyweight Champions during the mid-to-late 1960s. On 11 February 1965, he took on
Lou Thesz Aloysius Martin Thesz (April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002), known by the ring name Lou Thesz, was an American professional wrestler and wrestling coach. Considered to be one of the last true shooters (legitimate wrestlers) in professional w ...
in front of over 2,500 fans at the Norfolk Arena. This match was a best
two out of three falls match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
and lasted nearly 30 minutes with Thesz taking the first and third falls. Their match also received significant coverage from local media, most notably, ''
The Virginian-Pilot ''The Virginian-Pilot'' is the daily newspaper for Hampton Roads, Virginia. Commonly known as ''The Pilot'', it is Virginia's largest daily. It serves the five cities of South Hampton Roads as well as several smaller towns across southeast Virgi ...
''. Jacobs again faced Thesz in Richmond on 5 November 1965.


Travels around the world (1966-1981)

Like many New Zealand wrestlers, Jacobs also competed internationally during this period wrestling in 25 different countries and travelling around the world four times. In 1966, Jacobs travelled to Japan where he wrestled as the masked wrestler Red Pimpernel. He returned to Japan three or four times and, as a "heel" wrestler, was a frequent opponent of
Antonio Inoki (born ; 20 February 1943 – 1 October 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#school, professional wrestling trainer, martial arts, martial artist, politician, and Promoter (entertainment), promot ...
. These matches were very popular with Japanese audiences and, according to Jacobs, he was once hit with an umbrella by a fan during one of their bouts. As Red Pimpernel, he wrestled Lou Thesz for the NWA World Championship there as well. He also spent time in most of
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
,
Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...
,
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
, and
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. Though he spent the majority of his time in the United States, Jacobs was much more financially successful when wrestling internationally. In South Africa, for example, he received 25% of the gate as well as a winner/loser purse. As in Japan, South African promoters used heavyweight wrestlers and had strict weight requirements. Jacobs usually weighed around 250 pounds during his career, but had increased to around 270 pounds for his tour. On his way to South Africa, he had a case of
food poisoning Foodborne illness (also known as foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the contamination of food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites, as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease), and toxins such ...
from a
Chinese restaurant A Chinese restaurant is a restaurant that serves Chinese cuisine. Most of them are in the Cantonese cuisine, Cantonese style, due to the history of the Overseas Chinese, Chinese diaspora, though other Chinese regional cuisine, regional cuisin ...
in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and his weight had dropped to 240 by the time he arrived. On the day of his arrival in South Africa, Jacobs was unexpectedly picked up by a promoter from his
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
hotel and brought before the South Africa Wrestling Commission. Though he had previously sent publicity information, pictures and other promotional material, he was required to wrestle in front of the athletic commission before he could receive a licence. Despite travel fatigue and the high altitude (Johannesburg being 6,000 feet above sea level) Jacobs defeated three different wrestlers. The promoter, Bull Heffer, was upset upon seeing Jacobs and had believed he lied about his weight. Heffer was also concerned about putting Jacobs against the South African Champion, a near
super heavyweight Super heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and bodybuilding, competitive bodybuilding. Boxing In amateur boxing, the super heavyweight division is a weight class division for fighters weighing in excess of 91 kilograms (200 pounds). Int ...
, since Jacobs looked so small in comparison. Two weeks after meeting with the South Africa Wrestling Commission, while wrestling in
Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...
, he and other wrestlers were weighed by the promoter. Jacobs, then wrestling with a "heel"
cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...
in-ring persona, secretly put weights in his pockets and
cowboy boot Cowboy boots are a specific style of riding boot, historically worn by cowboys. They have a High-heeled footwear#Men and heels, high heel that is traditionally made of stacked leather, rounded to pointed toe, high shaft, and, traditionally, no l ...
s in order to pass the weight requirements. Jacobs drew particular ire from South African wrestling fans when, shortly before his upcoming match with the South African Champion, he confessed in a newspaper interview he did not even know the name of his opponent. Around this time, Jacobs and several other wrestlers were attending a rugby game in Johannesburg when, while wearing his cowboy hat, he was recognised by the crowd. Many of the 10,000 people in attendance began chanting "Hey Yankee – Go Home" and soon began pelting him with oranges. He and the other wrestlers were eventually forced to leave the stadium, however, Jacobs decided to change his clothes and, putting on a friend's jacket and baseball cap, he and the other wrestlers returned to the stadium and watched the rest of the game undisturbed. Returning to North America between his overseas trips, Jacobs wrestled throughout Canada as well as the United States. In the former country, his travels took him to
the Maritimes The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of ...
,
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
,
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, and
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
. Once in
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
, Jacobs was challenged by a disruptive wrestling fan who had been harassing wrestlers and the crowd alike. At one point, this fan had to be escorted from the building after entering the ring and using the house microphone to taunt the wrestlers. After breaking into the locker room to confront the wrestlers, the promoter agreed to pay Jacobs to wrestle the fan. Jacobs was easily able to put the man in a submission hold during their match and made the fan apologise to the crowd before releasing the hold. While in Nova Scotia, Jacobs teamed with and, at least on one occasion, wrestled another fellow New Zealander,
Steve Rickard Sydney Mervin "Merv" Batt (3 September 1929 – 5 April 2015), best known by his ring name Steve Rickard, was a New Zealand professional wrestler, trainer and promoter. As a wrestler, he traveled throughout the world during the 1960s and 1970 ...
, while in Halifax, and later reunited in the Carolinas years later. He also travelled to
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
where he wrestled for
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
. On one tour, he wrestled every night he was there and appeared on three televised shows in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
,
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, and
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
. While in the Pacific, he made occasional appearances in New Zealand for promoter Ernie Pinches, where he teamed with popular Samoan wrestler Tau Paa Paa, and later in Steve Rickard's All Star Pro-Wrestling near the end of his career.


Later career in NWA Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (1965-1983)

Throughout his career, Jacobs maintained a very heavy ring schedule regularly wrestling five or six matches a week. With the exception of 10-minute televised bouts, his average matches lasted at least 30 minutes with many going over an hour. He travelled an average of around 3,000 miles per week and headlined cards with some of the top wrestlers in Canada and North America including Lou Newman, "Big" Bill Miller, Buddy Rogers, Dick the Bruiser, Ray Stevens, Hans Schmidt, "Whipper" Billy Watson and Wilbur Snyder. He also met a number of NWA World Heavyweight Champions during this period including
Gene Kiniski Eugene Nicholas Kiniski (November 23, 1928 – April 14, 2010) was a Canadian athlete who played football for the Edmonton Eskimos and then became a three-time professional wrestling world heavyweight champion. "Canada's Greatest Athlete", as he ...
, Dick Hutton, Buddy Rogers and
Dory Funk, Jr. Dorrance Earnest Funk (born February 3, 1941), known professionally as Dory Funk Jr., is an American professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. The son of Dory Funk (Dorrance Wilhelm Funk) and brother of Terry Funk, he was the promoter of the ...
during the mid-to late 1960s. One of the reasons Jacobs was able to eventually immigrate to the United States was because he was wrestling at a "
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
" level. When Jacobs competed in the US, he was under a
work visa A work permit or work visa is the permission to take a job within a foreign country. The foreign country where someone seeks to obtain a work permit for is also known as the "country of work", as opposed to the "country of origin" where someone h ...
which limited his time wrestling in the country. There were times when would be unable to compete in the country at all due to national origins quotas set by the
United States Immigration and Naturalization Service The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was a United States federal government agency under the United States Department of Labor from 1933 to 1940 and under the United States Department of Justice from 1940 to 2003. Refe ...
. With the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965, Jacobs was able to apply for permanent residence and eventual citizenship. As part of the application process, he was required to show that he was not taking any work away from US citizens and, meeting with the Immigration and Labor Department, he presented to immigration officials proof with posters advertising himself wrestling Lou Thesz for the World Title in Miami in 1964. For much of the 1960s and early 1970s, Jacobs headlined shows for Jim Crockett's NWA Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. By this time in his career, Jacobs was well known as a " tag team specialist", the territory being known as a "hotbed" for tag teams at the time, having teamed with Sailor Art Thomas, Klondike Bill and Man Mountain Mike and faced teams such as Aldo Bogni & Bronco Lubich and Atlantic Coast Tag Team Champions Rip Hawk & Swede Hanson (managed by General Homer O'Dell). One of his most favourite tag team partners during this period was Luther Lindsay who, similar to Jacobs, was once billed as the "Coloured (or Negro) Heavyweight Champion". They feuded with the masked tag team The Infernos with manager Jimmy Dykes, one of their matches nearly selling out the Dorton Arena in
Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...
, as well as the Minnesota Wrecking Crew (
Gene In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
&
Ole Anderson Alan Robert Rogowski (September 22, 1942 – February 26, 2024), better known by the ring name Ole Anderson (), was an American professional wrestler, booker, and promoter. Following a stint in the U.S. Army, Rogowski made his professional ...
) during the late 1960s. The two were ranked #15 of the top 20 tag teams in the world by '' Ring Wrestling'' in December 1968. Within a few years, however, Jacobs began cutting back on his ring schedule, making his last Japanese tour in 1973, and settled down in the Carolinas, where he purchased a horse ranch, and wrestled primarily for Jim Crockett for the rest of his career. Crockett's promotion, NWA Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, was one of the major territories of the decade and where he had started early in his career. After George Scott took over as booker, he was used as an undercard wrestler and faced younger up-and-coming wrestlers. In May 1974, Jacobs was the first opponent of "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair during his first run in the territory, defeating him at the
Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles Coliseum, which was called Charlotte ...
, and wrestled tag team matches against Flair and Rip Hawk with a number of different partners. Flair's victory over Jacobs, then an established veteran, was partially credited for the young wrestler's early success in the promotion and his eventually becoming one of its biggest stars during the next decade. Though he had been a popular wrestler in the territory while wrestling for Crockett, Jacobs was of the few older veterans who did not win any titles. However, he did win the
NWA Western States Tag Team Championship The NWA International Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling title, originally created as the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, Western States Sports. The title w ...
with "Pistol" Pez Whatley in
Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...
, two years later. In the summer and fall of 1975, Jacobs wrestled for promoter
Fritz Von Erich Jack Barton Adkisson Sr. (August 16, 1929 – September 10, 1997), better known by his ring name Fritz Von Erich, was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, wrestling promoter, and the patriarch of the Von Erich family. He was ...
's
World Class Championship Wrestling World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), later known as the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA), was an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed McLemore, by ...
where he faced Steve Strong, Skip Young,
John Tolos John Tolos, nicknamed "The Golden Greek", (April 5, 1931 – May 28, 2009) was a Canadian professional wrestler, and professional wrestling manager. Professional wrestling career Tolos was born on April 5, 1931, in Hamilton, Ontario to G ...
, Mike Paidousis, Hans Schroeder, Bruiser Blackwell, Buddy Wolfe, and
Red Bastien Rolland "Red" Bastien (January 27, 1931 – August 11, 2012) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his time in Capitol Wrestling Corporation, Capital Wrestling Corporation where he was a three-time WWWF ...
. That same year, he wrestled Superstar Billy Graham at the
Greensboro Coliseum First Horizon Coliseum (formerly Greensboro Coliseum) is an arena in Greensboro, North Carolina. Opened in 1959 as the first building of the Greensboro Complex, the 22,000-seat arena is the home arena of the UNC Greensboro Spartans basketball t ...
on 3 April 1975. In Georgia, Jacobs feuded with another young wrestler,
Randy Savage Randy Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler and professional baseball player, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation ( ...
, during the summer of 1977. During one of these meetings, he and Roberto Soto defeated Savage and Bill Howard in a tag team match at the Atlanta City Auditorium on 3 June 1977. He was also brought to
Maple Leaf Wrestling Maple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name of a Canadian professional wrestling promotion owned by Frank Tunney and based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 1970s and 1980s. Founded in 1930, Maple Leaf was a territory of the National Wrestli ...
by Toronto promoter Frank Tunney where, on 22 October 1978, he fought British wrestler Geoff Portz to a lime-limit draw at the
Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church and Wellesley, Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was originally constructed in 1931 as an indoor arena to host ice hoc ...
. When George Scott left for the
World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
in 1981,
Ole Anderson Alan Robert Rogowski (September 22, 1942 – February 26, 2024), better known by the ring name Ole Anderson (), was an American professional wrestler, booker, and promoter. Following a stint in the U.S. Army, Rogowski made his professional ...
took over as head booker for the promotion. Due to personal differences with Anderson, Jacobs was no longer booked in the territory. Jacobs spent the rest of the year wrestling for promoter Paul Jones in
Georgia Championship Wrestling Georgia Championship Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The promotion was affiliated with what had been the world's top sanctioning body of championship titles for decades b ...
where he took on such foes as The Masked Superstar and "Iron" Mike Sharpe, and teamed with Ted Oates and George Welles. On 5 September edition of '' Georgia Championship Wrestling (1971–1982) on WTBS'' where he and Ken Hall unsuccessfully challenged NWA National Tag Team Champions
Jimmy Snuka James Reiher Snuka (born James Wiley Smith; May 18, 1943 – January 15, 2017) was a Fijian and American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Snuka wrestled for several promotions from the 1970s to 2010s ...
&
Terry Gordy Terry Ray Gordy Sr. (April 23, 1961 – July 16, 2001) was an American professional wrestler from Soddy-Daisy, TN. Gordy appeared in the United States with promotions such as Mid-South Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, World Class Ch ...
. He also worked in
Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until ...
. One of his last matches in the United States was against
David Von Erich David Alan Adkisson (July 22, 1958 – February 10, 1984) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name David Von Erich. A member of the Von Erich family, Von Erich is best known for his appearances with World Class Champio ...
in
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
on 16 December 1981, and made appearances for
Steve Rickard Sydney Mervin "Merv" Batt (3 September 1929 – 5 April 2015), best known by his ring name Steve Rickard, was a New Zealand professional wrestler, trainer and promoter. As a wrestler, he traveled throughout the world during the 1960s and 1970 ...
's All Star Pro-Wrestling in New Zealand, before retiring that same year. By the end of his career, he had wrestled in over 8,000 matches in 25 different countries. Jacobs briefly came out of retirement for the first nine months of 1983 and wrestled a number of opponents including "Wild" Bill White,
Ken Timbs Ken Timbs (January 27, 1951 – August 1, 2004) was an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler who, with tag team partner Eric Embry, competed as one half of the Fabulous Blondes in several regional territories including Southwest ...
, Masa Fuchi, Ricky Harris, Kelly Kiniski, The Magic Dragon, and John Bonello. On 9 April 1983, he and Mike Davis wrestled The Great Kabuki in a
handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
. He also took part in tag team matches with Mark Fleming and Glen Lane against Frank Monte & Jim Dalton and Masa Fuchi & Ricky Harris respectively. His last match was against John Bonello at the Memorial Auditorium in
Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...
, on 19 September 1983.


Post-retirement

In the years following his retirement, Jacobs remained in North Carolina and managed several gyms including
Ricky Steamboat Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promo ...
's facility in Charlotte. While living in Charlotte, he also made occasional visits to his family ranch in New Zealand. On 20 May 1995, he was one of several legendary wrestlers in attendance for
Smoky Mountain Wrestling Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, wit ...
's "Carolina Memories" supercard at the Grady Cole Center including Mr. Wrestling, Nelson Royal, Swede Hanson, Johnny Weaver, Magnum T. A. and ex-referee Tommy Young. While looking after Steamboat's gym, Jacobs was contacted by the manager of Abe Jacobs, Jr., an independent wrestler then competing on the local "indy circuit", who invited him to be in his corner in an upcoming match in
Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populous city in Western North Carolina a ...
. She later brought Abe Jacobs, Jr. to the gym and wanted him to teach her wrestler how to perform the "Kiwi Leg Roll" finisher. Jacobs declined both offers. Jacobs later began spending time between Charlotte and New Zealand where he bought a sheep and cattle ranch in the Chatham Islands. He has been involved in a number of local charity events, especially charity golf tournaments, organised by retired NFL players
Roman Gabriel Roman Ildonzo Gabriel Jr. (August 5, 1940 – April 20, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack, twice earning first- ...
and Brad Johnson. In 1999, he was featured on a special commemorative edition of the
New Zealand ten-dollar note The New Zealand ten-dollar note is a New Zealand banknote. It is issued by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and since 1999 has been a polymer banknote. It was first issued on 10 July 1967 when New Zealand decimalised its currency, changing f ...
by the Chatham Islands Note Corporation for the
Millennium A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...
. Jacobs was also recognised by the internet wrestling community in the early 21st century. In January 2004, arranged via George South, Jacobs was interviewed by MidAtlanticGateway.com where he discussed both his amateur and professional career. In December 2007, he was interviewed by SLAM! Sports. As well as discussing his career, Jacobs stated that he no longer watches professional wrestling, partly due to being unfamiliar with most of the current stars, as well as commenting on the dangerous risks wrestler's take in regards to modern
hardcore wrestling Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling where disqualifications, count-outs, and all other different rules do not apply. Taking place in usual or unusual environments, hardcore wrestling matches allow the use of numerous items, inc ...
warning that "no one can get away with such a style and walk away without incurring serious injuries". Jacobs also talked about the end of the television era and the dominance of
World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
in professional wrestling. In recent years, he has also been interviewed by ''Wrestling Perspective Newsletter'' and often made appearances at legend's reunions and conventions such as the annual
Cauliflower Alley Club The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America. Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Ab ...
. In February 2008, Jacobs was among the Mid-Atlantic territorial wrestlers and wrestling personalities who attended the funeral of Johnny Weaver including
Ivan Koloff Oreal Donald Perras (August 25, 1942 – February 18, 2017) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "the Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff, where he was billed from Russia and, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, ...
, Sandy Scott, Wally and Don Kernodle, Rene Goulet,
Nikita Koloff Nikita Koloff (born Nelson Scott Simpson, March 9, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions and its successor, World Championship Wrestling between 1984 and 1992, wher ...
, Tony Romano, Bill White, Jim Nelson,
Belle Starr Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr (February 5, 1848 – February 3, 1889), better known as Belle Starr, was an American outlaw who gained national notoriety after her violent death. She associated with the James–Younger Gang and other outlaws. ...
, Jim Holiday, Rick McCord, George South, Mike Weddle, Penny Banner, wrestling broadcasters Bob Caudle and Rich Landrum, referees Tommy Young and Stu Schwartz, and a promoter Jackie Crockett. He had also been in attendance for the funeral of Mr. Wrestling several years earlier, and quoted in ''
The Post and Courier ''The Post and Courier'' is the main daily newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the ''Charleston Courier'', founded in 1803, the ''Charleston Daily News'', founded 1865, and ''The Evening Post'', f ...
'' upon the deaths of George Becker, Sailor Art Thomas, Bronco Lubich and Sandy Scott. Four months later, Jacobs was honoured by the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum and officially inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame along with
Roddy Piper Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for his work with the Wo ...
, Masanouri Saito, Penny Banner,
Stu Hart Stewart Edward Hart (May 3, 1915 – October 16, 2003) was a Canadian sport wrestling, amateur and professional wrestling, professional wrestler, wrestling Booker (professional wrestling), booker, professional wrestling promotion, promoter, and ...
,
Ray Gunkel Raymond Fred Gunkel (February 16, 1924 - August 1, 1972) was an American amateur and professional wrestler and promoter in the state of Georgia. Gunkel was a two-time AAU national champion and, as a professional, a three-time NWA Texas Heavywei ...
, and
Leo Nomellini Leo Joseph Nomellini (June 19, 1924 – October 17, 2000) was an Italian-American professional football player and professional wrestler. He played college football for the Minnesota Gophers and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the ...
in a special ceremony held in
Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 67,314, making it the List of cities in Iowa, eighth-most populous city in the st ...
. Bob Leonard wrote in a later editorial that Jacobs "proved to be a vibrant speaker, and a personable addition to the great social atmosphere of the event". In March 2009, he was named one of "Top Ten New Zealand Born Wrestlers" by Fight Times Magazine.


Personal life and death

After retirement, Jacobs and his wife resided in
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
. Abe Jacobs died on 21 August 2023, at the age of 95.


The "Kiwi Leg Roll"

The Kiwi Leg Roll, or simply the Kiwi Roll, is a professional wrestling submission hold which was created by Abe Jacobs and used as his finisher throughout his career. It was developed by Jacobs during his amateur wrestling days, while working out in the gym, and first used it against his former trainer The Zebra Kid in his debut match in 1958. This move was later covered in by local newspapers the following day and, wrestling in the United States years later, by the American media. Though little footage exists of Jacobs performing the move, it has been described as a modified figure four leglock in which he would grab an opponent's leg, like the said hold, and roll the man around the mat in an almost circular motion putting pressure across the ankle and causing his opponent to submit. Jacobs never revealed how to perform the Kiwi Leg Roll despite being asked by dozens of wrestlers, claiming in later interviews that he had forgotten how, and to date it has rarely been duplicated. Its uniqueness was very popular among fans of the television era and Jacobs has since long remained associated with the hold.


Championships and accomplishments


Amateur wrestling

*Seven provincial championship titles *Runner-up silver medalist in the New Zealand Nationals *Winner in the New Zealand Championship


Professional wrestling

* George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame ** Class of 2008 *
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...
**NWA North American Championship (one time) * NWA Florida **
NWA World Tag Team Championship (Florida version) The Florida version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship was the primary professional wrestling championship for tag teams in Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) that was used between 1961 and 1969. When the National Wrestling Alliance (NW ...
( one time) – with Don Curtis * NWA Los Angeles ** NWA Los Angeles International Television Tag Team Championship ( one time) – with Haystacks Calhoun * Western States Sports **
NWA Western States Tag Team Championship The NWA International Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling title, originally created as the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, Western States Sports. The title w ...
( 2 times) – with
Pez Whatley Pezavan Whatley (January 10, 1951 – January 18, 2005) was an American professional wrestler best known for his time with NWA Mid-America. Professional wrestling career Whatley played football and wrestled for Notre Dame High School in Chat ...


See also

* List of Jewish professional wrestlers


References


Further reading

* Sugar, Bert Randolph and
Lou Albano Louis Vincent Albano (July 29, 1933 – October 14, 2009) was an Italian-American professional wrestler, manager and actor, who performed under the ring/stage name "Captain" Lou Albano. He was active as a professional wrestler from 1953 until 1 ...
(2000). ''The Complete Idiot's Guide to Pro Wrestling'' (2nd ed.). New York: Alpha Books. .


External links


Abe Jacobs at OWW.com

Abe Jacobs at CWFArchives.com


*
Abe Jacobs at Cagematch.net

Abe Jacobs at the GenickBruch.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Abe 1928 births 2023 deaths 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century New Zealand sportsmen Jewish professional wrestlers New Zealand Jews New Zealand male professional wrestlers NWA World Tag Team Champions (Florida version) Sportspeople from the Chatham Islands Sportspeople from Charlotte, North Carolina