Joseph Edgar Blanchard (December 7, 1928 – March 22, 2012) was an American football player, professional wrestler and promoter. His son is original
Four Horseman
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Bible, a piece of Apocalyptic literature, apocalypse literature attributed to John of Patmos, and generally regarded as dating from about AD 9 ...
member
Tully Blanchard
Tully Arthur Blanchard (born January 22, 1954) is a Canadian-American professional wrestler and manager. He is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions and the World Wrestling Federation in the mid-to-late 1980s as a member of ...
and his granddaughter is former Impact Champion
Tessa Blanchard
Tessa Blanchard (born July 26, 1995) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she is a former Impact World Champion, and a former Impact Knockouts Champion. She previously performed for ...
.
Gridiron football career
Blanchard graduated from Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS where he played football and was a star for the college wrestling team and won the Big 7 Conference wrestling tournament in 1950.
He played his first three seasons of professional football with the
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...
in the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
, eventually playing in the 1952
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...
, a 21–11 loss to the Toronto Argonauts.
His teammates included future pro wrestling stars
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 ...
and
Wilbur Snyder, along with
Ted Tully.
His last football season was with the
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...
in 1954.
Professional wrestling career
In 1953, Blanchard made his debut in pro wrestling in Calgary for
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the prom ...
. Within all the territories he wrestled, he had the most success in Hawaii for
50th State Big Time Wrestling
50th State Big Time Wrestling (sometimes referred to as NWA Hawaii or Mid-Pacific Promotions) was a professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii in the United States that promoted professional wrestling matches throughout Haw ...
(twice winning the
NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship with
Lord James Blears) and in Texas for
NWA Big Time Wrestling (twice winning the
NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Texas Championship is a professional wrestling title that has existed since the 1930s. Though its exact date of creation isn't known, it is among the oldest championships used in professional wrestling today. The title has used a variety ...
).
In 1978, Blanchard founded
Southwest Championship Wrestling
Southwest Championship Wrestling (SCW) was a professional wrestling promotion that was owned by Joe Blanchard and based in San Antonio, Texas, from 1978 to 1985, when it was purchased by Texas All-Star Wrestling and absorbed into that company.
...
(SCW) in San Antonio, where he retired from active competition later that year after 25 years. He returned to the ring in December 1984 for one last match losing to
Jonathan Boyd. Blanchard ran the promotion until selling it to Fred Behrend in April 1985, changing its name to
Texas All-Star Wrestling
Texas All-Star Wrestling (TASW) is a professional wrestling promotion that was established by Bob Murphy in Humble, Texas in 1994. It is the oldest independent promotion in the state of Texas and one of two based in the Greater Houston area al ...
(TAW). In 1989, he joined the
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 ...
(AWA), replacing Stanley Blackburn as President of the company. He would remain with the promotion until its closure in 1991.
Blanchard is also known for training
Dusty Rhodes
Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. (October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, booker, and trainer who worked for the National Wrestling Alliance ...
,
King Curtis Iaukea
Curtis Piehau Iaukea III (September 15, 1937 – December 4, 2010) was an American professional wrestler better known as King Curtis Iaukea. Iaukea won championships in several of the major regional U.S. promotions, both as a single and in vari ...
, and his son,
Tully Blanchard
Tully Arthur Blanchard (born January 22, 1954) is a Canadian-American professional wrestler and manager. He is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions and the World Wrestling Federation in the mid-to-late 1980s as a member of ...
.
Death
Joe Blanchard died of
squamous-cell carcinoma
Squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC), also known as epidermoid carcinoma, comprises a number of different types of cancer that begin in squamous cells. These cells form on the surface of the skin, on the lining of hollow organs in the body, and on the ...
on March 22, 2012. He was 83.
Championship and Accomplishments
*
50th State Big Time Wrestling
50th State Big Time Wrestling (sometimes referred to as NWA Hawaii or Mid-Pacific Promotions) was a professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii in the United States that promoted professional wrestling matches throughout Haw ...
**
NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (
2 times
"2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...
) - with
Lord James Blears
*
George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
The George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (TNTHOF) is a professional wrestling hall of fame
The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum was an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in ...
**Class of 2016
*
NWA Big Time Wrestling
**
NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Texas Championship is a professional wrestling title that has existed since the 1930s. Though its exact date of creation isn't known, it is among the oldest championships used in professional wrestling today. The title has used a variety ...
(
2 times
"2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...
)
[*]
See also
*
List of professional wrestling promoters
*
List of gridiron football players who became professional wrestlers
References
External links
*
1928 births
2012 deaths
American male professional wrestlers
Joe
Edmonton Elks players
Kansas State Wildcats football players
People from Haskell, Oklahoma
Professional wrestlers from Oklahoma
Professional wrestling promoters
Deaths from squamous cell carcinoma of skin
Stampede Wrestling alumni
Players of American football from San Antonio
Players of Canadian football from San Antonio
20th-century male professional wrestlers
20th-century American professional wrestlers
NWA Texas Heavyweight Champions
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