John Theodore Wisniski (September 22, 1928 – April 24, 2001), better known by his ring name Johnny Valentine, was an American professional wrestler with a career spanning almost three decades. He has been inducted into four halls of fame for his achievements in wrestling. Wisniski is the father of professional wrestler Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He held numerous regional titles, including the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship. He had long running rivalries with Bobo Brazil, Pat O'Connor, Buddy Rogers, Antonio Rocca, Lou Thesz, Harley Race, The Sheik, Wahoo McDaniel,

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 ...

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 ...

, Johnny Powers,

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 ...

, Jack Brisco, and Jerry Brisco. He alternated between being a

villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

and a hero (babyface) during the Golden Era in the 1940s through 1960s of wrestling. In 1975, he was injured in a plane crash; he suffered a broken back and was forced to retire from wrestling. He worked briefly as a

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

before retiring altogether. He suffered from several health problems during his retirement, which worsened considerably after a fall in 2000. He died the following year.

Professional wrestling career

Valentine debuted as a professional wrestler in 1947, wrestling Karl Nowena in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. In order to make the matches as believable as possible, Valentine insisted the men he faced in the ring hit him as hard as possible. From that he earned a strong reputation as being a very tough man. On January 1, 1950, Buddy Rogers defeated Valentine in the finals of a United States title tournament. He also competed in the NWA's Capitol Wrestling territory. Jerry Graham, who was a co-holder of the Northeast version of the NWA United States Tag Team Championship, selected Valentine in November 1959 to take over the title from Graham's injured partner. They were beaten for the title belts the following April, but Valentine took on a new partner, Buddy Rogers, to regain the championship by defeating The Fabulous Kangaroos on November 19, 1960. Wisniski's rivalry with the Kangaroos continued, as the Kangaroos regained the belts in a rematch one week later. Valentine went over one year without holding a championship before teaming with a new partner, this time Bob Ellis, to defeat the Kangaroos and take back the championship. Valentine and Ellis lost the belts to Buddy Rogers & Handsome Johnny Barend in a match where Arnold Skoaland subbed for Ellis, but the belts were still up, on Washington, DC TV. Rogers and Barend then defeated the real team of Valentine & Ellis 2 pins to 1 in a main event at Madison Square Garden. In Toronto, Valentine and three different partners won the International Tag Team title during 1963. Valentine left the territory without dropping the title. He wrestled in Japan in the mid-1960s and had a series of matches against Antonio Inoki. Those matches are regarded as the bouts that helped build Inoki into an elite wrestler in Japan, as Valentine was the highest-profile foreign wrestler Inoki had ever faced at the time. Valentine put over Inoki in the matches, dropping the Toronto version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship to him catapulting Inoki's career in the process. Valentine also continued to wrestle in the former Capitol Wrestling territory, which had since been renamed the World Wide Wrestling Federation. While there, he had one last reign with what was then known as the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship, as he teamed with Tony Parisi to hold the belts for seven months in 1966. Valentine later turned on Parisi, however. This ignited a brief feud with

, who was billed as Parisi's cousin. Because Valentine was also wrestling in Texas at the same time, he got only sporadic main event matches against Sammartino during this feud. Valentine then moved on to the

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

territory, where he won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship three times. In

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, he defeated Tim Woods for the NWA Georgia Heavyweight title, on May 10, 1968, and repeated his win in a match against Doug Gilbert to retake the title. In Missouri, Valentine competed for the Missouri Heavyweight Championship in a tournament to determine the inaugural champion. He defeated Baron von Raschke before withdrawing from the tournament due to focus his efforts on 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 ...

. After Harley Race won the tournament and the title belt, Valentine defeated him to win the championship on January 19, 1973. He dropped the belt to Terry Funk the following month. Because Funk used a chair as a weapon in front of the referee, fans demanded a rematch. Valentine was unable to compete due to heart problems, however, so

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 ...

took his place and won the belt from Funk. In October 1972, Valentine defeated Jacques Rougeau for the International Heavyweight Championship, but was stripped of the title in January 1973, after he no-showed the rematch. In the National Wrestling Federation, Valentine defeated Johnny Powers for the NWF North American Heavyweight Championship on September 1, 1972. Powers beat Valentine for the title in October, but Valentine won the title again from Abdullah the Butcher on October 19. He was stripped of the title following a match with Johnny Powers. On November 23, he captured the title from Powers, but lost it again in January. In the Japan Wrestling Association, Valentine won the International Tag Team title on February 22, 1973, and then the NWA United National Championship on March 2. He lost the Tag title on March 6, and the United National title on March 8. Back in the National Wrestling Federation, in August 1973, Valentine beat Jacques Rougeau, Sr. to win the North American Heavyweight Championship. He lost it to Johnny Powers in late 1973. In Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Valentine was awarded the Mid Atlantic Heavyweight Championship in January 1974, after Jerry Brisco left to work in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Valentine lost the title to Wahoo McDaniel shortly before winning the United States Heavyweight Championship from Harley Race in Greensboro, North Carolina on July 4, 1975. Valentine held that title at the time he was paralyzed in a plane crash. His last match was a defense against McDaniel on September 28 in Greensboro. After his paralysis, he remained active in professional wrestling as a

in Paul Boesch's Texas-based promotion. Valentine managed Dale Hey, who competed as Dale Valentine in a storyline that saw the two promoted as brothers. The storyline did not last long, however.

Personal life

Valentine was originally from Maple Valley, Washington. He is said to have come from a dysfunctional family. He was a devout Christian for many years. He was married in the early 1950s and the marriage lasted 20 years until they divorced. He was later married to a woman named Sharon, who worked across the street from his apartment in the mid 1970s when they met. She later visited John as he was recovering in hospital from his 1975 plane crash. Sometime later, the relationship ended as he didn't want her to see him in his condition. Years later, while on braces and crutches, he managed to drive around her neighbourhood for hours until he found her house. As he slowly walked to the front door, Sharon's daughter announced to Sharon that Johnny Valentine was in front of their home. Sharon, having been ill, refused to go to the door and hid. Valentine insisted he wouldn't leave until he saw her. When she finally came to the door, he asked her to marry him and she accepted. Following John's death, Sharon planned to write a book titled ''A Never Ending Love Story of a Wrestler and His Wife'' about their life together. He also had a son from a long-ago previous relationship, Greg Valentine, who has wrestled professionally since 1970 and is best known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine.

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Flair's career spanned 50 years. He is ...

, who wrestled with Wisniski, has described him as a quiet person who kept to himself. He was also known for making his demands clear to employers and not backing down, and many stories continue to circulate about practical jokes, or

ribs The rib cage or thoracic cage is an endoskeletal enclosure in the thorax of most vertebrates that comprises the ribs, vertebral column and sternum, which protect the vital organs of the thoracic cavity, such as the heart, lungs and great vessels ...

, that he played on his fellow wrestlers. On October 4, 1975, Valentine was in a private airplane (a twin-engined

Cessna 310 The Cessna 310 is an American four-to-six-seat, low-wing, twin-engine monoplane produced by Cessna between 1954 and 1980. It was the second twin-engine aircraft that Cessna put into production; the first was the Cessna T-50. It was used by the ...

) with

, David Crockett, Bob Bruggers, and Tim Woods. Because of the weight of the passengers, the pilot realized that he could not take off without reducing the amount of

fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work (physics), work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chem ...

the plane was carrying. Part way through the flight, the aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed near

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

. The crash broke Flair's back, Bob Bruggers, Wisniski, and pilot Michael Farkus also broke their backs. A bone fragment became embedded in his spinal column, paralyzing him for life and forcing him to have a clamp implanted to hold the bones in his back together. Farkus died a year later having never awakened from a coma. Crockett and Woods suffered less serious injury. In August 2000, Valentine fell from his front porch, and had a number of injuries and complications. These included a fractured back, pneumonia, staph infection, collapsed lungs and kidney failure. Due to his many injuries he slipped into a coma. At one point he came out of it while his wife was singing to him. He began singing himself but fell back into the coma. His wife had purchased medical insurance through a health maintenance organization (HMO), but the organization was unwilling to pay for Wisniski's extended stay in the hospital. As a result, Lou Thesz's wife convinced the Cauliflower Alley Club to help contribute to Wisniski's medical bills. Those medical bills reached close to a million dollars. Valentine has been recognized for his wrestling career by several sources. Shortly after his death, he was named the 2001 recipient of ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

s Stanley Weston Award, a recognition given for lifetime achievement in professional wrestling. He has also been inducted into several halls of fame. He was a member of the inaugural class of inductees to the

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Mel ...

in 1996. He is also a member of the Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 2006, he was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, and he joined the St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame the following year. Valentine died peacefully in River Oaks, Texas on April 24, 2001. He was 72. His wife Sharon kept his ashes in her bedroom. She died in 2013.

Championships and accomplishments

Johnny Valentine as Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight champion - Wrestling Annual - June 1975

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 ( 1 time) – with Ripper Collins *

All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on October 21, 1972, by Giant Baba after he left the Japanese Wrestling Association to create his own promotion. Ma ...

** NWA International Tag Team Championship ''(Japan version)'' ( 1 time) – with Killer Karl Krupp ** NWA United National Championship ( 1 time) * Big Time Wrestling ''(Boston)'' **BTW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Big Time Wrestling ''(Detroit)'' ** NWA United States Heavyweight Championship ''(Detroit version)'' ( 3 times) *

Capitol Wrestling Corporation Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) was an American sports promotion company. Run by Vincent J. McMahon from the 1950s until the 1980s, the company was originally a professional wrestling and boxing promotion and later became the holding company ...

/ World Wide Wrestling Federation ** NWA United States Television Championship ( 5 times, inaugural) ** NWA United States Tag Team Championship ''(Northeast version)'' ( 3 times) – with Buddy Rogers (1), “Cowboy” Bob Ellis (1), and Dr. Jerry Graham (1) ** WWWF United States Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Tony Parisi *

Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida professional wrestling promotion, wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it close ...

** NWA Brass Knuckles Championship ''(Florida version)'' ( 1 time) ** NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship ( 4 times) ** NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship ''(Florida version)'' ( 1 time) ** NWA Southern Tag Team Championship ''(Florida version)'' ( 1 time) – with Boris Malenko *L&G Promotions ** L&G Caribbean Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) *IHW Entertainment **

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

(Class of 2010) *International Wrestling Association (Chicago) **IWA International Heavyweight Championship ''(Chicago version)'' (1 time) *International Wrestling Association (Montreal) ** IWA International Heavyweight Championship ''(Montreal version)'' (1 time) *

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 ...

** NWA International Tag Team Championship ''(Toronto version)'' ( 5 times) – with Bulldog Brower (1), The Beast (1), Jim Hady (1), and Whipper Billy Watson (2) ** NWA United States Heavyweight Championship ''(Toronto version)'' ( 7 times) * Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling ** NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship ( 2 times) ** NWA United States Heavyweight Championship ''(Mid-Atlantic version)'' ( 1 time) * Mid-South Sports ** NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship ( 2 times) *Minneapolis Wrestling and Boxing Club ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Minneapolis version)'' ( 1 time) – with Chet Wallick *

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 Hall of Fame (Class of 2011) * NWA Los Angeles ** NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship ( 2 times) * National Wrestling Federation ** NWF Heavyweight Championship ( 2 times) ** NWF North American Heavyweight Championship ( 2 times) *''

'' ** PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1973) ** PWI Stanley Weston Award ''(awarded posthumously)'' in 2001 * Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame ** Class of 2006 * Southwest Sports, Inc. / NWA Big Time Wrestling ** NWA Brass Knuckles Championship ''(Texas version)'' ( 5 times) ** NWA American Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) ** NWA American Tag Team Championship ( 3 times) – with Wahoo McDaniel (2) and Thunderbolt Patterson (1) ** NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship ( 9 times)* ** NWA Texas Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with

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 ...

** NWA United States Heavyweight Championship ''(Texas version)'' ( 1 time)¹ * St. Louis Wrestling Club **

NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship The NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship was a singles championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's St. Louis Wrestling Club and Central States Wrestling promotions in the 1970s and 1980s. It was considered a "stepping stone" to the NWA W ...

( 1 time) * St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame **Class of 2007 * Stampede Wrestling ** NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship ''(Calgary version)'' ( 2 times) ** Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 1995) * Western States Sports ** NWA North American Heavyweight Championship ''(Amarillo version)'' ( 1 time) *''

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 Wee ...

'' **

( Class of 1996) ¹This championship would be renamed the NWA American Heavyweight Championship in May 1968. It would go on to be renamed the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship after World Class' withdrawal from the NWA in February 1986.

References

External links