John Anson (born April 7, 1949) is a Canadian retired

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 ...

, known by his ring name "Handsome" John Anson, who competed in North American and Japanese promotions from the mid-1960s until the early-1980s, including International Wrestling,

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 All-Star Wrestling NWA All Star Wrestling (sometimes referred to as NWA Vancouver) is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. All-Star Wrestling folded in 1989. History Early history Although other wrestling promotions e ...

Pacific Northwest Wrestling Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) (also known as Big Time Wrestling and Portland Wrestling) is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. ...

and

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 ...

. As Karl Von Schotz, he and Kurt Von Hess were one of the most hated ''"

heels High-heeled shoes, also known as high heels (colloquially shortened to heels), are a type of shoe with an upward-angled sole. The heel in such shoes is raised above the ball of the foot. High heels cause the legs to appear longer, make the wea ...

"'' in the Detroit-area while feuding with

Fred Curry Fred Thomas Koury Jr. (born June 12, 1943) better known by his ring name ”Flying” Fred Curry, is an American professional wrestler of Lebanese descent. The son of "Wild Bull" Curry, Fred Koury was one of the most popular stars in the Midwes ...

and

Tony Marino Tony Silipini (April 20, 1931 – May 28, 2021) was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tony Marino. Professional wrestling career Early career (1954–1963) Tony Silipini was born in 1931. He started wrestling ...

over 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 ...

during 1973-74.

Career

In 1966, John Anson made his professional debut at age 17 against

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, ...

. Leaving Calgary for

in 1972, Anson began teaming with

Bill Terry William Harold Terry (October 30, 1898 – January 9, 1989) was an American professional baseball first baseman and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Giants from 1923 to 1936 and managed the Giants from 1932 to 1 ...

as German brothers Karl Von Hess and Karl von Shotz later facing

Gino Brito Louis Gino Acocella (born May 18, 1941), better known by his ring name Gino Brito, is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and promoter. He was most popular in Montreal. As Louis Cerdan, he was a WWWF Tag Team Champion with fellow Italian-C ...

, Tony Parisi and

Dominic DeNucci Domenico A. Nucciarone (January 23, 1932 – August 12, 2021) was an Italian-American professional wrestler and trainer better known by the ring name Dominic DeNucci. He held over a dozen championships around the world in the 1960s and 1970s. H ...

in a 6-man tag team match with Hans Schmidt at the All-Star Wrestling Stadium Show at

Jarry Park Jarry Park is an urban park in the Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Jarry Park has total area of 36 hectares. It is considered by the City of Montreal as one of its large parks. From 1969 to 1976 ...

Montreal, Quebec 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 ...

on August 28, 1972. Defeating

Jacques Rougeau Jacques Rougeau Jr. (born June 13, 1960) is a Canadian former professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s with the World Wrestling Federation. He began his career under his real name as half of the tag team The ...

and

for the International Tag Team Championship in September, they would remain one of the top tag teams in the promotion regularly appearing at

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 ...

between October 1972 and September 1973. They would also wrestle for promoter

Ed Farhat Edward George Farhat (June 7, 1926 – January 18, 2003) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name The Sheik. In wrestling, Farhat, whose career debuted in 1947, is credited as one of the originators of the hardcore ...

in Detroit later that year defeating Ben Justice and The Stomper for the Detroit version

on December 9, 1972. After losing the tag team titles to

and

that same month, they would feud with Curry and Marino winning the NWA World Tag Team Championship 3 more times until finally losing the titles to Tony Marino and

Bobo Brazil Houston Harris (July 10, 1924 – January 20, 1998) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Bobo Brazil. Credited with breaking down barriers of racial segregation in professional wrestling, Harris is considered one o ...

in early 1974. While in the

National Wrestling Federation The National Wrestling Federation (NWF) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Buffalo, New York and owned by promoter Pedro Martinez. It ran from 1970 to 1974. The promotion was then revived in 1986 by Robert Raskin. The revived promoti ...

, they would also Win the NWF World Tag Team Championship in May and held the titles until the promotions close later that year. While touring

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

, he and Von Hess defeating Johnny Powers and Pat Patterson for the NWA North American Tag Team Championship before losing the titles to

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 ...

and

Seiji Sakaguchi is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and judoka, Sakaguchi holds a 7th dan red and white belt in judo. Sakaguchi was a mainstay of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and also competed for the World Wide Wrestling Federation and the Nati ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

on August 16, 1974. After he and Terry split up in 1975, he competed in southern Ontario before returning to British Columbia the following year. Defeating

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer and songwriter whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performa ...

for the Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship in Calgary on February 6, he feuded with

Eddie Morrow Edouard Etifier (born 1936), better known as Eddie Morrow, is a retired Martinican professional wrestler. He is the brother of Gerard Etifier (aka Gerry/Jerry Morrow). He wrestled as Jack Claybourne (Junior) in Australia, New Zealand, and Ja ...

trading the title with him later that year. Teaming with

Don Leo Jonathan Don Heaton (April 29, 1931 – October 13, 2018), also known as Don Leo Jonathan, was an American-Canadian professional wrestler. Professional wrestling career Jonathan, nicknamed "The Mormon Giant" was a second generation star (his father was ...

while in

, he defeated

John Quinn John or Jack Quinn may refer to: Politicians and lawyers *John Quinn (advocate) (1954–2022), Attorney General of the Isle of Man *John Quinn (collector) (1870–1924), lawyer, collector of manuscripts and paintings, friend of T. S. Eliot and Ezr ...

and

Kinji Shibuya Robert "Kinji" Shibuya (May 16, 1921 – May 3, 2010) was an American professional wrestler and actor. Early life, family and education Shibuya was born in Utah. He and his four brothers were raised in California. He attended Belmont High Schoo ...

for the NWA Canadian tag Team Championship in Vancouver on September 4, 1976. However, facing his former tag team partner Kurt von Hess, he and Jonathan lost the titles later that month to John Quinn and Kurt von Hess on September 28. Splitting with Don Leo Jonathan after this loss, he and Sky Hi Morse would defeat Don Leo Jonathan and

Dutch Savage Frank Stewart (June 9, 1935 – August 3, 2013) was an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter, best known for his time spent competing in Pacific Northwest Wrestling under the ring name Dutch Savage. Career Savage made his pro d ...

for the tag team titles on March 7 although the titles were vacated the following month. Losing the Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship to The Stomper on July 2, 1977, Anson would move on to

where he and Ron Bass defeated Moondog Mayne and

Les Thornton Les Thornton (9 April 1934 – 1 February 2019) was a British professional wrestler who competed in Great Britain, Japan, European and North American regional promotions throughout the 1970s and 1980s including Joint Promotions, Stampede Wrestli ...

for the PNW Tag Team Championship on August 7. Anson would eventually be replaced by Moondog Mayne however, leaving the promotion before the end of the year. Holding the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship before dropping the title to "Playboy" Buddy Rose while touring Hawaii in early 1978, he would also tour

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

and Japan during the late 1970s. Anson would spend his last years in

and

before his retirement in 1983. He would have a brief stint promoting in Ontario and Newfoundland with Ed Farhat and Jack Kane during the 1980s, although he later opened a marina and resort near Vancouver.

Championships and accomplishments

* Big Time Wrestling ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Detroit version)'' (

4 times "4 Times" (stylized as "4 TIMES") is the 50th single by pop/ R&B singer Koda Kumi. It was released on August 17, 2011 and debuted at No. 6, remaining on the Oricon charts for nine consecutive weeks. In commemoration of it being the fiftieth singl ...

) - with Karl Von Hess *International Wrestling **International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Karl Von Hess *

** NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship ''(Vancouver version)'' (

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

(1) and Ski Hi Morse (1) *

NWA Hollywood Wrestling NWA Hollywood Wrestling (sometimes referred to as NWA Los Angeles) was a professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Los Angeles, California in the United States that promoted professional wrestling matches throughout Southern California. It ...

** NWA North American Tag Team Championship ''(Los Angeles/Japan version)'' ( 1 time) - with Kurt Von Hess * NWA Mid-Pacific Promotions **

NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship The NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and was defended in the US state of Hawaii. The title, which began in 1935. From February 1940 through 1942 the titl ...

( 1 time) *

NWF World Tag Team Championship The NWF World Tag Team Championship was the top tag team championship in the National Wrestling Federation The National Wrestling Federation (NWF) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Buffalo, New York and owned by promoter Pedro M ...

( 1 time) - with Kurt Von Hess *

NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship The NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S. states of O ...

( 1 time) - with Ron Bass *

Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship The Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Championship was the major title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. From its establishment in 1968 until 1972, it was Stampede's secondary singles championship, be ...

(

)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anson, John 1949 births 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century Canadian professional wrestlers Canadian male professional wrestlers Faux German professional wrestlers Living people Professional wrestlers from Vancouver Stampede Wrestling alumni NWF World Tag Team Champions Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Champions NWA North American Tag Team Champions (Los Angeles/Japan version) NWA World Tag Team Champions (Detroit version) 20th-century Canadian sportsmen