ALL STAR WRESTLING IN THE 50's, 60's, 70's and 80'S (BCTV ) Click here to watch the only excerpt I found of Backlund winning the WWWF Championship and click here to watch him against Pat Patterson in a cage match in 1979. A staple of the Joint Promotions and All Star Wrestling promotions in Britain throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Marty made his wrestling debut in 1972. Armstrong's last match was for Continental Championship Wrestling in Dothan, Alabama, where he defeated The Assassin. However, he never got to show his full potential and was often placed in comedy segments alongside his leprechaun sidekick, Hornswoggle. Little Bruiser in action against Bobo Johnson in Chicago, September 1972. One built a reputation just meeting him in the ring. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. The rise of The Archers, Michael Powell and . 1962-08-10 - National Wrestling Association (source: LegacyOfWrestling.com) The North Ireland-born Finlay amassed twenty championship reigns throughout his career, including the United States Championship in WWE. As his nickname "Crazy" suggests, he portrayed a deranged persona who covered his ears and claimed he was not insane when someone made allusion to his craziness. Click here to watch Killer Kowalski battling Pedro Morales. 10. Share. The 60s and 70s set the ball rolling for rock music. So, I took in consideration the impact, the popularity, the legacy and the "it" factor when I could. Something went wrong, please try again later. He died, aged 52, in 1998. At nearly eight years long, it is the longest World Championship reign in pro wrestling history. He was in movie Raiders of the Lost Ark, and played Bomber in TV series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. Antonio Inoki Click here to watch Dominic DeNucci in tag team insane action with Victor Rivera against The Blackjacks. Professional Wrestlers The Professional Andr The Giant Giant People Tall People Vintage Photography Andre Wwe Wrestlers Jean Ferrat Jesse Ventura andre the giant Wrestling Posters Great Memories Hall Of Fame Wwf Champs Legends Title Greats Pedro Morales poses with the US Title Belt Wrestling Stars Good Looking Men Wrestler Vintage Men As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Second oldest British wrestler ever behind Joe D'Orazio. Click here to watch The Baron teaming up with Frand "The Moose" to face Jay Strongbow and Peter Maivia. Despite this, he managed a very successful career. He was also a great brawler so he had everything to deliver many classic encounters, which he did with panache, especially in 1972 when he was named the PWI Wrestler of the Year. He was 67. Wrestled as The Minnesota Farm Boy from 1957 to 1966. Paige. Honorable mention: Edouard Carpentier, Verne Gagne, Lou Thesz, Wilbur Snyder, Rip Hawk, Fritz Von Erich, Pepper Gomez, Lorenzo Parente, Jr. Heavyweight: The events of the 1960s affect the lives of two families, one white and one black. Whilst the enthusiasts focus was quite rightly on the wrestlers they could never have taken their place centre stage had it not been for those who made it happen, the promoters. While never wrestling across the pond in the WWF, Jones did a stint in NJPW in the early 80s, where he faced off against the original Tiger Mask and also participated in tag team matches alongside and against well-known international names at the time, such as Antonio Inoki and even Andre The Giant. Oldest Canadian Wrestler. The past few years have seen a rapid rise in interest in underground British rock music of the late 60s . Billy started his career in the 1950s, where he established himself as a wrestling bad guy. I found no singles action for Haystacks Calhoun, but you can click here to watch some three-against-three action and click here to watch him in a WWWF World Tag Team title defense. The theme to the show was created by Morton Stevens and is recognized easily by millions of people even now, more than 40 years later. Share. When he joined the WWWF in 1977, he quickly made his way into the world championship picture as a top heel. Born Murray Downs in Wallaceburg, Ontario, Little Bruiser was the only son among four sisters. Bruno Sammartino is the greatest 70's wrestler of all time. 5 Times The Forbidden Door Opened in Wrestling, 10 Surprising Moments WWE Deceived Their Fans, 11 WrestleMania Matches That Surprisingly Didnt Main Event, Bruce Hart Explains How He Revolutionized Pro Wrestling, 10 Wrestlers Who Turned Scraps to Gold in ECW. 1. Dynamite famously also teamed up with Davey Boy Smith as The British Bulldogs. Luke Graham was one of the rare to have a gimmick that didn't include specific outfits such as cowboy or other Russian characters. For some, it was obvious because there's a lot offootage available, but for some others, very little stuff could be found. Training under Marty Jones, Matthews made his pro wrestling debut at the age of 15 for a local promotor at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. On April 7th, 1986, at WrestleMania 2, The Bulldogs dethroned Greg The Hammer Valentine and Brutus Beefcake, successfully capturing the WWF World Tag Team Championships. He was a master of in-ring psychology and an ace on the mic who could generate heat like no others. Drama. The Super-Finisher 11 Dangerous Wrestling Finishing Moves! Well known in Los Angeles, Texas and WWWF from 1972 to 1974. Former WWWF World Tag Team Champion. His biggest accomplishments were in the tag team division. The 1974 PWI Rookie of the year was trained and introduced to the WWWF by Bruno Sammartino. After I completed my previous top 25 lists covering the 1990s and the 2000s, I thought about doing one more list with the '80s, but there are already two of those that have been published recently. Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox. Graham also managed to put the hand on the short-lived WWF International Tag Team Championship. Logos are registered trademarks of respective organizations. In WWE, he was recognized as one of the companys best and most reliable workers. He was very agile and resilient for a man his size; he battled several 60-minute time limit draws against the greats of the time, such as Bruno Sammartino. By M.A LeBlanc Ring Of Honor Tag Team Champion Jay Briscoe Passes Away At 38. The former undisputed World Heavyweight Champion last wrestled. He would win tag team titles in All Star Wrestling alongside fellow Liverpudlian Doc Dean before eventually being signed to WCW in the mid-90s. Wrestled in a tag team match with Jeff Justice and Officer McKenny to defeat, Wrestled in a tag team match with Shawn Blanchard and Lou Martin to defeat Bobby O, Kris Kash, Shane Starr and Justin Sane for. Click here to watch The Fabulous Moolah facing one of her toughest rival in the '70s. The contest ended after an hour-and-16 minute time limit draw in front of a crowd that went nuts after the officials declared they had to comply with a curfew. He managed to win two Tag Team Championships in the '70s, once with Sonny King and once with Billy White Wolf. 1. We have them all, from the 1980's, 1990's, 2000's, including Legends and Brits of note. Little Tokyo went on to win the NWA World Midget Champion three times equaling Lord Littlebrooks achievement. As long as you work hard and strive to improve yourself, you can achieve whatever you put your mind to. He was also credited by the Guinness Book of Records as the Worlds Strongest Midget. Many prestigious titles and awards are under his belt, and he won Wrestling Observers Match of the Year in 1982 with Tiger Mask on August 5th in Tokyo, Japan. He later would become a regular performer on WCW Saturday Night and WCW Thunder. The similarities were apparent. Tag team: Little Bruiser and Billy the Kid, September 23 1972. After one of his shows on December 2nd, 1997, he died from a stroke. Blood, barrel chests, and mutton chops. 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He died of cancer in 2004 aged 67. There always was, and still are, boxing shows operating outside the jurisdiction of the BBBC. 6 Antonio Inoki Wrestling stars of the 60s/'70s. Sadly, many of the biographies and details of these wrestling heroes (and villains) have either been lost or passively excised due to political correctnesswhich is a shame, for these men (and and a few women) were athletes and acrobats who excelled at the sport. The Fabulous Moolah is the longest reigning champion in pro wrestling history. He currently lives in Liverpool, United Kingdom, and finds his spare time training to become a wrestler. No matter where he wrestled, Koloff generated heat like no other with his Russian gimmick, all that right in the middle of the Cold War. Now, with no more introduction, let's travel back in time when pro wrestling was absent from the mainstream media and when it caused actual riots on many occasions. He could've been a world champion in any promotion, but he preferred the freedom of travelling all over the USA thus becoming the most popular wrestler in the country. "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith 39 May . Gorgeous George gained epic mainstream popularity, followed in the Second Golden Age in the 1980's and 1990's by the likes of Ric Flair, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Sting, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Kurt Angle, and Triple H. Ric Flair Saturday Night was all about the WWF Main Event! Wrestled his last match for Bay Wrestling Federation in Alameda, California, teaming with his son Shane Kody and his grandson Riot defeating Boom Boom Comini, Johnny Starr and Mr. Former NWA World Tag Team Champion. British wrestler Dynamite Kid Tom Billington was one of the best to lace up a pair of wrestling boots. They represent an era in which Saturday afternoon telly was genuinely gripping. Last known match took place in Carnoustie, Scotland. First African-American promoter & manager working under Vincent J. McMahon. Old School Wrestling: 10 Things Sorely Missed! As always you can unsubscribe at any time. From 1963 to 1971, the man held the WWWF Championship for an astonishing first reign of 2,803 days. In 1968 he was crowned 'WWWF Champion' in a tournament but would hold it (and his all-time record reign) for an unprecedented eight years without being defeated. When his three-year reign ended in 1977, Sammartino established an unbeatable record of 11 years as the reigning WWWF Champion. This is a list of the most important ones. Beforebeing released from his WWE contracton January 5th, 2022, which ended his 22-year tenure with the company, Regal had an even bigger role behind the scenes as theWWE Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting, playing a significant role in building the future stars of WWE. He worked for Joint Promotions and frequently wrestled on ITVs World of Sport. He is a former WWWF United States Tag Team Champion, and his biggest achievement was to win the WWWF World Tag Team Title along with King Curtis Iaukea. He fought as part of a tag team and was often picked to fight 6ft 10in 350lbs wrestler Blackjack Mulligan who would wallop Bruiser onto the canvas. Peter Thornley from Stoke, England, was an iconic character in ITVs World of Sport. 1961-09-29 - National Wrestling Association (source: LegacyOfWrestling.com) Worked as Purple Haze. ), Mick McManus, Billy Two Rivers (real life father of designer Wayne Hemmingway) and many more. He joined WWE in 2000, where he would becomea four-time European Champion, four-time Tag Team Champion, two-time Intercontinental Champion, and a five-time Hardcore Champion, also winning the King of the Ring tournament in 2008 despite issues outside of the ring. Like their predecessors, the best '70s spy movies are a mix of American grit, British suave, and Cold War realpolitik. Wrestled in the WWWF from 1964 to 1969. Graham, one of the greatest brawlers ever, won three different tag team championships during his runs with the company. So I decided to explore an unknown zone for me and to tackle an era I didn't witness, the '60s and the '70s. He was often a top contender to the WWWF Championship, and he battled Bruno Sammartino on several occasions in high-profile matches. He moved to the US in the early 1960s, where he became NWA World Midget Championwinning a record three times (tied with Little Tokyo). You can find instructions here as to how. He dropped out of West Texas State College in 1953 to take up the fight game. Everyone can stop writing love songs now. Free shipping for many products! Clockwise from top left: the band Chicago in 1978, Paul Butterfield of The Paul Butterfield Band, Jerry McGeorge of The Shadows of The Knight, Frankie Sullivan of Survivor, Jim Sohns of Shadows of. flickr/Roadsidepictures. (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). while others continued to bill Byers as the title holder. Best known by his ring name, Giant Haystacks, he wrestled in such places as Great Britain, the United States, Canada, India, and Rhodesia. The Russian Bear was with the WWWF for only two years, but he claimed the most shocking world championship victory of all times when he defeated Bruno Sammartino on January 18, 1971. We have taken a lot of time and careful attention to detail in bringing you our free to use and access Wrestler's Database. From January 1965 to September 85, British wrestling was the hottest it may have ever been. Where would we be without films like "Grease" and "The Godfather"? Get the latest wrestling news and takes direct to your inbox. Oldies duets largely focused on romantic relationships, and for many, the greatest love songs are those featuring two great 50s, 60s, and 70s artists singing directly to each other the more believable the chemistry, the better! Matthewss extensive knowledge of wrestling holds aided him, even in some of Britains most ruthless towns. He even found time to release the single True Love in 1975 and still has stables in Bingley. The oldest female wrestler to have a match is Mae Young, who defeated LayCool in a WWE Raw handicap match on November 15, 2010, at the age of 87. Farmer Pete and Cowboy Lang backstage in Milwaukee, February 3, 1972. Five time NWA Polynesian Pacific Heavyweight Champion. Not the ears! so that opponents would avoid his cauliflower ears. Was the promoter of Seattle wrestling, from 1958 to 1969 he was the sole promoter in Washington, Idaho, and Northeast Oregon. As with everything in the Wrestling Heritage pages this is an evolving project taken forward by our Heritage community. The title of the oldest verified wrestler of all time belongs to Polish-born American wrestler Abe Coleman (19052007), who lived 101years, 189days. Wrestled his last match on a AAA show in a loss to El Pistolero in San Pedro Cholula, Mexico. Looking for the very latest wrestling news, gossip and facts? Whatever Joint Promotions slick publicity machinery would have had the public believe they were never a Governing Body. The iconic villain had a mysterious past, Samurai skills, supernatural powers and a cheap red face mask. Not all boxing came under the control of the BBBC. It's amazing to see how things in our corner of the Golden State have changed and transformed over time.