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Professional Wrestling In Australia
Professional wrestling in Australia makes up a small part of Australian culture. Unlike the North American or Japanese products which have large, globally renowned organisations such as WWE, AEW, New Japan Pro-Wrestling or Impact Wrestling with several hundred smaller promotions, Australia only has approximately 30 smaller independent circuit promotions which exist in all but one of the states and territories, that being the Northern Territory. Tours from the North American product are regularly sold out in capital cities such as Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane. History Professional wrestling in Australia first gained distinction in the early 1900s, however there were very few shows promoted. Nonetheless, stars such as Clarence Weber, Jack Carkeek, Clarence Whistler and George Hackenschmidt toured the country. As time went on, the sport's popularity began to grow, particularly in the 1930s as people sought to find relief from The Great Depression. Throughout the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Professional Wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or—as in televised wrestling shows—in backstage areas of the venue, in similar form to reality television. Professional wrestling as a form of theater evolved out of the widespread practice of match fixing among wrestlers in the early 20th century. Rather than sanction the wrestlers for their deceit as was done with boxers, the public instead came to see professional wrestling as a performance art rather than a sport. Professional wrestlers responded to the public's attitude by dispensing with verisimilitude in favor of entertainment, adding melodrama and outlandish stuntwork to their performances. Although the mock combat they performed ceased to resemble any authentic wrestling form, the wrestlers nevertheless continued to pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clarence Whistler
Clarence Whistler (February 24, 1856 - November 6, 1885) was a professional athlete and champion Greco-Roman wrestler of the 1880s. As the main rival to William Muldoon in wrestling of the early 1880s, he was best remembered for his unusual strength, indifference to pain and early death. He wrestled three famous bouts with Muldoon, totaling over 14 hours. Early life Whistler was born in 1856 (possibly February 24, 1856) in Delphi, Indiana, US, to C. C. Whistler and Leah Catharine Snyder and was the oldest of eight children. By 1878 he had moved to Iowa where he worked as a foundryman and was known for his strength. Career While working at the foundry his friends, who had been impressed with his strength, such as carrying a iron bar for , arranged a match in February 1879 (or January 1878) with Louis Marc (or Lucien Marc). The match, which lasted for an hour, was won by Whistler in two straight falls. Whistler went on to fight Andre Christol in a four-hour match that ended in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karl Gotch
Charles Istaz (August 3, 1924 – July 28, 2007) was a Belgian-born German-American professional wrestler and trainer, best known by his ring name Karl Gotch. In Japan, Gotch was known as the "God of Wrestling" due to his influence in shaping the Japanese professional wrestling style. He was no relation to earlier wrestler Frank Gotch. Early life Istaz was born in Antwerp, Belgium to a Hungarian father and German mother. He grew up in Antwerp, on the waterfront. He learned Greco-Roman wrestling in his early years and from the beginning he was a very well known sportsman. He wrestled in "The Hippodroom", a notable sports center in Antwerp, where amateur fights like boxing matches, savate matches and wrestling matches were fought. During World War II, Istaz was a forced laborer in the " REIMAHG" at Kahla. (Lager E - Kahla) Amateur wrestling career Istaz excelled in amateur wrestling and experienced a major breakthrough in his career by competing as Charles Istaz for Belgium ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spiros Arion
Spiros Arion ( el, Σπύρος Αρίων) born Spyridon Manousakis ( el, Σπυρίδων Μανουσάκης) (born September 1940) is an Egyptian-born Greek former professional wrestler who had an extensive and successful career, mainly in Australia and the United States. Known as The Golden Greek and The Iron Greek, he debuted in 1961 and retired in 1979. Career Early life Spiros Arion was born Spyridon Manousakis in September 1940 in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to Greek parents, Stavros and Konstantina. He spent his early childhood in Egypt and migrated with his family in his teens to Athens, Greece. Here, he excelled in Greco-Roman wrestling. Charismatic and strong, he made an early mark on European mats, often billed as the son of his mentor, the veteran Greek wrestler Andreas Lambrakis. Europe (1961–1964) Arion was trained for professional wrestling by Frenchman Andre Bollet. He debuted in 1961 in Paris. For over four years, he wrestled around Europe before se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mario Milano
Mario Bulfone (15 May 1935 – 9 December 2016), better known by his ring name Mario Milano, was a professional wrestler. Milano got his start in wrestling in Venezuela and later competed in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa, Mexico and North America. Professional wrestling career Early career Bulfone, though born in Italy, grew up in Venezuela and began wrestling in Caracas at age 18 in 1953. A curfew prohibited anyone under 19 from being out after 9 o'clock, so he had to hide his identity to avoid trouble with the police. He wore a mask and wrestled as Black Diablo. After he turned 20, he wrestled without the mask under his real name. Tennessee In 1962, Bulfone moved to the United States to wrestle, originally under the name Mario La Pantera. A promoter felt that Americans would be unable to remember his name, so he gave Bulfone the name Mario Milano, naming him after Milan, Italy. He lived in Nashville, Tennessee, where he competed for the National Wrestling ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dominic Denucci
Domenico A. Nucciarone (January 23, 1932 – August 12, 2021) was an Italian-American professional wrestler and trainer better known under his ring name of Dominic DeNucci. He held over a dozen championships around the world in the 1960s and 1970s. His wrestling students included Mick Foley, Shane Douglas and Brian Hildebrand.Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.66-68, 80) Professional wrestling career Early career (1958–1964) He made his pro wrestling debut in 1958 in Montreal, Quebec under a hood as the Masked Marvel and also wrestled in Ottawa, Ontario. In 1959, DeNucci started teaming with the original Dino Bravo as Dominic Bravo, a storyline/kayfabe brother as the two worked as a tag team in Canada throughout The Maritimes, Toronto, Ontario, and Winnipeg, Manitoba. They also worked in Cleveland and Buffalo. The team headed west for Calgary wrestling for Stampede Wrestling starting in 1962. DeNucci would keep the Bravo name until he left Stampede ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ray Stevens (wrestler)
Carl Raymond Stevens (September 5, 1935 – May 3, 1996), better known as Ray "The Crippler" Stevens or Ray "Blond Bomber" Stevens, was an American professional wrestler. Stevens was a wrestling superstar since the early years of the television era until his retirement during the early 1990s. His performances and hard bumping style inspired generations of villain wrestlers who attempted to emulate his ability to provide high quality and heat-generating matches that continuously brought crowds of fans. He was also known for using two different finishing moves in his many victories: the "Bombs Away" knee drop (a diving knee drop from the top rope to the throat) and the piledriver. Stevens wrestled as both a singles performer and in tag team matches with a variety of partners. In 2006, he was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Early life Stevens was born on September 5, 1935 in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and was raised by an aunt in Columbus, Ohio. Pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Killer Kowalski
Walter Kowalski (born Edward Władysław Spulnik; October 13, 1926 – August 30, 2008), known professionally as Killer Kowalski, was a Polish-Canadian professional wrestler. Kowalski wrestled for numerous promotions during his career, including the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Wide Wrestling Federation ( WWWF, now WWE), and was a known villain professional wrestler. He held numerous championships including the WWWF World Tag Team Championship with Big John Studd billed as The Executioners and managed by Lou Albano. After retiring in 1977, Kowalski started a professional wrestling school in Malden, Massachusetts and trained many professional wrestlers, including Studd, Triple H, Chyna, Eddie Edwards, Kofi Kingston, Damien Sandow, Fandango, Brittany Brown, April Hunter, John Kronus, Perry Saturn, and Tommaso Ciampa. In the 1960s, Kowalski claimed to be the only vegetarian professional wrestler. Early life Born Edward Władysław Spulnik, Kowalski was the son ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nine Network
The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australia. From 2017 to 2021, the network's slogan has been "We Are the One". Since 2021, the network has changed its slogan back to the iconic Golden Era slogan "Still the One". As of 2022, the Nine Network is the second-rated television network in Australia, behind the Seven Network, and ahead of the ABC TV, Network 10 and SBS. History Origins The Nine Network's first broadcasting station was launched in Sydney, New South Wales, as TCN-9 on 16 September 1956 by ''The Daily Telegraph'' owner Frank Packer. John Godson introduced the station and former advertising executive Bruce Gyngell presented the first programme, ''This Is Television'' (so becoming the first person to appear on Australian television). Later that year, G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
World Championship Wrestling was an Australian professional wrestling promotion that ran from 1964 until 1978. History The promotion gained publicity through television programs on the Nine Network, which were presented at noon on Saturdays and Sundays. An average of 6,500 people attended in the first three months of the promotion's existence, a crowd of 8,000 attended a show on 7 November in Melbourne when the first title change in the new promotion took place as Dominic De Nucci defeated Killer Kowalski. WCW also promoted throughout Southeast Asia, particularly in Singapore and Hong Kong. When WCW began operations in 1964, the promotion created the International Wrestling Alliance as a sanctioning body for WCW's original championships, the IWA World Heavyweight and World Tag Team Championships. WCW joined the National Wrestling Alliance in August 1969, but they continued to recognize the IWA World championships until 1971, when they were abandoned in favor of new NWA-sanctio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gorgeous George
George Raymond Wagner (March 23, 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, Gorgeous George was one of the biggest stars of the sport, gaining media attention for his outrageous character, which was described as flamboyant and charismatic. He was a major national celebrity at his peak, and was largely or even solely responsible for establishing television as a viable entertainment medium, in its early days. He was posthumously inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002 and the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2010. Early life Wagner, of German heritage, was born March 24, 1915, in Butte, Nebraska. For a time, his family lived on a farm near the village of Phoenix in Holt County and probably in Seward County before they moved to Waterloo, Iowa and later Sioux City. When he was 7 years old, Wagne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lou Thesz
Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz (April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002) was an American professional wrestler. He was a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and held the title for a combined total of 10 years, three months and nine days (3,749 days) – longer than anyone else in history. Considered to be one of the last true shooters in professional wrestling and described as the "quintessential athlete... a polished warrior who could break a man in two if pushed the wrong way", Thesz is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and the single greatest wrestling world champion in history, and probably the last globally accepted world champion. In Japan, Thesz was known as the 'God of Wrestling' and was called ''Tetsujin'', which means 'Ironman', in respect for his speed, conditioning and expertise in catch wrestling. Alongside Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson, Thesz later helped train young Japanese wrestlers and mixed martial artists in catch wrestling. A s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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