Bobby Nelson, born Charles Karass (17 April 1917 - 20 February 2002) was a Canadian-American

professional wrestler 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 ...

and businessman who appeared frequently in the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

midwest territories beginning in 1936 and continuing through the 1950s.

Professional wrestling career

Prior to his wrestling career, Nelson worked as a

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

. He initially wrestled using his birth name, but soon began using ring names, most frequently appearing as Bobby Nelson. He was sometimes credited as being the name inspiration for,Archer, Jeff; Svinth, Joseph (January 2005)
Professional Wrestling: Where Sports and Theater Collide
, ''InYo: Journal of Alternative Perspectives on the Martial Arts and Sciences''. URL last accessed January 7, 2006. or the creator of, the Nelson series of wrestling holds, though these terms were in use since the 19th Century, with some historians speculating they were named for

Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...

. Nelson appeared as both a

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...

and face. National stars he wrestled include

"Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers Buddy Rogers (born Herman Gustav Rohde Jr.; February 20, 1921 – June 26, 1992), better known by the ring name "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, was an American professional wrestler who was one of the biggest professional wrestling stars in the begi ...

, The Crusher, Yukon Eric, Fritz Von Erich and Lou Thesz. He also engaged in a long-running series of regional grudge matches against The Bat. He occasionally appeared in

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

matches, including in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

with Dutch Hefner.

Bobby Nelson Cheese Shop

Towards the end of his wrestling career, in 1949, Nelson opened Bobby Nelson Cheese Shop on what would become

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

in Kenosha, Wisconsin near to and competing with the

Mars Cheese Castle Mars Cheese Castle is a specialty food store, delicatessen, and taproom which sells a variety of consumable products in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Located along Interstate 94, the shop is popular among Wisconsin visitors and has been called a "cheese land ...

. The shop sold various Wisconsin cheeses, sausages,

Landjäger Landjäger is a semidried sausage traditionally made in Southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Alsace. It is popular as a snack food during activities such as hiking. It also has a history as soldier's food because it keeps without refrig ...

and other meat products, and condiments including jams and mustard, as well as German beer steins. After Nelson retired in 1978, the shop business was taken over by his daughter and her husband. The cheese shop has been often mentioned on air by Chicago disc jockey Steve Dahl. The shop closed in July 2019 upon the owner's retirement.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Bobby 1917 births 2002 deaths American male professional wrestlers Canadian male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Wisconsin Sportspeople from Kenosha, Wisconsin American municipal police officers 20th-century American businesspeople American businesspeople in retailing Canadian emigrants to the United States