Robert Lee Schoenberger (August 25, 1945 – February 20, 1975),
better known as Bobby Shane, who also wrestled as Bobby Schoen and as The Challenger, was an American professional
wrestler
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat spor ...
known for his time in NWA Florida in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was a well-known "
heel" in the
National Wrestling Alliance and considered a future wrestling star at the time of his death.
Professional wrestling career
The son of St. Louis referee Gus Schoenberger, he started his career in the
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part o ...
in Minnesota. Eventually winning titles in the Mid-west and Hawaii. By 1968 he went to Georgia where he became popular. In 1970, he was the masked Challenger teaming up with The Professional (Doug Gilbert) winning the
NWA Georgia Tag Teams titles in a tournament. Later that year he defeated
Nick Bockwinkel
Nicholas Warren Francis "Nick" Bockwinkel (December 6, 1934 – November 14, 2015) was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the 1970s and 1980s.
Bockwinkel ...
for the
NWA Georgia Television Championship.
In 1971 he moved to the NWA's
Florida territory
The Territory of Florida was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 30, 1822, until March 3, 1845, when it was admitted to the Union as the state of Florida. Originally the major portion of the Spanish ...
where he became a big name. He won the
Florida Southern Heavyweight Championship from George Gaiser, as well as the
NWA Florida Television Championship
The NWA Florida Television Championship was a secondary title in Championship Wrestling from Florida
Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when ...
winning it two times from
Bob Roop
Robert Michael Roop (born July 22, 1942) is an American retired amateur wrestler and professional wrestler whose career spanned high school, college, the United States Army, amateur and professional wrestling. He was an American heavyweight Gr ...
and
Tim Woods
George Burrell Woodin (July 28, 1934 – November 30, 2002) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Mr. Wrestling and Tim Woods.
Collegiate wrestling career
Woodin received a degree in agricultural engineering f ...
in 1972. Shane won the
NWA Florida Tag Team Championship
The NWA Florida Tag Team Championship is the primary tag team title in NWA Florida Underground Wrestling. It started out in 1968 as the main tag team title in Championship Wrestling from Florida
Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was ...
with Chris Markoff,
Bearcat Wright
Edward M. Wright (January 13, 1932 – August 28, 1982) was an American professional wrestler who became popular in the late 1950s and 1960s. Despite racial tension in the United States, he became wildly popular as a babyface. Wrestling in either ...
and Gorgeous George, Jr. from 1972–1974.
Jack Brisco
Freddie Joe "Jack" Brisco (September 21, 1941 – February 1, 2010) was an American amateur and professional wrestler. As an amateur for Oklahoma State, Brisco was two-time All-American and won the NCAA Division I national championship. He tu ...
would have a feud with Shane during his time in Florida. He became known as the "King of Wrestling". In 1974 he went to
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...
in Australia and feuded with
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, Mex ...
. Before the plane crash he handed over his crown and cloak to Jerry Lawler to use whilst he was away. Jerry was meant to give these back to Bobby, this of course never happened therefore creating Jerry "The King" Lawler.
Death
On February 20, 1975, Shane was accompanied by
Gary Hart,
Austin Idol and
Buddy Colt
Ron Read (January 13, 1936 – March 5, 2021), known professionally as Buddy Colt, Ty Colt and "Cowboy" Ron Reed, was an American professional wrestler who worked in NWA promotions including the St. Louis Wrestling Club, Championship Wrestling f ...
, who was piloting the
Cessna 182
The Cessna 182 Skylane is an American four-seat, single-engined light airplane built by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. It has the option of adding two child seats in the baggage area.
Introduced in 1956, the 182 has been produced in a ...
, when they took off from
Opa Locka Airport, located in Miami to
Peter O. Knight Airport, located in Tampa. The aircraft crashed into the
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater ...
following a stall after Colt attempted a
go-around
In aviation, a go-around is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on final approach or has already touched down. A go-around can either be initiated by the pilot flying or requested by air traffic control for various reasons, such as an unst ...
. Amidst the crash, the
Tampa Police Department
The Tampa Police Department (TPD) is the primary law enforcement agency for the city of Tampa, Florida. The Tampa Police Department has over 1,000 authorized sworn law enforcement personnel positions and more than 350 civilian and support staff ...
retrieved the aircraft from the water where they found Shane's body and announced that Shane had died from drowning. It is believed his foot was caught in the wreckage of the aircraft. Shane died at 29 years old, and the other wrestlers survived with minor and critical injuries.
Hart was thrown from the plane and had suffered serious injuries (broken arm, wrist, knee, back, sternum, collarbone and vertebrae; right eye knocked loose; a partially severed nose; head trauma). Despite this, he managed to locate Idol and swim him to shore, then swim back and rescue Colt. However, swimming out a third time, Hart was unable to find Shane; reportedly he was plagued by the memory and for decades wondered whether he had done everything he could.
Championships and accomplishments
*
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part o ...
**
AWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship
The AWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship was a title in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the American Wrestling Association. It was primarily defended in the Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and ...
(
1 time)
**
Nebraska Heavyweight Championship (
1 time)
*
Cauliflower Alley Club
The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America.
Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Abra ...
**Posthumous Award (2006)
*
Heart of America Sports Attractions
Heart of America Sports Attractions, also known as the Midwest Wrestling Association, Central States Wrestling and the World Wrestling Alliance, was an American professional wrestling promotion that ran shows mainly in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska ...
**
(1 time)
**NWA Iowa Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ron Etchison
*
Championship Wrestling from Florida
Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as ...
**
NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship ''(Florida version)'' (
1 time)
**
NWA Florida Television Championship
The NWA Florida Television Championship was a secondary title in Championship Wrestling from Florida
Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when ...
(
2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
)
**
NWA Florida Tag Team Championship
The NWA Florida Tag Team Championship is the primary tag team title in NWA Florida Underground Wrestling. It started out in 1968 as the main tag team title in Championship Wrestling from Florida
Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was ...
(
3 times) - with
Bearcat Wright
Edward M. Wright (January 13, 1932 – August 28, 1982) was an American professional wrestler who became popular in the late 1950s and 1960s. Despite racial tension in the United States, he became wildly popular as a babyface. Wrestling in either ...
,
Chris Markoff
Chris Markoff is a Yugoslav-American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with professional wrestling promotions in the Midwestern United States in the 1960s.
Early life
Markoff was born in Yugoslavia and raised in ...
and Gorgeous George, Jr.
*
Georgia Championship Wrestling
Georgia Championship Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Atlanta, Georgia. The promotion was affiliated with what had been the world's top sanctioning body of championship titles for decades before, the National W ...
**
NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship was the major title in the Georgia Championship Wrestling professional wrestling promotion. It started in 1964 and was unified in 1981 with the NWA National Heavyweight Championship.
The title was pick ...
(
1 time)
**NWA Georgia Television Championship (1 time)
**City of Mobile Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
**
NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship
The NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship was the top tag team championship in Georgia Championship Wrestling from 1968 to 1980, when it was replaced with the NWA National Tag Team Championship.
The title was revived in 1998 by Music City Wrestling ...
(
2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
) – with Gorgeous George, Jr.
**
NWA Macon Tag Team Championship
The NWA Macon Tag Team Championship was a tag team professional wrestling championship in Georgia Championship Wrestling, defended exclusively on events held at the Macon City Auditorium and Macon Coliseum
The Macon Coliseum is a multi-purpose ...
(
1 time) – with Gorgeous George, Jr.
*
Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling
Continental Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Dothan, Alabama from 1985 until 1989, owned by Ron Fuller. The promotion evolved out of the NWA-affiliated Southeastern Championship Wr ...
**
NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship was created in October, 1962. Since its creation, the championship has been defended in a number of NWA territories throughout the decades.
Initially, the title was a part of Gulf Coast Championship Wrestl ...
(1 time)
*
NWA Mid-Pacific Promotions
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 H ...
**
NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship
The NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship was the primary tag team title of 50th State Big Time Wrestling and was defended between 1952 and 1979 when it was phased out. The title was later revived by the current incarnation of NWA Hawaii in 2000. It i ...
(
1 time) - with
Nick Bockwinkel
Nicholas Warren Francis "Nick" Bockwinkel (December 6, 1934 – November 14, 2015) was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the 1970s and 1980s.
Bockwinkel ...
*Superstar Championship Wrestling
**SCW Western States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ricky Gibson
*
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...
**
NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship
The NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1972 through the promotion's 1978 closure.
WCW joined the National Wrestling Alliance in ...
– with
The Original Mr. Wrestling
See also
*
List of premature professional wrestling deaths
According to a 2014 study by Eastern Michigan University examining professional wrestlers who were active between 1985 and 2011, mortality rates for professional wrestlers are up to 2.9 times greater than the rate for men in the wider United State ...
References
External links
Bobby Shane – In Memory of a Legend*
Bobby Shane at Cagematch.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shane, Bobby
1945 births
1975 deaths
20th-century professional wrestlers
Accidental deaths in Florida
American male professional wrestlers
Professional wrestlers from Missouri
Sportspeople from St. Louis
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1975
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States
Deaths by drowning in the United States
NWA Florida Tag Team Champions
NWA Florida Television Champions
NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Champions
NWA Macon Tag Team Champions
NWA Georgia Heavyweight Champions
NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions
NWA National Television Champions