Danny McShain (October 30, 1912 – July 14, 1992) was an 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 o ...
. He competed in the
southern United States
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Early life
McShain was born on October 30, 1912, in
Little Rock, Arkansas
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
.
He made his professional wrestling debut in
Little Rock, Arkansas
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
on October 30, 1930. McShain later joined the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
, where he excelled as a
boxer and won several championships.
[
]
Professional wrestling career
McShain's family moved to Glendale, California, where he competed for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).[ He won his first championship, the ]NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship
The NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). For the majority of its existence the title was promoted by Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libr ...
, on October 11, 1937. Over the next ten years, he held the title another nine times.
He later moved to Alvin, Texas, where he continued to compete for the NWA.[ He won the ]NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title that has existed since the 1930s. Though its exact date of creation isn't known, it is among the oldest championships used in professional wrestling today. The title has us ...
on ten occasions between in 1948 and 1960 by defeating such wrestlers as Antonino Rocca and Verne Gagne
Laverne Clarence Gagne (February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer, and wrestling promoter. He was the owner and promoter of the Minneapolis-based American Wrest ...
. On November 19, 1951, he also defeated Gagne to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship
The NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Created in 1945, the title is competed for by junior heavyweight wrestlers.
History
The first NWA World Junior ...
.[ In 1954, McShain won the ]NWA American Tag Team Championship
The WCWA World Tag Team Championship was the primary professional wrestling tag team championship (professional wrestling), championship promoted by the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex area–based World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA). The cham ...
with partner Oyama Kato Oyama, Ōyama or Ohyama may refer to:
* Oyama, Tochigi ( ja, 小山市, link=no), a city in Japan
* Ōyama, Ōita ( ja, 大山町, link=no), a town in Japan
* Oyama, Shizuoka ( ja, 小山町, link=no), a town in Japan
* Mount Ōyama (Kanagawa) ( j ...
while competing for the Midwest Wrestling Association in Ohio.
After his retirement, McShain worked as a referee in Texas.
Ring style
McShain wrestled as a "tough guy"; he proudly advertised his list of injuries to demonstrate the amount of punishment his body could take. He was also known for blading, as he often cut his own forehead during matches to draw blood.[ McShain was a stiff worker, as he put legitimate force behind his punches and made contact with his opponents rather than pretending to hit them. He used a piledriver as one of his ring moves, in which he would hold his opponents upside-down and then drop them head-first to the ring floor. McShain attributed the piledriver to the deaths of two opponents.][
McShain used a cocky strut to anger opponents and spectators. His brother-in-law Donn Lewin stated that the strut was so arrogant that it "made you want to kill him" and that he walked the same way in real life.][ McShain was arrested once after starting a riot by spitting tobacco juice from his trademark cigar on an opponent. His behavior was considered so inappropriate that he was summoned to appear in front of the Texas Gaming Commission.][ He was also the subject of another inquiry, as he changed the pre-planned outcome of a bout midway through the match. Because there was a championship on the line and two promoters were arguing over the wrestling territory in which the match took place, the ]United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...
became involved. The match was the origin of the rule used in many promotions that prevents a title belt from changing hands when the match ends with a disqualification.[ Following his end to in ring action he worked as a referee in Houston.
]
Personal life
In a match against Donn Lewin, McShain broke Lewin's nose. Shortly thereafter, Lewin's father invited McShain to dinner. McShain met Donn's sister Sallee, whom he later married.
McShain appeared in the 1949 movie The Inspector General, as well as several other films.[
]
Championships and accomplishments
*Midwest Wrestling Association
**MWA American Tag Team Championship (1 time)[
*]National Wrestling Association
The National Wrestling Association (NWA) was an early professional wrestling sanctioning body created in 1930 by the National Boxing Association (NBA; now the World Boxing Association, WBA) as an attempt to create a governing body for professional ...
**NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship
The NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). For the majority of its existence the title was promoted by Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libr ...
( 10 times)[
*]NWA Mid-America
NWA Mid-America was a professional wrestling promotion territory under the umbrella of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) that promoted shows in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama from the 1940s until 1981. The company was founded in the 1940s by ...
**NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship
The NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Created in 1945, the title is competed for by junior heavyweight wrestlers.
History
The first NWA World Junior ...
( 1 time)
* Southwest Sports, Inc.
**NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title that has existed since the 1930s. Though its exact date of creation isn't known, it is among the oldest championships used in professional wrestling today. The title has us ...
( 7 times)[*]
** NWA Brass Knuckles Championship ''(Texas version)'' ( 6 times)
:*NWA World Tag Team Championship
The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed member promotions to create their own territorial version of the "NWA World ...
( 6 times) - with Joe Christie
*Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum is an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in Wichita Falls, Texas currently closed to water leaks. The museum was founded by Tony Vellano in 1999, and was previo ...
**( Class of 2010)
*''Wrestling Observer Newsletter
The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.
Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four W ...
''
:*Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON) Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of t ...
( Class of 1996)
1McShain won the title once just briefly before the formation of the National Wrestling Alliance when the title was simply referred to as the Texas Heavyweight Championship.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McShain, Danny
1912 births
1992 deaths
20th-century American male actors
American male professional wrestlers
Professional wrestlers from Arkansas
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
Sportspeople from Little Rock, Arkansas
Sportspeople from Glendale, California
People from Alvin, Texas
20th-century professional wrestlers
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champions
NWA Brass Knuckles Champions (Florida version)
WCWA Brass Knuckles Champions