Wayne Munn (February 19, 1896 – January 9, 1931) 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 or ...

and collegiate football player from the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. As a wrestler, Munn was a

World Heavyweight Champion At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, tho ...

. His world title win is historic as it was the first time that a pure performer (as opposed to a legitimately skilled wrestler) had won a world championship in professional wrestling.

Wrestling career

His fame from playing football attracted the attention of wrestling star, Ed Lewis and promoters

Toots Mondt Joseph Raymond "Toots" Mondt (January 18, 1894 – June 11, 1976) was an American professional wrestler and promoter who revolutionized the wrestling industry in the early to mid-1920s and co-promoted the World Wide Wrestling Federation. Some of ...

and

Billy Sandow Wilhelm Baumann (September 4, 1884 – September 15, 1972), better known as Billy Sandow, was an American professional wrestler and promoter. Biography Sandow is best remembered as the manager of professional wrestler Ed "Strangler" Lewis and a ...

, who prematurely pushed Munn as the next big star in the sport. Munn won the World title from Lewis in 1925, despite his limited wrestling and shooting (out of ring performing) ability. This backfired on Lewis and his camp, as Munn subsequently lost the title to

Stanislaus Zbyszko 'Jan Stanisław Cyganiewicz'' (April 1, 1879 – September 23, 1967), better known by his ring name, Stanislaus Zbyszko, was a Polish strongman and professional wrestler. He was a three-time World Heavyweight Champion at his highest profile in t ...

in a famous double-cross (shoot), as Zbyszko legitimately pinned Munn, despite agreeing to lose to him prior to the match. Munn, unable to defend himself against Zbyszko's holds, was beaten decisively. Munn held the title for a little over three months. Munn went into retirement shortly afterwards, and spent some years in the oil business, before his death from

kidney problems Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

at the

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...

base hospital in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

on January 9, 1931. He was survived by his wife and a daughter, Mary Ann Munn. Munn had also served as an infantry first lieutenant during World War I.

Championships and accomplishments

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 ...

:* World Heavyweight Championship ''(Catch as Catch Can version)'' (1 time)

References

External links

Wayne Munn Wrestling History at LegacyofWrestling.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Munn, Wayne 1896 births 1931 deaths American male professional wrestlers Deaths from kidney disease Nebraska Cornhuskers football players Professional wrestlers from Kansas People from Colby, Kansas Professional wrestlers from Nebraska 20th-century professional wrestlers

Wrestling career

Championships and accomplishments

References

Further reading

External links