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NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship was the top singles championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's Los Angeles territory, known officially as NWA Hollywood Wrestling, from 1968 until the promotion closed in 1982. The title was first established in 1967 as a secondary championship in NWA Hollywood's predecessor, Worldwide Wrestling Associates. Although the name of the title implies that it was defended throughout North, Central and South America, it was rarely defended outside of Southern California. As a result, the title was essentially a regional title rather than a national one. A number of NWA affiliated promoters at various points over the years have used their own regional versions or variations of "national" championships for the purpose of giving crowds the idea that the company was larger than it actually was, or that the company was the biggest or most successful within the ranks of the National Wrestling Alliance. Title history {, class="wikitable" width=10 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of NWA Territories
Formed in 1948, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) governing body was the largest organization in professional wrestling until the 1980s professional wrestling boom, 1980s Rock 'n' Wrestling Era. Under the control of the NWA Board of Directors (consisting of various prominent, regional promoters), the governing body oversaw wrestling's national territory system, a system which saw promotions (referred to as "territories") recognize one world heavyweight champion, participate in talent exchanges, and collectively protect the territorial integrity of NWA members. Unlike modern independent promotions, the territories were regarded as major promotions and often collaborated with other NWA members. In 1993, the NWA was reorganized following the withdrawals of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), with the majority of new NWA territories being small independent promotions. As other territories withdrew from the governing body, the NWA would discontinu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
El Mongol
Raul Molina (April 7, 1930 – October 6, 2016) was a Mexican-born professional wrestler better known by his ring name of El Mongol. He was most famous in the Georgia territory during the late 1960s and early '70s. Professional wrestling career Molina trained in martial arts and boxing as well as wrestling at a young age, but ultimately chose professional wrestling as an occupation. He got his start wrestling throughout Mexico and the United States, and by January 1966 he was in the Los Angeles-based Worldwide Wrestling Associates (WWA), where he captured the vacant World Tag Team Championship with partner Gorilla Monsoon. The duo held the belts for little more than two weeks, but El Mongol recaptured a share of the title on April 18, 1966, with partner Buddy Austin, holding the championship for a further two months. By late 1966 El Mongol had moved on to Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), where he had his most lasting success. Under the tutelage of dapper manager Dandy Jack ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terry Funk
Terrance Dee Funk (June 30, 1944 – August 23, 2023) was an American professional wrestler and actor. Widely considered one of the most influential and greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Funk was known for the longevity of his career – which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements – and the influential hardcore wrestling style he pioneered in the latter part of his career. Over the course of his career, Funk wrestled for numerous major promotions, among them All Japan Pro Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, the International Wrestling Association of Japan, Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, the United States Wrestling Association, World Championship Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and multiple National Wrestling Alliance territories including Big Time Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, Georgia Championship Wrestling and Stampede Wrestling. He was the promoter of the Amarillo-based Western State ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Víctor Rivera (professional Wrestler)
Victor Rivera may refer to: * Victor Rivera (bishop) (1916–2005), American Episcopalian bishop * Víctor Rivera (judoka) (born 1965), Puerto Rican judoka * Victor Rivera (wrestler) (born 1944), Puerto Rican professional wrestler * Víctor Rivera (football manager) (born 1968), Peruvian football manager * Víctor Rivera (volleyball) (born 1976), Puerto Rican volleyball player * Víctor Hugo Rivera (born 1967), Peruvian football referee See also * Víctor Rivera González (born 1948), Puerto Rican attorney and former Secretary of Corrections and Chief of Police {{hndis, Rivera, Victor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ernie Ladd
Ernest L. Ladd (November 28, 1938 – March 10, 2007), nicknamed "the Big Cat", was an American professional American football, football defensive tackle and professional wrestling, professional wrestler. A standout athlete in high school, Ladd attended Grambling State University on a basketball scholarship before being drafted in 1961 by the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL). Ladd found success in the AFL as one of the largest players in professional football history at 6′9″ and 290 pounds. He helped the Chargers to four AFL championship games in five years, winning the championship with the team in 1963. He also had stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Oilers. Ladd took up professional wrestling during the AFL offseason, and after a knee injury ended his football career turned to it full-time in 1969. As a professional wrestler, Ladd became one of the top heel (professional wrestling), heels in the business. For the majority of his career, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Killer Kowalski
Wladek Kowalski (born Edward Władysław Spulnik; October 13, 1926 – August 30, 2008) was a Canadian professional wrestler, known by his ring name Killer Kowalski. 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 heel. 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, Frankie Kazarian, Kofi Kingston, Damien Sandow, Fandango, Brittany Brown, April Hunter, John Kronus, Perry Saturn, and Tommaso Ciampa. Early life Wladek Kowalski was born Edward Władysław Spulnik, the son of Polish immigrants Antoni Spulnik and Maria Borowska; he, his older si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frankie Laine (wrestler)
Frank Luhovy (April 16, 1943 – May 24, 2016), known as Cowboy Frankie Laine, was a Canadian professional wrestler. Professional wrestling career Laine wrestled throughout Canada, Japan, Puerto Rico, and various parts of the United States. His career started in 1966 as a baby face along with his valet Peggy Laine in Ontario and later in Alberta. Into the early-1970s he wrestled in California and headlined cards in Los Angeles against Goliath and Black Gordman. In the mid-to-late-1970s he was again in Alberta at Stampede Wrestling. Into 1980 he was in the Detroit and Toronto areas. As well he teamed with Dutch Mantel as heels in a bloody feud against Carlos Colon and Victor Jovica as Los Vaqueros Locos and helped sell out the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico for 13 weeks straight. In 1985 he worked as a prelim wrestler for the WWF losing to their main stars mostly on TV shows. Luhovy also worked as a promoter for WWE in London, Ontario. Post-Retirement After ret ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Tolos
John Tolos, nicknamed "The Golden Greek", (April 5, 1931 – May 28, 2009) was a Canadian professional wrestler, and professional wrestling manager. Professional wrestling career Tolos was born on April 5, 1931, in Hamilton, Ontario to Greek parents, Nicolaos and Evangelia (Evangeline) Tolos. During the 1950s and 60s, he was part of The Canadian Wrecking Crew with his brother Chris Tolos. On December 28, 1963, they captured the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship in Teaneck, New Jersey in two straight falls from Gorilla Monsoon and Killer Kowalski. While both teams were heels at the time, the Tolos Brothers did a television interview prior to the title match, "looking forward" to seeing all of their fans in Teaneck. That night, they were cheered throughout. As a vicious heel known as the "Golden Greek", Tolos also engaged in a long time rivalry with "Classy" Freddie Blassie in the LeBell family's World Wrestling Association, often feuding over the Americas Champ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kinji Shibuya
Robert "Kinji" Shibuya (May 16, 1921 – May 3, 2010) was an American professional wrestler and actor. Early life, family and education Shibuya was born in Utah. He and his four brothers were raised in California. He attended Belmont High School in Los Angeles. He attended college at Los Angeles City College and University of Hawaiʻi, playing football at both Career After college, Shibuya played semi-professional football for the Honolulu Polar Bears and Honolulu Warriors. He performed sumo and jiu-jitsu as well. In 1952, promoter Al Karasick suggested Shibuya try professional wrestling. He was originally given a gimmick of a Japanese heel, leveraging anti-Japanese sentiment stemming from World War II. He wrestled in the US and Canada's Stampede Wrestling and All-Star Wrestling. Shibuya credited Verne Gagne for first making him popular as a villain in 1955. Shibuya was a frequent tag team partner of Mitsu Arakawa, who was billed as his cousin. In 1957, they held the M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 Weekly'' website in 2008, becoming ''Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online''. The newsletter is often considered the first "dirt sheet", which is a wrestling publication covering the art from a real-life perspective. History The beginnings of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' date back to 1980, when Meltzer began an List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards, annual poll amongst those with whom he corresponded regarding professional wrestling. According to Meltzer, he was just a fan at first. A short time later, he began maintaining a tape-trading list, and would occasionally send match results and news updates along with tape updates. Meltzer stated that he wanted to keep his friends in college "in the loop" for his tape trading as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles; August 24, 1944 – January 15, 2020) was a Canadian professional wrestler. Among many National Wrestling Alliance titles, he was the first Black NWA Georgia Heavyweight Champion as well as the NWA Television Champion ( 2 times). He won the WWF Tag Team Championship in 1983, along with his partner Tony Atlas, to become the first black champions in WWE history. He was the father of actor and wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and the grandfather of wrestler Simone "Ava" Johnson.Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.36) Early life Johnson was born Wayde Douglas Bowles in Amherst, Nova Scotia, where he was raised, the fourth of five sons of Lillian (; 1919–1996) and James Henry Bowles (1888–1957). As a Black Nova Scotian, he was descended from Black Loyalists who immigrated to Nova Scotia after escaping from a plantation in the United States after the American Revolutionary War. The Loyalist lineage tra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Great Kojika
, known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. He co-founded the promotion Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW). Kojika is the oldest active Japanese wrestler as well as the one with the longest career, having debuted in 1963. He is also the oldest active wrestler in the world. Career Early career (1963–1967) Kojika made his debut on October 13, 1963, for Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance (JWA) against Kakutaro Koma (future NWA World Middleweight Champion Mashio Koma). In 1967, he left Japan to wrestle in North America. North America (1967-1970) In 1967, Kojika made his debut in North America for NWA Mid-America in Tennessee. He teamed with Motoshi Okuma and they also worked for Georgia Championship Wrestling. They disbanded in 1968 and Kojika went to Florida, Detroit and St. Louis. In 1969, Kojika went to Los Angeles and won the NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship by defeating Pepper Martin on November 19. A month later he dropped the title back to Martin. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
