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Spiros Arion
Spiros Arion ( el, Σπύρος Αρίων) born Spyridon Manousakis ( el, Σπυρίδων Μανουσάκης) (born September 1940) is an Egyptian-born Greek former professional wrestler who had an extensive and successful career, mainly in Australia and the United States. Known as The Golden Greek and The Iron Greek, he debuted in 1961 and retired in 1979. Career Early life Spiros Arion was born Spyridon Manousakis in September 1940 in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to Greek parents, Stavros and Konstantina. He spent his early childhood in Egypt and migrated with his family in his teens to Athens, Greece. Here, he excelled in Greco-Roman wrestling. Charismatic and strong, he made an early mark on European mats, often billed as the son of his mentor, the veteran Greek wrestler Andreas Lambrakis. Europe (1961–1964) Arion was trained for professional wrestling by Frenchman Andre Bollet. He debuted in 1961 in Paris. For over four years, he wrestled around Europe before se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metropolitan area, with a population of 21.9 million, is the 12th-largest in the world by population. Cairo is associated with ancient Egypt, as the Giza pyramid complex and the ancient cities of Memphis and Heliopolis are located in its geographical area. Located near the Nile Delta, the city first developed as Fustat, a settlement founded after the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 640 next to an existing ancient Roman fortress, Babylon. Under the Fatimid dynasty a new city, ''al-Qāhirah'', was founded nearby in 969. It later superseded Fustat as the main urban centre during the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods (12th–16th centuries). Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life, and is titled "the city of a thousand m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crazy Luke Graham
James Grady Johnson (February 5, 1940 to June 23, 2006) was an American professional wrestler, best known by his ring name, "Crazy" Luke Graham. As Luke Graham, Johnson was part of the Graham family, a stable of wrestlers. All members were billed as kayfabe brothers. He worked extensively for various National Wrestling Alliance territories as well as the World Wide Wrestling Federation, where he was a three-time tag-team champion and the inaugural WWWF World Tag Team Champion (alongside Tarzan Tyler). Professional wrestling career Johnson made his debut in 1961 in National Wrestling Alliance's Mid-America territory. He began his career as the Kayfabe brother of Dr. Jerry Graham after fellow wrestler Frankie Cain (The Great Mephisto) suggested that they resembled each other. They began wrestling together in 1963 in Stampede Wrestling. Starting that summer, Graham would go on to have a series of matches against Chief Big Heart. Beginning in 1964 he started wrestling for the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chief Jay Strongbow
Luke Joseph Scarpa (October 4, 1928 – April 3, 2012) was an American professional wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer who was best known by the ring name Chief Jay Strongbow. Much like his contemporary Wahoo McDaniel, he portrayed a Native American wrestler, who wore a war bonnet to the ring and would "go on the warpath" when the fans started cheering him against an opponent. In reality (and unlike McDaniel, who was an actual Choctaw-Chickasaw Native-American), Jay was an Italian-American who much like actor Iron Eyes Cody portrayed an Indian to stand-out more. His best accomplishments are in WWWF where he was a 4-time World Tag-Team Champion. Professional wrestling career National Wrestling Alliance (1947–1970) Scarpa's wrestling career began in 1947, under his real name. He was trained by legendary second generation Native American wrestler Chief Don Eagle. He was a standout in the Georgia and Florida territories of the National Wrestling Alliance throughout the 1950s and 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Professor Toru Tanaka
Charles J. Kalani Jr. (January 6, 1930 – August 22, 2000) was an American professional wrestler, professional boxer, college football player, soldier, actor, and martial artist who, in fighting rings, was also known as Professor Toru Tanaka, or simply Professor Tanaka. Early life Kalani was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the son of Charles J. Kalani and Christina Leong Kalani. Charlie began studying judo in 1939. He graduated from Iolani School in 1949. His wife, Doris Kalani, later credited Kalani's time on the football team and Kenneth A. Bray's influence with keeping him away from trouble. After graduating from high school, Kalani attended Weber Junior College (now Weber State University), where he met his wife in 1952. Together, they had three children: Cheryle Kalani, Carl Kalani, and Karen Kalani Beck. In 1955, Kalani was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he rose to the rank of sergeant. Kalani left the military in 1966 and moved to Monterey, California. He ran a Judo and Da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (October 6, 1935 – April 18, 2018) was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). There, he held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship (WWWF Heavyweight Championship during his second reign) for more than 11 years (4,040 days) across two reigns, the first of which is the longest single reign in the promotion's history at 2,803 days. He is overall a two-time world champion in professional wrestling. Dubbed "The Italian Strongman" and "The Strongest Man in the World" early in his career, Sammartino later earned the title "The Living Legend". Known for his powerful bearhug finishing move, he is widely regarded as the greatest professional wrestler of all time. Sammartino became a vocal critic of the drug use and raunchier storylines that became prevalent in the professional wrestling industry after his retirement but he reconciled with WWE in 2013 and headl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown's Universal Championship. The current champion is Roman Reigns, who is in his fourth reign. As Reigns concurrently holds the Universal Championship, he presently defends the titles together across both brands as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, although both titles retain their individual lineages. The original world championship of the promotion, it was established by the then-World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) on April 25, 1963, as the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship, after the promotion seceded from the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The inaugural champion was Buddy Rogers. Since its inception, the title has undergone many name changes due to company name changes and title unifications. It is the oldest champion ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Altomare
Anthony C. Altomare (July 24, 1928 – February 18, 2003) was an American professional wrestler, trainer, and marketer. He is perhaps best known as one half of the tag team "The Sicilians" with Lou Albano, from his debut in 1960 to 1970. Early life Altomare was born on July 24, 1928, in Stamford, Connecticut, to Frank and Pauline Altomare (''née'' Vescio). He was the oldest of four children: brothers Peter and Robert and sister Madeline. At the age of 18, Altomare enlisted in the United States Army's 82nd Airborne Division, where he served for two years. It was during this time that his mother died, and he became something of a parent to his youngest brother Robert, who was only three at the time. Anthony and Peter, later joined by Robert, became lifeguards for Stamford's West Beach, where he would eventually rise to become the city's chief lifeguard for a 25-year tenure. During this time, he instituted free swimming lessons to the public and saved at least several lives. He marri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lou Albano
Louis Vincent Albano (July 29, 1933 – October 14, 2009) was an Italian-American professional wrestler, manager and actor, who performed under the ring/stage name "Captain" Lou Albano. He was active as a professional wrestler from 1953 until 1969 before becoming a manager until 1995. Over the course of his 42-year career, Albano guided 15 different tag teams and three singles competitors to championship gold. Albano was one of the "Triumvirate of Terror", a threesome of nefarious WWF managers which included The Grand Wizard of Wrestling and Freddie Blassie. The trio was a fixture in the company for a decade until The Grand Wizard's death in 1983. A unique showman, with an elongated beard, rubber band, facial piercings, and loud outfits, Albano was the forefather of the 1980s Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection. Collaborating with Cyndi Lauper, Albano helped usher in wrestling's crossover success with a mainstream audience. Capitalizing on his success, he later ventured into Hollywo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arnold Skaaland
Arnold Skaaland (January 21, 1925 – March 13, 2007) was an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Following a stint in the United States Marine Corps during World War II, Skaaland began wrestling in 1946 under his real name. Given the nickname “Golden Boy,” he became a part of the World Wide Wrestling Federation in 1963, and in 1967, won the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship with Spiros Arion. In 1978, Skaaland retired from in-ring competition and transitioned into a manager; unlike normal managers, he managed faces instead of heels. Skaaland's most notable clients include Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund. He later became a road agent for the WWF once he stopped managing, and was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1994. Early life Skaaland served in the U.S. Marines during World War II. After a short-lived attempt to make a living through boxing, he decided to become a professional wrestler. Professional wrestling career Early career ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
WWWF United States Tag Team Championship
The WWWF United States Tag Team Championship was the first version of the main tag team title in the World Wide Wrestling Federation from 1963 until 1967. Originally, the WWWF was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance operating out of the Northeast and was called the Capitol Wrestling Corporation. The championship began as Capitol Wrestling's territorial version of the NWA United States Tag Team Championship from 1958 until 1963. Reigns Names Reigns Combined reigns By team By wrestler ;Key See also * List of former championships in WWE * Tag team championships in WWE * Professional wrestling in the United States Professional wrestling in the United States, until the 1920s, was viewed as a legitimate sport. This view did not endure into the 1930s, as professional wrestling became identified with modern theatrics, or "admitted fakeness" ("kayfabe"), moving ... Notes References External links WWWF United States Tag Team Championship {{D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smasher Sloan
Eldon "Eddie" Lee Whittler (July 7, 1935 – January 29, 2001), better known by his ring name Smasher Sloan, was an American professional wrestler. He wrestled for the World Wide Wrestling Federation from the 1960s till early 1970s, where he achieved his most success being a 1-time WWWF United States Tagteam champion along with Baron Mikel Scicluna. Professional career Whittler was born on July 7, 1935, in Alton, Illinois. He was the oldest of three children of Margaret Laura (''née'' Harsh; 1916–1995) and Eldon "Whitey" Lee Whittler (1913–1983), who was also a professional wrestler. He made his debut in 1956 as Don Whittler. He initially competed in Championship Wrestling from Florida. They challenged the reigning champions, Johnny Valentine and Tony Parisi on September 22 on a house show in Washington D.C in a traditional 2-out-of-3 falls match. Valentine and Parisi won the first fall, but then Johnny suddenly turned heel in the second round, when he turned on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antonio Pugliese
Antonio Pugliese (January 22, 1941 – August 19, 2000), better known by his ring name, Tony Parisi, was a Canadian professional wrestler. He won tag team championships in several promotions, including the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). With Louis Cerdan, he held the WWWF World Tag Team Championship from 1975 to 1976. As a singles wrestler, he also won the WWF International Heavyweight Championship. After retiring from wrestling, Pugliese continued to work in the industry and also operated a hotel and restaurant. He died in 2000 from an aneurysm. Professional wrestling career Early career (1961 - 1966) Pugliese made his professional wrestling debut in Detroit, Michigan in 1961. He soon began competing in Canada, where he was a popular babyface (fan favorite) wrestler. In one of his first matches, he faced Gino Brito, who later became his long-time tag team partner. Pugliese and Brito moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1962 to wrestle in a promotion operated by Nick ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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