Richard Joseph "Dick" Garza (July 16, 1931 – January 7, 2002), better known as Mighty Igor Vodik, or simply Mighty Igor, 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 ...

. He is a one time American Wrestling Association World champion. As Mighty Igor, he was frequently billed as the "World's Strongest Wrestler".

Early years

Garza grew up in

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

and competed in bodybuilding contests. He won the Mr. Michigan title in 1954 before competing in Mr. America and Mr. Universe competitions. At a gym, Garza got into an argument with professional wrestler Brute Bernard and knocked him unconscious. This gained him the interest of wrestling promoter Bert Ruby, who convinced him to enter professional wrestling.

Professional wrestling career

Garza wrestled in Michigan and Ohio during his early career. He competed for a promotion named Wolverine Wrestling, where he won his first title, the Wolverine Wrestling Mid-West Heavyweight Championship, on February 14, 1957. He also competed in California, where he won the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

version of the WWA International Television Tag Team Championship in 1962 while teaming with Eric Rommel. Garza later joined the American Wrestling Association (AWA), where he was given the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

Mighty Igor Vodik by Verne Gagne. On May 15, 1965, he won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Mad Dog Vachon. He held the title belt for one week before dropping it back to Vachon. In 1965 and 1966, Vodik also had two reigns as the Nebraska Heavyweight Champion. The following year, he defeated Bob Orton to win the AWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship. In the 1970s, Garza wrestled as "The Mighty Igor" in the " Big Time Wrestling" circuit from Detroit, Michigan, performing with the likes of Bobo Brazil, The Sheik, Pampero Firpo, "Big" Tex McKenzie,

The Stomper Archibald Edward Gouldie (November 22, 1936 – January 23, 2016) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He wrestled for Stampede Wrestling for decades as Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie, with the nickname coming from the wrestler's reputation of ...

, Flying Fred Curry, and The Fabulous Kangaroos. On January 7, 2002, Garza died after suffering a heart attack at a hospital in Detroit.

Professional wrestling style and persona

Garza used the

gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...

of a friendly, but physically strong Polish man. At times, he would wear nurse's shoes and long underwear in addition to his wrestling attire to make himself look friendly or kind but he would be superhuman strong . He was also known for bringing toys and

kielbasa Kielbasa (, ; from Polish ) is any type of meat sausage from Poland and a staple of Polish cuisine. In American English the word typically refers to a coarse, U-shaped smoked sausage of any kind of meat, which closely resembles the ''Wiejska ...

to the ring, and he shared the kielbasa with his fans. The other component of Garza's gimmick was his strength. He performed several feats of strength for the audience, including leaning with his back against a wrestling ring and using his legs to hold back a car driving toward him. Other performances included bending iron bars or placing cement blocks on his head and having someone break them with a sledgehammer. Ivan Kalmikoff ( Edward Bruce ) acted as his manager.

Championships and accomplishments

* American Wrestling Association ** AWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) ** AWA World Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) **

Nebraska Heavyweight Championship The Nebraska Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship originally sanctioned by the Nebraska office of the National Wrestling Alliance and later the American Wrestling Association. The title existed from 1959 through 196 ...

(

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. Outsid ...

) * Big Time Wrestling ** NWA United States Heavyweight Championship ''(Detroit version)'' ( 1 time) ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Detroit version)'' ( 1 time) — with Hank James * International Wrestling Association ** IWA World Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with

Bulldog Brower Richard Gland (September 17, 1933 – September 15, 1997) was an American professional wrestler who used the ring name Dick "Bulldog" Brower. Professional wrestling career Gland started his career in the Delaware territory in 1958 under the ring ...

* NWA Los Angeles ** WWA International Television Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) — with Eric Rommel *New Independent Wrestling Association **NIWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * World Wrestling Council ** WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time)

References

External links

Online World of Wrestling profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mighty Igor 1931 births 2002 deaths American bodybuilders American male professional wrestlers AWA World Heavyweight Champions Sportspeople from Dearborn, Michigan Professional wrestlers from Michigan 20th-century professional wrestlers WWC Puerto Rico Champions NWF World Tag Team Champions