Pat O'Connor (wrestler)
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Patrick John O'Connor (22 August 1924 – 16 August 1990), was a New Zealand/American amateur wrestler and professional wrestler. Regarded as one of the premier workers of his era, O'Connor held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship and
NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...
simultaneously, the latter of which he held for approximately two years. He was also the inaugural AWA World Heavyweight Champion. He is an overall two-time world champion.


Early life

Patrick John O'Connor was born on 22 August 1924 in Raetihi, New Zealand, to parents John Frederick and Isabella. He attended primary schools in Raetihi and Orautoha, then Feilding Agricultural High School. During his schooldays, he also helped tend to the sheep and cattle on his parents' farm. He later attended Massey Agricultural College, and later served for six months in the
Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in 1945.


Amateur wrestling career

Before entering the world of professional wrestling, O'Connor was an amateur wrestler. He trained under Dave Scarrow, and later Don Anderson, while working as a
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
to pay the bills. After a tournament in 1947, he joined the Wellington wrestling team and trained under Anton Koolmann. In 1948, he represented New Zealand in the Pan American games. O'Connor won the New Zealand Heavyweight Championship in amateur wrestling in both 1949 and 1950. The 1949 win earned him entry into the 1950 British Empire Games. At the Empire Games, O'Connor, once again representing New Zealand, won a silver medal winner in the ( freestyle) heavyweight division. He later trained to be a professional wrestler under Len Levy.


Professional wrestling career


National Wrestling Alliance (1950–1960)

On 19 March 1955, O'Connor won the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Chicago version) with
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...
partner Roy McClarity, and held the
title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...
until February 1956. Later in the year, he worked for
Maple Leaf Wrestling Maple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name of a Canadian professional wrestling promotion owned by Frank Tunney and based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 1970s and 1980s. Founded in 1930, Maple Leaf was a territory of the National Wrestli ...
. In March, he won the NWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version), but lost it on 2 May 1957 to
Gene Kiniski Eugene Nicholas Kiniski (November 23, 1928 – April 14, 2010) was a Canadian athlete who played football for the Edmonton Eskimos and then became a three-time professional wrestling world heavyweight champion. "Canada's Greatest Athlete", as he ...
. That same month, O'Connor and Whipper Billy Watson won the NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship, but lost it to Gene Kiniski and
Fritz Von Erich Jack Barton Adkisson Sr. (August 16, 1929 – September 10, 1997), better known by his ring name Fritz Von Erich, was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, wrestling promoter, and the patriarch of the Von Erich family. He was ...
on 31 October of that year. O'Connor held the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...
from 1959 to 1961. He first won the title on 9 January 1959 from Dick Hutton, who had held the title for thirteen months. O'Connor's reign was recognised by both the
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...
and the
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 ...
. The title change was part of the
rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
between bookers
Sam Muchnick Samuel Muchnick (born Jeshua Muchnick, August 22, 1905 – December 30, 1998) was an American professional wrestling promoter from St. Louis, Missouri. He is often regarded as wrestling's equivalent of Pete Rozelle (the forward-thinking commissio ...
and Fred Kohler, the latter of whom did not want to waste any money announcing O'Connor as the new champion. Kohler also wanted O'Connor to pay him $10,000 () to wrestle at shows in Chicago, while being paid less than champions usually earned. O'Connor was so angry at the suggestion that he walked out of their meeting and later told Muchnick not to book him for any events in Chicago. The men later worked out a deal of sorts, and beginning on 19 February 1960, O'Connor wrestled in Chicago against
Bruno Sammartino Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (October 6, 1935 – April 18, 2018) was an Italian-American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with the WWE, World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). Sammartin ...
and Johnny Valentine, among others. On 29 July at one of Fred Kohler's events, O'Connor defeated Yukon Eric at an event with an attendance of 30,275. During this time, television also became a factor in the burgeoning market for professional wrestling, and as a result, the demand to trade wrestlers, including O'Connor, throughout the territories, was eased due to Vincent McMahon's Capitol Wrestling. In December, he worked for McMahon in the Northeast. In March 1961, he was suspended for sixteen days when he missed a match in New York. On 30 June 1961, O'Connor dropped the title to Buddy Rogers in front of 38,622 fans at Comiskey Park, a North American professional wrestling attendance record that lasted until Toronto's The Big Event in 1986. The ticket revenue of $148,000 () was a professional wrestling record for almost twenty years. The match, a two out of three falls match, was billed as the "Match of the Century". During the match, both men had gained a pinfall, when O'Connor missed a dropkick and suffered a
legit Legit, a slang abbreviation of the word '' legitimate'', may refer to: * Legit (professional wrestling) * ''Legit'' (2006 TV series), a Scottish sitcom * ''Legit'' (2013 TV series), created by comedian Jim Jefferies * Legit.ng, a Nigerian digi ...
groin injury on the ropes, after which Rogers pinned him to win the match.


American Wrestling Association (1960–1970)

In May 1960, while still the NWA World Heavyweight Champion, the American Wrestling Association (AWA) named O'Connor as the first holder of the AWA World Heavyweight Championship when they seceded from the NWA. Therefore, he held both the AWA and NWA World Heavyweight Championships simultaneously. However, he never defended the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, and was stripped of it in August, after ninety days, when
Verne Gagne the Minnesota Golden Gophers wrestling, Minnesota Golden Gophers Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne ( ; February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015) was an American amateur wrestling, amateur and professional wrestling, professional wrestler, Amer ...
was recognised as the new champion. O'Connor never appeared in an AWA event during, or prior to, this period. Naming the current NWA champion as its champion and then ordering him to defend his new title against the number one contender was a way of legitimizing the AWA's claim that its champion was the "true" world champion (by showing a lineage to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship). Long after he had lost the NWA Championship, O'Connor did appear in the AWA. On 10 November 1967, the team of O'Connor and Wilbur Snyder defeated Larry Hennig and Harley Race to win the AWA World Tag Team Championship. They lost the title on 2 December to Mitsu Arakawa and Dr. Moto. O'Connor and Snyder also defeated Arakawa and Moto for the
World Wrestling Association The World Wrestling Association (WWA) (Asociación Mundial de Lucha Libre in Spanish language, Spanish) is a lucha libre promotion based in the Tijuana-area of Mexico. It was founded in 1986 by Benjamin Mora Jr.. It featured some of Mexico's best ...
's WWA World Tag Team Championship on 24 September 1968. They lost the title on 26 October to the same team.


Later career (1970–1987)

On 13 October 1970, O'Connor was introduced as
Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions, at times branded as Eastern States Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, is a Family business, family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United Sta ...
's first NWA Eastern Heavyweight Champion as part of a storyline to introduce the title. The title was later awarded to the Missouri Mauler with the announcement that Mauler won it in New York. On 1 January 1982, O'Connor was part of the
card Card or The Card may refer to: Common uses * Plastic cards of various types: **Bank card **Credit card **Debit card **Payment card * Playing card, used in games * Printed circuit board, or card * Greeting card, given on special occasions Arts an ...
that comprised promoter Sam Muchnick's last professional wrestling show, located in St. Louis. O'Connor was also one of the owners of the St. Louis Wrestling Club. O'Connor, along with Verne Gagne, Harley Race, and
Bob Geigel Robert Frederick Geigel (October 1, 1924 – October 30, 2014) was an American professional wrestling promoter and professional wrestler. He operated the Kansas City, Missouri-based Heart of America Sports Attractions promotion from 1963 to 19 ...
purchased the territory from Sam Muchnick the day after Muchnick's retirement. On 18 September 1983, O'Connor was named as a co-conspirator in the monopoly that controlled professional wrestling in Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa. O'Connor filed a counterclaim. On 16 November 1987, O'Connor participated in a World Wrestling Federation "Legends"
battle royal Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...
, which was won by Lou Thesz.


Personal life

O'Connor married the American Remember Carly Ford on 7 July 1953; the couple had three daughters before divorcing in 1968. At the time of his death, O'Connor's partner was Julie Browne. O'Connor became a naturalized American citizen in 1958 and lived in the United States for the rest of his life.


Death

O'Connor died of cancer on 16 August 1990. In December 1990,
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
held the Pat O'Connor Memorial International Cup Tag Team Tournament, an eight-team international tag team memorial tournament at Starrcade in honour of O'Connor. In 1996, he was inducted into the
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Mel ...
. In 2007, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame inducted O'Connor. He is also a member of the Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 2016, O'Connor became a "Legacy" member of the
WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...
.


Championships and accomplishments


Amateur wrestling

* 1950 British Empire Games
silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...
in
freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...
(heavyweight) * New Zealand Heavyweight Championship (1949, 1950)


Professional wrestling

* American Wrestling Association ** AWA World Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) ** AWA World Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Wilbur Snyder * Central States Wrestling **
NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship The NWA Central States championship was reactivated in 2002 seeing Shane Somers defeat. 7'1 Butch McClain becoming the 1st champion since 1989 & youngest at 19 years of age. Title history {{Professional wrestling title history middle {{BundleEn ...
( 3 times) ** NWA Central States Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Bob Brown ** NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Central States version) ( 2 times) – with Sonny Myers ** NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Central States version) ( 3 times) ** NWA World Tag Team Championship (Central States version) ( 4 times) – with Sonny Myers (1 time), Tiny Mills (1 time),
Bob Geigel Robert Frederick Geigel (October 1, 1924 – October 30, 2014) was an American professional wrestling promoter and professional wrestler. He operated the Kansas City, Missouri-based Heart of America Sports Attractions promotion from 1963 to 19 ...
(1 time) and Omar Atlas (1 time) * Fred Kohler Enterprises ** NWA World Tag Team Championship (Chicago version) ( 1 time) – with Roy McClarity * George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame **Class of 2004 *
Maple Leaf Wrestling Maple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name of a Canadian professional wrestling promotion owned by Frank Tunney and based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 1970s and 1980s. Founded in 1930, Maple Leaf was a territory of the National Wrestli ...
** NWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) ( 1 time) ** NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Whipper Billy Watson * Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling ** NWA Eastern Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) * NWA Minneapolis Wrestling and Boxing Club ** NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version) ( 1 time) - with Tony Baillargeon * Midwest Wrestling Association ** Ohio Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Montreal Athletic Commission ** World Heavyweight Championship (Montreal version) (2 times) *
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...
** NWA Hall of Fame ( class of 2011) **
NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship The NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and originally promoted in Chicago as the NWA World Three-Man Tag Team Championship. The NWA Mid-America terr ...
( 1 time) – with Roy McClarity and Yukon Eric * NWA New Zealand ** NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship (New Zealand version) ( 2 times) * NWA Rocky Mountain ** NWA Rocky Mountain Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame ** Class of 2007 * Stampede Wrestling ** Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 1995) * St. Louis Wrestling Club **
NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...
( 1 time) * St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame ** Class of 2007 *
World Wrestling Association The World Wrestling Association (WWA) (Asociación Mundial de Lucha Libre in Spanish language, Spanish) is a lucha libre promotion based in the Tijuana-area of Mexico. It was founded in 1986 by Benjamin Mora Jr.. It featured some of Mexico's best ...
** WWA World Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Wilbur Snyder * ''
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 Wee ...
'' **
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Mel ...
( Class of 1996) * WWE **
WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...
( Class of 2016)


Footnotes


External links

* *
Pat O'Connor at the New Zealand Olympic Committee website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Pat 1924 births 1990 deaths AWA World Heavyweight Champions Commonwealth Games silver medallists in wrestling Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Deaths from cancer in Missouri Massey University alumni New Zealand people of Irish descent American male professional wrestlers New Zealand male professional wrestlers New Zealand male sport wrestlers New Zealand emigrants to the United States NWA World Heavyweight Champions People educated at Feilding High School People from Raetihi Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Professional wrestling trainers Wrestlers at the 1950 British Empire Games WWE Hall of Fame Legacy inductees Stampede Wrestling alumni 20th-century male professional wrestlers AWA World Tag Team Champions NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Champions NWA British Empire Heavyweight Champions (Toronto version) AWA United States Heavyweight Champions Medallists at the 1950 British Empire Games NWA World Tag Team Champions (Minneapolis version) New Zealand blacksmiths 20th-century New Zealand sportsmen