Johnny Valentine Johnny Valentine ( born John Theodore Wisniski , ( September 22 , 1928 – April 24 , 2001 ) was a professional wrestler with a career spanning almost three decades . He has been inducted into four halls of fame for his achievements in wrestling . Wisniski is the father of professional wrestler Greg " The Hammer " Valentine . He held numerous world champion and regional titles , including the NWA United States Championship and the World Heavyweight title . He had long running rivalries with Bobo Brazil , Pat O ' Connor , Buddy Rogers , Antonio Rocca , Lou Thesz , Harley Race , The Sheik , Wahoo McDaniel , Fritz von Erich , Bruno Sammartino , Johnny Powers , Antonio Inoki and Jack & Jerry Brisco . He alternated between being a villain and a hero ( babyface ) during the Golden Era in the 1940s through 1960s of wrestling . In 1975 , he was injured in a plane crash ; he suffered a broken back and was forced to retire from wrestling . He worked briefly as a manager before retiring altogether . He suffered from several health problems during his career , which worsened considerably after a fall in 2000 . He died the following year . Professional wrestling career . Wisniski debuted as a professional wrestler in 1947 , wrestling Karl Nowena in Buenos Aires . On New Year ' s Day , 1950 , Buddy Rogers defeated Wisniski in the finals of a United States title tournament . In 1958 , he won a tournament in Chicago , Illinois to gain the NWA United States Television Championship . He also competed in the NWA ' s Capitol Wrestling territory . Jerry Graham , who was a co - holder of the Northeast version of the NWA United States Tag Team Championship , selected Wisniski in November 1959 to take over the title from Graham ' s injured partner . They were beaten for the title belts the following April , but Wisniski took on a new partner , Buddy Rogers , to regain the championship by defeating The Fabulous Kangaroos on November 19 , 1960 . Wisniski ' s rivalry with the Kangaroos continued , as the Kangaroos regained the belts in a rematch one week later . Wisniski went over one year without holding a championship before teaming with a new partner , this time Bob Ellis , to defeat the Kangaroos and take back the championship . In Toronto , Wisniski and three different partners won the International Tag Team title during 1963 . Wisniski left the territory without dropping the title . He wrestled in Japan in the mid - 1960s and had a series of matches against Antonio Inoki . Those matches are regarded as the bouts that helped build Inoki into an elite wrestler in Japan , as Valentine was the highest - profile foreign wrestler Inoki had ever faced at the time . Valentine put over Inoki in the matches , dropping the Toronto version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship to him catapulting Inoki ' s career in the process . Wisniski also continued to wrestle in the former Capitol Wrestling territory , which had since been renamed the World Wide Wrestling Federation . While there , he had one last reign with what was then known as the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship , as he teamed with Tony Parisi to hold the belts for seven months in 1966 . Wisniski later turned on Parisi , however . This ignited a brief feud with Bruno Sammartino , who was billed as Parisi ' s cousin . Because Wisniski was also wrestling in Texas at the same time , he got only sporadic main event matches against Sammartino during this feud . Wisniski then moved on to the Florida territory , where he won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship three times . In Georgia , he defeated Tim Woods for the NWA Georgia Heavyweight title , on May 10 , 1968 , and repeated his win in a match against Doug Gilbert to retake the title . In Missouri , Wisniski competed for the Missouri Heavyweight Championship in a tournament to determine the inaugural champion . He defeated Baron Von Raschke before withdrawing from the tournament due to focus his efforts on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship . After Harley Race won the tournament and the title belt , Valentine defeated him to win the championship on January 19 , 1973 . He dropped the belt to Terry Funk the following month . Because Funk used a chair as a weapon in front of the referee , fans demanded a rematch . Valentine was unable to compete due to heart problems , however , so Gene Kiniski took his place and won the belt from Funk . In October 1972 , Wisniski defeated Jacques Rougeau for the International Heavyweight Championship , but was stripped of the title in January 1973 , after he no - showed the rematch . In the National Wrestling Federation , Wisniski defeated Johnny Powers for the NWF North American Heavyweight Championship on September 1 , 1972 . Powers beat Wisniski for the title in October , but Wisniski won the title again from Abdullah the Butcher on October 19 . He was stripped of the title following a match with Johnny Powers . On November 23 , he captured the title from Powers , but lost it again in January . In the Japan Wrestling Association , Wisniski won the International Tag Team title on February 22 , 1973 , and then the United National Heavyweight Championship on March 2 . He lost the Tag title on March 6 , and the United Heavyweight title on March 8 . Back in the National Wrestling Federation , in August 1973 , Wisniski beat Jacques Rougeau , Sr . to win the North American Heavyweight Championship . He lost it to Johnny Powers in late 1973 . In Mid - Atlantic Championship Wrestling , Wisniski was awarded the Mid Atlantic Heavyweight Championship in January 1974 , after Jerry Brisco left to work in Japan . Bearcat Wright defeated Wisniski in a boxing match to win the title on May 13 , 1974 . He won the championship from Sonny King on November 4 , and won the United States Heavyweight Championship on July 4 , 1975 . After Wisniski was paralyzed in a plane crash , he remained active in professional wrestling as a manager in Jim Crockett , Jr . ' s Texas - based promotion . From his wheelchair , Wisniski managed Dale Hey , who competed as Buddy Valentine in a storyline that saw the two promoted as brothers . The storyline did not last long , however . Personal life . Wisniski was originally from [ Maple Valley , Washington ] . He was a devout Christian for many years . He was married to a woman named Sharon , who plans to write a book titled " A Never Ending Love Story of a Wrestler and His Wife " about their life together . He also had a son , Greg Valentine , who has wrestled professionally since 1970 and is best known as Greg " The Hammer " Valentine . Ric Flair , who wrestled with Wisniski , has described him as a quiet person who kept to himself . He was also known for making his demands clear to employers and not backing down , and many stories continue to circulate about practical jokes , or ribs , that he played on his fellow wrestlers . On October 4 , 1975 , Wisniski was in a private airplane ( a twin - engined Cessna 310 ) with Ric Flair , David Crockett , Bob Bruggers , and Tim Woods . Because of the weight of the passengers , the pilot realized that he could not take off without reducing the amount of fuel the plane was carrying . Part way through the flight , the aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed near Wilmington , North Carolina . The crash broke Flair ' s back , killed the pilot , and broke Wisniski ' s back . A bone fragment became embedded in his spinal column , paralyzing him for life and forcing him to have a clamp implanted to hold the bones in his back together . In August 2000 , Wisniski fell from his front porch , and had a number of injuries and complications . These included a fractured back , pneumonia , staph infection , collapsed lungs and kidney failure . He was originally hospitalized for a high fever , but died when his heart gave out . His wife had purchased medical insurance through a health maintenance organization ( HMO ) , but the organization was unwilling to pay for Wiskiski ' s extended stay in the hospital . As a result , Lou Thesz ' s wife convinced the Cauliflower Alley Club to help contribute to Wisniski ' s medical bills . He died in River Oaks , Texas on April 24 , 2001 . Valentine has been recognized for his wrestling career by several sources . Shortly after his death , he was named the 2001 recipient of " Pro Wrestling Illustrated " ' s Stanley Weston Award , a recognition given for lifetime achievement in professional wrestling . He has also been inducted into several halls of fame . He was a member of the inaugural class of inductees to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996 . He is also a member of the Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame . In 2006 , he was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame , and he joined the St . Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame the following year .