Jerry Valiant John Steele Hill ( July 8 , 1941 – March 11 , 2010 ) was a Canadian professional wrestler best known under the ring names Guy Mitchell , The Stomper and " Gentleman " Jerry Valiant . During his career , he held the top singles titles in Australia and Vancouver , and competed in the World Wide Wrestling Federation ( WWWF ) where he won the WWWF World Tag Team Championship . Professional wrestling career . 1960s . Hill became a professional wrestler in 1959 after working out for a year at both Al Spittles ' s and Jack Wentworth ' s gyms in Canada . He traveled to the United States in 1960 in the hopes of making more money . At the beginning of his career , Hill wrestled under the ring name Guy Hill . While wrestling for Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1961 , however , a news reporter accidentally referred to him as Guy Mitchell , and Hill was forced to take on the new name . Under his new identity , Mitchell held the Georgia version of the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship for one week . Shortly thereafter , he teamed with Bob Rasmussen to win the Georgia version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship . Mitchell later wrestled in Indianapolis , where he formed a tag team in the World Wrestling Association ( WWA ) with Joe Tomasso known as The Assassins . Together , the team won the WWA World Tag Team Championship three times in 1965 and 1966 . The team was managed by a rookie manager named Bobby Heenan . Although The Assassins were a heel ( villain ) tag team who wore masks , Mitchell also competed as a face ( fan favorite ) singles wrestler without a mask . Mitchell also wrestled as Guy Heenan in some areas , where he was a storyline sibling of Heenan . While wrestling in the Australian World Championship Wrestling , he used the ring name The Destroyer and wrestled under a mask . On September 3 , 1966 , he defeated Bearcat Wright to win the IWA World Heavyweight Championship . The Destroyer ' s mask was eventually removed , and he announced to the audience that his name was John Hill . After leaving Australia , he began competing in Toronto , Ontario in 1967 as The Assassin . 1970s . After wrestling as a heel for four years in Toronto , The Assassin feuded with The Sheik , losing a death match in July 1971 . The Sheik won the match and removed The Assassin ' s mask , revealing him to be Guy " Stomper " Mitchell . While wrestling as a heel in Toronto , Hill also competed as a babyface in Detroit , Michigan . Because the name Mitchell was already being used by another wrestler , WWA owner Dick the Bruiser gave him the ring name The Stomper . The Stomper teamed with Ben Justice and won the Detroit version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship . The team feuded with The Fabulous Kangaroos ( Al Costello and Don Kent ) , who were managed by George " Crybaby " Cannon . During this feud , The Stomper suffered a kayfabe ( storyline ) injury when the Kangaroos broke his leg . Because he could not wrestle in Detroit while he was supposedly recovering , Hill wrestled in Japan for several months . Upon his return to Detroit , The Stomper and Justice continued their feud with the Kangaroos . The teams faced each other in a tournament final for the vacant tag team championship , which the Kangaroos won . The following year , The Stomper and Justice regained the title belts by defeating the Kangaroos . They held the belts for five months , and The Stomper had one last reign as champion when he teamed with Bobo Brazil to win the title for the third time on July 21 , 1973 . They eventually dropped the belts to Ben Justice and his new partner , Killer Brooks . Hill went to the Vancouver territory , where he held the Canadian tag team title six times . In 1979 , he was brought into the World Wide Wrestling Federation as Jerry Valiant after Jimmy Valiant contracted hepatitis With Johnny Valiant , he held the WWWF World Tag Team Championship . After Jimmy recovered , the three Valiants worked in six - man tag matches , and sometimes eight - man tag matches with manager Lou Albano . After eight months in the WWF , Hill split from the Valiants and left the area . He returned as a solo prelim wrestler and referee in 1984 when the WWF would use his ring at shows in Indiana , Missouri , Michigan and Kansas . Personal life . Growing up in Ontario Canada Hill had ten siblings , he played hockey and boxed in his youth . He and Carolyn F . Hill " Florist , Past on 3 - 20 - 15 " were married on April 5 , 1964 in Indianapolis . They had a son , Jonathan S Hill . After retiring , Hill owned and operated Hill ' s Landscaping for 14 years with his son . He enjoyed volunteering as Santa Claus for different organizations in central Indiana Hill died on March 11 , 2010 in Indiana after a battle with Alzheimer ' s set on by Post - concussion syndrome .