William Afflis William Fritz Afflis ( June 27 , 1929 – November 10 , 1991 ) , best known as Dick the Bruiser , was an American football player and professional wrestler . Early life . Born in Delphi , Indiana , Afflis grew up in Lafayette , Indiana , graduating from Lafayette Jefferson High School where he played football and wrestled . Afflis played varsity football at Purdue University and played for the Green Bay Packers in the early 1950s , as a lineman , before he became a pro wrestler . Wrestling career . In the late ' 50s , Dick the Bruiser wrestled live every Thursday on TV in the Detroit area . His typical opponent was " an up and coming young ( unknown ) wrestler " who would be pulverized by the Bruiser . His matches and interviews were so effective he became a household name in the Detroit area . His only defeat on live TV was at the hands of Cowboy Bob Ellis . However , in two rematches with Ellis at the Olympia in Detroit , the Bruiser was victorious . Afflis , along with fellow wrestler and business partner Wilbur Snyder , purchased the Indianapolis NWA promotion in 1964 from its longtime owner Jim Barnett . Afflis renamed the territory the World Wrestling Association ( WWA ) and promoted himself as its champion . While he ran it as an independent promotion with its own titles and champion , the WWA had a working agreement with the larger AWA ( owned by wrestler Verne Gagne ) , sharing talent and recognizing their championships . This agreement benefited both promotions and led to the Bruiser having multiple AWA Tag - Team Title reigns , primarily with tag team partner , The Crusher , who was billed as his " cousin " . The Bruiser was the first to christen Manager Bobby Heenan with the nickname of " The Weasel " during his run in the territory . Afflis ' WWA ran from 1964 until 1989 , when Afflis finally tired of losing talent , TV , and fan attendance to the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) . Afflis , with his charisma , NFL notoriety , and gravelly - voiced , tough - guy persona was a legitimate cross - media star , becoming something of a hero in the Indianapolis area . He made his home on the northwest side of the city . Indianapolis native David Letterman would later name his television show ' s band The World ' s Most Dangerous Band as a derivation of Dick the Bruiser ' s nickname , " The World ' s Most Dangerous Wrestler . " The moniker " Dick the Bruiser " was even used in the 1980s by George Baier , a co - host of the morning drive show on Detroit rock radio station WRIF . Baier ' s " Richard T . Bruiser " was an effective , entertaining impersonation of Afflis , who actually played himself in a number of popular TV ads for WRIF . After retiring , Afflis worked as a talent agent for World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) . He was the special guest referee at Starrcade 1990 main event between Sting and the Black Scorpion . Death . Afflis died of internal bleeding on November 10 , 1991 , according to a spokesman for Suncoast Hospital in Largo , Fla . , near his winter home . His widow , Louise , said her husband had been weight - lifting at home with his adopted son , Jon Carney , and ruptured a blood vessel in his esophagus .