recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Donn Lewin

**Donn Lewin** (April 1, 1926 – December 18, 2010) was an American professional wrestler, marine and tropical fish breeder.

## Professional wrestling career

Lewin attended Lafayette High School but left at age 15 to join the Marines and serve in World War II. He fought at Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Guam, and left the Marines after attaining the rank of Admiral's orderly. During his time in the service, he earned three Purple Hearts for wounds suffered in battle. After leaving the Marines, Lewin became interested in bodybuilding, and he placed second in a Mr. Niagara Frontier Contest.

His placement in the bodybuilding contest brought him to the attention of Ed Don George, a promoter. George introduced him to Jim Henry, who trained Lewin. At the beginning of his wrestling career, Lewin competed in Buffalo, New York and across the border in Ontario, as well as Capitol Wrestling. While competing for Capitol Wrestling in Maryland, he teamed with his real-life brother Mark Lewin to win the American Tag Team Championship. Lewin also competed in California, Ohio, and Georgia. In Georgia, he teamed with his brother Mark again to win the Georgia version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship.

In 1969, a promoter asked Lewin to begin wearing a mask and competing as The Executioner. He used the identity while competing in several promotions. During that time period, Lewin also helped train Greg Valentine as a professional wrestler.

In addition to wrestling, Lewin also worked as a fish breeder for several years. Eventually, he decided to retire from wrestling and focus on his second career, which had grown to include not only pet fish, but also piranhas and alligators.

Lewin's brothers Mark and Ted also became professional wrestlers. He also has a sister named Sallee. Sallee began dating professional wrestler Danny McShain shortly after McShain broke Lewin's nose; the couple was later married and were together until McShain's death in 1992. Due to wrestling, he required more than 30 operations throughout his life, including several hip replacements.

## Death

Lewin died on December 18, 2010, at the age of 84 in Hawaii.
Don Curtis

**Donald B. Curtis** (born **Donald Beitelman**) (May 22, 1927 – March 6, 2008) was an American professional wrestler, best known for being a member of a tag team with Mark Lewin in the 1950s and 1960s.

## Professional wrestling career

Donald Beitelman was born in Buffalo on May 22, 1927. He went into submarine service during the second World War and then went to the University of Buffalo. He competed as an amateur wrestler and also played football.

The man who later became known as Don Curtis (he would also legally change his name into that) was found by wrestling legend Lou Thesz during a scrimmage. This caused Curtis to become a professional wrestler.

In the early portions of his career, he made appearances in many places such as Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. In 1958, promoter Eddie Graham teamed Curtis with Mark Lewin. Curtis and Lewin held the NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Northeast version) twice in 1958, trading it with Graham and his "brother" Jerry.

Curtis teamed up with Graham in May 1960 to win the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Florida version). He held the title with Joe Scarpa in October 1962; Cowboy Bob Ellis in March 1964; and Jose Lothario in March 1967.

In 1962, Curtis moved to Florida and teamed with Joe Scarpa to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Florida version) from Kurt and Karl Von Brauner. In January 1963, he won the title with Lewin from The Fabulous Kangaroos (Al Costello and Roy Heffernan). After vacating the title, Curtis and Lewin regained it in December from the Assassins. Lewin left the team the following month, and the title was once again vacated.

In May 1964, Curtis teamed with Abe Jacobs to hold the title for the last time. In Jacksonville, Florida, Curtis promoted shows and managed the coliseum.

According to his Mid South Wrestling profile: "*He was a promoter in Jacksonville until 1981 when he left wrestling & became the Chief of the Gator Bowl complex. He finished out his career in life as a City Manager in 1990, when he retired to golf, airplanes and watching his new grandson!"* In 1980, he was inducted into the University of Buffalo Athletic Hall of Fame for wrestling and football.

## Death

Don’s wife Dottie noted:

> *a blood clot in Curtis’ head broke loose and hit the left side of his brain. She found him in their bedroom face down in a pool of blood. He was hospitalized and an MRI confirmed a stroke and severe damage. He was transported to a Hospice facility at the Mayo Clinic.*
>
>

Don Curtis died on March 6, 2008, at the age of 80. In 2009, Curtis was posthumously inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum along with Mark Lewin (under the "Tag Team" category).
Dana Carpenter

**Dana A. Magazu** (February 29, 1964 - May 5, 2009), better known as **Dana Carpenter**, was a midget professional wrestler who worked for the World Wrestling Federation.

## Professional wrestling career

Carpenter received his professional wrestling training from Killer Kowalski.

In January 1984, the team of The Haiti Kid and Tiger Jackson defeated Pancho Boy and Carpenter. The match, however, did not air until the June 25 episode of *Prime Time Wrestling*. In the rematch a few days later, The Haiti Kid and Tiger Jackson once again defeated Carpenter and Pancho Boy, this time in a two out of three falls match.

## Later years

In the years before his death, Carpenter worked for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Boston. He also worked as a Dispatcher for the Holbrook Police Department. He was a Special Police Officer for the Town of Holbrook, Massachusetts and a Constable for Norfolk County. He also played hockey with the Black and Blues Police Hockey Team.
Frank Valois

**Fernand Levis Valois** (December 17, 1921 – December 31, 1998), better known by his ring name **Frank Valois**, was a Canadian professional wrestler and promoter of International Wrestling in the 1980s.

## Professional wrestling career

Fernand Levis Valois played basketball at the Kent Academy in Outrement. Trained by lightweight world champion Eugene Trembley as an amateur, Valois started wrestling at the age of 18 in Montreal. In a matter of time, he moved to the United States to work for Boston promoter Paul Bowser.

His career nearly came to a screeching halt in 1945 when a driver ran a red light and hit Valois' car. He survived the accident but it left a scar in his face. Valois continued to wrestle and was described in 1947 as "strictly a scientific gripler who relies upon speed, agility, and aggressiveness to win." He was a good babyface but also excelled as a heel, causing riots and enraging fans by hitting his opponents with his dreaded atomic drop finisher. The legality was challenged and upheld by the NWA in 1954.

He found success when he competed in Europe, developing a rough and tough style which included him using a cobra hold. In fact, he was that successful in Europe that he was filming around 20 movies with top French actors. Valois also served as a bodyguard in France for Georges Pompidou and Charles de Gaulle.

On March 10, 1959, Valois and partner Andre Bollet won the NWA Texas Tag Team Championship, holding the belts for a month until they dropped it to Chief Big Heart and Chief Little Wolf. He also competed in Japan for a time, where, on June 2, 1960, Valois teamed with Dan Miller and defeated Rikidozan and Michiaki Yoshimura to win the All Asia Tag Team Championship, although they only held the titles for five days.

In 1966, Valois met Andre Roussimoff, and years later, notably became his business manager and advisor. He occasionally wrestled on the undercard of shows where Andre was working as a headliner in the 1970s. Valois winded down his career by that time and officially hung up his boots in 1978.

In 1980, Valois partnered with Andre and Gino Brito to form Promotions Varoussac, the latter made up of the first letters of their family names (VAlois, ROUSSimoff, and ACcocella). Montreal was regarded as a wrestling capital since the 1930s, however, the close of All-Star Wrestling and Grand Prix Wrestling in 1975 left the city without a major company. Brito was eager to bring pro wrestling back to Montreal and persuaded Valois and the giant to join in the venture. Valois fully retired from promoting in 1986.

## Death

Valois died of a heart attack on December 31, 1998, at the age of 77. He was posthumously inducted into the Quebec Hall of Fame in 2010.
Jerry Blackwell

**Jerry Blackwell** (April 26, 1949 - January 22, 1995) was an American professional wrestler from Stone Mountain, Georgia, better known by his stage name "Crusher" Jerry Blackwell.

## Professional wrestling career

Nicknamed the "Mountain from Stone Mountain", "Crusher" Jerry Blackwell was one of wrestlings top big men in the 1980's. Despite his considerable bulk, Blackwell was quite nimble and a gifted worker, able to throw a standing dropkick and take incredible bumps in the ring.

His career really took off after the departure of Hulk Hogan from the AWA in late 1983. Verne Gagne tapped Blackwell to be Hogan's replacement as the top good guy or babyface. Prior to that, Blackwell was an integral part of Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissey's army, feuding with both Verne, his son Greg, and Greg's tag-team partner "Jumpin'" Jimmy Brunzell (the team called the "High Flyers").

Blackwell and Ken Patera defeated the High Flyers to win the AWA Tag-Team Championship, but were later de-throned by the legendary team of The Crusher and Baron Von Rashke.

   Blackwell became a face immediately after winning a battle-royal, when he was attacked by Al-Kaissey and Bruiser Brody (billed as "King Kong Brody" in the AWA out of respect for Dick the Bruiser). Blackwell began teaming with Greg Gagne in a feud against Al-Kaissey and King Kong Brody, and later teamed with Sgt. Slaughter in a feud against the Road Warriors.

Blackwell received numerous title shots at Stan Hansen and Curt Hennig throughout 1986 and 1987. But due to poor health, he stopped wrestling full-time, making only sporadic appearances thereafter. Blackwell made his last appearance in the AWA during a television taping in Rochester, Minnesota in October 1989.

Wrestling in a singles match against Tom Stone and in a 6-man tag team match with Bobby Fulton and Jackie Fulton against Johnny Valiant, Mike Enos, and Wayne Bloom, the AWA took the opportunity to push an angle between Blackwell and Adnan's new protege Kokina Maximus, but the match never took place.

## Death

In later years, Blackwell suffered from health problems including diabetes, gangrene, and gout. He also suffered from personal losses, such as the death of his son, a subsequent divorce, and the loss of his business. Blackwell came close to death after kidney failure and pneumonia, and suffered several automobile accidents.

In December 1994, he was injured in another automobile accident. On January 22, 1995, Jerry Blackwell died at the age of 45, due to complications from injuries sustained from the accident.
Chris Duffy

**Christopher Thomas Duffy** (July 7, 1965 – August 25, 2000) was an American professional wrestler who appeared primarily under the name **Chris Duffy**. He was a mainstay on the New England independent circuit during the late 1980s and 1990s, most notably competing for the International Wrestling Federation (IWF). Duffy was also notable for his sporadic appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1986-1997.

## Professional wrestling career

Duffy was trained by wrestling legend Killer Kowalski in Massachusetts. He began wrestling with the WWF in 1986, appearing frequently as a jobber.

   He would lose to the likes of Bret "The Hitman" Hart, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Tito Santana. However, most notable appearance was a lost to Mike Shaw when he was Friar Ferguson on the 12th episode of Monday Night Raw on April 12, 1993. This was the only time Frair Ferguson gimmick was utilized and afterwards became Bastion Booger.

His only victory was over Scott Taylor who later became Scotty 2 Hotty during the Attitude Era, on a house show. His last match was a lost to a young Mark Henry on Saturday Night Shotgun on December 8, 1997. Duffy played the Santa Clause who got stunned by Stone Cold Steve Austin on RAW.

## Death

Wrestling on the New England independent circuit at the time of his death, Duffy died on August 25, 2000 of a brain aneurysm in his sleep.

Multiple web sources had previously noted a seizure or heart attack as the culprit, but it was later made clear that it was a brain aneurysm. After his death, donations of Chris's organs and tissues gave sight to two women and his tissue donation helped 45 others. TBI and the New England Organ bank hosted an event at December 5, 2013, at Braintree Town Hall to decorate Duffy's portrait. Sandy Duffy, his mother, put the finishing touches on his arrangement.
Joey Marella

**Joey Marella** (February 28, 1963 – July 4, 1994) was an American professional wrestling referee for the World Wrestling Federation.

## Professional wrestling career

   Joey Marella was the son of WWF legend and commentator Robert "Gorilla Monsoon" Marella. Their relationship was alluded to through off-handed insults against the younger Marella lobbed by Monsoon's commentating partners Jesse Ventura and Bobby Heenan but never acknowledged on television.

At times, Monsoon joined in on the joke by complaining about Marella's calls in the ring. Mostly though Monsoon would usually just give his usual cry of "Will you stop" when Ventura, Heenan or any other heel announcer would make an insult about Marella's refereeing, most often about his count of five during a tag-team match where there was "illegal double teaming" taking place which they felt was biased towards the babyface wrestler(s). Of course all comments were in good fun as at the time kayfabe was still a large part of professional wrestling and the average television viewer didn't or wasn't supposed to know that Monsoon and Marella were real life father and son. Joey Marella joined the World Wrestling Federation beginning in 1983, and he moved through the ranks until he was often assigned many feature promotion matches.

In 1987, he served as the referee for the much-hyped match between Hulk Hogan and André the Giant at WrestleMania III, as well as the 1992 SummerSlam main event of Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith. He was also part of the controversy at the 1994 Royal Rumble match in which he and former WWF referee Earl Hebner couldn't decide between Lex Luger and Bret Hart as to who had won the match. Marella also appeared in the 1989 movie *No Holds Barred* as a referee during a wrestling match.

## Death

Joey Marella died on July 4, 1994, after he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed while driving home on Beverly-Rancocas Road in Willingboro after a night of refereeing WWF matches in Ocean City, Maryland. Bruno Lauer, better known by his ring name Harvey Wippleman, was with him at the time and was critically injured. Lauer was wearing a seatbelt, while Marella was not. As a tribute, WWE ring announcer Tony Chimel named one of his sons after Marella. Marella's sister Valerie also named a son after her brother.
Frankie Hill Murdoch

**Hoyt Richard Murdoch Sr.** (May 10, 1909 – December 17, 1969) was an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name **Frankie Hill Murdoch**. He was the stepfather of Dick Murdoch.

## Professional wrestling career

Born on May 10, 1909, Murdoch started wrestling in the early 1930s, first around Oakland, California. Over the next few years, he predominantly competed in his native Texas, as well as other locations like Alabama and Ohio. He won the Southern Light Heavyweight Championship in Louisiana on July 25, 1939 from Jack Curtis, until he dropped the title back to him the following year.

In early 1944, Murdoch donned a mask and adopted the identity of The Bat. The following years saw him involved in a series of matches pitting himself against the likes of Sailor Watkins, Wild Red Berry, and Dick Trout. On November 25, 1947, The Bat was unmasked by Kala Pasha. He also engaged in bloody matchups against Danny McShain. He masked up again, this time as the Black Demon before he was unmasked by Charley Keene and Jack Welch on April 28, 1948.

Murdoch had a notable feud against Dory Funk Jr. in Amarillo during the early 1950s. Funk's son Dory would recall about a match between Murdoch and Funk in a 2019 blog post, in which he and his brother Terry were in attendance; Murdoch would win the bloody battle via disqualification.

On May 18, 1950, Frank Murdoch defeated Wayne Martin to win the NWA Southwest States Junior Heavyweight Championship. Though he dropped it to Ray Clements on July 26, he won back the title on August 3 until losing it on September 4 to Bob Cummings. He won the championship for a final time by defeating Dory Funk on June 13, 1951, holding it for months until dropping it on November 1 to Dizzy Davis.

He also won the NWA Southwest States Tag Team Championship with Jim Austeri on August 28, 1955, though they only held the gold for a day. Murdoch continued to wrestle until competing in his last documented match on March 8, 1961, which was a disqualification victory for his opponent Domingo Chapa.

## Death

Murdoch died from a heart attack on December 17, 1969, at the age of 60 and was suffering from diabetes.
Saul Weingeroff

**Solomon "Saul" Weingeroff** (March 6, 1916 – March 14, 1988) was an American professional wrestling manager, known by his ring name **"Gentleman" Saul Weingeroff**.

## Professional wrestling career

Often using his signature cane as well as fireballs (one of the earliest managers to do so) to aid in the victories of his wrestlers, he and the Von Brauners were one of the most popular "heels" in the National Wrestling Alliance during the early 1960s both for the Von Brauners Nazi-like in ring personas as well as his eccentric antics such as his entering the 1964 U.S. presidential election.

The cause of rioting in several major cities, the trio often needed to have a police escort before and after wrestling events. A well known personality in the Memphis-area, he and The Spoilers (Lorenzo Parente and Joey Corea) also had a long running feud with manager J.C. Dykes and The Masked Infernos (Frankie Cain and Rocky Smith) over the NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship during the late 1960s.

Among others he had managed during his near 30-year career included The Masked Strangler, Sweet Daddy Watts, "Pistol" Pez Whatley, The Legionnaires (Sgt. Jacques Goulet and Soldier LeBeouf), The Spoilers (Lorenzo Parente and Joey Corea), Mephisto and Dante, Tojo Yamamoto and Sugi Sito (and later Johnny Long), Sputnik and Rocket Monroe and Angelo and Lanny Poffo. He was also the father of wrestler George Weingeroff.

Weingeroff retired in 1976. Operating a sign shop in downtown Nashville in his later years, he was also a regular guest columnist for Lew Eskin's *Official Wrestling*, *Wrestling Monthly* and *Wrestling Review*.

## Death

Weingeroff died at Baptist Hospital on March 14, 1988, at the age of 72, having suffered a stroke earlier that month as well as in January.
Brian Cox

**Brian George Cox** (September 10, 1969 - March 23, 2003) was an American professional wrestler.

## Professional wrestling career

Born in Santa Ana, California on September 10, 1969, Brian George Cox was a famous wrestler in the Pacific Northwest on the Portland independent scene.

Cox proved to be an accomplished tag team wrestler, teaming with such greats like Art Barr and Eddie Guerrero, which was evident by his championship reigns. He was a 4 time Oregon Tag Team Champion, as well as a successful singles wrestler, becoming an 8 time PNW Heavyweight Champion.

On December 14, 1997 Brian Cox took part in a tryout dark match for WCW Nitro, defeating Volcano Kid.

## Death

Cox died of a heart attack on March 23, 2003 at his Tigard, Oregon apartment at the age of 33.
Ricky Romero

**Henry Romero** (May 24, 1931 – January 15, 2006) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, **"Rapid" Ricky Romero**. Romero was best known for his appearances in Texas during the 1970s.

## Professional wrestling career

He wrestled in every major market between 1955 into the 1980s. Ricky tagged with the likes of Pedro Morales in the World Wrestling Association (WWA), Terry Funk and Nick Bockwinkel in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), and Rito Romero in the WWF. He got his huge break, when Dory Funk Sr. brought him into the Amarillo, Texas area during a time of segregation between races. Ricky Romero was the first Hispanic wrestler in the area and gained a fan given nickname "SuperMex".

In 1972 he beat Terry Funk in a most popular wrestler contest in Amarillo, was a top draw for Gory Guerrero in El Paso, Texas as well as for Fritz Von Erich in Dallas, Texas, and Paul Boesch in Houston, Texas. He was such a top draw in the Rocky Mountain area Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, that Dory Sr. invented the Rocky Mountain Title just for Ricky which he retired in the early 80s.

Ricky Romero as a singles wrestler, went up against the likes of Lou Thesz, Gorgeous George, Wild Red Berry, and Jack Brisco. Romero was also one of the first pioneers to work for Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki in Japan, wearing a mask as *Mexico Grand'* as a heel. Ricky Romero retired as a professional wrestler in the early 1980s.

In 1981 Romero appeared in Portland wrestling as "Chief Youngblood" and was kayfabe injured by Buddy Rose in an angle involving Romero's son Jay Youngblood.

## Death

On January 15, 2006 Ricky Romero died at the age of 74 after years of complications due to diabetes..
Ken Lucas

**Ken Lucas** (August 20, 1940 – August 6, 2014) was an American professional wrestler who won many tag and singles championships in the southern US National Wrestling Allianceterritories between 1960 and 1985.

## Professional wrestling career

Born in Arizona, Ken Lucas began his professional wrestling career in 1960 by wrestling for a territory in Tucson, which was owned by Monte LaDue. In May 1962, he won his first title, the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship, with "Iron" Mike DiBiase. He would win two more with Hans Steiner in 1963, before leaving the Tucson area in 1964. During his time in Tucson, he also made stops in Pittsburgh, Hawaii, and Denver.

Lucas later set his eyes on working in Amarillo with Dory Funk Jr. He stayed there until 1965, and also worked in Fort Worth during his time there. In 1964, Lucas went to the Tri-State area of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma, working for Leroy McGuirk. He spent fifteen years in the area, before Bill Watts took the reins in 1979. During his tenure there, Lucas held two NWA Louisiana Heavyweight Championships and four NWA Mississippi Heavyweight Championships, among other titles.

Lucas went to the Gulf Coast area in 1964, and competed in the area, on and off, for over two decades. During that time, he would hold eleven NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Championships, fifteen NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Championships with a total of eleven different partners, five NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championships, two NWA City of Mobile Heavyweight Championships, and two NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Championships, among other titles.

Lucas joined the Mid-America area ran by Nick Gulas in 1968. When Jerry Jarrett broke away from Gulas to form the Championship Wrestling Association in Memphis, he went back and forth between Nashville and Memphis for three years until Gulas's promotion closed in 1980. He won several Tag Team Championships within the area and one NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship.

Lucas went back to Texas for Southwest Championship Wrestling in 1982. While there, he won two Tag Team Championships with Ricky Morton, whom Lucas trained four years earlier in Tennessee. In 1984, Lucas joined the American Wrestling Association in Minneapolis. At this point of his career, it was winding down, so he was reduced to the role of a jobber. After a year with the AWA, Lucas retired after 25 years in the ring.

## Death

On August 6, 2014, Lucas died at his home in Arizona at the age of 74.
Mike Clancy

**Cristopher J. Clancy** (September 9, 1924 – June 11, 1988), better known as **Mike Clancy**, was an American professional wrestler, sheriff and businessman known for his time with the National Wrestling Alliance.

## Professional wrestling career

Clancy attended Warren Academy and wrestled as an amateur in his youth. During World War II, he served in the United States Coast Guard. He began his professional wrestling career in 1945 at the close of the war.

Clancy was a mainstay for various National Wrestling Alliance promotions over the next decade and on April 10, 1956, he captured his first world title by defeating Ed Francis for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Clancy lost the title for the final time against Angelo Savoldi in 1958.

Clancy defeated Jackie Fargo for the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship in December 1959 and also won the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Oni Wiki and the United States Tag Team Championship with former rival Al Lovelock, aka the Great Bolo.

During one match, he was attacked by Mr. Moto outside the ring with a shoe. Moto was a native of Hawaii but was billed from Japan, whom the United States had only recently accepted surrender from, ending World War II. One fan became so enraged at the attack that he took out a knife and indicted to a security guard called Billy Jack that he intended to "kill the bad guy". Jack, who was armed, told the fan that he disliked Moto also and told him to do it. As the fan approached the ring, Jack disarmed him from behind and stopped the potential assault.

After his retirement from wrestling in 1967, Clancy relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he became the owner of "Clancy's Pizza Parlor" and county Sheriff.

## Death

Clancy died on June 11, 1988, at the age of 63.
Rito Romero

**Rito Romero Loza** (May 19, 1927 – January 18, 2001) was a successful luchador who wrestled in Mexico and in the NWA territories of Texas and Los Angeles. He appeared in several films in his native country along with a number of other luchadors.

## Professional wrestling career

Romero was trained as a luchador by Diablo Velasco, a man also responsible for the training of Mil Máscaras and Gory Guerrero. His early career was spent in Mexico, making his debut in Guadalajara at aged just 15, having been in training for the previous 3 years.

He began finding title success upon becoming a regular in NWA Texas (which would become World Class Championship Wrestling. With tag-team partner Black Guzmán (brother of El Santo) he would win the NWA Texas Tag Team titles 3 times, winning the same belts a further 5 times with different partners including Pepper Gomez. He would also co-hold the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) twice (the belts being recognised as World Championships by WCCW and Dory Funk's Amarillo territory).

As a singles competitor he had the distinction of being the inaugural NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Champion of the Los Angeles territory in 1953 as well as being a two-time NWA Texas Jr. Heavyweight Title back in the region in which he remained a perennial star. He was also known for his innovation of the *Romero Special*/*La Tapatia* submission manoeuver, commonly known as the *Surfboard*.

He became NWA Texas Heavyweight Champion twice, on the second occasion winning the title from Verne Gagne on 27 October 1950. In between his first title reign in 1949 and his retirement there was only one year (1960) during which Rito Romero did not enjoy at least some time with a championship.

During his career he became friends with the legendary Lou Thesz (against whom he had his biggest match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at a time when he was NWA Texas Heavyweight Champion) and travelled Europe with him. Thesz esteemed Romero so highly as to rate him as a better performer than his contemporaries El Canek and Gory Guerrero.

## Death

Rito Romero suffered a fatal heart attack on January 17, 2001. He had gone into hospital in his hometown of Guadalajara on the 16th with high blood-sugar levels where it was discovered he was suffering from appendicitis. Bored of being in the hospital, he decided to check himself. While remonstrating with the hospital workers who were trying to make him return to his bed, he collapsed.
Eddie Graham

**Edward Gossett** (better known as **Eddie Graham**) (January 15, 1930 – January 21, 1985) was an American professional wrestler from Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was also the promoter for Championship Wrestling from Florida.

## Professional wrestling career

**Edward F. Gossett** started wrestling in 1947 in Texas at the age of 17 after being trained by Cowboy Luttrell. He was sometimes billed as the brother of "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers under the name of **Rip Rogers**. He lost a loser-leaves-town match to Pepper Gomez in May 1958.
In June 1958, he changed his ring name to **Eddie Graham** and was billed as the brother of Dr. Jerry Graham. He wrestled with Jerry in the NWA Capitol wrestling territory in the NE US, the forerunner of the WWWF.

From 1958 through 1960, Eddie and Jerry teamed up and feuded with Mark Lewin and Don Curtis over the 'NWA' United States Tag Team Championship (Capitol version), which would lead in a direct line to the WWWF US tag titles.

In the spring of 1960, Eddie left the team and went to the National Wrestling Alliance's territory in Florida to wrestle. In 1968, Eddie was lacing his boots in the locker room and a 75 pound steel window fell on his head and tore both his retinas and caused him to get 300 stitches.

   The Florida State Legislature awarded him $23,000 for the incident. According to Jim Wilson) in his book *Chokehold*, Graham's eyesight was poor because of blade jobs, and because he needed surgery to correct the problem and could not afford the money, he had some wrestlers tamper with the window in order to pass it off as though it was the responsibility of the building. This allegation is disputed by eyewitnesses.

Eddie took over booking and promoting for Championship Wrestling from Florida in 1971. He wrestled with his son, Mike Graham, until 1977, when he retired from the ring due to health problems. He was the President of the NWA from 1976 to 1978, thanks in part to Gordon Solie and Dusty Rhodes; Graham was absent as NWA President in 1977 and 1978 due to serious health problems he suffered from, and was forced to step down as a result.

## Death

Eddie remained as the promoter until January 21, 1985, when he committed suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His son Mike and grandson Stephen died the same way. Graham shares a memorial with his wife Lucielle.
Floyd Creatchman

**Floyd Creatchman** (25 June 1957 – 25 October 2003) was a Canadian professional wrestling manager and sports agent.

## Professional wrestling career

Floyd "Pretty Boy" Creatchman was born on June 25, 1957 to Goldie Reisler and Eddie Creatchman.

In the 1970s, Creatchman entered the ring for his first professional wrestling match. He was nicknamed “Le Petit Juif” which translates into English as “The Little Jew”, the name was in reference to his father Eddie who was well known for wearing his Star of David necklace.

In the late 1970s he followed in his father's footsteps and transitioned into a Wrestling Manager, working in Big Time Wrestling (Detroit), Tennessee and the USA Midwest. His alias was “Leslie Floyd Creatchman III”.

By the mid 1980s in Montreal Lutte Internationale, Creatchman preferred to be called a “Sports Agent” rather than a Wrestling Manager. He was also known as a wrestling announcer & commentator.

He hosted the Lutte Internationale “Creatchman’s Corner” segment on CFCF-DT, where he interviewed various wrestlers from his office or luxurious Penthouse Apartment. Creatchman and his father were the owners of Lutte Internationale in Montreal from 1986 to 1987.

## Death

Creatchman died on October 25, 2003, at the age of 46, and had been suffering from Crohn's disease.
Kurt Von Stroheim

**Willi Kurt Rutkowsky** (December 19, 1923 – February 17, 1993) was a German professional wrestler who wrestled as **Kurt Von Stroheim** and **Kurt Von Brauner.**

## Biography

### Early years

Willi Kurt Rutkowsky was born in Germany in 1923. He was interned by the Nazis during World War II.

### Professional wrestling

Rutkowsky was wrestling in Berlin by 1954 under the name, Johnny Stein. He met up with fellow wrestler Walter Nurnberg in 1960 in Detroit to form the Von Stroheims. While there, they wrestled under Bert Ruby. He earned a shot at Dory Funk Jr's NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship on March 4, 1969.

The Von Stroheims were billed as brothers even though they were actually cousins. As common with German themed villainous wrestlers such as the Von Brauners and Kurt Von Hess, they shaved their heads, had mustaches and wore black. They wrestled in multiple territories including Hawaii, Central States Wrestling, NWA Mid-America, Jim Crockett Promotions, Championship Wrestling from Florida, amongst others.

The team won the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship on May 13, 1963, lost the titles and won them back on January 16, 1964. The team won the NWA International Tag Team Championship in July 1964 and lost the titles within the same month. They won the WWA Tag Team Championship in February 1965. The team won the NWA Florida World Tag Team Championship on October 23, 1965, and won the titles again on September 5, 1967. The team then captured the IWA World Tag Team Championship in June 1967.

After the Von Stroheim's broke up in 1967, he wrestled as a singles competitor. However, Rutgowsky found another identity as the second incarnation of the Kurt Von Brauner character, teaming with the original Kurt Von Brauner, Jimmy Brawner. He wrestled until he was 62.

### Later years

After wrestling, Rutkowsky became a termite carpenter. He was said to have died in 1985, which was false. On February 17, 1993, the man who portrayed Kurt Von Stroheim died at the age of 69.
Steve Doll

**Steven Lyle Doll** (December 9, 1960 – March 22, 2009) was an American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as **Steven Dunn** in the tag team Well Dunn.

## Professional wrestling career

Born on December 9, 1960 in Dallas, Texas, Steven Lyle Doll began training in 1984 with Rick and John Davidson. In May 1985, he debuted for Mid South Wrestling against Dick Slater in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was half of a jobber tag team that wrestled the Blade Runners (Sting and Warrior) in their first match in the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) in 1985.

He wrestled for Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) from 1987 to 1992, winning a total of four Pacific Northwest Heavyweight titles and eighteen Pacific Northwest Tag Team titles in teams with Scott Peterson, Jimmy Jack Funk, Crush, The Grappler, and Rex King.

With Peterson, Doll formed The Southern Rockers in 1987. Rex King joined him in the Southern Rockers when Scott Peterson left wrestling in 1989. As a tag team they wrestled together for over a decade, including when they signed together with the WWF, becoming known as Steven Dunn and Timothy Well, known then as Well Dunn.

Steve Doll joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1993 alongside his Southern Rocker teammate Rex King, and they became known as Well Dunn (Steven Dunn and Timothy Well) and were managed by Harvey Wippleman.

Their gimmick was essentially made as heel male strippers with thongs and bowties included. They were used primarily as an undercard tag team but feuded with The Bushwhackers on several episodes of *Monday Night Raw*. He left WWF in early 1995 along with King due to injuries.

Steve Doll was wrestling The Mauler on *WCW Monday Nitro* when Scott Hall debuted in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) to start the nWo angle on May 27, 1996. He was a jobber who left the company later that year.

Doll went to the United States Wrestling Association as Steven Dunn. He defeated Doomsday for the USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. He was the last wrestler to hold that distinction until the USWA folded in 1997.

He formed a tag team with Reno Riggins known as The Tennessee Volz. They primarily competed in Music City Wrestling, which was syndicated throughout the United States, but would also appear in various promotions in KY, TN and IN. Their matches and promos on Music City Wrestling television were often the highlight of the program. Doll went to the New Age Wrestling Alliance, in 1999, teaming up with Adam Rose. They defeated the tag team champions, CJ Stardust and Chris Alexander, in Crossville Tennessee. He retired from wrestling in 2003.

## Death

In May 2006, Doll was hospitalized after suffering a seizure, which was related to an intestinal blockage. He underwent successful surgery at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.

On March 22, 2009, Doll died in his sleep at the age of 48. His former tag team partner Reno Riggins attributed his death to heart and kidney failure. However, Doll's family later revealed that he had died of a blood clot from his lung that reached his heart.
Silo Sam

**John Elmo Harris** (September 12, 1952 – April 19, 2005) was an American professional wrestler and actor, who became known under his ring name **Silo Sam**.

## Professional wrestling career

Harris played basketball before his wrestling career. In 1984, he started wrestling professionally and first appeared under the ring name *"Big John Harris"* in Jerry Jarrett's Memphis-based *CWA*.

In 1985, he worked as *"Little John"* for Fritz Von Erich's World Class Championship Wrestling and acted as the bodyguard for The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers). He would guide *The Fantastics* to winning the tag team titles in March 1987.

In 1986, he had a short appearance for the American Wrestling Association as Silo Sam. Because of his large size, he primarily wrestled in handicap matches. He was interviewed by AWA's Ken Rensick and replied to his questions with "Yup".

At one point in June 1987, he made an appearance in WWE as *Trapper John* and wrestled in a dark match, but was never used again. He remained under the WWF’s payroll for about a year, unused and never brought into television tapings. He retired from professional wrestling by 1990.

During the midst of his wrestling career, Harris played minor roles in several films. These films include *Tell Me a Riddle*, *Blood Circus* and *Pee-wee's Big Adventure*, as Andy, a jealous boyfriend who chased Pee Wee.

## Death

On April 19, 2005, Harris died at the age of 52 of unknown causes possibly related to gigantism.
Fuzzy Cupid

**Leon Vienne Stap** (September 24, 1928 – April 26, 1979) was an American midget professional wrestler best known under the ring name **Fuzzy Cupid**.

## Early years

Leon Stap was born to parents of normal height. At the age of seven, Stap had infantile paralysis that caused him to be hospitalized for six years. He did not enter public school until the age of seventeen. Prior to entering the world of professional wrestling, he played the role of Grumpy in a traveling production of *Snow White*.

## Professional wrestling career

Stap first saw a midget professional wrestling match in Texas and was invested, deciding to try the sport. He later went to Detroit to train at the advice of promoter Norman Brown.

In the 1950s, he toured Ontario with other midget wrestlers such as Little Beaver, Lord Littlebrook, and Sky Low Low. During the 1960s, Fuzzy Cupid served as a frequent tag team partner with Low Low. The duo competed in the World Wide Wrestling Federation against the midget tag team of Tiny Tim and Pancho López.

During his career, he was sometimes managed by Jack Birttoon. Fuzzy Cupid played the role of the bad guy and was on the receiving end of crowd violence, enduring a fractured vertebra and a four-inch blade wound. He wrestled his final matches in 1969 and was said to have made up to twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) per year as a wrestler.

## Death

Stap died on April 26, 1979, at the age of 50, with initial sources stating his year of death to be 1976.
Pat Roach

**Francis Patrick Roach** (19 May 1937 – 17 July 2004) was an English professional wrestler, martial artist and actor. During an acting career between the 1970s and the 1990s, he appeared in multiple films, usually as a henchman, due to his large size.

He appeared in the *Indiana Jones* film series, as the West Country bricklayer Brian "Bomber" Busbridge in the 1980s British television series *Auf Wiedersehen, Pet*, and in the role of Petty Officer Edgar Evans in the television production *The Last Place on Earth*.

## Professional wrestling career

Roach boxed as an amateur before becoming professional as a protege of Jack Solomons.

He began his professional wrestling career under the name of "Judo" Pat Roach. After his acting career had begun, he continued to wrestle under the name of "Bomber" Pat Roach, having previously been billed as "Big" Pat Roach before receiving affectionate cheering from the audience.

Trained by Alf Kent, his first official wrestling match was against George Selko in 1960. Roach held both the British and European heavyweight championships at one time. He appeared at Legends Of Wrestling at the Colston Hall and never wrestled in the United States.

## Death

Roach died at the age of 67 on July 17, 2004 of esophageal cancer.
Omer Marchessault

**Omer Marchessault** (1913 - December 26, 1996) was a Canadian professional wrestler, referee, and firefighter.

## Professional wrestling career

Early in life, Marchessault attempted to qualify for the Canadian wrestling team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, but when that didn't work out, he turned into a professional. Marchessault wrestled, albeit part-time, for 14 years.

At the same time, Marchessault had a job as a firefighter, and the down-time at the firehall provided the perfect opportunity for him to sculp his figure in the gym. He was named Mr. Canada in 1950 due to getting in shape. Marchessault worked for the Montreal fire department from 1938 to 1969.

The fire department was deemed uncomfortable with Marchessault wrestling and they wanted him to wear a mask as a result. During this time, the barrel chested Marchessault adopted the villanious identity of the Masked Marvel. He told a Montreal newspaper in 1989: *“I was fire lieutenant in Montreal at the time and it was bad enough that I was a professional wrestler. But wrestling as a villain … well, that was simply unacceptable.”*

Two of the most famous matches in Montreal in the 1970s were refereed by Marchessault, including the 1972 battle of the giants between Giant Jean Ferre (Andre the Giant) and Don Leo Jonathan in front of 20,347 people, where he disqualified Ferre, and the 1973 card at Jarry Park headlined by Mad Dog Vachon vs. Killer Kowalski, which Mad Dog won. He retired from calling the action in 1975.

In 1983, Marchessault was hired by the provincial athletic commission to be a timekeeper at wrestling, boxing and kickboxing shows. He was involved as a timekeeper during some World Wrestling Federation (WWF) shows that took place in Montreal in the 1980s. In September 1995, the WWF honored him at the final Montreal Forum show along with Bob ‘Legs’ Langevin for their 60 years of service to pro wrestling in Montreal.

## Death

Marchessault died at the St Luc Hospital on December 26, 1996, after a long illness at the age of 83.
Chief Little Wolf

**Ventura Tenario** (November 25, 1911 – November 13, 1984), better known by his ring name **Chief Little Wolf**, was an American professional wrestler who spent much of his career wrestling in Australia and New Zealand.

## Early life

Ventura Tenario was born on November 25, 1911, and enlisted in the United States Army from May 1943 served until January 1945. He served in the European Theater of Operations in World War II.

## Professional wrestling career

Tenario began wrestling in 1929, though other sources state 1932. In February 1935, the (then) reigning heavyweight champion, Jim Londos was suspended in California, Illinois, and New York for failing to appear for his scheduled World Heavyweight Championship (Pacific Northwest) title defense against Tenario. According to Tenario, the organisers offered him the title, but he refused to claim it without winning a bout.

Tenario made his first Australian appearance on 28 August 1937, in a match against Hal Rumberg at West Melbourne; the press noted that "Chief Little Wolf is at present ranked third on the list of world heavy weights".

In 1947, Ringmaster noted that "his capacity for absorbing punishment seems to be unlimited, and he has the power and stamina to keep handing it out indefinitely". In Australia, from 1937 to 1958, "he fought more than a hundred individual wrestlers in more than a thousand contests"; and, in addition to his stadium wrestling he had a travelling tent-show, in which he demonstrated professional wrestling holds, told Navajo stories, and performed horse-riding tricks, with which he toured most of Australia — claiming, in 1953, that seventy-five percent of the Australian people had physically seen him either as a wrestler or as a tent-show performer.

Tenario suffered a debilitating stroke that badly affected one side of his body and face in 1958. He retired from wrestling, and never worked again. He lived at Mount Royal Special Hospital for the Aged, in Parkville, Victoria, from 1961 to 1980, when he returned to the United States.

He fought in 1,141 matches for 501 wins, 178 draws, and 357 defeats; his opponents included: Lord James Blears, Warren Bockwinkel, Paul Boesch, Orville Brown, Jack Claybourne, Man Mountain Dean, Dean Detton, Yukon Eric, Ken Fenelon, Gorgeous George, Otto Kuss, Dave Levin, Ed Lewis, Jim Londos, Wild Bill Longson, Bobby Managoff, Mike Mazurki, Bronko Nagurski, Danno O'Mahoney, Harold Sakata, "Jumping Joe" Savoldi, Frank Sexton, Kinji Shibuya, Gus Sonnenberg, Sándor Szabó, Lou Thesz, and George Zaharias.

## Death

On 13 November 1984, Tenario, who knew he did not have much time left, died at his home in Denver, Colorado at the age of 72.
Diceman

**Robert Anthony Hornack** (September 27, 1981 - August 14, 1999) was an American professional wrestler who was known as **Diceman**.

## Professional wrestling career

Born on September 27, 1981 in Intercourse, Pennsylvania, and trained by TC Reynolds, (The) Diceman would primarily wrestle for the Allied Powers Wrestling Federation (APWF), which was founded in 1998. He had ambitions to start wrestling growing up; his favorite wrestler was Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

On Mother's Day 1999, Rob had his first match in Indiana against a wrestler named The Nugget, in which Rob was victorious. At the APWF Armageddon event on July 30, 1999, Diceman won the vacant APWF Television Title in a battle royal. The other participants included Blaze and Pig Vomit and Eli Yoder and The Midnight Rider and Charlie Mansun and Terry Stryder and Red Hot and Hollywood Johnny Tambo and Tyrone Sanford and The Apostle John 3:16 and The Postman.

Unfortunately, his career did not last a full year, and only about three months. The APWF Television Title was retired in his honor.

## Death

Hornack died after being hit by a big wave while visiting a beach on August 14, 1999. He was 17. Medical examiner Dr. Judith Tobin ruled his cause of death as asphyxia due to drowning. He had been vacationing in the area with his sister and two friends, and the four had driven all night from Pennsylvania to enjoy a vacation at the beach.