Danny Little Bear

**Danny Little Bear** (September 13, 1937 – May 12, 1991) was an American professional wrestler who competed in North American regional promotions including the National Wrestling Alliance, particularly the Central States and Gulf Coast territories, where he remained one of the region's most popular stars during the 1960s and 70s.

## Professional wrestling career

Danny Little Bear made his professional wrestling debut in 1956 at age 30. Spending the next several years competing in various Southeastern regional promotions, he gained considerable experience while in Championship Wrestling from Florida and Georgia Championship Wrestling during the early 1960s. In 1966, he left the area in early August.

The following year, he would defeat Jack Dalton for the Louisiana Heavyweight Championship in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on February 3 and, with Bobby Fields, defeated Jack and Frank Dalton for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship on February 21, 1967. Losing the Louisiana Heavyweight title to Ken Lucas on March 31 and the tag team titles back to the Daltons on April 11, he and Luke Brown would defeat Dick Murdoch and K.O. Kox in Kansas City, Missouri three months later to win the NWA North American Tag Team Championship on June 30.

The two would defend the titles for a little more than a month before Brown walked out on Danny Little Bear during a match on September 4. He later regained the tag team titles teaming with Stan Pulaski to defeat Tarzan Tyler and The Viking in a tournament final for the tag team titles on September 18. Although losing the titles to Luke Brown and The Ox the following month, Danny Little Bear teamed with The Viking to recapture the tag team titles from his former tag team partner in St. Joseph, Missouri on November 7. Holding the titles for less than two weeks, they would lose the titles to K.O. and Killer Karl Kox on November 20, 1967.

Two years later, Danny Little Bear won the NWA Central States Heavyweight championship in a tournament in St. Joseph on November 28, 1969. He held the title for over four months before losing the title to Roger Kirby on April 3, 1970.

He teamed with Omar Atlas to defeat Yasu Fuji and Chati Yokochi for the NWA North American Tag Team titles on January 27, 1972, before losing the titles back to Yasu Fuji and Chati Yokochi on February 10. Defeating Harley Race for the NWA Central States Heavyweight title in St. Joseph the following night, he made a brief appearance in Stampede Wrestling facing Sailor White on February 15 before returning to Kansas City to defeat Yasu Fuji and Chati Yokochi for the titles on March 9 before losing the titles back to Fuji and Yokochi in Wichita, Kansas two days later.

On March 29 at the St. Joseph City Auditorium, he would reunite with The Viking in the semi-main event to challenge Fuji and Yokochi for the tag team titles; however, the two began fighting with each other as the match started and were counted out. Later that night, he and The Viking would also be included in a 12½-man battle royal which included Bob Orton, Sr., Steve Bolus, Pat O'Connor, Terry Martin, Rufus R. Jones, "Black" Jack Black, Yasu Fuji and Chati Yokochi, Omar Atlas, Black Angus Campbell and Percival Friend. While attempting to throw Percival Friend over the top rope, Danny Little Bear would be eliminated by Earl Black. The winner was to receive a $1,250 purse as well as a title shot against then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk, Jr.

He and The Stomper would soon begin pursuing the NWA North American Tag Team Champions losing to them in a Texas Death Match on May 12. As the end of the match, as Danny Little Bear was about to pass out from a nervehold submission hold applied by Yasu Fuji, local and state police had to restrain several fans from entering the ring. They would also fight them to a no-contest in a Texas Tornado match which eventually involved much of the wrestlers backstage to break up the fight. Despite these setbacks, he and The Stomper were able to win the titles later that month.

During this time, he began feuding with Black Angus Campbell over the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship and soon lost the title to Campbell in Kansas City. Following the match, Campbell and his manager Percival A. Friend had to leave the arena under a police escort as fights started breaking out in the crowd.

A later rematch against Campbell in St. Joseph, Missouri resulted in a small riot that occurred when two fans attacked Campbell's manager Percival A. Friend breaking his nose and attempting to enter the ring on behalf of Danny Little Bear. However, police having been assigned to the auditorium, the fans were stopped before they could get to Campbell although promoter Gust Karras chose not to pursue charges against them. He and Omar Atlas would also lose the tag team titles to Campbell and Roger Kirby on June 29.

He continued to feud with Campbell and Kirby over the NWA Central States North American Tag Team titles facing them in a 2-of-3 falls match at the NWA Central States 40th Anniversary Show on September 22. Although Danny Little Bear took the first fall pinning Roger Kirby, he was pinned by Campbell while Kirby scored the third pinfall pinning Omar Atlas thanks in part to outside interference by Percival Friend.

In early 1974, he began wrestling for Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling defeating The Stomper for the Stampede North American Heavyweight title on April 12. Enjoying a five-month reign as Stampede North American Heavyweight Champion, he also faced Jack Brisco in a match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in Calgary, Alberta on June 5 before losing the title to John Quinn on September 13, 1974.

During the late 1970s, he would spend his last years in NWA Mid-America and teamed with Chief Thundercloud to defeat Dennis Condrey and Phil Hickerson for the NWA Mid-America Southern Tag Team Championship in November 1976. Successfully defending the titles against David Shults and Bill Ash, Gorgeous George, Jr. and J. J. Dillon and Dutch Mantel with partners including Plowboy Frazier, Jerry Lawler and Tommy Gilbert, they would lose the titles to Dutch Mantell and David Shults at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee on January 3, 1977. Although defeating Mantel and Shults by disqualification on January 9, they were unable to win the titles back.

Feuding with **The Bounty Hunters** (David and Jerry Novak) later that year, Danny Little Bear and Chief Thundercloud participated in a 10-man elimination match with The Bounty Hunters, Jerry Barber, Don Bass, The Boston Strangler, Al Costello, George Gulas and Tojo Yamamoto who eventually won the match on March 28. The following month, they would win the NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship. Teaming with "Pistol" Pez Whatley, he lost to Mid-West Champion Don Kent and Ed George and, during the same card, lost the NWA Tennessee Tag Team titles to "Crazy" Luke Graham and Ripper Collins on May 2. He retired from wrestling later on that year.

## Death

Danny Little Bear died from liver cancer on May 12, 1991, at the age of 53. He had been residing with his wife Mary Ann, whom he had a daughter and son with. Rumors also circulated that he was involved in trouble in the central states area due to involvement with underage girls.