Luke Brown

**Carl Dennis Campbell** (July 28, 1935 - November 12, 1997) was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name **Luke "Big Boy" Brown**. He is most noted for being one-half of a tag team in the 1950s and 1960s known as the Kentuckians, along with Grizzly Smith.

## Early life

Carl Dennis Campbell was an atlethic kid at 320 pounds and attended Xavier University in Ohio so he could play football after a duty tour for the US Marines. Brown knew Frank Stuart in high school and was responsible for breaking him into the business; he was later known as Dutch Savage.

## Professional wrestling career

Brown began his professional wrestling career in 1958, traveling with carnivals. Wrestler Frankie Townsend gave him the name "Man Mountain Campbell". Under this name, he had his first main event match on April 12, 1960 against Hans Schmidt in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His first match in Madison Square Gardens took place November 13, 1960 in a tag team match with Haystacks Calhoun against The Kangaroos.

For a short period during this time he tagged with Stan Stasiak. On June 8, 1961, they became the first tag team to ever hold the Toronto version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship. They defeated Pat Flanagan and Tony Marino and then Ivan and Karol Kalmikoff in a tournament to win this title. A week later, they successfully defended the championships against Whipper Billy Watson and Frank Townsend. Campbell and Stasiak lost the titles on September 7 to The Smith Brothers (Cyclone Smith & Hurricane Smith).

In 1961, he began teaming with Grizzly Smith. Now known as Luke Brown, the duo became known as The Kentuckians, and they were known for their long beards, dungarees, and cow horn. They competed against many teams, but the Kentuckians were highlighted for their feud with the Bolos, who would go on to be known as the Assassins, Jody Hamilton and Tom Renesto. In 1964, Brown and Smith went to the WWWF, where they competed against United States Tag Team Champions The Graham Brothers (Dr. Jerry Graham & Luke Graham) for their titles.

In many of their matches, The Assassins were joined by the Missouri Mauler and The Kentuckians teamed with Haystacks Calhoun. The Kentuckians biggest win over The Assassins came while competing in the Los Angeles-based World Wrestling Association on August 8, 1965, when they defeated their rivals to win the WWA World Tag Team Championship. They held the belts for several months before dropping them to Gorilla Monsoon and Luke Graham the following January. Later in 1966, Brown and Smith won the American Wrestling Association's Midwest Tag Team Championship.

In January 1967, the Kentuckians showed up in Japan's International Wrestling Enterprise. They challenged Antonio Inoki and Hiro Matsuda for the NWA World Tag Team Championship twice but lost by disqualification both times, although Inoki pinned Smith in the second fall of the second match.

The Kentuckians reunited in the NWA Tri-State territory. In an April 1971 match that was scheduled to see Bill Watts and Billy Red Lyons challenge Waldo Von Erich and Karl Von Brauner for the Tri-State version of the NWA United States Tag Team Championship, Smith and Brown took the place of the challengers. They won the match and the title belts but were stripped of the championship later that month. They continued to pursue the belts and regained them later that month, holding them until a loss to The Spoilers later that year.

He retired from professional wrestling in 1977 after a shoulder injury, but occasionally worked as a referee.

## Death

Campbell died on November 12, 1997, at a Washington, D.C. hospital, after suffering a stroke at the age of 62. He was in poor health during his last years of life, including kidney failure that required him to undergo dialysis. He was reportedly set to be discharged on the day of his passing. His former partner Grizzly Smith delivered the eulogy at his funeral.