Misplaced Pages

#626373

60-1060: (Redirected from NWA Pacific International Heavyweight Championship ) American professional wrestling championship NWA Pacific International Heavyweight Championship Details Promotion 50th State Big Time Wrestling Date established 1962 Date retired 1980 Other name(s) NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Hawaii) NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Hawaii) Statistics First champion(s) Nick Bockwinkel Most reigns King Curtis Iaukea ( 8 reigns ) Longest reign Johnny Barend (392 days) Shortest reign Gene Kiniski (20 days) Oldest champion Freddie Blassie (54 years, 169 days) Youngest champion Rick Martel (22 years) Heaviest champion Big John Studd (364 lb (165 kg; 26.0 st)) Lightest champion Freddie Blassie (220 lb (100 kg; 16 st)) The NWA Pacific International Heavyweight Championship

120-419: A best 2-of-3 falls match at The Sportatorium . Although taking the first pinfall, Keomuka pinned Lindsay with the help of outside interference by Tiny Mills . When referee Roy Carter was knocked unconscious outside the ring, wrestler Danny McShain made the count after Lindsay pinned Keomuka. Although controversial, the third fall was granted to Lindsay by referee decision. A week later, Lindsay met Keomuka in

180-519: A best 3-of-5 falls match which stipulated that their cornermen, Danny McShain and Tiny Mills, were to be locked in cages to prevent outside interference. However, both men broke out of their cages during the match and began brawling in the ring. The four men were broken up by referees Ray Gunkel and Otto Kuss who were forced to declare a no-contest. Later during the main event between McShain and Mills, Lindsay appeared to help McShain in his match. He and McShain later took on Duke Keomuka and Tiny Mills for

240-717: A draw at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. This was his last match in the Buffalo area. During the summer of 1955, he and George Dusette won the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship from Bulldog Curtis and Tommy Martinez on May 15. While still defending the tag team titles, he fought Lou Thesz to another draw in Portland on June 8. He and Dusette eventually lost the titles to Doug Donovan and Ivan Kameroff on June 11. Later that year, Lindsay

300-761: A draw with newly crowned NWA World Heavyweight Champion Whipper Billy Watson in Dayton, Ohio , on October 25, 1956. Years later while in Calgary, Watson would refuse to face him. In late 1957, Lindsay wrestled for promoter Pedro Martinez in Fort Erie, Ontario . Fighting to a draw with Wally Greb on September 21, Lindsay defeated Wild Bill Austin that same day in Buffalo. He later fought to draws with Joe Blanchard and Tiger Tasker. On December 17, he lost to NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dick Hutton in Dallas. In early 1959, he appeared in

360-482: A draw. On October 10, Lindsay defeated Bronko Nagurski in a best 2-of-3 match during the main event at the Tacoma Armory. Nagurski had pinned him after a series of flying tackles and a full body press , however Lindsay recovered to score the second fall after making Nagurski submit to a neckbreaker . Lindsay was eventually awarded the match when referee Freddie Steele disqualified Nagurski after refusing to break

420-867: A draw. He faced Lou Thesz again in a series of matches during late-November. Their first meeting in Tacoma, on November 24, resulted in another draw however he lost to Thesz in Tacoma on November 27 and in Eugene the next night. On January 10, he won his first major title winning the vacant NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship with Bobby Burns in Honolulu. He faced Thesz again the following spring where they fought to another draw in Portland on April 29 and Seattle on April 1, 1954. On April 9, he lost to Thesz via disqualification in Yakima. Later that year, he toured Northern Ontario with Ricky Waldo and The Black Panther. He and Jack Claybourne won

480-700: A draw. He and Mr. Puerto Rico teamed up against the Dixie Rebels ( Rebel I and Rebel II ) on November 14, but lost the match. After a match with Tony Marino in Westchester, New York , Lindsay left the territory. The following year, he won the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship from "Iron" Mike DiBiase on May 26 as well as the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team titles with Bing Ki Lee and Herb Freeman during

540-443: A fatal heart attack when he made the pin and died on top of his opponent. When Lindsay did not respond to the referee after scoring the pinfall, the police were called. Lindsay was taken back to the dressing room where he was declared dead shortly thereafter. His body was kept at his old alma mater, Hampton Institute , for a week before his burial. His funeral was attended by several well-known wrestlers including Les Thatcher who

600-607: A hold. According to promoter Paavo Ketonen, the winner was to receive a title shot against Lou Thesz for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He was one of several wrestlers who challenged the Seattle Ramblers to a football game known as the "Muscle Bowl" at Lincoln Bowl on October 11. The event was attended by 7,265 fans and was successful in raising as much as $ 5,000 for the Associated Boys' Clubs of

660-880: A match against Pancho Valdez and The Matador in Lexington, North Carolina , on July 6, 1968. Back in PNW, he and Dean Ho lost to NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Champions Moondog Mayne and Beauregard in Portland on September 19. He also fought to draw against NWA Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz in Salem on September 20. He won the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight title from Beauregard, substituting for Moondog Mayne, on November 30, 1968. Lindsay and Dean Ho also teamed up to defeat NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Champions Kurt and Karl Von Steiger via disqualification on December 21, 1968. He also teamed with Shag Thomas again to defeat

SECTION 10

#1732901418627

720-522: A singles match and fought him to a draw on December 4. After defeating El Shereef, Patterson and The Hangman in another 6-man tag team match on December 10, he defeated Pat Patterson in a singles match the following night. In early 1965, he was one of several African-American wrestlers to tour the Continental Wrestling Association with Sailor Art Thomas , King Toby and Tiger Conway, Sr. However, with segregation still in practice in

780-589: A six-week period. Despite losing a rematch to Frank Morrell in Charleston, South Carolina , on February 11, he and Frank Hester defeated Joe Soto and Tony Romano in Raleigh, North Carolina , the following week. On the night of February 21, 1972, Lindsay was facing local wrestler Bobby Paul at Park Center in Charlotte. Only ten minutes into the match, Lindsay pinned his opponent with a diving belly-flop. He apparently suffered

840-460: A utility pole to avoid hitting another vehicle. Escaping from the car, he was picked up by passing motorist who brought him to a local hospital for "emergency surgery" . He was replaced by Hodge and lost the tag team titles to The Destroyer and Art Michalik in Salem on September 9, 1963. He and Thomas managed to regain the titles on January 15 although they eventually lost the titles back to The Destroyer and Art Michalik on January 22. Lindsay left

900-492: A week: a taped show featuring interviews, vignettes and replays on Friday nights and a live show on Saturday afternoons. Hosted by Francis and Blears, 50th State Wrestling was at one point the most watched television program in Hawaii. Television tapings rotated between Hawaii , Kauai , and Maui . In 1973, the television program changed to International All-star Wrestling , a 90 minute show airing on KGMB each Saturday. After

960-748: A weekly television show which broadcast the first wrestling matches from the Honolulu International Center , and was attended by over 14,000 fans (5,300 of these watched the event live at the Civic Auditorium). The following night, he appeared in the main event against Curtis Iaukea for the NWA Hawaii United States Championship which sold out the Civic Arena. He returned to the Pacific Northwest later that year and

1020-622: The All Asia Tag Team Championship on February 3, 1962. After losing the titles back to the former champions, he returned to the United States where he met and lost to NWA World Heavyweight Champion "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers in Seattle on June 18. He teamed with longtime rival Shag Thomas to regain the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team titles defeating Kurt Von Poppenheim and Fritz Von Goering on July 21. Defeating Fritz Von Goering for

1080-478: The Aloha Stadium , however " A Hot Summer Night II " the following August was markedly less successful. In the late-1980s, the promotion suffered from a lack of large cities to promote in Hawaii, high costs of bringing in wrestlers with star power, and a lawsuit from a competitor. The promotion ultimately folded in 1988. Luther Lindsay Luther Jacob Goodall (December 30, 1924 – February 21, 1972)

1140-604: The Canadian Football League . Lindsey began wrestling professionally making his debut in 1950 or 1951. Taking the surname of his wife, Gertrude Lindsey, his earliest recorded match was against Al Tucker in Chicago, Illinois , for promoter Leonard Schwartz on November 21, 1951. As early as 1953, Lindsay was billed as the U.S. Colored or Negro Heavyweight Champion. He was one of the few African-Americans in professional wrestling and, in accordance with state segregation laws at

1200-599: The Capitol Wrestling Corporation for Vince McMahon, Sr. and Toots Mondt where he faced Chris Tolos , Emile Duprée and Hard Boiled Haggerty . In 1960, Lindsay began wrestling for Calgary -based Stampede Wrestling . Feuding with Don Leo Jonathan during his first few weeks in the promotion, he defeated Jonathan at the Sales Pavilion in Edmonton on March 29. Two days later, he also beat Mighty Ursus at

1260-527: The NWA Texas Tag Team Championship in a best-of-3 falls match at The Sportatorium on January 24. He and McShain lost the third fall by disqualification when Lindsay threw Mills over the top rope. He returned to the area four months later teaming with Pepper Gomez in a best 2-of-3 falls match against "Iron" Mike DiBiase and Danny Plechas as one of a series of matches for the vacant NWA Texas Tag Team titles on May 22. Plechas pinned Gomez for

SECTION 20

#1732901418627

1320-607: The National Guard was brought in amid fears of rioting , the crowd unexpectedly favored Lindsay against Wright. As a result of Lindsay's success in the area, other African-American wrestlers were also brought into the area such as Bearcat Wright and Bobcat Brown. In early 1953, he appeared in Washington where he faced George Dusette, the Masked Marvel, Carl Engstrom, Walter Kameroff, Jack Kiser, Bronko Lubich , Axel Cadier . He

1380-539: The National Wrestling Alliance . In the early-1950s, Karasick began expanding into Japan, lobbying NWA president Sam Muchnick to recognise Japan as his territory. By the 1960s, Hawaii was established as a hub for American wrestlers travelling to and from Japan. In 1961, Karasick retired from promoting, selling the territory to "Gentleman" Ed Francis , who rebranded it "50th State Big Time Wrestling". Francis continued promoting weekly Wednesday shows at

1440-523: The Pacific Northwest and Mid-Atlantic territory . A frequent rival and tag team partner of Shag Thomas , he also teamed with Bearcat Wright , Nick Bockwinkel , Pepper Gomez and was involved in feuds with "Iron" Mike DiBiase , Mad Dog Vachon , Beauregarde , Moondog Mayne , Tony Borne and Pat Patterson and The Hangman . For much of the early 1950s and '60s, Lindsay was billed as the U.S. Colored (or Negro) Heavyweight Champion and took part in

1500-547: The steel cage match and the backstage interview. Johnny Barend became infamous for his outlandish interviews, which began with him emerging from a coffin while smoking a cigar. In 1967, Barend married Annie Lum in the ring at the Honolulu International Center shortly before a title match. Francis secured a Saturday afternoon live television slot on KHVH-TV . As the promotion increased in popularity, it moved to KGMB and increased its output to two programs

1560-628: The Bloch Arena and monthly events at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena , retaining Lord James Blears as his booker and commentator. He operated the promotion for around one year before selling his territorial rights to Peter Maivia . Peter Maivia renamed the promotion "Polynesian Pro Wrestling". Following Maivia's death in June 1982, his wife Lia Maivia took over the promotion. In August 1985, Polynesian Pro Wrestling's " A Hot Summer Night " event drew thousands of fans to

1620-7033: The Bruiser July 15, 1963 BTW show Hawaii 1 114 6 King Curtis Iaukea November 6, 1963 BTW show Hawaii 3 N/A 7 Luther Lindsay June 1964 BTW show Hawaii 1 N/A 8 King Curtis Iaukea July 1964 BTW show Hawaii 4 N/A 9 Enrique Torres December 12, 1964 BTW show Hawaii 1 74 10 Hard Boiled Haggerty February 24, 1965 BTW show N/A 1 203 11 King Curtis Iaukea September 15, 1965 BTW show Hawaii 5 49 12 Killer Kowalski November 3, 1965 BTW show Hawaii 1 63 13 Nick Kozak January 5, 1966 BTW show Hawaii 1 28 14 Johnny Barend February 2, 1966 BTW show Hawaii 1 392 15 King Curtis Iaukea March 1, 1967 BTW show Hawaii 6 251 16 Johnny Barend November 7, 1967 BTW show Hawaii 2 169 17 Jim Hady April 24, 1968 BTW show Hawaii 1 21 18 Ray Stevens May 15, 1968 BTW show Hawaii 1 28 19 Jim Hady June 12, 1968 BTW show Hawaii 2 N/A NWA North American Championship ( Hawaii version ) 20 Toru Tanaka December 25, 1968 BTW show Hawaii 1 56 21 Gene Kiniski February 19, 1969 BTW show Hawaii 1 119 22 Pedro Morales June 18, 1969 BTW show Hawaii 1 98 23 King Curtis Iaukea September 24, 1969 BTW show Hawaii 7 42 24 Pedro Morales November 5, 1969 BTW show Hawaii 2 94 25 Johnny Barend February 7, 1970 BTW show Hawaii 3 179 26 Pedro Morales August 5, 1970 BTW show Hawaii 3 56 27 The Destroyer September 30, 1970 BTW show Hawaii 1 77 28 Billy Robinson December 16, 1970 BTW show Hawaii 1 24 29 King Curtis Iaukea January 9, 1971 BTW show Hawaii 8 46 30 Sam Steamboat February 24, 1971 BTW show Hawaii 1 77 31 Gene Kiniski May 12, 1971 BTW show Hawaii 2 105 32 Ed Morrow August 25, 1971 BTW show Hawaii 1 15 33 Gene Kiniski September 9, 1971 BTW show Hawaii 3 20 34 Sam Steamboat September 29, 1971 BTW show Hawaii 2 28 35 Sweet Daddy Siki October 27, 1971 BTW show Hawaii 1 147 36 Johnny Barend March 22, 1972 BTW show Hawaii 4 126 37 Freddie Blassie July 26, 1972 BTW show Hawaii 1 63 38 Sam Steamboat September 27, 1972 BTW show Hawaii 3 59 39 Dusty Rhodes November 25, 1972 BTW show Hawaii 1 193 40 Billy Robinson June 6, 1973 BTW show Hawaii 2 N/A — Vacated 1974 – 1977 — — — — Championship vacated when 50th State Big Time Wrestling becomes inactive in July 1974 N/A N/A N/A 41 John Tolos July 1977 BTW show N/A 1 N/A Awarded when 50th State Big Time Wrestling resumes operations 42 Sam Steamboat October 1977 BTW show Hawaii 4 N/A 43 Tor Kamata December 1977 BTW show Hawaii 1 N/A 44 Rick Martel March 1978 BTW show Hawaii 1 N/A 45 Big John Studd June 1978 BTW show N/A 1 N/A Awarded when Martel leaves. NWA Pacific International Championship 46 Don Muraco September 1978 BTW show Hawaii 1 N/A 47 Tor Kamata 1979 BTW show Hawaii 2 N/A 48 Masked Cyclops 1980 BTW show Hawaii 1 N/A 49 Siva Afi 1980 BTW show Hawaii 1 N/A — Deactivated 1980 — — — — See also [ edit ] [REDACTED] United States portal National Wrestling Alliance References [ edit ] ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN   0-9698161-5-4 . ^ Hoops, Brian (February 19, 2017). "Daily Pro Wrestling History (02/19): Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker at No Way Out 2006" . Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved February 27, 2017 . ^ Hoops, Brian (February 7, 2017). "On this day in pro wrestling history (Feb 7): Bobby Roode & Austin Aries wins tag gold" . Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved February 15, 2017 . v t e 50th State Big Time Wrestling / Polynesian Pro Wrestling Championships NWA United States / North American / Pacific International Championship NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship NWA Polynesian Pacific Heavyweight Championship NWA Polynesian Pacific Tag Team Championship Personnel Lord James Blears Ed Francis Al Karasick Lia Maivia Peter Maivia Steve Rickard Events A Hot Summer Night A Hot Summer Night II Venues Aloha Stadium Bloch Arena Civic Auditorium Honolulu International Center / Neal S. Blaisdell Arena Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=NWA_Pacific_International_Championship&oldid=1189401060 " Categories : 50th State Big Time Wrestling championships Heavyweight wrestling championships NWA United States Heavyweight Championships North American professional wrestling championships International professional wrestling championships Professional wrestling in Hawaii Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata 50th State Big Time Wrestling Mid-Pacific Promotions

1680-580: The Bruiser and Beauregarde all resulting in draws. Lindsay joined a number of other African-American wrestlers in the Mid-Atlantic territory for promoter Jim Crockett and, during a televised match at the television studio in late 1966, an incident between Lindsey and Ike Eakins caused WDBJ to cancel Crockett's weekly television show All Star Wrestling . Eakins reportedly used a racial slur about Lindsay. Management at WDBJ said if Eakins did not apologize on

1740-666: The Civic Auditorium, with the venue regularly sold-out. Shortly after Francis took over the promotion, a bout between Native Hawaiian wrestler King Curtis Iaukea and Samoan wrestler Neff Maiava resulted in a violent riot. Francis appointed Lord James Blears as booker, with Blears quickly gaining a name for his "outrageous" and "goofy" characters. The promotion's top stars included Johnny Barend , Curtis Iaukea, Don Muraco , Neff Maiava, Peter Maivia , and Sammy Steamboat . The promotion helped introduce several concepts that later became ubiquitous in professional wrestling, including

1800-606: The Civic Coliseum closed in 1974, Francis ceased promoting for three years. In June 1977, he revived the promotion in the Honolulu International Center and the Bloch Arena . With costs rising and revenues falling, Francis sold the promotion to Steve Rickard in April 1979 and retired from promoting. With Francis no longer promoting, Verne Gagne 's American Wrestling Association expanded into Hawaii. Rickard ran weekly events at

1860-766: The Exhibition Auditorium in Regina . On April 15, he and Oattem Fisher defeated John Foti and Don Kindred for the Stampede International Tag Team Championship at the Victoria Pavilion . While defending the titles with Oattem Fisher, he also teamed with Tarzan Tourville who faced Mighty Ursus, Emile Koverly, Kit Fox, Jim Wright and Gypsy Joe. He and Fisher returned to the Victoria Pavilion defeated Don Kindred and Kit Fox on May 13. During

NWA Pacific International Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue

1920-707: The Memphis territory, they only faced each other in matches. In Honolulu, he fought to another draw against NWA Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz in Honolulu on May 7, 1965. Although teaming with Dean Ho for a time, he and Bearcat Wright defeated Enrique and Alberto Torres for the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship on July 28. He also regained the NWA Hawaii United States Heavyweight Championship from King Curtis Iaukea on September 29, 1965. Lindsay and Wright successfully defended

1980-595: The NWA Canadian Open Tag Team titles from Tosh Togo and Pat Fraley (substituting for Great Togo ) in Toronto on September 28. Later that year, he wrestled for promoter Ed Don George making occasional appearances at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium where he faced Johnny Molinda, Danno O'Shocker and Danny Malone during the next two months. They lost the titles to Ivan and Karol Kalmikoff in Toronto on December 9. The following night he fought Danno O'Shocker to

2040-463: The NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight title on August 24, he and Thomas would also regain the tag team titles four more times together between 1962 and 1964. He later lost the NWA Pacific Northwest title to Mad Dog Vachon on October 4, 1962. He also faced Pat Patterson and Dean Ho during their first stints in Portland defeating them both in two matches each. He and Shag Thomas regained

2100-438: The NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team titles defeating Ivan Kameroff and Soldat Gorky on July 24, 1963. He and Thomas successfully defended the titles against Soldat Gorky and Dean Ho on August 9. He defeated Dean Ho in a singles match at the end of the month. On September 2, he also teamed with Danny Hodge to defeat Dean Ho and The Destroyer . Several days later, Lindsay became involved in a car accident when he smashed his car into

2160-493: The Tacoma-area. Among the wrestlers who participated, a half-dozen were former collegiate football stars including Lindsay, Pepper Gomez and Frank Stojack . Bronko Nagurski also participated in a dozen plays. Other wrestlers included Ivan Kameroff, the Masked Marvel, Dr. John Gallagher, The Ram, Abe Yourist and Glen Detton. Despite the addition of several players loaned by the Seattle Ramblers, most notably Mel Light, they lost

2220-664: The Von Steigers for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team titles on February 15, 1969. Lindsay re-lost the title to Moondog Mayne on April 12. Later that same year he worked for International Wrestling Enterprise in Japan. During early 1970, Luther Lindsay faced the original Minnesota Wrecking Crew ( Gene and Ole Anderson ) teaming with a number of wrestlers such as George Scott , Abe Jacobs and Randy Curtis. Later that year, he teamed with Curtis as well as Sandy Scott and Bob Ramstad against Gene Anderson and Chris Tolos who filled in for

2280-451: The air the next week, they would throw the show off the air. Reportedly Eakins came out and instead of apologizing, he used the slur again and that was the last wrestling show recorded at WDBJ. However, Lindsay remained in the promotion defeating Pedro Godoy in Roanoke, Virginia on January 31, 1967. On June 2, he won the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight title from Tony Borne before losing

2340-409: The first interracial professional wrestling matches held in the United States. Between 1953 and 1956, he faced NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz in a series of matches. Although largely resulting in time limit draws, he was the first African-American to make a challenge to the title and earned Thesz's respect during these bouts publicly praising his wrestling ability. He was considered one of

2400-423: The game 20–6. Lindsay injured his right pinky finger during the game, however the wrestlers later celebrated at Steve's Restaurant. On October 16, he took part in a 7-man battle royal involving Don Kindred, Bronko Nagurski, Dale Kiser, "Red" Vagnone, Jack O'Reilly, Jack Kiser and the eventual winner Carl Engstrom. Lindsay was the fifth man eliminated in the battle royal and, that same night, fought Jack O'Reilly to

2460-533: The injured Ole Anderson for a time. He and Gene Anderson eventually met in a singles match fighting to a time limit draw in Greenville, South Carolina , on December 25, 1970. Two months later, he faced NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk, Jr. in Norfolk on February 4, 1971. Lindsay scored a string of victories the following spring defeating Art Nelson, Bill Bowman, Bobby Paul, Frank Morrell and Johnny Heidman within

NWA Pacific International Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue

2520-552: The next two months, he faced Pat O'Connor for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in Edmonton, Calgary and Regina four times. Later that year, he returned to the Capitol Wrestling Corporation. On October 1, he defeated Swede Hanson at Madison Square Garden . Teaming with Eugenio Marin against Pat and Al Smith two weeks later, he also faced Fritz Wallick the following night. On October 24, he and Rebel II fought to

2580-498: The summer. On September 25, he lost the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight title to Nikolai Volkoff. Later that year, he traveled to Great Britain . Although his stay was brief, he scored an impressive KO victory over Mike Marino at the Royal Albert Hall and Josef Zaranoff in a later televised match. In early 1962, he toured Japan with All Japan Pro Wrestling where he and Ricky Waldo defeated Toyonobori and Rikidōzan for

2640-478: The tag team champions defeating Patterson and El Shereef by disqualification on September 21 and El Shereef, Patterson and The Hangman in a 6-man tag team match with Dean Ho on October 5. He and Martin continued to pursue Pat Patterson and The Hangman defeating them on October 26, however they lost to them twice the following month. He and Dean Ho also lost to Haru Sasaki and The Hangman on November 10. After defeating them on November 20, Lindsay faced Pat Patterson in

2700-441: The territory soon after. During a brief stint in 50th State Big Time Wrestling , he enjoyed a brief reign as NWA Hawaii United States Heavyweight Champion before losing the title back to King Curtis P. Iaukea in June 1964. On July 28, 1964, Lindsay was part of an 18-man battle royal which featured Gene Kiniski , Tosh Togo , Mr. Moto and King Curtis Iaukea. This event was later aired on the first episode of Big Time Wrestling ,

2760-543: The third fall and, despite an argument for the match to be awarded to Gomez and Lindsay, Mike DiBiase and Danny Plechas were declared the winners. Both teams claimed the title however and a rematch was scheduled several days later. He and Gomez were forced to forfeit the match when Lindsay injured his leg during the match. Both Lindsay and Gomez faced Mike and Danny Plechas in singles matches later that night. Lindsay defeated Danny Plechas via disqualification when his partner interfered. Gomez lost his bout with Mike DiBiase when he

2820-470: The time, he was only allowed to travel with and compete against other African-American wrestlers during his early career. One of his most frequent opponents was Shag Thomas who he later claimed knew better than any other opponent. During the late 1950s, he became the first African-American south of Washington, D.C. , to compete in a wrestling event when he faced Ron Wright in Kingsport, Tennessee . Although

2880-745: The title to Moondog Mayne weeks later. Defeating Gene Dundee at Park Center in Charlotte, North Carolina , on August 7, Lindsay also made an appearance for the World Wide Wrestling Federation defeating Matt Jewell, sometimes billed as the Negro Men's Southern Heavyweight Champion, in Memphis, Tennessee , on October 30, 1967. That same year, he defeated Stan Stasiak for the NWA Canadian Heavyweight title. He and Abe Jacobs teamed up for

2940-415: The titles against Pat Patterson and Ray "The Crippler" Stevens , as well as a tag team match with Neff Miavia on December 22, before eventually losing the tag team titles to Ripper Collins and Johnny Barend on January 4, 1966. He also lost the heavyweight title to Ron Reed the following night. This would be the only meeting between the two. Between March 16-April 6, 1966, he faced Dale Lewis , Dick

3000-422: The top submission wrestlers of his day working with Don Leo Jonathan and Stu Hart . Lindsay was one of the few men who bested him in the infamous " Hart Dungeon " and later became one of Hart's best friends. Hart reportedly carried a picture of him in his wallet until his death. He was held in high regard by his fellow wrestlers such as Lou Thesz, J. J. Dillon , Rip Hawk and Les Thatcher . Luther Goodall

3060-453: The two met in a best 2-of-3 falls match at The Sportatorium on December 18. Thesz scored the first pinfall and, while Lindsay rallied to take the second, Thesz took the third fall for the victory. According to The Dallas Morning News , Lindsay posted a $ 5,000 guarantee to face Thesz. He again met Thesz in Houston where they fought to another draw on January 20. Later that year, he also fought to

SECTION 50

#1732901418627

3120-464: Was an American professional football player and wrestler, known by his ringname Luther Lindsay or Lindsey , who competed throughout the United States with the National Wrestling Alliance as well as international promotions such as All Japan Pro Wrestling , Joint Promotions and Stampede Wrestling . One of the first African American wrestlers to become a major star, he was extremely popular in

3180-611: Was born on a farm outside Norfolk, Virginia , on December 30, 1924. He moved to Sedalia but later resided in Gibsonville, North Carolina , and later played college football for Norfolk State and nearby Hampton Institute where he was also a CIAA wrestling champion. Although excelling in athletics as an All-American Negro tackle - guard , state segregation laws prohibited him from playing against white athletes. He played two years of professional football in Hamilton and Victoria for

3240-530: Was brought to Texas by promoter Morris Siegel . As the state began complying with national de-segregation laws, Sigel promoted the first interracial wrestling match in the state pitting Lindsay against Duke Keomuka in one of the biggest matches of the year. Lindsay would also face Lou Thesz in Dallas on September 20, 1955, in yet another draw. In January 1956, he entered the Dallas - Fort Worth area then promoted by Ed McLemore. On January 10, he faced Duke Keomuka in

3300-413: Was counted out. He was scheduled to face Duke Keomuka in the opening rounds of a tournament to meet NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz. However, reportedly flying in from Canada, his plane was grounded due to bad weather and was substituted by Tex Brady. Defeating Duke Keomuka on December 11, Lindsay earned a title shot at then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz. In his tenth meeting with Thesz,

3360-410: Was founded in 1936 by Russian emigrant Al Karasick. Assisted by booker Bobby Bruns, Karasick staged weekly shows in Honolulu's Civic Auditorium, which he managed. Thanks to Hawaii's tropical climate, Mid-Pacific Promotions emerged as a popular destination for wrestlers looking for a "working vacation", with high-profile wrestlers such as Lou Thesz and Rikidōzan visiting Hawaii. In 1949, Karasick joined

3420-621: Was involved in a battle royal which included Kiser, Lubich, Cadier, Bud Rattal and Paul DeGalles in Yakima on May 12. On July 31, he faced Lou Thesz for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in Tacoma and the two fought to a time limit draw. This was the first of several meetings between the two champions and the first time the title was defended against an African-American opponent. A rematch one week later in Tacoma also resulted in

3480-404: Was one of several tag team partners of Pepper Martin . On October 26, he and Pepper Martin defeated Pat Patterson and The Hangman for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team titles. He and Martin successfully defended the titles against Pat Patterson and Don Manoukian and they re-lost the titles to Pat Patterson and The Hangman in Portland on September 18. Lindsay and Martin continued to feud with

3540-872: Was the name it used until it was retired in 1980. Title history [ edit ] Key No. Overall reign number Reign Reign number for the specific champion Days Number of days held No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref. Date Event Location Reign Days — N/A — — 1 Nick Bockwinkel 1962 BTW show N/A 1 N/A Records unclear as to how he got title. 2 King Curtis Iaukea June 6, 1962 BTW show Hawaii 1 168 3 Billy White Wolf November 21, 1962 BTW show Hawaii 1 21 4 King Curtis Iaukea December 12, 1962 BTW show Hawaii 2 215 5 Dick

3600-863: Was the primary singles championship of 50th State Big Time Wrestling , the NWA territory based in Hawaii . The title was originally the Hawaiian version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship that was defended in Hawaii . It existed from 1962 until 1968. It was renamed the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Hawaii version) in 1968 and renamed again as the NWA Pacific International Heavyweight Championship in 1978, which

#626373