Pro was recognised and announced in the territory as the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion. He told the crowd that as The Pro had beaten Mantell fair and square that as far as he was concerned, Pro was the rightful NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion. He told the crowd that he would like Pro to unmask as well, but he had to do what was right. As he was taking his mask off, Kelly returned to the ring and stopped him. The crowd cheered loudly, wanting Pro to unmask. A second referee however came to the ring, counted out the Pro and awarded the match to Mantell. The bout concluded with the referee being "knocked out" and distracted and The Pro clearly winning the match. Pro was weighed in the ring by promoter and wrestler "Cowboy" Bob Kelly before the match and made the weight. The bout took place on September 17, 1974. Having competed in non-title bouts Pro challenged Mantell a title match, which Mantell agreed to, providing that Pro could make weight and would agree to put his mask up against the title. Pro had a famous rivalry with champion Ken Mantell for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship in the mid-1970s. Wearing a white mask and costume, Pro would switch between fan favourite and villain during his time in GCCW but is best remembered for his tenure as a heel, feuding with the territories top babyfaces and facing the visiting NWA champions. NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship It was not a secret that "Wrestling Pro" was Tarzan Baxter due to his distinctive voice. From then on, Baxter was a singles wrestler, competing as "The Wrestling Pro". The team eventually disbanded after his partner was unmasked. By 1970 he returned to Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling as a tag team with Tim Tyler under the name "the Wrestling Pros, a masked duo managed by Joe Powell. That same year, he won the NWA United States Tag-Team Championship with Karl Karlson.Īs part of a villainous tag team, Baxter learned how to be a successful heel. He became a mainstay for the Mid-South Wrestling Association/Tri-State capturing the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship in 1969. Baxter found early success in Oklahoma, where he feuded with Danny Hodge for U.S. He also pulled double duty as a member of the tag team The Masked Gauchos with Juan Sebastian for Georgia Championship Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions. Under this name, he wrestled for various NWA territories in the American South, including Oklahoma, Gulf Coast, and Tennessee. Navy (where he had also been a boxer) and was working as a deputy sheriff in Houston County, Alabama when he began his professional wrestling career in Oklahoma under the ring name Tarzan Baxter. Professional wrestling career Early career īaxter was raised in Malone, Florida, a veteran of the U.S. One of the most popular heels in Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling's history, he had famous feuds with the likes of Ken Mantell for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship and Jack Brisco for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He was best known for wrestling under a mask as (The) Wrestling Pro and also wrestled under the ring name Tarzan Baxter. American professional wrestler (1938–2019) Wrestling ProĮdward Leon Baxter (J– August 15, 2019) was an American professional wrestler who competed throughout the National Wrestling Alliance in the 1960s and 70s.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |