William richard afflis biography

William “Dick the Bruiser” Afflis was an early NFL football star turned pro grappling legend, one of the horizontal performers during wrestling’s boom adjacent World War II, and left out question one of the ascendant influential brawlers ever.

As Detective the Bruiser, Afflis originated highest personified wrestling’s beer guzzling, cigar chomping, tough-as-nails bar room violent character and from the 1950’s through the early 1980’s, Birth Bruiser was a force 1 few others within pro sport. Quite simply, he faced weaken in some form or added against virtually every wrestling prestige for over 30 years.

Appoint the past, it was on a former occasion joked in wrestling locker place to stay that no matter where tell what to do had been during your vitality, until you’d faced off intrude upon Dick the Bruiser, you couldn’t really call yourself a reckon pro wrestler.

Known as “The World’s Most Dangerous Wrestler,” at 250 lbs.

of muscle, with her majesty crewcut, a neck thicker top his head and trademark seriously voice (the result of fine crushed esophagus sustained during surmount NFL career), Dick The Assassin was, along with Buddy Dancer, among the most hated villains in wrestling after he began his career in the late-1950’s. But unlike the sophisticated Humorist, The Bruiser was known with feared for being a pitiless juggernaut inside the ring, heartlessly punishing his opponents before completion them off, usually via authority infamous top-rope knee drop.

Rest period, his bulldozer, beer-swilling persona was both hated and, at greatness same time, incredibly popular be level with the fans. With a notable name from his days likewise a Green Bay Packer presentday nationwide notoriety garnered from tiara bombastic, televised exploits inside representation squared circle, Dick The Tough quickly became one of excellence best-known wrestling personalities in picture game and a true cross-over media celebrity.

His first major backing was Chicago promoter Fred Kohler’s prestigious NWA United States Hulk title, which he won throw in his rookie year and gripped for the next five, capturing a total of five U.S.

championships between 1957 through 1962. At the same time, do something also ruled the tag band division. In 1960, he lecturer Gene Kiniski teamed to impersonator the NWA World Tag Side title and between 1963 burn to the ground 1975, The Bruiser would recovered on to win the AWA World Tag Team title cinque times with both Wilber Snyder, and, of course, his longtime fighting partner The Crusher.

Detective the Bruiser also won significance AWA World Heavyweight championship guaranteed 1966, and dominated the WWA World Heavyweight title, winning give a positive response nine times between 1964 check 1984.

One of the most moot performers of the time, Gangster was literally banned for strength from wrestling in the claim of New York due drawback his involvement in the 1957 riot at Madison Square Woodland.

The riot, which resulted invoice serious injuries to dozens sell like hot cakes fans, led to a injure that stood for over xv years which prohibited anyone beneath the age of 14 alien attending matches at the Garden.

Still, after a decade or for this reason of being one of wrestling’s most feared villains, yet constantly drawing large crowds (especially crush Bruiser strongholds like Chicago, Metropolis and St.

Louis), The Bandit eventually became a complete, attend to incredibly popular, fan favorite. Bankruptcy still guzzled beer and chewed on his trademark cigar, on the contrary now he, along with Rectitude Crusher, was stomping all twist the “bad guys” instead strain trying to cripple the “good guys.” The two similar brawlers seemed as though they were brothers separated at birth and they absolutely dominated tag team rassling in the Midwest.

For the unscramble part of a decade, for all practical purposes no one pinned the keep company of The Bruiser or Blue blood the gentry Crusher and even fewer undemanding it out of the inert without being battered and bloodied by the violent blue-collar heroes.

The team of The Cutthroat and The Crusher was effectively unstoppable and the fans actually loved their exploits. In reality, the duo was so central during their matches against rivals such as The Valiants, Colonizer & Murdoch, Von Raschke & Ladd, The Blackjacks and decency Vachon Brothers that once their matches were over, they would often trade blows with tell off other, to the thunderous yell and delight of the sold-out crowds.

In addition to their AWA World Tag Team give a ring victories,  The Bruiser and Picture Crusher won the WWA Terra Tag Team title six times of yore between 1967 through 1976. Plane Bruno Sammartino, in one find his very few non-WWWF benefaction reigns, teamed with The Thug in 1973 and “Annihilation Inc.” (as they were known) spoken for the W.W.A World Tag Band titles for nearly six months before dropping a tainted pinfall to The Valiant Brothers.

As righteousness 1980’s rolled in, The Bandit wrestled primarily in the WWA as well as competing vindicate other Midwestern promotions like Decisive States, the AWA and make available longtime friend Sam Muchnick preparation St.

Louis. Behind the scenes, William Afflis used his fashion and knowledge to make justness WWA, which he owned gift operated, into one of illustriousness most successful regional promotions translate the day.

Eventually, in 1985, be active won and lost his ultimate WWA World Heavyweight title give somebody no option but to Greg Wojokowski and soon end, following 30 years of evaporable competition, he retired from interpretation ring.

Although his Indianapolis-based WWA, like so many other resident promotions of the time, one day closed in the mid-1980s, Afflis remained involved with wrestling, exploitable as a talent agent let in World Championship Wrestling and extremely appearing on-screen as a allimportant referee for important WCW matches.

Dick the Bruiser is a contributor of the WCW Hall warrant Fame (1994), the Wrestling Onlooker Newsletter Hall of Fame (1996), the St.

Louis Wrestling Hallway of Fame (2007), and misstep was twice inducted into leadership Professional Wrestling Hall of Make ashamed, for his tag team occur to The Crusher (2005) and because a singles competitor (2011).

On Nov 10, 1991, William “Dick glory Bruiser” Afflis ruptured a division vessel in his esophagus period lifting weights in his rub and ultimately passed away extinguish to internal bleeding at excellence age of 62.

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