Bull Curry
Encyclopedia
Fred Thomas Koury, Sr. was an American of Lebanese
decent who was best known as a professional wrestler
under the name ”Wild Bull” Curry. Bull Curry is recognized as one of the originators of the hardcore style predating even legends such as The Sheik
and Abdullah the Butcher
. Curry’s tumultuous career spanned 5 decades of in ring action.
Later on in the 1930s, Curry began wrestling in Detroit, Michigan
under promoter Adam Weissmuller (uncle of Johnny Weismuller) who also trained him for his professional career. Curry stayed in Detroit for several years developing his brutal, hardcore style of wrestling that made him a top name in the territory. Curry was so well known that he even faced legendary heavyweight pro boxer Jack Dempsey
in an exhibition match in 1940. Years later Curry would often claim that he knocked Dempsey out in the match but the truth is that Curry was stopped in the second round.
to work. Curry’s combination of unpredictable violence, unique look and intensity made Curry a big star in Texas more or less immediately upon arrival. Curry’s brawling style made him a success but it also kept the promoters from giving him the “main” title of the territory; it also led to then NWA World Heavyweight Champion
Lou Thesz
to sandbag him and make him look bad despite being the biggest draw in the territory. Instead of letting Bull Curry win the top title of the Texas territory the bookers created a brand new title to match Bull Curry’s Hardcore style of wrestling: the NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship
which Bull Curry won in a tournament final over Danny McShain on March 6, 1953. Between 1953 and 1967 “Wild Bull” Curry personified the Texas Brass Knuckles Championship as he held it 20 times defeating such names as Fritz Von Erich
, Tony Borne
, Waldo Von Erich
, Louie Tillet (The French Angel), Killer Karl Kox
and Brute Bernard for the title. In 1953 Curry would also briefly hold the Texas version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship
with Lucas Pertano as well as the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
for three weeks but soon focused solely on the Brass Knuckles Title.
. Unlike his father Fred was a clean cut, high flying face but the two Currys did team on a regular basis especially early in the younger Curry’s career. The two won the NWA International Tag Team Championship
in 1964 and held it until 1966 as well as beating Nikolai
and Boris Volkoff for the Ohio version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
Later in his career Fred Curry struck out on his own more and more trying to get away from his father’s legacy of rule-breaking and violence to establish a legacy of his own. Fred’s attempts to get out of his father’s shadow never caused any problems between the two Currys.
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
decent who was best known as a professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
under the name ”Wild Bull” Curry. Bull Curry is recognized as one of the originators of the hardcore style predating even legends such as The Sheik
Ed Farhat
Edward George Farhat was an American professional wrestler best known as by his ring name The Sheik...
and Abdullah the Butcher
Abdullah the Butcher
Lawrence Robert "Larry" Shreve best known as Abdullah the Butcher, and also at times The Madman from the Sudan, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler known as one of the most brutal or "hardcore" professional wrestlers of all-time...
. Curry’s tumultuous career spanned 5 decades of in ring action.
Starting Out
At the age of sixteen Curry joined the circus in order to help provide for his four brothers and sisters. His job at the circus was that of the “tough man” who took on all comers from the audience in a fight. In his twenties, Curry became a policeman in his hometown of Hartford, Connecticut where he put his “tough man” background to good use in the streets, quickly earning him a reputation for toughness. On one occasion a wild steer bull broke out of the Hartford stockyard and ran wild in the streets. Curry literally grabbed the bull by the horns and managed to wrestle it to the ground earning him the nickname “Wild Bull” that stuck with him for the rest of his life.Later on in the 1930s, Curry began wrestling in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
under promoter Adam Weissmuller (uncle of Johnny Weismuller) who also trained him for his professional career. Curry stayed in Detroit for several years developing his brutal, hardcore style of wrestling that made him a top name in the territory. Curry was so well known that he even faced legendary heavyweight pro boxer Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first...
in an exhibition match in 1940. Years later Curry would often claim that he knocked Dempsey out in the match but the truth is that Curry was stopped in the second round.
Coming to Texas
In the early part of the 1950s Bull Curry relocated to TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to work. Curry’s combination of unpredictable violence, unique look and intensity made Curry a big star in Texas more or less immediately upon arrival. Curry’s brawling style made him a success but it also kept the promoters from giving him the “main” title of the territory; it also led to then NWA World Heavyweight Champion
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
Lou Thesz
Lou Thesz
Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz was a United States professional wrestler and 18-time world heavyweight champion, most notably holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times. Combined, he held the NWA Championship for 10 years, three months and nine days , longer than anyone else in history...
to sandbag him and make him look bad despite being the biggest draw in the territory. Instead of letting Bull Curry win the top title of the Texas territory the bookers created a brand new title to match Bull Curry’s Hardcore style of wrestling: the NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship
NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship
The NWA Texas Hardcore Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance. For most of its existence, however, the title served as the Texas territorial version of the NWA Brass Knuckles Championship and was used in matches in which brass knuckles...
which Bull Curry won in a tournament final over Danny McShain on March 6, 1953. Between 1953 and 1967 “Wild Bull” Curry personified the Texas Brass Knuckles Championship as he held it 20 times defeating such names as Fritz Von Erich
Fritz Von Erich
Jack Barton Adkisson was an American professional wrestler under the ring name Fritz Von Erich, better known today as a wrestling promoter and the patriarch of the Von Erich family...
, Tony Borne
Tony Osborne
Anthony "Tony" Osborne was an American professional wrestler who wrestled under the name "Tough" Tony Borne.-Professional wrestling career:...
, Waldo Von Erich
Waldo Von Erich
Walter Paul Sieber was a Canadian professional wrestler under the ring name Waldo Von Erich. He was billed as the brother of Fritz Von Erich, but was not actually related to Fritz or the rest of the Von Erich family....
, Louie Tillet (The French Angel), Killer Karl Kox
Herb Gerwig
Herb Gerwig was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name of Killer Karl Kox, who competed in the National Wrestling Alliance as well as international promotions such as All Japan Pro Wrestling, the International Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling during the...
and Brute Bernard for the title. In 1953 Curry would also briefly hold the Texas version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship
NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version)
The Texas version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1957 to 1968, and from 1981 to 1982. This title was recognized by World Class Championship Wrestling and The Funk Dynasty's N.W.A. Western States Sports of Amarillo, TX.-Title history:...
with Lucas Pertano as well as the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title that has existed since the 1930s. Though its exact date of creation isn't known, it is among the oldest championships used in professional wrestling today...
for three weeks but soon focused solely on the Brass Knuckles Title.
A family business
In the 1960s Bull Curry’s son Fred Thomas Koury, Jr. took up wrestling under the name "Flying" Fred CurryFred Curry (wrestler)
Fred Thomas Koury, Jr. better known by his ring name ”Flyin'” Fred Curry, was an American professional wrestler of Lebanese descent. The son of "Wild Bull" Curry, Fred Koury was one of the most popular stars in the Midwest United States during the 1960s.-Career:In the 1960s, Koury, Jr. took up...
. Unlike his father Fred was a clean cut, high flying face but the two Currys did team on a regular basis especially early in the younger Curry’s career. The two won the NWA International Tag Team Championship
NWA International Tag Team Championship
The NWA International Tag Team Championship was a National Wrestling Alliance-sanctioned title contested for in All Japan Pro Wrestling . Prior to being used in AJPW, the title was defended in the Japan Wrestling Association . The title lasted from 1962 through 1988...
in 1964 and held it until 1966 as well as beating Nikolai
Nikolai Volkoff
Josip Nikolai Peruzović , better known by his ring name of Nikolai Volkoff, is a professional wrestler who is best known for his performances for the World Wrestling Federation...
and Boris Volkoff for the Ohio version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
Later in his career Fred Curry struck out on his own more and more trying to get away from his father’s legacy of rule-breaking and violence to establish a legacy of his own. Fred’s attempts to get out of his father’s shadow never caused any problems between the two Currys.
Bull Curry: the walking riot
One of the trademarks of Bull Curry was his “wildman” look with bushy eyebrows, maniacal facial expressions and insane eyes that could scare the crowd just by looking at them. In one case he scared a girl at ringside so badly she had to be carried from the ring in terror. The wild look coupled with his wild brawling style made Bull Curry one of the most hated rule-breakers in wrestling, he was so hated in places that riots broke out more than once as irate fans attacked Curry in the ring.- 1955: a match between Curry and Ray McIntyre resulted in more than a 140 fans being taken to the hospital after a riot broke out.
- 1956: Curry was jumped by a fan who was displeased with Curry’s brutal treatment of local star George Becker. Curry broke the fans jaw with a single punch.
- 1958: During a match with Pepper Gomez in Galveston, Texas a fan struck Bull Curry with an iron pipe. Curry chased the fan out of the ring, catching up with him in the balcony where he beat him up.
- 1968: While wrestling Emil Dupreé in Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester, MassachusettsWorcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
a fan jumped in the ring and jumped on Curry’s back. Curry punched the fan so hard that he was reportedly unconscious for two days. - Year unknown: During a match in Texas Curry got a bucket of yellow paint dumped over his head by a fan.
- Late sixties: During a televised match, Curry used a cinder block on his opponent. The man went into the hospital for stitches. Curry was arrested and sentenced to jail for his actions. The only time he was allowed out was to wrestle, so for the next four weeks of televised matches, he was escorted to and from the ring in handcuffs by police, being cuffed and returned to jail when he was finished with his match for that week.
Retirement and death
Curry retired from wrestling in the mid to late 1970s well past turning 60 years old. Curry died on March 2, 1985.Championships and accomplishments
- Cauliflower Alley ClubCauliflower Alley ClubThe Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America....
- Posthumous Award (2004)
- Maple Leaf WrestlingMaple Leaf WrestlingMaple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name in the 1970s and 1980s of the professional wrestling promotion run by Frank Tunney in Toronto.-Queensbury Athletic Club:...
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version)NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version)The Toronto version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling championship in the Canadian promotion Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1961 through 1977...
(1 time) – with Tiger Jeet SinghTiger Jeet SinghJagjit Singh Hans is a semi-retired professional wrestler, known better by his ring name Tiger Jeet Singh. He wrestled as a crazed heel, coming to the ring with a sword in his mouth . Singh wrestled in Japan for 22 years...
- Mid-South SportsGeorgia Championship WrestlingGeorgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired in the 1970s and 1980s on Atlanta, U.S., superstation WTBS. Though based in Atlanta, the company also ran live wrestling shows throughout its geographic "territory" of Georgia Georgia...
- NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Georgia version)NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Georgia version)The Georgia version of the National Wrestling Alliance Southern Heavyweight Championship was a secondary singles championship used in Georgia Championship Wrestling off-and-on from 1948 to 1972....
(1 time)
- Southwest Sports, Inc. / NWA Big Time WrestlingWorld Class Championship WrestlingWorld Class Championship Wrestling ' was a regional professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed McLemore, by 1966 it was run by Southwest Sports, Inc., whose president, Jack Adkisson, was better known as wrestler Fritz Von Erich...
- NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Texas version) (20 times)
- NWA International Tag Team ChampionshipNWA International Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA International Tag Team Championship was a National Wrestling Alliance-sanctioned title contested for in All Japan Pro Wrestling . Prior to being used in AJPW, the title was defended in the Japan Wrestling Association . The title lasted from 1962 through 1988...
(1 time) – with Fred CurryFred Curry (wrestler)Fred Thomas Koury, Jr. better known by his ring name ”Flyin'” Fred Curry, was an American professional wrestler of Lebanese descent. The son of "Wild Bull" Curry, Fred Koury was one of the most popular stars in the Midwest United States during the 1960s.-Career:In the 1960s, Koury, Jr. took up... - NWA Texas Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Texas Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title that has existed since the 1930s. Though its exact date of creation isn't known, it is among the oldest championships used in professional wrestling today...
(1 time) - NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version)NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version)The Texas version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1957 to 1968, and from 1981 to 1982. This title was recognized by World Class Championship Wrestling and The Funk Dynasty's N.W.A. Western States Sports of Amarillo, TX.-Title history:...
(1 time) – with Lucas Pertano