Danny Little Bear
Encyclopedia
Danny Little Bear was an American professional wrestler who competed in North American regional promotions including the National Wrestling Alliance
, particularly the Central States and Gulf Coast territories
, where he remained one of the region's most popular stars during the 1960s and 70s. His feuds with Yasu Fuji & Chati Yokochi, Black Angus Campbell
and manager Percival A. Friend and Eduardo Miguel Perez
were the cause of frequent riots and arrests in the St. Joseph-Kansas City area during the summer of 1972.
He also had a successful stint in Stu Hart
's Stampede Wrestling
, holding the promotions Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Championship for much of early 1974.
, he made his professional wrestling debut in 1956 at age 30. Spending the next several years competing in various Southeastern regional promotions, he gained considerable experience while in Championship Wrestling from Florida and Georgia Championship Wrestling
during the early 1960s.
In May 1964, Danny Little Bear faced Johnny Bruce, Sputnik Monroe
and Joe McCarthy who he fought to a time limit draw at the William Bell Auditorium in Augusta, Georgia
on May 25. The following night he lost to Don Carson at the Macon City Auditorium
in Macon, Georgia
.
Losing to Wildman Phillips at the Ponce de Leon Ball Park in Atlanta, Georgia
on June 5, he also teamed with Ron Reed
in a tag team match against Johnny Heidman and Dick Dunn and in a singles match faced The Destroyer
later that month.
In 1966, he would lose to Swede Karlson on May 17, 1966. Defeating Jack Vansky at the Paul Jones Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
on May 20, he would also team with Chief Crazy Horse against the Mysterious Medics the next night in Marietta. Losing to them in a rematch in Atlanta on May 27, he also faced Jack Vansky in a rematch on June 4 as well as defeated Pancho Rosario and Wildman Wehba during the next week.
Facing Bob Armstrong
, Ken Yates and Pancho Rosario later that month, he also teamed with Chief Crazy Horse to defeat Ken Yates and Evil Eye Valentine at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium in Atlanta on July 8. Although looing to Tito Carreon on July 15, he would later defeat Jimmy Valentine in Macon on July 26 and, with Chief Crazy, faced the Infernos in Albany, Georgia
two days later. He would also briefly feud with The Golden Terror before leaving the area in early August.
on February 3 and, with Bobby Fields, defeated Jack and Frank Dalton for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship on February 21, 1967. Losing the Louisiana Heavyweight title to Ken Lucas
on March 31 and the tag team titles back to the Daltons on April 11, he and Luke Brown would defeat Dick Murdoch
and K.O. Kox
in Kansas City, Missouri
three months later to win the NWA North American Tag Team Championship on June 31.
The two would defend the titles for a little more than a month before Brown walked out on Danny Little Bear during a match on September 4. He later regained the tag team titles teaming with Stan Pulaski to defeat Tarzan Tyler and The Viking
in a tournament final for the tag team titles on September 18. Although losing the titles to Luke Brown and The Ox
the following month, Danny Little Bear teamed with The Viking to recapture the tag team titles from his former tag team partner in St. Joseph, Missouri on November 7. Holding the titles for less than two weeks, they would lose the titles to K.O. and Killer Kox on November 20, 1967.
Two years later, Danny Little Bear won the NWA Central States Heavyweight championship in a tournament in St. Joseph on November 28, 1969. He held the title for over four months before losing the title to Roger Kirby
on April 3, 1970. While in Maple Leaf Wrestling
, he and Reg Parks lost to the Hollywood Blonds (Dale Roberts and Jerry Brown
) at the Varsity Arena
in Toronto, Ontario on September 5, 1971.
The following year, he teamed with Omar Atlas to defeat Yasu Fuji and Chati Yokochi for the NWA North American Tag Team titles on January 27, 1972, before losing the titles back to Yasu Fuji and Chati Yokochi on February 10. Defeating Harley Race for the NWA Central States Heavyweight title in St. Joseph the following night, he made a brief appearance in Stampede Wrestling facing Sailor White on February 15 before returning to Kansas City to defeat Yasu Fuji and Chati Yokochi for the titles on March 9 before losing the titles back to Fuji and Yokochi in Wichita, Kansas
two days later.
Later that month, he and Pat O'Connor would fight to a 45 minute time limit draw against Fuji and Yokochi in a 2-of-3 falls match at the Kansas City Memorial Hall in Kansas City on March 23.
, Terry Martin
, Rufus R. Jones, "Black" Jack Black, Yasu Fuji and Chati Yokochi, Omar Atlas, Black Angus Campbell and Percival Friend. While attempting to throw Percival Friend over the top rope, Danny Little Bear would be eliminated by Earl Black. The winner was to receive a $1,250 purse as well as a title shot against then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk, Jr.
He and The Stomper would soon begin pursuing the NWA North American Tag Team Champions losing to them in a Texas Death Match on May 12. As the end of the match, as Danny Little Bear was about to pass out from a nervehold submission hold applied by Yasu Fuji, local and state police had to restrain several fans from entering the ring. They would also fight them to a no-contest in a Texas Tornado match which eventually involved much of the wrestlers backstage to break up the fight. Despite these setbacks, he and The Stomper were able to win the titles later that month.
During this time, he began feuding with Black Angus Campbell over the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship and soon lost the title to Campbell in Kansas City. Following the match, Campbell and his manager Percival A. Friend had to leave the arena under a police escort as fights started breaking out in the crowd.
A later rematch against Campbell in St. Joseph, Missouri resulted in a small riot that occurred when two fans attacked Campbell's manager Percival A. Friend breaking his nose and attempting to enter the ring on behalf of Danny Little Bear. However, police having been assigned to the auditorium, the fans were stopped before they could get to Campbell although promoter Gust Karras chose not to pursue charges against them. He and Omar Atlas would also lose the tag team titles to Campbell and Roger Kirby
on June 29.
On June 13, he and Rufus Jones defeated Angus Campbell, Roger Kirby and manager Percival Friend in a handicap match Des Moines, Iowa
. Later that year, he also defeated Harley Race
as well as continuing to feud with Campbell and Kirby over the NWA Central States North American Tag Team titles facing them in a 2-of-3 falls match at the NWA Central States 40th Anniversary Show on September 22. Although Danny Little Bear took the first fall pinning Roger Kirby, he was pinned by Campbell while Kirby scored the third pinfall pinning Omar Atlas thanks in part to outside interference by Percival Friend. During the next few weeks, he defeated Harley Race on September 29 and Juan Sebastian on October 19.
On November 3, Danny Little Bear teamed with Omar Atlas and Les Thornton
in a 6-man tag team match against Billy Howard
, Juan Sebastian and The Destroyer in a 2-3 falls match in the semi-final main event at the St. Joseph City Auditorium in St. Joseph, Missouri. The match would last almost an hour with each team gaining one fall before Howard, Sebastian and The Destroyer scored the final pinfall after Omar Atlas was pinned.
Near the end of the match, several fans began storming the ring while Danny Little Bear faced The Destroyer. Police were able to prevent fans from entering the ring however and eventually arrested six fans before the crowd calmed down.
Later that year, he teamed with rival Black Angus Campbell to defeat Roger Kirby and The Destroyer although they failed to defeat NWA North American Central States Tag Team Champions Harley Race and Roger Kirby on December 5, 1972.
During the next year, he would regain the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship from Roger Kirby on April 27 before losing the title to "Bulldog" Bob Brown
two months later. He would also make a failed bid against recently crowned NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race losing to him in St. Joseph on May 25, 1973, as well as several rematches in Des Moines the following month.
in a match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in Calgary, Alberta on June 5 before losing the title to John Quinn
on September 13, 1974.
Returning to the Kansas City-area, he would score victories over Jesse Ventura
, Buddy King and Charlie Pullins before fighting to a no contest with Tank Patton in Sedalia, Missouri
on July 22, 1975. Feuding with Patton over the next several weeks, he defeated Patton in a rematch on July 29 and teamed with Bob Geigel
, Akio Sato and Ted Oates to defeat Patton, Jesse Ventura, Black Destroyer and Oki Shikina in an 8-man tag team match in Wichita on July 30.
Defeating NWA Central States Heavyweight Champion Ed Wiskowski by disqualification on July 31, he also defeated Jesse Ventura in a boxing match on August 5. Teaming with Akio Sato the following month, Danny Little Bear lost in a tag team match to Tank Patton and Mr. Seki on September 11 and, with Bob Geigel, again lost to Patton and Mr. Seki on September 25 and on October 2, 1975.
to defeat Dennis Condrey
and Phil Hickerson for the NWA Mid-America Southern Tag Team Championship in November 1976. Successfully defending the titles against David Shults and Bill Ash, Gorgeous George, Jr. and J.J. Dillon and Dutch Mantel
with partners including Plowboy Frazier
, Jerry Lawler
and Tommy Gilbert, they would lose the titles to Dutch Mantell and David Shults at the Mid-South Coliseum
in Memphis, Tennessee
on January 3, 1977. Although defeating Mantel and Shults by disqualification on January 9, they were unable to win the titles back.
Feuding with The Bounty Hunters (David and Jerry Novak) later that year, Danny Little Bear and Chief Thundercloud participated in a 10-man elimination match with The Bounty Hunters, Jerry Barber, Don Bass, The Boston Strangler, Al Costello, George Gulas and Tojo Yamamoto
who eventually won the match on March 28. The following month, they would win the NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship.
Teaming with "Pistol" Pez Whatley
, he lost to Mid-West Champion Don Kent
and Ed George and, during the same card, lost the NWA Tennessee Tag Team titles to "Crazy" Luke Graham
and Ripper Collins on May 2.
Retiring from professional wrestling by the end of the year, he returned to Georgia and lived with his wife Mary Ann until his death in April 1991 after a bout with liver Cancer. He leaves behind a daughter and wife.
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
, particularly the Central States and Gulf Coast territories
Continental Championship Wrestling
Continental Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based out of Knoxville, Tennessee from 1974 until 1988 and Dothan, Alabama from 1978 to 1990, managed by Ron Fuller. When Fuller sold the promotion to David Woods, it changed name to the Continental Wrestling Federation...
, where he remained one of the region's most popular stars during the 1960s and 70s. His feuds with Yasu Fuji & Chati Yokochi, Black Angus Campbell
Frank Hoy
Frances "Frank" Patrick Hoy was a Scottish professional wrestler who wrestled variously as Wild Angus, Angus Campbell, Black Angus Campbell or Rasputin...
and manager Percival A. Friend and Eduardo Miguel Perez
Eduardo Miguel Perez
Eduardo Miguel Perez is a former professional wrestler. Known as a hybrid wrestler, one of the first competitors who combined elements of the Mexican Lucha Libre style with a strong background in the Catch Wrestling mat based style...
were the cause of frequent riots and arrests in the St. Joseph-Kansas City area during the summer of 1972.
He also had a successful stint in Stu Hart
Stu Hart
Stewart Edward "Stu" Hart, CM was a Canadian amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, promoter and trainer. Hart founded Stampede Wrestling, a promotion based in Calgary, Alberta, and was the father of famous wrestlers Bret and Owen Hart...
's Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
, holding the promotions Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Championship for much of early 1974.
Early career
Born in Jonesboro, GeorgiaJonesboro, Georgia
Jonesboro is a city in Clayton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,724 as of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Clayton County....
, he made his professional wrestling debut in 1956 at age 30. Spending the next several years competing in various Southeastern regional promotions, he gained considerable experience while in Championship Wrestling from Florida and Georgia Championship Wrestling
Georgia Championship Wrestling
Georgia 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...
during the early 1960s.
In May 1964, Danny Little Bear faced Johnny Bruce, Sputnik Monroe
Sputnik Monroe (wrestler)
Sputnik Monroe was a professional wrestler from the mid 1940s through the early 1970s. Monroe was a headliner in many territories, and was best known in Memphis, where he and Billy Wicks set an attendance record that lasted until the Monday Night Wars boom period.-Life:Sputnik was born Rosco...
and Joe McCarthy who he fought to a time limit draw at the William Bell Auditorium in Augusta, Georgia
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
on May 25. The following night he lost to Don Carson at the Macon City Auditorium
Macon City Auditorium
The Macon City Auditorium is a historic structure in Macon, Georgia that has hosted performances, meetings, and events for the community since 1925...
in Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
.
Losing to Wildman Phillips at the Ponce de Leon Ball Park in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
on June 5, he also teamed with Ron Reed
Ron Reed
Ronald Lee Reed is a retired American starting/relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves , St. Louis Cardinals , Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox...
in a tag team match against Johnny Heidman and Dick Dunn and in a singles match faced The Destroyer
Dick Beyer
Dick Beyer is a retired professional wrestler who is best known by his ring names, The Destroyer or Doctor X.-Early life:...
later that month.
In 1966, he would lose to Swede Karlson on May 17, 1966. Defeating Jack Vansky at the Paul Jones Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
on May 20, he would also team with Chief Crazy Horse against the Mysterious Medics the next night in Marietta. Losing to them in a rematch in Atlanta on May 27, he also faced Jack Vansky in a rematch on June 4 as well as defeated Pancho Rosario and Wildman Wehba during the next week.
Facing Bob Armstrong
Bob Armstrong
Joseph Melton James is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Bullet" Bob Armstrong. In the course of his career, which spanned five decades, Armstrong held numerous championships throughout the Southeastern United States...
, Ken Yates and Pancho Rosario later that month, he also teamed with Chief Crazy Horse to defeat Ken Yates and Evil Eye Valentine at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium in Atlanta on July 8. Although looing to Tito Carreon on July 15, he would later defeat Jimmy Valentine in Macon on July 26 and, with Chief Crazy, faced the Infernos in Albany, Georgia
Albany, Georgia
Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...
two days later. He would also briefly feud with The Golden Terror before leaving the area in early August.
NWA Central States and the Gulf Coast
The following year, he would defeat Jack Dalton for the Louisiana Heavyweight Championship in Baton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
on February 3 and, with Bobby Fields, defeated Jack and Frank Dalton for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship on February 21, 1967. Losing the Louisiana Heavyweight title to Ken Lucas
Ken Lucas
Kenneth Ray "Ken" Lucas is an American politician. Lucas, a Democrat, was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky's 4th congressional district from 1999 until 2005....
on March 31 and the tag team titles back to the Daltons on April 11, he and Luke Brown would defeat Dick Murdoch
Dick Murdoch
Hoyt Richard "Dick" Murdoch was an American professional wrestler.-Professional wrestling career:A second-generation wrestler, the son of 1950s Texas wrestler Frankie Hill Murdoch, Dick Murdoch grew up with fellow second-generation wrestlers Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk, watching their fathers...
and K.O. Kox
Bob Sweetan
Bob Sweetan better known as "Bruiser" Bob Sweetan or "Mr. Piledriver" Bob Sweetan, after his signature finishing maneuver, was born in 1940. Bob was a professional wrestler who over his long career held numerous titles. Bob enjoyed tremendous success with the National Wrestling Alliance...
in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
three months later to win the NWA North American Tag Team Championship on June 31.
The two would defend the titles for a little more than a month before Brown walked out on Danny Little Bear during a match on September 4. He later regained the tag team titles teaming with Stan Pulaski to defeat Tarzan Tyler and The Viking
Bob Morse
Robert "Bob" Morse is an American former basketball player.His tremendous scoring ability helped the great Ignis Varese of the seventies to lift three Euroleague titles in seven consecutive final appearances.On February 3, 2008, Morse was chosen as one of the 50 most influential personalities to...
in a tournament final for the tag team titles on September 18. Although losing the titles to Luke Brown and The Ox
The Ox
The Ox is a 1991 Swedish film directed by Sven Nykvist. He wrote the script with Lasse Summanen.- Cast :* Stellan Skarsgård - Helge Roos* Ewa Fröling - Elfrida Roos* Lennart Hjulström - Svenning Gustavsson* Max von Sydow - Vicar* Liv Ullmann - Mrs...
the following month, Danny Little Bear teamed with The Viking to recapture the tag team titles from his former tag team partner in St. Joseph, Missouri on November 7. Holding the titles for less than two weeks, they would lose the titles to K.O. and Killer Kox on November 20, 1967.
Two years later, Danny Little Bear won the NWA Central States Heavyweight championship in a tournament in St. Joseph on November 28, 1969. He held the title for over four months before losing the title to Roger Kirby
Roger Kirby
Professor Roger Kirby is a prostate surgeon in the UK. He has performed over 2000 radical prostatectomy operations in his career and has written over 60 books and published more than 300 scientific papers...
on April 3, 1970. While in Maple Leaf Wrestling
Maple Leaf Wrestling
Maple 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:...
, he and Reg Parks lost to the Hollywood Blonds (Dale Roberts and Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
) at the Varsity Arena
Varsity Arena
Varsity Arena is an arena in Toronto, Ontario. It is located at 299 Bloor Street West and is primarily home to the ice hockey teams of the University of Toronto, the Varsity Blues, though it also hosted the Toronto Toros of the WHA from 1973–74 and the Toronto Planets of the RHI in 1993...
in Toronto, Ontario on September 5, 1971.
The following year, he teamed with Omar Atlas to defeat Yasu Fuji and Chati Yokochi for the NWA North American Tag Team titles on January 27, 1972, before losing the titles back to Yasu Fuji and Chati Yokochi on February 10. Defeating Harley Race for the NWA Central States Heavyweight title in St. Joseph the following night, he made a brief appearance in Stampede Wrestling facing Sailor White on February 15 before returning to Kansas City to defeat Yasu Fuji and Chati Yokochi for the titles on March 9 before losing the titles back to Fuji and Yokochi in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
two days later.
Later that month, he and Pat O'Connor would fight to a 45 minute time limit draw against Fuji and Yokochi in a 2-of-3 falls match at the Kansas City Memorial Hall in Kansas City on March 23.
Feud with Black Angus Campbell
On March 29 at the St. Joseph City Auditorium, he would reunite with The Viking in the semi-main event to challenge Fuji and Yokochi for the tag team titles; however, the two began fighting with each other as the match started and were counted out. Later that night, he and The Viking would also be included in a 12½-man battle royal which included Bob Orton, Sr., Steve Bolus, Pat O'ConnorPat O'Connor (wrestler)
Patrick John "Pat" O'Connor , was a professional wrestler from New Zealand. O'Connor was regarded as one of the premier workers of his era...
, Terry Martin
Terry Martin
Terry Martin may refer to:* Terry Martin , Celtic Crusaders rugby league player* Terry Martin , mixed martial artist* Terry Martin , editor, writer, poet and artist* Terry Martin , Australian politician...
, Rufus R. Jones, "Black" Jack Black, Yasu Fuji and Chati Yokochi, Omar Atlas, Black Angus Campbell and Percival Friend. While attempting to throw Percival Friend over the top rope, Danny Little Bear would be eliminated by Earl Black. The winner was to receive a $1,250 purse as well as a title shot against then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk, Jr.
Dory Funk, Jr.
Dory Ernest Funk Jr. known professionally as Dory Funk, Jr. is a professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. He is the son of Dory Funk Sr. and brother of Terry Funk. He is credited with the invention of the Texas cloverleaf submission hold and runs the Funking Conservatory, a professional...
He and The Stomper would soon begin pursuing the NWA North American Tag Team Champions losing to them in a Texas Death Match on May 12. As the end of the match, as Danny Little Bear was about to pass out from a nervehold submission hold applied by Yasu Fuji, local and state police had to restrain several fans from entering the ring. They would also fight them to a no-contest in a Texas Tornado match which eventually involved much of the wrestlers backstage to break up the fight. Despite these setbacks, he and The Stomper were able to win the titles later that month.
During this time, he began feuding with Black Angus Campbell over the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship and soon lost the title to Campbell in Kansas City. Following the match, Campbell and his manager Percival A. Friend had to leave the arena under a police escort as fights started breaking out in the crowd.
A later rematch against Campbell in St. Joseph, Missouri resulted in a small riot that occurred when two fans attacked Campbell's manager Percival A. Friend breaking his nose and attempting to enter the ring on behalf of Danny Little Bear. However, police having been assigned to the auditorium, the fans were stopped before they could get to Campbell although promoter Gust Karras chose not to pursue charges against them. He and Omar Atlas would also lose the tag team titles to Campbell and Roger Kirby
Roger Kirby
Professor Roger Kirby is a prostate surgeon in the UK. He has performed over 2000 radical prostatectomy operations in his career and has written over 60 books and published more than 300 scientific papers...
on June 29.
On June 13, he and Rufus Jones defeated Angus Campbell, Roger Kirby and manager Percival Friend in a handicap match Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
. Later that year, he also defeated Harley Race
Harley Race
Harley Leland Race is a retired American professional wrestler and current promoter and trainer. During his career as a wrestler, he held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 7 times...
as well as continuing to feud with Campbell and Kirby over the NWA Central States North American Tag Team titles facing them in a 2-of-3 falls match at the NWA Central States 40th Anniversary Show on September 22. Although Danny Little Bear took the first fall pinning Roger Kirby, he was pinned by Campbell while Kirby scored the third pinfall pinning Omar Atlas thanks in part to outside interference by Percival Friend. During the next few weeks, he defeated Harley Race on September 29 and Juan Sebastian on October 19.
On November 3, Danny Little Bear teamed with Omar Atlas and Les Thornton
Les Thornton
Les Thornton is a retired British professional wrestler who competed in European and North American regional promotions throughout the 1970s and 1980s including Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance...
in a 6-man tag team match against Billy Howard
Billy Howard
Billy Howard is an English comedy impressionist, who appeared on the ITV series Who Do You Do, alongside other impressionists such as Faith Brown. In 1976, his single, "King Of The Cops", reached #6 in the UK Singles Chart; it featured his impressions of TV cops including Kojak, Columbo, McCloud...
, Juan Sebastian and The Destroyer in a 2-3 falls match in the semi-final main event at the St. Joseph City Auditorium in St. Joseph, Missouri. The match would last almost an hour with each team gaining one fall before Howard, Sebastian and The Destroyer scored the final pinfall after Omar Atlas was pinned.
Near the end of the match, several fans began storming the ring while Danny Little Bear faced The Destroyer. Police were able to prevent fans from entering the ring however and eventually arrested six fans before the crowd calmed down.
Later that year, he teamed with rival Black Angus Campbell to defeat Roger Kirby and The Destroyer although they failed to defeat NWA North American Central States Tag Team Champions Harley Race and Roger Kirby on December 5, 1972.
During the next year, he would regain the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship from Roger Kirby on April 27 before losing the title to "Bulldog" Bob Brown
Bob Brown (wrestler)
Robert Harold Brown was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Bulldog" Bob Brown.- Early life :...
two months later. He would also make a failed bid against recently crowned NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race losing to him in St. Joseph on May 25, 1973, as well as several rematches in Des Moines the following month.
Stampede Wrestling
In early 1974, he began wrestling for Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling defeating The Stomper for the Stampede North American Heavyweight title on April 12. Enjoying a five-month reign as Stampede North American Heavyweight Champion, he also faced Jack BriscoJack Brisco
Freddie Joe Brisco was an American professional wrestler, better known as Jack Brisco or Uvalde Slim. He performed for various territories of the National Wrestling Alliance , becoming a two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and multi-time NWA Tag Team Champion with his brother Gerald Brisco...
in a match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in Calgary, Alberta on June 5 before losing the title to John Quinn
John Quinn (wrestler)
John Quinn is a retired Canadian professional wrestler who competed in North American regional promotions including NWA All-Star Wrestling, Pacific Northwest Wrestling and Stampede Wrestling during the 1960s and early 1970s...
on September 13, 1974.
Returning to the Kansas City-area, he would score victories over Jesse Ventura
Jesse Ventura
James George Janos , better known as Jesse Ventura, is an American politician, the 38th Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003, Navy UDT veteran, former SEAL reservist, actor, and former radio and television talk show host...
, Buddy King and Charlie Pullins before fighting to a no contest with Tank Patton in Sedalia, Missouri
Sedalia, Missouri
Sedalia is a city located about south of the Missouri River in Pettis County, Missouri. U.S. Highway 50 and U.S. Highway 65 intersect in the city. As of 2006, the city had a total population of 20,669. It is the county seat of Pettis County. The Sedalia Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of...
on July 22, 1975. Feuding with Patton over the next several weeks, he defeated Patton in a rematch on July 29 and teamed with Bob Geigel
Bob Geigel
Robert "Bob" Geigel is a former American professional wrestling promoter and also a former professional wrestler. Geigel ran the NWA Central States promotion between 1963 and 1986, until it was bought out by Jim Crockett Promotions...
, Akio Sato and Ted Oates to defeat Patton, Jesse Ventura, Black Destroyer and Oki Shikina in an 8-man tag team match in Wichita on July 30.
Defeating NWA Central States Heavyweight Champion Ed Wiskowski by disqualification on July 31, he also defeated Jesse Ventura in a boxing match on August 5. Teaming with Akio Sato the following month, Danny Little Bear lost in a tag team match to Tank Patton and Mr. Seki on September 11 and, with Bob Geigel, again lost to Patton and Mr. Seki on September 25 and on October 2, 1975.
NWA Mid-America and later years
During the late 1970s, he would spend his last years in NWA Mid-America and teamed with Chief ThundercloudChief Thundercloud
Chief Thundercloud, was an American character actor in westerns.Information about Thundercloud is vague...
to defeat Dennis Condrey
Dennis Condrey
Dennis Condrey is an American professional wrestler, best known as being one half of the tag team Midnight Express....
and Phil Hickerson for the NWA Mid-America Southern Tag Team Championship in November 1976. Successfully defending the titles against David Shults and Bill Ash, Gorgeous George, Jr. and J.J. Dillon and Dutch Mantel
Dutch Mantel
Wayne Keown is an American professional wrestler, and author better known by his ring name, Dutch Mantel or Dutch Mantell. He currently is semi-retired but still makes occasional wrestling appearances. He was previously with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a writer behind the scenes...
with partners including Plowboy Frazier
Stan Frazier
Stanley C. Fraizer was a professional wrestler from Pascagoula, Mississippi, better known as Uncle Elmer and Plowboy Frazier ....
, Jerry Lawler
Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional...
and Tommy Gilbert, they would lose the titles to Dutch Mantell and David Shults at the Mid-South Coliseum
Mid-South Coliseum
The Mid-South Coliseum, also known as "The Entertainment Capital of the Mid-South", was a multi-purpose arena, that seated 10,085 people, in Memphis, Tennessee...
in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
on January 3, 1977. Although defeating Mantel and Shults by disqualification on January 9, they were unable to win the titles back.
Feuding with The Bounty Hunters (David and Jerry Novak) later that year, Danny Little Bear and Chief Thundercloud participated in a 10-man elimination match with The Bounty Hunters, Jerry Barber, Don Bass, The Boston Strangler, Al Costello, George Gulas and Tojo Yamamoto
Tojo Yamamoto
Harold Watanabe was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tojo Yamamoto. He was born in Hawaii.-In-ring career:...
who eventually won the match on March 28. The following month, they would win the NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship.
Teaming with "Pistol" Pez Whatley
Pez Whatley
Pezavan Whatley was a professional wrestler in the 1980s and early 1990s who wrestled primarily under the ring name Pez Whatley.-Career:...
, he lost to Mid-West Champion Don Kent
Don Kent (wrestler)
Leo Joseph "Joe" Smith Jr. was an American professional wrestler who wrestled as Don Kent and also as The Black Dragon, Doug Kent, Joe Smith and Super Medico III during his 20 years in professional wrestling.Don Kent is one half of The Fabulous Kangaroos alongside partners Al Costello, Bruno...
and Ed George and, during the same card, lost the NWA Tennessee Tag Team titles to "Crazy" Luke Graham
Grady Johnson
James Grady Johnson better known as professional wrestler Crazy Luke Graham, was a member of the Graham family, a storyline family of wrestlers.-Career:...
and Ripper Collins on May 2.
Retiring from professional wrestling by the end of the year, he returned to Georgia and lived with his wife Mary Ann until his death in April 1991 after a bout with liver Cancer. He leaves behind a daughter and wife.
Championships and accomplishments
- Central States WrestlingHeart of America Sports AttractionsHeart of America Sports Attractions, also known as the Midwest Wrestling Association, Central States Wrestling and the World Wrestling Alliance, was an American professional wrestling promotion that ran shows mainly in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa...
- NWA Central States Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Central States Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship a professional wrestling championship that currently serves as the main title for the National Wrestling Alliance promotion, NWA Midwest. For most of its existence, however, the title was defended in the NWA affiliate Central States Wrestling from...
(3 times) - NWA Central States World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jerry Oates
- NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (5 times) - with Luke Brown (1), Stan Pulaski (1), The Viking (1), Omar Atlas (2) and The Stomper (1)
- Georgia Championship WrestlingGeorgia 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 Macon Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Macon Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Macon Tag Team Championship was a tag team professional wrestling championship in Georgia Championship Wrestling, defended exclusively on events held at the Macon City Auditorium and Macon Coliseum in Macon, Georgia. The title lasted from 1969 to 1975....
(1 time) - with Rocky JohnsonRocky JohnsonRocky Johnson is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. Quite popular in his own right in the 1970s and 1980s, he is also known for being the father of actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson...
- Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling / Southeast Championship WrestlingContinental Championship WrestlingContinental Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based out of Knoxville, Tennessee from 1974 until 1988 and Dothan, Alabama from 1978 to 1990, managed by Ron Fuller. When Fuller sold the promotion to David Woods, it changed name to the Continental Wrestling Federation...
- NWA Gulf Coast Louisiana ChampionshipMid-South Louisiana ChampionshipThe Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight Championship was a secondary professional wrestling championship that was used and defended from 1964 though 1983. Initially, the championship originated in the NWA affiliated Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling. During this time, it was referred to as the NWA Gulf...
(1 time) - NWA Tennessee Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Tennessee Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship was a secondary tag team title promoted as the name indeicates mainly in the Tennessee region from 1967 until 1977, first by Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling from 1967 to 1974 then by its successor Southeast Championship Wrestling from 1974 to 1977 when it...
(1 time) with Chief Thundercloud - NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Gulf Coast version) (1 time) - with Bobby Fields
- NWA Mid-AmericaNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version)AWA Southern Tag Team ChampionshipThe AWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the Tennessee area from the 1940s through the late 1980s. It was originally named the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship from its inception through 1977, when it was renamed the AWA Southern...
(1 time) - with Chief Thundercloud
- Stampede WrestlingStampede WrestlingStampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
- Stampede North American Heavyweight ChampionshipStampede North American Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship is the major title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. From its establishment in 1968 until 1972, it was Stampede's secondary singles championship, becoming the top title in 1972 after the previous top...
(1 time)
Further reading
- "Danny Little Bear Tops Central States". Wrestling Monthly. Aug. 1972