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Hans Schmidt (wrestler)
Encyclopedia
Guy Larose better known by his ring name
of Hans Schmidt, is a retired Canadian
professional wrestler
famous in the 1950s and '60s.
to break into the pro business after World War II
, with little success early on. Then in 1951 the Boston
-area promoter Paul Bowser
, who thought the tall Québécois
looked like a German
, rechristened him Hans Schmidt. Playing the character of an 'evil German', Schmidt became one of the first great heels
of televised wrestling in the 1950s, drawing the hatred of fans as he battled their American
babyface
heroes of the squared circle. In the 1998 A&E
documentary The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling
, Hans Schmidt was labeled "the classic foreign villain" - tapping into lingering anti-German sentiment in America following World War II, Schmidt was a forerunner of many other wrestling characters that successfully used the "anti-American foreigner" gimmick to enrage the crowd, such as Nikolai Volkoff
and The Iron Sheik.
Nicknamed The Teuton Terror, Schmidt wrestled a rough, aggressive rule-breaker's style. He often finished his opponents off with a backbreaker, and he also had the then-dreaded piledriver in his repertoire. Schmidt wrestled in territories all over North America but was a particularly big name in Chicago
, Milwaukee and Toronto
. By 1954 he was so thoroughly hated by wrestling audiences that he turned "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers into a face simply by wrestling a match against him. He later said that at the peak of his career, between live events and TV tapings he was wrestling as many as eight matches a week.
Schmidt wrestled Lou Thesz
several times for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
, and faced many other legends of the era such as Verne Gagne
, Antonino Rocca
and Whipper Billy Watson
. He was naturally partnered up in tag team
action with other 'evil German' wrestlers around at the time, such as Karl von Hess
and Ludwig von Krupp. He also frequently tag teamed with Dick 'The Bulldog' Brower. In the wake of Schmidt's success in drawing heel heat
, other wrestlers took the 'German heel' gimmick and pushed it to greater extremes with goose-stepping, fascist saluting
and use of Nazi iconography. Schmidt never took it to this level himself, though he did shave his head and wear a helmet to the ring later in his career.
Near the end of his career in the 1970s, Schmidt worked around the Montreal
region, still a heel but billed as hailing from Chicago. Guy Larose had two children and lives quietly today in the Laurentians
north of Montreal.
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
of Hans Schmidt, is a retired Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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...
famous in the 1950s and '60s.
Wrestling career
Larose used a background in amateur wrestlingAmateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
to break into the pro business after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, with little success early on. Then in 1951 the Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
-area promoter Paul Bowser
Paul Bowser
Paul Forbes Bowser was a professional wrestling promoter who was active from the 1920s to the 1950s in the Boston area.-Wrestler:...
, who thought the tall Québécois
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
looked like a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, rechristened him Hans Schmidt. Playing the character of an 'evil German', Schmidt became one of the first great heels
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
of televised wrestling in the 1950s, drawing the hatred of fans as he battled their American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
babyface
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
heroes of the squared circle. In the 1998 A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
documentary The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling
The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling
The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling is a television documentary dealing with the true history of professional wrestling. The documentary talked about professional wrestling's beginnings right up until the Monday Night Wars era of professional wrestling...
, Hans Schmidt was labeled "the classic foreign villain" - tapping into lingering anti-German sentiment in America following World War II, Schmidt was a forerunner of many other wrestling characters that successfully used the "anti-American foreigner" gimmick to enrage the crowd, such as Nikolai Volkoff
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 The Iron Sheik.
Nicknamed The Teuton Terror, Schmidt wrestled a rough, aggressive rule-breaker's style. He often finished his opponents off with a backbreaker, and he also had the then-dreaded piledriver in his repertoire. Schmidt wrestled in territories all over North America but was a particularly big name in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Milwaukee and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. By 1954 he was so thoroughly hated by wrestling audiences that he turned "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers into a face simply by wrestling a match against him. He later said that at the peak of his career, between live events and TV tapings he was wrestling as many as eight matches a week.
Schmidt wrestled 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...
several times for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
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...
, and faced many other legends of the era such as Verne Gagne
Verne Gagne
Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne , is a retired American professional wrestler, football player, and professional wrestling trainer and promoter. He was the former owner/promoter of the American Wrestling Association , based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which was the predominant promotion throughout...
, Antonino Rocca
Antonino Rocca
Antonino Rocca was an Italian-born Argentine professional wrestler. Rocca was a popular face and in some cities with both Italian-American and especially Hispanic audiences, his following was exceptionally large and loyal.He had a love for opera and was apparently described as having an excellent...
and Whipper Billy Watson
Whipper Billy Watson
William John Potts, O.Ont was a Canadian professional wrestler best known by his ring name Whipper Billy Watson, and was a two-time world heavyweight wrestling champion.-Early life:...
. He was naturally partnered up in tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
action with other 'evil German' wrestlers around at the time, such as Karl von Hess
Karl Von Hess
Karl Von Hess was an American professional wrestler.-Early life and career:Born Frank Fakety in Michigan in 1919 to Hungarian immigrants, and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Von Hess was a lifeguard and swimming teacher before entering the navy in World War II serving aboard the USS Montpelier in the...
and Ludwig von Krupp. He also frequently tag teamed with Dick 'The Bulldog' Brower. In the wake of Schmidt's success in drawing heel heat
Heat (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, heat refers to both crowd reaction and real-life animosity between those involved in the professional wrestling business. In terms of crowd reaction, heat is usually either cheers for a babyface or boos for a heel...
, other wrestlers took the 'German heel' gimmick and pushed it to greater extremes with goose-stepping, fascist saluting
Hitler salute
The Nazi salute, or Hitler salute , was a gesture of greeting in Nazi Germany usually accompanied by saying, Heil Hitler! ["Hail Hitler!"], Heil, mein Führer ["Hail, my leader!"], or Sieg Heil! ["Hail victory!"]...
and use of Nazi iconography. Schmidt never took it to this level himself, though he did shave his head and wear a helmet to the ring later in his career.
Near the end of his career in the 1970s, Schmidt worked around the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
region, still a heel but billed as hailing from Chicago. Guy Larose had two children and lives quietly today in the Laurentians
Laurentian mountains
The Laurentian Mountains are a mountain range in southern Quebec, Canada, north of the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River, rising to a highest point of 1166 metres at Mont Raoul Blanchard, north east of Quebec City in the Reserve Faunique des Laurentides. The Gatineau, L'Assomption, Lièvre,...
north of Montreal.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- PiledriverPiledriver (professional wrestling)A piledriver is a professional wrestling driver move in which the wrestler grabs his opponent, turns him upside-down, and drops into a sitting or kneeling position, driving the opponent head-first into the mat. The most common piledrivers are the basic belly-to-back, or Texas piledriver, and the...
- Swinging Neckbreaker
- Piledriver
Championships and accomplishments
- American Wrestling AssociationAmerican Wrestling AssociationThe American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
- International Heavyweight Championship (Montreal version) (2 times)
- 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 Georgia Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with El MongolEl MongolRaul Molina is a Mexican-born former professional wrestler better known by his ring name of El Mongol. He was most famous in the Georgia territory during the late 1960s and early '70s.-Career:...
- NWA Georgia Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with El Mongol
- NWA DetroitNational 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 United States Heavyweight Championship (Chicago version) (1 time)
- NWA Los AngelesNational 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 World Tag Team Championship (Los Angeles version)NWA World Tag Team Championship (Los Angeles version)The Los Angeles, California version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1957 to 1958, and from 1979 to 1982, when the Los Angeles promotion closed.-Title history:...
(1 time) - with Hans Herman
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Los Angeles version)