Lawrence Heinemi
Encyclopedia
Larry Heinemi is a retired professional wrestler
better known by the name of Lars Anderson. His career spans over a decade of performing in National Wrestling Alliance
(NWA) territories as well as American Wrestling Association
(AWA).
with his "brother" Gene Anderson
and also tagged with his other "brother" Ole Anderson
. He occasionally wrestled with them as the Minnesota Wrecking Crew
. Lars did not have the success that the other Andersons
had. He did win numerous NWA regional championships, however, including winning the Georgia version
of the NWA World Tag Team Championship
with Gene Anderson. Lars wrestled briefly in the Carolinas as "Luscious" Lars Anderson.
In the early 1970s, he wrestled in the San Francisco bay area (again as Luscious Lars Anderson), winning the NWA (San Francisco) World Tag Team title with partner Paul DeMarco in 1972.
On the microphone, Larry was one of the best talkers in an era when getting over on the microphone was important. In the early '70s, after leaving Gene Anderson, he returned to the AWA and hooked up with Larry "Pretty Boy" Hennig
. The latter needed a new partner after the departure of "Handsome" Harley Race
who ventured to the NWA.
In the mid 1970s, Heiniemi was joined by his college friend, Les "Budd" Wolfe. Together they formed a solid combination, and many felt they should have won the AWA World Tag Team titles
. In March 1975, Heiniemi announced he was retiring from the ring, and after losing his last match to England's Billy Robinson
, Larry left the AWA. However, he did not retire; he was back to using the Lars Anderson handle and briefly feuded
with his "brothers" Gene and Ole in Atlanta in 1977.
He spent the last years of his career wrestling in Hawaii
for Polynesian Pacific Wrestling (PPW). When its owner, Peter Maivia
, died in 1982, his wife hired Heiniemi as head booker. This lasted until 1988 when the dwindling promotion
folded. Dwayne Johnson, former wrestler and grandson of Peter Maivia, spoke poorly of Heiniemi in his 2000 autobiography, The Rock Says.... Johnson described a scene where, as a teenager, he angrily confronted Heiniemi when he refused to drop the Polynesian Pacific Heavyweight title to Allen Coage
, who was wrestling as Bad News Allen at the time.
In 1996, Heiniemi established World League Wrestling. This little known promotion consisted largely of wrestlers from his training school and former PPW talent. The promotion officially folded in 2000.
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...
better known by the name of Lars Anderson. His career spans over a decade of performing in National Wrestling Alliance
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...
(NWA) territories as well as American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The 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...
(AWA).
Career
Heiniemi started wrestling in 1965. He formed a tag teamTag 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...
with his "brother" Gene Anderson
Gene Anderson
Gene Anderson was an American professional wrestler best known for his days of teaming with his brother Ole Anderson.-Career:...
and also tagged with his other "brother" Ole Anderson
Ole Anderson
Alan Robert Rogowski , better known by his ring name of Ole Anderson, is a retired professional wrestler and a promoter. He held numerous NWA World Tag Team Championships with Gene Anderson, who was portrayed as his brother...
. He occasionally wrestled with them as the Minnesota Wrecking Crew
Minnesota Wrecking Crew
The Minnesota Wrecking Crew was originally a professional wrestling tag team that was formed by Gene and Lars Anderson but since then has featured a number of wrestlers who wrestled under the Anderson family name despite not being blood related.-History:...
. Lars did not have the success that the other Andersons
Anderson family
The Anderson family is a group of professional wrestlers, a fictitious extended family largely consisting of brothers and cousins. It started in the Minnesota area in the late 1960s with a tag team called The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, consisting of "brothers" Lars Anderson and Gene Anderson...
had. He did win numerous NWA regional championships, however, including winning the Georgia version
NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship
The NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship was the top tag team championship in Georgia Championship Wrestling from 1968 to 1980, when it was replaced with the NWA National Tag Team Championship....
of the NWA World Tag Team Championship
NWA World Tag Team Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship is the professional wrestling world tag team championship within the NWA framework.-History:...
with Gene Anderson. Lars wrestled briefly in the Carolinas as "Luscious" Lars Anderson.
In the early 1970s, he wrestled in the San Francisco bay area (again as Luscious Lars Anderson), winning the NWA (San Francisco) World Tag Team title with partner Paul DeMarco in 1972.
On the microphone, Larry was one of the best talkers in an era when getting over on the microphone was important. In the early '70s, after leaving Gene Anderson, he returned to the AWA and hooked up with Larry "Pretty Boy" Hennig
Larry Hennig
Larry "The Axe" Hennig is an American retired professional wrestler. He is the father of the late "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, the grandfather of Joe Hennig, and is best known for his work in the American Wrestling Association, National Wrestling Alliance and World Wide Wrestling Federation...
. The latter needed a new partner after the departure of "Handsome" 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...
who ventured to the NWA.
In the mid 1970s, Heiniemi was joined by his college friend, Les "Budd" Wolfe. Together they formed a solid combination, and many felt they should have won the AWA World Tag Team titles
AWA World Tag Team Championship
The American Wrestling Association World Tag Team Championship was professional wrestling world tag team championship in the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991.-History :...
. In March 1975, Heiniemi announced he was retiring from the ring, and after losing his last match to England's Billy Robinson
Billy Robinson
Billy Robinson is a British professional wrestler and catch wrestling instructor. Robinson was well known in Japan where he has trained mixed martial arts fighters in catch wrestling...
, Larry left the AWA. However, he did not retire; he was back to using the Lars Anderson handle and briefly feuded
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with his "brothers" Gene and Ole in Atlanta in 1977.
He spent the last years of his career wrestling in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
for Polynesian Pacific Wrestling (PPW). When its owner, Peter Maivia
Peter Maivia
Fanene Leifi Pita Maivia was a American Samoan professional wrestler better known as "High Chief" Peter Maivia. He was head of the famous Samoan wrestling family...
, died in 1982, his wife hired Heiniemi as head booker. This lasted until 1988 when the dwindling promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
folded. Dwayne Johnson, former wrestler and grandson of Peter Maivia, spoke poorly of Heiniemi in his 2000 autobiography, The Rock Says.... Johnson described a scene where, as a teenager, he angrily confronted Heiniemi when he refused to drop the Polynesian Pacific Heavyweight title to Allen Coage
Allen Coage
Allen James Coage was an American professional wrestler with the WWF and Stampede Wrestling among many other companies, better known by his ring names Bad News Brown and Bad News Allen. He was also the 1976 Olympic bronze medal winner in judo, in the heavyweight division...
, who was wrestling as Bad News Allen at the time.
In 1996, Heiniemi established World League Wrestling. This little known promotion consisted largely of wrestlers from his training school and former PPW talent. The promotion officially folded in 2000.
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...
- AWA Midwest Tag Team ChampionshipAWA Midwest Tag Team ChampionshipThe AWA Midwest Tag Team Championship was a title in the American Wrestling Association from 1967 until 1971. It was for mid-level wrestlers and was mostly defended in the Omaha, Nebraska area.-Title history:...
(1 time) - with Larry HennigLarry HennigLarry "The Axe" Hennig is an American retired professional wrestler. He is the father of the late "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, the grandfather of Joe Hennig, and is best known for his work in the American Wrestling Association, National Wrestling Alliance and World Wide Wrestling Federation...
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Florida Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship was a major title in Championship Wrestling from Florida, USA and is now the major title in NWA Florida. It started in 1937 and was abandoned in 1949. It was picked back up in 1966 by CWF and lasted until 1987 when the company was purchased by Jim Crockett...
(1 time) - NWA Florida Southern Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Florida version)The Florida version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a top tag team title in the National Wrestling Alliance's Florida territory, Championship Wrestling from Florida. It existed from 1960 until 1971, when the title was abandoned.-Title history:...
(2 times) - with Gene AndersonGene AndersonGene Anderson was an American professional wrestler best known for his days of teaming with his brother Ole Anderson.-Career:...
- 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 Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Georgia Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship was the top tag team championship in Georgia Championship Wrestling from 1968 to 1980, when it was replaced with the NWA National Tag Team Championship....
(2 times) - with Ole AndersonOle AndersonAlan Robert Rogowski , better known by his ring name of Ole Anderson, is a retired professional wrestler and a promoter. He held numerous NWA World Tag Team Championships with Gene Anderson, who was portrayed as his brother... - NWA World Tag Team Championship (Georgia Version) (1 time) - with Gene Anderson
- NWA Polynesian WrestlingNational 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 Polynesian Pacific Heavyweight Championship (5 times)
- NWA Polynesian Pacific Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Seiji SakaguchiSeiji Sakaguchiis a retired Japanese professional wrestler who was a mainstay of New Japan Pro Wrestling and also competed for the World Wide Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance....
- NWA San FranciscoNational 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 (San Francisco Version) (1 time) - with Paul DeMarco
- World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
- IWA World Tag Team ChampionshipIWA World Tag Team Championship (WCW Australia)The IWA World Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1966 through 1971....
(1 time) - with Dick MurdochDick MurdochHoyt 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...