Ray Hrstich
Encyclopedia
Dick Hrstich was a New Zealand
professional wrestler, known by his ring names Ray Hrstich and Ray Gordon, who competed throughout his native country and in Canada and the United States during the late 1950s and 60s. He was among the first New Zealanders to travel to the U.S. and, like his fellow countrymen Pat O'Connor
and Abe Jacobs
, became a major star with the National Wrestling Alliance
during the Television-era.
He won the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship
in 1958 and, later in the U.S., held the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship
, NWA Iowa Heavyweight Championship, and the NWA Americas 6-Man Tag Team Championship with Apache Bull Ramos
and Mike Riker. Hrstich is credited, along with Bobby Graham and "Killer" Buddy Austin, as the trainer of 8-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race
. In 2009, Fight Times Magazine ranked Hrstich #10 in a top ten list of New Zealand's greatest wrestlers.
n or, according to another source, in Drasnice
, Croatia
and emigrated with his family to New Zealand at a young age. He held an "outstanding record" as a champion amateur wrestler before turning pro during the mid-1950s. Trained by Anton Koolmann
, Hrstich soon established himself as one of the country's up and coming stars. One of his most memorable bouts was against "The Zebra Kid" George Bollas and promoter Al Karasick speculated to the press that Hrstich would become a great drawing card. In April 1958, Wrestling Review wrote that Hrstich "appears to be another Lofty Blomfield
". Two months later, on June 11, he defeated Fred Wright in Christchurch
for the then vacant NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship
. Later that year, he travelled overseas to wrestle in NWA Hawaii and Stampede Wrestling
; he lost to Stan Kowalski in Honolulu on October 19 and went to a draw with Reggie Parks in Edmonton, Alberta on November 4, 1958.
for Central States Wrestling
, where he defeated "Butcher Boy" Lee Henning at Memorial Hall
on April 23, 1959. While competing in the United States, Hrstich was billed as Dick or Ray Gordon, so as to make his name more easy for announcers to pronounce, and kept the ringname for the remainder of his career. In the fall of that year, in the American Wrestling Association
, he faced such opponents as Jack Terry, Billy Goelz, Aldo Bogni, Don McClarty and Frank Townsend in the Minneapolis – Saint Paul area. On October 24, he and Henning teamed together in a tag team match against Butch Levy & Bob Rasmussen in St. Paul. It was during this latest tour that Hrstich decided to wrestle in the U.S. full-time and vacated the NWA New Zealand title.
Spending the rest of the year in Kansas City, Hrstich made several more appearances at Memorial Hall wrestling Stanley Lisowski and Chick Garibaldi in singles matches as well as taking part in a few tag team matches. On November 19, he and Thor Hagen beat Chick Garibaldi & Kinji Shibuya and teamed with Tommy O’Toole in a 6-team championship tournament a month later. Other teams included Rip Hawk
& Rock Hunter, Thor Hagen & Sonny Myers
, Bob Geigel
& Otto Von Krupp
, Bill Cole & Chick Garibaldi, and Jerry Gordett & Joe Hamilton
. On December 10, 1959, Hrstich and Krupp defeated Tarzan "Killer" Kowalski
in a handicap match at Memorial Hall; Kowalski took the first fall, however Krupp was awarded the second when Kowalski was
disqualified. During his time in central Missouri, he along with Bobby Graham and "Killer" Buddy Austin helped train Harley Race
, a future 8-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, while the young rookie was starting his career working for St. Joseph wrestling promoter Gust Karras.
Hrstich then headed south where he worked for Texas promoter Pat O’Dowdy in Odessa
wrestling Ed Sharpe and Dick Hutton
at the Floyd Gwin Auditorium in early-1960. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, for promoters Morris Siegel and Ed McLemore, he also faced Paul "Butcher" Vachon
, Marquis de Paree, Duke Keomuka, and Joe Pizza during October–November 1960. On December 16, 1961, he won the vacant NWA Iowa Heavyweight Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
. By 1962, Hrstich was back in the Central States territory and, on February 9, he captured the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship
from Buddy Austin in St. Joseph. Hrstich held the title for two months before dropping the belt to his old rival Lee Henning on May 5, 1962.
's Toronto-based promotion Maple Leaf Wrestling
and began headlining events at its home arena, Maple Leaf Gardens
, by the end of the month. In his first major appearance, on May 24, Hrstich and Jim Hady wrestled The Tolos Brothers (Chris
and John Tolos
) to a 30-minute time limit draw. He also wrestled Steve Stanlee
, Stan Stasiak
and Jean Baillargeon during the next two months as well as facing his one-time tag team partner, Tommy O’Toole, beating him in both of their two encounters. One of his biggest matches was against Taro Sakuro, a bout which he lost, with 13,997 fans in attendance at the Maple Leaf Gardens on August 30. In the following weeks, he also lost matches to Sweet Daddy Siki
and Johnny Valentine
. His last appearance was on October 11, 1962, in which he lost to Taro Sakuro in a rematch. Hrstich met a number of rising NWA stars while working for Tunney, most notably, Bruno Sammartino
.
and appeared in televised matches on Wrestling at the Chase
. His loss to Dick the Bruiser at the Kiel Auditorium
, on February 1, 1963, signaled the start of Muchnick's "push"
to make Bruiser one of the top stars in his promotion. Two months later, Hrstich met NWA World Heavyweight Champion
Lou Thesz
in St. Louis on April 20, 1963. Hrstich later traveled the road with Thesz and headlined together in tag team matches. He also had a brief stint in Jim Crockett Promotions
that summer. On July 25, he fought Pat O'Hara to a 20-minute time-limit draw in front of 3,437 fans at the Greensboro Coliseum
. Nearly three weeks later, the two men teamed up against, and lost to, the Tolos Brothers in Lexington, North Carolina
. Hrstich moved on to Georgia Championship Wrestling
, then run by promoters Don McIntyre and Steve Manderson, where he and several other NWA stars including Lou Thesz
, Eddie Graham
, and The Mighty Hercules
appeared for the next three months. In the first week of October, Hrstich defeated Felix Godo at the Municipal Auditorium
in Atlanta, Georgia
, wrestled Tarzan Tyler to a draw at the Fort Gordon Sports Arena and beat Marcus Godo at the William Bell Auditorium in Augusta
. Hrstich wrestled The Mighty Hercules to a draw at that same venue the following week and scored victories over Hercules, Tyler, Ivan Zukoff, The Outlaw, Lenny Montana
and Gene Anderson
.
's first official World Wrestling Association
show. He and Billy Goelz wrestled in the opening match and fought to a 20 minute draw. From late-1964 until early-1965, Hrstich wrestled for Championship Wrestling from Florida. One of his first matches in the territory was against Harry Smith in St. Petersburg
on November 20, 1964. After a brief series of matches against Bill Dromo in March 1965, he finally left Florida for Don Owen in Portland, Oregon
.
, Hrstich feuded with Roy McClarty though both their matches resulted in draws; he and Stan Stasiak
, however, did beat McClarty and Enrique Torres
in a tag team match in Seattle four months later. On June 14, 1965, he beat Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon
via disqualification. That fall, he lost matches to Rick Hunter and Don Leo Jonathan
. On November 6, 1965, Hrstich lost a tag team match with Sandor Kovacs against Bill Dromo & Ivan Kameroff in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
in a handicap match at the Kiel Auditorium
before moving on to Tri-State Wrestling. Paired with Mike Clancy and The Great Bolo
, Hrstich came out on the losing end in matches against The Assassins (Assassin #1
& Assassin #2). He fared better in the singles division with victories over Boris Managoff and Chuck Karbo and also made appearances for NWA Western States in Texas. Hrstich teamed with Nick Roberts and Kurt Von Steiger in a six-man tag team match against Jack Brisco
, Don Kirk & Ricky Romero in Amarillo
on April 14. He would go on to have a series of matches with Brisco in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma until the end of the year. He also faced Brisco in tag team matches as well; he and Don Kent
wrestled Brisco & Ramon Torres to a draw in Springfield
on May 11, lost a six-man tag team match with Bob Orton
and Chris Tolos
to Brisco, Danny Hodge
& Battleship Johnson in Tulsa on October 31, and with Orton traded matches with Brisco and Hodge in Little Rock
during the first week of November. In addition to the Tri-State territory, he was also among the many NWA veterans to pass through the Continental Wrestling Association
during October–December 1966.
nephew of Don Arnold, who became a major star in the region during the 1970s and 80s. Arnold later called Hrstich a "freak of nature" for being "amazingly strong for his size". According to Dale Pierce, an author and Arizona wrestling historian, he was one of the "toughest wrestlers to ever step into a ring".
Hrstich had one last championship run in Gene LeBell
's NWA Hollywood Wrestling
as one-third of the NWA Americas 6-Man Tag Team Champions with Apache Bull Ramos
and Mike Riker until losing the titles to Mil Mascaras
& NWA Americas Tag Team Champions
Los Medicos in Los Angeles, California
on September 24, 1969. He retired shortly afterwards and settled in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2009, wrestling columnist and historian Dave Cameron ranked Hrstich #10 in a top ten list of New Zealand's greatest wrestlers for Fight Times Magazine.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
professional wrestler, known by his ring names Ray Hrstich and Ray Gordon, who competed throughout his native country and in Canada and the United States during the late 1950s and 60s. He was among the first New Zealanders to travel to the U.S. and, like his fellow countrymen Pat O'Connor
Pat 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...
and Abe Jacobs
Abe Jacobs
Abe Jacobs is a retired New Zealand professional wrestler. He was one of the first men to follow fellow New Zealander Pat O'Connor to the United States where, like O'Connor, Jacobs became a major star in the National Wrestling Alliance during the "Golden Age of Wrestling"...
, became a major star with the 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...
during the Television-era.
He won the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship
NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship
The NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship is the primary singles title in the NWA-affiliated wrestling promotion NWA New Zealand. It is the first heavyweight championship in New Zealand and one of the oldest in the world. It was first won by Gisborne Katene who defeated Frank Findlay in 1919...
in 1958 and, later in the U.S., held the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship
NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship
The 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...
, NWA Iowa Heavyweight Championship, and the NWA Americas 6-Man Tag Team Championship with Apache Bull Ramos
Apache Bull Ramos
Manuel Ramos , better known as Apache Bull Ramos, was an American professional wrestler from his debut in 1956 until the 1970s who primarily worked as a heel. He had notable feuds with Bruno Sammartino, Dutch Savage, Jimmy Snuka, Terry Funk and Mil Máscaras...
and Mike Riker. Hrstich is credited, along with Bobby Graham and "Killer" Buddy Austin, as the trainer of 8-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion 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...
. In 2009, Fight Times Magazine ranked Hrstich #10 in a top ten list of New Zealand's greatest wrestlers.
Start with the Dominion Wrestling Union
Dick Hrstich was born in YugoslaviaYugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
n or, according to another source, in Drasnice
Drasnice
Drašnice is a tourist locality in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, located between Makarska and Ploče. The population is 328.The village lies underneath the Biokovo mountain, at the Jadranska magistrala, and across the strait there's the island of Hvar....
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and emigrated with his family to New Zealand at a young age. He held an "outstanding record" as a champion amateur wrestler before turning pro during the mid-1950s. Trained by Anton Koolmann
Anton Koolmann
Anton Koolmann was a wrestler and coach from Kuusalu Parish, Estonia who took part at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.-Career:...
, Hrstich soon established himself as one of the country's up and coming stars. One of his most memorable bouts was against "The Zebra Kid" George Bollas and promoter Al Karasick speculated to the press that Hrstich would become a great drawing card. In April 1958, Wrestling Review wrote that Hrstich "appears to be another Lofty Blomfield
Lofty Blomfield
Meynell Strathmore Blomfield was a New Zealand professional wrestler, known by his ringname Lofty Blomfield, who was arguably the country's most popular wrestler during the 1930s and 40s...
". Two months later, on June 11, he defeated Fred Wright in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
for the then vacant NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship
NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship
The NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship is the primary singles title in the NWA-affiliated wrestling promotion NWA New Zealand. It is the first heavyweight championship in New Zealand and one of the oldest in the world. It was first won by Gisborne Katene who defeated Frank Findlay in 1919...
. Later that year, he travelled overseas to wrestle in NWA Hawaii and 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...
; he lost to Stan Kowalski in Honolulu on October 19 and went to a draw with Reggie Parks in Edmonton, Alberta on November 4, 1958.
Moving to the United States
Hrstich returned to the U.S. a year later, this time farther east in Kansas City, KansasKansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
for Central States Wrestling
Heart of America Sports Attractions
Heart 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...
, where he defeated "Butcher Boy" Lee Henning at Memorial Hall
Memorial Hall (Kansas City, Kansas)
The Kansas City Memorial Hall is a 3,500-seat multi-purpose venue, located in Kansas City, Kansas. The auditorium, which has a permanent stage, is used for public assemblies, concerts and sporting events....
on April 23, 1959. While competing in the United States, Hrstich was billed as Dick or Ray Gordon, so as to make his name more easy for announcers to pronounce, and kept the ringname for the remainder of his career. In the fall of that year, in the 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...
, he faced such opponents as Jack Terry, Billy Goelz, Aldo Bogni, Don McClarty and Frank Townsend in the Minneapolis – Saint Paul area. On October 24, he and Henning teamed together in a tag team match against Butch Levy & Bob Rasmussen in St. Paul. It was during this latest tour that Hrstich decided to wrestle in the U.S. full-time and vacated the NWA New Zealand title.
Spending the rest of the year in Kansas City, Hrstich made several more appearances at Memorial Hall wrestling Stanley Lisowski and Chick Garibaldi in singles matches as well as taking part in a few tag team matches. On November 19, he and Thor Hagen beat Chick Garibaldi & Kinji Shibuya and teamed with Tommy O’Toole in a 6-team championship tournament a month later. Other teams included Rip Hawk
Rip Hawk
Harvey Maurice Evers is a retired American professional wrestler best known by his ring name, Rip Hawk. He began his wrestling career in the Mid-Western United States before joining Jim Crockett Promotions in the early 1960s. In the company, he teamed with fellow wrestler Swede Hanson as the...
& Rock Hunter, Thor Hagen & Sonny Myers
Sonny Myers
Harold "Sonny" Myers was an American professional wrestler, involved in the business for sixty years.-Career:...
, 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...
& Otto Von Krupp
Boris Malenko
Lawrence J. Simon better known by his ring name Boris Malenko, was an American professional wrestler who wrestled for the American Wrestling Association and National Wrestling Alliance in the 1960s and 1970s...
, Bill Cole & Chick Garibaldi, and Jerry Gordett & Joe Hamilton
Jody Hamilton
Joseph "Jody" Hamilton is an American retired professional wrestler and current wrestling promoter and trainer. In his active days Hamiltion was best known as known as one half of the tag team The Assassins where he was called "Assassin #1"...
. On December 10, 1959, Hrstich and Krupp defeated Tarzan "Killer" Kowalski
Killer Kowalski
Władek "Killer" Kowalski was a Canadian professional wrestler. Kowalski wrestled for numerous promotions during his career, including the NWA and WWF, and was a known heel wrestler...
in a handicap match at Memorial Hall; Kowalski took the first fall, however Krupp was awarded the second when Kowalski was
disqualified. During his time in central Missouri, he along with Bobby Graham and "Killer" Buddy Austin helped train 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...
, a future 8-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, while the young rookie was starting his career working for St. Joseph wrestling promoter Gust Karras.
Hrstich then headed south where he worked for Texas promoter Pat O’Dowdy in Odessa
Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
wrestling Ed Sharpe and Dick Hutton
Dick Hutton
Richard "Dick" Hutton was an American amateur and professional wrestler. He was a three-time NCAA champion and, as a professional, held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.-Early life:...
at the Floyd Gwin Auditorium in early-1960. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, for promoters Morris Siegel and Ed McLemore, he also faced Paul "Butcher" Vachon
Paul Vachon
Paul "Butcher" Vachon is a former professional wrestler. He is a member of the Vachon wrestling family.-Professional wrestling career:Paul Vachon grew up as one of thirteen children of Ferdinand Vachon, a Montreal police officer...
, Marquis de Paree, Duke Keomuka, and Joe Pizza during October–November 1960. On December 16, 1961, he won the vacant NWA Iowa Heavyweight Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
. By 1962, Hrstich was back in the Central States territory and, on February 9, he captured the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship
NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship
The 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...
from Buddy Austin in St. Joseph. Hrstich held the title for two months before dropping the belt to his old rival Lee Henning on May 5, 1962.
Maple Leaf Wrestling
Hrstich left the area shortly afterwards to wrestle for Canadian promoter Frank TunneyFrank Tunney
Francis Martin “Frank” Tunney was a Canadian professional wrestling promoter, based in Toronto.-Early years:...
's Toronto-based promotion 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:...
and began headlining events at its home arena, Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...
, by the end of the month. In his first major appearance, on May 24, Hrstich and Jim Hady wrestled The Tolos Brothers (Chris
Chris Tolos
Chris Tolos was a Canadian professional wrestler. Chris stayed close to Hamilton for much of his life, taking care of his mother—who lived to be 101 and died in 2001—and his disabled sister. He died of cancer on Friday, August 13, 2005...
and John Tolos
John Tolos
John Tolos, nicknamed "The Golden Greek", was a Canadian professional wrestler, and professional wrestling manager.-Canadian Wrecking Crew:...
) to a 30-minute time limit draw. He also wrestled Steve Stanlee
Steve Stanlee
Steve Zygowicz better known by his ring name of Steve Stanlee, was an American professional wrestler from the late 1940s through the 1960s. He was the younger brother of professional wrestler Gene Stanlee.-Career:...
, Stan Stasiak
Stan Stasiak
George Stipich , better known by his ring name Stan Stasiak, was a Canadian professional wrestler and fifth World Wide Wrestling Federation Champion. He is the father of professional wrestler Shawn Stasiak.-Career:...
and Jean Baillargeon during the next two months as well as facing his one-time tag team partner, Tommy O’Toole, beating him in both of their two encounters. One of his biggest matches was against Taro Sakuro, a bout which he lost, with 13,997 fans in attendance at the Maple Leaf Gardens on August 30. In the following weeks, he also lost matches to Sweet Daddy Siki
Sweet Daddy Siki
Reginald Siki is a former professional wrestler and was born on June 16 in Montgomery, Texas.Sweet Daddy Siki started wrestling in 1955 in Artesia, New Mexico. He also did some training in Los Angeles with Sandor Szabo and Ray Ortega...
and Johnny Valentine
Johnny Valentine
Johnny Valentine was a professional wrestler with a career spanning almost three decades. He has been inducted into four halls of fame for his achievements in wrestling...
. His last appearance was on October 11, 1962, in which he lost to Taro Sakuro in a rematch. Hrstich met a number of rising NWA stars while working for Tunney, most notably, Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino is an Italian-American former professional wrestler, best known for being the longest-running champion of the World Wide Wrestling Federation , holding the title across two reigns for over 11 years in total, as well as the longest single WWE Championship reign...
.
Return to St. Louis
He spent the spring of 1963 wrestling for Sam MuchnickSam Muchnick
Sam Muchnick was an American professional wrestling promoter from St. Louis, Missouri. He is often deemed as wrestling’s equivalent of Pete Rozelle , and he was instrumental in establishing the National Wrestling Alliance, which became the industry’s top governing body, in 1948...
and appeared in televised matches on Wrestling at the Chase
Wrestling at the Chase
Wrestling at the Chase was a professional wrestling television series that aired in St. Louis, Missouri, the matches were taped live on Saturday nights as well as televised. It was repeated traditionally on Sunday mornings. It was promoted by the St...
. His loss to Dick the Bruiser at the Kiel Auditorium
Kiel Auditorium
Kiel Auditorium was an indoor arena, in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It was the home of the Saint Louis University basketball team and hosted the NBA's St. Louis Hawks, from 1955-1968....
, on February 1, 1963, signaled the start of Muchnick's "push"
Push (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a push is an attempt by the booker to make the wrestler win more matches and become more popular or more reviled with the fans depending on whether they are a heel or a face...
to make Bruiser one of the top stars in his promotion. Two months later, Hrstich met 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...
in St. Louis on April 20, 1963. Hrstich later traveled the road with Thesz and headlined together in tag team matches. He also had a brief stint in Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
that summer. On July 25, he fought Pat O'Hara to a 20-minute time-limit draw in front of 3,437 fans at the Greensboro Coliseum
Greensboro Coliseum
The Greensboro Coliseum Complex is an entertainment complex located in College Hill neighborhood of Greensboro, North Carolina. Opening in 1959, the arena was one of the largest venues in the South, with a seating capacity of over 7,000...
. Nearly three weeks later, the two men teamed up against, and lost to, the Tolos Brothers in Lexington, North Carolina
Lexington, North Carolina
Lexington is the county seat of Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 19,953. It is located in central North Carolina, twenty miles south of Winston-Salem. Major highways include I-85, U.S. Route 29, U.S. Route 70, U.S. Route 52 ...
. Hrstich moved on to 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...
, then run by promoters Don McIntyre and Steve Manderson, where he and several other NWA stars including 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...
, Eddie Graham
Eddie Graham
Edward Gossett was a professional wrestler. He was also the promoter and booker for Championship Wrestling from Florida and President of the NWA in the 1970s. His son, Mike Graham, was also a professional wrestler.-Career:Edward F...
, and The Mighty Hercules
Angelo Mosca
Angelo Mosca is a former Canadian Football League player and professional wrestler. He is also known by the wrestling nicknames King Kong Mosca and The Mighty Hercules...
appeared for the next three months. In the first week of October, Hrstich defeated Felix Godo at the Municipal Auditorium
Municipal Auditorium (Atlanta, Georgia)
Atlanta Municipal Auditorium, originally known as the Auditorium and Armory, was an auditorium in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It was constructed with funds raised by a committee of Atlanta citizens and then sold to the city of Atlanta...
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...
, wrestled Tarzan Tyler to a draw at the Fort Gordon Sports Arena and beat Marcus Godo at the William Bell Auditorium in Augusta
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...
. Hrstich wrestled The Mighty Hercules to a draw at that same venue the following week and scored victories over Hercules, Tyler, Ivan Zukoff, The Outlaw, Lenny Montana
Lenny Montana
Lenny Montana was an American actor, who played the role of feared hitman Luca Brasi in The Godfather. Prior to becoming an actor, he had a successful career as a professional wrestler,...
and Gene Anderson
Gene Anderson
Gene Anderson was an American professional wrestler best known for his days of teaming with his brother Ole Anderson.-Career:...
.
From Indianapolis to Florida
On April 25, 1964, Hrstich appeared at the Southside Armory in Indianapolis for Dick the Bruiser and Wilbur SnyderWilbur Snyder
Wilbur Snyder was an American football player and professional wrestler.-Wrestling career:Snyder's wrestling debut occurred during the 1953 offseason. He was trained by Sandor Szabo and Warren Bockwinkel in Southern California. In 1954, Snyder retired from football completely to pursue a full-time...
's first official World Wrestling Association
World Wrestling Association (Indianapolis)
The World Wrestling Association was an Indianapolis-based pro wrestling promotion which was operated by Dick "The Bruiser" Afflis and his business partner Wilbur Snyder. The WWA was affiliated with the larger American Wrestling Association and recognized its champions, though the WWA also had its...
show. He and Billy Goelz wrestled in the opening match and fought to a 20 minute draw. From late-1964 until early-1965, Hrstich wrestled for Championship Wrestling from Florida. One of his first matches in the territory was against Harry Smith in St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
on November 20, 1964. After a brief series of matches against Bill Dromo in March 1965, he finally left Florida for Don Owen in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
Pacific Northwest Wrestling
In his first two months in Pacific Northwest WrestlingPacific Northwest Wrestling
Pacific Northwest Wrestling is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first such company was founded by Herb Owen in 1925...
, Hrstich feuded with Roy McClarty though both their matches resulted in draws; he and Stan Stasiak
Stan Stasiak
George Stipich , better known by his ring name Stan Stasiak, was a Canadian professional wrestler and fifth World Wide Wrestling Federation Champion. He is the father of professional wrestler Shawn Stasiak.-Career:...
, however, did beat McClarty and Enrique Torres
Enrique Torres
Enrique Torres was a Mexican-American professional wrestler, the oldest three Torres brothers in wrestling, and a major star in the late 1940s and 1950s.-Personal Background:...
in a tag team match in Seattle four months later. On June 14, 1965, he beat Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon
Maurice Vachon
Maurice Vachon is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, best known by his ring name "Mad Dog" Vachon. He is the brother of wrestlers Paul and Vivian Vachon, and the uncle of wrestler Luna Vachon...
via disqualification. That fall, he lost matches to Rick Hunter and Don Leo Jonathan
Don Leo Jonathan
Don Heaton , also known as Don Leo Jonathan, is an American former professional wrestler.-Professional wrestling career:...
. On November 6, 1965, Hrstich lost a tag team match with Sandor Kovacs against Bill Dromo & Ivan Kameroff in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Tri-State Wrestling
Hrstich briefly returned to St. Louis where, on January 7, 1966, he and "Cowboy" Bob Ellis were beaten by Fritz Von ErichFritz 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...
in a handicap match at the Kiel Auditorium
Kiel Auditorium
Kiel Auditorium was an indoor arena, in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It was the home of the Saint Louis University basketball team and hosted the NBA's St. Louis Hawks, from 1955-1968....
before moving on to Tri-State Wrestling. Paired with Mike Clancy and The Great Bolo
The Great Bolo
The Great Bolo was the ring name of professional wrestler Al Lovelock, who wore a mask when he wrestled as the Great Bolo. Lovelock was active in the 1950s and 1960s and was primarily known for his work in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida...
, Hrstich came out on the losing end in matches against The Assassins (Assassin #1
Jody Hamilton
Joseph "Jody" Hamilton is an American retired professional wrestler and current wrestling promoter and trainer. In his active days Hamiltion was best known as known as one half of the tag team The Assassins where he was called "Assassin #1"...
& Assassin #2). He fared better in the singles division with victories over Boris Managoff and Chuck Karbo and also made appearances for NWA Western States in Texas. Hrstich teamed with Nick Roberts and Kurt Von Steiger in a six-man tag team match against Jack Brisco
Jack 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...
, Don Kirk & Ricky Romero in Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
on April 14. He would go on to have a series of matches with Brisco in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma until the end of the year. He also faced Brisco in tag team matches as well; he and 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...
wrestled Brisco & Ramon Torres to a draw in Springfield
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
on May 11, lost a six-man tag team match with Bob Orton
Bob Orton
Robert Dale "Bob" Orton was an American professional wrestler. He was also known as Bob Orton, Sr. to distinguish him from his son, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Jr...
and Chris Tolos
Chris Tolos
Chris Tolos was a Canadian professional wrestler. Chris stayed close to Hamilton for much of his life, taking care of his mother—who lived to be 101 and died in 2001—and his disabled sister. He died of cancer on Friday, August 13, 2005...
to Brisco, Danny Hodge
Danny Hodge
Daniel "Danny" Allen Hodge is a retired American wrestler and boxer. He is renowned for his wrestling career, both amateur and professional, and has also been a boxer. Hodge was born, grew up, and still lives in Perry, Oklahoma...
& Battleship Johnson in Tulsa on October 31, and with Orton traded matches with Brisco and Hodge in Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
during the first week of November. In addition to the Tri-State territory, he was also among the many NWA veterans to pass through the Continental Wrestling Association
Continental Wrestling Association
The Continental Wrestling Association was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually referred to as Mid-Southern Wrestling...
during October–December 1966.
Later career and retirement
Hrstich spent some time in Arizona during the final years of his career and helped train Jody Arnold, the kayfabeKayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
nephew of Don Arnold, who became a major star in the region during the 1970s and 80s. Arnold later called Hrstich a "freak of nature" for being "amazingly strong for his size". According to Dale Pierce, an author and Arizona wrestling historian, he was one of the "toughest wrestlers to ever step into a ring".
Hrstich had one last championship run in Gene LeBell
Gene LeBell
Ivan Gene LeBell is a former American Judo champion, instructor, stunt performer, stunt coordinator, and professional wrestler born in Los Angeles, California. LeBell has worked on over 1,000 films and TV shows, and has authored a number of books.In 2000, he was promoted to 9th Dan in US Ju-Jitsu...
's NWA Hollywood Wrestling
World Wrestling Association (Los Angeles)
World Wrestling Association was a professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles. The promotion was established in 1959 originally as the North American Wrestling Alliance...
as one-third of the NWA Americas 6-Man Tag Team Champions with Apache Bull Ramos
Apache Bull Ramos
Manuel Ramos , better known as Apache Bull Ramos, was an American professional wrestler from his debut in 1956 until the 1970s who primarily worked as a heel. He had notable feuds with Bruno Sammartino, Dutch Savage, Jimmy Snuka, Terry Funk and Mil Máscaras...
and Mike Riker until losing the titles to Mil Mascaras
Mil Máscaras
Aaron Rodríguez , best known as Mil Máscaras , is a semi-retired Mexican professional wrestler and actor, who has starred in several films with fellow luchadores...
& NWA Americas Tag Team Champions
NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
The NWA Americas Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Hollywood Wrestling based out of Los Angeles, California....
Los Medicos in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
on September 24, 1969. He retired shortly afterwards and settled in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2009, wrestling columnist and historian Dave Cameron ranked Hrstich #10 in a top ten list of New Zealand's greatest wrestlers for Fight Times Magazine.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
-
- Airplane spin
- Signature moves
-
- Boston crabBoston crabThe Boston crab is a professional wrestling hold that typically starts with the opponent lying supine on the mat, with the wrestler standing and facing them. It is a type of spinal lock where the wrestler hooks each of the opponent’s legs in one of his arms, and then turns the opponent face-down,...
- Stomping headlock
- Various leglocks
- Boston crab
Championships and accomplishments
- Dominion Wrestling UnionDominion Wrestling UnionThe Dominion Wrestling Union was the first professional wrestling promotion in New Zealand. It was one of two organisations first active in the Australasian region, along with Australia's Stadium Limited, and served as the country's single major promotion for 30 years until being succeeded by All...
- NWA New Zealand Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA New Zealand Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship is the primary singles title in the NWA-affiliated wrestling promotion NWA New Zealand. It is the first heavyweight championship in New Zealand and one of the oldest in the world. It was first won by Gisborne Katene who defeated Frank Findlay in 1919...
(1 time)
- National Wrestling AllianceNational 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...
- Regional
- 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...
(1 time) - NWA Iowa Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Americas 6-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Apache Bull RamosApache Bull RamosManuel Ramos , better known as Apache Bull Ramos, was an American professional wrestler from his debut in 1956 until the 1970s who primarily worked as a heel. He had notable feuds with Bruno Sammartino, Dutch Savage, Jimmy Snuka, Terry Funk and Mil Máscaras...
and Mike Riker
- NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship
Further reading
- Hamilton, Joe and Scott Teal. Assassin: The Man Behind the Mask. Gallatin, Tennessee: Crowbar Press, 2007.
- Teal, Scott. The History of Professional Wrestling, Issue #5: Western Canada, 1911-1956. Gallatin, Tennessee: Crowbar Press, 2009.
- Teal, Scott. The History of Professional Wrestling, Issue #7: St. Louis, Missouri, 1960-1985. Gallatin, Tennessee: Crowbar Press, 2009.