Joe Lightfoot
| Joe Lightfoot | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Joe Ventura |
| Born | 1953 Montreal, Quebec, Canada[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Joe Lightfoot Joe Ventura Joe Victory José Ventura Jos Ventura |
| Billed height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Billed from | Quebec, Canada |
Joe Ventura (born 1953) is a Canadian retired
Indian (First Nation) under the ring name (Chief) Joe Lightfoot. He spent the majority of the 1970s competing in Canada for Stampede Wrestling and NWA All-Star Wrestling and the majority of the 1980s competing in the United States, primarily throughout the National Wrestling Alliance, where he is a former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion.[2]
Professional wrestling career
Stampede Wrestling and Canadian promotions (1970s)
Ventura began his professional wrestler career in the mid-1970s, wrestling in
Igor Volkoff and The Mongol.[6]
Pacific Northwest (1980)
On October 24, 1980 Ventura made his debut in the
The Destroyer. He also became a regular tag team partner with Jay Youngblood, competing as "The Indians". The team proved a very popular babyface duo, winning the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship October 25, 1980. The team also worked in Canada, winning the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship on November 3, 1980, Lightfoot's second reign with the title.[8]
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion & Puerto Rico (1981)
In 1981, Lightfoot travelled to Puerto Rico to work for the World Wrestling Council. Here he had great success as a babyface, becoming a prominent single's competitor. On November 7, 1981, Lightfoot won the WWC World Junior Heavyweight Championship, defeating Les Thornton.[9] This was the second title he won from Thornton in as many months as he had captured the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship on October 16 in Knoxville, Tennessee.[10]
Georgia Championship (1981-82)
Lightfoot competed throughout the United States and Canada in the mid-1980s, wrestling primarily for
Andre the Giant in the main event to defeat Buddy Rose, Rip Oliver and The Destroyer in Oregon.[11] He also had memorable rivalries with The Iron Sheik and The Moondogs in Georgia
.
Florida, Central States and Jim Crockett Promotions (mid/late 1980s)
Lightfoot became a mainstay in
Central States Wrestling during this time, often teamed with other Native/Indian stars in tag team matches.[13] He teamed with Billy Two Eagles win the NWA Central States Tag Team Championship in July 1986.[14]
Championships and accomplishments
- Central States Wrestling
- Grand Prix Wrestling
- Grand Prix Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- National Wrestling Alliance
- NWA All-Star Wrestling
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Bobby Bass (1) and Jay Youngblood (1)
- Pacific Northwest Wrestling
- World Wrestling Council
References
- ^ a b "Joe Lightfoot".
- ^ Saalbach, Axel. "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". wrestlingdata.com.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Tito Senza « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
- ^ a b c Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Matches « Joe Ventura « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
- ^ Saalbach, Axel. "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". wrestlingdata.com.
- ^ "NWA Canadian Tag Team Title (British Columbia)". Wrestling-Titles.com.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PNW « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
- ^ a b Saalbach, Axel. "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". wrestlingdata.com.
- ^ Saalbach, Axel. "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". wrestlingdata.com.
- ^ "NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PNW « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "CWF « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
- ^ "1Wrestling.com - Pro Wrestling's Daily News Source". www.1wrestling.com.
- ISBN 9781476605050– via Google Books.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "NWA Central States Tag Team Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
External links
- Joe Lightfoot's profile at Cagematch.net, Wrestlingdata.com