Mr. Wrestling
Mr. Wrestling | |
---|---|
Birth name | George Burrell Woodin |
Born | [1][2] Utica, New York, U.S.[2] | July 28, 1934
Died | November 30, 2002[1][2] Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.[1] | (aged 68)
Cause of death | Myocardial infarction |
Alma mater | Cornell University Michigan State University |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Mr. Wrestling[1][2] Tim Woods[1][2] |
Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2] |
Billed weight | 230 lb (100 kg)[2] |
Debut | 1962 |
Retired | 1983 [2] |
George Burrell Woodin (July 28, 1934 – November 30, 2002) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Mr. Wrestling and Tim Woods.[1][2]
Collegiate wrestling career
Woodin received a degree in agricultural engineering from Cornell University and a degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University.
Before becoming a professional wrestler, Woodin was a successful collegiate wrestler. While wrestling for the Michigan State Spartans, Woodin won two
As a junior at Michigan State, Woodin won the 1958 Big Ten 177-pound title by pinning Gary Kurdelmeier of the University of Iowa at 8:21. A couple of weeks later, the two met again in the 177-pound finals of the 1958 NCAAs at the University of Wyoming, where Woodin lost to Kurdelmeier 6-2.
As a senior, Woodin defeated Iowa's Gordon Trapp 6–4 in the heavyweight finals to win his second Big Ten title. At the 1959 NCAAs, the Michigan State Spartan competed in the 191-pound class, making it to the finals for the second year in a row, but lost 9-5 to Syracuse's Art Baker. With his two runner-up finishes at the national championships, Woodin was a two-time NCAA All-American.
Professional wrestling career
Woodin began his wrestling career at the age of 28 using the name "Tim Woods".[1] He was then given the name "Mr. Wrestling" by Nebraska promotor Joe Dusek, and subsequently adopted both a white wrestling mask and white singlet to complete the character.[1] Mr. Wrestling became a major superstar in the Georgia, Florida, Texas and Mid-Atlantic territories. He wrestled in the World Wide Wrestling Federation in the northeast, at the upper end of the preliminary wrestlers. Starting in the Seventies, he would alternate between his masked persona as Mr. Wrestling and wrestling unmasked as Tim Woods, depending on the territory.
In 1968, Woodin faced street fighter Arnold Spurlin, a former Golden Gloves champion, in a shoot fight in
1975 plane crash
Woodin was involved in the same 1975
Retirement
Woodin retired from professional wrestling in 1983. After retiring, he ran a heating and air conditioning business.
Personal life
Woodin was an avid collector of motorcycles as well as an accomplished photographer and saxophone player.
On November 30, 2002, Woodin died from a heart attack at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina at the age of 68. Before his death, he was scheduled to be interviewed about the October 1975 plane crash for WWE Confidential.
Championships and accomplishments
Amateur wrestling
- Amateur Athletic Union
- AAU National Championship (1955, 1957)[1]
- Big Ten Conference
- Big Ten Conference Championship (1958, 1959)[1]
Professional wrestling
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- American Wrestling Association
- Nebraska Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[6]
- AWA Midwest Tag Team Championship (3 time) - with Reggie Parks (1 time) Luke Brown (1 time) Ron Reed (1 time)
- Big Time Promotions
- Big Time Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[7]
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Other honoree (2002)
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Hiro Matsuda (1 time) and Big Bad John (1 time)
- NWA Florida Television Championship (1 time)
- NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (4 times)
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2001[8]
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- Mid-South Sports/Georgia Championship Wrestling
- NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (6 times) - with Mr. Wrestling II (4 times), Steve Keirn (1 time) and Thunderbolt Patterson (1 time)
- NWA Macon Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Mr. Wrestling II
- NWA Columbus Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[6]
- NWA Big Time Wrestling
- NWA American Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with George Scott[10][11]
- NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[12][13]
- NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Pak Song (1 time) and Dr. Death (1 time)
- NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship (1 time)
- NWA Mid-America
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him #394 of the top 500 singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Mr. Wrestling – Online World of Wrestling". Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Cagematch profile".
- ISBN 978-1-58261-817-3.
- ^ "PUROLOVE.com". www.purolove.com. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ "Real World Tag League 1979". CageMatch. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ a b Mr. Wrestling at cagematch.net
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- Canadian Online Explorer. August 4, 2003. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ "WWE United States Championship". Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-9698161-5-7.
- ^ "N.W.A. American Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "NWA Texas Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
External links
- George Woodin at IMDb
- Mr. Wrestling's profile at Cagematch.net