Steve Stanlee

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Steve Stanlee
Birth nameSteve Zygowicz
Born(1920-02-29)February 29, 1920
Chicago, Illinois
DiedJuly 2, 2010(2010-07-02) (aged 90)
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Steve Stanlee
Paul Stanlee
Billed weight232 lb (105 kg)

Paul Oswald Zygowicz (February 29, 1920 – July 2, 2010), 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.[1]

Career

Steve served with Gene in the

NWA World Heavyweight Championship on October 27, 1950,[4] two full years before his brother faced Thesz.[5]

After his stint in

NWA World Heavyweight Championship on several occasions.[7][8]

Stanlee then traveled to

Capitol Wrestling in the New York area in the late 1950s.[11][12][13]

Steve didn't catch on with the public in the same way as Gene did, and as a result never attained the same level of fame. He did have a longer career in the ring, however, and may in fact be the better known brother among fans of 1960s wrestling. While Gene was out of wrestling by the early '60s, Steve remained active. He wrestled both as a singles competitor and as part of a tag team, "The Stanlee Steamers", with a kayfabe third "brother", Bob Stanlee (played by Bob Merrill).[1] Unfortunately, Steve won few high-profile matches either way and is generally regarded to have been a "jobber to the stars" for much of his career. He did, however, win the National Wrestling Alliance's Ohio Heavyweight Championship on July 1, 1961, by defeating Frankie Talaber.[14] He dropped the belt back to Talaber in a rematch later that year.[14] Stanlee also helped train Buddy Bison, who wrestled for Georgia Championship Wrestling for several years.[15]

From 1964 to 1966, Stanlee wrestled for the

World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). He lost the majority of his matches, but he did get victories over Arnold Skaaland and "Baron" Mikel Scicluna in 1965.[16][17][18] After leaving the WWWF, Stanlee wrestled in Hawaii, competing in both singles matches and in a tag team with Jim Hady.[9][19] He then returned to Georgia Championship Wrestling, putting over the other talent in that promotion as well.[2]

In December 1966 he showed up in Tokyo Pro Wrestling and lost a match against a rising Antonio Inoki.[20]

Late in life, Steve Stanlee appeared in an interview in the Icons Of Wrestling documentary series.[1] He died in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, on July 2, 2010.[21]

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ a b c d Oliver, Greg. ""Mr. America" Stanlee a showboating pioneer". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved 2008-02-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ a b c "Who's Who: Paul Stanlee". Georgia Wrestling History. Archived from the original on 2007-10-29. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
  3. ^ Kelly, David (1993-06-20). "Children's Books: I Was a Teenage Professional Wrestler". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  4. ^ "Steel Belt Wrestling - Buffalo - 1950". Steel Belt Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  5. ^ "Wrestler Profiles: Gene Stanlee". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  6. ^ "1949 Results". Toronto Wrestling History. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  7. ^ "Records of NWA World Heavyweight Championship Matches: 1950-51". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  8. ^ "Records of NWA World Heavyweight Championship Matches: 1952-53". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  9. ^ a b "Wrestler Profiles: Johnny Barend". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  10. ^ "Wrestler Results Archive: Sandor Kovacs". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved 2008-02-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^ "Results: 1958". NY Pro Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  12. ^ "Results: 1959". NY Pro Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  13. ^ "Capitol-NWA 1959". Superstar Billy Graham Record Book. Archived from the original on 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  14. ^ a b c "Ohio Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  15. ^ "Wrestler Profiles: Buddy Bison", Online World of Wrestling, retrieved 2008-02-13
  16. ^ "Ring Results: 1964". The History of WWE. Archived from the original on 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  17. ^ "Ring Results: 1965". The History of WWE. Archived from the original on 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  18. ^ "Ring Results: 1966". The History of WWE. Archived from the original on 2008-01-01. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  19. ^ "Wrestling Results (1966)". 50th State Big Time Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  20. ^ "TPW Opening Big Match Series 1966 - Tag 22". Cagematch.net.
  21. ^ "Steve Stanlee Obituary". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2010-07-13.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_Stanlee&oldid=1214890126"