Tony Garea

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Tony Garea
Garea in 2007
Birth nameAnthony Gareljich
Born (1946-09-20) 20 September 1946 (age 77)
Auckland, New Zealand[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Tony Garea[1]
Billed height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[2]
Billed weight245 lb (111 kg)[2]
Billed fromAuckland, New Zealand
Trained byWild Don Scott[1]
Debut1971[1]
Retired1987[2]

Anthony Gareljich (born 20 September 1946) is a New Zealand retired

World Wrestling Federation
in the 1970s and 1980s.

Early life

The son of Croatian-born Ivan Gareljich, Anthony Gareljich was born in Auckland, New Zealand to parents of Yugoslavian and Irish descent.[2] He was originally an accomplished sprinter and a rugby player.[1]

Professional wrestling career

Early career

Garea was trained by Wild Don Scott.

NWA San Francisco Tag Team Championship in May 1976.[3]

World Wide Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Federation

Garea, circa 1978

Debut and early tag team championship reigns (1972–1979)

Garea left New Zealand in 1972 and went to the United States where he signed a contract with

Professor Toru Tanaka to win his first WWWF World Tag Team Championship.[4][5] Garea and Calhoun feuded with Fuji and Tanaka for the rest of the summer before losing the titles back to Fuji and Tanaka on 11 September.[6]

Garea continued the feud with Fuji and Tanaka with a new partner,

All Star Wrestling.[8] They continued teaming for a while before disbanding their tag team and working on their own. Garea, who had been successful as a tag team
wrestler, began a singles career.

Garea continued his singles career for three years before forming a tag team with new partner

Johnny) on edition of 24 March 1979 of Championship Wrestling.[11]
Later that same month, Wide was dropped from the promotion's name, renaming the promotion World Wrestling Federation.

Teaming with Rick Martel (1980–1982)

Garea continued to wrestle in the tag team division, with another former WWF Tag Team Champion

Rex). They dropped the titles to Moondogs on edition of 17 March 1981 of Championship Wrestling.[14]

Martel and Garea continued to feud with Moondogs, trying to regain the titles. On 8 June, Garea beat a young rookie named Man Mountain Canyon in Madison Square Garden, who returned to WWF four years later as King Kong Bundy.[15] On edition of 21 July of Championship Wrestling, Martel and Garea defeated Moondogs in a rematch to win their second WWF Tag Team Championship as a team, though, it was Garea's fifth and final individual reign.[5][16] Garea's final run as a tag team champion ended on edition of 17 October of Championship Wrestling after Garea and Martel were defeated by Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito for the tag titles.[17] Garea and Martel continued to feud with Fuji and Saito, trying to regain the titles but failed to do so.

Garea (right) and Eddie Gilbert (left), circa 1983

Martel left WWF in 1982 while Garea went on his own.[1] Garea teamed with newcomers to the WWF such as Eddie Gilbert and B. Brian Blair in 1983 and 1984, but was unable to recapture the success he previously enjoyed as a tag-team champion. He moved to the jobber to the stars status, jobbing to rising newcomers before retiring in 1986.[1]

Retirement (1986–present)

He thereafter worked as a road agent for the WWF until leaving the Company in 2014.[18] He appeared with former tag team partner Rick Martel at Vengeance: Night of Champions in June 2007. They came to the aid of the team of Sgt. Slaughter and Jimmy Snuka, who were being attacked following their losing to Deuce 'n Domino.[19]

When WWE came to New Zealand on 11 June 2008 in Auckland, Garea was a guest on the first international V.I.P Lounge along with Bushwacker Butch. The segment's host,

lumberjack match
. Towards the end of the match, Garea brawled with other legends that were serving as lumberjacks.

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Tony Garea's Profile". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on 23 June 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7434-9033-7
    .
  3. ^ a b "N.W.A. World Tag Team Title [San Francisco]". The Great Hisa's Puroresu Dojo. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
  4. ^ "WWWF Show Results 1973". The History of WWE. 30 May 1973. Retrieved 16 May 2015. Tony Garea & Haystacks Calhoun defeated WWWF Tag Team Champions Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji to win the titles
  5. ^ a b c d e f "World Tag Team Championship official title history". WWE. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
  6. ^ "WWWF Show Results 1973". The History of WWE. 11 September 1973. Retrieved 16 May 2015. Mr. Fuji and Prof. Toru Tanaka defeated WWWF Tag Team Champions Tony Garea & Haystacks Calhoun to win the titles when the referee stopped the match, ruling Calhoun unable to continue after Tanaka threw salt into the champion's eyes and choked him with his own horseshoe
  7. ^ "WWWF Show Results 1973". The History of WWE. 14 November 1973. Retrieved 16 May 2015. Tony Garea & Dean Ho defeated WWWF Tag Team Champions Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji to win the titles
  8. ^ "WWWF Show Results 1974". The History of WWE. 8 May 1974. Retrieved 16 May 2015. Jimmy & Johnny Valiant defeated WWWF Tag Team Champions Dean Ho & Tony Garea to win the titles
  9. ^ "WWWF Show Results 1977". The History of WWE. 27 September 1977. Retrieved 16 May 2015. WWWF Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals: Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji (w/Freddie Blassie) defeated Larry Zbyzsko & Tony Garea to win the titles
  10. ^ "WWWF Show Results 1978". The History of WWE. 21 November 1978. Retrieved 16 May 2015. Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko defeated WWWF Tag Team Champions the Yukon Lumberjacks (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) to win the titles at 9:18 when Zbyzsko pinned Eric after the champions collided in the ring; after the match, Albano fired his team for losing the championship
  11. ^ "WWWF Show Results 1979". The History of WWE. 6 March 1978. Retrieved 16 May 2015. Johnny & Jerry Valiant (w/ Capt. Lou Albano & Jimmy Valiant) defeated WWWF Tag Team Champions Larry Zbyzsko & Tony Garea to win the titles at 10:54 when Johnny pinned Zbyzsko after Jerry and Zbyzsko collided and Jimmy pulled Jerry to the floor, allowing Johnny to take his place in the ring
  12. ^ "WWF Show Results 1980". The History of WWE. 9 September 1980. Retrieved 16 May 2015. WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals: The Wild Samoans (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) defeated Tony Garea & Rene Goulet at 10:08 to win the titles when Afa pinned Goulet following a double bodyslam behind the referee's back
  13. ^ "WWF Show Results 1980". The History of WWE. 8 November 1980. Retrieved 16 May 2015. Rick Martel & Tony Garea defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans to win the titles at 14:29 when Martel scored the pin with a sunset flip as the illegal Samoan covered Garea at the same time, moments after Garea and the legal Samoan collided in the ring
  14. ^ "WWF Show Results 1981". The History of WWE. 17 March 1981. Retrieved 16 May 2015. The Moondogs (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Tony Garea & Rick Martel to win the titles at 6:36 when Moondog Rex pinned Garea after Moondog King hit Garea in the head with his bone as the referee was knocked down
  15. ^ "WWF Show Results 1981". The History of WWE. 8 June 1981. Retrieved 16 May 2015. Tony Garea defeated Man Mountain Cannon at 6:23 (King Kong Bundy)
  16. ^ "WWF Show Results 1981". The History of WWE. 21 July 1981. Retrieved 16 May 2015. Rick Martel & Tony Garea defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Moondogs (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) to win the titles at 8:14 when Martel pinned Moondog Spot with a sunset flip as Spot attempted to choke Garea with his bone
  17. ^ "WWF Show Results 1981". The History of WWE. 13 October 1981. Retrieved 16 May 2015. Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Rick Martel & Tony Garea at 9:48 to win the titles when Saito pinned Martel after Fuji threw salt into the champion's eyes as Martel attempted a crossbody off the top, allowing Saito to roll through on the move to get the win
  18. ^ Siggia, Chris (26 May 2020). "Tony Garea Discusses His Career, Winning The WWWF Tag Team Titles & More". wrestling-news.net. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  19. ^ Robinson, Bryan (24 June 2007). "Tag champs win, but taught a legendary lesson". WWE. Archived from the original on 31 March 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  20. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 February 2002. Retrieved 8 March 2002.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  21. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links

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