Part 5

Learn about wrestlers like Fritz von Erich, Eddie Guerrero, and George "the Animal" Steele in Part 5 of the League of Legends wrestling guide.

Fritz von Erich (R.I.P.)

Fritz began his wrestling career in the NWA promotions. During his time there he held the US Heavyweight title 3 times, the NWA Texas Heavyweight title 3 times, the NWA American Heavyweight Championship 13 times and the NWA World Heavyweight title 2 times. When a dispute over Fritz arose among NWA promoters, Fritz left and formed his own promotion, the World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). He searched for stars to wrestle and called upon his 6 sons. He nurtured them all to stardom. Unfortunately, his oldest son Jack (R.I.P.) died at an early age. His other 5 sons became huge draws in Texas and all was fine until David (R.I.P.) died in 1984 while touring in Japan. Three years later, in 1987, Michael (R.I.P.) passed away. In 1991, Chris (R.I.P.) died. And the most famous of the von Erichs, Kerry (R.I.P. Texas Tornado), died in 1993. Kevin was, and still is, the only remaining family member. Through all of this, Fritz did what he could to continue on. He died lonely and depressed at his ranch in Texas on September 10, 1997.

~Dynamite Kid~

The Dynamite Kid is part of one of the most successful tag teams in the WWF. His partner was Davey Boy Smith (R.I.P.), and they were under the name of the British Bulldogs. They were a young team, and at Wrestlemania II, with the help of his partner, the Dynamite Kid captured Tag Team gold from the then-Dream Team of Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake. There were countless matches between themselves and foliages of Bobby Heenan. The Dynamite Kid left the WWF somewhere around the year 1990 after realizing that 15 years of wrestling had done serious damage to his body, while Davey Boy Smith continued to wrestle in singles competition. He is now living in his native England.

~Eddie Guerrero~

Eddie Guerrero began his wrestling career in 1987 at the age of 19, wrestling in Mexico and Japan before beginning his career in the USA. Eddie is one of the most hated heels in the business and is able to provoke outrage from his fans at the slightest provocation. He is still wrestling today, and his outstanding conditioning and mat skills prove that he is still a force to be reckoned with, and will continue to be for many years to come.

~George "the Animal" Steele~

A lot of people have always wondered how Steele earned his reputation for chewing on turnbuckles (a hearty afternoon snack). Here's how. At the end of one of his matches while wrestling in a promotion in Pittsburg, one of the fans through a pillow into the ring for him to do whatever with. Steele is quoted as saying "There's three things you can do with a pillow. Sit on it, throw it back, or tear it up." Needles to say, Steele tore up the pillow with his teeth and the crowd went crazy. This began of his tradition of "eating" turnbuckles after every match. Right after Wrestlemania I Steele took a liking to Macho Man Randy Savage's girlfriend, Miss Elizabeth, and a year-long feud erupted with its climax occurring at Wrestlemania II when Savage defended his Intercontinental belt against Steele. Unfortunately, Steele lost the match. Steele never won many championships but he goes down as a legend for making wrestling truly fun to watch.

~Grand Wizard (R.I.P.)~

The Grand Wizard was one of the most successful managers in the business, but surprisingly never wrestled a day in his life. He was instantly recognizable with his trademark polyester suits, sunglasses, and turban, setting the fans wild. It was partly thanks to the Grand Wizard that, in the 1970s, "Superstar" Billy Graham was able to upset the current champion Bruno Sammartino. The Grand Wizard went on to manage such superstars as Greg Valentine, Killer Kowalski, and Don Muraco. His focus was primarily on Bob Backlund for taking the title from Billy Graham in 1978. In 1983, at the age of 54, the Grand Wizard died suddenly of a heart attack.

~Greg "the Hammer" Valentine~

Greg Valentine's career began when he was 19 and lasted 30 years. In 1978, with partner Ric Flair, he captured the NWA World Tag Team Championship from the Andersons. He moved to the WWF in the early 80s and captured the Intercontinental championship from Tito Santana in 1984 and the WWF Tag titles with Brutus Beefcake in 1985, only to lose them at Wrestlemania II to the British Bulldogs. He left the WWF for a short time in the mid-80s to wrestle in Japan, then returned to the states, but never found the same success as he had previously. He still wrestles in Canada's ICW today.

~"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan~

Jim Duggan was an amateur wrestling star in New York, a star football player at SMU, and played professional football for the Atlanta Falcons before beginning his notable wrestling career. Duggan was always a fan favorite, known for his chants of "Hoooo!" and "USA!," plus his trademark 2 x 4 and American flag. He held the championship title during his career, and feuded with Andre the Giant (R.I.P.), Harley Race, and the Iron Sheik. He even went on to win the 20-man elimination Royal Rumble match in 1988. (For reference, it didn't become 30-man, or broadcasted on PPV, until 1989.) In 1998, Duggan was diagnosed with cancer, and a tumor the size of a football was removed from his body. He recovered within a year and returned to the ring, and continues to please fans all across the nation.

One thing I never understood... even when Duggan wrestled in foreign countries, the fans chanted "USA!" right along with him, and still cheered him on. I guess Duggan just has that charisma about him.

~Harley Race~

Harley Race's career in the NWA is similar to that