1. Home
  2. Profiles
  3. Buddy Rogers

Buddy Rogers

Buddy Rogers

Title History

  • NWA Texas Tag Team titles w/Otto Kuss defeating Marvin Jones & Hans Schnable (May 21, 1945);
  • NWA Texas Heavyweight title defeating Dave Levin (July 27, 1945);
  • NWA Texas Heavyweight title defeating Ted Cox (September 7, 1945);
  • NWA Texas Heavyweight title defeating Jim Casey (November 23, 1945);
  • NWA Texas Heavyweight title defeating Lou Thesz (May 10, 1946);
  • (Ohio/California) World Heavyweight title defeating Dave Levin (July 21, 1947);
  • (Ohio/California) World Heavyweight title Awarded (June ??, 1948);
  • (Ohio/California) World Heavyweight title defeating Shei Lawrence (March 5, 1949);
  • (Ohio/California) World Heavyweight title defeating The Demon (May 25, 1950);
  • (Ohio/California) World Heavyweight title defeating Bozo Brown (June 24, 1950);
  • MAC (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Bobby Managoff (May 9, 1951);
  • AWA (Ohio) World Heavyweight title defeating Don Arnold (October 14, 1952);
  • AWA Eastern States Heavyweight title defeating Killer Kowalski (December 2, 1952);
  • AWA (Ohio) World Heavyweight title defeating Don Arnold (January 29, 1953);
  • AWA (Ohio) World Heavyweight title defeating Antonio Rocca (April 9, 1953);
  • NWA Midwest Heavyweight title defeating Don Arnold (June 11, 1953);
  • MWA Ohio Tag Team titles w/Great Scott (November 1953);
  • NWA Midwest Heavyweight title defeating Bill Miller (September 11, 1954);
  • NWA Midwest Heavyweight title defeating Bill Miller (October 2, 1954);
  • MWA Ohio Tag Team titles w/Great Scott defeating Oyama Kato & Danny McShain (November 26, 1954);
  • MWA Ohio Tag Team titles w/Great Scott defeating Stan Holek & Bill Miller (Febuary 10, 1955);
  • NWA Eastern States Heavyweight title defeating Wilbur Snyder (April 21, 1955);
  • NWA Eastern States Heavyweight title defeating Bill Miller (October 13, 1955);
  • (Maryland) Eastern Heavyweight title defeating Karl Von Albers (January 24, 1956);
  • (Maryland) Eastern Heavyweight title defeating Karl Von Albers (March 13, 1956);
  • NWA Texas Heavyweight title defeating Pepper Gomez (June 1, 1956);
  • NWA Texas Heavyweight title defeating Kay Bell (August 2, 1956);
  • NWA Eastern States Heavyweight title won a tournament (September 11, 1956);
  • NWA Eastern States Heavyweight title defeating Johnny Barend (January 11, 1957);
  • NWA Mid America Heavyweight title (May 1957);
  • NWA (Amarillo) North American Heavyweight title defeating Dory Funk Sr. (January 23, 1958);
  • NWA Eastern States Heavyweight title (July 1958);
  • NWA (San Francisco) World Tag Team titles w/Ronnie Etchison defeating Mike Valentino & Gene Dubuque (October 23, 1958);
  • NWA Eastern States Heavyweight title defeating Johnny Barend (1959);
  • MWA Ohio Tag Team titles w/Juan Sebastian (March 1959);
  • NWA Eastern States Heavyweight title defeating Fritz Von Goering (April 1959);
  • MAC (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Killer Kowalski (September 16, 1959);
  • MAC (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Killer Kowalski (January 1960);
  • NWA Eastern States Heavyweight title (March 1960);
  • NWA (Chicago) United States Heavyweight title won a tournament (July 1960);
  • NWA (Capitol) United States Tag Team titles w/Johnny Valentine defeating Roy Heffernan & Al Costello (November 19, 1960);
  • NWA World Heavyweight title defeating Pat O’Connor (June 30, 1961);
  • NWA (Capitol) United States Tag Team titles w/Johnny Barend defeating Bob Ellis & Johnny Valentine (July 5, 1962);
  • WWWF World Heavyweight title Awarded (April 1963);

Career Highlights

The Nature Boy Buddy Rogers – Champion of the World:

  • June 30, 1961: Buddy Rogers defeated Pat O’Conner to win the World Heavyweight title in Chicago.
  • July 18, 1961: Buddy Rogers defeated Mike Paidousis to retain the NWA World Heavyweight title in Orlando, Florida.
  • July 19, 1961: Buddy Rogers defeated Boris the Great Malenko to retain the NWA World title in Jacksonville, Florida.
  • August 18, 1961: Buddy Rogers defeated The Sheik in a Best 2/3 Falls match at the Cincinnati Gardens.
  • ~~~Buddy Rogers took the deciding third fall by using his figure-four leglock on the challenger to retain the NWA title.
  • August 18, 1962: Bobo Brazil defeated Buddy Rogers to win the NWA World Heavyweight title when Rogers was injured.
  • ~~~Bobo Brazil refused to accept the Championship, but was awarded the title after Rogers was cleared by doctors.
  • October 30, 1962: Buddy Rogers defeated Bobo Brazil in the rematch to reclaim his NWA World Championship!
  • January 24, 1963: Buddy Rogers lost a controversial match to Lou Thesz in Toronto, Ontario.
  • ~~~The match was a 2-out-of-3 Falls match, and Thesz won the third and deciding fall by Disqualification.
  • ~~~Buddy Rogers was awarded the title, but several Northeastern promoters disputed the loss.
  • ~~~They formed a new organization named the World Wide Wrestling Federation and named Rogers as their first Champion.

World Wide Wrestling Federation:

  • Buddy Rogers proudly defended the new title for six months before being defeated by a young and powerful Bruno Sammartino.
  • Buddy Rogers was the first man to wear both the NWA and WWWF World title belts during his career.
  • ~~~(The second, ironically, was Nature Boy Ric Flair about 30 years later).
  • March 7, 1963: Buddy Austin & The Great Scott defeated Buddy Rogers & Handsome John Barend for the WWWF Tag Team titles.

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling:

  • 1979: Buddy Rogers showed up in Mid Atlantic, where Flair was the top heel, and challenged him to a “Battle Of The Nature Boys”.
  • ~~~Ric Flair ended up coming out on top of this bitter feud with his childhood hero, but we had not heard the last of Buddy Rogers.
  • Buddy Rogers briefly left the Mid Atlantic region, before returning as a heel manager.
  • Buddy Rogers managed the hated Jimmy Snukaand Gene Anderson (among others) to many championships.

World Wide Wrestling Federation:

  • Buddy Rogers was hired back by the WWWF to do an interview segment called “Rogers’ Corner”.
  • Buddy Rogers pulled a heel Jimmy Snuka away from heel manager Cpt. Lou Albano.
  • Buddy Rogers had uncovered that Lou Albano was ripping Jimmy Snuka off contractually in the WWWF.
  • ~~~Jimmy Snuka went from most hated wrestler in the WWWF to most loved by fans practically overnight.

Retirement:

  • Buddy Rogers was actually preparing for a comeback to the ring at the age of 70 to face another “Nature Boy”, Buddy Landel.
  • ~~~The match was to take place at an upcoming Tri-State Wrestling Alliance (ECW’s predecessor) show when he passed away.
  • June 26, 1992: The Nature Boy Buddy Rogers died of a heart attack.
  • Buddy Rogers was one of the most hated villains in Wrestling history.

 

Updated:

Social Media

Twitter:

Trained By

Debut

Birthday

February 20, 1921

Hometown

Gender

Height

Weight

Finishing Move(s)

Figure Four Leglock

Favorite Move(s)

Notable Feuds

Ted Cox
Hans Schnable
Dizzy Davis
Jim Casey
Ray Stern
Bozo Brown (Frank Hickey)
Don leo Jonathan
Frankie Talaber
Leon Graham
Bobo Brazil
Lou Thesz
Pat O'Connor
Bruno Sammartino
Ric Flair
Cpt Lou Albano

Status