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Buddy Rogers


Last updated by David Buckler on July 23, 2014

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.