WRESTLER PROFILES

	Wrestler: The Hangman Real Name: Roy Staggs Birthday: October 7, 1946 Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio Marital Status: Height & Weight: 5'8" - 225 lbs Trained by: Debut: 1965 Previous Gimmicks: The Hangman #2 "Gentleman" Tony Christie Pegasus Finishing Move: Hangman's Lock Favorite Moves: Hangman's Lynch The Ankle Breaker Notable Feuds: Dick the Bruiser Krusher Kowalski Bull Curry The Hell's Angels Chico Garcia The Big O
WWA (Indianapolis) Tag Team titles w/Gene Labelle defeating Wilbur Snyder & Paul Christy (1967); MWCW (Ohio) Tag Team titles w/Gene Labelle defeating Chico Garcia & Krusher Kowalski (Late 1967); WWA (Indianapolis) Heavyweight title by winning a Tournament (Early 1968); NWA (Ohio) Tag Team titles w/Dapper Dan defeating The Currys (May 1968); MWCW (Ohio) North American Heavyweight title defeating Killer Karl Kox (June 1968); NWA (Ohio) Tag Team titles w/Dapper Dan defeating The Hell's Angels (July 1968); GCW (Georgia) Tag Team titles w/Lonnie Lee defeating Mike Webster & The Black Hand (Late 1976);
The Hangmen (Gene Labelle & Roy Staggs): Roy Staggs formed a masked heel tag team with Gene Labelle known as "The Hangmen" in the Indianapolis-based WWA.. 1967: The Hangmen (Gene Labelle & Roy Staggs) defeated Wilbur Snyder & Paul Christy to win the WWA Tag Team titles.. Late 1967: The hangmen defeated Chico Garcia & Krusher Kowalski to win the MWCA Tag Team titles in Ohio.. ~~~The Hangmen were notorious for their rough style and using the rope to "hang" their helpless opponents.. ~~~The Hangmen were accomplished grapplers and used choke-outs, arm bars and leg/ankle locks etc.. ~~~Hangman #1 (Gene Labell) retired from wrestling to pursue other interests.. Early 1968: The Hangman defeated Chico Garcia and The Crusher in a Tournament to win the WWA Heavyweight title.. ~~~The Hangman was booked to drop the WWA title to the promoter's nephew in two straight falls.. ~~~The Hangman broke character, knocked out the challenger and tossed his rope and the WWA title belt into the audience.. The Continentals (Dapper Dan & "Gentleman" Tony Christie): March 1968: A man in a tuxedo came out the audience and helped Dapper Dan defeat wild Bull Curry in Cincinnati.. March 1968: "Gentleman" Tony Christie w/Dapper Dan debuted against The Big O (aka Bugsy McGraw) in Columbus.. May 1968: The Continentals (Dapper Dan & Tony Christie) defeated The Currys for the NWA (Ohio) Tag Team titles! June 1968: Tony Christie defeated Killer Karl Kox for the MWCW North American title in Cincinnati, Ohio.. July 1968: The Continentals defeated The Hell's Angels in a 2/3 Falls match to win the NWA (Ohio) Tag Team titles! Roy Staggs was forced to temporarily retire from wrestling after suffering a knee injury.. Roy Staggs as "Pegasus": Late 1976: Pegasus & Lonnie Lee (Lonnie Staggs) were both Disqualified at a GCW event in Gulfport, Florida.. ~~~When the Medics failed to appear, Pegasus & Lonnie Lee beat Mike Webster & The Black Hand for the GWC Tag Team titles! Early 1977: Pegasus & Lonnie Lee meet Leon Graham and The Beast in a GWC vs IWF (Florida) cross promotional event.. ~~~Pegasus & Lonnie Lee were Disqualified for using a stun gun on the IWA Champions as well as the referee.... 1977: Roy Staggs retired after suffering another knee injury.. June 22, 2003: Roy Staggs passed away afer a long illness.. Lonnie Lee (Roy's Brother) wrote in to share the following memories: I was watching my Niece's 8 year old daughter and she asked if I was rich, because wrestlers make "lots of money" I told her back when her uncles were screwing around in the ring, very few made "tons of money." She then asked what the most I made for one match was, so here's what I told her: When I first started, I made about $300 or $350 per night. I eventually could get around a grand per gig. Roy, before retiring with knee problems could get more, because he had worked most of the big circuits. When we were in South Dakota, I remember it being somewhere around the middle of '84, wrestling had been on a downturn for some time, this was right before Cyndi Lauper and MTV were about to catapault Hulk/Piper and the WWF into the stratosphere. A promoter that Roy had worked for in the Indy/Chicago areas, sensing things were about to "pop" as he put it, offered Roy $5000 to bring the Hangmen back to face his tag champions (I believe they were called the Wild Men or Wild Warriors). Roy would have to get a partner, which wasn't a problem--I was still active, but this guy wanted the Hangmen to drop two straight to his guys--and Roy never dropped two straight! So, we decline (Roy said he wouldn't use the hangmen name, anyway), but make a counter offer. We'll show up as Pegasus and Lonnie Lee, the undefeated IWF Champs--which was technically true, as we did have the belts when the company folded. It was a lot of fun, the house was filled, and our opponents were big and gnarly. Roy's knees were completely shot, so he couldn't do any of the throws and grappling/judo stuff he was noted for, and went straight for the brawling heel routine. After about 20 minutes, I dropped the first fall, when I missed a moon flip off of the top rope. With his legs really aching, we decided to forego the second fall win, and just do a wild finish: we had brought the young lady that ran our telemarketing room with us, as lady Liera. She brought out a red velvet rope from which Roy "hanged" the Wild Men's manager, before they saved him. And as we battled in the ring , she chased the manager around the ring with the stun gun (the crowd loved it). Of course the match was ruled a "no contest". It was a lot of fun, for which I got my biggest payday--$2,500, but more importantly, it was the last time I was in the ring with Roy. I miss him.