Billy Robinson

Last updated by David Buckler on April 28, 2014

Title History

European Mid Heavyweight title (August 1961);
(European) British Heavyweight title defeating Billy Joyce (January 18, 1967);
IWA (Japan) World Heavyweight title defeating Toyonobori in a tournament (December 19, 1968);
Stampede North American Heavyweight title defeating Archie Gouldie (1969);
IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Killer Karl Kox (October 31, 1969);
Stampede North American Heavyweight title defeating Abdullah the Butcher (Febuary 20, 1970);
AWA World Tag Team titles w/ Ed Francis defeating Ray Stevens and Nick Bockwinkel (July 21, 1972);
AWA World Tag Team titles w/ Vern Gagne defeating Ray Stevens and Nick Bockwinkel (December 30, 1972);
IWA (Japan) World Heavyweight title defeating Great Kusatsu in a tournament (June 3, 1974);
AWA World Tag Team titles w/ Crusher Lisowski defeating Ray Stevens and Nick Bockwinkel (July 21, 1974);
NWA (Florida) Southern Heavyweight title defeating Masked Destroyer (December 20, 1975);
NWA (Tri State) United States Tag Team titles w/Bill Watts defeating Ken Patera and Killer Karl Kox (1976);
NWA (All Japan) United National Heavyweight title defeating Jumbo Tsuruta (March 5, 1977);
AWA British Empire Heavyweight title defeating Angelo Mosca (May 18, 1978);
PWF (Japan) World Heavyweight title defeating Tor Kamata (June 12, 1978);
AWA British Empire Heavyweight title defeating Super Destroyer Mark II (November 12, 1979);
AWA Southern Tag Team titles w/ Ken Lucas defeating The Assassins (Febuary 17, 1980);
AWA Southern Tag Team titles w/ Ken Lucas defeating The Assassins (March 2, 1980);
AWA Southern Tag Team titles w/ Ken Lucas defeating Sheik Ali Hassan and Paul Ellering (April 1980);
CWA (Memphis) World Heavyweight title defeating The Superstar (April 28, 1980);
CWA (Memphis) World Heavyweight title defeating Bill Dundee (August 11, 1980);
CWA (Memphis) World Heavyweight title defeating Bobby Eaton (November 14, 1980);
IWA (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Rick Martel (November ??, 1982);
IWA (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating The Destroyer (1983);
IWA (Montreal) International Tag Team titles w/ Pierre Lefebvre defeating Tony Parisi and Gino Brito (May 23, 1983);

Career Highlights

Billy Robinson was born in 1939 in Great Britain.
Billy Robinson won a number of amateur titles in Great Britain before turning professional.
1970: Billy Robinson came to America and began wrestling for Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association.
Billy Robinson was often a top contender for Verne Gagne‘s AWA World title, but never won the championship.
1973: Billy Robinson starred with Verne Gagne (and Ed Asner) in the movie, “The Wrestler”.
1975: Billy Robinson had a famous match against Antonio Inoki.
1981: Billy Robinson held the (Montreal) International Wrestling title beating Rick Martel in the finals of a a tournement.
1982: Dino Bravo defeated Billy Robinson for the International Wrestling title after a long reign.
May 8, 1992: Billy Robinson worked a match on a UWFi show against Nick Bockwinkel.
~~~It’s billed as an “exhibition” match, however, Nick hit Billy Robinson in the kidneys with a knee.
~~~Billy Robinson got legit ticked off, to which Bockwinkel replies “It’s a knee, Robinson”.
~~~So Billy holds up his right fist and says loud and clear “I’ll give you one of these in the – – ing jaw!”

Match History:

April 11, 1968 – IWE (Japan): Billy Robinson defeated Strong Kobayashi.
May 11, 1968 – IWE: Billy Robinson defeated John Reeds.
December 14, 1968 – IWE: Billy Robinson defeated Peter Maivia.
January 1, 1969 – IWE: Billy Robinson defeated Great Kusatsu.
January 28, 1969 – IWE: Billy Robinson defeated Chief White Wolf.
April 3, 1971 – IWE: Billy Robinson, Great Kusatsu and Karl Gotch defeated Magna Clemente, Dr. Death and Sean Regan.
April 17, 1971 – IWE: Billy Robinson and Karl Gotch defeated Buster Matthews and Dr. Death.
May 6, 1971 – IWE: Billy Robinson and Thunder Sugiyama defeated Magna Clemente and Monster Roussimoff.
May 20, 1971 – IWE: Billy Robinson and Karl Gotch defeated Buster Matthews and Dr. Death.
December 30, 1971 – Billy Robinson and Bull Bullinski and Red Bastien beat Buddy Wolfe and Big K and Ivan Koloff in Fargo, North Dakota.
Sept 25, 1972 – IWE: Isamu Teranishi and Great Kusatsu and Strong Kobayashi beat Billy Robinson and Buddy Austin and Bill Dromo.
November 17, 1975 – WWWF: Billy Robinson defeated Johnny Rodz.
September 24, 1976 – Georgia Championship Wrestling: Billy Robinson and Mr. Wrestling II defeated Johnny and Jimmy Valiant.
December 9, 1978 – All Japan Pro Wrestling: Kim Duk and Kim Ill defeated Billy Robinson and Wild Angus.
March 4, 1979 – AWA: Nick Bockwinkel defeated Billy Robinson to retain the AWA World Heavyweight title.
December 2, 1979 – CWA: Billy Robinson defeated Wayne Ferris and Larry Lathem in a Handicap Match.
February 4, 1980 – CWA: The Assassins defeated Billy Robinson and Ken Lucas.
March 2, 1980 – CWA: Billy Robinson and Ken Lucas defeated Ali Hassan and Paul Ellering to retain the AWA Southern Tag Team titles.
March 30, 1980 – CWA: Billy Robinson and Ken Lucas defeated Ali Hassan and Sonny King.
May 19, 1980 – CWA: Billy Robinson defeated The Beast.
July 14, 1980 – CWA: Billy Robinson defeated Paul Ellering.
July 28, 1980 – CWA: Billy Robinson defeated Bill Dundee.
August 18, 1980 – CWA: Billy Robinson defeated Nick Bockwinkel to retain the CWA Heavyweight title.
September 9, 1980 – CWA: Billy Robinson defeated Lou Thesz to retain the CWA Heavyweight title.
November 10, 1980 – CWA: Billy Robinson defeated Guy Mitchell.
December 15, 1980 – CWA: Billy Robinson defeated Robert Gibson.
January 5, 1981 – CWA: Billy Robinson won a Battle Royal.
February 2, 1981 – CWA: Tony Charles defeated Billy Robinson.
February 24, 1981 – CWA: Billy Robinson defeated Tony Charles.
September 13, 1981 – AWA: Billy Robinson defeated Ray Stevens.
February 24, 1985 – Pro Wrestling USA: Bob Backlund defeated Billy Robinson.
April 21, 1985 – AWA Star Cage: Jim Brunzell and Tonga Kid defeated Billy Robinson and Bobby Duncum.
September 19, 1985 – Billy Robinson defeated Jerry Oski in Baltimore, Maryland.
October 21, 1985 – All Japan: Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr. and Tiger Mask beat Billy Robinson and Terry Gordy and Chavo Guerrero.
Billy Robinson was inducted into the International Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003.
May 16, 2009 – ECPW: Billy Robinson and Justin Corino defeated Red Hot Russ and Dave Greco.
March 3, 2014 – Billy Robinson passed away in his sleep at 74 years of age.

Mike Aldren wrote in his Wrestling Globe Newsletter (December 2, 2010): We were honored to receive a letter from Billy Robinson regarding his altercation with Peter Maivia (Grandfather of The Rock) which we noted in the last newsletter. Billy tells us that the altercation took place in late 1969 during a tour of Japan. This is his first ever public comments on the matter 41 years later. He writes, “Peter Maivia was a great guy. I knew him in England, and got him and George Gordienko booked in Japan for that tour. Peter was a little wild when he had a few drinks. We were in the south of Japan and in an area where not too many people spoke English. Peter got impatient and started to act up which was making things worse and nobody was getting served at the bar. I told him to grow up and shut up so that we could all get served, which he did, but Peter being Peter, it played on his mind. On the way back to the hotel Peter for some reason wanted to fight me and started throwing punches. I grabbed him and held him so he couldn’t move. He then tried to bite me in the neck, so I pulled my jaw down so he couldn’t do any real damage, but he bit through cheek. When I saw the blood I got angry and knocked him out.. he was unconscious for 25 minutes. I had to go to hospital to get a shot for the bacteria. The next day I found out that George had instigated the whole episode so I went into both their rooms, locked the door and challenged them. Neither wanted to do anything after that. And a couple of days later we were good friends again, As for the eye story, I had an operation on my right eye when I was 11 years old. Peter did not have the ability as a street fighter to get close to my eyes, and the reason I got bitten was because I didn’t want to hurt him. But as you know over the years stories get exaggerated.. Reputations are usually made by people who have never been on the mat, or in a street fight. Like most pro wrestlers/workers they start to believe they know how to wrestle and are really tough. But they never seem to have fought or beat anyone.”