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Bruiser & Crusher


Last updated by Sean Sweeny on April 28, 2014

Title History

 

  • AWA World Tag Team titles defeating Ivan Kalmikoff & Karol Kalmikoff (August 20, 1963);
  • AWA World Tag Team titles defeating Verne Gagne & Moose Evans (February 23, 1964);
  • AWA World Tag Team titles defeating Larry Hennig & Harley Race (May 28, 1966);
  • WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles defeating Angelo Poffo & Chris Markoff (January 21, 1967);
  • WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles defeating Angelo Poffo & Chris Markoff (July 15, 1967);
  • WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles defeating Mitsu Arakawa & Dr. Moto (December 28, 1968);
  • AWA World Tag Team titles defeating Mitsu Arakawa & Dr. Moto (December 28, 1968);
  • NWA (Japan) International Tag Team titles defeating Giant Baba & Antonio Inoki (August 11, 1969);
  • WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles defeating Blackjack Lanza & Blackjack Mulligan (December 9, 1972);
  • AWA World Tag Team titles defeating Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens (August 16, 1975);
  • WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles defeating Jacques Goulet & Zarinoff LeBeouf (September 20, 1975);
  • WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles defeating Ox Baker & Chuck O’Connor (May 1, 1976);
  • World Championship Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee (May 22, 1994);

 

Career Highlights

 

  • August 14, 1970 – AWA Comiskey Park: The Vachon Brothers defeated The Crusher & Dick The Bruiser in a Steel Cage Match!
  • June 25, 1976 – AWA Chicago Stadium: The Crusher and Dick the Bruiser defeated Blackjack Lanza and Bobby Duncum..
  • September 28, 1985 – AWA SuperClash: The Koloffs & Krusher Khruschev beat The Crusher & Dick the Bruiser & Baron Von Raschke..

    Tom Zak wrote: The Crusher was one of the most exciting wresters I ever saw in my life. My brother and I used to go to the Chicago Amphitheater all the time in the 60’s and 70’s. We saw Crusher and Bruiser wrestle Henning and Race (the Dolly Sisters as Crusher would call them).”We’re gonna beat these two bums and then go down Halsted street and dance the Polka with all the girls and drink beer.”

 

Me and the Bruser train by running up and down Halsted St. with a barrel of beer on our backs.”

Some of the best matches were against Nick Bockwinckle and Ray Stevens along with their manager Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan. The crowd in the Amphitheater used to chant ‘We want blood. We want blood’ and Heenan used to say in interviews that we were humanoids, 8-5 lifers.