Spiros Arion

[Spiros Arion GALLERY]

Title History

• IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Karl Gotch (????, 1965);
• IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Killer Kowalski (August 6, 1965);
• IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Guy Mitchell (October 29, 1966);
• WWWF United States Tag Team titles w/Antonio Pugliese defeating Smasher Sloan & Baron Mikel Scicluna (December 8, 1966);
• WWWF United States Tag Team titles w/Bruno Sammartino defeating Tony Altimore & Lou Albano (July 24, 1967);
• IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Killer Karl Kox (January ??, 1968);
• IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Gorilla Monsoon (March 22, 1968);
• IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Killer Karl Kox (February 21, 1969);
• IWA (Australia) World Tag Team titles w/Mario Milano defeating Brute Bernard & Skull Murphy (December 19, 1969);
• IWA (Australia) World Tag Team titles w/Mark Lewin defeating Kurt & Karl Von Steiger (????, 1970);
• NWA Austra Asian Heavyweight title defeating Killer Karl Kox (April 28, 1972);
• NWA Austra Asian Heavyweight title defeating Bulldog Brower (September 22, 1972);
• NWA Austra Asian Heavyweight title defeating Brute Bernard (November 25, 1972);
• NWA Austra Asian Tag Team titles w/Mark Lewin defeating Hiro Tojo & Waldo Von Erich (July ??, 1973);
• (UK) World Heavyweight title defeating ????????? (????, 1979);

Career Highlights

In The Beginning

• Spiros Arion began his pro career in 1961 in Paris & wrestled around Europe for a few years before settling in Australia..

Australia

• July 1965: Spiros Arion arrived on the Australian wrestling scene and quickly became a favorite among the Greek fans..
• August 1965: Spiros Arion won his first of many IWA World titles & Austra-Asian titles in Australia..
• Spiros Arion spent the first 14 years of Australia’s World Championship Wrestling holding the World title about 10 times..
• 1965: Karl Gotch won the title briefly from Spiros Arion, but lost it back shortly after..
• Spiros Arion finished 1965 as World champion but no showed at the beginning of ’66 after jumping ship and taking the title!
• ~~~WCW officials ‘fabricated’ a result in Hawaii that had Killer Kowalski pinning Arion for the title..
• Over in the rival promotion, Spiros Arion defended the belt against the 400 pound plus King Kong Czaja in Sydney..
• ~~~The ref was decked by Czaja & missed Arion’s pin on him, the largely Greek crowd rioted & started to storm the ring with chairs..
• ~~~The terrified referee quickly declared Arion the winner & then bolted, with several hundred chair wielding Greeks going wild..
• Late 1966: Spiros Arion returned to WCW and was obviously forgiven as he was immediately given the IWA title again..
• Early 1971: The IWA World title was abandoned after Jim Barnett joined the NWA agreeing to recognize the NWA’s World title..
• Early 1972: A new title called the Austra-Asian championship was created with Spiros Arion as the first champion..
• 1974: Spiros Arion left Jim Barnett’s WCW promotion while still holding the Austra-Asian Heavyweight title..
• ~~~Spiros Arion had been defending the Austra-Asian title against Bobby Shane at the time of his departure..
• ~~~WCW again made up a story about Arion being pinned overseas — this time by Waldo Von Erich..

World Wide Wrestling Federation

• 1975: Spiros Arion headed to America to work for the WWWF as Bruno Sammartino’s “protege”..
• ~~~Spiros Arion was eventually turned heel by the influence of manager Fred Blassie to feud with Bruno Sammartino..