NWA (Gulf Coast) Alabama Heavyweight title defeating Bob Kelly (November 23, 1976);
NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight title defeating Ken Lucas (December 3, 1976);
NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight title defeating Ken Mantell (May 24, 1977);
NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight title defeating Billy Spears (September 23, 1977);
NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team titles w/Ken Lucas Awarded (December 2, 1977);
Career Highlights
Leon Baxter started his career in Oklahoma under the name Tarzan Baxter..
Leon Baxter worked in Oklahoma, Gulf Coast, Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas under that name..
Leon Baxter also teamed with Juan Sebastian in the Carolinas and Georgia as the masked “Gauchos”..
1970: Leon Baxter came to the Gulf Coast under a mask as the “Wrestling Pro” (a name he used until retirement)..
1975: The Wrestling Pro made a short run in Oklahoma as The Wrestling Pro..
The Wrestling Pro had a longer run in Tennessee teaming with Dick Dunn as the “Masked Superstars”..
Leon Baxter held a fulltime job as a Sheriff’s Deputy in Houston County (Dothan, Alabama) during his days as the Wrestling Pro..
Leon Baxter now occasionally works at the local stockyard in Dothan, Alabama..
Justin Murphy wrote (June 2009): He appeared at that retirement show for Jerry Stubbs and Bullet Bob Armstrong (which I could not attend due to being in Orlando.) in a brief segment where he mentioned being raised in Malone, Florida despite claiming for years he was raised in Dothan. Although Malone is in Jackson County, the same county Marianna and Graceville are in, and they are both close to the Dothan area. So that still counts as being raised in Dothan to some degree.
Justin Murphy wrote (December 2009): Hisaharu Tanabe confirmed Leon toured Japan with Danny Hodge in Summers 1971 and 1972. It was a bit shocking since since there is no record of him wrestling outside The South other than these tours. The first was JWA’s Golden Series, the promotion Baba took over after Rikidozan’s death, before founding All-Japan the year of his second tour. Ironically the second tour was one he worked for New Japan and Inoki when they started. As stated in the Wrestlers Who Saved Their Money…And Those Who Didn’t article, he did not care to discuss his years in the business, and largely washed his hands of it.