|
Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Sept 14, 2017 12:49:03 GMT -6
www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2017/0914/632135/former-awa-world-champion-otto-wanz-passes-away/Former AWA World Champion Otto Wanz Passes Away Former AWA World Champion Otto Wanz has passed away at the age of 74. Slam Wrestling has an article on Wanz and his career at this link. Wanz was one of the few wrestlers to bodyslam both Yokozuna and Andre the Giant. Wanz was also a legendary promoter in Germany and Austria, continuing to be a well-known name in retirement with commercial and movie appearances. Wanz and his son Michael promoted strongmen competitions in Austria during his later years. WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Schwarzenegger has previously called Wanz an influence on his fitness and bodybuilding career. Wanz passed away earlier today, September 14th, but details on his death have not been released. Austrian media reported that it was a "short, serious illness." Below are some clips from Otto's career:
|
|
|
Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Sept 14, 2017 13:04:08 GMT -6
www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/otto-wanz-passes-away-74-years-old-242836OTTO WANZ PASSES AWAY AT 74 YEARS OLD BY DAVE MELTZER | @davemeltzerwon | SEP 14, 2017 9:23 AM Otto Wanz, the most famous wrestler in Germany and Austria during the 70s and 80s, passed away Thursday morning from what was described as a short but heavy illness. He was 74. Wanz, a powerhouse at 6-foot-2 and 380 pounds, would be best known in the United States for his run as AWA Champion in 1982. Wanz had been champion of his own Catch Wrestling Association, but was largely unknown outside of Germany and Austria. He defeated Nick Bockwinkel for the title on August 29th, 1982, in St. Paul in a match that caused lingering hard feelings between Bockwinkel and longtime manager Bobby Heenan, because Bockwinkel never told Heenan that the title was changing hands ahead of time. Wanz had come to the AWA with a big push and basically purchased a short run with the championship as a way to promote himself in his native land that he went to the U.S. and captured the World title. Bockwinkel regained the title on October 9th, 1982, in Chicago. Wanz did three AWA tours, one in 1982 and another in 1983 where his title win enabled him to be pushed as a big star upon returning. After the prime of the AWA, he returned for some matches in 1987. The title win did add to his prestige where he promoted, as he promoted that he was the only Austrian to win an American World Heavyweight wrestling title at a time when titles were taken more seriously. Wanz started as a boxer, starting in the sport as a teenager and began wrestling in 1967. He became a promoter and was known for running tournaments around the year, and a major show in Bremen every December, where he'd bring in a major international star to challenge him for his World title. His biggest run came after beating Don Leo Jonathan for what was billed as the World title in 1978, a championship he held until losing it in Denver to Leon White (Vader). Wanz was the first promoter to push White into main event status. He eventually retired as champion in 1990, but did come back in 1996 for a retirement match against Terry Funk. Andre the Giant was one of his most famous opponents and he was billed as the only man ever to bodyslam both Andre and Yokozuna, who he wrestled before he became a star in WWF. He also did strongman stunts on television, although the stories of him being a hero to Arnold Schwarzenegger, which Schwarzenegger stated at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, don't really add up timeline wise since Wanz didn't become a major star in Austria until years after Schwarzenegger had left for the U.S., and Schwarzenegger's familiarity with pro wrestling would have been with people like Bruno Sammartino and Superstar Billy Graham, who he knew well before Wanz's heyday.
|
|
|
Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Sept 14, 2017 13:20:46 GMT -6
www.pwinsider.com/article/112287/former-awa-world-champion-catch-wrestling-promoter-otto-wanz-passes-away.html?p=1FORMER AWA WORLD CHAMPION, CATCH WRESTLING PROMOTER OTTO WANZ PASSES AWAY By Mike Johnson on 2017-09-14 08:49:00 Former AWA World champion and Catch Wrestling Association promoter Otto Wanz passed away overnight at the age of 74, according to reports out of Austria. Wanz had been dealing with an illness leading up to his passing. Breaking into the business in Austria following a boxing career, Wanz began touring for New Japan Pro Wrestling in the early '70s. He was a powerhouse wrestler, known for ripping phone books as a feat of strength and was used as an opponent for Antonio Inoki. Wanz was the biggest pro wrestling star to ever come out of Austria and was even mentioned as an inspiration by Arnold Schwarzenegger in his 2015 induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. Wanz formed the Catch Wrestling Association in 1973 and was a four-time holder of the promotion's championship. Until the modern day independent scene explosion, CWA was the definitive European promotion, using the rounds system for matches. Unlike other promotions, in many cases, the CWA tours would run the same venue or city for weeks at a time. The promotion was a regular stop for wrestlers building their name internationally as they gained experience with names such as John Layfield, Owen Hart, Jushin Liger, Steve (William) Regal, Franz Schumann, Dave Finlay, Kensuke Sasaki, Road Warrior Hawk, Terry Funk, Ulf Hermann, Giant Haystacks, Fred Ottman and Joe E. Legend, among others working for the promotion. It's year would peak with the Euro Catch Festival event, usually held in Bremen, Germany or Graz, Austria. The promotion would shudder in 1999. Wanz was the centerpiece of the promotion for much of its run before moving back into simply promoting in the '1990s. As a wrestler, he was often facing off with larger monsters in the ring including Don Leo Jonathan, Andre the Giant (who he did bodyslam during an era where that was not common), the future Yokozuna, and towards the end of his career, Bull Power aka Big Van Vader. n 1982, Wanz defeated Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World championship, having a short run of 6 weeks with the belt in a move that was obviously made to reinforce his importance in Europe as a star. For decades, the rumor and innuendo has been that Wanz paid AWA owner Verne Gagne for the run. After retiring, Wanz had a number of acting roles on TV and theater locally. On behalf of everyone associated with PWInsider.com, we'd like to express our deepest condolences to the family, friends and fans of Otto Wanz.
|
|