Joe Lightfoot facts for kids

Joe Ventura, born in 1953, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He was very popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Even though he is of Italian background, Joe Ventura became famous by pretending to be a First Nation wrestler. He used the exciting ring name (Chief) Joe Lightfoot.

Joe Ventura spent most of the 1970s wrestling in Canada. He worked for companies like Stampede Wrestling and NWA All-Star Wrestling. In the 1980s, he moved to the United States. There, he wrestled mainly for the National Wrestling Alliance. He even became an NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion.

Joe Lightfoot's Wrestling Journey

Starting in Canada (1970s)

Joe Ventura started his wrestling career in the mid-1970s. He wrestled a lot in Calgary, Alberta and Regina, Saskatchewan. His main company was Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling. Joe's older brother, Tito Senza, was also a wrestler.

Joe Ventura wrestled against many famous people. These included Keith Hart. He also wrestled for Maple Leaf Wrestling in Toronto, Ontario. On December 16, 1978, he teamed up with Steve Bolus. They wrestled against Baron von Raschke and Greg Valentine.

Throughout the rest of the 1970s, Joe Ventura wrestled for All-Star Wrestling and Stampede. He had exciting matches with wrestlers like Terry Sawyer and Dynamite Kid. He also faced Cuban Assassin and Roddy Piper.

On March 1, 1977, Joe Ventura won his first championship. He defeated Chin Lee to become the Grand Prix Wrestling Junior Heavyweight Champion. In April 1979, he won another title. He teamed with Bobby Bass to win the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship. They beat Igor Volkoff and The Mongol.

Wrestling in the Pacific Northwest (1980)

On October 24, 1980, Joe Ventura wrestled in the United States for the first time. He joined Pacific Northwest Wrestling in Eugene, Oregon. This is when he started using the name "Joe Lightfoot." He began to act like a Native American wrestler.

Lightfoot became a regular star in PNW. He wrestled against tough opponents like Igor Volkoff, Buddy Rose, and The Destroyer. He also formed a popular tag team with Jay Youngblood. They were known as "The Indians."

This team was very popular with fans. They won the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship on October 25, 1980. The team also wrestled in Canada. On November 3, 1980, they won the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship. This was Joe Lightfoot's second time winning that title.

Becoming a World Champion (1981)

In 1981, Joe Lightfoot traveled to Puerto Rico. He wrestled for the World Wrestling Council. Here, he became a very successful solo wrestler. Fans loved him.

On November 7, 1981, Lightfoot won the WWC World Junior Heavyweight Championship. He defeated Les Thornton for the title. This was not the only championship he won from Thornton that year. Just a month earlier, on October 16, he had won the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Wrestling in Georgia (1981-1982)

In the mid-1980s, Lightfoot wrestled across the United States and Canada. He mainly worked for Georgia Championship Wrestling. He also wrestled for All-Star Wrestling in Vancouver. Other places included NWA Hollywood and PNW.

His tag team with Jay Youngblood continued to be very successful. They were the most popular tag team in Pacific Northwest. On February 27, 1981, they teamed up with Andre the Giant. They won a big match against Buddy Rose, Rip Oliver, and The Destroyer in Oregon. Joe Lightfoot also had memorable rivalries with The Iron Sheik and The Moondogs in Georgia.

Later Career (Mid-to-Late 1980s)

From 1984 onwards, Joe Lightfoot became a regular star in Championship Wrestling From Florida. He formed a strong team with Mike Davis. They had exciting feuds with teams like Black Bart & Kevin Sullivan. They also wrestled against Hector & Chavo Guerrero.

Lightfoot also started a famous rivalry with the One Man Gang. This feud happened in both CWFF and Jim Crockett Promotions. They wrestled in many single and tag team matches. They even had a special strap match on October 4, 1984, in Tampa, Florida. Joe Lightfoot also wrestled for Jim Crockett Promotions and Central States Wrestling. He often teamed with other Native/Indian wrestlers. He teamed with Billy Two Eagles to win the NWA Central States Tag Team Championship in July 1986.

Championships and Achievements

• Central States Wrestling
  • NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (1 time)
• Grand Prix Wrestling
  • Grand Prix Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• NWA All-Star Wrestling
  • NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Bobby Bass (1) and Jay Youngblood (1)
• Pacific Northwest Wrestling
  • NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 time)
• World Wrestling Council
  • WWC World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)