Johnny Valentine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Johnny Valentine |
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Valentine as NWA Florida Heavyweight Champion
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| Birth name | John Theodore Wisniski |
| Born | September 22, 1928 Maple Valley, Washington, United States |
| Died | April 24, 2001 (aged 72) River Oaks, Texas, United States |
| Children | Greg Valentine |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The Big O Johnny Valentine |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Billed weight | 255 lb (116 kg) |
| Trained by | Stanislaus Zbyszko Wladek Zbyszko |
| Debut | 1947 |
| Retired | 1975 |
John Theodore Wisniski (born September 22, 1928 – died April 24, 2001) was a famous American professional wrestler. He was better known by his ring name, Johnny Valentine. His wrestling career lasted for almost 30 years.
Johnny Valentine is remembered as one of the toughest wrestlers of his time. He was so good that he has been honored in four different halls of fame for his amazing achievements in wrestling. His son, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, also became a well-known professional wrestler.
Valentine held many important wrestling titles across different regions. He had exciting rivalries with other wrestling legends like Bobo Brazil, Buddy Rogers, and Bruno Sammartino. During the "Golden Era" of wrestling (from the 1940s to the 1960s), he often switched between playing the role of a villain (bad guy) and a hero (good guy) in his matches.
Sadly, in 1975, Johnny Valentine was in a plane crash. This accident caused a serious back injury, which meant he had to stop wrestling. After the crash, he briefly worked as a manager for other wrestlers before fully retiring. He faced many health challenges later in life and passed away in 2001.
Contents
Johnny Valentine's Wrestling Journey
Starting His Career in 1947
Johnny Valentine began his professional wrestling career in 1947. His very first match was against Karl Nowena in Buenos Aires. Valentine was known for being incredibly tough. He wanted his matches to feel as real as possible, so he would ask his opponents to hit him hard in the ring. This helped him earn a strong reputation as a fearless wrestler.
In 1950, Johnny Valentine competed for the United States title. He made it to the finals but was defeated by Buddy Rogers. Valentine also wrestled in a territory called Capitol Wrestling, which later became the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), now known as WWE.
Winning Tag Team Titles
Johnny Valentine was very successful in tag team wrestling, where two wrestlers team up. In 1959, he won the Northeast version of the NWA United States Tag Team Championship with Jerry Graham. They lost the titles, but Valentine quickly won them back in 1960 with a new partner, Buddy Rogers. They defeated a famous team called The Fabulous Kangaroos.
His rivalry with The Fabulous Kangaroos continued, and they soon won the belts back. Valentine then teamed up with Bob Ellis to defeat the Kangaroos again and reclaim the championship. He also won the International Tag Team title in Toronto several times with different partners in 1963.
Wrestling in Japan and Major Rivalries
In the mid-1960s, Johnny Valentine traveled to Japan to wrestle. He had a series of important matches against Antonio Inoki. These matches were very important for Inoki's career, as Valentine was the most famous foreign wrestler he had ever faced. Valentine helped Inoki become a top wrestler in Japan by letting Inoki win some of their matches, which is called "putting over" in wrestling. This helped Inoki's career take off.
Valentine also continued to wrestle in the WWWF. He had one more reign with the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship in 1966, teaming with Tony Parisi. However, Valentine later turned against Parisi, starting a short rivalry with Bruno Sammartino, who was presented as Parisi's cousin.
Success in Florida and Other Regions
After his time in the WWWF, Valentine moved to the Florida wrestling territory. There, he won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship four times. He also won the NWA Georgia Heavyweight title twice in Georgia.
In Missouri, Valentine competed for the Missouri Heavyweight Championship. He won the title from Harley Race in 1973. He also held the International Heavyweight Championship and the NWF North American Heavyweight Championship multiple times in the National Wrestling Federation.
In 1974, Valentine was awarded the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship. He then won the United States Heavyweight Championship from Harley Race in 1975. He was still holding this title when his wrestling career ended due to a tragic accident.
Johnny Valentine's Life Outside the Ring
Family and Personality
Johnny Valentine, whose real name was John Wisniski, grew up in Maple Valley, Washington. He was known to be a quiet person who kept to himself. However, he was also famous for being very firm when dealing with his employers, always making sure his demands were clear. Many stories are still told about the funny practical jokes, or "ribs," he played on his fellow wrestlers.
Valentine was married in the early 1950s, and that marriage lasted 20 years. Later, he met Sharon, who worked near his apartment. Sharon visited him in the hospital after his plane crash. Although their relationship ended for a while because he didn't want her to see him in his injured state, he later found her and asked her to marry him, and she said yes. After John's death, Sharon planned to write a book about their love story.
As mentioned, Johnny Valentine also had a son, Greg Valentine, from an earlier relationship. Greg followed in his father's footsteps and became a professional wrestler in 1970.
The Plane Crash of 1975
On October 4, 1975, Johnny Valentine was a passenger in a small, private plane. Other wrestlers like Ric Flair, Bob Bruggers, and Tim Woods, along with David Crockett, were also on board. The plane ran out of fuel and crashed near Wilmington, North Carolina.
This crash caused very serious injuries. Johnny Valentine, Ric Flair, Bob Bruggers, and the pilot, Michael Farkus, all broke their backs. A piece of bone became stuck in Valentine's spine, which caused him to be paralyzed for the rest of his life. He had to have a special clamp put in his back to hold his bones together.
Later Health Challenges and Legacy
In August 2000, Johnny Valentine had another serious fall from his front porch. This led to many health problems, including a fractured back, pneumonia, and kidney failure. He even slipped into a coma. At one point, he woke up when his wife was singing to him and even started singing himself before falling back into the coma.
His medical bills became very high. Friends and fellow wrestlers, like Lou Thesz's wife, helped raise money through the Cauliflower Alley Club to assist with his medical expenses, which reached nearly a million dollars.
Johnny Valentine passed away peacefully in River Oaks, Texas, on April 24, 2001, at the age of 72. His wife Sharon kept his ashes until she passed away in 2013.
Valentine's wrestling career has been widely recognized. In 2001, he received the PWI Stanley Weston Award from Pro Wrestling Illustrated for his lifetime achievements in wrestling. He has also been inducted into several prestigious halls of fame, including the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (1996), the Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (1995), the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (2006), and the St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame (2007).
Championships and Accomplishments
- 50th State Big Time Wrestling
- NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ripper Collins
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (Japan version) (1 time) – with Killer Karl Krupp
- NWA United National Championship (1 time)
- Big Time Wrestling (Boston)
- BTW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Big Time Wrestling (Detroit)
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit version) (3 times)
- Capitol Wrestling Corporation / World Wide Wrestling Federation
- NWA United States Television Championship (5 times, inaugural)
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Northeast version) (3 times) – with Buddy Rogers (1), “Cowboy” Bob Ellis (1), and Dr. Jerry Graham (1)
- WWWF United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tony Parisi
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Florida version) (1 time)
- NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (1 time)
- NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (1 time) – with Boris Malenko
- L&G Promotions
- L&G Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- IHW Entertainment
- Hall of Fame (Class of 2010)
- International Wrestling Association (Chicago)
- IWA International Heavyweight Championship (Chicago version) (1 time)
- International Wrestling Association (Montreal)
- IWA International Heavyweight Championship (Montreal version) (1 time)
- Maple Leaf Wrestling
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version) (5 times) – with Bulldog Brower (1), The Beast (1), Jim Hady (1), and Whipper Billy Watson (2)
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) (7 times)
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (1 time)
- Mid-South Sports
- NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- Minneapolis Wrestling and Boxing Club
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version) (1 time) – with Chet Wallick
- National Wrestling Alliance
- NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2011)
- NWA Los Angeles
- NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship (2 times)
- National Wrestling Federation
- NWF Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWF North American Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1973)
- PWI Stanley Weston Award (awarded posthumously) in 2001
- Southwest Sports, Inc. / NWA Big Time Wrestling
- NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Texas version) (5 times)
- NWA American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA American Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Wahoo McDaniel (2) and Thunderbolt Patterson (1)
- NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (9 times)
- NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Eddie Graham
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Texas version) (1 time)1
- St. Louis Wrestling Club
- NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2007
- Stampede Wrestling
- NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Calgary version) (2 times)
- Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 1995)
- Western States Sports
- NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Amarillo version) (1 time)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
1This championship would be renamed the NWA American Heavyweight Championship in May 1968. It would go on to be renamed the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship after World Class' withdrawal from the NWA in February 1986.
