Lonnie Mayne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lonnie Mayne |
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Mayne, c. 1975
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| Birth name | Ronald Doyle Mayne |
| Born | September 12, 1944 Fairfax, California, US |
| Died | August 14, 1978 (aged 33) San Bernardino, California, US |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Moondog Mayne The Blond Bomber The One Man Gang Mad Dog Mayne |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Billed weight | 275 lb (125 kg) |
| Billed from | Portland, Oregon, US |
| Trained by | Ken Mayne |
| Debut | 1965 |
Ronald Doyle "Lonnie" Mayne (born September 12, 1944 – died August 14, 1978) was an American professional wrestler. He was active in the 1960s and 1970s. Many fans knew him by his wrestling name, Moondog Mayne. He competed in different areas of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He also wrestled in the World Wide Wrestling Federation in 1973.
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Lonnie Mayne's Early Life
Lonnie Mayne was born in Fairfax, California. He grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. He went to the College of Southern Utah. There, he was a top football player. Lonnie's father, Ken Mayne, was also a professional wrestler. Lonnie decided to follow his father's path. He became a wrestler too.
Moondog Mayne's Wrestling Career
Lonnie got his famous nickname, "Moondog," from Vince McMahon Sr.. People said he looked like a blind musician named Louis Hardin. This musician was often seen in New York City. He wore a cloak and a Viking helmet.
Lonnie won his first big title on December 29, 1973. It was the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship. He beat Pat Patterson in San Francisco. At that time, Lonnie was a "heel," meaning a bad guy in wrestling. Patterson was a "face," or a good guy.
Lonnie and Patterson had many fights. But later, they teamed up. They won the NWA tag team title together. This happened on August 8, 1975, in San Francisco. They defeated a team called The Invaders.
Tag Team Success in the Pacific Northwest
In the 1960s and early 1970s, Mayne often teamed with "Tough" Tony Borne. They wrestled together in tag team matches. They also had their own separate matches. At first, they were "bad guys." But later, they became "good guys." This made them very popular in the Pacific Northwest. They won their first tag team title against Pepper Martin and James "Shag" Thomas.
During his time in Oregon, another wrestler, Apache Bull Ramos, broke Mayne's arm. The bone even poked through his skin.
Challenging for Top Titles
In 1973, Lonnie Mayne wrestled Pedro Morales for the WWWF title. This big match took place in Madison Square Garden. Lonnie did not win the title that day.
From 1973 to 1978, Mayne had great success in California. He won several single titles. He had exciting matches against wrestlers like Chavo and Hector Guerrero. He also faced Black Gordman in Los Angeles. In Northern California, he had rivalries with Pat Patterson and Don Muraco. He also teamed up with Ray Stevens. Their matches often sold out arenas. In Texas, he had memorable matches with Mr. Wrestling II.
Lonnie Mayne's Death
Lonnie Mayne died on August 14, 1978. He was in a car accident. His car crossed the highway and hit another vehicle. He was supposed to wrestle in Sacramento the next day.
The wrestling promoter did not know about his death. So, the announcer told fans that Mayne was angry and refused to wrestle. The show was taped and aired five days later. By then, many fans already knew Lonnie had died. This made a taped interview even more awkward. In it, Mayne's opponent, Buddy Rose, joked that Mayne would be carried out by pallbearers after their match.
Championships and Accomplishments
Lonnie Mayne won many championships and awards during his career:
- 50th State Big Time Wrestling
- NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Ripper Collins (2), and Sweet Daddy Siki (1)
- Georgia Championship Wrestling
- NWA Macon Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Luke Graham
- NWA Big Time Wrestling
- NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ron Bass
- NWA San Francisco
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version) (3 times)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (3 times) – with Pat Patterson (1), Ray Stevens (1), and Dean Ho (1)
- Pacific Northwest Wrestling
- NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (11 times)
- NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (17 times) – with Tony Borne (11), Beauregard (1), Frankie Laine (1), Dutch Savage (2), Les Thornton (1), and Ron Bass (1)
- Ring Around The Northwest Newsletter
- Wrestler of the Year (1967–1970)
- Tag Team of the Year (1967–1969, 1972, 1977) with Tony Borne, Dutch Savage and Les Thornton
See also
- List of premature professional wrestling deaths
