Wilbur Snyder facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wilbur Snyder |
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Snyder in 1969
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| Born | September 15, 1929 Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Died | December 25, 1991 (aged 62) Pompano Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Wilbur Snyder California Comet |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Billed from | Woodland Hills, California |
| Trained by | Warren Bockwinkel Sandor Szabo |
| Debut | 1953 |
| Retired | 1984 |
Wilbur Snyder (born September 15, 1929 – died December 25, 1991) was an American football player. He later became a famous professional wrestler.
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Wrestling Career
Wilbur Snyder started his wrestling career in 1953. This was during the time when football players were not playing games. He learned how to wrestle from Sandor Szabo and Warren Bockwinkel. They trained him in Southern California.
In 1954, Snyder stopped playing football completely. He decided to become a full-time professional wrestler. When he wrestled, he often used moves that looked like football tactics. This made him very popular across the country.
Becoming a Champion
Wilbur Snyder became a champion in many different wrestling areas. These areas were linked to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He had already won a championship in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He became even more famous on April 7, 1956. On that day, he beat Verne Gagne in Chicago. This win made him the United States Champion.
Snyder won another important championship on November 15, 1958. He defeated Verne Gagne again in Omaha, Nebraska. This was a version of the world title. Between 1956 and 1962, he won the United States Championship ten times.
Business and Big Rivalries
In 1965, Wilbur Snyder became a business owner in wrestling. He bought part of a wrestling company in Indianapolis with another wrestler, Dick the Bruiser. Their company was called Championship Wrestling Inc.
Snyder also won the WWA title in September 1967. He beat Mitsu Arakawa to get this title. Snyder held the WWA Champion title for two years. He had big rivalries, called "feuds," with wrestlers like Dick the Bruiser and Hans Schmidt. Snyder was also a 13-time WWA Tag Team Champion. This means he won championships with a partner. In 1969, he teamed up with Danny Hodge in Japan. Together, they won the NWA International Tag Team Championship.
Lasting Impact
Wilbur Snyder was often called "The World's Most Scientific Wrestler." This meant he was very skilled and smart in his wrestling moves. Famous wrestling commentators like Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage mentioned him. Bobby Heenan even said that Snyder invented a wrestling move called the abdominal stretch.
His legacy continued with WWE announcer Jim Ross. For many years, Jim Ross would say "shades of the late Wilbur Snyder" when a wrestler used the abdominal stretch. This showed how important Snyder's move was in wrestling history.
Personal Life
Wilbur Snyder married Shirlee Ann Hanson in 1948. He passed away on December 25, 1991. He was 62 years old and died in Pompano Beach, Florida.
Major Achievements
Wilbur Snyder won many championships and awards during his wrestling career:
- American Wrestling Alliance
- AWA World Tag Team Championship (Indiana version) (2 times) – with Dick the Bruiser
- American Wrestling Association
- AWA United States Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- AWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Leo Nomellini (1) and Pat O'Connor (1)
- World Heavyweight Championship (Omaha version) (2 times)
- Big Time Wrestling (San Francisco)
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version) (1 time)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (1 time) – with Nick Bockwinkel
- Fred Kohler Enterprises
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Chicago version) (2 times)
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2014
- International Wrestling Association (Montreal)
- IWA International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Japan Wrestling Association
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Danny Hodge
- Midwest Wrestling Association
- NWA Eastern States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Ohio version) (1 time) – with Dick the Bruiser
- NWA Detroit
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit version) (2 times)
- World Wrestling Associates/NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship (2 times)
- WWA International Television Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Sandor Szabo (2) and Bobo Brazil (2)
- NWA Western States Sports
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (2 times) – with Verne Gagne (1) and Pepper Gomez (1)
- St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2014
- World Wrestling Association
- WWA World Tag Team Championship (14 times) – with Dick the Bruiser (3), Moose Cholak (3), Luis Martinez (1), Pat O'Connor (1), Paul Christy (1), Pepper Gomez (2), Dominic Denucci (1), and Spike Huber (2)
- Worldwide Wrestling Associates
- WWA International Television Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Sandor Szabo (2) and Bobo Brazil (2)
See also
- List of gridiron football players who became professional wrestlers
