Horst Hoffman

Last updated

Horst Hoffman
Born (1935-09-29) 29 September 1935 (age 88)
Czechoslovakia
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Horst Hoffman
Billed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Billed weight251 lb (114 kg)
DebutApril 23, 1957 [1]
RetiredDecember 15, 1977 [1]

Horst Hoffman (born 29 September 1935), is a former German professional wrestler. Hoffman worked in Germany, Europe, Japan and American Wrestling Association in the United States during his 20 year career.

Contents

Professional wrestling career

Hoffman started his professional wrestling career in 1957 in Germany. He would spend most of his career in Germany. In the 1960s he went to the United Kingdom, France and Austria. It is said that Hoffman won at least ninety tournaments during his career. [2]

In 1972, Hoffman went to Japan working for International Wrestling Enterprise where he started to become well known in wrestling. He competed in the IWE's 4th annual World Series tournament held from March 27-May 6, 1972. [3] He worked there until 1974. [1]

In 1973, he made his debut in North America for American Wrestling Association in Minnesota where he feuded with Billy Robinson. Hoffman during his AWA stint had matches with Verne Gagne, Nick Bockwinkel Geoff Portz, Ken Patera, Larry Hennig, Ric Flair, Chris Taylor, Ivan Putski, Andre the Giant, and The Crusher. [4] In 1974 he teamed with German heel Baron Von Raschke and had a popular rivalry with Dusty Rhodes and Superstar Billy Graham. [5] Zordani, Jim. "AWA #32 Page #2". KayfabeMemories.com. He left the AWA in 1975 and returned to Japan.

In 1975, Hoffman made his debut at All Japan Pro Wrestling where he feuded with Giant Baba, The Destroyer, Dory Funk Jr., Anton Geesink and Jumbo Tsuruta. In 1977 he teamed with his arch rival Billy Robinson. By the end of 1977 Hoffman retired from wrestling. [1]

It is said that Mitsuharu Misawa was influenced by Hoffman's green attire and boots that Misawa wore it. [6]

Championships and accomplishments

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Wrestling Association</span> American professional wrestling promotion

The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The promotion was born out of the Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club, originally founded in 1933, which served as the Minnesota-based territory of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 1948 onward, before breaking away from the NWA and becoming an independent territory in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verne Gagne</span> American professional wrestler and football player (1926–2015)

Laverne Clarence Gagne was an American amateur and professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer and wrestling promoter. He was the owner and promoter of the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association (AWA), the predominant promotion throughout the Midwest and Manitoba for many years. He remained in this position until 1991, when the company folded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harley Race</span> American professional wrestler, promoter and trainer

Harley Leland Race was an American professional wrestler, promoter, and trainer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Zbyszko</span> American professional wrestler

Lawrence Whistler, better known by the ring name Larry Zbyszko, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, Bruno Sammartino, during the early 1980s as well as his work as a wrestler and color commentator for World Championship Wrestling. Among other accolades, he is a two-time world champion having twice held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship. Zbyszko was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 28, 2015, by Sammartino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Hansen</span> American professional wrestler

John Stanley Hansen II, best known as Stan "The Lariat" Hansen, is an American retired professional wrestler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Gagne (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler (born 1948)

Gregory Alan Gagne is an American retired professional wrestler. He is the son of Verne Gagne. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he achieved his biggest success as one-half of tag team the High Flyers with Jim Brunzell. The High Flyers enjoyed a number of high-profile feuds within the American Wrestling Association (AWA) with the likes of Bobby Duncum and Blackjack Lanza, Pat Patterson and Ray "The Crippler" Stevens, the East-West Connection, and the Sheiks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AWA World Heavyweight Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

The AWA World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the highest ranked championship in the defunct American Wrestling Association (AWA). All AWA trademarks, including the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, are now owned by WWE. The championship was generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants execute worked finishes rather than contend in direct competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Bockwinkel</span> American wrestler (1934–2015)

Nicholas Warren Francis Bockwinkel was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the 1970s and 1980s.

Toshiaki Kawada is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), whom he worked for from his debut in 1982 up until 2008. In All Japan Pro Wrestling, he was a 5 time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, a 9 time World Tag Team Champion, three-time winner of the Real World Tag League and a two-time winner of the Champion Carnival. He was also recognised as the ace of the promotion from 2000 to 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Blackwell</span> American professional wrestler

Jerry Blackwell was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Crusher" Jerry Blackwell. Blackwell competed in the 1979 World's Strongest Man contest, but withdrew early in the competition due to an injury. He was a main event star in the American Wrestling Association where he feuded with Mad Dog Vachon, Hulk Hogan, The Crusher, Bruiser Brody and Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jumbo Tsuruta</span> Japanese professional wrestler

Tomomi "Tommy" Tsuruta, better known by his ring name Jumbo Tsuruta, was a Japanese professional wrestler who wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) for most of his career, and is well known for being the first ever Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, having won the PWF Heavyweight Championship, the NWA United National Championship, and the NWA International Heavyweight Championship, and unifying the three titles. He is also known for being one-half of the first World Tag Team Champions with Yoshiaki Yatsu, having won the NWA International Tag Team Championship and the PWF Tag Team Championship, and unifying the two titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Robinson</span> English wrestler and coach

William Alfred Robinson was an English professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and coach. Having trained at Riley's Gym, better known as "the Snake Pit", Robinson was one of the leading practitioners of catch wrestling, a national champion in freestyle wrestling, and a professional wrestling world champion. He had a successful career in Britain and internationally, especially in Japan. He was known for training professional wrestlers and mixed martial artists in the catch wrestling style, including Josh Barnett, Kazushi Sakuraba, Kiyoshi Tamura, and Shayna Baszler. His favourite saying as a coach was "do it again", which came from his trainer Billy Riley. Robinson acted in several movies including The Wrestler and inspired the fictional manga/anime character Robin Mask.

Eddie Sharkey is an American professional wrestler, promoter, and trainer. He is often called "the Trainer of Champions". Eddie Sharkey began his career in the wrestling industry as a wrestler in the 1950s. However, it was his work as a trainer and mentor that brought him widespread recognition. He has been instrumental in training many of the most notable talents in the sport including Jesse Ventura and the Road Warriors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Hennig</span> American professional wrestler (1936–2018)

Larry Hennig was an American professional wrestler. He was the father of "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, and the grandfather of Curtis Axel and Amy "Ms. Perfect" Hennig. He worked in the American Wrestling Association, National Wrestling Alliance, and the World Wide Wrestling Federation. Hennig was known by the nickname, "The Axe", a nickname he had because of his signature, often finishing move of dropping a full weight elbow onto his prone opponents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masanobu Fuchi</span> Japanese professional wrestler

Masanobu Fuchi is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is also a director and the co-head booker. Fuchi has exclusively worked for All Japan since his debut in 1974, and holds the record for the longest World Junior Heavyweight Championship reign at 1,309 days. Fuchi became a freelancer in 2009, but officially re-signed with AJPW in 2013 as both a director and wrestler, making him the longest tenured member of the All Japan roster.

Tommy Jammer is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling Association from 1989 to 1990.

Les Wolff was an American football player and professional wrestler, known by his ring name "Beautiful" Buddy Wolfe, who competed in North American regional promotions including the American Wrestling Association, National Wrestling Alliance and the World Wide Wrestling Federation during the 1970s and 80s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Olsonoski</span> American professional wrestler

Steven L. Olsonoski, better known by the ring name Steve O, is a retired American professional wrestler from Minnesota. He was considered one of the top junior heavyweights during the 1980s.

Masao Kimura was a Japanese professional wrestler, best known by his ring name Rusher Kimura. He was a five-time IWA World Heavyweight Champion, making him a five-time world champion.

James "Jim" Osborn also known as Red Osborn, Double X and Dr. X is an American retired professional wrestler who was active throughout the United States and Japan in the 1960s and '70s. He wrestled primarily in the National Wrestling Alliance and the American Wrestling Association and is a former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion.

References

General

Specific

  1. 1 2 3 4 Saalbach, Axel. "Horst Hoffmann". Wrestlingdata. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  2. "Wrestler Profiles: Horst Hoffman". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  3. Campbell, Jason. "4th World Series". ProWrestlingHistory.com.
  4. Schire, George (2010). Minnesota's Golden Age of Wrestling: From Verne Gagne to the Road Warriors. Minnesota Historical Society. pp. 96, 100–102, 106–108. ISBN   978-0873516204.
  5. Multerer, Chris; Widen, Larry (2019). Job Man: My Life in Professional Wrestling. Wisconsin Historical Society Press. ISBN   9780870209260.
  6. Ojst, Javier (23 February 2022). "Mitsuharu Misawa – A Wrestling Legend Taken Too Soon". ProWrestlingStories.com.
  7. "BWA European Heavyweight Title (Great Britain)". Wrestling-Titles.com.