Dick the Bruiser
William Fritz Afflis (June 27, 1929 – November 10, 1991) was an American professional wrestler and football player. He was better known by his ring name Dick the Bruiser.
| Dick the Bruiser | |
|---|---|
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| Ring name(s) | Richard Afflis Afflis Dick the Bruiser |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Billed weight | 261 lb (118 kg) |
| Born | June 27, 1929 Delphi, Indiana |
| Died | November 10, 1991 (aged 62) Tampa, Florida |
| Billed from | Reno, Nevada |
| Trained by | Verne Gagne Joe Pazandak |
| Debut | 1954 |
| Retired | 1985 |
Before becoming a professional wrestler, Afflis was a professional football player and played for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1951 until 1954.
On November 10, 1991, Afflis died from internal bleeding. His wife Louise said that he was weightlifting at home with his adopted son, Jon Carney, and ruptured a blood vessel in his esophagus.[1]
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Nicknames
- "Bruiser"
- "The World's Most Dangerous Wrestler"
Championships
- American Wrestling Alliance
- AWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) (with Wilbur Snyder)[2]
- American Wrestling Association
- AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[3]
- AWA World Tag Team Championship (5 times) (with The Crusher)[4]
- World Heavyweight Championship (Omaha version) (1 time)[5]
- Japan Wrestling Association
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (1 time) (with The Crusher)[6]
- NWA Chicago
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Chicago version) (1 time)[7]
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Chicago version) (1 time) (with Gene Kiniski)
- NWA Detroit
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit version) (4 times)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Tag Team of the Year (1972) (with The Crusher)
- St. Louis Wrestling Club
- NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[11]
- St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
- (Class of 2007)[12]
- World Championship Wrestling
- WCW Hall of Fame (Class of 1994)[13]
- World Wrestling Association
- WWA World Heavyweight Championship (13 times)[14]
- WWA World Tag Team Championship (15 times) (with The Crusher (6), Wilbur Snyder (3), Bruno Sammartino (1), Bill Miller (1), Spike Huber (1), Jeff Van Kamp (1), Bobby Colt (1) and Calypso Jim (1))[15]
- Worldwide Wrestling Associates
- WWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[16]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)[17]
Dick The Bruiser Media
Dick the Bruiser - Wrestling at Olympia, Detroit - 27 April 1972
References
- ↑ Celebrating Dick the Bruiser. Slam! SportsCanadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2015-02-24.[dead link]
- ↑ AWA World Tag Team Title (Indiana) historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ↑ AWA World Heavyweight Title historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ↑ AWA World Tag Team Title historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ↑ World Heavyweight Title (Omaha) historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ↑ NWA International Tag Team Title (Japan) historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ↑ NWA United States Heavyweight Title (Illinois) historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ↑ NWA United States Heavyweight Title (Hawaii) historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ↑ The Crusher & The BruiserProfessional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ↑ Dick the BruiserProfessional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ↑ Missouri Heavyweight Title historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ↑ Hall of Fame - Class of 2007 (22 April 2012)Saint Louis Wrestling. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ↑ WCW Hall of FameWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ↑ WWA World Heavyweight Title (Indianapolis) historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ↑ WWA World Tag Team Title (Indiana) historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ↑ WWA World Heavyweight Title (California) historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ↑ Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, 1996The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved 2015-02-24.