Wrestling

1970’s

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Dynamite Jack Evans

Happy Birthday, Jack.

World Wide Wrestling Federation , Owner: Vince McMahon Sr. (New York, NY), New Japan Professional Wrestling, Owner: Big Baba (Tokyo, Japan) Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada), Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling/Jim Crockett Productions (Charlotte, NC), Georgia Championship Wrestling, Promoter: Eddie Graham (Atlanta, GA), Florida Championship Wrestling, Owner: Eddie Graham (Tampa, FL), Gulf State Championship Wrestling, National Wrestling Federation (Buffalo/Cleveland), American International Wrestling (Oak Hill, WV), Mid-South Wrestling-Owner: Bill Watts (Tulsa/New Orleans), Superstar Championship Wrestling-Dean Silverstone ( Seattle, Washington), West Virginia Wrestling (Beckley, West Virginia) Asociation de Lucilha Libre Latinamerica (Guatemala City, Guatemala 1974), World Class Championship Wrestling (Dallas, TX), Houston Wrestling (Houston, TX), Southeast Championship Wrestling (San Antonio, TX), Western States Sports (Amarillo, TX), World-Wide Wrestling Associates, Owner: Mike LaBell (Los Angeles, CA), Pacific Northwest Wrestling/Portland Wrestling (Portland, OR), WWC North American Tag Team Championship with Larry Sharpe in 1977-1978 In San Juan, Puerto Rico Owner: Carlos Colon

1979-1980 Los Angeles, California

Trained for professional wrestling at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, New York

Started wrestling May 1970

Retired wrestling June 1980

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Clasicos De LUCHA LIBRE

FOTOS CLÁSICAS : ESTO FUE TREMENDA LUCHA CELEBRADA EN EL TERRITORIO PUERTORRIQUEÑO CAPITOL SPORT PROMOTIONS, ALLÁ PARA EL AÑO 1978. C

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Clasicos De LUCHA LIBRE

TERRITORIO CAPITOL SPORT PROMOTIONS 1979 : SEMI FINALES TORNEO POR LOS TÍTULOS DE NORTEAMÉRICA EN PAREJAS.!!!! PRETTY BOY LARRY SHARPE & DY

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Blackjack Mulligan

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I respectfully submit this post for approval. From the collection, Popular Wrestling, May 1977. Story and photos of a match between Moondog Mayne and Rocky Johnson, with an...interesting stipulation. Plus ratings.

Source: Facebook

The Official National Wrestling Clipping Alliance Group

Mark Matsumoto

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Johnny Valentine remains one of the most legitimate, feared, and influential wrestlers of the territory era—a man whose very presence made professional wrestling feel real.

Born John Theodore Wisniski on September 22, 1928, Johnny Valentine embodied toughness in an era where believability was everything. From the 1950s through the mid-1970s, he was a premier heel across North America, known for a brutally physical, stripped-down style that left no doubt he meant every punch, forearm, and hold. Valentine didn’t perform violence—he projected it.

His résumé reads like a who’s who of wrestling royalty. Valentine feuded with many of the greatest names the sport has ever known, including Bobo Brazil, Pat O’Connor, Buddy Rogers, Antonino Rocca, Lou Thesz, Harley Race, The Sheik, Wahoo McDaniel, Fritz Von Erich, Bruno Sammartino, Johnny Powers, Antonio Inoki, and Jack & Jerry Brisco. These weren’t just matches; they were clashes of credibility, and Valentine belonged in the ring with every one of them.

Valentine enjoyed particular success in Jim Crockett Promotions, where he became a multiple-time NWA United States Heavyweight Champion, solidifying his reputation as one of the most dangerous men in wrestling. Whether in the Mid-Atlantic, AWA, or WWWF, he was consistently positioned as a top-level threat—because fans believed he was one.

Everything changed in October 1975, when Valentine was involved in a devastating plane crash that abruptly ended his in-ring career. The crash had far-reaching consequences for several people connected to wrestling. Ric Flair, also on board, survived and remarkably went on to continue wrestling after adapting his style. Bob Bruggers was not as fortunate, as the accident ended his career. Tim Woods (“Mr. Wrestling”) famously checked himself out of the hospital the very same night to wrestle—an act driven by his commitment to maintaining kayfabe. David Crockett, a promoter, was also among the passengers. Tragically, the pilot, Joseph Michael Farkus, succumbed to his injuries two months later.

The crash left Johnny Valentine paralyzed, cutting short the career of one of wrestling’s most authentic performers. He briefly became a manager, but would retire from wrestling altogether shortly after.

Following Johnny Valentine’s retirement, the family tradition he helped establish was carried forward by his son, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, who became one of the most respected and enduring stars of his generation and a WWE Hall of Famer, ensuring the Valentine name remained synonymous with toughness and credibility in professional wrestling.

Johnny Valentine passed away on April 24, 2001, but his legacy as a standard-bearer for realism, intensity, and in-ring psychology continues to resonate. In an era where authenticity mattered above all else, few wrestlers ever embodied it more completely than Johnny Valentine.

#oldschool #wrestling #history #family #legacy #HOF #RIP

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2 Plane Crash Tragedies that Changed Wrestling Forever

1975 was a disastrous year in wrestling. Read how Ric Flair walked away from a plane crash after breaking his back in 3 places, and more.

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Vanishing Seattle

RIP Dean Silverstone of Golden Oldies Records & CDs. "Dean Silverstone, who turned his love for professional wrestling into a business at

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The Official National Wrestling Clipping Alliance Group | # ***Tacoma, WA 10/16/1973*** | Facebook

# ***Tacoma, WA 10/16/1973***

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Jack Evans - Online World of Wrestling

Robert Louis Howell wrote: Dynamite Jack Evans returned to GA in 1974 under a mask as The Zebra Kid. He entered the GA Tag team tournament w

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Championship/Mid-South/Universal Wrestling Federations | Friday 1972 · Fairgrounds International Building · Oklahoma City | Facebook

Friday 1972 · Fairgrounds International Building · Oklahoma City Dale Lewis vs. Danny Hodge went to a No-Decision Silento Rodriguez def.

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Championship/Mid-South/Universal Wrestling Federations | On June 12, 1972 in Tulsa, Oklahoma (a Tri-states Wrestling card) (forty-five years

On June 12, 1972 in Tulsa, Oklahoma (a Tri-states Wrestling card) (forty-five years ago), The Scufflin' Hillibillies (pictured) defeated Ale

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Professional Wrestling Historical Society | On this day back in 1977 : | Facebook

On this day back in 1977 : WWWF @ Bangor, ME - November 16, 1977 Johnny Rivera defeated Larry Sharpe via disqualification Jack Evans defea

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Professional Wrestling Historical Society | On this day back in 1976 in Greensboro : | Facebook

On this day back in 1976 in Greensboro : JCP @ Greensboro, NC - Coliseum - November 25, 1976 (11,063) Thanksgiving Day Tiger Conway Jr. de

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Professional Wrestling Historical Society | Dynamite Jack Evans | Facebook

Dynamite Jack Evans