Billy Red Lyons
Encyclopedia
William Snip was a Canadian
professional wrestler
, who used the stage name Billy Red Lyons. He was an active wrestler between 1956 and 1984, and won numerous championship throughout his career. He worked for promotions
in both Canada and the United States
, particularly in Ontario
, California
, Minneapolis, Texas
, Georgia
, and Oklahoma. He won numerous tag team championships throughout his career, including with Dick Beyer
, who was his real-life brother-in-law, as well as Fritz Von Erich
, Bill Watts
, and Ray Gunkel
. He also won singles championships, including the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
.
After his retirement from in-ring competition, he began working for Maple Leaf Wrestling
in Toronto
. Lyons later became an announcer for the World Wrestling Federation
. Lyons died from cancer
on June 22, 2009.
.
During his career, he held several tag team championships with Dick Beyer
, who was his real-life brother-in-law
, as well as Fritz Von Erich
, Bill Watts
, and Ray Gunkel
. He won his first championship in February 1958, when he teamed with Ray Gunkel to win the NWA International Tag Team Championship. Three years later, he won the NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship
with Ilio DiPaolo
, by defeating Stan Kowalski and Tiny Mills
on January 26, 1961. Lyons and DiPaolo were the last champions, however, as the championships was abandoned and replaced with the Toronto version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship
a few months later. Lyons eventually won this championship with Whipper Billy Watson
on March 28, 1962, by defeating Chris
and John Tolos
. They lost the championship to Bulldog Brower
and Sweet Daddy Siki
five days later on April 2. On March 27, 1965, Lyons teamed with Beyer, who was using the ring name The Destroyer, to win the AWA World Tag Team Championship from Dan Manoukian and Ray Stevens
. On June 3, 1965, they won the JWA All Asia Tag Team Championship
in the Japan Wrestling Association
from Giant Baba
and Toyonobori
. They lost the championship back to Baba and Tonobori just over a month later on July 15, 1965. While wrestling in the American Wrestling Association
in the 1960s, Lyons was billed as the AWA British Empire Heavyweight Champion
.
In 1967, Lyons won his first singles championship, by defeating Duke Keomua by forfeit in the finals of a tournament in San Antonio, Texas
to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
on November 8. He held the championship for nearly six months, eventually losing it to The Spoiler #1
on March 29, 1968, in Houston, Texas
. During this time, he won the NWA American Tag Team Championship with Fritz von Erich
on January 30, 1968, in Dallas, Texas
by defeating Gary Hart
and Spoiler.
Lyons won the NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version)
with Bill Watts
in January 1971, by defeating Buddy Roberts and Jerry Brown
. They lost the championship to Karl Von Brauner and Waldo Von Erich
in March, but Lyons won it back with Tom Jones by defeating The Spoilers (The Spoiler #1 and The Spoiler #2) on May 31. The following year, Lyons again teamed with Jones to win the NWA Mississippi Tag Team Championship in March 1972. Jones later said that Lyons was the "best partner I ever had", and credited Lyons with teaching him the psychology of wrestling. Throughout the late '60s and early '70s, he teamed with Red Bastien
as The Flying Redheads, and on July 14, 1974, Lyons and Bastien won the NWA Texas Tag Team Championship
by defeating Mike York
and Frank Monte. They held the championship for three months, but lost it to Chris Colt and Bobby Duncum
on October 6, 1972. Bastien later said that he and Lyons "were perfect for each other" as tag team partners. Fellow professional wrestler Blackjack Mulligan
said that Bastien and Lyons "were the greatest team of all time", and that watching them wrestle was watching "pure tag team wrestling at its basic".
Following this, he returned to Toronto
to compete for Maple Leaf Wrestling
. He began teaming with Dewey Robertson
in 1974, as the Crusaders, and they won the Toronto version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship on three occasions. They defeated Hartford and Reginald Love for the championship on June 23, 1974, but dropped it back to them on September 8. They defeated them for the championship again on December 29, 1974. He also challenged Jack Brisco
for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
in a 1974 Maple Leaf Gardens
main event. On June 8, 1975, the Crusaders were beaten by the Kelly Twins (Pat
and Mike
) for the championship, but they won it back two months later on August 24. They were the final champions, however, as the championship was retired in September 1977.
After his retirement from active competition in 1984, he settled in Toronto and began working as an assistant to promoters Frank
and Jack Tunney
. He later became a television announcer and interviewer and worked for the World Wrestling Federation
up until the mid-1990s. He became famous for his catchphrase, "Don'tcha dare miss it!"
, with whom he won the JWA All Asia Tag Team Championship
. He was also a talented ice hockey
player, before he became a professional wrestler. Greg Oliver, the producer of Canadian Online Explorer
's wrestling section, described Snip as having a "sly, cheeky sense of humour", and a man that "never took himself too seriously".
He died on June 22, 2009, aged 77, from cancer
, which had spread to his spine
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, who used the stage name Billy Red Lyons. He was an active wrestler between 1956 and 1984, and won numerous championship throughout his career. He worked for promotions
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
in both Canada and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, particularly in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Minneapolis, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and Oklahoma. He won numerous tag team championships throughout his career, including with Dick Beyer
Dick Beyer
Dick Beyer is a retired professional wrestler who is best known by his ring names, The Destroyer or Doctor X.-Early life:...
, who was his real-life brother-in-law, as well as Fritz Von Erich
Fritz Von Erich
Jack Barton Adkisson was an American professional wrestler under the ring name Fritz Von Erich, better known today as a wrestling promoter and the patriarch of the Von Erich family...
, Bill Watts
Bill Watts
William F. "Bill" Watts is a former American professional wrestler and promoter. Watts was famous under his "Cowboy" gimmick in his wrestling career, and then as a tough, no-nonsense promoter in the Mid-South area of the United States, which grew to become the UWF.In 1992, he was the Executive...
, and Ray Gunkel
Ray Gunkel
Raymond Fred Gunkel , known professionally as Ray Gunkel, was an American professional wrestler and promoter in the state of Georgia. He died of heart trauma after a match in Savannah, Georgia in which he defeated Ox Baker.-Early life:Gunkell was born on February 16, 1924 in Chicago, Illinois...
. He also won singles championships, including the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title that has existed since the 1930s. Though its exact date of creation isn't known, it is among the oldest championships used in professional wrestling today...
.
After his retirement from in-ring competition, he began working for Maple Leaf Wrestling
Maple Leaf Wrestling
Maple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name in the 1970s and 1980s of the professional wrestling promotion run by Frank Tunney in Toronto.-Queensbury Athletic Club:...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Lyons later became an announcer for the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
. Lyons died from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
on June 22, 2009.
Career
Snip made his debut in 1956, under the name Billy Lyons, but soon became known as Billy Red Lyons, due to the colour of his hair. During ths first years of his career, he wrestle against future world champions, including Buddy Rogers and Gene KiniskiGene Kiniski
Eugene Nicholas "Gene" Kiniski was a Canadian professional wrestler and the father of wrestlers Nick Kiniski and Kelly Kiniski. "Canada's Greatest Athlete" as he billed himself for promotional purposes was born outside of Edmonton, Alberta...
.
During his career, he held several tag team championships with Dick Beyer
Dick Beyer
Dick Beyer is a retired professional wrestler who is best known by his ring names, The Destroyer or Doctor X.-Early life:...
, who was his real-life brother-in-law
Brother-in-law
A brother-in-law is the brother of one's spouse, the husband of one's sibling, or the husband of one's spouse's sibling.-See also:*Affinity *Sister-in-law*Brothers in Law , a 1955 British comedy novel...
, as well as Fritz Von Erich
Fritz Von Erich
Jack Barton Adkisson was an American professional wrestler under the ring name Fritz Von Erich, better known today as a wrestling promoter and the patriarch of the Von Erich family...
, Bill Watts
Bill Watts
William F. "Bill" Watts is a former American professional wrestler and promoter. Watts was famous under his "Cowboy" gimmick in his wrestling career, and then as a tough, no-nonsense promoter in the Mid-South area of the United States, which grew to become the UWF.In 1992, he was the Executive...
, and Ray Gunkel
Ray Gunkel
Raymond Fred Gunkel , known professionally as Ray Gunkel, was an American professional wrestler and promoter in the state of Georgia. He died of heart trauma after a match in Savannah, Georgia in which he defeated Ox Baker.-Early life:Gunkell was born on February 16, 1924 in Chicago, Illinois...
. He won his first championship in February 1958, when he teamed with Ray Gunkel to win the NWA International Tag Team Championship. Three years later, he won the NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship
NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship
The NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling championship in the Canadian promotion Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1952 through 1961. The title was then replaced with the Toronto version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship.-Title history:...
with Ilio DiPaolo
Ilio DiPaolo
Ilio DiPaolo , was an Italian professional wrestler and restaurateur who lived in the Buffalo, New York area.-Professional wrestling career:...
, by defeating Stan Kowalski and Tiny Mills
Tiny Mills
Henry Mittlestadt was a Canadian professional wrestler best known by his ring name, Tiny Mills. He often teamed with his brother Al Mills.-Career:...
on January 26, 1961. Lyons and DiPaolo were the last champions, however, as the championships was abandoned and replaced with the Toronto version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship
NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version)
The Toronto version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling championship in the Canadian promotion Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1961 through 1977...
a few months later. Lyons eventually won this championship with Whipper Billy Watson
Whipper Billy Watson
William John Potts, O.Ont was a Canadian professional wrestler best known by his ring name Whipper Billy Watson, and was a two-time world heavyweight wrestling champion.-Early life:...
on March 28, 1962, by defeating Chris
Chris Tolos
Chris Tolos was a Canadian professional wrestler. Chris stayed close to Hamilton for much of his life, taking care of his mother—who lived to be 101 and died in 2001—and his disabled sister. He died of cancer on Friday, August 13, 2005...
and John Tolos
John Tolos
John Tolos, nicknamed "The Golden Greek", was a Canadian professional wrestler, and professional wrestling manager.-Canadian Wrecking Crew:...
. They lost the championship to Bulldog Brower
Bulldog Brower
Richard Gland was an American professional wrestler who used the ring name Bulldog Brower.-Professional wrestling career:...
and Sweet Daddy Siki
Sweet Daddy Siki
Reginald Siki is a former professional wrestler and was born on June 16 in Montgomery, Texas.Sweet Daddy Siki started wrestling in 1955 in Artesia, New Mexico. He also did some training in Los Angeles with Sandor Szabo and Ray Ortega...
five days later on April 2. On March 27, 1965, Lyons teamed with Beyer, who was using the ring name The Destroyer, to win the AWA World Tag Team Championship from Dan Manoukian and Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens (wrestler)
Carl Ray Stevens , better known as Ray "The Crippler" Stevens or Ray "Blond Bomber" Stevens, was an American professional wrestler. Stevens was a wrestling superstar since the early years of the television era until he retired during the early 1990s...
. On June 3, 1965, they won the JWA All Asia Tag Team Championship
AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship
The All Japan Pro Wrestling All Asia Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling . It was created on November 16, 1955 in the Japan Wrestling Association when King Kong Czaya & Tiger Jokinder defeated JWA founder Rikidōzan &...
in the Japan Wrestling Association
Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance
Nihon Puroresu Kyōkai was the first professional wrestling promotion to be based in Japan. It operated from 1953 to 1973. Founded by Rikidōzan when he established a territory that would represent the National Wrestling Alliance in Japan...
from Giant Baba
Shohei Baba
was a professional wrestler and co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling. He was also known as Giant Baba. Baba, along with Antonio Inoki, became one of the most famous Japanese wrestlers of his era, with a popularity in Japan comparable to Hulk Hogan's in the United States of America...
and Toyonobori
Toyonobori
Michiharu Sadano, known in sumo and professional wrestling as Toyonobori, was a Japanese Sumo wrestler.After retiring as a Rikishi from sumo, he became a professional wrestler.-In professional wrestling:...
. They lost the championship back to Baba and Tonobori just over a month later on July 15, 1965. While wrestling in the American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
in the 1960s, Lyons was billed as the AWA British Empire Heavyweight Champion
AWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship
The AWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship was a short-lived mid-card professional wrestling title contested for in the American Wrestling Association promotion. The title was primarily defended in Canada, part of the Commonwealth Realm, hence the British Empire name.-Title history:-External...
.
In 1967, Lyons won his first singles championship, by defeating Duke Keomua by forfeit in the finals of a tournament in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title that has existed since the 1930s. Though its exact date of creation isn't known, it is among the oldest championships used in professional wrestling today...
on November 8. He held the championship for nearly six months, eventually losing it to The Spoiler #1
Don Jardine
Don Jardine was a Canadian professional wrestler best known for his masked gimmick as "The Spoiler".-Career:Jardine began wrestling in the mid-1950s,making his wrestling debut in 1955 at the age of 15...
on March 29, 1968, in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. During this time, he won the NWA American Tag Team Championship with Fritz von Erich
Fritz Von Erich
Jack Barton Adkisson was an American professional wrestler under the ring name Fritz Von Erich, better known today as a wrestling promoter and the patriarch of the Von Erich family...
on January 30, 1968, in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
by defeating Gary Hart
Gary Hart
Gary Hart is an American politician, lawyer, author, professor and commentator. He served as a Democratic Senator representing Colorado , and ran in the U.S...
and Spoiler.
Lyons won the NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version)
NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version)
The NWA Tri-State Tag Team Championship was a tag team title created in 1962, and contested in the National Wrestling Alliance's Tri-State territory, which was promoted by Leroy McGuirk and Jack Curtis and Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith...
with Bill Watts
Bill Watts
William F. "Bill" Watts is a former American professional wrestler and promoter. Watts was famous under his "Cowboy" gimmick in his wrestling career, and then as a tough, no-nonsense promoter in the Mid-South area of the United States, which grew to become the UWF.In 1992, he was the Executive...
in January 1971, by defeating Buddy Roberts and Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
. They lost the championship to Karl Von Brauner and Waldo Von Erich
Waldo Von Erich
Walter Paul Sieber was a Canadian professional wrestler under the ring name Waldo Von Erich. He was billed as the brother of Fritz Von Erich, but was not actually related to Fritz or the rest of the Von Erich family....
in March, but Lyons won it back with Tom Jones by defeating The Spoilers (The Spoiler #1 and The Spoiler #2) on May 31. The following year, Lyons again teamed with Jones to win the NWA Mississippi Tag Team Championship in March 1972. Jones later said that Lyons was the "best partner I ever had", and credited Lyons with teaching him the psychology of wrestling. Throughout the late '60s and early '70s, he teamed with Red Bastien
Red Bastien
Rolland Bastein is a former professional wrestler, better known as Red Bastien.-Professional wrestling career:He took part in football and swimming in high school and broke in on Midwest carnivals, fighting local toughs and learning wrestling the hard way. Turning professional, he began in...
as The Flying Redheads, and on July 14, 1974, Lyons and Bastien won the NWA Texas Tag Team Championship
WCWA Texas Tag Team Championship
The WCWA Texas Tag Team Championship was the secondary tag team championship in World Class Championship Wrestling, originally known as the NWA Texas Tag-Team title until 1981 where they were abandoned. The titles were brought back in 1987 as the WCWA Texas Tag-Team titles but once the WCWA joined...
by defeating Mike York
Mike York
Michael York is an American professional ice hockey left winger currently playing for the Iserlohn Roosters of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga .-Playing career:...
and Frank Monte. They held the championship for three months, but lost it to Chris Colt and Bobby Duncum
Bobby Duncum
Bobby Duncum may refer to:*Bobby Duncum, Sr., wrestler*Bobby Duncum, Jr., American wrestler...
on October 6, 1972. Bastien later said that he and Lyons "were perfect for each other" as tag team partners. Fellow professional wrestler Blackjack Mulligan
Blackjack Mulligan
Robert Jack Windham , better known by his ring name Blackjack Mulligan is a former professional wrestler and a former American football player...
said that Bastien and Lyons "were the greatest team of all time", and that watching them wrestle was watching "pure tag team wrestling at its basic".
Following this, he returned to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
to compete for Maple Leaf Wrestling
Maple Leaf Wrestling
Maple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name in the 1970s and 1980s of the professional wrestling promotion run by Frank Tunney in Toronto.-Queensbury Athletic Club:...
. He began teaming with Dewey Robertson
Dewey Robertson
Byron James John "Dewey" Robertson was a professional wrestler, known best for his ring name The Missing Link....
in 1974, as the Crusaders, and they won the Toronto version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship on three occasions. They defeated Hartford and Reginald Love for the championship on June 23, 1974, but dropped it back to them on September 8. They defeated them for the championship again on December 29, 1974. He also challenged Jack Brisco
Jack Brisco
Freddie Joe Brisco was an American professional wrestler, better known as Jack Brisco or Uvalde Slim. He performed for various territories of the National Wrestling Alliance , becoming a two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and multi-time NWA Tag Team Champion with his brother Gerald Brisco...
for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
in a 1974 Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...
main event. On June 8, 1975, the Crusaders were beaten by the Kelly Twins (Pat
Pat Kelly
Pat Kelly may refer to:*Pat Kelly , Australian rules footballer*Pat Kelly , reggae singer*Pat Kelly , American right fielder in Major League Baseball...
and Mike
Mike Kelly
Mike Kelly is a columnist for The Record, a newspaper serving Bergen County, New Jersey. He is also the author of Color Lines: The Troubled Dreams of Racial Harmony in an American Town, a book about the 1990 shooting in Teaneck, New Jersey of Phillip Pannell, an African-American teenager, by Gary...
) for the championship, but they won it back two months later on August 24. They were the final champions, however, as the championship was retired in September 1977.
After his retirement from active competition in 1984, he settled in Toronto and began working as an assistant to promoters Frank
Frank Tunney
Francis Martin “Frank” Tunney was a Canadian professional wrestling promoter, based in Toronto.-Early years:...
and Jack Tunney
Jack Tunney
John "Jack" Tunney was a Canadian wrestling promoter. Tunney was known worldwide for his appearances on World Wrestling Federation television as the promotion's figurehead president, suspending wrestlers, stripping them of titles, and ordering matches...
. He later became a television announcer and interviewer and worked for the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
up until the mid-1990s. He became famous for his catchphrase, "Don'tcha dare miss it!"
Personal life and death
Snip was the real-life brother-in-law of Dick BeyerDick Beyer
Dick Beyer is a retired professional wrestler who is best known by his ring names, The Destroyer or Doctor X.-Early life:...
, with whom he won the JWA All Asia Tag Team Championship
AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship
The All Japan Pro Wrestling All Asia Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling . It was created on November 16, 1955 in the Japan Wrestling Association when King Kong Czaya & Tiger Jokinder defeated JWA founder Rikidōzan &...
. He was also a talented ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player, before he became a professional wrestler. Greg Oliver, the producer of Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer is a bilingual online news and information site from Canada.A subsidiary of Quebecor Media, Canoe.ca is a leading local and national interactive media provider of news, entertainment and services, helping to inform and connect Canadians...
's wrestling section, described Snip as having a "sly, cheeky sense of humour", and a man that "never took himself too seriously".
He died on June 22, 2009, aged 77, from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, which had spread to his spine
Vertebral column
In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...
.
Championships and accomplishments
- American Wrestling AssociationAmerican Wrestling AssociationThe American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
- AWA British Empire Heavyweight ChampionshipAWA British Empire Heavyweight ChampionshipThe AWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship was a short-lived mid-card professional wrestling title contested for in the American Wrestling Association promotion. The title was primarily defended in Canada, part of the Commonwealth Realm, hence the British Empire name.-Title history:-External...
(1 time)
- AWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship
- Japan Wrestling AssociationJapan Pro Wrestling AllianceNihon Puroresu Kyōkai was the first professional wrestling promotion to be based in Japan. It operated from 1953 to 1973. Founded by Rikidōzan when he established a territory that would represent the National Wrestling Alliance in Japan...
- JWA All Asia Tag Team ChampionshipAJPW All Asia Tag Team ChampionshipThe All Japan Pro Wrestling All Asia Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling . It was created on November 16, 1955 in the Japan Wrestling Association when King Kong Czaya & Tiger Jokinder defeated JWA founder Rikidōzan &...
(1 time) - with The DestroyerDick BeyerDick Beyer is a retired professional wrestler who is best known by his ring names, The Destroyer or Doctor X.-Early life:...
- JWA All Asia Tag Team Championship
- Maple Leaf WrestlingMaple Leaf WrestlingMaple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name in the 1970s and 1980s of the professional wrestling promotion run by Frank Tunney in Toronto.-Queensbury Athletic Club:...
- NWA Canadian Open Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Canadian Open Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling championship in the Canadian promotion Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1952 through 1961. The title was then replaced with the Toronto version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship.-Title history:...
(1 time) - with Ilio DiPaoloIlio DiPaoloIlio DiPaolo , was an Italian professional wrestler and restaurateur who lived in the Buffalo, New York area.-Professional wrestling career:... - NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version)NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version)The Toronto version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling championship in the Canadian promotion Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1961 through 1977...
(4 times) - with Whipper Billy WatsonWhipper Billy WatsonWilliam John Potts, O.Ont was a Canadian professional wrestler best known by his ring name Whipper Billy Watson, and was a two-time world heavyweight wrestling champion.-Early life:...
(1) and Dewey RobertsonDewey RobertsonByron James John "Dewey" Robertson was a professional wrestler, known best for his ring name The Missing Link....
(3)
- NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship
- NWA Big Time WrestlingWorld Class Championship WrestlingWorld Class Championship Wrestling ' was a regional professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed McLemore, by 1966 it was run by Southwest Sports, Inc., whose president, Jack Adkisson, was better known as wrestler Fritz Von Erich...
- NWA American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA American Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Fritz Von ErichFritz Von ErichJack Barton Adkisson was an American professional wrestler under the ring name Fritz Von Erich, better known today as a wrestling promoter and the patriarch of the Von Erich family...
- NWA Texas Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Texas Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title that has existed since the 1930s. Though its exact date of creation isn't known, it is among the oldest championships used in professional wrestling today...
(1 time) - NWA Texas Tag Team ChampionshipWCWA Texas Tag Team ChampionshipThe WCWA Texas Tag Team Championship was the secondary tag team championship in World Class Championship Wrestling, originally known as the NWA Texas Tag-Team title until 1981 where they were abandoned. The titles were brought back in 1987 as the WCWA Texas Tag-Team titles but once the WCWA joined...
(1 time) - with Red BastienRed BastienRolland Bastein is a former professional wrestler, better known as Red Bastien.-Professional wrestling career:He took part in football and swimming in high school and broke in on Midwest carnivals, fighting local toughs and learning wrestling the hard way. Turning professional, he began in...
- NWA Detroit
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Detroit version)NWA World Tag Team Championship (Detroit version)The Detroit, Michigan version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1964 until 1980, when the Detroit promotion closed.-Title history:...
(1 time) - with Fred CurryFred Curry (wrestler)Fred Thomas Koury, Jr. better known by his ring name ”Flyin'” Fred Curry, was an American professional wrestler of Lebanese descent. The son of "Wild Bull" Curry, Fred Koury was one of the most popular stars in the Midwest United States during the 1960s.-Career:In the 1960s, Koury, Jr. took up...
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Detroit version)
- NWA Tri-State
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version)NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version)The NWA Tri-State Tag Team Championship was a tag team title created in 1962, and contested in the National Wrestling Alliance's Tri-State territory, which was promoted by Leroy McGuirk and Jack Curtis and Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith...
(2 times) - with Bill WattsBill WattsWilliam F. "Bill" Watts is a former American professional wrestler and promoter. Watts was famous under his "Cowboy" gimmick in his wrestling career, and then as a tough, no-nonsense promoter in the Mid-South area of the United States, which grew to become the UWF.In 1992, he was the Executive...
(1) and Tom Jones (1)
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version)