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"The Original Nature Boy" Buddy Roger (1922-1992)

WRESTLER TITLE HISTORY
WWWF United States Tag Team titles w/Johnny Valentine defeating the Fabulous Kangaroos (November 19, 1960);
NWA World Heavyweight title defeating Pat O'Connor (June 30, 1961);
WWWF United States Tag Team titles w/Johnny Barend defeating Johnny Valentine & Bob Ellis (January 11, 1962);
WWWF Heavyweight title awarded as the very first champion (April 1963);
WRESTLER CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
The Nature Boy Buddy Rogers - Champion of the World:
June 30, 1961: Buddy Rogers defeated Pat O'Conner to win the World Heavyweight title in Chicago..
July 18, 1961: Buddy Rogers defeated Mike Paidousis to retain the NWA World Heavyweight title in Orlando, Florida..
July 19, 1961: Buddy Rogers defeated Boris the Great Malenko to retain the NWA World title in Jacksonville, Florida..
August 18, 1961: Buddy Rogers defeated The Sheik in a Best 2/3 Falls match at the Cincinnati Gardens..
~~~Buddy Rogers took the deciding third fall by using his figure-four leglock on the challenger to retain the NWA title..
August 18, 1962: Bobo Brazil defeated Buddy Rogers to win the NWA World Heavyweight title when Rogers was injured..
~~~Bobo Brazil refused to accept the Championship, but was awarded the title after Rogers was cleared by doctors..
October 30, 1962: Buddy Rogers defeated Bobo Brazil in the rematch to reclaim his NWA World Championship!
January 24, 1963: Buddy Rogers lost a controversial match to Lou Thesz in Toronto, Ontario..
~~~The match was a 2-out-of-3 Falls match, and Thesz won the third and deciding fall by Disqualification..
~~~Buddy Rogers was awarded the title, but several Northeastern promoters disputed the loss..
~~~They formed a new organization named the World Wide Wrestling Federation and named Rogers as their first Champion..

World Wide Wrestling Federation:
Buddy Rogers proudly defended the new title for six months before being defeated by a young and powerful Bruno Sammartino..
Buddy Rogers was the first man to wear both the NWA and WWWF World title belts during his career..
~~~(The second, ironically, was Nature Boy Ric Flair about 30 years later)..
March 7, 1963: Buddy Austin & The Great Scott defeated Buddy Rogers & Handsome John Barend for the WWWF Tag Team titles..

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling:
1979: Buddy Rogers showed up in Mid Atlantic, where Flair was the top heel, and challenged him to a "Battle Of The Nature Boys".
~~~Ric Flair ended up coming out on top of this bitter feud with his childhood hero, but we had not heard the last of Buddy Rogers..
Buddy Rogers briefly left the Mid Atlantic region, before returning as a heel manager..
Buddy Rogers managed the hated Jimmy Snuka and Gene Anderson (among others) to many championships..

World Wide Wrestling Federation:
Buddy Rogers was hired back by the WWWF to do an interview segment called "Rogers' Corner"..
Buddy Rogers pulled a heel Jimmy Snuka away from heel manager Cpt. Lou Albano..
Buddy Rogers had uncovered that Lou Albano was ripping Jimmy Snuka off contractually in the WWWF..
~~~Jimmy Snuka went from most hated wrestler in the WWWF to most loved by fans practically overnight..

Retirement:
Buddy Rogers was actually preparing for a comeback to the ring at the age of 70 to face another "Nature Boy", Buddy Landel..
~~~The match was to take place at an upcoming Tri-State Wrestling Alliance (ECW's predecessor) show when he passed away..
June 26, 1992: The Nature Boy Buddy Rogers died of a heart attack..
Buddy Rogers was one of the most hated villians in Wrestling history..

Skecthe Drawing By Dwayne (Steeler 'The whiplash' Craven) Mendez