Wayne Munn
This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2007) |
| File:Wayne Munn.jpg Munn in 1925 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 19, 1896 Colby, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | January 9, 1931 (aged 34)[1] |
| Cause of death | Bright's disease |
| Alma mater | University of Nebraska |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Wayne Munn |
| Billed height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) |
| Billed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Trained by | Mike Gibbons |
| Debut | 1924 |
| Retired | 1926 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | File:Flag of the United States (23px).png United States |
| Branch | File:Mark of the United States Army.svg United States Army |
| Rank | First lieutenant |
| Conflicts | World War I |
.png){kind=link}
Wayne Munn (February 19, 1896 – January 9, 1931) was an American professional wrestler and collegiate football player from the University of Nebraska. As a wrestler, Munn was a World Heavyweight Champion. His world title win is historic as it was the first time that a pure performer (as opposed to a legitimately skilled wrestler) had won a world championship in professional wrestling.[2]
Professional wrestling career
[edit | edit source]Munn's fame from playing football attracted the attention of wrestling star, Ed Lewis and promoters Toots Mondt and Billy Sandow, who prematurely pushed Munn as the next big star in the sport. Munn won the World title from Lewis in 1925, despite his limited wrestling and shoot fighting ability.[1] This backfired on Lewis and his camp, as Munn subsequently lost the title to Stanislaus Zbyszko in a famous double-cross, as Zbyszko legitimately pinned Munn, despite agreeing to lose to him prior to the match. Munn, unable to defend himself against Zbyszko's holds, was beaten decisively. Munn held the title for a little over three months.
Munn went into retirement shortly afterwards, and spent some years in the oil business, before his death from kidney problems at the Fort Sam Houston base hospital in San Antonio, Texas on January 9, 1931. He was survived by his wife and a daughter, Mary Ann Munn.[3]
Munn had also served as an infantry first lieutenant during World War I.[4]
Championships and accomplishments
[edit | edit source]- National Wrestling Association
- Nebraska Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2022
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Further reading
[edit | edit source]- Beekman, Scott. Ringside: A History of Professional Wrestling in America. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Greenberg, Keith Elliot. Pro Wrestling: From Carnivals to Cable TV. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2000. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Hornbaker, Tim. National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling. Toronto: ECW Press, 2007. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]- Wayne Munn Wrestling History at LegacyofWrestling.com
- Lua error in Module:Professional_wrestling_profiles at line 68: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Wayne Munn at IMDb
- 1896 births
- 1931 deaths
- 20th-century male professional wrestlers
- 20th-century American professional wrestlers
- American male professional wrestlers
- Deaths from kidney disease
- Nebraska Cornhuskers football players
- People from Colby, Kansas
- Professional wrestlers from Kansas
- United States Army personnel of World War I