Gene Anderson
| Gene Anderson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Eugene Avon Anderson |
| Born |
October 4, 1939[1] Saint Paul, Minnesota |
| Died | October 31, 1991 (aged 52) |
| Children | Brad Anderson |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Gene Anderson |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 cm) |
| Billed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Trained by | Verne Gagne |
| Retired |
1981 (as wrestler) 1984 (as manager) |
Gene Anderson (October 4, 1939 – October 31, 1991), born Eugene Avon Anderson[1] was an American professional wrestler best known for teaming with his (kayfabe) brother Ole Anderson.
Career
Anderson was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota and started wrestling in 1961 after being trained by Verne Gagne. In late 1965, he formed the Minnesota Wrecking Crew with fellow collegian Lars Anderson as his "brother". They wrestled in the Florida territories and won some tag team titles together.
Gene then reformed the tag team with his "brother" (another fellow collegian) Ole Anderson in 1969 after Lars left. They became one of the most successful heel tag teams in the history of professional wrestling. They dominated the Southeastern tag team scene until Gene retired to become a manager in 1981.
Gene and Ole would hold tryouts for prospective wrestlers during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Al Snow is one who trained under them, being subjected to an exhaustive exercise routine followed by being stretched in the ring by Ole.[2]
When Gene quit wrestling, he became a heel manager for a few years, before retiring from wrestling in 1984. During his career, he managed Ivan Koloff, Ray Stevens and Jimmy Snuka.[3]
After retiring, Gene became a Deputy Sheriff in North Carolina but died of a sudden heart attack on October 31, 1991.[4]
Gene's son, Brad Anderson, is also a professional wrestler and still competes on the independent circuit.[5]
In wrestling
Championships and accomplishments
- NWA Georgia Southern Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Lars Anderson [8]
- NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (7 times) - with Ole Anderson[9]
- NWA Georgia Television Championship (1 time)[10]
- NWA Macon Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ole Anderson
- NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship (Georgia version) (1 time) - with Ole Anderson[11]
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Georgia Version) (1 time) - with Lars Anderson
- NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship (4 times) - with Ole Anderson
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Ole Anderson [12]
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (7 times) - with Ole Anderson
- PWI Tag Team of the Year (1975, 1977) with Ole Anderson
- PWI ranked him # 60 of the 100 best tag teams during the "PWI Years" with Ivan Koloff in 2003 .
References
- 1 2 "Fina A Grave". Retrieved 2015-12-10.
- ↑ The Wrestling Menu #25 - The History Of Al Snow
- ↑ Ric Flair In Toronto - Maple Leaf Wrestling - Pictorial
- ↑ ProWrestling.com obituary listing
- ↑ Anderson Brothers Classic | Brad Anderson
- ↑ Matt Mackinder (January 17, 2008). "Sir Oliver Humperdink recalls career of yesteryear". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
- ↑ "House of Humperdink". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
- ↑ N.W.A. Southern Tag Team Title (Georgia)
- ↑
- ↑ N.W.A. GeorgiaTelevision Title
- ↑ NWA Southeastern Tag Team Title (Georgia) history At wrestling-titles.com
- ↑ N.W.A. World Tag Team Title (Mid-Atlantic/W.C.W)
External links
- Gene Anderson at Cagematch.net