Year 1962

by Mark Long

Cool Timeline

1962
Rikidozan Beats Fred Blassie For the WWA World Heavyweight Title
Rikidozan - Freddie Blassie - historyofwrestling.com

In a match held at the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium, Japanese star Rikidozan defeated Fred Blassie for the WWA World Heavyweight championship belt. Rikidozan was awarded the belt after gaining one fall before the time limit was reached. Blasie went crazy, attacking Rikidozan and the referee. According to the Long…
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Dick Beyer Wrestles Under a Mask For the First Time
Dick Beyer - historyofwrestling.com

Dick Beyer wrestles under the mask as The Destroyer for the first time,  defeating Seymour King in San Diego, California. Beyer would go on to have an incredible career, gaining enormous popularity, holding titles in Japan and North America and being elected to the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum…
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Rikidozan Defeats Lou Thesz in Tokyo Tournament
Rikidozan - Lou Thesz - historyofwrestling.com

Japanese star Rikidozan defeated former NWA World champion Lou Thesz in the finals of the fourth annual Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance World League Tournament. Rikidozan had won the tournament the previous three years, but defeating an International star like Thesz solidified Rikidozan as an International star in his own right.

Bruno Sammartino Defeats Buddy Rogers in Toronto
Bruno Sammartino - historyofwrestling.com

Bruno Sammartino defeated NWA World Heavyweight champion Buddy Rogers via countout  at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Sammartino was awarded the title, but refused it because Rogers had been injured during the match. During a leapfrog maneuver, Rogers suffered an injury to his groin and was unable to…
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Buddy Rogers Injured in Locker Room Attack
Bill Miller - historyofwrestling.com

Karl Gotch NWA World Heavyweight Champion Buddy Rogers was injured in a pre-match incident at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Columbus, Ohio. Rogers, who supposed to match up again Johnny Barend, suffered a broken arm in a confrontation with wrestlers Karl Gotch and Bill Miller. Promoter Al Haft was forced to…
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Gorgeous George Has Head Shaved By Destroyer
Gorgeous George - historyofwrestling.com

In what would prove to be his last match, Gorgeous George was defeated via submission by the Destroyer. The masked grappler applied a figure-four leg-lock in what was billed as a”Mask vs. Hair” match. George, long hated by the fans, was actually cheered for, as the crowd of 8,000 in…
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Killer Kowalski Defeats NWA Champion Buddy Rogers
Buddy Rogers - Killer Kowalski - historyofwrestling.com

Walter “Killer” Kowalski was victorious in a title match against “the Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers, holder of the National Wrestling Alliance Heavyweight championship. Kowalski was awarded the match when Rogers broke his ankle jumping out of the ring during the first fall of their best two out of three falls…
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