by Stephen Von Slagle
Throughout the long and, at times, confusing history of professional wrestling, deserving names often slip through the cracks of the sport’s collective memory. Although he was unquestionably one of the biggest stars of his era, Orville Brown, the eleven-time Midwest Wrestling Association World champion and first-ever NWA World Heavyweight champion, is sometimes overlooked when historians recount the great title lineage of the National Wrestling Alliance. That said, the rugged Kansas farmer turned wrestling champion is absolutely deserving of history’s acknowledgement, for a number of reasons, and he made an indelible mark on the early years of professional wrestling.
While competing in the Baltimore area, Brown began facing more advanced competition, including well-known opponents such as Zaharias, Everett Marshall, Karl Sarpolis and Jim Browning, among others. It was also during this time period that he finally suffered his first defeat, on November 3, 1933, against former World champion Dick Shikat. Undeterred by the loss, Brown continued wrestling and improving while defeating a string of mid-level regional stars. By the Spring of 1934 he had returned to the Midwest and had his first series of bouts in the city he would eventually become synonymous with, Kansas City, Kansas. It was there that he achieved the biggest victory of his young career when, on May 14, 1934, he defeated the future World champion Everett Marshall, which in turn set up a bout with top contender Ray Steele. Held on May 28, 1934, he would go on to lose his match with the more experienced Steele, however, by putting on a good showing for himself, Brown lost none of his momentum in the eyes of the matchmakers or fans. A popular babyface, Brown was promoted as a rugged ex-cowboy and a solid family man, both of which were true, and he received a great deal of positive coverage in the national press.
As the 1930s became the 1940s, Brown forged a friendship on the east coast with Bobby Bruns, a wrestler that would go on to be one of the major players in his career. While they appeared to be bitter rivals who feuded all across the country, away from the spotlight Bruns and Brown were close friends and, over time, longtime business partners. Between 1940-1948, Bruns and Brown traded the prestigious Midwest Wrestling Association World championship no less than four times. All total, Orville Brown held the M.W.A. World title on eleven different occasions, taking on, and defeating, challengers such as Bruns, Sky Hi Lee, Fred Blassie, the Swedish Angel, Ed Lewis, Joe Cox, Ray Eckert, Ronnie Etchison, Lord Albert Mills and many others. During this time period, he also formed a working relationship with the notorious promoter Jack Pfefer, which would play a role in Brown’s career once he joined George Simpson and took control of the Kansas City territory. The territory, which also included Topeka, Wichita and St. Joseph, Missouri, was one of the more lucrative regions in the country at the time and, when faced with a promotional war, Brown called on Pfefer and his east coast talent connections to overcome his opposition. Meanwhile, in 1947 a group of investors that included Canadian promoters Frank Tunney, Eddie Quinn, Lou Thesz, Bobby Managolf and Bill Longson bought the St. Louis promotion from Tom Packs, who was retiring. A territorial war then took place in St. Louis between this group and the less established promotion of Sam Muchnick, who was (at least temporarily) helped by Jack Pfefer. For many months, the battle was fairly even, although the Thesz-led group held an advantage. So, when Des Moines promoter Pinkie George presented Muchnick with the idea of forming a coalition of several Midwestern promoters, it made a great deal of sense. George (Iowa), Muchnick (St. Louis), Tony Stecher (Minneapolis), Max Clayton (Omaha) and Orville Brown (Kansas City) met in Waterloo, Iowa in 1948 to discuss a partnership and the National Wrestling Alliance was born. On July 14, 1948 the promoters all agreed to name Orville Brown as the first NWA World Heavyweight champion and he immediately set about establishing the new championship, travelling to each member’s regions and defending the title against the top challengers, which included men like Bill Longson, Bronko Nagurski, Don Eagle, Ali Baba and many others.
Once Muchnick’s promotional war with Thesz had ended and the two sides began working together, plans were put into place that would have Brown and Thesz engage in a lengthy series of matches, with both men gaining title victories over one another. The two Midwestern matmen had faced off in previous years, wrestling to three time-limit draws against each other. However, when they were programmed to battle over the NWA championship, a clear cut winner would be necessary. A plan was laid out wherein Brown would win their first championship encounter, scheduled for Thanksgiving Day on November 25, 1949, and win subsequent rematches throughout the various NWA territories. Then, at some point during 1950, Thesz would defeat Brown for the title and the two would again engage in a new series of rematches, with Thesz defending the championship successfully. After that, it was agreed that the NWA members would decide who would continue to carry the belt, based on what was best for the Alliance as a whole.
Orville Brown is a member of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (2005)
On January 24, 1981, Orville Brown passed away at the age 72.