Professional Wrestling Career
Trained by Leroy McGuirk and "Strangler" Ed Lewis, Hodge made his debut as a professional wrestler in October 1959. Hodge's first major feud was with National Wrestling Alliance Junior Heavyweight Champion Angelo Savoldi. Hodge's rivalry with Savoldi led to a bizarre event.
Hodge's father entered the ring during a boxing match on May 27, 1960, between Hodge and Savoldi, and stabbed Savoldi with a penknife. Savoldi required seventy stitches at a local hospital, while Hodge's father was arrested. On July 22, 1960, Hodge defeated Savoldi for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship at the Stockyards Coliseum in Oklahoma City. Hodge became McGuirk's principal headliner, and by 1962, Hodge was making upwards of $80,000 a year.
Danny Hodge was a perennial NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion, holding the title eight times for a total of over ten years. This was longer than anyone, including Nelson Royal. In 2007, Hodge was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Hodge has made appearances in WWE on Raw in 2005 and 2012 in which he honored fellow Oklahoma wrestling native Jim Ross.
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