Johnny Valentine - Professional Wrestling Career

Professional Wrestling Career

Wisniski debuted as a professional wrestler in 1947, wrestling Karl Nowena in Buenos Aires. On New Year's Day, 1950, Buddy Rogers defeated Wisniski in the finals of a United States title tournament. He also competed in the NWA's Capitol Wrestling territory. Jerry Graham, who was a co-holder of the Northeast version of the NWA United States Tag Team Championship, selected Wisniski in November 1959 to take over the title from Graham's injured partner. They were beaten for the title belts the following April, but Wisniski took on a new partner, Buddy Rogers, to regain the championship by defeating The Fabulous Kangaroos on November 19, 1960. Wisniski's rivalry with the Kangaroos continued, as the Kangaroos regained the belts in a rematch one week later. Wisniski went over one year without holding a championship before teaming with a new partner, this time Bob Ellis, to defeat the Kangaroos and take back the championship. Wisniski & Ellis lost the belts to Buddy Rogers & Handsome Johnny Barend in a match where Arnold Skoaland subbed for Ellis, but the belts were still up, on Washington, DC TV. Rogers & Barend then defeated the real team of Wisniski & Ellis 2 pins to 1 in a main event at Madison Square Garden.

In Toronto, Wisniski and three different partners won the International Tag Team title during 1963. Wisniski left the territory without dropping the title. He wrestled in Japan in the mid-1960s and had a series of matches against Antonio Inoki. Those matches are regarded as the bouts that helped build Inoki into an elite wrestler in Japan, as Valentine was the highest-profile foreign wrestler Inoki had ever faced at the time. Valentine put over Inoki in the matches, dropping the Toronto version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship to him catapulting Inoki's career in the process. Wisniski also continued to wrestle in the former Capitol Wrestling territory, which had since been renamed the World Wide Wrestling Federation. While there, he had one last reign with what was then known as the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship, as he teamed with Tony Parisi to hold the belts for seven months in 1966. Wisniski later turned on Parisi, however. This ignited a brief feud with Bruno Sammartino, who was billed as Parisi's cousin. Because Wisniski was also wrestling in Texas at the same time, he got only sporadic main event matches against Sammartino during this feud.

Wisniski then moved on to the Florida territory, where he won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship three times. In Georgia, he defeated Tim Woods for the NWA Georgia Heavyweight title, on May 10, 1968, and repeated his win in a match against Doug Gilbert (not to be confused with the Doug Gilbert who was not yet born) to retake the title. In Missouri, Wisniski competed for the Missouri Heavyweight Championship in a tournament to determine the inaugural champion. He defeated Baron Von Raschke before withdrawing from the tournament due to focus his efforts on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. After Harley Race won the tournament and the title belt, Valentine defeated him to win the championship on January 19, 1973. He dropped the belt to Terry Funk the following month. Because Funk used a chair as a weapon in front of the referee, fans demanded a rematch. Valentine was unable to compete due to heart problems, however, so Gene Kiniski took his place and won the belt from Funk. In October 1972, Wisniski defeated Jacques Rougeau for the International Heavyweight Championship, but was stripped of the title in January 1973, after he no-showed the rematch.

In the National Wrestling Federation, Wisniski defeated Johnny Powers for the NWF North American Heavyweight Championship on September 1, 1972. Powers beat Wisniski for the title in October, but Wisniski won the title again from Abdullah the Butcher on October 19. He was stripped of the title following a match with Johnny Powers. On November 23, he captured the title from Powers, but lost it again in January. In the Japan Wrestling Association, Wisniski won the International Tag Team title on February 22, 1973, and then the United National Heavyweight Championship on March 2. He lost the Tag title on March 6, and the United Heavyweight title on March 8. Back in the National Wrestling Federation, in August 1973, Wisniski beat Jacques Rougeau, Sr. to win the North American Heavyweight Championship. He lost it to Johnny Powers in late 1973.

In Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Wisniski was awarded the Mid Atlantic Heavyweight Championship in January 1974, after Jerry Brisco left to work in Japan. Bearcat Wright defeated Wisniski in a boxing match to win the title on May 13, 1974. He won the championship from Sonny King on November 4, and won the United States Heavyweight Championship on July 4, 1975.

After Wisniski was paralyzed in a plane crash, he remained active in professional wrestling as a manager in Jim Crockett, Jr.'s Texas-based promotion. From his wheelchair, Wisniski managed Dale Hey, who competed as Dale Valentine in a storyline that saw the two promoted as brothers. The storyline did not last long, however.