Post by Turnbuckle Zealot(Phil) on Oct 14, 2018 13:49:32 GMT -5
WWE's official statement: "WWE is saddened to learn that Don Leo Jonathan has passed away at the age of 87.
A second-generation performer, Jonathan was one of the most feared big men from his era. From the 1950s throughout the ’70s, the Hurricane, Utah, native was a box-office attraction across the globe. Weighing as much as 340 pounds during his career, The Mormon Giant’s adaptability allowed him to wrestle a scientific match or brawl with the best of them, depending on the situation.
More times than not, Jonathan’s Spinning Full Nelson would spell defeat for his opponents. The 6-foot-6 competitor had great rivalries against the likes of Andre the Giant, Killer Kowalski, and Gene Kiniski, and had WWE Championship Matches against Bruno Sammartino and Pedro Morales.
WWE extends its condolences to Jonathan’s family, friends and fans." - WWE.com
My reason for wanting to share this here instead of just the classics board:
BEFORE YOU SAY "He was before my time" remember that he was before ALL of our times, including most of our wrestling heroes. He literally had matches that helped make the trainers of our favorite wrestlers famous. He wrestled the wrestlers who trained Mr. Perfect, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Triple H, Undertaker, Kurt Angle, and countless other stars that we think of as the end-all/be-all of great wrestling.
Don was the first incarnation of what we recognize as the "Athletic Big Man" archetype in Professional Wrestling, showcasing unprecedented feats of athleticism, strength, and technical wrestling ability for a man of that size against the greatest stars across the world during his thirty-year career from 1950 to 1980.
Born in Hurricane Utah, and one of the earliest second generation wrestlers to garner international success, Don went on to be one of the earliest main event stars for Jess Mchmahon in the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the grandfather promotion to WWE. Don wrestled Antonino Rocca in sell-out crowds in his first five years in the wrestling profession. Competing in the main events in the third incarnation of MSG, built in 1925 and replaced by the current garden in 1968, Don had the distinction of being the last living man to draw a sell out crowd for WWE's grandfather promotion, and being one of the last living people to personally work for Jess Mcmahon. Don wrestled less than 1,000 matches in his lifetime but pushed the boundaries of the craft from the outset, competing in the third and current MSG, The Cow Palace, Ryugoku Hall, Cobo Arena, The Olympic Auditorium, and countless legendary venues across the planet.
A list of his opponents, though rarely wrestling any one man for a truly long rivalry, is pouring over with Hall Of Fame inductees.
Don is often compared to The Undertaker as an equivalent athlete of his day, but that's not where the parallels end.
In terms of longevity, Don set the precedent of being a giant that took on the best of multiple eras and proved to be the constant in the profession.
In the 1950s he wrestled the likes of Lou Thesz, Verne Gagne, Dick Hutton, Freddie Blassie, Killer Kowalski, and Antonino Rocca.
In the 60s he wrestled Pat O'Connor, Gene Kiniski( A staggering 58 times), Gorilla Monsoon, and helped to create the myth surrounding Giant Baba as one of the giant American rivals he vanquished to earn the praise of an entire generation of Japanese fans.
In the 1970s he battled many of his old rivals and new opponents such as the Destroyer, Jumbo Tsuruta, & Abdullah The Butcher.
And of course, he faced Andre the Giant in Andre's metaphoric "debut" on the national scene in North America, as mentioned in the WWE published biography of Andre.
While it's unlikely that Andre would fail to succeed in the wrestling profession, it was the match with Don that acted as his initiation into the fold as a main event performer for the North American promoters. We often forget that Vincent James McMahon(Vince Sr.) had a strong tie to the eastern Canadian wrestling territories and even sent Bruno there for a time to polish his ring work, so the match with Don was integral in Andre becoming the business partner of Vince Sr.
In Conclusion, Don Leo Jonathan was a pillar of history and one of the only wrestlers to work (at least once) for each of the McMahons. He may have had most of his best matches outside of WWE, but he is a considerable part of WWE's history and was considered a monster in the ring by his peers, who were often giants themselves and some of the most legendary grapplers our craft has ever seen. And I wanted to share this with you all because I am sad today. That a legendary man is gone and all his stories are but the remnants of echoes on the wind. He was a prolific nomad who gave us amazing matches and he deserves to be remembered.
May the Mormon Giant Rest In Peace...
Here are some of his matches since you most likely haven't seen them.
For some examples of his work across the ages, here is a match in Chicago with the babe ruth of wrestling, Lou Thesz.
Here is a match from Japan against "The Destroyer" Dick Beyer that showcased his longevity and in-ring skill as a grizzled veteran.
And lastly, the only known piece of footage of Don Leo Jonathan and the legend he helped make, Andre The Giant, in the ring together.
I would also highly recommend one his last full-length interviews with Brian Last on the 605 SuperPodcast.
player.fm/series/605-superpodcast/episode-85-mormon-giant
It's about the last hour of the show.
A second-generation performer, Jonathan was one of the most feared big men from his era. From the 1950s throughout the ’70s, the Hurricane, Utah, native was a box-office attraction across the globe. Weighing as much as 340 pounds during his career, The Mormon Giant’s adaptability allowed him to wrestle a scientific match or brawl with the best of them, depending on the situation.
More times than not, Jonathan’s Spinning Full Nelson would spell defeat for his opponents. The 6-foot-6 competitor had great rivalries against the likes of Andre the Giant, Killer Kowalski, and Gene Kiniski, and had WWE Championship Matches against Bruno Sammartino and Pedro Morales.
WWE extends its condolences to Jonathan’s family, friends and fans." - WWE.com
My reason for wanting to share this here instead of just the classics board:
BEFORE YOU SAY "He was before my time" remember that he was before ALL of our times, including most of our wrestling heroes. He literally had matches that helped make the trainers of our favorite wrestlers famous. He wrestled the wrestlers who trained Mr. Perfect, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Triple H, Undertaker, Kurt Angle, and countless other stars that we think of as the end-all/be-all of great wrestling.
Don was the first incarnation of what we recognize as the "Athletic Big Man" archetype in Professional Wrestling, showcasing unprecedented feats of athleticism, strength, and technical wrestling ability for a man of that size against the greatest stars across the world during his thirty-year career from 1950 to 1980.
Born in Hurricane Utah, and one of the earliest second generation wrestlers to garner international success, Don went on to be one of the earliest main event stars for Jess Mchmahon in the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the grandfather promotion to WWE. Don wrestled Antonino Rocca in sell-out crowds in his first five years in the wrestling profession. Competing in the main events in the third incarnation of MSG, built in 1925 and replaced by the current garden in 1968, Don had the distinction of being the last living man to draw a sell out crowd for WWE's grandfather promotion, and being one of the last living people to personally work for Jess Mcmahon. Don wrestled less than 1,000 matches in his lifetime but pushed the boundaries of the craft from the outset, competing in the third and current MSG, The Cow Palace, Ryugoku Hall, Cobo Arena, The Olympic Auditorium, and countless legendary venues across the planet.
A list of his opponents, though rarely wrestling any one man for a truly long rivalry, is pouring over with Hall Of Fame inductees.
Don is often compared to The Undertaker as an equivalent athlete of his day, but that's not where the parallels end.
In terms of longevity, Don set the precedent of being a giant that took on the best of multiple eras and proved to be the constant in the profession.
In the 1950s he wrestled the likes of Lou Thesz, Verne Gagne, Dick Hutton, Freddie Blassie, Killer Kowalski, and Antonino Rocca.
In the 60s he wrestled Pat O'Connor, Gene Kiniski( A staggering 58 times), Gorilla Monsoon, and helped to create the myth surrounding Giant Baba as one of the giant American rivals he vanquished to earn the praise of an entire generation of Japanese fans.
In the 1970s he battled many of his old rivals and new opponents such as the Destroyer, Jumbo Tsuruta, & Abdullah The Butcher.
And of course, he faced Andre the Giant in Andre's metaphoric "debut" on the national scene in North America, as mentioned in the WWE published biography of Andre.
While it's unlikely that Andre would fail to succeed in the wrestling profession, it was the match with Don that acted as his initiation into the fold as a main event performer for the North American promoters. We often forget that Vincent James McMahon(Vince Sr.) had a strong tie to the eastern Canadian wrestling territories and even sent Bruno there for a time to polish his ring work, so the match with Don was integral in Andre becoming the business partner of Vince Sr.
In Conclusion, Don Leo Jonathan was a pillar of history and one of the only wrestlers to work (at least once) for each of the McMahons. He may have had most of his best matches outside of WWE, but he is a considerable part of WWE's history and was considered a monster in the ring by his peers, who were often giants themselves and some of the most legendary grapplers our craft has ever seen. And I wanted to share this with you all because I am sad today. That a legendary man is gone and all his stories are but the remnants of echoes on the wind. He was a prolific nomad who gave us amazing matches and he deserves to be remembered.
May the Mormon Giant Rest In Peace...
Here are some of his matches since you most likely haven't seen them.
For some examples of his work across the ages, here is a match in Chicago with the babe ruth of wrestling, Lou Thesz.
Here is a match from Japan against "The Destroyer" Dick Beyer that showcased his longevity and in-ring skill as a grizzled veteran.
And lastly, the only known piece of footage of Don Leo Jonathan and the legend he helped make, Andre The Giant, in the ring together.
I would also highly recommend one his last full-length interviews with Brian Last on the 605 SuperPodcast.
player.fm/series/605-superpodcast/episode-85-mormon-giant
It's about the last hour of the show.
