 Mr. Wrestling II,c. 1977 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Francis Walker[1][3] (1934-09-10)September 10, 1934[4] |
| Died | June 10, 2020(2020-06-10) (aged 85) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.[3] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The Grappler[1] Johnny Walker Mr. Wrestling Mr. Wrestling II[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2] |
| Billed weight | 247 lb (112 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Trained by | Tony Morelli Pat O'Connor |
| Debut | 1955[2] |
| Retired | October 13, 2007 |
John Francis Walker (September 10, 1934 – June 10, 2020), better known by thering nameMr. Wrestling II, was an Americanprofessional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances withChampionship Wrestling from Florida andGeorgia Championship Wrestling in the 1970s and early 1980s.[3][2]
Walker was trained by Tony Morelli andPat O'Connor.[5] He debuted in 1955 under the ring name Johnny Walker.[2]
After debuting as a wrestler, Walker spent a good portion of his early career (approximately from the late 1950s to the 1960s) as journeyman wrestler Johnny "Rubberman" Walker, a mainstay ofHouston promoterPaul Boesch. Boesch gave him the nickname due to his flexibility.[3][5]
Walker retired in 1964.[4]
Walker came out of retirement in 1967. In the early 1970s, Walker wrestled on the independent circuit in Florida under amask as the Grappler.[1]
In 1972, Walker was semi-retired and running a gas station in Tennessee. Georgia promoter Paul Jones and his booker Leo Garibaldi asked him to return to wrestling as the masked Mr. Wrestling II.[3] Introduced as the partner of the originalMr. Wrestling (Tim Woods), Walker would take his place in many instances.[5]Eddie Graham, the owner of theNWA Florida promotion, was also a part owner of the Georgia promotion. Graham was sending talent back and forth between the two promotions, due to the promotional war that occurred in Atlanta over a dispute withRay Gunkel's widow Ann Gunkel and her "outlaw promotion" All-South Wrestling Alliance.
Walker as Mr. Wrestling II became an immediate top draw and legend for the territory, leading to ten reigns as the Georgia Heavyweight Champion. During Walker's time in Georgia as Mr. Wrestling II, he was considered one of the top five most-popular wrestlers in the United States.[6] He also attracted a high-profile fan inJimmy Carter, at the time thegovernor of Georgia.
While most of his career during the 1970s and 1980s was focused on the southeastern corner of the United States, he also made a prominent appearance inMid-South Wrestling during 1983 and 1984 as the coach and mentor of a young wrestler namedMagnum T. A. Vignettes aired on television, hosted by either Reisor Bowden orJim Ross, in which Mr. Wrestling II was shown away from the ring with Magnum discussing his philosophy in taking on a rising young star in the role of a "coach" or showing training sessions with the two. As a tag team, they also won the promotion'stag team title fromButch Reed andJim Neidhart on December 25, 1983.
Subtle seeds of resentment were planted along the way, which led to the pair splitting and feuding. Mr. Wrestling II turned his back on Magnum in a tag team match againstThe Midnight Express, which saw Magnum bloodied. On the following week's program, Mr. Wrestling II threw in the towel to cost Magnum the match while he was participating in the tournament for the promotion's television title, claiming that Magnum was too badly cut to continue. Mr. Wrestling II had previously won theNorth American Championship from the departingJunkyard Dog, which Magnum won from him inTulsa, Oklahoma on May 13, 1984.
Walker was later signed byVince McMahon for theWorld Wrestling Federation in 1984, as part of McMahon's national expansion. However, as he was in the twilight of his career, Walker was mainly used asenhancement talent and rarely appeared on TV. He spent two years in the WWF before leaving in 1986.
In 1986, Mr. Wrestling II worked forContinental Championship Wrestling feuding withBob Armstrong. On May 5, he lost a Loser Leaves Town match to Armstrong. He returned to Continental in 1987, feuding withJerry Stubbs. He later worked forSouthern Championship Wrestling in 1988 and defeatedPat Rose on aFive Star Wrestling TV show in 1990.
Mr. Wrestling II was the director of talent relations for Hawai'i Championship Wrestling. On October 13, 2007, he came out of retirement at 73 and won theHCW Kekaulike Heritage Tag Team Championship withSteve Corino as Mr. Wrestling 3, II's protégé.
Jimmy Carter, thegovernor of Georgia and laterpresident of the United States during Mr. Wrestling II's 1970s heyday, considered Walker his favorite wrestler, as didCarter's mother, Lillian.[5] Walker was invited toCarter's inauguration, but declined.[7] TheUnited States Secret Service insisted that he appear unmasked for security reasons. Due to his popularity at the time under the mask, he could not justify the possible ramifications of exposing his identity. He instead enjoyed several private audiences with Lillian. He faced scrutiny from the Secret Service on these occasions as well, but they went off without incident.[3]
Walker had three sons, John Jr., Robert, and Mike, with his wife, Olivia. She was aseamstress and costume maker. Many of her clients werecountry music performers, includingPorter Wagoner. During an interview,Ric Flair stated that many of his robes were made by her. She died in October 2000.[5]
On June 10, 2020,Bill Apter reported that Walker had died, aged 85.[5]
He and Tony Atlas did win theNWA World Tag Team Championship(Mid-Atlantic version) at one time. However, the reign and win aren't official nor are they recognized.[19]
Media related toMr. Wrestling II at Wikimedia Commons
