| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1915-08-14)August 14, 1915 |
| Died | March 25, 1993(1993-03-25) (aged 77)[2] Edina, Minnesota, U.S.[3] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Wally Karbo |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Debut | 1936[1] |
| Retired | 1985[1] |
Walter Joseph Karbo (August 14, 1915 – March 23, 1993) was an Americanprofessional wrestlingpromoter and co-founder of theAmerican Wrestling Association withVerne Gagne.
The son ofPolish immigrants, Karbo graduated from De La Salle High School in 1934 and was offered abasketball scholarship to theUniversity of Notre Dame, but declined to go.[3]
Karbo had a brief spell inboxing for promoterPinkie George,[1] which caught the attention of fellow wrestling promoterTony Stecher in the 1930s.[3] Initially working for Stecher as an assistant, he eventually became a referee, officiating 8,000 matches in his early 20s.[3] After this, Karbo evolved into a promoter, attending the first meeting of theNational Wrestling Alliance held by Stecher in 1948.[4]
In 1952, Tony Stecher sold a one-third interest in the Minneapolis Boxing and Wrestling club to Wally Karbo and his son Dennis Stecher. After Tony's death in 1954, control of the promotion was passed to Dennis and Karbo.[1] In 1959, Dennis sold his majority stake in the Minneapolis Boxing and Wrestling club to Karbo and Gagne, becoming co-owners of the promotion from that point onward. Breaking away from the National Wrestling Alliance, he and Gagne established the AWA in 1960 and together operated the promotion for over thirty years.[3][4]
Karbo would also appear as an on-air personality, hosting the AWA's Saturday morning television showAll-Star Wrestling before Karbo sold his interests to Gagne in 1985.[1] Although retiring soon after, he did remain in professional wrestling, appearing as the commissioner of theLadies Pro Wrestling Association.[2]
On March 23, 1993, Karbo suffered aheart attack while eating lunch with a friend inBloomington, Minnesota. He was taken to the Fairview Southdale Hospital inEdina, where he was pronounced dead at the age of 77.[3] His funeral took place six days later, withNick Bockwinkel delivering the eulogy.[1]