 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Archibald Edward Gouldie (1936-11-22)November 22, 1936 Carbon, Alberta, Canada |
| Died | January 23, 2016(2016-01-23) (aged 79) Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Archie Gouldie[1] The Masked Bounty Hunter[2] The Midnight Stallion[2] The Mongolian Stomper[2] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[3] |
| Billed weight | 260 lb (118 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Mongolia |
| Debut | November 2, 1962[2] |
| Retired | September 2, 1995[2] |
Archibald Edward Gouldie (November 22, 1936 – January 23, 2016)[4] was a Canadianprofessional wrestler. He wrestled forStampede Wrestling for decades as Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie, with the nickname coming from the wrestler's reputation of "stomping" on his opponents, when they were down, with his black cowboy boots. He was also known by thering nameThe Mongolian Stomper.
Early in his career, Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie was a babyface (good guy) in the Central States territory. He won the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Central States Version) from Enrique Torres in St. Joseph on Dec. 20, 1963, losing it to Rocky Hamilton on Jan 31, 1964. He regained it on May 22, 1964, only to lose it to Sonny Myers June 12, 1964. He regained it yet again in 1965 from Sonny Myers, and dropped it to Bobby Shane in December in Waterloo, IA.
Archie won his first Central States Heavyweight Title from Ron Reed in St Joseph, MO. on June 4, 1965, holding it for 30 days, dropping it to Sonny Myers on July 4, 1965, in Kansas City, KS. Gouldie won the title for the second time on June 8, 1972, from Black Angus Campbell in St. Joseph, MO., only to lose it to Harley Race on July 7, 1972, in Kansas City, KS.
Archie also proved himself to be an accomplished tag team wrestler, winning the NWA North American Tag Team Championship eleven times. His first reign began May 1, 1962, with his last title run coming on October 14, 1972. The Stomper teamed up four times with The Viking, three times with Bob Geigel, twice with Rufus R. Jones, once with Danny Little Bear, and once with Bob Ellis for a total of approximately 238 days.
Gouldie held the North American heavyweight title a record 14 times between 1968 and 1984, quite a streak of longevity for that time frame. He was also the first champion, defeating formerNWA World Heavyweight ChampionPat O'Connor in the tournament finals. Gouldie feuded with British mat technicianBilly Robinson, among others, for the title.
Although he wrestled as aheel during the majority of his Stampede tenure, Gouldie made a face turn late in 1983 afterBad News Allen turned against Gouldie and his storyline "son",Jeff, during a six-man tag team match and brutalized and injured Jeff (which led to Stampede TV hostEd Whalen to quit the company in protest); the attack led to a bloody feud which climaxed with Gouldie defeating Bad News for the Stampede North American title (his 14th, and what would be final, reign).
Gouldie never used the Mongolian Stompergimmick while wrestling in Stampede; instead, staying true to his roots, he went with the gimmick of a tough Alberta cowboy as just "The Stomper" fromCarbon, Alberta.
Gouldie achieved most of his U.S. fame in this territory, based in Knoxville, Tennessee. He held theNWA Southeast Heavyweight Championship a record eleven times between 1976 and 1981, winning it for the last time against Jerry Stubbs and losing it to Jos LeDuc. He feuded withRobert Fuller andRonnie Garvin over the title.
Gouldie wrestled as the Mongolian Stomper in Georgia Championship Wrestling from 1980 to 1981.
Gouldie appeared very briefly in Mid South in late-1982, savingSkandor Akbar from an attack by Buck Robley. He only wrestled one or two matches before abruptly leaving the territory.
Gouldie wrestled as the Mongolian Stomper in Southwest Championship Wrestling in 1982. There he was managed by Don Carson and won the Southwest Heavyweight Championship. The Stomper feuded with Dick Slater, frequently using the "black glove" against opponents.
In 1992 Gouldie joined SMW, which, like Southeast, was based in Knoxville, Tennessee. At this point in his career, the Stomper was considered a babyface, teaming with former rival Ronnie Garvin in his feud withPaul Orndorff and feuding withKevin Sullivan's latest incarnation of evil wrestlers. Gouldie defeated Rob Morgan at the first Bluegrass Brawl in Pikeville, Ky. According to several magazines, Gouldie maintained his shape by riding his bicycle almost everywhere he went, sometimes riding up to 60 miles a day.
After his wrestling career came to an end, Gouldie served for several years as a deputy sheriff inKnox County, Tennessee, working as a correctional officer. Until his health began to fail him, he worked in the guard shack at a prison. Before that, he ran the paddy wagon for three years until he "got tired of hauling drunks."
In 2011, memory issues began.[5]
On January 9, 2016, Gouldie fell and broke his hip, which required surgery. After the surgery, he never recovered and died in his sleep on January 23.[5][6]
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