 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1925-01-21)January 21, 1925[3] White Plains, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 13, 2007(2007-03-13) (aged 82)[1][4] White Plains, New York, U.S.[1] |
Spouse | Betty Skaaland[1] |
| Children | 3 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Arnold Skaaland[1] Bobby Weaver[2] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 240 lb (110 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Norway[2] White Plains, New York[1] |
| Debut | 1946[1] |
| Retired | 1987 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Marine Corps |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
Arnold Skaaland (January 21, 1925 – March 13, 2007) was an Americanprofessional wrestler andprofessional wrestling manager.[1][3][4]
Following a stint in theUnited States Marine Corps duringWorld War II, Skaaland began wrestling in 1946 under his real name. Given the nickname “Golden Boy,” he became a part of theWorld Wide Wrestling Federation in 1963, and in 1967, won theWWWF United States Tag Team Championship withSpiros Arion.
In 1978, Skaaland retired from in-ring competition and transitioned into amanager; unlike most managers, he managedfaces instead ofheels. Skaaland's most notable clients includedBruno Sammartino andBob Backlund. Skaaland later became a road agent for the WWF, and was inducted into theWWF Hall of Fame in 1994.
Skaaland served in theU.S. Marines duringWorld War II.[5] After a short-lived attempt to make a living throughboxing, he decided to become a professional wrestler.[3]
Skaaland debuted in 1946 as Arnold Skaaland. He was billed early in his career as hailing fromNorway. Performing throughout thenortheastern United States, Skaaland gained the nickname "The Golden Boy" and was known as a small, agile wrestler who relied on speed, wits, and toughness in the ring rather than size and strength.[3][4] In the late 1950s, he wrestled inGeorgia under thering name Bobby Weaver.[5]
In the early 1960s, Skaaland unsuccessfully challenged bothPat O'Connor and"Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship. In 1962, Skaaland refereed a high-profile match betweenFreddie Blassie andRikidōzan inJapan.[3]
In 1963, Skaaland was a part of the newly created,New York City-basedWorld Wide Wrestling Federation. On June 1, 1967, he collected his only title as one half of theWWWF United States Tag Team Champions, whenTony Parisi gave his half of the title to Skaaland.[4] Skaaland and his partner,Spiros Arion, soon lost the titles to The Sicilians (Lou Albano and Tony Altimore) on July 10, 1967, inAtlantic City, New Jersey. Arion and Bruno Sammartino rewon the belts two weeks later, and retired them. In addition to wrestling, Skaaland was ashareholder of the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the parent company of the WWWF, and a business partner of WWWF ChairmanVince McMahon Sr.[4] Skaaland was responsible for producing WWWF shows in theWestchester County Center inWestchester County, New York, and serving as an agent forAndré the Giant.[6]
SkaalandmanagedBruno Sammartino andBob Backlund, with both men winning theWWF World Heavyweight Championship under his tutelage.[4][7] In 1978, Skaaland retired from regular wrestling, though he occasionally appeared as a late substitute for wrestlers that couldn't make a show.Pro Wrestling Illustrated named SkaalandManager of the Year for 1978 and 1979. Backlund's lengthy reign ended on December 26, 1983, when Skaaland threw in the towel while Backlund was trapped in thecamel clutch, the finishing move of challengerThe Iron Sheik.[4] It was also rumored that Backlund begged authorities for a rematch.[8]
Skaaland appeared in the 1987 music video for the title track fromPiledriver - The Wrestling Album 2, "Piledriver" byKoko B. Ware as the foreman of a construction site. In 1994, he was inducted into theWWF Hall of Fameclass of 1994 for managing both Sammartino and Backlund to the (W)WWF World Heavyweight Championship.[9] He appeared on WWF television later that year, with Backlund attacking him in order to consolidate hisheelturn.[10]
Skaaland was married to Betty Skaaland. They had three sons: Edward Patrick, James Allen, and George (the last of whom briefly competed as a wrestler in the mid-1980s).[11]
Skaaland died on March 13, 2007, at the age of 82, with his wife by his side. He had been sick for some time.[12] He is interred at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.[13]
,Cagematch,Internet Wrestling Database
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