 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Billy Darnell" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1926-02-25)February 25, 1926 Camden, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | September 7, 2007(2007-09-07) (aged 81) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring names |
|
| Debut | 1942 |
| Retired | 1961 |
Billy Darnell (February 25, 1926 – September 7, 2007) was an Americanprofessional wrestler and major star of the 1940s and 1950s, with his career spanning over twenty years with championships in theNational Wrestling Alliance andWorld Wide Wrestling Federation.[1]
Darnell was born inCamden, New Jersey. At age 16, while working as a lifeguard inWildwood, New Jersey, he was playfighting with co-workers when awrestling promoter spotted him and asked him to help with his roster, as many current ones were seeing action inWorld War II.[1]
His first match with later rivalBuddy Rogers was in February 1944, tagging with him inPhiladelphia andBaltimore-Washington. Darnell would himself leave wrestling for World War II service in December 1944, joining theUnited States Army.[1]Post-war Darnell returned to wrestling inTexas, once more with Rogers, who had previously wrestled under his real name Herman Rohde. At the time he was becoming "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, and Darnell was booked as his brother Billy Rogers. This was largely in part to promoter and Rogers' bookerJack Pfefer, though Darnell himself has stated he wasn't sure if the idea for the brother gimmick was Rogers' or Pfefer's.[1]
Darnell and Rogers next went toCalifornia, with wrestling reaching new popularity thanks totelevision exposure. For the showmanship of it Rogers donnedsequined capes, whereas Darnell first donned theleopard-skin outfit, for which he would become famous. Their careers would become forever intertwined when they began facing each other with Rogers as theheel champion and Darnell becoming a heavy fan favorite. Promoters nationwide wanted the Rogers-Darnell match, with more than 200 matches occurring between them. Despite their history Rogers still crushed discs in Darnell's neck with abotchedpiledriver, though he himself accidentally knocked out some of Rogers' teeth.Les Thatcher has even stated that Darnell's matches with Rogers inspired him to enter the wrestling business.
Darnell was also known for a well recognized team withBill Melby, winning theChicago version of theNWA World Tag Team Championship with him in 1953.[2] In 1954, he worked withSam Muchnick inSt. Louis and also booked for an Indiana promotion. In a televised match on 20 May 1961, Darnell beat Ali Pasha (Alexander Vieira Fontes) who died of a heart attack after being slammed down.[2]
He used his World War IIG.I. Bill to attendaviation school and become apilot, flying himself to his matches. He also ran anightclub until 1985. Though Darnell retired in 1961, he would wrestle sparsely into the next year, then went to achiropractic school inGlendale, California, finishing in Indiana. He would begin practicing in his home of New Jersey and moved toFlorida for a period, getting back in touch with Rogers, before returning to New Jersey. Darnell regularly attendedCauliflower Alley Club reunions and received theSenator Hugh Farley Award from theAmsterdam, New York-basedProfessional Wrestling Hall of Fame.[1] Darnell died on September 7, 2007, at his home inMaple Shade Township, New Jersey.[1]
,Internet Wrestling Database