 McShain, circa 1945 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Danny McShain (1912-10-30)October 30, 1912 Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | July 14, 1992(1992-07-14) (aged 79) Alvin, Texas, U.S. |
Spouse | Sallee Lewin |
| Family | Mark Lewin (brother-in-law)[2] Donn Lewin (brother-in-law)[2] |
| Website | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Danny McShain |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 205 lb (93 kg)[1] |
| Debut | October 30, 1930 |
| Retired | 1967 |
Danny McShain (October 30, 1912 – July 14, 1992) was an Americanprofessional wrestler. He competed in thesouthern United States from the 1930s to the 1960s.[3][1]
McShain was born on October 30, 1912, inLittle Rock, Arkansas.[4][1] He made his professional wrestling debut inLittle Rock, Arkansas on October 30, 1930. McShain later joined theUnited States Navy, where he excelled as aboxer and won several championships.[5]
McShain's family moved toGlendale, California, where he competed for theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA).[5] He won his first championship, theNWA World Light Heavyweight Championship, on October 11, 1937. Over the next ten years, he held the title another nine times.[6]
He later moved toAlvin, Texas, where he continued to compete for the NWA.[5] He won theNWA Texas Heavyweight Championship on ten occasions between in 1948 and 1960 by defeating such wrestlers asAntonino Rocca andVerne Gagne.[7] On November 19, 1951, he also defeated Gagne to win theNWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship.[4] In 1954, McShain won theNWA American Tag Team Championship with partnerOyama Kato while competing for the Midwest Wrestling Association in Ohio.[8]
After his retirement, McShain worked as areferee in Texas.[9]
McShain wrestled as a "tough guy", displaying a scientific yet dirty grappling style with stiff strikes; he proudly advertised his list of injuries to demonstrate the amount of punishment his body could take. He was also known forblading, as he often cut his own forehead during matches to draw blood.[5] McShain was astiff worker, as he put legitimate force behind his punches and made contact with his opponents rather than pretending to hit them. He used apiledriver as one of his ring moves, in which he would hold his opponents upside-down and then drop them head-first to the ring floor. McShain attributed the piledriver to the deaths of two opponents.[5]
McShain used a cocky strut to anger opponents and spectators. His brother-in-law Donn Lewin stated that the strut was so arrogant that it "made you want to kill him" and that he walked the same way in real life.[5][3] McShain was arrested once after starting a riot by spitting tobacco juice from his trademark cigar on an opponent. His behavior was considered so inappropriate that he was summoned to appear in front of the Texas Gaming Commission.[5] He was also the subject of another inquiry, as he changed the pre-planned outcome of a bout midway through the match. Because there was a championship on the line and two promoters were arguing over the wrestling territory in which the match took place, theUnited States Department of Justice became involved. The match was the origin of the rule used in many promotions that prevents a title belt from changing hands when the match ends with adisqualification.[5] Following his end to in ring action he worked as a referee in Houston.
In a match againstDonn Lewin, McShain broke Lewin's nose. Shortly thereafter, Lewin's father invited McShain to dinner. McShain met Donn's sister Sallee, whom he later married.[5]
McShain appeared in the 1949 movieThe Inspector General, as well as several other films.[5] He died in Alvin, Texas on July 14, 1992.[1][4]
1McShain won the title once just briefly before the formation of theNational Wrestling Alliance when the title was simply referred to as the Texas Heavyweight Championship.
,Internet Wrestling Database