 Curry, circa 1973 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Fred Thomas Koury Jr. (1943-06-12)June 12, 1943 (age 82)[3] |
| Family | Bull Curry (father) Fred Curry Jr. (son) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Fred Curry |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Billed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Billed from | Hartford, Connecticut |
| Trained by | Bull Curry[1] |
| Debut | 1963[2] |
| Retired | 1980 |
Fred Thomas Koury Jr. (born June 12, 1943[3]) better known by hisring name”Flying” Fred Curry, is an Americanprofessional wrestler ofLebanese descent. The son of"Wild Bull" Curry, Fred Koury was one of the most popular stars in theMidwest United States and the rest of the world during the 1960s and 70s'. Flying Fred Curry had notable feuds with wrestling legend The Sheik. Flying Fred Was a sensational star in Texas in the sixties and teamed up with Fritz von Erich. Flying Fred Curry is noted as one of the greatest highflyers and dropkickers of all time. His most famous feat is throwing 15 to 20 dropkicks in a matter of 10 seconds. Curry was chosen the most popular wrestler in the world in 1972.[4][3]
In the 1960s, Koury, Jr. took up wrestling under the name "Flying" fred Curry. Unlike his father, Fred was a slimball high flying wrestler, and a fan favorite. The two Currys teamed up on a regular basis during the early part of the younger Curry’s career. The two won theNWA International Tag Team Championship in 1964 and held it until 1966,[5] as well as beating Nikolai and Boris Volkoff for theDetroit version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship.[1]
Later in his career Fred Curry struck out on his own trying to get away from his father’s legacy of rulebreaking. Fred’s attempts to get out of his father’s shadow never caused any problems between the two Currys.[5]
In December 1972, he defeatedKurt Von Hess andKarl Von Shotz along withTony Marino to win theDetroit version of NWA World Tag Team Championship. On January 5, 1973, they lost the titles back to Kurt Von Hess and Karl Von Shotz. They received their second Detroit titles on February 2 and lost it back to Kurt Von Hess and Karl Von Shotz on February 18.
Curry's son Fred III is currently pursuing a career in pro-wrestling and was being trained byDory Funk, Jr. Fred III has taken the high-flying style similar to his father. He is currently wrestling in theindependent circuit in theNortheastern United States.