 Parks,c. 1982 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1934-08-27)August 27, 1934 |
| Died | October 7, 2021(2021-10-07) (aged 87) Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Cause of death | COVID-19 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Trained by | Stu Hart |
| Debut | December 26, 1955 |
| Retired | 1982 |
Reggie Parks (bornReginald David Parko; August 27, 1934 – October 7, 2021) was a Canadianprofessional wrestler and engraver, known for his work designingchampionship belts for wrestling, mixed martial arts, and boxing promotions. He began his wrestling career under the tutelage of trainerStu Hart, and wrestled throughout the United States, becoming known for his physique and his "Quiet Superman" demeanour. Parks branched out into belt design after first creating a championship for wrestling promoterJoe Dusek while working inNebraska.
As a designer, Parks earned the nickname "the King of Belts" for his work. He is known for the "Winged Eagle" belt he created forthe then-WWF in the 1980s; he also contributed work to other wrestling promotions, as well as to theUFC and for an album cover byMadonna.
Reggie Parks was born inEdmonton,Alberta, Canada, on August 27, 1934.[1] He was the youngest of four brothers.[2] Parks grew up on a farm outside the city, and played hockey as a youth, abandoning it when his family moved into the city proper. He began weightlifting at age 13, and started working as a ticket usher for professional wrestling shows shortly afterward. As a wrestling fan, he admired the brothersGeorge andSandy Scott, andTiny Mills.[3]
Parks began his career training at a boxing club in Edmonton, where he metStampede Wrestling promoterStu Hart in 1955.[4] Hart trained Parks and introduced him towrestling territories in the United States, leading to Parks wrestling inSeattle,Los Angeles, and throughoutTexas.[1] Early in his career, Parks wrestled with a traveling carnival, competing in legitimate, unscripted matches with audience challengers and relying on his stamina and conditioning to out-wrestle them.[2] Between 1963 and 1973, Parks was based with theAmerican Wrestling Association, also making appearances for territories in Nebraska.[4] Parks became known for his impressive physique and feats of strength, being billed as the "Quiet Superman"; at one point Parks had aVolkswagen Beetle driven over his stomach to prove his strength.[1] According toGreg Oliver, Park at his prime was 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) tall and weighed 225–230 pounds (102–104 kg), with 17 in (43 cm) biceps and a 50 in (130 cm) chest.[3]
Parks also wrestled under amask for a time as The Avenger during his later career.[4] While working inJoe Blanchard's Texas territory in 1968, Parks was the opponent for the debut match of futureNWA Worlds Heavyweight ChampionDusty Rhodes.[5] After a stint working as a referee due to a back injury, he wrestled his last match in 1999, facing off withJose Lothario in New Mexico.[2] Parks wrestled most of his career as a fan-friendlybabyface, crediting his likability to his Canadian upbringing: "It's just a natural Canadian thing. I was always nice".[3]
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Parks was known for designing and engravingchampionship belts forWWE, theNational Wrestling Alliance,World Championship Wrestling, theAmerican Wrestling Association, andShimmer Women Athletes.[6] His design work earned him the nickname "the King of Belts".[2][7] WWE described his belt designs as some of its most famous.[8] His most well-known were the "Winged Eagle" belt used to represent theWWF Championship in the 1980s and 1990s[6] and theWWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship belt from the same era.[8]
Parks began to create belts in 1962 while working inOmaha, Nebraska, after noticing that promoterJoe Dusek had been using a large trophy to represent a championship, which was beginning to fall apart.[1] He made a replacement belt using plated copper and a leather strap, estimating that it cost him around $75.[7] Parks was soon commissioned to make championship belts for the American Wrestling Association's tag team championsHarley Race andLarry Hennig after the team noticed his craftsmanship during a match against Parks; this and the visibility of a subsequent tour ofJapanese wrestling promotions expanded his business significantly.[2] His work was then sought out by other wrestling organizations, as well as appearing in taekwondo and boxing associations, theUFC and on the cover ofMadonna'sHard Candy album.[1][6] Parks' belts were typically created byphotoengraving onto a zinc base which was then plated in nickel or gold; the finished design was accented with additional gemstones andtooled leather designs.[2]
After retiring from professional wrestling, Parks resided inArizona, running a carpet-cleaning company in addition to his work designing belts;[4] he had been introduced to the carpet-cleaning industry by fellow wrestling personalityGordon Solie.[7]
Parks was married once, and divorced; he lived with his partner Trish for 22 years before her death in 2006. He had no children.[3]
Parks died fromCOVID-19 inTucson, Arizona, on October 7, 2021, at age 87.[1][3] Speaking on his legacy, fellow belt-maker Dave Millican said "[we] all owe Reggie a huge debt of gratitude because nobody did this this way before he did. Were there belts before Reggie? Absolutely. Were there good belts before Reggie? There weren't".[7]