1. Orville Brown was an American professional wrestler.
14 Facts About Orville Brown
1. 2.
Orville Brown is a thirteen-time world champion and was recognized as the first NWA World Heavyweight Champion in 1948.
3.
Orville Brown grew up on a small farm in Sharon, Kansas.
4.
Orville Brown worked on the farm during the mornings before walking several miles to school in Kiowa, Kansas.
5.
Orville Brown only attended one year of school due to financial reasons.
6.
Orville Brown gained enough notoriety in western Kansas that the promoter in Wichita put him on the preliminary of the weekly matches there.
7.
Orville Brown impressed many people with his wrestling skills in matches against former world heavyweight champions Jim Londos and Ed "Strangler" Lewis.
8.
Orville Brown went on to become the Kansas-based Midwest Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Champion for a record of 11 times from 1940 to 1948.
9.
Orville Brown won the title by beating wrestlers such as Bobby Bruns, Lee Wyckoff, Tom Zaharias, Swedish Angel, Roy Graham and Tug Carlson.
10.
Orville Brown began the NWA's project of unifying the various world heavyweight championships contested at that time with the NWA version.
11.
Orville Brown held the World Heavyweight Championship until he was forced to retire in November 1949 due to injuries he suffered on November 1,1949 in a car accident.
12.
Orville Brown was scheduled to participate in a unification match against Lou Thesz on November 25,1949.
13.
Thesz was awarded the title as Orville Brown was unable to compete.
14.
Orville Brown promoted the Midwest Wrestling Association from the founding of the NWA in 1948 until 1958, when the promotion was taken over by Bob Geigel.