Reggie Parks began his wrestling career under the tutelage of trainer Stu Hart, and wrestled throughout the United States, becoming known for his physique and his "Quiet Superman" demeanour.
19 Facts About Reggie Parks
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Reggie Parks is known for the "Winged Eagle" belt he created for the then-WWF in the 1980s; he contributed work to other wrestling promotions, as well as to the UFC and for an album cover by Madonna.
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Reggie Parks was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on August 27,1934.
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Reggie 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.
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Reggie Parks began weightlifting at age 13, and started working as a ticket usher for professional wrestling shows shortly afterward.
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Reggie Parks began his career training at a boxing club in Edmonton, where he met Stampede Wrestling promoter Stu Hart in 1955.
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Hart trained Reggie Parks and introduced him to wrestling territories in the United States, leading to Reggie Parks wrestling in Seattle, Los Angeles, and throughout Texas.
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Early in his career, Reggie 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.
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Between 1963 and 1973, Reggie Parks was based with the American Wrestling Association, making appearances for territories in Nebraska.
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Reggie Parks became known for his impressive physique and feats of strength, being billed as the "Quiet Superman"; at one point Reggie Parks had a Volkswagen Beetle driven over his stomach to prove his strength.
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Reggie Parks wrestled under a mask for a time as The Avenger during his later career.
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Reggie Parks was known for designing and engraving championship belts for WWE, the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association, and Shimmer Women Athletes.
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Reggie Parks began to create belts in 1962 while working in Omaha, Nebraska, after noticing that promoter Joe Dusek had been using a large trophy to represent a championship, which was beginning to fall apart.
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Reggie Parks made a replacement belt using plated copper and a leather strap, estimating that it cost him around $75.
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Reggie Parks was commissioned to make championship belts for the American Wrestling Association's tag team champions Harley Race and Larry Hennig after the team noticed his craftsmanship during a match against Reggie Parks; this and the visibility of a subsequent tour of Japanese wrestling promotions expanded his business significantly.
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Reggie Parks's work was then sought out by other wrestling organizations, as well as appearing in taekwondo and boxing associations, the UFC and on the cover of Madonna's Hard Candy album.
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Reggie Parks' belts were typically created by photoengraving onto a zinc base which was then plated in nickel or gold; the finished design was accented with additional gemstones and tooled leather designs.
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Reggie Parks was married once, and divorced; he lived with his partner Trish for 22 years before her death in 2006.
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Reggie Parks died from COVID-19 in Tucson, Arizona, on October 7,2021, at age 87.