1. Wahoo McDaniel is notable for having held the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship five times.
17 Facts About Wahoo McDaniel
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Wahoo McDaniel is often compared to his contemporary, Chief Jay Strongbow, due to both portraying similar Native American gimmicks.
3.
Wahoo McDaniel was born in the small town of Bernice, Louisiana, in 1938.
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Wahoo McDaniel's family was Choctaw-Chickasaw, and he was a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
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Wahoo McDaniel attended Midland High School, where he was a track state champion in the shot put and second in the state in the discus.
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The name "Wahoo McDaniel" actually came from his father, who was known as "Big Wahoo McDaniel".
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Wahoo McDaniel began his career as a professional football player in 1960 in the American Football League, playing for the Houston Oilers during their inaugural AFL Championship-winning season.
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Wahoo McDaniel then played for the Denver Broncos between 1961 and 1963.
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When his football career ended in 1969, Wahoo McDaniel became a full-time wrestler; in his first year, Wahoo McDaniel became involved in NWA Texas and won the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship.
10.
In 1974, Wahoo McDaniel came to Mid-Atlantic to wrestle for Jim Crockett Promotions and help build up the territory as a singles territory in a feud with a rival from Texas, Johnny Valentine.
11.
On June 29,1975, Wahoo McDaniel won the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship by defeating Valentine.
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In 1977, Johnny Valentine's son Greg Valentine attacked Wahoo McDaniel and broke his leg in an angle to establish Greg as Johnny's successor.
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Valentine originally won the title on June 11,1977, with Wahoo McDaniel regaining it two months later.
14.
Wahoo McDaniel worked in independent shows until retiring in 1996.
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Wahoo McDaniel's health started to deteriorate in the mid-1990s, which led to his retirement in 1996, and he eventually lost both kidneys in 2000.
16.
Wahoo McDaniel was awaiting a kidney transplant when he suffered a stroke and died of complications from diabetes and kidney failure on April 18,2002, in Houston, Texas.
17.
Wahoo McDaniel's body was cremated and his ashes are with his daughter Nikki in Houston, Texas.