Kurt and Karl Von Steiger
Encyclopedia
Kurt and Karl Von Steiger was the ring name
of professional wrestlers
Lorne Corlett and Arnold Pastrick worked under for most of their careers. The Von Steiger gimmick was that of two German
villains, called heels
, despite both wrestlers hailing from Winnipeg
, Manitoba
, Canada
. Arnold Pastrick used the name Kurt Von Steiger, and Lorne Corlett worked as Karl Von Steiger. The Von Steigers are best known for competing in Pacific Northwest Wrestling
in Portland, Oregon
between 1968 and 1973 but also competed in Tennessee, San Francisco, Stampede Wrestling
, Australia, the American Wrestling Alliance and the Carolina territory.
, Manitoba
, Canada
and worked for the local Madison Wrestling Club promotion as a solid mid-card face
. Lorne Corlett made his debut in 1960, working for the Madison Wrestling Club under the ring name "Butcher Boy" Corlett. In 1965, Corlett won the MWC Heavyweight Championship and held it for over 6 months. When the Madison Wrestling Club folded in 1968, the two men formed a tag team
and adopted a German gimmick — not an overtly Nazi ring persona, but instead playing off the imagery of World War I
Germany complete with spiked helmets
. The gimmick was a strange choice for Pastrick because his parents were Polish and had been held in a Concentration camp during World War II
.
, where they won the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship
in 1967, their first title as a team. After working in the Stampede Territory for a while, the duo moved on, leaving Canada to begin working for the promotion most synonymous with the Von Steigers, NWA Pacific Northwest
in Portland. In Portland, the team really came into their own and they found success as the Von Steigers; the fans despised the duo, and the partners quickly rose up the card. Their fellow wrestlers held the team in great respect because they were good "ring generals", in other words they were good at controlling the flow of the match, keeping the pre-planned story on track. While working in Portland, the Von Steigers engaged in several storylines
with other Portland based teams, such as The Royal Kangaroos
("Lord" Jonathan Boyd
and Norman Frederick Charles III) and the team of Tony Borne and Moondog Mayne. The Von Steigers held the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship
seven times, defeating such teams as Moondog Mayne and Beuregard, Billy White Wolf
& Johnny War Eagle and the pairing of Tony Borne and Moondog Mayne. Kurt Von Steiger also saw singles success in Portland, winning and holding the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship
briefly in 1970 and again in 1971. In early 1971, Portland territory owner Don Owen and Mad Dog Vachon, who were close friends, planned to have the Vachon Brothers (Butcher
and Mad Dog
) lose the AWA World Tag Team Championship
to the Von Steigers. Although the Von Steigers won the championship, the title change was never officially recognized by the AWA. The problem was that the Vachons had not gotten permission from American Wrestling Association
(AWA) owner Verne Gagne
to lose the titles to the Von Steigers. The Vachons lost the AWA titles to the Von Steigers on February 23, 1971 and then went on a tour of the Orient; when they returned three weeks later, the Vachons "regained" the titles on a technicality.
The team kept working for NWA Pacific Northwest but also did the occasional tour of other promotions, such as the NWA Mid-Pacific
promotion in Hawaii
. On September 10, 1969 the Von Steigers defeated Pedro Morales
& Ed Francis
for the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship
, but lose the title belts back to Morales and Francis a month later. In 1971 the team toured Australia working for the Australian version of World Championship Wrestling, where they defeated King Curtis Iaukea
and Mark Lewin
for the IWA World Tag Team Championship
and held the titles until they were replaced with the NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship
. In 1972 Kurt Von Steiger bought a share of a wrestling promotion in Phoenix, Arizona
and decided to settle down there. Karl Von Steiger, on the other hand, decided to keep on traveling the world while wrestling, which led to the Von Steigers splitting up.
, "Big" Bill Anderson and Afa Anoa'i
of the Wild Samoans
. After the Phoenix promotion folded Kurt Von Steiger returned to the NWA Pacific Northwest promotion where he held the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship two more times, with Killer Karl Krupp
and Mati Suzuki. He later retired from wrestling and start up a septic tank business in Oregon.
's NWA Western States territory based out of Amarillo, Texas
. In 1972 Von Steiger teamed up with Ciclon Negro to win the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship
, a title he would also hold in 1974, this time with Siegfried Stanke. Karl also won the NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship
from Terry Funk
and hold it for six months before losing it to Ricky Romero. In April 1973 Killer Karl Krupp chose Kurt Von Steiger to replace Fritz Von Erich
as one half of the NWA International Tag Team Championship
in Japan Wrestling Association. When the promotion closed shortly after Von Steiger and Krupp took the belts with them to Texas and gave them to Dory Funk to use. In 1974 Karl Von Steiger engaged in a prolonged storyline with future World Champion Bob Backlund
centering on the Western States Heavyweight Championship. Von Steiger would win the title from Backlund on two occasions in 1974.
In 1975 Von Steiger moved on to Alabama
, where he began to work for Nick Gulas
' NWA Mid-America territory. In NWA Mid-America Von Steiger would team with another "German", Otto Von Heller, like Steiger he too was only pretending to be German. The team defeated George Gulas and Jackie Fargo
to win the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship on May 26, 1975. Soon after, the team of Von Steiger and Von Heller defeated Fargo and Gulas once again, this time for the NWA Mid-America U.S. Tag Team Championship and held them until August 1975 where they lost them to the team of Tojo Yamamoto
and Tommy Rich
. The teams biggest success came when they won NWA Mid-America's main tag team title, the NWA Mid-America Southern Tag Team Championship
from the team of Jimmy Golden
and Tojo Yamamoto, a title they would win once more in 1975. After breaking up with Von Heller Karl worked various other southern territories, never settling down in one particular place long enough.
in a tournament. They would lose the titles to longtime rival Moondog Mayne and local star Ray Stevens
but quickly regain the titles. On January 12, 1978 the Von Steigers lost the titles for good as the team of Black Gordman and Goliath defeated them. Following the loss Kurt Von Steiger retired while Karl wrestled for another couple of years, retiring either in 1979 or 1980.
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
of professional wrestlers
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
Lorne Corlett and Arnold Pastrick worked under for most of their careers. The Von Steiger gimmick was that of two German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
villains, called heels
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
, despite both wrestlers hailing from Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Arnold Pastrick used the name Kurt Von Steiger, and Lorne Corlett worked as Karl Von Steiger. The Von Steigers are best known for competing in Pacific Northwest Wrestling
Pacific Northwest Wrestling
Pacific Northwest Wrestling is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first such company was founded by Herb Owen in 1925...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
between 1968 and 1973 but also competed in Tennessee, San Francisco, Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
, Australia, the American Wrestling Alliance and the Carolina territory.
Professional wrestling history
Arnold Pastrick made his professional wrestling debut in 1959 in his native WinnipegWinnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and worked for the local Madison Wrestling Club promotion as a solid mid-card face
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
. Lorne Corlett made his debut in 1960, working for the Madison Wrestling Club under the ring name "Butcher Boy" Corlett. In 1965, Corlett won the MWC Heavyweight Championship and held it for over 6 months. When the Madison Wrestling Club folded in 1968, the two men formed a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
and adopted a German gimmick — not an overtly Nazi ring persona, but instead playing off the imagery of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Germany complete with spiked helmets
Pickelhaube
The Pickelhaube , also "Pickelhelm," was a spiked helmet worn in the 19th and 20th centuries by German military, firefighters, and police...
. The gimmick was a strange choice for Pastrick because his parents were Polish and had been held in a Concentration camp during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Von Steigers
The Von Steigers first became noticed as a team in the Calgary, Alberta-based Stampede WrestlingStampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
, where they won the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship
Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship
The Stampede International Tag Team Championship is the main tag-team title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. It was created in 1958 as the NWA International Tag-Team Championship...
in 1967, their first title as a team. After working in the Stampede Territory for a while, the duo moved on, leaving Canada to begin working for the promotion most synonymous with the Von Steigers, NWA Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest Wrestling
Pacific Northwest Wrestling is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first such company was founded by Herb Owen in 1925...
in Portland. In Portland, the team really came into their own and they found success as the Von Steigers; the fans despised the duo, and the partners quickly rose up the card. Their fellow wrestlers held the team in great respect because they were good "ring generals", in other words they were good at controlling the flow of the match, keeping the pre-planned story on track. While working in Portland, the Von Steigers engaged in several storylines
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with other Portland based teams, such as The Royal Kangaroos
The Royal Kangaroos
The Royal Kangaroos was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of cousins “Lord” Jonathan Boyd and Norman Frederick Charles III. The duo played off their Australian heritage which included using a boomerang as their weapon of choice...
("Lord" Jonathan Boyd
Jonathan Boyd
Jonathan Barry Boyle was an Australian professional wrestler who is known worldwide under the name "Lord" Jonathan Boyd. Initially Boyd competed both in North American and international promotions as part of the Royal Kangaroos with his cousin Norman Frederick Charles III...
and Norman Frederick Charles III) and the team of Tony Borne and Moondog Mayne. The Von Steigers held the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship
NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship
The NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S...
seven times, defeating such teams as Moondog Mayne and Beuregard, Billy White Wolf
Adnan Al-Kaissie
Adnan Bin Abdulkareem Ahmed Alkaissy El Farthie , better known professionally as Adnan Al-Kaissie, is a former iraqi professional wrestler and a manager best known as Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissy, Billy White Wolf, or General Adnan...
& Johnny War Eagle and the pairing of Tony Borne and Moondog Mayne. Kurt Von Steiger also saw singles success in Portland, winning and holding the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship
NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S...
briefly in 1970 and again in 1971. In early 1971, Portland territory owner Don Owen and Mad Dog Vachon, who were close friends, planned to have the Vachon Brothers (Butcher
Paul Vachon
Paul "Butcher" Vachon is a former professional wrestler. He is a member of the Vachon wrestling family.-Professional wrestling career:Paul Vachon grew up as one of thirteen children of Ferdinand Vachon, a Montreal police officer...
and Mad Dog
Maurice Vachon
Maurice Vachon is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, best known by his ring name "Mad Dog" Vachon. He is the brother of wrestlers Paul and Vivian Vachon, and the uncle of wrestler Luna Vachon...
) lose the AWA World Tag Team Championship
AWA World Tag Team Championship
The American Wrestling Association World Tag Team Championship was professional wrestling world tag team championship in the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991.-History :...
to the Von Steigers. Although the Von Steigers won the championship, the title change was never officially recognized by the AWA. The problem was that the Vachons had not gotten permission from American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
(AWA) owner Verne Gagne
Verne Gagne
Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne , is a retired American professional wrestler, football player, and professional wrestling trainer and promoter. He was the former owner/promoter of the American Wrestling Association , based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which was the predominant promotion throughout...
to lose the titles to the Von Steigers. The Vachons lost the AWA titles to the Von Steigers on February 23, 1971 and then went on a tour of the Orient; when they returned three weeks later, the Vachons "regained" the titles on a technicality.
The team kept working for NWA Pacific Northwest but also did the occasional tour of other promotions, such as the NWA Mid-Pacific
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
promotion in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. On September 10, 1969 the Von Steigers defeated Pedro Morales
Pedro Morales
Pedro Morales is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He began his wrestling career as a teenager in 1959 and continued through to the late 1980s...
& Ed Francis
Ed Francis
Ed Francis was a professional wrestler and wrestling promoter in Hawaii in the 1960s. Many wrestlers who came through Hawaii in the '60s and '70s were bound to come across the name Ed Francis...
for the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship
NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship
The NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship was the primary tag team title of NWA Mid-Pacific Promotions and was defended between 1952 until 1978 when it was abandoned. The title was later revived by the current incarnation of NWA Hawaii in 2000...
, but lose the title belts back to Morales and Francis a month later. In 1971 the team toured Australia working for the Australian version of World Championship Wrestling, where they defeated King Curtis Iaukea
King Curtis Iaukea
Curtis Piehau Iaukea, III was a professional wrestler better known as King Curtis Iaukea. Iaukea won championships in several of the major regional US promotions, both as a single and in various tag team combinations, during the 1960s. He then competed in the World Wrestling Federation where he...
and Mark Lewin
Mark Lewin
-Career:Mark Lewin broke into wrestling in the early '50s and had great early success in a matinee-idol babyface tag team with Don Curtis, headlining in major territories like New York and Chicago. The team's brief heel turn was a shock to its many fans...
for the IWA World Tag Team Championship
IWA World Tag Team Championship
IWA World Tag Team Championship is a tag team titles being defending in the International Wrestling Association in Puerto Rico. It has been an active wrestling championship since January 6, 2000.-Title history:-References:*General...
and held the titles until they were replaced with the NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship
NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship
The NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1972 through the promotion's 1978 closure....
. In 1972 Kurt Von Steiger bought a share of a wrestling promotion in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
and decided to settle down there. Karl Von Steiger, on the other hand, decided to keep on traveling the world while wrestling, which led to the Von Steigers splitting up.
Singles career - Kurt Von Steiger
Kurt Von Steiger remained in Phoenix and took part in running the local wrestling promotion called "Universal Wrestling Federation" (later changed to "Universal Wrestling Alliance") and also training people to become professional wrestlers. In 1973 Von Steiger defeated Chris Colt to win the UWF Arizona Heavyweight Championship. In Arizona Von Steiger trained several notable wrestlers; Bobby JaggersBobby Jaggers
Bobby Jaggers is a retired professional wrestler.-In wrestling:*Finishing moves**Elbow drop**Reversed neckbreaker-Championships and accomplishments:...
, "Big" Bill Anderson and Afa Anoa'i
Afa Anoa'i
Arthur "Afa" Anoa'i, Sr. is a Samoan American retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Since retiring in the 1990s, he has operated the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion and trained wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Facility.-Early life:Anoa'i was born in Samoa, but...
of the Wild Samoans
Wild Samoans
The Wild Samoans was the professional wrestling tag team of Afa and Sika in Mid-South Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance and the World Wrestling Federation . The Samoans held 21 tag team championships around the world.-Gimmick:...
. After the Phoenix promotion folded Kurt Von Steiger returned to the NWA Pacific Northwest promotion where he held the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship two more times, with Killer Karl Krupp
Killer Karl Krupp
George Momberg , better known by the ring name Killer Karl Krupp, was a Dutch-born professional wrestler famous during the 1970s and early 1980s.-Early life:...
and Mati Suzuki. He later retired from wrestling and start up a septic tank business in Oregon.
Singles career - Karl Von Steiger
Karl briefly worked in Phoenix and held the UWA Western States Tag Team Championship with Tito Montez, losing it to Chris Colt and one of Kurt Von Steiger's students Bobby Jaggers, who worked as Bobby Mayne at the time. After leaving the Phoenix Territory he started working in Dory FunkDory Funk
Dorrance Wilhelm "Dory" Funk was a professional wrestler. He is the father of wrestlers Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk.-Career:...
's NWA Western States territory based out of Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
. In 1972 Von Steiger teamed up with Ciclon Negro to win the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship
NWA Western States Tag Team Championship
The NWA Western States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, NWA Western States Sports....
, a title he would also hold in 1974, this time with Siegfried Stanke. Karl also won the NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship
NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, NWA Western States Sports....
from Terry Funk
Terry Funk
Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
and hold it for six months before losing it to Ricky Romero. In April 1973 Killer Karl Krupp chose Kurt Von Steiger to replace Fritz Von Erich
Fritz Von Erich
Jack Barton Adkisson was an American professional wrestler under the ring name Fritz Von Erich, better known today as a wrestling promoter and the patriarch of the Von Erich family...
as one half of the NWA International Tag Team Championship
NWA International Tag Team Championship
The NWA International Tag Team Championship was a National Wrestling Alliance-sanctioned title contested for in All Japan Pro Wrestling . Prior to being used in AJPW, the title was defended in the Japan Wrestling Association . The title lasted from 1962 through 1988...
in Japan Wrestling Association. When the promotion closed shortly after Von Steiger and Krupp took the belts with them to Texas and gave them to Dory Funk to use. In 1974 Karl Von Steiger engaged in a prolonged storyline with future World Champion Bob Backlund
Bob Backlund
Robert Lee "Bob" Backlund is an American professional wrestler with an in ring career that spanned over 30 years. Over that time, he went on to become a two-time WWWF/WWF Champion...
centering on the Western States Heavyweight Championship. Von Steiger would win the title from Backlund on two occasions in 1974.
In 1975 Von Steiger moved on to Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, where he began to work for Nick Gulas
Nick Gulas
Nick Gulas was an American professional wrestling promoter in the Southern United States. Also known as The King of Managers and King B, Gulas helped start the careers of such wrestling stars as Tojo Yamamoto, Jackie Fargo, and Jerry "The King" Lawler in the 1960s and '70s, the Bounty Hunters with...
' NWA Mid-America territory. In NWA Mid-America Von Steiger would team with another "German", Otto Von Heller, like Steiger he too was only pretending to be German. The team defeated George Gulas and Jackie Fargo
Jackie Fargo
Henry Faggart, known by his ringname Jackie Fargo, is a retired American professional wrestler who competed in Southeastern regional promotions and the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s...
to win the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship on May 26, 1975. Soon after, the team of Von Steiger and Von Heller defeated Fargo and Gulas once again, this time for the NWA Mid-America U.S. Tag Team Championship and held them until August 1975 where they lost them to the team of Tojo Yamamoto
Tojo Yamamoto
Harold Watanabe was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tojo Yamamoto. He was born in Hawaii.-In-ring career:...
and Tommy Rich
Tommy Rich
Thomas Richardson , better known by his ring name, "Wildfire" Tommy Rich, is a professional wrestler. He is best known for his wrestling career in Georgia and Memphis throughout the 1980s.-Professional wrestling career:...
. The teams biggest success came when they won NWA Mid-America's main tag team title, the NWA Mid-America Southern Tag Team Championship
AWA Southern Tag Team Championship
The AWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the Tennessee area from the 1940s through the late 1980s. It was originally named the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship from its inception through 1977, when it was renamed the AWA Southern...
from the team of Jimmy Golden
Jimmy Golden
James "Jimmy" Golden is an American professional wrestler, who is better known as Bunkhouse Buck.Golden has many relatives in wrestling: his cousins are Robert & Ron Fuller, his father is Billy Golden and his uncle is Buddy Fuller and his nephew is Eddie Golden. His grandfather is Roy Welch...
and Tojo Yamamoto, a title they would win once more in 1975. After breaking up with Von Heller Karl worked various other southern territories, never settling down in one particular place long enough.
Von Steiger reunion
In 1977 the Von Steigers reunited for one more run as a tag team. They worked in the NWA San Francisco territory where they won the vacant San Francisco version of the NWA World Tag Team ChampionshipNWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version)
The San Francisco, California version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1950 until 1961, and then from 1968 until 1979.-Title history:...
in a tournament. They would lose the titles to longtime rival Moondog Mayne and local star Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens is an American country music, pop singer-songwriter who has become known for his novelty songs.-Early career:...
but quickly regain the titles. On January 12, 1978 the Von Steigers lost the titles for good as the team of Black Gordman and Goliath defeated them. Following the loss Kurt Von Steiger retired while Karl wrestled for another couple of years, retiring either in 1979 or 1980.
Kurt and Karl Von Steiger
- NWA Mid-PacificNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Hawaii Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Hawaii Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship was the primary tag team title of NWA Mid-Pacific Promotions and was defended between 1952 until 1978 when it was abandoned. The title was later revived by the current incarnation of NWA Hawaii in 2000...
(1 time)
- NWA San FranciscoNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version)NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version)The San Francisco, California version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1950 until 1961, and then from 1968 until 1979.-Title history:...
(2 times)
- Pacific Northwest WrestlingPacific Northwest WrestlingPacific Northwest Wrestling is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first such company was founded by Herb Owen in 1925...
- NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S...
(7 times)
- Stampede WrestlingStampede WrestlingStampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
- Stampede International Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
- IWA World Tag Team ChampionshipIWA World Tag Team Championship (WCW Australia)The IWA World Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1966 through 1971....
(3 times)
Kurt Von Steiger / Arnold Pastrick
- Eastern Sports AssociationEastern Sports AssociationThe Eastern Sports Association, often referred to in the business simply as "the Maritimes," was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Halifax, Nova Scotia...
- ESA International Tag Team ChampionshipESA International Tag Team ChampionshipEastern Sports Association's International Tag Team Title was represented by a Trophy, and was defended in the Maritimes from 1969-75.- International Tag Team Champions :...
(1 time) - with Fred Sweetan
- NWA Western States SportsNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Western States Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Western States Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Western States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, NWA Western States Sports....
(1 time) - with Tito Montez
- Pacific Northwest WrestlingPacific Northwest WrestlingPacific Northwest Wrestling is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first such company was founded by Herb Owen in 1925...
- NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S...
(2 times) - NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S...
(2 times) - with Killer Karl KruppKiller Karl KruppGeorge Momberg , better known by the ring name Killer Karl Krupp, was a Dutch-born professional wrestler famous during the 1970s and early 1980s.-Early life:...
(1), and Mati Suzuki (1)
- Universal Wrestling Federation (Arizona)
- UWF Arizona Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- UWA/WSWA
- UWA/WSWA Western States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Tito Montez
Karl Von Steiger / Lorne Corlett
- Japan Wrestling Association
- NWA International Tag Team ChampionshipNWA International Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA International Tag Team Championship was a National Wrestling Alliance-sanctioned title contested for in All Japan Pro Wrestling . Prior to being used in AJPW, the title was defended in the Japan Wrestling Association . The title lasted from 1962 through 1988...
(1 time) - with Killer Karl Krupp
- Madison Wrestling Club
- MWC Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Mid-PacificNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Hawaii Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Hawaii Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and is defended in the US state of Hawaii. The title, which is still currently defended, began in1935...
(1 time)
- NWA Mid-AmericaNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Mid-America Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Mid-America Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Mid-America tag-team championship was a tag-team title promoted by the NWA Mid America promotion that ran more or less exclusively in Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky from the 1940ties until 1980...
(1 time) - with Otto von Heller - NWA Mid-America Southern Tag Team ChampionshipAWA Southern Tag Team ChampionshipThe AWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the Tennessee area from the 1940s through the late 1980s. It was originally named the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship from its inception through 1977, when it was renamed the AWA Southern...
(2 times) - with Otto von Heller - NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time) - with Otto von Heller
- NWA Western States SportsNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Western States Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Western States Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, NWA Western States Sports....
(2 times) - NWA Western States Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Western States Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Western States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, NWA Western States Sports....
(2 times) - With Ciclón Negro (1) and Zeigfried Steinke (1)
External links
- Kurt & Karl von Steiger profile at Online World of Wrestling