Otto Wanz

Last updated: September 17, 2017

Title History

  • AWA World Heavyweight title;
  • CWA World Heavyweight title (4);

Career Highlights

  • Otto Wanz started his career as Boxer and he won the Austrian boxing Title several times..
  • Early 1980: Big Otto was a very big name wrestler in Europe and in the United States..
  • August 29, 1982: Otto Wanz defeated Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World Heavyweight title..
  • October 9, 1982: Nick Bockwinkel defeated Otto Wanz to recapture the AWA World Heavyweight title..
  • 1983: Otto Wanz was part of the big New Japan tournament to crown the very first IWGP Heavyweight Champion..
  • 1990s: Otto Wanz was the operator of a Germany-based promotion called Catch Wrestling Association..
  • July 15, 1978 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Don Leo Jonathan to win the world heavyweight title.
  • December 22, 1978 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated John Quinn to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • July 7, 1979 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Chief Jay Strongbow to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • July 12, 1980 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Don Leo Jonathan to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • December 20, 1980 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Steven Pearsay to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • June 12, 1982 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Bobby Duncam to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • July 9, 1983 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Sgt. Slaughter to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • November 20, 1983 – MSG: Hulk Hogan defeated Otto Wanz.
  • December 20, 1983 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Big John Studd to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • July 14, 1984 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Ed Leslie to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • September 29, 1984 – Joint Promotions: Otto Wanz defeated Ray Steele to retain the CWA world heavyweight title.
  • December 22, 1984 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated King Kong Bundy to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • July 6, 1985 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Dave Barbie to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • December 21, 1985 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Randy Colley to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • August 11, 1986 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Bobby Duncam to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • November 11, 1986 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated John Quinn to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • December 20, 1986 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Dick Murdoch to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • July 11, 1987 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Bull Power to win the world heavyweight title.
  • August 21, 1987 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Bull Power to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • December 19, 1987 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Andre The Giant by count-out to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • July 9, 1988 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Black Bart Johnson to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • December 17, 1988 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated The Great Kokina to retain the world heavyweight title.
  • November 5, 1989 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Ivan Strogoff.
  • February 26, 1990 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Ivan Strogoff.
  • June 30, 1990 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Bull Power.
  • July 18, 1990 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Klaus Kauroff.
  • July 22, 1990 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Salvatore Bellomo.
  • July 24, 1990 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Col. Brody.
  • July 27, 1990 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Fit Finlay.
  • August 1, 1990 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Tony St. Clair.
  • August 2, 1990 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Cannonball Grizzly.
  • August 4, 1990 – CWA: Rambo defeated Otto Wanz.
  • August 10, 1990 – CWA: Fit Finlay defeated Otto Wanz by disqualification.
  • August 12, 1990 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Texas Scott by count-out.
  • August 14, 1990 – CWA: Otto Wanz & Steve Wright defeated Cannonball Grizzly & Fit Finlay by disqualification.
  • November 5, 1990 – CWA: Cannonball Grizzly, Rocky Las Vegas & Texas Scott defeated Eddy Steinblock, Otto Wanz & Rambo.
  • November 8, 1990 – CWA: Otto Wanz, Rambo & Steve Wright defeated Cannonball Grizzly, Rocky Las Vegas & Texas Scott.
  • November 10, 1990 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Cannonball Grizzly.
  • November 22, 1990 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Terry Funk.
  • June 24, 1991 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Buffalo Peterson.
  • July 4, 1991 – CWA: Franz Schuhmann & Otto Wanz defeated Col. Brody & Fit Finlay.
  • August 3, 1991 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Buffalo Peterson.
  • August 7, 1991 – CWA: Franz Schuhmann, Otto Wanz & Rambo defeated Barbarian, Buffalo Peterson & Joe Cruz.
  • June 11, 1994 – CWA: Hias defeated Otto Wanz.
  • July 6, 1994 – CWA: Cannonball Grizzly defeated Otto Wanz by disqualification.
  • July 6, 1996 – CWA: Otto Wanz & Steve Wright defeated Klaus Kauroff & Rene Lasartesse.
  • August 23, 1996 – CWA: Otto Wanz defeated Terry Funk.
  • Otto Wanz is a celebrity in Austria, appearing in many commercials, and is an actor..
  • Otto Wanz made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for destroying telephone books with his bare hands..
  • September 14, 2017: Otto Wanz has passed away at the age of 74.

    Otto Wanz started his career at the age of 14 in the year 1957 in amateur-boxing, becoming five-times champion of the country and one-time Austrian champion. He competed in about 120 amateur-fights. In 1969, Otto started pro-Wrestling in Graz (Austria) and ended his career in 1996 also in Austria. He has wrestled in the Middle-East, Far-east Japan, USA, South Africa and Central Africa in Kinshasa.

 

Otto had 32 title fights for CWA and AWA with only two of them lost. he also had a couple of good parts in some European movies, many many TV-Shows and was also in one of the top theaters in Austria, Wien Josefstadt, under contract.

Otto was three times in the Guiness-Book of World Records for destroying telephone-books. Since 1992, he promotes the Strong-Men Sport in Austria until today. He has also wrestled in Austria, France, Spain, Germany, Hungary, and the former Yugoslavia.

nickname: "Big", "Steamroller from Graz", "The Austrian Steamroller"
birthday: June 13, 1943
hometown: Graz, Steiermark, Österreich
height: 6' 2" (189 cm)
weight: 385 lbs (175 kg)
trained by: Franz Mai (Amateur-Champion Austria),
Brad Rheingans,
Karl Gotch,
Baron von Raschke
debut: 1970-December 22, 1990
previous names: Bulldog Otto,
Grand Lapin
finishing move(s): The Steam Roller,
Big Otto Splash
favorite move(s): One-leg Boston Crab
notable feuds: Dick Beyer,
Andre The Giant,
Dick Murdoch,
Terry Funk,
Big Van Vader,
Nick Bockwinkel
gender: Male
status: Deceased
type: Single

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