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Otto Wanz

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.

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Trained By

Franz Mai (Amateur-Champion Austria),
Brad Rheingans,
Karl Gotch,
Baron von Raschke

Debut

1970-December 22, 1990

Birthday

June 13, 1943

Hometown

Graz, Steiermark, Österreich

Gender

Male

Height

6' 2" (189 cm)

Weight

385 lbs (175 kg)

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

Status

Deceased