[Spiros Arion GALLERY]
Title History
- IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Karl Gotch (????, 1965);
- IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Killer Kowalski (August 6, 1965);
- IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Guy Mitchell (October 29, 1966);
- WWWF United States Tag Team titles w/Antonio Pugliese defeating Smasher Sloan & Baron Mikel Scicluna (December 8, 1966);
- WWWF United States Tag Team titles w/Bruno Sammartino defeating Tony Altimore & Lou Albano (July 24, 1967);
- IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Killer Karl Kox (January ??, 1968);
- IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Gorilla Monsoon (March 22, 1968);
- IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Killer Karl Kox (February 21, 1969);
- IWA (Australia) World Tag Team titles w/Mario Milano defeating Brute Bernard & Skull Murphy (December 19, 1969);
- IWA (Australia) World Tag Team titles w/Mark Lewin defeating Kurt & Karl Von Steiger (????, 1970);
- NWA Austra Asian Heavyweight title defeating Killer Karl Kox (April 28, 1972);
- NWA Austra Asian Heavyweight title defeating Bulldog Brower (September 22, 1972);
- NWA Austra Asian Heavyweight title defeating Brute Bernard (November 25, 1972);
- NWA Austra Asian Tag Team titles w/Mark Lewin defeating Hiro Tojo & Waldo Von Erich (July ??, 1973);
- (UK) World Heavyweight title defeating ????????? (????, 1979);
Career Highlights
In The Beginning
- Spiros Arion began his pro career in 1961 in Paris & wrestled around Europe for a few years before settling in Australia..
Australia
- July 1965: Spiros Arion arrived on the Australian wrestling scene and quickly became a favorite among the Greek fans..
- August 1965: Spiros Arion won his first of many IWA World titles & Austra-Asian titles in Australia..
- Spiros Arion spent the first 14 years of Australia’s World Championship Wrestling holding the World title about 10 times..
- 1965: Karl Gotch won the title briefly from Spiros Arion, but lost it back shortly after..
- Spiros Arion finished 1965 as World champion but no showed at the beginning of ’66 after jumping ship and taking the title!
- ~~~WCW officials ‘fabricated’ a result in Hawaii that had Killer Kowalski pinning Arion for the title..
- Over in the rival promotion, Spiros Arion defended the belt against the 400 pound plus King Kong Czaja in Sydney..
- ~~~The ref was decked by Czaja & missed Arion’s pin on him, the largely Greek crowd rioted & started to storm the ring with chairs..
- ~~~The terrified referee quickly declared Arion the winner & then bolted, with several hundred chair wielding Greeks going wild..
- Late 1966: Spiros Arion returned to WCW and was obviously forgiven as he was immediately given the IWA title again..
- Early 1971: The IWA World title was abandoned after Jim Barnett joined the NWA agreeing to recognize the NWA’s World title..
- Early 1972: A new title called the Austra-Asian championship was created with Spiros Arion as the first champion..
- 1974: Spiros Arion left Jim Barnett’s WCW promotion while still holding the Austra-Asian Heavyweight title..
- ~~~Spiros Arion had been defending the Austra-Asian title against Bobby Shane at the time of his departure..
- ~~~WCW again made up a story about Arion being pinned overseas — this time by Waldo Von Erich..
World Wide Wrestling Federation
- 1975: Spiros Arion headed to America to work for the WWWF as Bruno Sammartino’s “protege”..
- ~~~Spiros Arion was eventually turned heel by the influence of manager Fred Blassie to feud with Bruno Sammartino..