[Teach Me About: Buddy Austin]
Title History
- NWA (Florida) Southern Heavyweight title defeating Don Curtis (January 10, 1961);
- NWA Central States Heavyweight title defeating ???????? (June 2, 1961);
- NWA Central States Heavyweight title defeating Tarzan Tyler (November 10, 1961);
- AJPW All Asia Tag Team titles w/Mike Sharpe defeating Toyonobori & Rikidozan (June 4, 1962);
- WWWF United States Tag Team titles w/Great Scott defeating Johnny Barend & Buddy Rogers (March 7, 1963);
- WWA (Los Angeles) World Tag Team titles w/El Mongol defeating Alberto Torres & Thunderbolt Patterson (April 18, 1966);
- WWA (Los Angeles) World Heavyweight title defeating Pedro Morales (August 5, 1966);
- WWA (Los Angeles) World Heavyweight title defeating Bobo Brazil (September 16, 1966);
- WWA (Los Angeles) World Tag Team titles w/Fred Blassie defeating Victor Rivera & Pedro Morales (?????, 1967);
- NWA Texas Heavyweight title defeating Paul DeMarco [Tournament] (May ??, 1967);
- WWA (Los Angeles) World Heavyweight title defeating Mike DiBiase (August 25, 1967);
- NWA Hawaii Tag Team titles w/Ripper Collins defeating Bobby Shane & Nick Bockwinkel (April 16, 1969);
- IWA (Australia) World Tag Team titles w/Curtis Iaukea defeating Spiros Arion & Mario Milano (December 26, 1969);
- NWA (Central States) North American Tag Team titles w/Bob Orton Sr. defeating ??????? (????, 1971);
Career Highlights
- Buddy Austin was born named Austin Rapes but legally changed it to Austin Wesley Rogers..
- Buddy Austin (as Francis Gabor) teamed with Fritz Von Goering (as John Gabor) as The Gabor Brothers.
- Late 1950s: Buddy Austin wrestled in the Al Haft promotion in Ohio (a company known for having wrestlers with weird names)..
- ~~~~~Buddy Austin sometimes teamed with Fritz Von Goering (John Gabor), but both used their respective ring names.
- Buddy Austin claimed he was called “Killer” because he “killed a man with a piledriver” — which did not happen.
- Buddy Austin was one of “Handsome” Harley Race’s trainers — Race of course had 8 NWA World title reigns..
- 1961: Buddy Austin held the NWA Central States Heavyweight title for five months and one day..
- Buddy Austin had a major run in Japan in the 1960s..
- Buddy Austin was a long-time partner with Fred Blassie before they turned on each other in California..
- May 1967–(San Antonio): Buddy Austin beat Paul Demarco in Tournament Final to win Texas Heavyweight Title.
- 1968: Buddy Austin lost two infant daughters in a tragic pool drowning accident..
- Buddy Austin worked as a minister in the last years of his life..
- August 12, 1981: Buddy Austin died of a heart attack at the age of 51.
- Thanks to Buddy Austin’s daughter, Monique Rogers, for information about her father.