[A Portrait of Dick the Bruiser]
Title History
- NWA (Detroit) United States Heavyweight title defeating Wilbur Snyder (December 14, 1957);
- NWA (Detroit) United States Heavyweight title defeating Wilbur Snyder (May 23, 1959);
- NWA (Omaha) World Heavyweight title defeating Wilbur Snyder (1959);
- NWA (Chicago) World Tag Team titles w/Gene Kiniski defeating Roy Shires and Ray Shires (February 11, 1960);
- NWA (Detroit) United States Heavyweight title defeating Bob Ellis (June 11, 1960);
- NWA (Detroit) United States Heavyweight title defeating Bobo Brazil (February 28, 1961);
- NWA (Detroit) United States Heavyweight title defeating Wilbur Snyder (June 2, 1962);
- AWA World Tag Team titles w/Crusher Lisowski defeating Ivan Kalmikoff and Karol Kalmikoff (August 20, 1963);
- AWA (Indiana) World Tag Team titles w/Wilbur Snyder defeating Ivan Kalmikoff and Karol Kalmikoff (November 5, 1963);
- AWA (Indiana) World Tag Team titles w/Wilbur Snyder defeating Ciclon Negro and Masked Terror (December 10, 1963);
- AWA World Tag Team titles w/Crusher Lisowski defeating Verne Gagne and Moose Evans (February 23, 1964);
- WWA (Los Angeles) World Heavyweight title defeating Fred Blassie (April 22, 1964);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Heavyweight title [Created WWA Names Himself Champion] (April 22, 1964);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles w/Wilbur Snyder [First Ever Champions] (April 25, 1964);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles w/Wilbur Snyder defeating Nicoli Volkoff and Angelo Poffo (September 4, 1964);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Heavyweight title defeating Johnny Valentine (April 10, 1965);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Heavyweight title defeating Gene Kiniski (December 25, 1965);
- AWA World Tag Team titles w/Crusher Lisowski defeating Larry Hennig and Harley Race (May 28, 1966);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles w/Wilbur Snyder defeating The Assassins (Mitchell and Tomasso) (June 11, 1966);
- AWA World Heavyweight title defeating Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon (November 12, 1966);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles w/The Crusher defeating Angelo Poffo and Chris Markoff (January 21, 1967);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles w/The Crusher defeating Angelo Poffo and Chris Markoff (July 15, 1967);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles w/The Crusher defeating Mitsu Arakawa and Dr. Moto (December 28, 1968);
- AWA World Tag Team titles w/Crusher Lisowski defeating Mitsu Arakawa and Dr. Moto (December 28, 1968);
- NWA (Ohio) United States Tag Team titles w/Wilbur Snyder defeating Reginald Love and Hartford Love (April 3, 1969);
- NWA (Japan) International Tag Team titles w/The Crusher defeating Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki (August 11, 1969);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Heavyweight title defeating Wilbur Snyder (August 29, 1969);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles w/Bill Miller defeating Jack Dillinger and Jim Dillinger (June 26, 1970);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Heavyweight title defeating Baron Von Raschke (October 14, 1970);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles w/The Crusher defeating Blackjack Lanza and Blackjack Mulligan (December 9, 1972);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles w/Bruno Sammartino defeating Baron Von Raschke and Ernie Ladd (July 21, 1973);
- AWA World Tag Team titles w/Crusher Lisowski defeating Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens (August 16, 1975);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles w/The Crusher defeating Jacques Goulet and Zarinoff LeBeouf (September 20, 1975);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles w/The Crusher defeating Ox Baker and Chuck O’Connor (May 1, 1976);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Heavyweight title defeating The Masked Stranger [Guy Mitchell] (March 5, 1977);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Heavyweight title defeating Ivan Koloff (December 26, 1977);
- NWA Missouri Heavyweight title defeating Dick Murdoch (July 14, 1978);
- NWA Missouri Heavyweight title defeating Dick Murdoch (May 18, 1979);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Heavyweight title defeating King Kong [Bruiser] Brody (June 9, 1979);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles w/Spike Huber defeating Roger Kirby and Paul Christy (October 7, 1979);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Heavyweight title defeating King Kong [Bruiser] Brody (May 31, 1980);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Heavyweight title defeating Ernie Ladd (November 29, 1980);
- NWA Missouri Heavyweight title defeating Ken Patera (January 1, 1982);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Heavyweight title [Awarded when Harley Race vacates] (January 1983);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles w/Jeff Van Kamp defeating Jerry Valiant and Abdullah the Great (January 7, 1984);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Heavyweight title defeating Greg Wojokowski (January 28, 1985);
- WWA (Indianapolis) World Tag Team titles w/Bobby Colt defeating Mad Maxx and Super Maxx (March 1985);
- World Championship Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee (May 22, 1994);
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Halls of Fame Induction (2005)
- OnlineWorldofWrestling.com Hall of Fame Inductee (2005);
Career History
- William Afflis played college football at both Purdue and Nevada.
- William Afflis was an early NFL football star (Green Bay Packers from 1951-1954) turned pro wrestling legend.
- ~~~Afflis suffered a crushed esophagus during his NFL career with explains his rough gravely voice.
- Dick the Bruiser was the original beer guzzling, cigar smoking, toughguy in the wrestling industry.
- December 5, 1969: Dick The Bruiser defeated Black Jack Lanza w/Bobby Heenan in a Texas Death Match.
- January 9, 1970 (Kiel Auditorium): NWA World champion Dory Funk Jr. defeated Dick The Bruiser.
- August 14, 1970 – AWA Comiskey Park: The Vachon Brothers defeated The Crusher and Dick The Bruiser in a Steel Cage Match!
- June 4, 1971: Crazy Luke Graham and Tarzan Tyler defeated Dick the Bruiser and The Sheik for the WWWF Tag Team title.
- June 25, 1976 – AWA Chicago Stadium: The Crusher and Dick the Bruiser defeated Blackjack Lanza and Bobby Duncum.
- Dick the Bruiser was the owner/operator of NWA: World Wrestling Association out of Indianapolis.
- Dick the Bruiser formed a tag team with Bruno Sammartino, known as Annihilation Inc.
- Dick the Bruiser actually gave Bobby Heenan the nickname “The Weasel”
- September 28, 1985 – AWA SuperClash: The Koloffs and Krusher Khruschev beat The Crusher and The Bruiser and Baron Von Raschke.
- 1985: Dick the Bruiser retired from the ring after a 30 year career.
- Dick Afflis remained involved with wrestling, working as a talent agent for WCW.
- November 10, 1991: Dick Afflis (age 62) died of a ruptured esophagus at his home in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida.