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Fargo was found unconscious in his North Carolina home and rushed to the hospital last week, where he remained in critical condition. He had been battling congenital heart disease for some time. At the time of his hospitalization, only 15% of Fargo's heart was working.
While wrestling fans today will forever equate Memphis Wrestling with Jerry Lawler, before there was a "King", there was a Fargo.
Fargo worked for a number of territories during his career but will be forever intertwined with Memphis Wrestling. However, he worked in Georgia, the NYC predecessor to the WWWF, and lots of groups across the Mid-West. He held several versions of the NWA Tag straps with Don Fargo and the Southern Tag Team belts with everyone from Lou Thesz to Jerry Jarrett.
A great interview, Fargo was a wild, roughhouse brawler. While everyone today thinks of Jerry Lawler as the King of Memphis, the crown, the throne and the hearts of Memphis Wrestling fans belonged to Fargo for many, many years before Lawler's name was ever uttered on TV.
Although Memphis would consider him one of their own, Fargo is actually from China Grove, NC. Fargo broke into the business in the Carolinas working for an "outlaw" group (what would today be considered an independent group; it was outlaw because it ran the same territory as an established NWA group without the NWA blessing.) as Dick or Dickie Bishop, depending on the area.
After a run in the military, Fargo returned to the business and actually worked on top for the New York territory that preceded WWWF in the 1950s. It was there that promoter Toots Mondt realized that Jackie and another wrestler, Don Kait, would work well as a heel duo. The Fargos were born.
Managed by Bobby Davis, the duo carried themselves as completely arrogant villains with blonde died hair, purple and red outfits, sequined jackets and top hats. The duo were white hot as heels and even headlined in Madison Square Garden in 1957.
By 1958, the duo had hit Memphis, which was never, ever the same. It became the epicenter of Fargo's career, although the team continued touring for a number of Southern areas with runs in Chicago as well.
Fargo worked for most of his career as a crazy, brawling, cocky heel. Those qualities, not unlike Steve Austin many generations later, led to the audience eventually embracing him as a massive super-hero babyface.
At times, even Fargo needed help to even the odds. "Roughhouse" Sonny Fargo would be introduced, with the idea that he was locked away in a nuthouse and would be brought out when dire circumstances called for it. Fargo was known as a crazy brawler, so when Roughhouse, the one so dangerous he needed to be locked away, was set loose, Memphis became unglued with the excitement of the heels getting theirs from the Fargos.
While Don Fargo would go off in his own direction and work under lots of different guises, Jackie was set in Memphis by the 1960s and working there full-time.
Fargo was also responsible for breaking a local artist named Jerry Lawler into the business. Lawler, who was discovered by announcer Lance Russell after the Memphis TV show host received artwork showcasing what happened at the weekly Mid-South Coliseum events. Russell began using the art regularly, setting Lawler on his own journey into wrestling immortality. The young Lawler worked for Fargo painting and creating signage for his side business. This was Lawler's foot in the door and Fargo became his trainer, mentor and at times, opponent.
Fargo officially retired in 1980 but remained a colorful figure in Memphis Wrestling as the manager and springboard for The Fabulous Ones, Stan Lane and Steve Keirn, who at one point were the hottest tag team the territory had ever seen. Fargo bestowed the strut upon them as part of their personality, which they accentuated with beards, tuxedo-like ring outfits and other Chippendales style garb to draw female fans (which they did, by the bus load).
Fargo would occasionally come out of retirement to team with the duo or Lawler as well. Even as the years went on and he became older, Fargo was a regular presence for pro wrestling in the South. He was brought in to help bring additional "oomph" to major events and was the referee who counted the pinfall when Lawler pinned Curt Hennig to win the AWA World title. He was the living legend.
Fargo was honored in 2009 by the NWA Legends Hall of Heroes. He was a big part of the awesome "Memphis Heat" documentary that was released a few years ago and will always be synonymous with wrestling in that city.
On behalf of everyone associated with PWInsider.com, we offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and fans of one of the greatest personalities of all time in pro wrestling, Jackie Fargo.
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