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If you were growing up in the late eighties, the WWF was the biggest thing around. Everyone had their favorite wrestler, their favorite move and their favorite costume (The Ultimate Warrior). We’d stay up late to watch the fights and reenact them for the next week on anyone and anything that came close.
For most, it was the Americans of “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Brett “the Hitman” Hart and Marcus “Buff” Bagwell that were the real heroes. The superstars of the pro-wrestling world. But here in Germany, we have our own stars and although they may not have been as synonymous as a Hulk Hogan, they were ours and we adored them. So, lets reminisce and pay tribute to Germany’s wrestling heroes.
Donald Kalt was one of the most famous wrestlers in America for a time. A career that spanned over thirty years during the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, Fargo held 55 championships with 14 NWA World Tag Team Championships with his “The Fabulous Fargo’s” partner, Jackie. Inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014, he has been called “one of the most colorful, fascinating personalities ever in wrestling”.
Currently enjoying relative fame for the Imperium stable in the WWE NXT, he is a former NXT Tag Team Champion with Fabian Aichner. His early days were spent in the Westside Xtreme Wrestling in Germany under his ring name, Axel Dieter Jr, where he was a two-time World Tag Team Champion. Last year Barthel was voted number 240 of the 500 top wrestlers by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
Born Axel Tischer, Wolfe is currently well represented on the NXT and NXT UK brands. Becoming well known in Europe during Westside Xtreme Wrestling stints, he was signed to WWE where he won success with the Sanity team, pocketing the NXT Tag Team Championship with Eric young. He has had some time with WWE Smackdown and in 2018 made it to number 127 of the Top 500 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine.
Real name, Shannon Spruill, Daffney’s WCW career began in 1999 as the mentally deranged girlfriend of David Flair. Managing Flair and Crowbar, Daffney’s gothic character and loud, shrill screams earned her a promising fan base. When WCW folded, she later appeared for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as “The Governor”, a living meme of Alaskan Governor, Sarah Palin.
Daffney joined SHINE Wrestling in 2012 working as a ring announcer, hostess and commentator to this day. In 2009 she was ranked number 18 of Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Top 50.
Spending 7 years as a successful World Championship Wrestling mid-card fighter, Wright currently runs the New European Championship Wrestling promotion. In his day for WCW, he fought such names as Randy Savage, Chris Benoit, Buff Bagwell, Último Dragón and Diamond Dallas Page. In 1997, he beat Chris Jericho to win the Cruiserweight Championship, before losing the title to Disco Inferno. He was even a mini-celebrity in the Nineties appearing in promotional spots for various products, as many wrestlers did. From gigs for restaurants or gambling clubs, dressing up up like Indiana Jones-character to promote Book of Ra or (today there’s the Book of Dead free alternative to legendary game) on German local TV.
Spending some time fighting under the alias Berlyn, he left professional wrestling when WCW folded and was bought out by the WWF.
Born in Achim and the son of WWE hero, “Fit” Finlay, David has spent the last 6 years carving out a name for himself on the New Japan Pro Wrestling circuit. Residing in Atlanta, Georgia, he is a fourth generation wrestler and has been finding some good success in Tag Team as part of the “FinJuice” combination with Juice Robinson. But can he replicate the success of his father?
And our respected nominees for German of the Century:
Known in Japan as the “God of Wrestling”, Gotch left his amateur days behind him in Germany for a great life training and competing in Japan during the 70’s. Stints in America in the late sixties saw him win a couple of titles until an altercation with Buddy Rogers backstage finished his flashy career.
Forever known as the founder of modern wrestling in Germany, Abs work both as a professional wrestler and an advocate for the poor in the late 1800’s made him famous across Europe. The “German Oak” was the first superstar of German wrestling.
Born Herman Gustav Rohde Jr in America to German parents, he was the first true superstar of televised wrestling. Thirteen-time world champion, he is one of only three people to hold both the NWA and WWE titles. Rogers made famous the devastating finishing move, the “figure-four leglock”, still used by many wrestlers to this day. He was the first wrestler to rely on “flying moves; body slams, piledrivers and dropkicks, that have become common place in the ring. The original “Nature Boy”, surely the most famous of all wrestlers to fight with German blood.
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