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The Missouri Mauler
The Missouri Mauler
Birth name	Larry Hamilton
Born	March 11, 1931; St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S.
Died	July 20, 1996 (aged 65); St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S.
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	The Missouri Mauler; Rocky Hamilton; Thunderbolt; The Black Secret
Billed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Billed weight	325 lb (147 kg)
Debut	c. 1950
Retired	1981

Larry Edward "Rocky" Hamilton^[1] (April 1, 1931 – July 20, 1996), better known by his ring name the Missouri Mauler, was an American professional wrestler who competed in the National Wrestling Alliance, becoming a mainstay of the latter promotion throughout the 1960s.^[2]

One of the earliest professional wrestlers to appear on televised wrestling events, he feuded with many popular wrestlers of the era including Jack Brisco,^[3] "Plowboy" Stan Frazier, Steve Keirn, Tim Woods, Tarzan Tyler and Fritz Von Erich during his 31-year career.

He is also the older brother of wrestler Jody Hamilton who competed as the masked wrestler the Assassin as well as the uncle of former World Championship Wrestling official Nick Patrick.^[2]

Career

Early life and career

Making his debut in the Missouri area during the early 1950s,^[1] he began wrestling for promoter Ed Don George in Buffalo, New York, where he and his brother began teaming together as the Hamilton Brothers in 1957^[2] headlining an event at Madison Square Garden against Antonino Rocca and Miguel Perez the following year.^[4]^[1]

Splitting up shortly thereafter, Hamilton and his brother went their separate ways leaving New York in October 1958 with Joseph Hamilton leaving for San Francisco while Larry Hamilton began working for promoter Jim Crockett, Sr. in the Carolinas.^[1]

Crockett Promotions

It was during his time in what would later become Jim Crockett Promotions that Larry Hamilton would find his greatest success becoming a major star in the promotion in only a few years.^[1] Appearing in the earliest televised matches for the promotion, Hamilton teamed with the Great Bolo to win the regional tag team title from Mr. Moto and Duke Keomuka in 1959.

The two would remain the top "heel" tag team in the promotion until the early 1960s when Joseph Hamilton was brought into the promotion and began teaming with the Great Bolo in 1961 (the two would continue teaming together as the Assassins for the next 15 years).^[2]

Hamilton and the Masked Bolos (Jody Hamilton and Tom Renesto) faced Haystacks Calhoun and the Kentuckyians (John Quinn and Grizzly Smith) in a series of six-man tag team matches during the next year setting several attendance records in the Carolina-Virginia area including an event held the Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, South Carolina.

During the early 1970s, Hamilton formed a successful tag team with Jim "Brute" Bernard winning the Texas-based NWA America and NWA Atlantic Coast tag team titles between 1971 and 1972.

Later years

Following his retirement in 1981, Hamilton entered bail bonding and was involved in the St. James Catholic Church in his hometown St. Joseph, Missouri.^[1] In later years, Hamilton lived with his elderly mother and underwent hip replacement surgery,^[1] but remained in relatively good health until his death from a heart attack on July 20, 1996.^[2]

Championships and accomplishments

American Wrestling Association
- Nebraska Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Central States Wrestling

L&G Promotions

L&G Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Championship Wrestling from Florida

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling

NWA Eastern States Heavyweight Championship (2 times) ^[12]
NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Brute Bernard^[13]
NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (2 times) - with Great Bolo (1) and Pampero Firpo (1) ^[14]

NWA Big Time Wrestling

NWA American Heavyweight Championship (1 time) ^[15]^[16]
NWA American Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Brute Bernard^[17]^[18]
NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[19]^[20]

World Championship Wrestling (Australia)¹

NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Steve Rackman^[21]

Southeastern Championship Wrestling - Continental Championship Wrestling

NWA Southeast United States Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times) ^[22]

Notes

¹Note: This promotion, though named World Championship Wrestling, was an NWA affiliated promotion based out of Australia and operated from the 60's to the 90's. This promotion should not be confused with the U.S.-based World Championship Wrestling once owned by Ted Turner and sold to World Wrestling Entertainment in 2001.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Mooneyham, Mike (August 11, 1996). "Larry Hamilton: The Missouri Mauler". The Wrestling Gospel According to Mike Mooneyham. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Mooneyham, Mike (July 1, 2018). "Did you know The Missouri Mauler has a famous brother?". The Post and Courier. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
^ Slagle, Steve (2000). "The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame: Jack Brisco". Professional Wrestling Online Museum. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
^ "Official Website for Jody Hamilton, the Assassin - Biography". Georgia Wrestling History, Inc. 2004. Archived from the original on June 3, 2004. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
^ Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2006). "(Kansas and Western Missouri) West Missouri: North American Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 253. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
^ "NWA North American Tag Team Title (Central States version)". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
^ "N.W.A. United States Heavyweight Title". Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
^ "N.W.A. Florida Brass Knuckles Title". Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
^ "N.W.A. Florida Heavyweight Title". Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
^ "N.W.A. Florida Television Title". Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
^ "N.W.A. Southern Heavyweight Title (Florida)". Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
^ "N.W.A. Eastern States Heavyweight Title". Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
^ "N.W.A. Atlantic Coast Tag Team Title". Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
^ "N.W.A. Southern Tag Team Title (Mid-Atlantic)". Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Texas: NWA / World Class American Heavyweight Title [Von Eric]". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 265–266. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
^ "NWA United States Heavyweight Title (1967-1968/05) - American Heavyweight Title (1968/05-1986/02)". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "(Dallas) Texas: NWA American Tag Team Title [Fritz Von Erich]". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 978-0-9698161-5-7.
^ "N.W.A. American Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
^ Will, Gary; Duncan, Royal (2000). "Texas: NWA Texas Heavyweight Title [Von Erich]". Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. pp. 268–269. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
^ "NWA Texas Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
^ "N.W.A. Austra-Asian Tag Team Title". Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
^ "N.W.A. United States Junior Heavyweight Title". Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved June 13, 2007.