Whitey Caldwell
| Whitey Caldwell | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 2, 1935 Morristown, Tennessee, United States |
| Died | October 7, 1972 (aged 37) Kingsport, Tennessee, United States |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Billed height | 6"1 |
| Billed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Debut | 1956 c. |
Whitey Caldwell (July 2, 1935 – October 2, 1972) was an American professional wrestler who mainly worked in the Gulf Coast and Tennessee territories.
Professional wrestling career[edit]
Whitey Caldwell made his professional wrestling debut in the 1950s. During most of his career he feuded with Ron Wright.[1] Caldwell and Wright would have chain matches in the late 1960s and early 1970s in Tennessee. In 1961, Wright seriously injured Caldwell (putting him out of action for a year), who was by then a very popular wrestling babyface and television champion.
On November 21, 1962, Caldwell defeated Wright in a Hair vs Hair match.[2] From 1969 to 1971, Caldwell would win the NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship six times with Ron Wright, Les Thatcher (three times), Johnny Walker, Frankie Cain, and Bearcat Brown.[3] On September 29, 1972, Caldwell won his last title defeating his arch rival Ron Wright for the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division) in Knoxville, Tennessee.[4]
Death[edit]
On October 7, 1972, Caldwell had wrestled a TV-taping that afternoon in Knoxville and that evening wrestled in Morristown, Tennessee. That night, Caldwell was killed in a car accident when a man was driving at high speed and was trying to pass cars when he hit Caldwell in a curve. Caldwell died in the hospital.[5] Caldwell was champion when he died.
In 1994, Caldwell was inducted into the Smoky Mountain Wrestling Hall of Fame inducted by Ron Wright.[5]
Championships and accomplishments[edit]
- NWA Mid-America
- NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Ron Wright (1), Les Thatcher (3), Johnny Walker (1), Frankie Cain (1) & Bearcat Brown (1)
- NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
References[edit]
- ^ "Slam Sports obituary Ron Wright". Slam.canoe.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
- ^ "The World's Largest Wrestling Database". Wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ "Whitey Caldwell : Title Reigns". Cagematch.net. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ "NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship". Cagematch.net. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ a b "Whitey Caldwell". Onlineworldofwrestling.com. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
October 7, 1972: Whitey Caldwell (the reigning Southeastern Heavyweight Champion) was killed in an automoblie accident.
External links[edit]
- The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes and Icons
- Remembering Whitey Caldwell 45 years after his death.
Further reading[edit]
- James, Beau (2016). Don't Miss This! The History of Pro Wrestling in Kingsport, TN 1960–1969. Beau James. ISBN 978-1500847555.