James Raschke

Professional wrestling career Raschke started in professional wrestling in 1966 in the American Wrestling Association as a referee. He was soon wrestling under his real name, playing off of his amateur wrestling notoriety in the area. He also filled in for the injured Krusher Khruschev, defending the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship with Ivan Koloff and Nikita Koloff. After teaming with Wahoo McDaniel at the 1987 Crockett Cup he left the National Wrestling Alliance. but was released shortly after his arrival.

His last match was a victory over David Lynch at Superstars of Wrestling in Princeton, West Virginia on February 10, 1996.

In November 2021, Raschke appeared with All Elite Wrestling at its Full Gear pay-per-view. He was in the crowd for the 10-man street fight between The Inner Circle and American Top Team and put the Claw on Ethan Page.

Personal life When not wrestling, Raschke worked as a substitute teacher. Upon retirement, Raschke purchased and managed a bric-a-brac shop called "The Wigwam" in Lake George, Minnesota. He sold it in 2000. During the 1990s, he also worked at the Minnesota Zoo as a part-time Monorail driver.

Legacy Stage play: The Baron In April 2007, Raschke starred in a stage play, The Baron, based around his life, persona, and times in the AWA. The Baron, co-written by Cory McLeod and Raschke's son Karl, ran for several months at the Minnesota History Theatre. It detailed how a very mild-mannered and polite man created an in-ring gimmick that drew so much heat that he and his frequent tag-team wrestling partner (and real-life friend) Mad Dog Vachon often had to fight their way out of the ring.

Film documentary: The Claw The stage play was later used as the starting point for a film version of Raschke's life and career, The Claw. The film, again written by Karl Raschke, was directed by Phil Harder, a noted director of dozens of music videos, who had first met Raschke when he hired the wrestler to star in a video by Duluth indie-rock band Low. The film was shot in Minneapolis, with locations including the nightclub First Avenue (where the wrestling re-enactments were filmed), Mancini's restaurant, and the Walker Art Center. Begun in 2010, The Claw took nearly 10 years to complete and made its debut as part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Film Festival in 2021. It was hailed as "wildly entertaining" by St. Paul Pioneer Press critic Ross Raihala. Cauliflower Alley Club Iron Mike Mazurki Award (2018) Other honoree (2004) Central States Wrestling NWA World Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (1 time) – with Maurice Vachon NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (2 Times) – with Harley Race Championship Wrestling from Florida NWA Florida Television Championship (1 time) George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2002 Impact Award honoree (2025) Georgia Championship Wrestling NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (1 time) NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ivan and Nikita Koloff when Krusher Khruschev was injured NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (3 times) – with Paul Jones (2) and Greg Valentine (1) NSW NSW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tommy Jammer NWA Big Time Wrestling NWA American Heavyweight Championship (1 time) NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Texas version) (1 time) Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2013 Pro Wrestling America PWA Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Ken Patera (1) and Brad Rheingans (1) Pro Wrestling Illustrated PWI ranked him # 306 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003 St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2009 World Wrestling Association WWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 times) Wrestling Observer Newsletter Worst Tag Team (1984) with The Crusher Nebraska Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2018 Inductee