Johnny Valentine

Professional wrestling career Valentine debuted as a professional wrestler in 1947, wrestling Karl Nowena in Buenos Aires. Valentine also continued to wrestle in the former Capitol Wrestling territory, which had since been renamed the World Wide Wrestling Federation. While there, he had one last reign with what was then known as the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship, as he teamed with Tony Parisi to hold the belts for seven months in 1966.

Valentine then moved on to the Florida territory, where he won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship three times. In October 1972, Valentine defeated Jacques Rougeau for the International Heavyweight Championship, but was stripped of the title in January 1973, after he no-showed the rematch.

Personal life Valentine was originally from Maple Valley, Washington. He was married in the early 1950s and the marriage lasted 20 years until they divorced. He was later married to a woman named Sharon, who worked across the street from his apartment in the mid 1970s when they met. She later visited John as he was recovering in hospital from his 1975 plane crash. Sometime later, the relationship ended as he didn't want her to see him in his condition. Years later, while on braces and crutches, he managed to drive around her neighbourhood for hours until he found her house. As he slowly walked to the front door, Sharon's daughter announced to Sharon that Johnny Valentine was in front of their home. Sharon, having been ill, refused to go to the door and hid. Valentine insisted he wouldn't leave until he saw her. When she finally came to the door, he asked her to marry him and she accepted. Following John's death, Sharon planned to write a book titled A Never Ending Love Story of a Wrestler and His Wife about their life together. He also had a son from a long-ago previous relationship, Greg Valentine, who has wrestled professionally since 1970 and is best known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. and many stories continue to circulate about practical jokes, or ribs, that he played on his fellow wrestlers.

On October 4, 1975, Valentine was in a private airplane (a twin-engined Cessna 310 ) with Ric Flair, David Crockett, Bob Bruggers, and Tim Woods. Because of the weight of the passengers, the pilot realized that he could not take off without reducing the amount of fuel the plane was carrying. Part way through the flight, the aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed near Wilmington, North Carolina. The crash broke Flair's back, He is also a member of the Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame. and he joined the St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame the following year.

Valentine died peacefully in River Oaks, Texas on April 24, 2001. He was 72. Big Time Wrestling (Detroit) NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit version) (3 times) Capitol Wrestling Corporation / World Wide Wrestling Federation NWA United States Television Championship (5 times, inaugural) NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Northeast version) (3 times) – with Buddy Rogers (1), “Cowboy” Bob Ellis (1), and Dr. Jerry Graham (1) WWWF United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tony Parisi Championship Wrestling from Florida NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Florida version) (1 time) NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (4 times) NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (1 time) NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (1 time) – with Boris Malenko L&G Promotions L&G Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (1 time) IHW Entertainment Hall of Fame (Class of 2010) International Wrestling Association (Chicago) IWA International Heavyweight Championship (Chicago version) (1 time) International Wrestling Association (Montreal) IWA International Heavyweight Championship (Montreal version) (1 time) Maple Leaf Wrestling NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version) (5 times) – with Bulldog Brower (1), The Beast (1), Jim Hady (1), and Whipper Billy Watson (2) NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) (7 times) Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (2 times) NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (1 time) Mid-South Sports NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (2 times) Minneapolis Wrestling and Boxing Club NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version) (1 time) – with Chet Wallick National Wrestling Alliance NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2011) NWA Los Angeles NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship (2 times) National Wrestling Federation NWF Heavyweight Championship (2 times) NWF North American Heavyweight Championship (2 times) Pro Wrestling Illustrated PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1973) PWI Stanley Weston Award (awarded posthumously) in 2001 Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2006 NWA American Heavyweight Championship (1 time) NWA American Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Wahoo McDaniel (2) and Thunderbolt Patterson (1) NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (9 times) NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Eddie Graham NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Texas version) (1 time)1 St. Louis Wrestling Club NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (1 time) St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2007 Stampede Wrestling NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Calgary version) (2 times) Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 1995) Western States Sports NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Amarillo version) (1 time) Wrestling Observer Newsletter Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

1This championship would be renamed the NWA American Heavyweight Championship in May 1968. It would go on to be renamed the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship after World Class' withdrawal from the NWA in February 1986.