Ken Mantell

Ken Lusk, better known by his ring name Ken Mantell, is an American retired professional wrestler, promoter and booker who competed throughout the National Wrestling Alliance in the 1970s and 1980s. He is a former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion, having defeated Danny Hodge, and won the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Ron Bass in November 1975. He worked as the booker of World Class Championship Wrestling during its peak years and, as a promoter, formed the Wild West Wrestling promotion, which merged with World Class when he became part-owner in early 1988.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1970–1973) Both Ken and his brother Johnny Mantell (who was also a professional wrestler) started amateur wrestling while in high school in California, before moving to Texas. Mantell began his career in Florida in 1970, wrestling under his real name. Mantell eventually lost the title to Hiro Matsuda in St. Petersburg, Florida on June 14, 1975. Danny Hodge would go on to defeat Matsuda for the title, becoming a seven-time champion. He retired as champion on March 15, 1976 after a car accident thus making Mantell the last person to ever defeat Hodge for the championship.

Tag Team success (1975–1976) Five months after losing the World Junior Heavyweight Championship Mantell won gold again, when he and Ron Bass won the NWA World Tag Team Championship in November 1975. They defended the titles in the Central States Wrestling territory before dropping the belts in February the following year. Mantell then travelled to NWA: Georgia and again found tag team success, winning the NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship with former WWWF World Tag Team Champion Dean Ho on July 2, 1976.

Heavyweight title victories (1976–1980) Having been a junior heavyweight competitor for most of his career, Mantell competed as a heavyweight for the later part of the 1970s. He won the NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship on October 15, 1976 in the Los Angeles territory, when he defeated Chavo Guerrero. The pair had a memorable rivalry for the Americas Championship for the following year, with Guerrero eventually recapturing the gold. Following this, Mantell travelled to the NWA Gulf Coast territory, where he became the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Champion on March 22, 1977, defeating Wrestling Pro in Mobile, Alabama. Mantell and Pro would headline several events for the territory, feuding over the title in 1976-77, when Wrestling Pro eventually recapturing the championship in Dothan. Mantell captured his final title in wrestling on July 25, 1980 when he defeated Wahoo McDaniel in a tournament final to become the NWA Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight Champion in Shreveport, Louisiana. A serious accident to WCCW's top star Kerry Von Erich kept him out of action for a year and a half, which effectively lead to World Class's major decline, only a few months out from still being a highly successful territory

Wild West Wrestling and ownership of WCCW (1987–1988) It wasn't long before the oil recession hit Bill Watts in Oklahoma and he eventually sold the UWF to Jim Crockett in 1987. Mantell went on to form his own promotion based in the Dallas/Fort Worth territory called "Wild West Wrestling". Meanwhile, Crockett's circuit was sold to Ted Turner and eventually became World Championship Wrestling.

Ken Mantell has since largely retired from the professional wrestling business. His brother "Cowboy" Johnny Mantell is the current president of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in its new location of Wichita Falls, Texas.

Championships and accomplishments

Georgia Championship Wrestling NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Dean Ho Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Mid-South Wrestling Mid-South Louisiana Championship (1 time) NWA Hollywood Wrestling NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (1 time) NWA Tri-State NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version) (1 time) - with Jay Clayton (wrestler) (1) and Tom Jones (1) NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Pacific Northwest Wrestling NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) - Bull Ramos