Pinkie George

Paul "Pinkie" George (born Paul Lloyd Georgeacopoulos; January 22, 1905 – November 1, 1993) was an American professional wrestling promoter, boxer and businessman best known as the visionary behind, and first president of, the National Wrestling Alliance. He operated the NWA's Iowa territory, one of the primary members of the NWA based in Des Moines. Described by Sam Muchnick as the father of the NWA , George was inducted into the NWA Hall of Fame in 2014.

Early life Georgeacopoulos was born to Greek parents, Limberis "Louis" and Elizabeth Bolanis Georgeacopoulos, in Lowell, Massachusetts, on January 22, 1905. When he was a teenager, he and his family (including younger brother Andrew) relocated to Black Hawk County, Iowa, where their surname was changed to "George". On August 29, 1928, he suffered a knockout defeat to Speedy Dado, which was a turning point in his tenure as a boxer.

George grew disillusioned with the direction of the NWA, which he was not reluctant to express, but nevertheless remained confident in the new Presidency of Muchnick. Tensions, however, grew, and George withdrew from the NWA board of directors in 1951. With bitterness and rivalry at its height in 1957 between the NWA and rival promoters/wrestlers, such as Wladek Zbyszko, George Simpson and Sonny Myers, George claimed that he received a phone call telling him to get out of the wrestling business or "we’ll deliver your body to your wife". This prompted George to purchase a gun. In 1964, he was the manager of future boxing World Welterweight Champion Curtis Cokes.

Legacy Pinkie George is remembered as the visionary behind the National Wrestling Alliance and the man responsible for laying the foundations of what would become perhaps the most respected organization in the business. In 2014, he was inducted into the NWA Hall of Fame.

His great-grandson, Paul George IV, works as a professional wrestling promoter in Iowa.