Roy Heffernan

Laurence Roy Heffernan (12 July 1925 – 24 September 1992) was an Australian professional wrestler. Roy Heffernan toured all over the world, but is most famous for being one half of the original version of the tag team the Fabulous Kangaroos (with Al Costello). The Kangaroos used an "Ultra Australian" gimmick complete with Boomerangs, bush hats and "Waltzing Matilda" as their entrance music. The first incarnation of the Kangaroos is the most famous of all the Kangaroo versions and is often credited with popularizing tag team wrestling in the late 1950s and 1960s. Costello and Heffernan are also regarded as one of the top tag teams to ever compete in professional wrestling.

When the Kangaroos broke up, Heffernan left America to return to his home of Australia. In Australia, Heffernan was involved with Australia's version of World Championship Wrestling under booker Jim Barnett where he worked as a face (good guy), the polar opposite of his time spent as a Fabulous Kangaroo. The induction of the Fabulous Kangaroos started a tradition of inducting a new team every year.

Biography

Starting out Roy Heffernan was a native Australian, born in Lithgow NSW, and was an avid weightlifter and bodybuilder in his teens. He was trained by his father, who was also a bodybuilder, and won the Mr. Australia title before making his wrestling debut at the age of twenty. Heffernan did not have an easy time moving up the ranks in Australian pro-wrestling, as the belief at the time was that a wrestler really had to go overseas to North America and learn to be a pro before the bookers would even consider moving them up the rankings of the promotion. After working on the lower cards in Australia, Heffernan left his home country in 1953 and moved to America in the hopes of attaining more success there. In 2003, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame inducted Roy Heffernan, along with Al Costello, as the first ever tag team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Capitol Wrestling Corporation NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Northwest version) (3 times) - with Al Costello Championship Wrestling from Florida NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (1 time) - with Al Costello NWA World Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (1 time) - with Al Costello International Wrestling Enterprise Trans-World Wrestling Alliance Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Japan Wrestling Association NWA International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Al Costello Midwest Wrestling Association NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Ohio version)(1 time) - with Al Costello Mike London Promotions Rocky Mountain Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Al Costello National Wrestling Alliance NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2013) NWA All-Star Wrestling NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) (4 times) - with Al Costello NWA Detroit NWA World Tag Team Championship (Detroit version) (2 times) - with Al Costello NWA Western States Sports NWA International Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (1 time) - with Al Costello1 NWA Southwest Heavyweight Championship (1 time) NWA World Tag Team Championship (Amarillo version) (1 time) - with Al Costello NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (1 time) - with Al Costello Pacific Northwest Wrestling NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Red Bastien Worldwide Wrestling Associates WWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Al Costello WWA International Television Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Al Costello Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2003 - with Al Costello Wrestling Observer Newsletter Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996) 1. Title also recognized by World Class Championship Wrestling.