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Roy Shire
Birth nameRoy P. Shropshire
Born(1921-12-17)December 17, 1921
Georgetown, Kentucky, United States[1]
DiedSeptember 24, 1992(1992-09-24) (aged 70)
Sebastopol, California, United States
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Roy Shire
Silver Adonis
Roy Shires
Billed height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[2]
Billed weight238 lb (108 kg)
Debut1950
Retired1961

Roy Shropshire (December 17, 1921 – September 24, 1992) was an American professional wrestler and promoter who worked for Big Time Wrestling in San Francisco from 1961 to its closure in 1981.[3][4][5]

Professional wrestling career

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Shire began his professional wrestling career in 1950 in Ohio. Throughout his career he worked in many territories. His most title wins were in Texas. In 1957, Shire worked in New York City for Capitol Wrestling Corporation. It was there in 1959, he met Ray Stevens as Ray Shire[6] and formed the tag team the Shire Brothers. On August 6, 1959, the brothers won the NWA World Tag Team Championship from Dick the Bruiser and Angelo Poffo.[7][8] The Shire Brothers were involved in many famous angles until Roy moved on to become the promoter of Big Time Wrestling wrestling programs in San Francisco's Cow Palace.[7]

One angle, which took place in Indianapolis on October 1, 1960, involved a "match" between boxer Archie Moore, a former World Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion, and the Shire Brothers. This match did not show Ray and Roy having any significant advantage over Moore. For one thing, the Shire Brothers were required to wear boxing gloves and follow the rules of boxing when they went against professional boxer Moore. Both Ray and Roy were "knocked out" in a matter of minutes. This match did not settle the argument as to who is the superior athlete, the professional boxer or the professional wrestler. A positive outcome of this "match" was the fans, who attended this event in large numbers, having the pleasure of seeing the long-awaited comeuppance of the arrogant and rule-breaking Shire Brothers.[7]

After sustaining a severe knee injury, NWA San Francisco wrestler "Professor" Roy Shire decided to move into promoting in direct competition with Malcewicz. In October 1960, Shire registered the Pacific Coast Athletic Corp. with the California State Athletic Commission over Malcewicz's objections.[3][9] Big Time Wrestling was an "outlaw" promotion that did not respect the territorial boundaries decreed by the NWA.[10]

Shire would later begin producing a second weekly show, Big Time Wrestling this one airing on KOVR. Big Time Wrestling was originally hosted by Harris, then later by Hank Renner.[11][12][13]

Shire would ultimately prevail and NWA San Francisco folded in 1962.[14][15][4][16]

Big Time Wrestling promoted shows throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Its base was the Cow Palace, where it held shows each Friday.[17][15] Together with his bookers, Johnny Doyle and later Red Bastien, Shire built the promotion around the principles of "action, high spots and realistic matches".[18][19][self-published source][9] Shire positioned Ray Stevens as the promotion's main heel.[19][20][21][22][23]

In August 1968, Big Time Wrestling became a member of the NWA. Shire served as vice-president of the organisation for a period in the early-1970s.[15][9][24]

KTVU cancelled Big Time Wrestling in 1970. In 1970, Shire secured a new deal with the Sacramento station KTXL, airing Big Time Wrestling at 19:00 PST on Saturday evenings. The show featured Hank Renner as play-by-play announcer.[25] He was later joined by Pepper Martin as color commentator.[26]

In 1980, Shire suffered a heart attack. A burned out Shire retired from promoting in January 1981 after Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association, through local promoter and former wrestler Leo Nomellini, moved into San Francisco. Shire's final show was a battle royal at the Cow Palace that reportedly drew $64,000 (equivalent to $214,000 in 2023).[27][28] In 1984, a disgruntled Shire gave an interview to The Sacramento Bee in which he broke kayfabe by acknowledging all the matches he promoted were staged.[29]

Personal life

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Shire retired in Sebastopol, California at his Toe Hold Ranch. He passed away on September 24, 1992 from a heart attack at 70.[3]

Championships and accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ "Roy Shire". Cagematch.
  2. ^ "Roy Shire". Legacy Of Wrestling.
  3. ^ a b c Greg Oliver; Steven Johnson (2010). The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels. ECW Press. p. 281. ISBN 978-1-55490-284-2.
  4. ^ a b "National Wrestling Alliance San Francisco (NWA San Francisco)". Cagematch.net. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  5. ^ Brian Solomon (2015). Pro Wrestling FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the World's Most Entertaining Spectacle. Backbeat Books. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-61713-627-6.
  6. ^ Mooneyham, Mike (May 19, 1996). "Ray "The Crippler" Stevens: Bombs Away". The Wrestling Gospel According to Mike Mooneyham. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Mooneyham, Mike (March 21, 2015). "WWE Hall misses boat on Ray Stevens; Canvas King painting Macho Man". The Post and Courier. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  8. ^ Von Slagle, Stephen (May 19, 2020). "Ray Stevens". History of Wrestling. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Tim Hornbaker (2007). National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Professional Wrestling. ECW Press. pp. 311–313, 336. ISBN 978-1-55490-274-3.
  10. ^ Scott Beekman (2006). Ringside: A History of Professional Wrestling in America. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-275-98401-4.
  11. ^ Vik Berry. San Francisco #6 Page #2. Retrieved November 17, 2017. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  12. ^ Ken White (2014). Getaway Day. Tate Publishing & Enterprises. p. 148. ISBN 978-1-62994-915-4.
  13. ^ Vik Berry. San Francisco #6 Page #1. Retrieved November 17, 2017. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  14. ^ Superstar Billy Graham (2010). WWE Legends - Superstar Billy Graham: Tangled Ropes. Simon & Schuster. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-4391-2179-5.
  15. ^ a b c Superstar Billy Graham; Keith Elliot Greenberg (2006). Superstar Billy Graham: Tangled Ropes. Simon & Schuster. pp. 98–99. ISBN 978-1-4165-0753-6.
  16. ^ Steven Johnson (March 24, 2015). "The legacy of Joe Malcewicz". Canoe.com. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  17. ^ Ric Drasin (2017). The Time of My Life. Creators Publishing. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-945630-42-2.
  18. ^ Jim Wilson; Weldon T. Johnson (2003). Chokehold: Pro Wrestling's Real Mayhem Outside the Ring. Xlibris. p. 351. ISBN 978-1-4628-1172-4.
  19. ^ a b Don Savage (2012). Carpenter: A Personal Look At Professional Wrestling. iUniverse. pp. 89–90. ISBN 978-1-4759-0703-2.
  20. ^ George Schire (2010). Minnesota's Golden Age of Wrestling: From Verne Gagne to the Road Warriors. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-87351-620-4.
  21. ^ Larry Matysik (2013). 50 Greatest Professional Wrestlers of All Time: The Definitive Shoot. ECW Press. p. 190. ISBN 978-1-77090-305-0.
  22. ^ Tim Hornbaker (2017). Legends of Pro Wrestling: 150 Years of Headlocks, Body Slams, and Piledrivers. Skyhorse Publishing. p. 380. ISBN 978-1-61321-875-4.
  23. ^ Mike Rickard (2010). Wrestling's Greatest Moments. ECW Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-55490-331-3.
  24. ^ Regional Territories: San Francisco. Retrieved November 17, 2017. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  25. ^ Marty Relles (January 20, 2011). "When 'Big Time Wrestling' came to Sacramento". Valley Community Newspapers. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  26. ^ Pepper Martin; Penny Lane (2016). Shrapnel of the Soul and Redemption. Page Publishing. pp. 124, 224. ISBN 978-1-68289-451-4.
  27. ^ Bill Conlin (April 24, 1984). "'There is no such thing as an honest professional match': Former wrestler takes down sport". The Sacramento Bee. The McClatchy Company. He suffered a heart attack in 1980, and his last promotion was a battle royal at the Cow Palace in January 1981. It drew $64,000, he said. I went out with a bang.
  28. ^ R. D. Reynolds; Bryan Alvarez (2014). The Death of WCW. ECW Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-77090-642-6.
  29. ^ Bill Conlin (April 25, 1984). "Wrestling promoter says he rigged memorial matches". The Sacramento Bee. The McClatchy Company.
  30. ^ AWA Indiana World Tag Team Championship cagematch.net retrieve February 9, 2019
  31. ^ Will, Gary; Duncan, Royal (2000). "Texas: NWA Texas Tag Team Title [Von Erich]". Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. pp. 275–276. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  32. ^ "NWA Texas Tag Team Title [E. Texas]". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved December 27, 2019.

Further reading

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General

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