Blackjack Mulligan
Robert Deroy Windham | |
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Data | |
Ring name | Big Machine Blackjack Mulligan Bob Windham Jack Mulligan The Texan |
height | 198 cm |
Fighting weight | 157 kg |
birth | November 25, 1941 Sweetwater , Texas , USA |
death | April 7, 2016 Florida |
Announced from | Eagle Pass, Texas |
Trained by |
Dory Funk Sr. Verne Gagne |
debut | 1969 |
retirement | 1989 |
Robert Deroy Windham (born November 25, 1941 in Sweetwater , Texas - † April 7, 2016 in Florida ), better known by his ring name Blackjack Mulligan , was an American wrestler and American football player . In the 1970s he achieved cult status with Blackjack Lanza in the tag team The Blackjacks . In 2006 they were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame .
Football career
Windham began his career in college football at West Texas State University . In the preseason of the 1966 NFL season , he played for the New York Jets . However, due to a broken leg, he had to end his football career early.
Wrestling career
After his NFL career failed due to injury, Sonny Werblin, then CEO of Madison Square Garden , convinced Windham to start wrestling. He played his first match on August 21, 1969 as Bob Mulligan for World Class Championship Wrestling .
In 1970 he performed mainly for the American Wrestling Association . In Japan he was booked by International Wrestling Enterprise .
In 1971 he was first committed by the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), today's market leader WWE. There he formed as Blackjack Mulligan along with Blackjack Lanza , the tag team The Black Jacks . Windham portrayed a dangerous bandit in a cowboy hat, leather gloves and a mustache. With his height of 1.98 meters and a weight of over 150 kilograms, he was also considered one of the strongest athletes of his time. This gimmick shaped the rest of his career.
Until the end of the 80s, Windham appeared for various promotions of the National Wrestling Alliance and was allowed to receive numerous championships, including several tag team titles with Blackjack Lanza. In 1975 they jointly held the WWWF World Tag Team Championship . Between 1976 and 1978 Windham held the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic Version) four times , today's WWE United States Championship .
1977 and 1983 Windham appeared in Japan for New Japan Pro Wrestling . In 1979 he held the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) together with Ric Flair . In 1983 he was allowed to win the NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Florida version) with Dusty Rhodes .
From 1982, Windham played for the first time since 1975 matches for the WWF, the former WWWF. In 1986 he briefly appeared masked as the Big Machine . At the end of 1986 and 1987 he had his last WWF matches again in his blackjack gimmick. He ended his career on December 3, 1989 with a tag team match in the Professional Wrestling Federation .
He made a one-time comeback on May 23, 1993 with a Legends match at the World Championship Wrestling event Slamboree . On April 1, 2006, The Blackjacks were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame .
Private life
Windham's sons, Barry and Kendall Windham, and his son-in-law, Mike Rotunda, are also known as wrestlers. His grandsons Windham and Taylor Rotunda currently appear in the WWE as wrestlers under the names Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas . Windham served in the US Marine Corps . In 1989, he and his son Kendall were arrested for counterfeiting money. He was sentenced to two years in prison. After his career he worked as a car dealer. On April 7, 2016, Windham died in a Florida hospital.
Awards and titles
Awards
title
-
Championship Wrestling from Florida
- 2 × NWA Florida Brass Knuckles Championship (as Blackjack Mulligan)
- 1 × NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship (as Blackjack Mulligan) (with Dusty Rhodes )
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Exodus Wrestling Alliance
- 1 × EWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (as Blackjack Mulligan)
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International Wrestling Enterprise
- 1 × IWA World Tag Team Championship (as Bob Windham) (with Larry Hennig)
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Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- 4 × NWA United States Heavyweight Championship
- 1 × NWA World Tag Team Championship (as Blackjack Mulligan) (with Ric Flair )
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NWA Big Time Wrestling
- 1 × NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship (as Blackjack Mulligan)
- 2 × NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (as Blackjack Mulligan)
-
NWA Western States Sports
- 3 × NWA International Heavyweight Championship (as Blackjack Mulligan)
- 1 × NWA Western States Tag Team Championship (as Blackjack Mulligan) (with Dick Murdoch )
-
Southern Championship Wrestling
- 1 × NWA Knoxville Southern Heavyweight Championship (as Blackjack Mulligan)
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World Class Championship Wrestling
- 1 × NWA American Heavyweight Championship (as The Texan)
- 2 × NWA American Tag Team Championship (as Blackjack Mulligan) (with Blackjack Lanza )
- 1 × World Class Texas Tag Team Championship (as Blackjack Mulligan) (with Blackjack Lanza)
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World Wide Wrestling Federation
- 1 × WWWF World Tag Team Championship (as Blackjack Mulligan) (with Blackjack Lanza)
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World Wrestling Association
- 1 × WWA World Heavyweight Championship (as Blackjack Mulligan)
- 1 × WWA World Tag Team Championship (as Blackjack Mulligan) (with Blackjack Lanza)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Blackjack Mulligan's profile genickbruch.com. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Blackjack Mulligan's profile cagematch.de. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ↑ a b c d e f g WWE Hall of Famer Robert "Blackjack Mulligan" Windham passed away wrestling-point.de. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ↑ WWE Hall of Famer Blackjack Mulligan dead at 73 nydailynews.com. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ↑ a b Blackjack Mulligan's Match Profile genickbruch.com. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ WCCW show on August 21, 1969 in Corpus Christi, Texas genickbruch.com. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Blackjack Mulligan's career cagematch.de. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ↑ a b c Blackjack Mulligan's title cagematch.de. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ↑ PWF show on December 3, 1989 in Orlando, Florida genickbruch.com. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ WCW show on May 23, 1993 in Atlanta, Georgia, genickbruch.com. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
Web links
- The Blackjacks WWE Profile
- The Blackjacks' WWE profile (German)
- Profile at Cagematch.de
- Profile at Genickbruch.com
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Mulligan, blackjack |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Windham, Robert Deroy |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American wrestler and American football player |
DATE OF BIRTH | November 25, 1941 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Sweetwater (Texas) , USA |
DATE OF DEATH | April 7, 2016 |
Place of death | Florida |