Bill Longson

Bill Longson
Ring name(s)	"Wild Bill" Longson Purple Shadow
Billed weight	240 lbs
Born	June 8, 1906(1906-06-08)
Died	December 12, 1982(1982-12-12) (aged 76)
Debut	1931

William Longson (June 8, 1906 - December 12, 1982) was a professional wrestler, who spent most of his career in St. Louis, Missouri under the ring name "Wild Bill" Longson. He perfected the role of the arrogant heel, and is credited with inventing and popularizing the piledriver.

Career

Longson was a 3-time National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Champion during the 1940s. He was also the last National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Champion, losing his title to Lou Thesz on July 20, 1948, when Thesz elevated onto Longson's shoulders from the piledriver position and fell into a Thesz Press. As a result of this victory, Thesz unified the venerable National Wrestling Association Championship with his own new National Wrestling Alliance World Championship, beginning the process of consolidating all American world championships into one.

Longson is a member of both the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Piledriver – innovated

• Signature moves
  • Airplane spin
  • Headlock

Championships and accomplishments

• National Wrestling Association

• NWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)

• Central States Wrestling

• NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• NWA San Francisco

• NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version) (3 times)

• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame

• (Class of 2006)

• Southwest Sports, Inc.

• NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Texas version) (1 time)
• NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (1 time) - with Ike Eakin

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2000)

• St. Louis Wrestling Hall Of Fame
  • (Class of 2007)

Source

• Molinaro, John F. Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time, Winding Stair Press, 2002.

External links

• Profile at Online World Of Wrestling

Persondata
Name	Longson, Bill
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 8, 1906
Place of birth
Date of death	December 12, 1982
Place of death