Ring name(s) A-BomberBob Geigel Name Bob Geigel Billed from Algona Debut 1950 Retired 1976 | Role Professional wrestler TV shows AWA All-Star Wrestling | |
 | ||
Died October 30, 2014, Kansas City, Missouri, United States | ||
Billed weight 230 lb (100 kg; 16 st) Billed height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
Bob geigel vs buck weaver 09 09 1950
Robert Geigel (October 1, 1924 – October 30, 2014) was an American professional wrestling promoter and also a professional wrestler. Geigel ran the NWA Central States promotion between 1963 and 1986, until it was bought out by Jim Crockett Promotions. He was also president of the National Wrestling Alliance for most of the years 1978 to 1987.
Contents
- Bob geigel vs buck weaver 09 09 1950
- Bob Geigel Presents 25th anniversary NWA World Tag Title Belts
- Early life
- Wrestling
- Promoting
- Personal life and death
- Championships and accomplishments
- Job titles
- References
Bob Geigel Presents 25th anniversary NWA World Tag Title Belts
Early life
Born October 1, 1924, in Algona, Iowa, Geigel entered the navy after high school and fought in the Pacific Theatre during World War II as a member of the Seabees. After the war, he attended the University of Iowa from 1946 to 1950, graduating with a degree in Physical education. Geigel was a champion amateur wrestler during his college years, coming in third place during the 1948 NCAA Championships in the 191 pounds (87 kg) weight division.
Wrestling
Geigel was recruited into professional wrestling by Alphonse Bisigniano. He debuted in 1950 in Texas. Wrestling primarily in Pinkie George's Midwest Wrestling Association out of Kansas City, and also in Amarillo, Texas, Geigel generally played the part of the "heel" or antagonist. He became a full-time professional wrestler in 1952. Though he was generally introduced as being from Algona, Iowa, he was billed as "Texas" Bob Geigel. He also wrestled as A-Bomber while working under a mask in Amarillo.
Geigel frequently held tag team championships in his home promotion, holding the NWA Central States World Tag Team Championship four times, and the NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Central States version) nine times. Geigel had a long-standing feud with former tag team partner Bob Brown in Kansas City. He officially retired from the ring in 1976, but continued to wrestle sporadically in the 1980s.
Promoting
Geigel became a promoter in 1963, when he took over management of the Kansas City office. Partnering with Gus Karras and Pat O'Connor, he renamed the promotion Heart of America Sports Attractions. He then took his place on the board of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). In that same year, Geigel was cited as a co-defendant in an anti-monopoly case brought against the Central States territory by previous owner Pinkie George. Along with his partners Karras and O'Connor, and fellow co-defendant George Simpson, he refuted the charge, and it was eventually dropped.
In 1978, Geigel became President of the NWA, his first term lasting until 1980. During this term he strongly supported Harley Race, a part-owner of Heart of America, as NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Geigel and Race bought out Sam Muchnick's portion of the St. Louis Wrestling Club, a cornerstone territory of the NWA. Geigel served a second and third term as NWA President from 1982 to 1987. He retired from promoting wrestling in 1988.
Personal life and death
Geigel owned a bar in Kansas City called The Tender Trap. Geigel worked security at a racetrack in Kansas City after retiring from wrestling, until suffering a broken hip in early 2014. Geigel met his wife Vera at the University of Iowa, and they were married for more than 65 years. They had three daughters. He suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Geigel died on October 30, 2014, in a nursing home in Kansas City.