Birth name Carl Donald Bell Debut 1945 Parents Chief Joseph War Eagle Weight 101 kg | Billed weight 222 lb (101 kg) Height 1.88 m Billed height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Name Don Eagle Retired 1963 | |
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Born August 25, 1925
Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada ( 1925-08-25 ) Ring name(s) Chief Don Eagle
Don Eagle Died March 17, 1966, Kahnawake 14, Canada Children Flint Eagle, Star Louise Eagle, Hunter Eagle, John Kim Eagle, Pam Eagle, Kevin Hamilton Eagle, Lance Eagle | ||
Trained by Chief Joseph War Eagle | ||
Don eagle vs gorgeous george
Carl Donald Bell (August 25, 1925 - March 17, 1966), better known by his ring name Chief Don Eagle, was a Mohawk Native American professional wrestler during the 1950s and 1960s. Originally from Kahnawake, Quebec, Eagle became an AWA Boston World Champion in 1950.
Contents
- Don eagle vs gorgeous george
- Don Eagle vs Dan Miller Pt 1
- Professional wrestling career
- Controversy over AWA World Title Boston
- Semi retirement
- Personal life
- Boxing
- Professional wrestling
- References
Don Eagle vs Dan Miller - Pt 1
Professional wrestling career
Eagle began a boxing career in 1945, after a brief time working in the steel and construction industry. He was trained solely by his father, Chief Joseph War Eagle, a former Junior Heavyweight Champion. In his first year, Eagle competed in 22 contests and won 17. He beat the established Red Dawson using a pinfall in just under 16 minutes.
During the peak of his career in the early 1950s, Eagle became the first person to throw World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Primo Carnera off his feet. He fought Antonino Rocca in a 60-minute draw on May 19, 1951, at the Chicago Stadium.
Controversy over AWA World Title (Boston)
On May 23, 1950, Eagle defeated Frank Sexton in a best-of-three falls. Sexton was just over a year into a near-four-year reign of the Boston version of the AWA World Heavyweight Championship.
Three days later, Eagle appeared on television without the championship belt to face Gorgeous George in another best-of-three falls match in the Chicago area. For the first fall, Eagle defeated George by submission. For the second, Eagle was counted out by referee Earl Mullihan. In the final fall, George managed to catch Eagle with a backyard cradle. Mullihan, who could clearly see that Eagle had a single shoulder off the mat, proceeded to administer another fast count and declared the match over. The crowd was furious and began to riot, throwing objects into the ring. Eagle punched Mullihan with considerable force while Mullihan hastened to leave the ring and the arena. As Mullihan ran up the aisle, Eagle hit him forcefully again between the shoulder blades. Eagle was suspended by the Illinois State Athletic Commission for putting his hands on a referee but managed to regain the title on August 31, 1950. The title was declared vacant in November 1950 due to Eagle's inactivity because of injury and was replaced by the AWA Eastern Heavyweight Title.
Semi-retirement
During a 1953 match with the faux-Nazi Hans Schmidt, Eagle was thrown over the top rope and into the ringside chairs, damaging several spinal discs and breaking two ribs. Eagle took a year off to recover from his injuries, during which time he began training a teenage Billy Two Rivers. Eagle gave Two Rivers a further year's training after he himself had returned to wrestling, occasionally tagging with the young wrestler. Due to continuing back problems, Eagle became semi-retired and wrestled infrequently in various regions over the next three years. Eagle decided to retire permanently in 1963 at the age of 38.
Personal life
Wrestling Revue reported Eagle's death on March 17, 1966, stating that it appeared the Native American had died from a self-inflicted gun wound. Contemporary newspaper reports indicated that he had been despondent over some construction project setbacks: namely, a Logan County (Ohio) Indian village, an expansion program in the Zane Shawnee Caverns, and a $12 million Indian Center near Montreal.