Bull Curry
| Bull Curry | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Birth name | Fred Thomas Koury |
| Born | May 2, 1913 |
| Died | March 8, 1985 (aged 71) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bull Curry |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Billed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Billed from | Hartford, Connecticut |
| Trained by | Adam Weissmuller |
| Debut | 1920s |
| Retired | 1970s |
Fred Thomas Koury Sr. (May 2, 1913 – March 8, 1985) was an American of Lebanese descent who was best known as a professional wrestler under the name ”Wild Bull” Curry. Bull Curry is recognized as the originator of the hardcore style predating even legends such as The Sheik and Abdullah the Butcher. Curry’s tumultuous career spanned 5 decades of in ring action.
At the age of sixteen Curry joined the circus in order to help provide for his four brothers and sisters. His job at the circus was that of the “tough man” who took on all comers from the audience in a fight. He had 65 straight wins without anyone going past one 5 minute round. Then In his twenties, Curry became a policeman in his hometown of Hartford, Connecticut where he put his “tough man” background to good use in the streets, quickly earning him a reputation for toughness. On one occasion a wild steer bull broke out of the Hartford stockyard and ran wild in the streets. Curry literally grabbed the bull by the horns and managed to wrestle it to the ground earning him the nickname “Wild Bull” that stuck with him for the rest of his life.
Later on in the 1930s, Curry began wrestling in Detroit, Michigan under promoter Adam Weissmuller (uncle of Johnny Weismuller) who also trained him for his professional career. Curry stayed in Detroit for several years developing his brutal, hardcore style of wrestling that made him a top name in the territory. Curry was so well known that he even faced legendary heavyweight pro boxer Jack Dempsey in an exhibition match in 1940. Years later Curry would often claim that he knocked Dempsey out in the match but the truth is that Curry was stopped in the second round.
In the early part of the 1950s Bull Curry relocated to Texas to work. Curry’s combination of unpredictable violence, unique look and intensity made Curry a big star in Texas more or less immediately upon arrival. Curry’s brawling style made him a success but it also kept the promoters from giving him the “main” title of the territory despite being the biggest draw in the territory. Instead of letting Bull Curry win the top title of the Texas territory the bookers created a brand new title to match Bull Curry’s Hardcore style of wrestling: the NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship which Bull Curry won in a tournament final over Danny McShain on March 6, 1953. Between 1953 and 1967 “Wild Bull” Curry personified the Texas Brass Knuckles Championship as he held it 20 times defeating such names as Fritz Von Erich, Tony Borne, Waldo Von Erich, Louie Tillet, Killer Karl Kox and Brute Bernard for the title. In 1953 Curry would also briefly hold the Texas version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Lucas Pertano as well as the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship for three weeks but soon focused solely on the Brass Knuckles Title.
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