Larry Zbyszko
| Larry Zbyszko | |
|---|---|
Zbyszko at the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony
|
|
| Birth name | Lawrence Whistler |
| Born |
December 5, 1951 Chicago, Illinois |
| Residence | Avalon Park, Florida |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Larry Zbyszko |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Billed weight | 233 lb (106 kg) |
| Billed from | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Trained by |
Bruno Sammartino Geeto Mongol |
| Debut | 1973 |
Lawrence Whistler (born December 5, 1951), better known by the ring name Larry Zbyszko, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and author perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, Bruno Sammartino, during the early 1980s. Among other accolades, he is a two-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion, and the final titleholder.
Zbyszko was inducted into the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame on March 28, 2015.
Whistler trained under Bruno Sammartino after cutting his collegiate wrestling career at Penn State University short. He debuted in 1973 as the babyface "Larry Zbyszko", with his name a tribute to 1920s Polish American wrestler Stanislaus Zbyszko. He initially wrestled in the Pittsburgh area, appearing on the local wrestling program Studio Wrestling, before receiving bookings in Vancouver. He spent three years in the World Wide Wrestling Federation before traveling to California in 1975.
Zbyszko was one of the attractions in the 1976 Latin America Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight championship, held in Guatemala City, under Jose Azzari promotions. Three days after the end of the tournament (Mil Máscaras won the title, defeating Jose Azzari in the final), an earthquake destroyed much of that Central American nation.
Zbyszko returned to the WWWF in 1976 and formed a tag team with Tony Garea, with whom he won the WWWF World Tag Team Championships on November 21, 1978 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Their reign lasted until March 6, 1979, when they were defeated by the Valiant brothers in Allentown.
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