Mr. Wrestling II
| Mr. Wrestling II | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Francis Walker |
| Born |
September 10, 1934 Charleston, South Carolina, United States |
| Residence | Mililani, Hawaii, United States |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The Grappler Johnny Walker Mr. Wrestling Mr. Wrestling II |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Billed weight | 247 lb (112 kg) |
| Billed from | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Trained by | Tony Morelli Pat O'Connor |
| Debut | 1955 |
| Retired | 1989 |
John Francis "Johnny" Walker (born September 10, 1934) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Mr. Wrestling II He is best known for his appearances with Championship Wrestling from Florida and Georgia Championship Wrestling in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Walker was trained by Tony Morelli and Pat O'Connor. He debuted in 1955 under the ring name Johnny Walker.
After debuting as a wrestler, Walker spent a good portion of his early career (approximately from the late 1950s to the 1960s) as journeyman wrestler Johnny "Rubberman" Walker, a mainstay of Houston promoter Paul Boesch. Boesch gave him the nickname due to his flexibility.
Walker retired in 1964.
Walker broke his retirement in 1967. In the early 1970s, Walker wrestled on the independent circuit in Florida under a mask as "The Grappler".
In 1972, Walker was semi-retired and running a gas station in Tennessee. The Georgia promoter, Paul Jones, and his booker Leo Garibaldi asked for him to return to wrestling as the masked Mr. Wrestling II. Introduced originally as the partner of the original Mr. Wrestling (Tim Woods), Walker would take his place in many instances. Eddie Graham, the owner of the NWA Florida promotion, was also a part owner of the Georgia promotion. Graham was sending talent back and forth between the two promotions, due to the promotional war which occurred in Atlanta over a dispute with Ray Gunkel's widow Ann Gunkel and her "outlaw promotion" All-South Wrestling Alliance.
Walker as Wrestling II became an immediate top draw and legend for the territory, leading to ten reigns as the Georgia Heavyweight Champion. During Walker's time in Georgia as Wrestling II, he was considered one of the top five most popular wrestlers in the United States. He also attracted a high-profile fan in Jimmy Carter, at the time the governor of Georgia (see below)
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