Danny McShain

Background

McShain was born on October 30, 1912 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Career

He made his professional wrestling debut in Little Rock, Arkansas on October 30, 1930. McShain"s family moved to Glendale, California, where he competed for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Over the next ten years, he held the title another nine times.

He later moved to Alvin, Texas, where he continued to compete for the NWA. After his retirement, McShain worked as a referee in Texas.

McShain wrestled as a "tough guy". He proudly advertised his list of injuries to demonstrate the amount of punishment his body could take.

He was also known for blading, as he often cut his own forehead during matches to draw blood. McShain was a stiff worker, as he put legitimate force behind his punches and made contact with his opponents rather than pretending to hit them.

He used a piledriver as one of his ring moves, in which he would hold his opponents upside-down and then drop them head-first to the ring floor.

His behavior was considered so inappropriate that he was summoned to appear in front of the Texas Gaming Commission. He was also the subject of another inquiry, as he changed the pre-planned outcome of a bout mid-way through the match. Because there was a championship on the line and two promoters were arguing over the wrestling territory in which the match took place, the United States Department of Justice became involved.

The match was the origin of the rule used in many promotions that prevents a title belt from changing hands when the match ends with a disqualification.

Midwest Wrestling Association

MWA American Tag Team Championship (1 time)

National Wrestling Association

NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (10 times)

NWA Mid-America

NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Southwest Sports, Incorporated.

NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (7 times)

NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Texas version) (6 times)

Finishing Move: Irish Cannonball Favorite Moves: Double-foot Stomp

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum

(Class of 2010).

Achievements

• McShain later joined the United States Navy, where he excelled as a boxer and won several championships. He won his first championship, the NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship, on October 11, 1937. He won the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship on ten occasions between in 1948 and 1960 by defeating such wrestlers as Antonino Rocca and Verne Gagne. On November 19, 1951, he also defeated Gagne to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. In 1954, McShain won the MWA American Tag Team Championship with partner Oyama Kato while competing for the Midwest Wrestling Association in Ohio. 1McShain won the title once just briefly before the formation of the National Wrestling Alliance when the title was simply referred to as the Texas Heavyweight Championship.

Connections

brother-in-law:

Donn Lewin