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‘Honest Abe’ Jacobs, world’s oldest pro wrestler, dead at 95

‘Honest Abe’ Jacobs, world’s oldest pro wrestler, dead at 95

Posted: Aug 24th 2023 By: Mike Mooneyham

Abe Jacobs, the oldest known living professional wrestler in the world, passed away early Monday in Charlotte at the age of 95.

Born Abner Robert Jacobs on June 18, 1928, the New Zealander prided himself in keeping in tip-top shape during a wrestling career that spanned nearly 40 years — three decades as a pro and one as an amateur.

In his prime he stood 6-2 and weighed in the 240-pound range. His great conditioning and keen wrestling skills made him a favorite opponent for many of the top performers in the business.

“You have to look like an athlete,” Jacobs once said. “In wrestling you have to be able to get heat, and you do that by getting the other guy over at the right time. You do a move that looks good to the people.”

Jacobs had been in declining health over the past couple of weeks, said his stepson son Reggie Hammond.

“Abe and my mom never stopped being like high school sweethearts,” he said.

Jacobs compiled an impressive record during his career, but said it probably wouldn’t have been possible without his famed move known as the Kiwi Roll. It was his “best friend” in professional wrestling, he said, and it won him the vast majority of his matches.

“I learned the hold coming along as an amateur,” he said. “One day I was working out with someone in the gym, and I happened to grapevine a leg and kind of rolled with it. The guy screamed, ‘Hey, hey, hey, my knee, my ankle.’ That’s when I knew I had something special.”

Native New Zealander Abe Jacobs was well known for his Kiwi Roll finisher. (Photo Provided)

Fans would still ask him all the time about the hold, even though Jacobs hadn’t wrestled in decades.

“It was probably the most spectacular move in the ring. People really popped if they had never seen it before, and if they had seen it a few times, they wanted to see it again,” he said.

He had been asked by dozens of wrestlers who just couldn’t pull off the maneuver.

“I could teach you, but then I’d probably have to kill you,” he would laughingly tell them.

Jacobs was an amateur standout in both wrestling and rugby in his native country. Born and raised on a ranch that included a 15-acre horse pasture, he rode to school on horseback and acquired a love for the rugged outdoors.

“I used to milk about six cows, and then I’d ride to school on horseback. At that time, there were no roads good enough for cars,” he said .

But wrestling was his first passion.

Jacobs caught his first big break in 1958 when the New Zealand Wrestling Union gave him a start as a professional in his own country. Encouraged by his success, the one-time New Zealand amateur champion packed his bags at the end of the 1958 season and headed for the United States.

Jacobs would travel the globe four times and wrestle on all seven continents. He would have a Hall of Fame career going up against the best in the business, facing such stars as Buddy Rogers, Johnny Valentine, Gene Kiniski, Ric Flair, Dick “The Destroyer” Beyer, Dick The Bruiser and Killer Kowalski.

Jacobs met former NWA champion Pat O’Connor, whom he considered to be the best in the business, in New York in a rare match-up that pitted two New Zealanders fighting for the world championship on foreign soil.

He wrestled in front of 36,000 fans at Chicago’s Comiskey Park in 1961.

He once held the great Lou Thesz, who rated Jacobs as a superior wrestler to even O’Connor, to a one-hour-draw.

“Wrestling has been my life,” said Jacobs. “It’s what I wanted to do as a kid. I started when I was 10 years old in school.”

Jacobs made his biggest impact in the Carolinas, falling in love with the area and eventually buying property and setting up a home base that lasted beyond his in-ring retirement in 1983. With Jim Crockett’s Carolinas-Virginia territory serving as a hotbed of tag-team wrestling during the ’60s, Jacobs formed formidable combos with the likes of Sandy Scott, George Becker, Nelson Royal and Luther Lindsay.

Dubbed “Honest Abe,” Jacobs was well-liked and respected by his peers.

“Abe was trustworthy ... you could trust him with your life. Just a great guy,” recalled the late Sandy Scott.

The late Rip Hawk, who was a frequent opponent on the tag side, teaming with Swede Hanson against Jacobs and his partner of choice, had nothing but fond memories of the New Zealander.

“You couldn’t find a nicer man to know and to deal with. He was a class act all the way. I don’t think anybody could ever say a bad thing about Abe,” Hawk said.

Once billed as the “Jewish heavyweight champion,” Jacobs was named one of the “Top Ten New Zealand-Born Wrestlers” by Fight Times Magazine. He was inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame in 2008. His status in the Chatham Islands was celebrated when his likeness graced its commemorative special edition Millennium $10 bill in 2000 and 2001.

 

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Spotlight in History

  • 1983 Jimmy Garvin def. Chris Adams for the WCCW Television Title
  • 1998 The VIP Crew (Rocco Valentino & Vinnie Valentino) def. The Texas Outlaws (Dan Wilder & Bernard Funk) for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
  • 2004 Se7en def. John O'Malley for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 2009 Xavior became the SWCW Cruiserweight Champion
  • 2009 Dawn of Extreme (Ty Thunder & Crucifer) def. Texas, Inc. (Tim Rockwell & Bernard Funk) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
  • 2009 The South Side Soul Assassins (Tyson Jaymes & 3rd Rail) def. The Good Ol' Boys (Bud Barnes & Moonshine) for the SWCW Tag Team Titles
  • 2009 The Good Ol' Boys (Bud Barnes & Moonshine) became the SWCW Tag Team Champions
  • 2009 Rated N (Crisstopher Crow & Shane Sanchez) def. The Good Ol' Boys (Bud Barnes & Moonshine) for the SWCW Tag Team Titles
  • 2020 Sam Stackhouse def. Alex Royal for the WFC Heavyweight Title
  • 2021 Ryan the Ripper def. Drake Gallows for the EPW Internet Television Title
  • 2025 Merc def. Riker for the BUW This Is Wrestling Title

Week of Sun 10-18 to Sat: 10-24

  • 10-18 2009 Carnage def. Spoiler 2000 for the NWA-OK Oklahoma Heavyweight Title
  • 10-18 2019 Tego def. Prince Mahalli for the ASP Inter-County Title
  • 10-18 2019 Will Allday def. J. D. Griffey for the TexPro Heavyweight Title
  • 10-18 2024 Luther Zay Diamond def. Brandon Warhawk for the MajCW Flawless Title
  • 10-18 2024 Nashoba became the MajCW Wetumka Indian Community Centre Champion
  • 10-18 2024 Auzzy def. Kari Wright for the TexPro Dynasty Title
  • 10-18 2024 The Strays (Barrett Brown & Izzy James) def. K. O. A. (Caine Carter & Devion Black) for the TexPro Tag Team Titles
  • 10-19 1976 Karl Kox & Ken Patera became the TSW United States Tag Team Champions
  • 10-19 2013 Tyson Jaymes def. Brock Landers for the SWCW All-American Title
  • 10-19 2013 The K. C. Wolves (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) def. Nasty Swag (Ace Archuleta & Robert Lee) for the UWE Tag Team Titles
  • 10-19 2013 Jon Cross def. Anarchy [2nd] for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 10-19 2014 Jon Cross def. Robert Lee for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
  • 10-19 2019 Luke Langley became the WFC Hometown Heroes Champion
  • 10-19 2024 Anarchy [2nd] def. Damien Morte for the EPW Internet Television Title
  • 10-19 2024 E-Bone def. Trench Blythe for the EPW International Title
  • 10-20 1969 Danny Hodge def. Chuck Karbo for the TSW North American Title
  • 10-20 1971 Bill Watts became the TSW North American Champion
  • 10-20 1986 Crusher Yurkov def. Steve Simpson for the WCCW Television Title
  • 10-20 2001 The Texas Outlaws (Beau Dalton & Butch Dalton) def. The VIP Crew (Rocco Valentino & Vinnie Valentino) for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
  • 10-20 2001 Amanda St. George became the OPW Oklahoma Womens Champion
  • 10-20 2001 Big Daddy Moore became the OPW Oklahoma Hardcore Champion
  • 10-20 2007 Chris Fury became the SECW Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 10-20 2007 Impact, Inc. (John Zorthos & Bernie Donderwitz) def. Team Shenanigans (Tyler Bateman & Kenny Campbell) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 10-20 2007 Tyson Armstrong became the SECW Heavyweight Champion
  • 10-20 2007 The Texas Outlaws (Bobby Burns & Dan Wilder) became the SECW Tag Team Champions
  • 10-20 2012 Kevin James Sanchez def. Austin Tacious for the SWCW All-American Title
  • 10-20 2012 The Static Knights (X-Statik & Keith Knight) def. Dynamic Storm (Justin Dynamic & Daemon Storm) for the UWE Tag Team Titles
  • 10-20 2018 Fuel def. Alex Royal for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 10-20 2018 Galaxy Cruzers (Paul Puertorico & Steven Cruze) became the UWE Tag Team Champions
  • 10-20 2018 Dusty Gold became the UWE Apex Champion
  • 10-20 2018 Anarchy [2nd] def. Dusty Gold for the UWE Apex Title
  • 10-21 1969 Fritz Von Erich became the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
  • 10-21 1985 King Parsons def. John Tatum for the WCCW Television Title
  • 10-21 2005 Mitch Carter def. Kenny Campbell for the SRPW X Division Title
  • 10-21 2006 J. T. LaMotta def. John O'Malley for the IZW Cruiserweight Title
  • 10-21 2017 MVP def. Damon Windsor for the IWR Heavyweight Title
  • 10-21 2017 Spirit Squad (Kenny [1st] & Mikey [1st]) def. Excellence Personified (Duke Swellington & Dustin Heritage) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
  • 10-21 2022 Tego def. Mr. Wobble for the TexPro Texas Title
  • 10-21 2023 Wolf of War def. Martin Justice for the EPW International Title
  • 10-21 2023 Johnny Dynamite def. Johnny Lightning for the WFC Prime Title
  • 10-21 2023 Native Law (Sheriff Schultz & Nashoba) def. K. O. A. (Caine Carter & Devion Black) for the NCWO Tag Team Titles
  • 10-21 2023 Malik Mayfield def. Clayton Bloodstone for the NCWO Choctaw Nation Title
  • 10-21 2023 Dominik Whiteheart def. Luke Richmond for the NCWO United States Title
  • 10-22 1984 The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers & Bobby Fulton) def. The Long Riders (Bill Irwin & Scott Irwin) for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 10-22 2005 Big Van Vader def. Aaron Neil for the IZW Heavyweight Title
  • 10-22 2005 Carnage def. John O'Malley for the IZW Hardcore Title
  • 10-22 2005 Ryan Davidson became the MSWA Mid-South Cruiserweight Champion
  • 10-22 2005 The Lone Shining Star def. Tyler Bateman for the MSWA Tri-State Title
  • 10-22 2005 Michael Faith def. Outlaw for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title
  • 10-22 2005 The Real Impact Players (Aaron Neil & Se7en) def. The Red Dirt Outlaws (Devon Monroe & Kevin James) for the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Titles
  • 10-22 2011 Fuel def. Jonathan Cross for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 10-22 2022 Justin Lee def. Koko for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
  • 10-22 2022 Dutch Hagen def. Wesley Crane for the WFC Heavyweight Title
  • 10-22 2023 Tunnel Vision (Derek James & Logan Knight) became the BPW Oklahoma Tag Team Champions
  • 10-22 2023 Luke Richmond def. Brandon Groom for the BPW Oklahoma Title
  • 10-22 2023 Trench Blythe def. El Gallardo for the BPW Lion Heart Title
  • 10-22 2023 The Stage Dive Mafia (Rook Tyler & Axel Savage) def. Native Law (Sheriff Schultz & Nashoba) for the NCWO Tag Team Titles
  • 10-22 2026 Heavy Metal Mario def. Abismo Negro, Jr. for the EDW Heavyweight Title
  • 10-23 1965 Lee Fields & Bobby Fields became the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Champions
  • 10-23 1967 Spoiler #1 & Gary Hart def. Brute Bernard & Mike Paidousis for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 10-23 1968 Manuel Perez & Pepe Perez def. The Blue Demons (Blue Demon #1 & Blue Demon #2) for the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Titles
  • 10-23 1988 Jerry Lawler def. Kerry Von Erich for the WCCW World Title
  • 10-23 2003 Payton Scott def. Chris Matthews for the ACW Heavyweight Title
  • 10-23 2005 Matt Garza & Mr. Brown def. Brandon Bishop & John Zorthos for the ACW Tag Team Titles
  • 10-23 2005 Pretty Young Things (Cade Sydal & Mitch Carter) def. Matt Garza & Mr. Brown for the ACW Tag Team Titles
  • 10-23 2011 Javi Hernandez became the UWF06 Heavyweight Champion
  • 10-23 2015 Vinny Pacheco def. Buster Cherry for the MSWA Oklahoma Title
  • 10-23 2015 The Creepsters (Buster Cherry & Mr. Barnes) became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champions
  • 10-23 2021 Richie Adams def. Tommy Dean for the WFC Prime Title
  • 10-23 2021 Toxic Masculinity (Johnny Lightning & Johnny Dynamite) def. The Space Age Cowboys (Paul Puertorico & Jason Jones) for the WFC Tag Team Titles
  • 10-23 2021 Luke Langley def. Alex Royal for the WFC Heavyweight Title
  • 10-23 2026 Logan Knight def. Nate Bourne for the RDW Iron Man Title
  • 10-23 2026 Sean Ryan def. Bang Bang Bennett for the RDW Openweight Title
  • 10-24 1983 Jimmy Garvin def. Chris Adams for the WCCW Television Title
  • 10-24 1998 The VIP Crew (Rocco Valentino & Vinnie Valentino) def. The Texas Outlaws (Dan Wilder & Bernard Funk) for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
  • 10-24 2004 Se7en def. John O'Malley for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 10-24 2009 Xavior became the SWCW Cruiserweight Champion
  • 10-24 2009 Dawn of Extreme (Ty Thunder & Crucifer) def. Texas, Inc. (Tim Rockwell & Bernard Funk) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
  • 10-24 2009 The South Side Soul Assassins (Tyson Jaymes & 3rd Rail) def. The Good Ol' Boys (Bud Barnes & Moonshine) for the SWCW Tag Team Titles
  • 10-24 2009 The Good Ol' Boys (Bud Barnes & Moonshine) became the SWCW Tag Team Champions
  • 10-24 2009 Rated N (Crisstopher Crow & Shane Sanchez) def. The Good Ol' Boys (Bud Barnes & Moonshine) for the SWCW Tag Team Titles
  • 10-24 2020 Sam Stackhouse def. Alex Royal for the WFC Heavyweight Title
  • 10-24 2021 Ryan the Ripper def. Drake Gallows for the EPW Internet Television Title
  • 10-24 2025 Merc def. Riker for the BUW This Is Wrestling Title
10-24
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  • Bill Dundee Oct 24th Today!
  • Phil Shark Oct 25th
  • Sheriff Schultz Oct 25th
  • Paige Turner Oct 25th
  • Double D Oct 25th
  • Halo Oct 26th
  • Eddie Williams Oct 26th
  • Anthony Wayne Oct 26th
  • Troy Graham Oct 26th
  • Miss Linda Oct 27th
  • AWOL Oct 27th
  • Doberman [2nd] Oct 27th
  • MVP Oct 28th
  • Mike Sharpe, Jr. Oct 28th
  • Jake Boulder Oct 28th
  • Chris Smith Oct 28th
  • Mischief Oct 29th
  • D. J. Hall Oct 29th
  • Paul Orndorff Oct 29th
  • Jesse Beeler Oct 30th
  • Brandon Bishop Oct 30th
  • Debbie Combs Oct 30th
  • George Wells Oct 30th
  • Danny McShain Oct 30th
  • Jayson Boss Oct 31st
  • Bugsy McGraw Nov 1st
  • Dutch Hagen Nov 1st
  • Big Daddy Moore Nov 1st
  • Mike Davis [2nd] Nov 2nd
  • Kenny Silva Nov 3rd
  • Rob Barnes Nov 3rd
  • Dylan Michaels Nov 3rd
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