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Johnny Walker awaiting major aneurysm surgery

Posted: May 15th 2016 By: Dave Meltzer

Johnny Walker, one of pro wrestling's biggest stars of the 70s as Mr. Wrestling II, is currently awaiting surgery for an aneurysm.

Walker, 81, had a long career without a mask, and while respected as both a strong legitimate wrestler and a great worker in the ring, he never really took off until he was past 40 and put on the mask. He had worked previously with a mask and been pushed, but never broke out like he did in Georgia.

Originally Walker was thinking of retirement when a wrestling war broke out in Georgia. With most of the talent leaving the NWA Georgia Championship Wrestling group for Ann Gunkel's All South Wrestling, the promotion wanted to bring back Tim Woods, as Mr. Wrestling, who had been a big draw a few years earlier but was working full-time in Florida.

Because of Woods' schedule as one of the key stars in Florida, he couldn't be in Georgia full-time, only work mostly Atlanta, so the decision was made for him to bring in a protege, Mr. Wrestling II.
Wrestling II ended up being more popular than Mr. Wrestling. The two were a regular tag team on-and-off, and also at one point had a feud which was major box office. Wrestling II was considered one of the key people in the NWA side winning the war and in the regular Georgia markets where Dusty Rhodes didn't work regularly, Wrestling II was the big draw for years. He was a favorite of the Carter family, and a photo of President Jimmy Carter with a headlock on Wrestling II was used for publicity purposes for years. He had retired years ago to Hawaii, and Steve Corino's Mr. Wrestling III gimmick is a tribute to Walker.

He remained a headliner in Georgia, and his fame in Georgia from the SuperStation led to him also being used as a major star throughout the Southeast and Mid South areas until the mid-80s. He was one of the key contenders for both Harley Race and Ric Flair as world champion.