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CANADIAN WRESTLING LEGENDS
written by - Bruiser Bob
Updated : 08/12/02
Bulldog Bob Brown
Bulldog Bob Brown
Mainly a heel during his career, Bulldog Bob Brown always knew the tricks to get the fans pissed off at him. Whether he was dousing the fans with their beverages or if he occasionally spat on a rowdy fan (he was likely spat on by the fans many of times), he was well known by the fans and respected by his fellow wrestling peers as one of the all-time greats in the wrestling business.
October 16th 1938, “Bulldog” was born in Shoal Lake Manitoba as Robert Harold Brown. During his 33 year, which mainly wrestled in several territories including Kansas City Missouri, Western Canada, and also the Canadian Maritimes.
Brown grew up in Winnipeg and trained to become a police officer. It is believed that Brown, like many Winnipeg based legends of that time, trained with Vern Gagne in Minneapolis Minnesota. Bulldog started his career in the late 50's up until 1996 when he retired due to a heart attack that year. In February 1997, Brown would suffer a second heart attack in Kansas City, one of the places where he loved to wrestle.
Bob Geigel, a wrestler and promoter from the Kansas City territory, had met Bulldog in 1958 in Winnipeg and believed he showed some promise. Geigel offered Brown to try wrestling down into his territory and Brown accepted a few years later after tuning up his skills in Winnipeg and area.
Just as Bulldog arrived, the Central States territory (mainly Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri) was starting to boom. This time was from the mid 60's up to the mid 80's and Brown was ready to shine. While in this area, Brown won numerous Championships in this territory; 16 time NWA Central States Champion from 1968 to 1987; United States Champion in 1966; and 15 time NWA North American/Central States tag team Champion from 1965 to1988. Brown regularly tagged up with now legends Dick Murdoch and Pat O’Conner.
As most wrestlers did during that time, Bulldog traveled from territory to territory. Between 1969 and 1974, he went to All Star Wrestling in Vancouver British Columbia. While there, he wrestled with Big John Quinn and Gene Kiniski. and became won the Pacific Coast Championship three times from 1970 to 1972. From one report, Brown stated that Gene Kiniski was the man who gave Brown his Bulldog moniker during his time in the Vancouver territory.
Also during the 1970's, another one of the territories that Bulldog wrestled was on the east coast of Canada, the Maritimes with Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling. There are many fans that remember the Bulldog as a hard time heel. He would tag with and wrestle against legends Leo Burke and The Cuban Assassin and many other great stars of that era. Many old time fans from this area will still remember the crazy actions and comments that Bulldog would fire at the fans to get some heat.
Brown also wrestled in Stampede Wrestling in the late 80's. This would be where Brown would win his last title in 1989 with his son Kerry Brown. Stampede Wrestling would soon fold (due to WWF influence) thus making room for Canadian National Wrestling Alliance in 1991 and 1992. During his stay with CNWA, he would do colour commentary with Ed Whalen on the weekly tv taping that aired on TSN (The Sport Network in Canada) and also help with the booking. Here he was a babyface and feuded against Great Gama Singh.
During in his career, Brown would also play the role of promoter and booker of wrestling cards in his hometown province of Manitoba with longtime promoter Tony Condello and also while during his time in the Kansas City territory. This allowed Brown in the helping of upcoming future stars of today such as Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Ted DeBiase and Chris Benoit and many stars from the Manitoba region. Bulldog Bob Brown was giving back to the business that he loved and lived for what the business had given him. A true professional, Bulldog Bob Brown will always be remembered as being an all time great Canadian Wrestling legend.
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