November 30th in the Time Tunnel:
Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
Virgil “Speedy”Hatfield
Johnny DeFazio 1940
LeRoy Brown\Elijah Akeem 1950
Tom Zenk 1958
David Ferrier\Jim Backlund\Jimmy Del Ray 1962
Steven Stewart\Bart Sawyer 1965
Happy Birthday:
Keiichi Yamada\Jushin Liger (62)
Christian Cage (52)
Trinity Fatu\Naomi (38)
RIP Memorial: We stop & remember those who have passed on this day and gave themselves to the business for us, the fans. We salute you and thank you.
George Burrell Woodin\Tim Woods\Mr Wrestling 11-30-2002 at the age of 68
The Life and Career of Tim Woods, Mr Wrestling
A college-educated engineer with a formidable amateur wrestling background, Woods transitioned into the professional ranks in his late twenties, becoming a beloved babyface (heroic character) in an era when masked wrestlers were often cast as villains. His career spanned over two decades, marked by championship success, intense feuds, and a legendary act of heroism that preserved the industry’s kayfabe—the illusion of reality in wrestling. Woods passed away on November 30, 2002, at the age of 68 from a myocardial infarction, leaving behind a legacy as both a skilled athlete and a compassionate individual.
Woods grew up in Ithaca, New York, where he honed his athletic skills from a young age. He excelled in amateur wrestling, capturing multiple titles in high school and securing Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Championships in 1955 and 1957. Pursuing higher education, Woods earned a degree in agricultural engineering from Cornell University and a mechanical engineering degree from Michigan State University. At Michigan State, he was a standout for the Spartans wrestling team, winning Big Ten Conference titles in 1958 (177-pound division) and 1959 (heavyweight). He also earned All-American honors twice, finishing as NCAA runner-up in both years—losing in the finals to Gary Kurdelmeier in 1958 and Art Baker in 1959. Known for his tremendous physical strength, Woods set several pinning records during his amateur career, laying a strong foundation for his future in professional wrestling.
Woods entered professional wrestling in 1962 at the age of 29, adopting the ring name Tim Woods. He debuted in the World Wide Wrestling Federation in the northeast from 1963 to 1964, working as an upper-midcard talent in preliminary matches. n 1965, Nebraska promoter Joe Dusek bestowed upon him the iconic “Mr. Wrestling” gimmick, complete with a white mask, white singlet, and white boots—a clean, heroic look that contrasted with the typical villainous masked characters of the time. This persona propelled him to stardom in key territories like Georgia, Florida, Amarillo, and the Mid-Atlantic region, where he alternated between his masked and unmasked identities depending on the promotion.
Throughout his career, Woods amassed an impressive array of championships across various promotions. In the American Wrestling Association (AWA), he won the Midwest Tag Team Championship three times with partners Reggie Parks, Luke Brown, and Ron Reed, as well as the Nebraska Heavyweight Championship. In Championship Wrestling from Florida, he captured the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship twice, the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship twice (with Hiro Matsuda and Big Bad John), and the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) four times. His success extended to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, where he held the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship and NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) with Dino Bravo, along with the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship.
In Georgia Championship Wrestling, Woods secured the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship three times and the NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship six times, often partnering with Mr. Wrestling II. He also ventured internationally, winning awards in All Japan Pro Wrestling, including the Champion Carnival Technique Award in 1975 and the World’s Strongest Tag Determination League Fighting Spirit Award in 1979 with The Masked Strangler.
Notable feuds included high-profile rivalries with Ric Flair and Johnny Valentine, showcasing Woods’ technical prowess and ability to draw crowds. One early incident highlighted his real fighting skills: in 1968, during a match in Columbus, Georgia, Woods engaged in a legitimate brawl with street fighter Arnold Spurlin, a former Golden Gloves champion, dominating until Spurlin bit off part of his finger, which required surgical reattachment but left permanent damage.
One of the most defining moments in Woods’ life occurred on October 4, 1975, when a twin-engine Cessna 310 carrying him, Ric Flair, Johnny Valentine, Bob Bruggers, promoter David Crockett, and pilot Joseph Michael Farkas crashed shortly after takeoff from Charlotte, North Carolina. Overloaded and with fuel issues, the plane stalled, clipped trees and a utility pole, and crashed near a prison farm. Farkas died the following year after a coma, Valentine was paralyzed for life, Bruggers retired after spinal surgery, and Flair broke his back in three places but remarkably returned to wrestling. Woods, who suffered a broken back, identified himself at the hospital as promoter George Burrell Woodin to conceal his wrestling identity and maintain kayfabe, as he was a babyface feuding with the heel (villain) passengers Flair and Valentine.
Rumors quickly spread that Tim Woods was on the flight, threatening to expose the scripted nature of wrestling rivalries and potentially collapsing the industry. To quash this, Woods returned to the ring just two weeks later, wrestling in excruciating pain to “prove” he couldn’t have been injured in the crash. Ric Flair later credited Woods in his autobiography To Be the Man as “the man who saved wrestling” for preserving the business’s integrity and protecting the livelihoods of countless performers.
Pictured: Mr Wrestling (Tim Woods) and Mr Wrestling II (Johnny Walker)
Woods retired from full-time wrestling in 1983, with his final match being a sellout at the Omni in Atlanta, teaming with Mr. Wrestling II against the Road Warriors. Post-retirement, he settled in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he operated a successful heating and air conditioning business and developed patents in the field. An multifaceted individual, Woods was an avid motorcycle collector, accomplished photographer, saxophone player, and even a drag car racer. His real-life heroism extended beyond the ring; he was deeply involved in philanthropy, particularly with Eblen Charities in Asheville, helping organize celebrity golf events to support families dealing with illnesses and hardships. Peers remembered him as a genuinely kind person, though notoriously late to events.
Tim Woods’ impact on wrestling endures through his inductions into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2001 and as a Cauliflower Alley Club honoree in 2002. Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked him #394 among the top 500 singles wrestlers in its “PWI Years” list in 2003.
One Thing I Learned Today About Pro Wrestling History
Virgil “Speedy” Hatfield was a long-time referee and promoter in the Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling territory, where he played a key role in running events and shaping the careers of his three sons—Lee, Don, and Bobby Fields—who all became prominent wrestlers and continued the family legacy in the industry. Hatfield has the likeness of an official NWA Referee on his tombstone.
Thank You for Reading
I’m Tony Richards, Pro Wrestling Historian, Author and Storyteller. I share pro wrestling historical items in each issue of the Time Tunnel Pro Wrestling History Newsletter. Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my information on select events, matches and insights, please share it with folks you think might like to be a subscriber!
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