Bobby Nelson

For other people of the same name, see Bobby Nelson (disambiguation).

Bobby Nelson
Birth nameCharles Karass
Born(1917-04-17)17 April 1917
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died20 February 2002(2002-02-20) (aged 84)[1]
Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S.
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Bobby Nelson
Charles Karass
Bob Wilson
Golden Terror
Jimmy Nelson
Mystery Man
Zebra Kid[2]
Billed height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Billed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Debut1936
Retired1959

Bobby Nelson (born Charles Karass; 17 April 1917 – 20 February 2002), was a Canadian-American professional wrestler and businessman who appeared frequently in the National Wrestling Alliance midwest territories beginning in 1936 and continuing through the 1950s.

Professional wrestling career

Prior to his wrestling career, Nelson worked as a police officer in Milwaukee.[3] He initially wrestled using his birth name,[4] but soon began using ring names, most frequently appearing as Bobby Nelson. He was sometimes credited as being the name inspiration for,[5] or the creator of,[6] the Nelson series of wrestling holds,[7] though these terms were in use since the 19th Century, with some historians speculating they were named for Horatio Nelson.[citation needed]

Nelson appeared as both a heel and face. National stars he wrestled include "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers,[8] The Crusher,[9] Yukon Eric,[10] Fritz Von Erich[11] and Lou Thesz.[12] He also engaged in a long-running series of regional grudge matches against The Bat.[13] He occasionally appeared in tag team matches, including in Madison, Wisconsin with Dutch Hefner.[14]

Bobby Nelson Cheese Shop

Towards the end of his wrestling career, in 1949,[6] Nelson opened Bobby Nelson Cheese Shop on what would become Interstate 94 in Kenosha, Wisconsin[3] near to and competing with the Mars Cheese Castle. The shop sold various Wisconsin cheeses, sausages, Landjäger and other meat products, and condiments including jams and mustard, as well as German beer steins. After Nelson retired in 1978, the shop business was taken over by his daughter and her husband.[15] The cheese shop has been often mentioned on air by Chicago disc jockey Steve Dahl.[16] The shop closed in July 2019 upon the owner's retirement.[6]

References

  1. ^ staff (22 February 2002). "Bobby Nelson Obituary". Kenosha News.
  2. ^ "Bobby Nelson". wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  3. ^ a b staff (6 August 1953). "Chimps and Champs Wrestle Friday At Round Lake Park". The McHenry Plaindealer. p. 6.
  4. ^ Haase, Randy (1 December 1938). "Dave Reynolds in Wrestling Win Over Stan Pesek". The Appleton Post-Crescent. p. 15.
  5. ^ Archer, Jeff; Svinth, Joseph (January 2005). "Professional Wrestling: Where Sports and Theater Collide". InYo: Journal of Alternative Perspectives. EJMAS. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2006.
  6. ^ a b c Lawson, James (26 July 2019). "Bobby Nelson Cheese Shop closing after 70 years". Kenosha News. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  7. ^ Verstraete, Christine A. (21 February 1997). "Cheese vendor keeps classic character". Kenosha News.
  8. ^ staff (24 October 1955). "Nature Boy, Nelson in Windup Match". The Journal Times. p. 18.
  9. ^ staff (25 September 1952). "Wrestling". The Journal Times. p. 26.
  10. ^ staff (28 November 1953). "Bobby Nelson Meets Yukon Eric Tonight". The Herald-Press. p. 9.
  11. ^ staff (29 November 1953). "Hans Schmidt Here Tuesday". Sioux City Journal. p. 44.
  12. ^ staff (1 April 1947). "Wrestling". The Sheboygan Press. p. 16.
  13. ^ staff (27 June 1955). "B. Nelson, The Bat in Mat Feature". The Journal Times.
  14. ^ staff (1 August 1954). "They'll Team For Tag Match". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 45.
  15. ^ Ferdinand, Pamela (15 April 1996). "Cheddar Land, But There's No Time For Aging". The Boston Globe. p. 3.
  16. ^ Czerniak, Mark (7 April 2009). "Mars Cheese Castle, Tim & Tom's move; Bobby Nelson's Cheese Shop stays put". markcz.com. Retrieved 5 June 2019.