Real Name: George Raymond Wagner Was Born: March 24, 1915 - December 26, 1963. Seward, Nebraska United States Bio: George Raymond Wagner, or Gorgeous
George was an American professional wrestler. His flamboyant theatrics blazed
the trail for sports entertainment and are credited as the defining reason for
establishing television as the industry’s main entertainment vehicle. At 5’9”
215 pounds, Wagner was neither physically imposing nor an exceptionally gifted
athlete, but he soon developed a reputation as a solid in-ring worker. In the
late 1930’s, he met Betty Hanson, whom he would eventually marry in an
in-ring ceremony. When the wedding proved a good drawing card, the couple re-enacted
it in arenas across the country (which thus enlightened Wagner to the potential
entertainment value that was left untapped within the industry). Around this
same time, Vanity magazine published a feature article about a pro wrestler
named Lord Patrick Lansdowne, who entered the ring accompanied by two valets
while wearing a velvet robe and doublet. Wagner was impressed with the bravado
of such a character, but he believed that he could take it to a much greater
extreme. As a result, he debuted his new “glamour boy” persona on
a 1941 card in Eugene, Oregon; and he quickly antagonized the fans with his
exaggerated effeminate behavior, which prompted the ring announcer to introduce
him as “Gorgeous George.”...
