Jack Brisco, 1941-2010. R.I.P.

Former professional wrestler Jack Brisco has died after complications from open heart surgery. He was 68.

Brisco wrestled for the better part of two decades from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. He was a two time NWA World Heavyweight Champion in the early 1970s. Brisco and his younger brother Gerald (known as Jerry) held the NWA World Tag Team Championship on several occasions. He also held numerous regional singles and tag team championships with his brother. They also discovered a young muscular man and encouraged him to break into the business. That man was Terry Bollea. He is better known as Hulk Hogan.

The Brisco brothers became part of the promotional side of the business having an ownership stake in Georgia Championship Wrestling. They would eventually sell that interest to Vince McMahon. While Gerald took a job with the World Wrestling Federation (as it was then known) Jack retired from wrestling altogether and would run an auto repair business in Florida. He did make a return to the wrestling spotlight in 2008 to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame along with his brother.

I never saw him wrestle on TV but read about him in my older brother's wrestling magazines. When Ric Flair cuts promos that speak of wrestling legends he always mentions Jack Brisco and does so to this very day.