Bob Geigel;  class wrestler and  NWA President for starters!

Helped break in wrestlers from Ox Baker to Shawn Michaels!

A great amateur, decorated pro wrestling legend , longtime Kansas promoter and NWA President to the end describe just a few accomplishments of this year’s honoree Bob Geigel. He was born in Iowa and attended the University of Iowa, home of many great amateur legends. And he set some records and was feared throughout the amateur circuit. Verne Gagne always appreciated and tried to promote legitimate amateur wrestlers and athletes, and thus began a long friendship, both business and personally with Bob.

Bob was AWA world tag team champion on three occasions with his longtime friend HB Haggerty in a historic duo that also were champions in other circuits. Geigel was also AWA world tag champs with Stan “Big K” Kowalski and Otto (Baron) Von Krupp. He was many times Central States singles and tag team champion, settling in Kansas City to finally hang up his hat after decades as a pro wrestling great; to make a permanent home for his family.

Bob was C.S. tag champs with an incredible who’s who list of greats: from Bobo Brazil, Pat O’Connor, Stomper Archie Goldie, Dr Big Bill Miller, Rufus R Jones, The Viking, Japan’s Akio Sato and more. He was North American champion for Dory Funk Sr. in Amarillo and a tag champ with Funk on four occasions. He was also NWA United States champ and toured the world.

Bob’s top star, Handsome Harley Race eventually also became involved in the promotional side of wrestling, owning part of the Kansas City territory along with Geigel and Pat O’Connor and also buying into the St. Louis promotion with Geigel, O’Connor and Sam Muchnick. After Muchnick retired, old compadre Verne Gagne joined the St. Louis ownership group.

Once he semi-retired from ring action, he could still be called upon as a tag team partner in action, if attacked by one of the top heels like a Judo Al Hayes. He was the historic NWA President (from 1978 to 1980; then 1982 to 1985 on through 1987) after the legendary Sam Muchnick reign followed by Eddie Graham and Fritz Von Erich/Jack Atkisson.

Bob was NWA Central States promoter (1958 thru 1988 when the office was purchased by Jim Crockett/NWA promotions via WTBS)
NWA St. Louis promoter (1982 to 1986). He helped train a diverse CAC bunch in Bart Sawyer (Steve Stewart), Dick Murdoch, Shawn Michaels,
The Equalizer (Richard Alan Drasin) who’ll return to CAC this April and the one and only Ox Baker, former WWA world champ.

We were thrilled to see Bob at his first CAC event with his longtime legendary t.v. announcer, Bill Kersten. It was certainly a Central States reunion with them, Harley and others last year in Las Vegas! Bob was always great on the stick, and this year should have a lot of things to say on the world platform of CAC.