Anthony Wayne Osborne (July 13, 1926 – August 27, 2010) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Tough" Tony Borne.[1]
| Tony Borne | |
|---|---|
 Tony Borne, circa 1960 | |
| Birth name | Anthony Wayne Osborne |
| Born | July 13, 1926[1] Columbus, Ohio, U.S.[1] |
| Died | August 27, 2010 (aged 84)[1] Oak Grove, Oregon, U.S. |
| Children | Matt Osborne |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Tony Borne |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 220 lb (100 kg; 16 st)[1] |
| Trained by | Ali Pasha[1] Karl Pojello[1] |
| Debut | September 23, 1952 |
| Retired | 1981 |
Professional wrestling career
editOsborne was an amateur wrestler in both high school and in the United States Navy.[1] Promoter Al Haft first convinced him to try professional wrestling.[1] His initial trainers were Ali Pasha and Karl Pojello.[1] Pojello convinced Osborne to shorten his ring name to Borne.[1]
In the 1950s, he wrestled mostly in Texas and Pacific Northwest territories, becoming a mainstay in the NWA Pacific Northwest under promoter Don Owen.[1] in 1953, he had a stint in Mexico, where he wrestled the Blue Demon.[1]
Throughout his career he wrestled for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Pat O'Connor, Gene Kiniski and Lou Thesz.[2] In the early 1960s in the Omaha territory for promoter Joe Dusek, Osborne had matches with AWA World Heavyweight Champion Verne Gagne. He influenced up-and-coming wrestlers who spent time in the Pacific Northwest such as Roddy Piper, Rick Martel, Buddy Rose, Rip Oliver, Lonnie Mayne and Billy Jack Haynes.
After his son Matt became a professional wrestler, the duo worked occasionally as a tag team.[1]
Personal life
editOsborne married Nona Faye Muller in 1955, and was the father of late professional wrestler Matt Osborne.[1] After retiring from professional wrestling, Osborne prospered in real estate.[1] A pacemaker was inserted in his heart in August 2010, but he died at his home on August 27 of that year.[1]
Championships and accomplishments
edit- Cauliflower Alley Club
- NWA All-Star Wrestling
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) (2 times) – with John Tolos
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) (1 time) – with John Tolos
- Pacific Northwest Wrestling
- NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (9 times)
- NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (20 times) – with Ed Francis (1), Shag Thomas (2), Pat Patterson (1), Jay York (1), Professor Hiro (1), Mr. Fuji (1), Moondog Mayne (11), Tony Marino (1) and The Skull (1)
- Ring Around The Northwest Newsletter
- Southwest Sports/World Class Championship Wrestling
- NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Texas version) (4 times)[4][5]
- NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Danny McShain (1) and Don Manoukian (1)[6][7]
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ivan the Terrible[8][9]
- Superstar Championship Wrestling
- SCW Western States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Moondog Mayne
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Oliver, Greg (August 27, 2010). ""Tough" Tony Borne dead at 84". Canoe.ca. Québecor Média. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Morrell, Jack (September 14, 2015). "10 Next Generation Wrestlers You Didn't Know About". WhatCulture.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ a b Rodgers, Mike (2004). "Regional Territories: PNW #16". KayfabeMemories.com.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "(Texas) Dallas: NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 271. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "Texas Brass Knucks Title [East Texas]". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
- ^ Will, Gary; Duncan, Royal (2000). "Texas: NWA Texas Tag Team Title [Von Erich]". Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. pp. 275–276. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "NWA Texas Tag Team Title [E. Texas]". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
- ^ Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2000). "Texas: NWA World Tag Team Title [Siegel, Boesch and McLemore]". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title [E. Texas]". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
External links
edit- Tony Borne's profile at Cagematch.net
