Bobo Brazil

Houston Harris (b. July 10 1924, Little Rock, Arkansas — d. January 20 1998), known professionally as Bobo Brazil, was an African-American professional wrestler who was known for breaking down barriers of racial segregation in professional wrestling. Bobo Brazil is considered one of the first successful African-American professional wrestlers, and is often referred to as "the Jackie Robinson of professional wrestling."

Career
Originally, Houston was to be known as "Boo-Boo Brazil", but a promoter misprinted his first name as "Bobo" in a print advertisement and it stuck.

Early in his career, some wrestling promoters would match Brazil against fellow African-American wrestlers. Fans clamored to see Brazil face opponents of any type and Brazil would have many matches with competitors such as Killer Kowalski, Dick the Bruiser, Johnny Valentine, and The Sheik, who feuded with Bobo over the course of several decades. These and other rivals would all fall victim to Brazil's finishing maneuver, the Coco Headbutt. Brazil also once wrestled André the Giant to a draw, and challenged Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Championship in a battle of two top babyface competitors. On October 18th, 1962 Bobo Brazil made history by becoming the first African American to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title by defeating "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers. Although Bobo Brazil initially refused the title (because of an "injury" that Rogers had claimed to have), Brazil was awarded the title the next day after doctors had found nothing wrong with Rogers. However, this title change is not recognized by the NWA. 

Bobo Brazil served as a mentor to wrestler "Soulman Rocky Johnson."

Brazil's manager was James Dudley, the first African-American to be in charge of a major arena in the United States. Dudley would run to the ring waving a towel, as Brazil followed behind.

Bobo Brazil was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1994. He died on January 20 1998, aged 73.

Profile

 * Height: 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
 * Weight: 270 lb (122 kg)
 * Birthday: July 10, 1924
 * Hometown: Benton Harbor, Michigan
 * Date of death: January 20, 1998
 * Trained by: Joe Savoldi
 * Professional debut: 1951
 * Previous identities: Boo-Boo Brazil

Finishing move

 * Coco Headbutt (Head Butt)

Trivia

 * Brazil has two sons that wrestled, Bobo Brazil, Jr. and Andy Chene. He also had a brother who wrestled as "Hank James" in the Detroit area.
 * Brazil was the first African American United States and NWA Champion. He is the only man to hold four important versions of the title: Detroit, San Francisco, Toronto, and Mid-Atlantic/WCW, the latter being the forerunner to today's WWE title.
 * Brazil was the first African American man to wrestle in the state of Florida.
 * Brazil is responsible for coining a well-known saying within the industry. When a show failed to sell out, he would remark, "It must be that new all-night gas station they opened in town."
 * Brazil and his greatest rival, The Sheik, both entered the sport in the early 1950s, and both left it forty years later in the early 1990s.
 * For the last twenty years of his life, Brazil owned a reasturant, Bobo's Grill, in his hometown of Benton Harbor.
 * During local Chicago wrestling programs on Channels 26 and 44 in the 1970s, Brazil appeared in commercials for the local grocery store One Stop (at 4301 S. Lake Park Ave.). Each spot was punctuated with Brazil's memorable line "... where I buy beer and chitlins by the case."

Championships and accomplishments

 * International Wrestling
 * IW North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)


 * Japan Wrestling Association
 * NWA International Heavyweight Championship (2 times)


 * Midwest Wrestling Association (Ohio)
 * MWA Ohio Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * MWA Ohio Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Frankie Talaber


 * National Wrestling Alliance
 * World
 * NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * National
 * NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Whipper Billy Watson
 * NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit version) (9 times)
 * NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (1 time)
 * NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version) (1 time)
 * NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) (1 time)
 * Regional
 * NWA World Tag Team Championship (Detroit version) (8 times) – with Art Thomas (1), Bill Miller (1), Athol Layton (1), The Stomper (1), Tony Marino (3) and Fred Curry (1)
 * NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
 * NWA "Beat the Champ" International Television Championship (1 time)
 * NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Sweet Brown Sugar (1) and Dusty Rhodes (1)
 * NWA International Television Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Wilbur Snyder (2), Sandor Szabo (1), and Primo Carnera (1)
 * NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (Los Angeles version) (1 time)


 * Pro Wrestling Illustrated
 * 1998 PWI Editor's Award (posthomous)


 * Superstars of Wrestling
 * SoW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)


 * '''World Wrestling Association (Indianapolis)
 * WWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
 * WWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Carter


 * '''World Wrestling Association (Los Angeles)
 * WWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)


 * World Wide Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Federation
 * 1994 inductee to the WWF Hall of Fame