Geeto Mongol

Geeto Mongol
Birth name Newton Tattrie
Born (1931-07-12)July 12, 1931
Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada
Died July 19, 2013(2013-07-19) (aged 82)
Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Black Jack Daniels[1]
Geeto Mongol/Geto Mongol
The Mongol
Mongol #1
Mr. Robust[1]
Skunkman[1]
Tony Newbury
Billed height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1]
Billed weight 250 lb (110 kg)[1]
Trained by Dave McKigney[2]
Retired 1982

Newton Tattrie (July 12, 1931 – July 19, 2013) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Geeto Mongol (also spelled Geto Mongol).

Tattrie started his career in the 1960s working for Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. During his career, Tattrie wrestled all over the globe, wrestling for promotions across the United States and Canada, Africa, Japan, Singapore, and Puerto Rico. He also competed in the World Wide Wrestling Federation. He teamed with Josip Peruzovic as The Mongols, and the pair held the WWWF International Tag Team Championship twice. Tattrie later held the title once more while teaming with Johnny DeFazio.

Professional wrestling career

Early years

Born in Springhill, Nova Scotia in 1931,[1][2] Tattrie ran away from home when he was only 12. He headed to Toronto and lived on the streets during World War II. He was very interested in boxing and once accidentally stumbled into a wrestling gym that he thought was a boxing dojo. It was there that he met wrestler Dave "The Wildman" McKigney who offered to cross train with him.[2] Another wrestler that he met at the gym, Waldo Von Erich, got Tattrie in the door with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), where he wrestled for a time as Tony Newbury.[2] In 1963, he took his craft to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where he continued to train and work for Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling.

The Mongols

While working in Stampede Wrestling, Tattrie met Josip Peruzovic (better known in pro wrestling as Nikolai Volkoff). Tattrie took Peruzovic under his wing as a protégé and trained the non-English speaking, 315 pound man to become a professional wrestler. Tattrie became known as Geto Mongol and Peruzovic as Bepo Mongol; together they were the Mongols.[1] They had a very unorthodox appearance with bald heads and little "horns" of hair on the very top of their skulls.[3]

After meeting his would-be tag team partner, Bepo Mongol, Tattrie returned to the WWWF as Geto Mongol and The Mongols were brought to the United States in 1968. By 1970, Tattrie was a very busy man. From 1971 to 1972 he ran the Pittsburgh territory which worked closely with McMahon's WWWF. He built a home in Pittsburgh and continued to wrestle, using Ace Freeman as a figurehead promoter, so as not to confuse the fans. In 1972, Bepo went off on his own to become Nikolai Volkoff and Geto (Tattrie) sold his promotion to Pedro Martinez.[3] It was also at this time that Newton Tattrie learned to read, after spending years "bluffing it".

While competing in the WWWF, The Mongols won the WWWF International Tag Team Championship from Tony Marino and Victor Rivera on June 15, 1970.[4] They held the belts for just over a year before losing them to Bruno Sammartino and Dominic DeNucci on June 18, 1971.[4] The Mongols regained the title in a rematch the following month and held it until losing them on November 12 to Luke Graham and Tarzan Tyler.[4] Geto held the championship once more, teaming with Johnny DeFazio to win the belts on December 18, 1972.[4] They held the belts until the promotion changed ownership and the title was vacated.[4]

Later career

Tattrie went on to train young wrestling hopefuls including Bill Eadie (better known as The Masked Superstar and Demolition Ax). Eadie joined up with Tattrie to give a rebirth to the Mongols on the Japanese wrestling circuit. Eadie was given the name Bolo Mongol. In 1975, the duo worked for the outlaw IWA promotion where they held its World Tag Team Title.[5] In 1982, finding it hard to get out of bed, Newton Tattrie retired from active competition.[2]

He died in 2013 in Virginia Beach, where he had resided in his later life.[2][6]

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Geeto Mongol". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Canadian Hall of Fame: Geto Mongol". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
  3. 1 2 Solomon, Brian (2006). "Nikolai Volkoff". WWE Legends. Pocket Books. pp. 163–167. ISBN 0-7434-9033-9.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "WWF International Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. pp. 23–24. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  5. ↑ http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/Resource_Center/interviews/superstar/superstar01.htm
  6. ↑ Oliver, Greg (July 26, 2013). "Geeto Mongol dead at 82". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  7. ↑ Oliver, Greg (2005). The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams. ECW Press. p. 238.
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