Athletes - Jimmy Valiant

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	Athletes - Jimmy Valiant

James Valen was a professional wrestler better known as Jimmy Valiant.

Career

Jimmy Valiant (born James Fanning in Franklin County, Tennessee) started wrestling in 1964 as Big Jim Vallen. He went to the World Wide Wrestling Federation in the 1970s as Handsome Jimmy Valiant and formed a team with Johnny Valiant that would dominate the tag team scene for awhile.

In the early 1980s, Valiant went to the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions as "Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant and called his fans "The Street People". He feuded heavily with Paul Jones and his "Army" of wrestlers that included The Barbarian, Shaska, Baron Von Raschke, Teijho Khan and Manny Fernandez. Valiant, Jones and Whatley all had their heads shaved during this years long feud. Valiant had help from Hector Guerrero, Pez Whatley (before he turned and became Shaska), Manny Fernandez (his partner in the B and B Connection until he turned on Valiant) and Ron Garvin.

In the late 1980s, he teamed with Guerrero (who was then masked as Laser Tron) and feuded with The New Breed. When Jim Crockett Promotions became WCW, Valiant left and wrestled in the USWA and WCCW.

Since then, Valiant has primarily wrestled in the independents and has managed to wrestle in 5 decades, his last match occurring on January 29, 2005 at WrestleReunion. He can now be found as a special referee from time to time in the CWF. He now operates a wrestling school too.

Profile

Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 250 lb (113 kg)
Birthday: August 6, 1942
Hometown: Hammond, Indiana
Trainer: Verne Gagne
Other Gimmicks: Big Jim Vallen, Handsome Jimmy Valiant, Charlie Brown, Boogie Woogie Man Jimmy Valiant
Managers: Grand Wizard, Big Mama (his wife), Lou Albano
, Street Lady, The Goon, Jimmy Hart, Bobby Heenan

Championships/Accomplishments

World Wrestling Entertainment

2-Time WWWF World Tag Team Champion (with Johnny Valiant)
Member of WWE Hall of Fame (inducted 1996)

National Wrestling Alliance

3-Time NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Champion
1-Time NWA World Tag Team Champion (San Francisco version) (with Johnny Valiant)

Tennessee Promotions

2-Time USWA Heavyweight Champion
1-Time USWA Southern Heavyweight Champion
1-Time All-American Heavyweight Champion
7-Time Mid-Southern Heavyweight Champion
1-Time Mid-American Heavyweight Champion
1-Time Mid-Southern Tag Team Champion (with Rocky Johnson)

Florida Championship Wrestling

1-Time NWA Florida Tag Team Champion (with Johnny Valiant)
1-Time NWA Florida United States Tag Team Champion (with Johnny Valiant)

Other titles

3-Time WWA Tag Team Champion (with Johnny Valiant)
1-Time WWA Heavyweight Champion
1-Time Georgia Tag Team Champion (with Johnny Valiant)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him # 274 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003. Jimmy also won the PWI Tag Team of the Year Award in 1974 with Johnny Valiant.

Trivia

Jimmy was not really related to Johnny Valiant or Jerry Valiant.
Jimmy's wife, "Big Mama", appeared with Jimmy briefly in Jim Crockett Promotions and with Barry Darsow
in the AWF.
In Jim Crockett Promotions, he would sometimes appear in a black bandit-style mask and call himself "Charlie Brown from Outta Town."

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Jimmy Valiant ]

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