Bob Geigel- 2011 MWR Lifetime Achievement Award.
Posted by flairwhoooooo on January 7, 2012
By Josh Ray
The 2011 MWR Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Bob Geigel. Geigel, born in Iowa and now 87 years of age, is most notable in the Midwest for his six NWA Central States Heavyweight title reigns, his four NWA Central States Tag Team title reigns, and his status as the promoter for the Kansas City territory during the heyday of the National Wrestling Alliance. He accomplished much more than this, however, earning the AWA World Tag Team Championship and the NWA National Heavyweight title among others in his great career wrestling in the Missouri, Arizona, Kansas, and Texas territories.
As promoter of NWA Central States in the Kansas territory from 1963 to 1986, Geigel served as President of the National Wrestling Alliance on three separate occasions. His tenures (1978-1980, 1982-1985, and 1986-1987) were considered great successes, as the NWA moved into a golden age during this time with the help of Harley Race and eventually Ric Flair. Race and Geigel formed a business relationship for the Kansas territory and eventually bought out Sam Muchnick portion of the St. Louis territory. Race spoke of Geigel’s exceptional business skills in his book King of the Ring: “After taking the sisters’ money for years to see Kansas City-area wrestling shows, Geigel—normally a shrewd businessman—stopped charging them.”
This award is not the first Lifetime Achievement Award Bob Geigel has received. In 2007, he awarded the Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award by the Cauliflower Alley Club. When asked about Geigel, JJ Dillon, another pro wrestling legend, said in an interview with SLAM! Wrestling “A man’s man, a guy that is physically a tough guy. That was Bob Geigel. That’s the type of person he was.”
Geigel is a key component to the Midwest’s proud professional wrestling history, and served as one of the most influential parts of the global and national wrestling scenes during a period of growth, as well. His status as a tough-as-nails competitor, champion, and exceptional businessman will not soon be forgotten by fans, and it is with great pride that Missouri Wrestling Revival awards the 2011 MWR Lifetime Achievement Award to Bob Geigel.
For more on Bob Geigel’s great career, pleased go to: http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/04/17/pf-4045576.html
Missouri Wrestling Revival 
Chris Havius said
He’s actually 87 years old. A very good friend of my family, he and my Grandpa were good friends at the University of Iowa. A true legend to mid-west pro wrestling. Very deserving. Side-note – Mr. Geigel and the late great Ted Petty (aka Rocco Rock) were the first established guys to offer me advise about getting into the business myself when I was about 16.