Roger Kirby

Willis Kirby (December 14, 1939 – March 18, 2019), better known as Roger Kirby, was an American professional wrestler who competed throughout the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico. He primarily competed within the National Wrestling Alliance, where he is a former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion, and also competed in promotions such as the World Wrestling Association, the WWE and Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre. Fellow wrestlers have called Kirby "one of the greatest performers to ever work in the squared circle". Early life Willis Kirby was born on December 14, 1939 in Muncie, Indiana and raised in Dunkirk, Indiana. He is a cousin of fellow professional wrestler Les Thatcher Professional wrestling career A Golden Gloves boxer prior to entering professional wrestling, he was trained in grappling by Dick the Bruiser and The Sheik in Indianapolis. After graduating in 1957, Kirby attended a wrestling event at his high school, where he got into an altercation with Ron Shire for standing on the ring apron. After telling his mother about this, he was informed that his cousin's husband was a wrestler named "Cowboy" Dennis Hall. That Sunday, Kirby visited Hall and soon thereafter was wrestling as Wild Bill Baker. He worked at a glass factory while he underwent his wrestling training and four years later he was working full-time as a professional wrestler. As was custom prior to the 1990s due to kayfabe, Kirby would often accept if he was challenged at a bar. Despite being almost 6 feet and 230lbs, Kirby stated that he "was very aggressive because (he was) small, and stayed in shape so (he) could be aggressive." Kirby made his name wrestling through the territories of Georgia, Florida, Oregon, Minnesota and Kansas City (where he lived until his death). He was a prolific traveller, competing throughout the National Wrestling Alliance. With blonde hair and a resemblance to his close friend Buddy Rogers he took on the moniker "Nature Boy", wrestling as a heel and taking on numerous world champions, including Pat O'Connor. He also wrestled overseas in Mexico and Puero Rico, along with six tours wrestling in Japan. Fellow wrestler and booker Bill Howard has stated that "Roger was the best there ever was. He could do everything that they're doing today, and probably even better. He had the body, the looks, the arrogance."