Wilbur Snyder
Wilbur Snyder (September 15, 1929 – December 25, 1991) was an American football player who became a professional wrestler. He played college football for the Utah Utes and began wrestling in 1953 during the football off-season, training with Sandor Szabo and Warren Bockwinkel. He left football in 1954 to wrestle full-time, earning national notice for using football-style tactics in his matches.
Snyder became a regional star in many NWA territories and defeated Verne Gagne to win the United States Championship in Chicago on April 7, 1956. He also won a version of the world title from Gagne in 1958 in Omaha and held the WWA Championship for about two years. In 1965, he helped form Championship Wrestling Inc. in Indianapolis with Dick the Bruiser, with his wife Shirlee listed as registered agent to keep ownership private.
He won the WWA Championship again after defeating Mitsu Arakawa in 1967 and held the WWA Tag Team titles 13 times. In 1969, he toured Japan with Danny Hodge and won the NWA International Tag Team Championship. Known as “The World’s Most Scientific Wrestler,” Snyder influenced many wrestlers, and Jim Ross has referenced him when describing the abdominal stretch.
He married Shirlee Ann Hanson in 1948 and died in Pompano Beach, Florida, at age 62.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 02:45 (CET).