Udo Froelich (3 May 1937 – 10 February 2023)[2] was a German-Canadian professional wrestler who spent most his career in Vancouver, Canada for NWA All-Star Wrestling and Pacific Northwest Wrestling in Portland, Oregon.
| Erich Froelich | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Udo Froehlich |
| Born | 3 May 1937[1] West Germany |
| Died | 10 February 2023 (aged 85) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Erich Froelich Eric Rommel Ricky Rommel |
| Billed height | 5"11 |
| Billed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Trained by | Rod Fenton |
| Debut | 1960 |
| Retired | 1982 |
Professional wrestling career edit
Froelich was born in West Germany and emigrated to Canada in 1956 to avoid being drafted by the German army. He was gymnast. In 1960, he made his professional wrestling debut in Vancouver after he was trained by Canadian wrestler Rod Fenton. Became a household name for the promotion.[3] In 1966, Froelich made his debut for Pacific Northwest Wrestling and spent many years there.
He wrestled barefoot. Froelich's signature move was the nip up, a move that came about when he was laying flat on his back in the ring and would bring his legs up to his stomach and throw himself forward into a standing position.[4]
During his career, he worked in many countries in England, Puerto Rico, Japan, Fiji, Hawaii and Australia.
On August 12, 1972, Froelich won his first and only singles title when he won NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship defeating Kinji Shibuya. He dropped the title to Masa Saito a month later.
In 1977, Froliech teamed with Mr. X and won the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version).
Froelich retired from wrestling in 1982 due to open heart and lung surgeries, knee and hip replacements.[5]
Personal life and Death edit
After retiring from wrestling Froelich resided in Vancouver.
On February 10, 2023, Froelich died at the age of 85.[6]
Championships and accomplishments edit
- NWA All-Star Wrestling
- NWA Los Angeles
- WWA International Television Tag Team Championship (1 time) — with Mighty Igor[8]
- NWA Americas Tag Team Championship - with Ruben Juarez
- NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- Western States Sports
- NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Amarillo version) - with Ricky Romero
- NWA Western States Tag Team Championship - with Mr. Wrestling
References edit
General
- Oliver, Greg (2003). "Roll Call: Erich Froelich". The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians. ECW Press. p. 224. ISBN 1-55022-531-6.
- Nevada, Vance (2022). (Un)Controlled Chaos: Canada's Remarkable Professional Wrestling Legacy. FriesenPress. ISBN 9781039154797.
- Nevada, Vance. (December 3, 2000). "Eric Froelich Career Record". SLAM! Wrestling.
Specific
- ^ Oliver, Greg (16 April 2001). "Erich Froelich a rarity as a good guy German". SLAM! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Retrieved 2001-04-16.
- ^ "Profile". Wrestlingdata. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Erich Froelich « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".
- ^ "White Rock "All Star" Passes".
- ^ Rothon, Robert (28 July 2009). "All Star Wrestling's gay icon". SLAM! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
- ^ Oliver, Greg (11 February 2023). "Erich Froelich dead at 85". SLAM! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ "NWA Canadian Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ "International Television Tag Team Title (Los Angeles)". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved 2009-01-13.