Solo heavyweight champ in the NWA, tag-team champ with his brother Jerry Brisco in the NWA and a long-time player in the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling scene at the Greensboro Coliseum; Jack Brisco has died, at age 68…….
Brisco was a real amateur wrestler and a darn good one, before he entered the professional ranks. He came from Oklahoma and he was part Native-American if the folklore on his background is true and we do believe it is.
Jack Brisco was in my opinion, the stronger of the two brothers that made up the Briscoes’ tag-team championship runs…..Jack was very strong and had one of those barrel-chests that were so prevalent with the hard-core wrestlers/grapplers in the 1970’s….
This guy was the real deal, even though he acted a bit silly, confused and even dumbfounded at times and he left his mark in more ways than one on the professional scene in the Greensboro/Raleigh/Charlotte/Roanoke/Norfolk/Richmond areas that helped comprise the old Mid-Atlantic territory.
Jack’s brother Jerry Brisco has been very sick with heart problems recently, so I am a bit surprised to see Jack leaving us in front of his brother…..
Much news on this at www.prowrestling.net, www.pwtorch.com and at www.wrestlingobserver.com and more historical info will be up soon at www.midatlanticwrestling.net……
from earlier today at prowrestling.net:
WWE Hall of famer and former NWA Champion Jack Brisco died on Monday at age 68, according to WrestlingObserver.com.
Jason Powell’s POV: Details regarding the death of Brisco have not come out. His brother Jerry Brisco has been on hiatus from WWE while recovering from heart surgery. His website notes that he was scheduled to appear at the Wrestle Reunion event in Los Angeles over this past weekend. My condolences to Jack’s family and friends.
There’s a great read on Jack Briscoe at Dave Meltzer’s wrestlingobserver.com and here is just a small snippet:
By Dave Meltzer
Jack Brisco, a former NWA world champion and NCAA champion who was considered one of the greatest workers in the history of the industry, passed away earlier today at the age of 68.
“He was my best friend and my hero growing up,” said Brian Blair, echoing comments made by several wrestlers and people in wrestling this morning in their 50s who grew up when Jack Brisco was a larger-than-life type of personality, promoted as the greatest technical wrestler who nobody could beat in a fair match, which in his era, may not have been far from the truth.
Brisco had been battling an assortment of health problems in recent years, including circulatory problems and emphyzema. He underwent open heart surgery a few weeks ago, and a little over a week ago, collapsed while undergoing rehab, and flatlined at one point. Brother Gerald, who was very close with him, has been battling to regain his health after suffering strokes.
Sorry to hear about JB! I never really thought he was that great of a worker. When he was NWA champ, he was about as entertaining as watching paint dry….but I guess he was “over” in Florida which was one of the big territories with the NWA. As far as Jerry, they never pushed him for anything other than the NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship or something like that. I always thought Jerry was the better worker of the two.
To me, their best work was done here in the Mid Atlantic area as heels when they feuded with Steamboat/Youngblood or maybe it was The Youngblood’s (or both). What stands out to me as well is that Briscoe dropped the strap to Giant Baba in Japan for a week or so…don’t know why that sticks out, but it does!!
There was nothing fancy about Jack Brisco, but he was much-respected in the wrestling circles.
Jack Brisco could pound you into submission or he could chop the daylights out of you. The NWA tried to use his amateur background as a pull, but the true Jack Brisco would just kick your butt and to me his brother Jerry should have spelled his name, Jerri, ’cause he was a wuss and couldn’t fight his way out of any wrestling match.
Jack was the king and Jerri was a queen if you ask me.(Maybe Jerri was trying to be more scientific or just smater, I don’t know for sure.) Just a personal observation and I would take Jack Brisco on my side any day of the week and I’ll give you Jerri and you guys will be walking out of here with tails between your legs……
Long live Jack Brisco in the minds of the fans and good luck anyway to a sick Jerry Briscoe, who has not been well lately…..
I always used the e in my Brisco spelling, but today we need to get it right and if Meltzer is going with the Brisco with no e, that’s allright with me….
Spelling is becoming an interesting point in this posting….
Ha Ha!! I was going to crack on you about the spelling thing but I didn’t know if Brisco or Briscoe was right myself!!:) I’ve seen it both ways although predominately BRISCO!! You know if wouldn’t be above grapplers to make minor name modifications Fliehr to Flair etc…etc..
I wasn’t saying that Jack wasn’t tough…most of the old timers were tough as nails!! Just that I didn’t find him very entertaining until he did the heel thing as a tag team!
I think the tag-team of Mark and Jay Briscoe from ROH spelled their Briscoe names with the “E” and I’m sure Bruce Mitchell would know more on this, but he may be afraid to come in here, knowing that Jack Brisco would have not liked his approach, since Bruce leans more toward the mental and Jack was all about the physicality and he probably would have made Mitchell say uncle or aunt or he would have cried for his momma or Ric Flair to come save him, but Flair couldn’t have laced up Jack Brisco’s jock strap as Bret Hart metioned last evening and I had never heard that one before either….
You couldn’t lace up Stu Hart’s jock strap Vince McMahon…….Well??????
Now wait just a second Jocko!!:):) Naitch’ would’ve dogged Brisco any day of the week & twice on Sunday!! If you get the Flair out of your head from the last few years & remember he cut his teeth on guys like Harley Race, Johnny Valentine, Bruiser Brody & many other “tough” guys.
How to watch how far Bret’s fallen, that stroke looks like it’s really did a number on him. Vince did say one true thing…he mentioned all the personalities he put Bret in with & told him he had none!! Ha Ha isn’t that what I said in the last column you wrote?? It seems to be a terribly slow moving story, but I know they moved it up with the TNA angle coming at them. I hope the writers can pick it up & get it moving!!
I’d have Bret managing the Hart Dynasty or whatever that tag team is that they have against Orton & Legagy & have Legacy turn on Orton, since they obviously want to try them as faces!!!
Flair was and still is all TALK! I guess you do what you have to do, but it makes it tough for guys like me, Tim Blaze, Barry Cohen, Chris Plano, Ed Hadnot and Christopher Love that all have to get out here and work for living….
Bruce Mitchell and Flair have you guys all snowed into thinking that are the champs.
If the truth be known, I think Bob Caudle could have and might still just whip Flair and Mitchell in a handicap match…..
I’ll take Caudle and Irv Mushnik any day of the week…….
Mushnik..maybe….Caudle…no way, maybe David Crockett & Johnny Weaver..turn out the lights…the party’s over. What made Flair great was the talking (and image). Definitely one of the top 3 interviews in my lifetme (Roddy Piper & Jim Cornette are the other 2).
Are you promoting matches now?? I thought- maybe, with the names you lumped yourself in with above…Believe it or not, never met Blaze or Plano, I was already in Wilmington when they started….As far as Cohen,Hadnot & Love. Well, you know what they say..if you can’t say anything nice…..
I will say this about Barry, he was a nice guy..just didn’t have a clue what he was doing. It’s amazing tht anyone that “trained” under him, didn’t suffer a career ending injury. What was impressive is how he “conned” the Greensboro Parks & Rec Dept. into letting him start a Pro Wrestling “class” at the Boxing Center.:)