Dick The Bruiser

He was born William Richard Afflis on June 27, 1929 in Delphi, Indiana and grew up in Lafayette, Indiana. He was raised by his mom, who was very affluent in political circles, and, later in life, he attended Purdue University, where he excelled at both football and wrestling. He also later attended college in Reno, Nevada, where he worked as a bouncer in a casino while attending school.

In the early 50's, he wrestled in the off season of the Green Bay Packers and found out that he could make a lot more money that way, and that he could beat up on guys legally and enjoy it too.

In the late 50's, he began to come to Detroit, and, every Thursday night, he would wrestle at CKLW-TV 9 ... Windsor, Canada, just across the river. His no-nonsense type of character gained him much success at the famed Olympia Auditorium in Detroit. He faced the toughest of competition there in the likes of Cowboy Bob Ellis, Pepper Gomez, and, of course, later, the feud with Alex Karris of the Detroit Lions. That feud had started in Karras's bar and ended up in the sidewalks of Detroit with more than one policeman and many others injured at the hands of the Bruiser.

Bruiser had some of the best training while breaking into the business at the hands of Warren Bockwinkel and others. He enjoyed the look that he developed with his crew cut hair and a neck bigger than his head. His bulldozer attitude in the ring, along with his beer-swilling persona, was both hated and, at the same time, incredibly popular with the fans. His famous name from his football days, combined with his nationwide notoriety gained by "bustin' brains" inside the squared circle. Dick The Bruiser was easily one of the best-known wrestling personalities of his day.

One of his first major championships was the nationally prestigious NWA United States Heavyweight title, which he won in 1957. For the next five years, he dominated the title, winning five U.S. championships between 1957 through 1962, and, at the same time, he also ruled the tag team division with his “cousin” The Crusher.

During 1960, at Madison Square Garden, Dick caused a riot, along with his tag team partner, The Sheik, that resulted in both men losing their right to compete in the state of New York. No telling who he might have faced if he would have been allowed to stay. I doubt that Bruno would have remained champ for as many years as he did.

After a decade or so of being one of wrestling's most feared villains, yet being cheered by a large section of the audience, The Bruiser eventually became a complete, and incredibly popular, fan favorite, along with The Crusher.

During the 70's and into the 80's, Dick continued to wrestle and promote cards in his native Indiana. He also ventured into Kansas, Iowa and Missouri while maintaining his appearances in Chicago, Minneapolis, Milwaukee and other big cities in the upper Midwest.

In 1985, he won the last WWA title he ever held and then lost it to Greg Wojokowski, an Olympian. He retired to his beachfront condo in Florida, where he tried to live the life of retirement. Like many others before him, the daily sessions of working out in his private gym and then relaxing beside a pool or sitting in the front yard watching life go by.

This was not an easy task for Dick the Bruiser, and he took on the job of talent agent with WCW, based out of Atlanta, Ga. Being disgruntled and bored with watching from the sidelines, he returned to Florida and began a workout regime that would have put a lot of the NFL linebackers to shame. He was destined to get back into the squared circle again.

On the morning of November 10, 1992, following one of those horrific workouts, Dick the Bruiser died as a result of a ruptured blood vessel in his esophagus and considerable loss of blood. There was nothing that anybody could have done for him medically.

So ends another life of one of the superstar icons of his day. Wrestling lost one of the great competitors and biggest gate attractions. Dick's family lost a husband, a father, a grandfather and a best friend. I lost another of my heroes that had been a part of my growing up in this business.

Rest in Peace, William R. Afflis, "Dick The Bruiser.”

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers

2003 BWC Hall of Fame Inductee
2004 CAC Hall of Fame Inductee
2006 LWA Hall of Fame Inductee
2007 TCCW Hall of Fame Honoree