Posted on 8/23/126 by Chuck Langermann
Legendary former professional wrestler "Handsome" John Anson
has died.
He was 77.
F4W/WON reported that Anson died on Saturday in Sosua,
Dominican Republic. The site said he had been living there
for the past 25 years.
Anson worked in-ring under the name of Karl von Schotz.
The Vancouver native began his career in Stampede Wrestling
in 1966 when he was just 17 years old. F4W/WON said that his
first match came against the legendary Ivan Koloff.
Anson won Stampede Wrestling's top title, the North American
Championship, twice in 1976 before he lost the belt to the
"Mongolian Stomper" Archie Gouldie.
The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Anson also wrestled for
International Wrestling, Maple Leaf Wrestling, NWA All-Star
Wrestling, Pacific Northwest Wrestling and Stampede
Wrestling before wrapping up his career in 1983.
He also had a run with Kurt Von Hess as part of a heel tag
team known for its feud with Fred Curry and Tony Marino in
the NWA during the early 1970s. They won the promotion's
tag-team titles three times.
The duo also defeated Jacques Rougeau and Gino Brito for the
International Tag Team Championship.
"It is with utter sadness and sorrow to say that John Anson
aka Karl Von Shotz passed away last night," Paige Von Hess
Sutherland wrote on Facebook. "We spoke almost every day for
the last ten years. He was my Dad Kurt's partner for 5
years. I grew up with him having tea with my Dad. They had a
beautiful friendship. Together they won 5 NWA Tag Team
Titles and The United States Heavyweight Title. RIP sweet
man."