John Anson has sadly passed away at the age of 77. Anson is best known for his time in the world of professional wrestling. He also competed under the name of Karl von Schotz. Anson was living in the Dominican Republic at the time of his death.
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Anson came up during the early years of professional wrestling, making his debut at the age of 17 for "Stampede Wrestling." His debut came under the name of Ivan Koloff. In 1976, Anson became Stampede's North American Champion, which was the top belt within the promotion. He won and dropped the title twice during the same year. His second title loss came against Archie "Mongolian Stomper" Gouldie on July 2.
Like most wrestlers from that time, Anson didn't spend his entire career with Stampede. Instead, he worked and won titles with multiple companies. He spent some time with Big Time Wrestling, where he won their version of the NWA World Tag Team titles in 1972. By 1974, he'd held those tag championships on four occasions.
Anson then moved to the National Wrestling Federation (NWA) where he once again became a tag champion. The legendary wrestler also spent some time abroad, working with the likes of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, currently considered one of the best promotions on the planet.
John Anson Recalls His Time With Stampede
At the time of his career, Anson was among the first Canadians to take his talents outside of the country. As such, he helped pave the way for the current talent pipeline that features stars such as Chris Jericho and Adam Copeland.
However, before them came Brett Hart, a legend in his own right.
"Stampede was unique," Anson explained during a 1998 interview with Slam Wrestling. "And Bret Hart used to carry my lunch bag."
During his career, Anson shared the ring with fellow legends such as the late-Dory Funk Jr and Lou Thesz. Unfortunately, he called time on his career at age 35, which is something he later noted he regretted.
"I got in early, I got out early," Anson told Slam Wrestling. "There were a lot of tough wrestlers, and it took its toll."
Unfortunately, not long after his retirement, Vince McMahon took the World Wrestling Federation national. "I just quit too soon," Anson said.
Currently, there's no information regarding the cause of Anson's death. All we know for certain is that the wrestling world is now in mourning.
