J. J. Dillon
| J. J. Dillon | |
|---|---|
 J. J. Dillon at the Walter "Killer" Kowalski Memorial Show in Malden, Massachusetts on October 26, 2008 | |
| Birth name | James Morrison |
| Born | June 26, 1942 Trenton, New Jersey |
| Website | JJDillon.com |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | J. J. Dillon James J. Dillon Jo Jo Dillon Jim Dillon Jim Valence |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Billed weight | 238 lb (108 kg) |
| Trained by | Eddie Graham |
| Debut | December 6, 1968 |
| Retired | February 19, 2003 |
James Morrison (born June 26, 1942) is an American retired professional wrestler and manager, better known by his ring name, J. J. Dillon.[1]
Professional wrestling career[]
J. J. Dillon had an extensive wrestling career. He broke into wrestling at the age of 29, starting out in the early 1970’s as a referee transitioning into a wrestler and then a manager winning many championships and managing a variety of wrestlers throughout many different territories around the country. He made his Madison Square Garden debut on April 23, 1984 when he challenged Tito Santana for the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, losing by pinfall after a flying forearm by Santana.[2]
He is most remembered in pro wrestling as a manager. He guided many wrestlers to singles and tag team titles in the NWA. Dillon, who became manager of Tully Blanchard,[3] achieved his greatest success as the manager of the Four Horsemen which consisted of "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, Blanchard, Arn Anderson , Ole Anderson, Lex Luger and Barry Windham. After leaving WCW in February 1989, Dillon served as a front office executive for the WWF until 1997. On April 21, 1997, he returned to WCW as an on-camera commissioner, a position which lasted until fall 1998. In 2003, Dillon had a short stint as an NWA representative in TNA.[citation needed]
In 2009, he made a one-night appearance at Deaf Wrestlefest 2009 to team with "Beef Stew" Lou Marconi and "Handsome" Frank Staletto in a six-man tag team match against "Franchise" Shane Douglas, Dominic Denucci and Cody Michaels.[4][5][6]
On December 29, 2019, Dillon joined the Board of Directors of the International Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.[7] On March 3, 2021, Dillon returned to TNT to act as manager for Tully Blanchard on an episode of AEW Dynamite.[8] In 2022, Dillon makes an appearance on Judge Steve Harvey with wrestler Kevin Sullivan.[9]
Championships and accomplishments[]
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Other inductee (2007)
- Central States Wrestling
- NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Buzz Tyler
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Roger Kirby
- NWA Florida Television Championship (1 time)
- Eastern Sports Association
- ESA International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- ESA International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Freddie Sweetan
- ESA North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Lou Thesz Award (2016)[10]
- National Wrestling Alliance
- NWA Hall of Fame (class of 2014)
- NWA Western States Sports
- NWA International Heavyweight Championship (Amarillo version) (1 time)
- NWA Western States Television Championship (1 time)
- Georgia Championship Wrestling
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2013[12]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Manager of the Year (1982, 1983, 1988)
- WWE
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2012) as a member of The Four Horsemen[13]
Books[]
- Dillon, James J.; Teal, Scott; Varriale, Philip (2005). Wrestlers are like seagulls : from McMahon to McMahon. Hendersonville, TN: Crowbar Press. ISBN 0-9745545-2-9. OCLC 62596130.
References[]
- ^ "Zoltan organizes Deaf WrestleFest". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 30, 2009.
- ^ "- YouTube". YouTube.
- ^ "JJ Dillon & Tully Blanchard on 4 Horsemen Origin!". YouTube.
- ^ Deitch, Charlie (April 30, 2009). "The Wrestler". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
- ^ Shrum, Rick (April 30, 2009). "Zoltan organizes Deaf WrestleFest". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
- ^ Csonka, Larry (May 5, 2009). "Various News: RVD Video Blog, Doug Basham Retires, JJ Dillon Returns to the Ring, More". News. 411mania.com. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
- ^ https://www.ipwhf.org/post/jj-dillon-joins-ipwhf-board-of-directors[bare URL]
- ^ Defelice, Robert (March 3, 2021). "Shawn Spears And J.J. Dillon Help FTR And Tully Blanchard Defeat Jurassic Express On AEW Dynamite". Fightful.com. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ Middleton, Marc (2022-03-24). "Wrestling Legends Appear on ABC's "Judge Steve Harvey"". Wrestling Headlines. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
- ^ "J.J. Dillon announced for 2016 Tragos/Thesz HOF". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
- ^ NWA Macon Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (2012-12-10). "Mon. update: Major Spike announcement tomorrow, Aces & 8s identity, TNA injury updates, Hall of Fame inductions announced, WWE two PPVs this weekend, Jericho schedule, Amateur wrestling hits MSG first time ever". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2012-12-10.
- ^ "The Four Horsemen". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
External links[]
- Official website
- J. J. Dillon's profile at Cagematch.net, Wrestlingdata.com, Internet Wrestling Database
- JJ Dillon Interview
- Pick My Brain with JJ Dillon
| show Authority control |
|---|
- 1942 births
- American male professional wrestlers
- American podcasters
- The Four Horsemen (professional wrestling) members
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Trenton, New Jersey
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- Professional wrestlers from New Jersey
- Professional wrestling managers and valets
- Professional wrestling trainers
- WWE executives
- WWE Hall of Fame inductees
- Stampede Wrestling alumni
- 20th-century professional wrestlers
- NWA Florida Heavyweight Champions
- NWA Florida Tag Team Champions