Tiny Mills
| Tiny Mills | |
|---|---|
 Tiny Mills posing for a photograph | |
| Birth name | Henry Mittlestadt |
| Born | 1911[1] Camrose, Alberta, Canada[1] |
| Died | 1987[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Tiny Mills |
| Billed from | Camrose, Alberta, Canada Missoula, Montana, US |
| Debut | 1953[1] |
| Retired | 1968[1] |
Henry Mittlestadt (best known by his ring name, Tiny Mills; 1911 – 1987) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He often teamed with his brother Al Mills as the tag team "Murder Incorporated". Later on Stan "Krusher" Kowalski would replace Al Mills as part of "Murder Incorporated.
Career
Mills started his wrestling career at the Maple Leaf Gardens in 1953. Teaming with his brother Al Mills, they were billed as "Murder Incorporated."[1] Al and Tiny won Toronto's NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship in the debut year, defeating the Canadian dream team of Whipper Billy Watson and Yvon Robert.[2] They drew huge houses at Maple Leaf Gardens that year. They traded the Championship with Watson and Hombre Montana as well as Ernie and Emil Dusek in 1954 and won the Championship once more in 1955, which was also the year Al made his final wrestling appearance in Toronto.[2] After the deal of Al Mills Tiny decided to find a new partner and reform Murder Inc. in the late 1950s. He decided to team up with Minneapolis native Stan "Krusher" Kowalski.[1] Team won the Minneapolis version of the NWA World Tag Team Championships twice while working for the NWA Minneapolis Wrestling and Boxing Club.[3] When that promotion became the American Wrestling Association in 1960, Mills and Kowalski became the first AWA World Tag Team Champions.[4] Mills not only worked in tag teams but as a singles wrestler as well. In 1960, Mills had a Championship match against NWA World Champion Pat O'Connor at Maple Leaf Gardens. Together with Kowalski, Tiny Mills once again won the Canadian Open Tag Team Championship, defeating Watson and Ilio DiPaolo on the last Maple Leaf Gardens show of 1960.[2] They lost the Championship early in 1961 after which Mills never came back to Toronto again.[2] After retirement, Tiny became a sheriff in Minnesota.[1]
Championships and accomplishments
- Manitoba Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Al Mills[5]
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (2 times) – with Al Mills (1), Pat O'Connor (1)[6]
- NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Al Mills (5) and Stan Kowalski (1)[2]
- NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (1 time) – with Jim Austeri[7]
- NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time) – with Jim Austeri[8]
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (1 time) – with Hombre Montana[9]
- NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Stan Kowalski[10]
- AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Stan Kowalski[4]
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version) (2 times) – with Stan Kowalski[3]
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Calgary version) (2 times) – with Al Mills[12]
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (Calgary version) (1 time) – with Jack Daniels[13]
- Other titles
- North Dakota Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson (2005). "Murder, Inc". The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams. ECW Press. p. 211. ISBN 978-1-5502-2683-6.
- ^ a b c d e Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Toronto: Canadian Open Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 352. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ a b Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "NWA World Tag Team Title (Minneapolis)". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ a b Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "AWA World Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Winnieg: Manitoba Tag Team titles (Alex Turk)". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 344–345. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "(Kansas & Western Missouri) West Missouri: World Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 253. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "(Carolinas) Charlotte: NWA Southern Tag Team Title [Jim Crockett]". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 114. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "(Memphis, Nashville) Tennessee: Southern Tag Team Title [Roy Welsch & Nick Gulas, Jerry Jarrett from 1977]". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 185–189. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "NWA World Tag Team Title (NWA San Francisco)". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "NWA Hawaii Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "NWA Texas Tag Team Title / WCWA Texas Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Calgary: NWA World Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 339. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. pp. 340–341. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.