History Wrestling / GeorgeWagner

George Raymond Wagner (March 24, 1915 – December 26, 1963) was an American {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er as Gorgeous George. Trained by Farmer Burns, he started his career in 1932 on the carnivals circuit under his own name. He was inspired to develop a flamboyant image by reading an article in ''Vanity Magazine'' about the wrestler Lord Patrick Lansdowne who would come to the ring wearing a velvet robe accompanied by two valets. He started dressing like that and [[LineOfSightName heard some women in the crowd call him "gorgeous."]] He took it and ran with it, creating the first truly great [[TheGimmick gimmick]] in pro wrestling, one of the the first gimmicks that wasn't a generic "athlete," a farmer or a ForeignWrestlingHeel. He helped sell a lot of televisions in that industry's early years. As for his in-ring achievements, he was a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/newengland/awa/ma-awa-h.html AWA (Boston) World Heavyweight Champion]], a multiple-time [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/pnw/wac/pc-lh.html Pacific Coast (Portland) Light Heavyweight Champion]], a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/al/gc/gc-h.html Gulf Coast (Alabama) Heavyweight Champion]] and a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/nwa/ga-south-h.html NWA Southern (Georgia) Heavyweight Champion]]. He was inducted into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002, the ''[[Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and into the Wrestling/{{WWE}} Hall of Fame in 2010.

* RatedMForManly: In contrast to the gimmick he worked, George was known as a genuinely tough guy in RealLife.

* DownerEnding: His death of a heart attack at age 48, broke, divorced, alcoholic, and miserable.

As usual, you can find the basics at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgeous_George The Other Wiki]].

* {{Delinquents}}: He was one as a child, though this lead him to professional wrestling as they would stage matches in the YMCA, so it was not all bad.
* DirtyCoward[=/=]CombatPragmatist: Just check the page quote.

* IWorkAlone: He was in several tag matches over his career, but he wasn't very successful in them.
* LargeHam: Well, duh.

* DownerEnding: His death of a heart attack at age 48.

George Raymond Wagner (1915-1963) was an American {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er as Gorgeous George. Trained by Farmer Burns, he started his career in 1932 on the carnivals circuit under his own name. He was inspired to develop a flamboyant image by reading an article in ''Vanity Magazine'' about the wrestler Lord Patrick Lansdowne who would come to the ring wearing a velvet robe accompanied by two valets. He started dressing like that and [[LineOfSightName heard some women in the crowd call him "gorgeous."]] He took it and ran with it, creating the first truly great [[TheGimmick gimmick]] in pro wrestling, one of the the first gimmicks that wasn't a generic "athlete," a farmer or a ForeignWrestlingHeel. He helped sell a lot of televisions in that industry's early years. As for his in-ring achievements, he was a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/newengland/awa/ma-awa-h.html AWA (Boston) World Heavyweight Champion]], a multiple-time [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/pnw/wac/pc-lh.html Pacific Coast (Portland) Light Heavyweight Champion]], a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/al/gc/gc-h.html Gulf Coast (Alabama) Heavyweight Champion]] and a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/nwa/ga-south-h.html NWA Southern (Georgia) Heavyweight Champion]]. He was inducted into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002, the ''[[Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and into the Wrestling/{{WWE}} Hall of Fame in 2010.

* AscendedFanboy: Was a fan of professional wrestling growing up, even though he was a freestyle wrestler first.

* RealSongThemeTune: Music/EdwardElgar's "''Pomp and Circumstance''" later used by Wrestling/RandySavage, making him the UrExample of wrestlers using entrance music. This is often miscredited to Wrestling/TheFabulousFreebirds, though they were the first to use ''rock'' music for their entrance.

* TheFightingNarcissist: Is responsible for several of these, who (somehow) missed the ambiguously gay aspects of his gimmick or did not want to incorporate them into theirs.

[[quoteright:202:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gorgeousgeorge_2066.jpg]]

* TryingToCatchMeFightingDirty: He would always try to cheat in his matches after turning heel

-->"''Get your filthy hands off me!''"
-->--'''Gorgeous George'''

George Raymond Wagner (1915-1963) was an American {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er as Gorgeous George. He started his career in 1932 on the carnivals circuit under his own name. He was inspired to develop a flamboyant image by reading an article in ''Vanity Magazine'' about the wrestler Lord Patrick Lansdowne who would come to the ring wearing a velvet robe accompanied by two valets. He started dressing like that and [[LineOfSightName heard some women in the crowd call him "gorgeous."]] He took it and ran with it, creating the first truly great [[TheGimmick gimmick]] in pro wrestling, one of the the first gimmicks that wasn't a generic "athlete," a farmer or a ForeignWrestlingHeel. He helped sell a lot of televisions in that industry's early years. As for his in-ring achievements, he was a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/newengland/awa/ma-awa-h.html AWA (Boston) World Heavyweight Champion]], a multiple-time [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/pnw/wac/pc-lh.html Pacific Coast (Portland) Light Heavyweight Champion]], a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/al/gc/gc-h.html Gulf Coast (Alabama) Heavyweight Champion]] and a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/nwa/ga-south-h.html NWA Southern (Georgia) Heavyweight Champion]]. He was inducted into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002, the ''[[Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and into the Wrestling/{{WWE}} Hall of Fame in 2010.

* AmbiguouslyGay: Well to have the trope take his name, he had to be. He was not the first ambiguously gay professional wrestler in the country, citing Lord Patrick Lansdowne with his two valets and velvet robes before him. George set out to be less on the ambiguity and more on the gay though, only taking one valet, Jeffries, and acting much more effeminately.

* PrejudicedForPecs: His success in professional wrestling was the biggest argument ''against'' this trope during his time period besides maybe Wrestling/ElSanto and definitely among promoters in the United States. Only 5'9 and 215 lbs and not even freakishly athletic. Didn't matter, because despite his apparent sissy persona, he was tough and could wrestle very well. So his lack of physical intimation ended up helping him after his heel turn.

* TraumaticHaircut: He lost a hair versus mask match to Destroyer, and had to endure the shaving of his "precious" locks.

* LegacyCharacter: As mentioned below under WrestlingFamily, his son and his great-nephew would take up his mantle in their careers. Wrestling/LannyPoffo was also slated to have a run in Wrestling/{{WCW}} with the Gorgeous George name and character, but it never happened because... well, because WCW.

'''The''' FountainOfExpies in ProfessionalWrestling.

'''George Raymond Wagner''' (1915-1963) was an American {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er as '''Gorgeous George'''. He started his career in 1932 on the carnivals circuit under his own name. He was inspired to develop a flamboyant image by reading an article in ''Vanity Magazine'' about the wrestler Lord Patrick Lansdowne who would come to the ring wearing a velvet robe accompanied by two valets. He started dressing like that and [[LineOfSightName heard some women in the crowd call him "gorgeous."]] He took it and ran with it, creating the first truly great [[TheGimmick gimmick]] in pro wrestling, one of the the first gimmicks that wasn't a generic "athlete," a farmer or a ForeignWrestlingHeel. He helped sell a lot of televisions in that industry's early years. As for his in-ring achievements, he was a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/newengland/awa/ma-awa-h.html AWA (Boston) World Heavyweight Champion]], a multiple-time [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/pnw/wac/pc-lh.html Pacific Coast (Portland) Light Heavyweight Champion]], a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/al/gc/gc-h.html Gulf Coast (Alabama) Heavyweight Champion]] and a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/nwa/ga-south-h.html NWA Southern (Georgia) Heavyweight Champion]]. He was inducted into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002, the ''[[Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and into the Wrestling/{{WWE}} Hall of Fame in 2010.

* {{Badass}}[=/=]RatedMForManly: In contrast to his character, George was known as a genuinely tough guy in RealLife.

!!! George Wagner is the {{Trope Namer|s}} for:

!!! "Read my tropes, you peasants!":

* BlondGuysAreEvil: He was one of the first heels to find major success, rather than being a perpetual loser or {{jobber}} to the stars.

-->"''Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat.''"

* RealMenWearPink: Beyond calling himself gorgeous, he also frequently wore pink bathrobes, dresses, gowns and other "girly" outfits. He also had a purples spotlight. Despite this, he was a lot less of a gimmick wrestler than many of his later imitators.

* TraumaticHaircut: He lost a hair versus mask match to The Destroyer, and had to endure the shaving of his "precious" locks.