Johnny Powers (wrestler)
Johnny Powers (born Dennis Waters; March 20, 1943 – December 30, 2022) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He competed in several North American and International promotions including National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), American Wrestling Association (AWA), Maple Leaf Wrestling, National Wrestling Federation, International Wrestling Association and the World Wide Wrestling Federation feuding with then WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino during the early 1960s NWA's Lou Thesz, Gene Kiniski and AWA's Verne Gagne.
| Johnny Powers | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Dennis Waters |
| Born | March 20, 1943 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | December 30, 2022 (aged 79) Smithville, Ontario, Canada |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Johnny Powers Lord Anthony Lansdowne |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Billed weight | 265 lb (120 kg) |
| Trained by | Jack Wentworth Johnny Valentine Lou Thesz Toots Mondt Pedro Martínez |
| Debut | 1960 |
| Retired | 1982 |
As a sports event promoter and television producer since 1967, he has presented over 3,500 live wrestling and sports events from Singapore to New York City to Trinidad. He co-founded the National Wrestling Federation (NWF), which he sold to Japanese interests in 1973. Powers was the first major international syndicator of television wrestling with programs in over 27 countries.