Fritz Von Goering
American professional wrestler
Fritz Von Goering (March 31, 1930 – August 13, 2024) was an American professional wrestler, known for playing a villainous German character in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
Early life
Fritz Von Goering was born as Harold Ray Jennings in San Francisco, California, on March 31, 1930, to an Irish-American family. Prior to his death, it was reported that he was born as John Gabor; he used the Gabor name throughout his personal life, including on legal documents. He reportedly grew up in Chicago, Illinois. After finishing high school, Gabor enlisted in the California National Guard, later serving in the United States Air Force.
Professional wrestling career
Gabor became interested in combat fighting at a young age when his uncle brought him to boxing matches and he grew to admire profession wrestlers such as Lou Thesz and Bobby Managoff, both of whom he would wrestle with later in his career. According to Mercury News, Gabor was trained in gyms, where wrestlers "beat him up badly just to see how much he wanted to learn," writing: "Von Goering is one of the few successful wrestlers who does not have an amateur background; he isn't the product of a wrestling academy, nor did he rise up through the college or Olympic ranks." Greg Oliver reported that Gabor was trained by Joe Pazandak, whom Gabor recounted had subjected him to intense training.
Gabor started wrestling in aftermath of World War II, when it was common for heels (villains) to be portrayed as being from countries in the Axis powers. Despite not being of German descent, he was billed as "Fritz von Ulm", until a promoter in Minnesota altered it to include the Goering surname, which was based on Nazi Party figure Hermann Göring. As part of his character, he was billed as being from various German cities, but in reality had never been out of the United States at that point.
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