Bearcat Brown

Matt Jewel (August 31, 1935 – April 7, 1996) was an American professional wrestler who became popular in the 1960s. Despite racial tension in the United States, he became wildly popular as a babyface in Alabama. During his career he teamed with Len Rossi mainly winning various tag team titles.^[3]

Bearcat Brown
Birth name	Matt Jewel
Born	(1935-08-31)August 31, 1935 Tennessee, U.S.[1]
Died	April 7, 1996 (aged 60)[2]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Bearcat Brown Fatback Brown Mystery Man #2
Billed weight	245 lb (111 kg)
Debut	1961
Retired	1981

Professional wrestling career

Brown made his professional wrestling debut in 1961. Early in his career he worked in Kansas City and Georgia. In 1966, Brown made his debut in for NWA Mid-America in Alabama working for Nick Gulas.

In 1969, he became one of the most popular wrestlers to ever appear in Birmingham when he formed a tag-team with Len Rossi and broke the color barrier on Boutwell Auditorium wrestling cards. They won the World Tag Title and packed Boutwell for the next three years with both black and white fans.^[4][5][6][7]

In 1972, Rossi was injured in a car accident and retired. Brown would teamed up with Rossi's son Joey.

In 1977, Brown left Alabama and went to Tennessee to work for Continental Wrestling Association. He would retire around 1981.

Death

Brown passed away on April 7, 1996, at 60.

Championships and accomplishments

• National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (16 times)^[8] – with Len Rossi (7), Les Thatcher (1), Robert Fuller (wrestler) (1), Mr. Wrestling II (1)
  • NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Len Rossi (1)
  • NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (19 times)^[9][10] – with Len Rossi (5), Tommy Gilbert (3)
  • NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Whitey Caldwell (1)
• Southeastern Championship Wrestling – Continental Wrestling Federation
  • NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Southeastern version) (1 time)

References

General

• Oliver, Greg (2005). "Integrating the South". The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Tag Teams. ECW Press. p. 140. ISBN 9781770905573.

Specific

1. "Bearcat Brown". Wrestlingdate.
2. "Bearcat Brown: Profile & Match Listing - Internet Wrestling Database (IWD)".
3. "Profile". CageMatch. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
4. "Matt Jewel".
5. "Memphis/CWA".
6. Garrison, Greg (October 21, 2020). "Pro wrestler who helped integrate sports in Alabama dies". AL.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
7. "Memphis Wrestling in the 60s".
8. Hoops, Brian (January 19, 2019). "Pro wrestling history (01/19): Ric Flair wins WWF title in 1992 Royal Rumble". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
9. Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2006) [2000.]. "(Memphis, Nashville) Tennessee: Southern Tag Team Title [Roy Welsch & Nick Gulas, Jerry Jarrett from 1977]". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, Ontario: Archeus Communications. pp. 185–189. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
10. "Southern Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved January 19, 2020.