Jim Raschke

Known for ActingBorn 1940-10-18 (age 85)Omaha, Nebraska, USA

James Donald Raschke is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Baron von Raschke. After a successful amateur wrestling career and a stint in the United States Army, James Raschke started in professional wrestling in 1966 in the American Wrestling Association as a referee. He was soon wrestling under his real name, playing off of his amateur wrestling notoriety in the area. He eventually changed his ring name to Baron von Raschke and claimed to be from Germany. He would do a goose-step and then put his finisher known as the "brainclaw", on his opponent. Earlier in his career, the Von Raschke had a finishing maneuver known as the "Prussian sleeper", a rather complex variation of a traditional sleeper hold. His mantra at the time was; "I am ordered to win! I must win! And I will win!" Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s he held numerous singles and tag team titles throughout several NWA and AWA territories, as well as wrestling for the WWWF, where his claw hold was "censored" by a huge red X on WWWF television because it was considered such a violent act. Managed by Fred Blassie, Von Raschke's highest-profile match of his 1970s WWWF run came in March 1977, where he wrestled WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino for the title at Madison Square Garden in New York. Von Raschke lost the match by disqualification when, after Sammartino became tied up in the ropes, he shoved the referee away as he had his clawhold applied to Sammartino's head. Sammartino defeated Von Raschke in a rematch a month later at Madison Square Garden, marking Sammartino's last successful title defense before losing the belt to Superstar Billy Graham. In 1978, Von Raschke was recognized as the first NWA Television champion (the Mid Atlantic Television title had been renamed). In May 1984, Raschke and The Crusher defeated Jerry Blackwell and Ken Patera for the AWA World Tag Team Championship. They would lose the belts in August of that same year to The Road Warriors.Read more

Movies & web series

The Claw

Back To The Territories: Indianapolis

Grand Masters of Wrestling: First Blood Vol. 2

WCW Slamboree 1993

AWA SuperClash IV

WWE: The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA

The First Annual NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament

Mad Dog Vachon: Wrestling with the Past

AWA StarCage

NWA Starrcade 1986

AWA Super Clash

WWE SummerSlam 1988

The Wrestling Queen

AWA Superstars

The Second Annual NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament

Wrestling's Living Legend Bruno Sammartino

NWA The Great American Bash '86 Tour: Charlotte

NWA The Great American Bash '86 Tour: Greensboro

AWA Championship Wrestling

PWUSA Star Wars

PWUSA Mayhem at The Meadowlands

NWA World Championship Wrestling

AWA Christmas Show 1984

AWA Christmas Night 1983

AWA Christmas Show 1983

WCW Arena Shows

NWA Sam Muchnick Retirement Show

AWA Arena Shows

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling