1950s PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPION BILLY DARNELL RARE PM10 REAL PHOTO BUTTON.
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Item Description
2-1/8". No maker. Like the PM10 baseball stadium buttons of the era sold at games (see many in this auction), this features a real photo portrait image w/his name at top. Small scattered trace of wear mostly only seen in reflected light. All remains bright and glossy. VF. A rare button, the only example we've seen in our 58 years. Paul Muchinsky Collection.
Darnell's wrestling career spanned 1942-1961 with championships in the National Wrestling Alliance and World Wide Wrestling Federation. His first match with later rival Buddy Rogers was in February 1944, tagging with him in Philadelphia and Baltimore-Washington. Darnell would himself leave wrestling for World War II service in December 1944, joining the United States Army. Post-war Darnell returned to wrestling in Texas, once more with Rogers, who had previously wrestled under his real name Herman Rohde. At the time he was becoming "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, and Darnell was booked as his brother Billy Rogers. Darnell and Rogers next went to California, with wrestling reaching new popularity thanks to television exposure. For the showmanship of it Rogers donned sequined capes, whereas Darnell first donned the leopard-skin outfit, for which he would become famous. Their careers would become forever intertwined when they began facing each other with Rogers as the heel champion and Darnell becoming a heavy fan favorite. Darnell was also known for a well recognized team with Bill Melby, winning the Chicago version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship with him in 1953.
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