Real Name - James Orville Browning
Lifespan - ?/?/?? - 6/19/1936
6'2" 220 lbs. - Verona, MO
Aliases - none
Athletic background - Wrestling
Peak Years - `32-`34

Place in History - Jim Browning's short, but successful run in pro-wrestling has earned him a spot in the sport’s history. Considered one of the greats by no less authority than Ed “Strangler” Lewis and Lou Thesz. He is also one of the most notable pro-wrestlers whose career was cut short by trachoma because he would likely have been one of the most legendary figures had tragedy not befallen him. A big Missouri farmboy, Browning took the pro-wrestling scene by storm. Within a ten-year span, he had gone from a nobody to a maineventer to a widely recognized World Champion to an obituary in the newspapers. Browning toured widely in his early years before catching on in the Northeast under the direction of Paul Bowser. In 1933, “Strangler” Lewis put him over in Madison Square Garden to make him a national star. Winning the New York State Athletic Commission’s title from Lewis was considered a fluke by some, but Browning worked hard to prove otherwise. Although many choose to still recognize Jim Londos, who had been stripped of that World title, Browning was now a top talent with a legit claim. He was hugely successful for a couple years and earned a reputation amongst his peers as one of the very best. The match between he and Londos was finally made in 1934. Londos went over in front of a large, although not as large and profitable as anticipated, crowd at the Madison Square Garden Bowl. Browning’s fifteen minutes had passed. Although he continued to tour for a while longer, his trachoma was crippling. The disease had been the bane of pro-wrestlers for a long time and many eventually went blind from it. “Strangler” Lewis is the mos famous example, but Jim Browning’s career ended prematurely due to the disease. Even more sadly, an abdomen problem and consequential surgery ended his life when blood clots developed in his lungs. There are many tragic figures in pro-wrestling and Jim Browning is certainly one of those. He was a man who drew impressive gates in the midst of the Great Depression, only to be dead a few years later.