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Ivan Gene LeBell (October 9, 1932 - August 9, 2022) was an American martial artist, instructor, stunt performer, and professional wrestler. Two hundred of his friends, students, and family gathered at Hayastan MMA Academy in North Hollywood to celebrate his storied life and remember how he touched each of them in a way only LeBell could. To this day you are still teaching and sharing your wealth of knowledge with the next generation! Is MJF the Second Coming of CM Punk? In a recent conversation with Bob Calhoun, the coauthor of LeBells autobiography The Godfather of Grappling, the judoka, then 87 years old, said he was surprised that Lee didnt try to counter me, so I think he was more surprised than anything else. In the years that followed, Lee worked with LeBell to incorporate grappling into his films, defeating Sammo Hung with an arm bar in Enter the Dragon and Chuck Norriswho would become another long-time collaborator of LeBellsvia chokehold in Way of the Dragon. Despite his martial arts credentials, LeBell did not immediately connect with wrestling audiences. LeBell's longtime friend Bas Rutten first revealed the news on Facebook. He popularized grappling in pro-fighting circles and had a famous run-in with Steven Seagal. For a time, he took on a role as "policeman" for the organization, helping to maintain order. And later on, there is discussion of whether or not double-dipping is an acceptable way to eat! His students in those fields included Roddy Piper, Ronda Rousey, and many others. Jimmy Roberts, Gene youve always told me Im the best but your THE GREATEST Love ya, Manny Perry, I owe everything to Gene. Melanson specializes in catch wrestling, while drawing elements from judo, and focuses his coaching specifically on grappling in mixed martial arts.He is especially known for his guard work, leg locks and triangle chokes. He will always be my Stunt Senei. Joseph Davis, Gene is truly a genuine Good person and a great friend. Gene LeBell won his weight class and the overall championship in 1955 as well. Gene LeBell heard about the proclamation and decided to take Seagal up on the challenge. [13] He also continued to work in professional wrestling intermittently, wrestling his final match on August 29, 1981, against Peter Maivia for NWA Hollywood Wrestling. Congratulations & we all love you. A celebration of his life will be held on his 90thBirthday October 9th, 2022 at the Hayastan Academy led by his student, Black Belt Hall of Fame Member - Gokor Chivichyan. Are the Lakers dead? 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Gene LeBell had thousands of students over the years. An agreement was reached for the match to last five rounds, each lasting three minutes. The only thing that is different is that judo has strangleholds, which arent done in pro wrestling., Although LeBell considered full-time careers as a boxer and a judoka, the lure of better money in pro wrestling and Hollywood stunt productionsas well as connections to both industriesled him into those fields. A half-century ago, Pink Floyd unleashed a classic that still lingers on the Billboard charts and in college dorms to this day. LeBell has made himself the nicknames "Judo" Gene LeBell, "The Godfather of Grappling" and also "The Toughest Man Alive" for his . Black Belt EXCLUSIVE. Most of his notoriety came after the release of his biggest film, Enter the Dragon, that same year. Almost everyone present to honor him wore a Gene LeBell tee-shirt, and his widow Midge sported a sweater covered in patches that LeBell made over the years to give out to fans for souvenirs. [17] Ultimately, nothing came from it. 'The Godfather of Grappling' evolved to be a popular figure in the martial arts world after he extended to various other forms of sports, including judo and mixed martial arts. Thank you for all you have done for those of us blessed to learn from you. Neil Melanson In one scene, Brad Pitt plays a stuntman (Cliff Booth) and beats up Bruce Lee on the set of The Green Hornet in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Congrats Rick Avery, Congratulations Uncle Gene! The Alabama passer is one of the smallest QB prospects to be pegged as a first-round pick. He is, and always has been, a perfect example of what a professional stuntman should be and continues to teach and hand down his vast knowledge to all young and old who want to learn. In his book Shooters: The Toughest Men in Professional Wrestling, long-time MMA journalist Jonathan Snowden described LeBell as a horrible professional wrestler from a technical perspective, a tough guy who looked soft in the ring and remained stuck on the undercard of his brother Mike LeBells wrestling events, wrestling under his own name or beneath a mask as the Hangman. He did claim to have won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1960 from Pat OConnor in a match in Dory Funks Amarillo, Texas, territory, repeating this assertion to both Black Belt and Sports Illustrated, but the victory was almost certainly part of a wrestling story line, with LeBell accidentally striking the Texas wrestling commissioner with the belt and forcing its immediate return to OConnor. The grappling club master . Its great having such a role model to look up to. Love, Greg & Barbie Barnett, Youve been my hero my entire career. (James C. Udel, Variety, 2018), Gene started training in judo at a young age, and at the age of 20 in 1954, he won National AAU Heavyweight Judo Championship and the USA Overall Judo Championship title. In return, the boxer's camp agreed that he would wear a Judo Gi or uniform, although he ultimately wore a Karate Gi which fit much tighter and was more difficult to grab onto. Not long after, he began training judo. It must be said at this stage that . LeBell has also worked on over 1,000 films and TV shows and has authored 12 books. [8] Gene also wrestled under a black mask as The Hangman, teaming up with Roy Staggs. Without locking the hold, Seagal side stepped and swung his forearm backwards into his crotch. He deserves this award. He judged UFC 74 (Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga) plus he had a highly popular website visited by martial arts and film fans all over the globe. Our aim is to create a shop for BJJ Students who don't look at Jiu-Jitsu as a sport - but a lifestyle. Gene LeBell's net worth is estimated to be approximately $6 million dollars. For similar uses, see, MMA History Gene Lebell VS Milo Savage, 1963, The Godfather of Grappling (authorised biography of LeBell) by "Judo" Gene LeBell, Bob Calhoun, George Foon, and Noelle Kim. [23] LeBell's trainee Ronda Rousey, assured Seagal was the one lying and said: "If [Seagal] says anything bad about Gene to my face, I'd have to make him crap his pants a second time. Each speaker spoke fondly of the larger-than-life LeBell, recounting stories and memories of how he inspired them and the love they felt for him. It was LeBells first movieland lesson: Always let the star win. Judo Gene LeBell was famous for his catch wrestling technique that later became an influence in both pro wrestling and mixed martial arts. His mother, Aileen Eaton, was a promoter at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, where she promoted boxing and wrestling events and raised Gene and his brother Mike all by her lonesome. Im proud to be a friend of yours for over 50 years. Love ya !!! Along the way, he trained scores of future greats in a variety of disciplines, from Rowdy Roddy Piper in wrestling to Rowdy Ronda Rousey in judo (she, too, eventually wound up in the wrestling business), and even managed to extricate himself from being convicted in the 1976 murder of a private detective who had been digging up dirt on a host of California notables. [8], After returning to the United States, LeBell competed as a heavyweight. All my love and respect Pat Romano, Ya ya Uncle Gene , to one of the Gilberts favorite people . So, congratulation Gene LeBell from the Winburn families for receiving the Taurus Lifetime Achievement Award. His talent in his field was known worldwide and those that got to know him knew he had a heart that matched that talent, the groups statement added. His first match would be against the highly ranked judoka John Osako. Alan Oliney, Hey Gene, Thanks for being a four-star mentor to so many and thanks for being Gene Lebell. Outside of the fight game, LeBell worked in film & television, appearing in multiple Elvis Presley movies and working on The Green Hornet TV series, where he struck up a friendship with Bruce Lee. [7][8], Following his combat sports career, LeBell, along with his brother Mike, ran the National Wrestling Alliance's Los Angeles territory, NWA Hollywood Wrestling, from 1968 to 1982. Lewis, Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another: What! Proud to know you, much love Brent Fletcher, Very proud to have been your student for so many years There is no one prettier than you Sensai You are truly a legend and I can not think of anyone more deserving for this award!!! You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Gene LeBell was born on October 9, 1932. He worked on over 1,000 movies and wrote a dozen books. [21], The popularity of this incident led LeBell to be counted in 1992 as a potential additional member of Robert Wall's controversial "Dirty Dozen," a group of martial artists willing to answer to a public challenge made by Seagal. The program featured several other martial artists including Graciela Casilas, Karen Sheperd, Victor Ledbetter, Steve Sanders, brothers Benny and Reuben Urquidez, and Dave Vaden. Michael Hughes, Thank you for being such an influence and inspiration to MANY! [18], LeBell has worked on over 1,000 films, TV shows and commercials as a stuntman or as an actor (including multiple appearances as himself). His very first match was against John Osako, one of the highest ranked judokas at the national level. In June 1976, LeBell refereed the infamous boxing-versus-wrestling contest between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki in Tokyo, Japan. Freddy Bouceigues, No one deserves this more then you uncle Gene. (James C. Udel, Variety, 2018), A fight scene on the sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet earned LeBell his SAG card. Ivan Gene LeBell (born October 9, 1932) is an American martial artist, instructor, stunt performer, and professional wrestler born in Los Angeles, California. The athletic youngster tested himself with such self-imposed challenges as scaling 60-foot-high lighting stanchions to replace spent bulbs. Gene LeBell had three children including stuntman son David LeBell and FBI agent daughter Monica LeBell Pandis. So happy for you. This match could be argued to be the first televised MMA match in history. It was the long-running Lassie series that first tested LeBells mettle. This set the Japanese crowd livid, as it was considered very insulting, but they somewhat calmed down after LeBell went on to win his division. Something went wrong. As a stuntman, LeBell reportedly endured a punch from John Wayne for the 1952 film Big Jim McLain and a kick in the face from Elvis Presley for Blue Hawaii in 1961. Freddie Blassie, who starred for Aileen Eaton and Mike LeBell for decades, wrote in his autobiography Legends of Wrestling: Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks that LeBells believability in the ring wasnt what mattered to Mike and Aileenit was his credibility: When the family needed an enforcer to step into the ring with a wrestler who didnt want to go along with the program, all they had to do was open Genes bedroom door and tell him to get into his wrestling gear.. Christian Fletcher, Congratulations Gene! Ross Clay, Gene is the most unselfish and most giving person I know. Way to go Uncle Gene!!! [9], The match took place on December 2, 1963. Voters will soon get a say, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. LeBell later mentored world-class athletes and silver screen legends. Gene LeBell has had a number of notable students throughout the years, from Hollywood legends like Chuck Norris and Roddy Pipper, to martial arts masters such as Gokor Chivichyan, Karo Parisyan, Ronda Rousey, Neil Melanson, Ed Parker and Benny "The Jet" Urquidez to name a few. LeBell served as the referee for the exhibition match between world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki on June 26, 1976, at . He eventually adopted the role as "policeman" for the promotion, maintaining law and order, especially during matches involving his brother Mike LeBell. Although LeBell would remain undefeated in the sport for eight years, even traveling to Japan in 1955 to further his judo skillsand, following a laundry mishap, adopt the pink gi that became a signature piece of his in-ring lookhis interests were too varied to allow him to focus exclusively on one sport. "LeBell parlayed his pain-inducing skills into careers in martial arts, professional wrestling and Hollywood stunt work, making him the ultimate a**-kicking Renaissance man. FLASH SALE - Buy 1 video get 40% OFF - COUPON40, Buy 2 videos get 43% OFF - COUPON43, Buy 3 or more videos get 45% OFF - COUPON45. It couldnt go to a better man. Lee was especially interested in exploring grappling with help from him and exchanged ideas[19] on various fighting techniques. We love him! Cheers! Allen Lopa, Congrats to a legend!! It was agreed that the match would last five 3 three minute rounds. God bless. He was born there on November 27, 1940, making him a dual Hong Kong and United States citizen by birth. In 2004, Gene Lebell was promoted to 10th degree black belt in those arts. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Bas Rutten, Gokor Chivichyan, Paul Lazenby and Josh Barnett during a celebration of life for Judo Gene LeBell on what would have been his 90th birthday at Hayastan MMA Academy in North Hollywood Sunday, October 9, 2022. He was 89. Gary Davis, So awesome!!! Sometimes Steven has a tendency to cheese off the wrong people, and you can get hurt doing that. While men like Wagner and later Freddie Blassie and Dick the Destroyer Beyer would headline Eatons wrestling cards, the young LeBellbereft of a father figurestarted at the very bottom, learning the ropes in the hardest away imaginable, twisted into pretzels by grapplers like the aging Evan Strangler Lewis, from whom LeBell asked to learn the Stranglers signature headlock when LeBell was the tender age of 7. LeBells years of stunt work and fight choreography also introduced grappling to the world of action movies, where it is now commonplace to see fighters turned actors such as Randy Couture and Gina Carano using submission holds in their action sequences. LeBell's conviction for being an accessory was later overturned by the California Courts of Appeal. . Ed Lewis. In the stunt world, I get a pretty doggone good retirement from SAG and AFTRAand I can still work.. He has fought, trained and performed with a dizzying array of some of the most prolific athletes and actors in the world. The judoka and his team showed their sportsmanship by helping to revive Savage using kappo, as neither the referee nor the ring doctor knew how to resuscitate him. developed adult skills by 13. Gene LeBell, Famed Stuntman and "Godfather of Grappling," Dies at 89 A martial artist and judo champion, he taught Bruce Lee, fought in an early mixed martial arts fight and served as an.

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