John Mortl Lanzo[4] (October 14, 1935 – December 8, 2021) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Blackjack Lanza.

[4] Lanza, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, was trained by local promoter Verne Gagne and started his wrestling career in 1961.

In February 1969, he had a 60-minute draw against former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Gene Kiniski, solidifying his status as an "instant contender.

[13] Accompanied by Bobby Heenan, he defeated Wilbur Snyder for the WWA World Heavyweight Championship in September 1967.

In November 1971, they defeated Paul Christy and Wilbur Snyder for the WWA World Tag Team Championship.

His regular opponents included André the Giant, Chief Jay Strongbow, and Dean Ho.

[10] On August 26, 1975, The Blackjacks defeated Dominic DeNucci and Pat Barrett for the WWWF World Tag Team Championship.

[10] As part of his tenure in WWWF, Vince McMahon Sr. promised Lanza that he would receive one World singles title shot a month.

[citation needed] Lanza married Barbara Jean Kalil on September 28, 1957, and they lived in Douglas County, Minnesota.