His performances influenced future professional wrestlers, including "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, who used Rogers's nickname, as well as his look, attitude and finishing hold, the figure-four leglock.

Rogers would get his first title during his tenure there, winning the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship four times, once from Lou Thesz, beginning a long feud between them both in and out of the ring.

After leaving the Texas territory for Columbus, Ohio, Rogers bleached his hair, and was given the moniker "Natural Guy" by promoter Jack Pfefer.

[7] With the advent of television, Rogers's flashy look, great physique and bombastic personality instantly caught the ire of audiences.

[5] The first sign of Rogers's impact was his involvement in Sam Muchnick's opposition promotion in St. Louis, Missouri, a major professional wrestling market at the time.

Rogers continued control of the Midwest as a booker and professional wrestler, most notably in Chicago, frequently selling out the 11,000-seat arena.

On June 30, 1961, Rogers took the title from Pat O'Connor in front of 38,622 fans at Comiskey Park, which set a new North American professional wrestling attendance record that stood until the David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions in 1984.

[8] However, when O'Connor missed a dropkick and hit his head, Rogers pinned him to win the match and being recognized as the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

Promoters and noted shooters Bill Miller and Karl Gotch confronted Rogers in Columbus and broke his hand.

They won the championship on July 5, 1962, from Johnny Valentine and “Cowboy” Bob Ellis on Capitol Wrestling's regular Thursday night Washington, D.C., television show.

The television cameras swung from a view of the ring to "Cowboy" Bob Ellis running down the aisle in street clothes and carrying a travel suitcase.

The referee was distracted by Valentine trying to get into the ring as Rogers grabbed an unconscious Barend by his hair and back of his trunks and threw him on top of Ellis for the victory.

They defended the championship until March 7, 1963, when they lost to Killer Buddy Austin and The Great Scott on Capitol Wrestling's regular Thursday night television broadcast.

Rogers and Barend split briefly and feuded, but they reunited that summer to defeat Bobo Brazil and Bruno Sammartino in a best two out of three falls tag team match.

[13] Rogers was a top draw, but his reign was ultimately cut short by a mild heart attack which greatly hindered his endurance and in-ring performance.

In an emergency title switch, Rogers lost to Bruno Sammartino in a quick 48 second match on May 17, 1963, in Madison Square Garden.

Following his loss to Sammartino, health problems forced Rogers to wrestle in only a limited number of short singles matches that lasted a minute or two.

He later moved up to Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in the Carolinas as a villain manager overseeing professional wrestlers like Jimmy Snuka, Ken Patera, Gene Anderson, Dewey Robertson and Big John Studd.

After his time in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (MACW), he moved back into WWF where he was a fan favorite manager and part-time professional wrestler who also hosted the interview segment "Rogers' Corner" until 1983.

[citation needed] In 1989, while Rogers was eating a turkey sandwich at a hoagie shop in Florida, a 6-foot-2-inch (188 cm) 230-pound (100 kg) man in his late 20s began verbally abusing two female employees.

[15][16] Rogers, who received 14 stitches after the fight, stated to a reporter that the man calling him “old” was the worst part of the incident, then saying "Hell, I'm only 68, that's not so old.

What evolved over several years was the "Nature Boy", the prototype of the cocky, strutting, sneering, arrogant peroxide blond villain that is almost a tired wrestling cliché today.

Rogers was the first to use flying moves in quantity, staying off the mat, and the style was so popular with the fans that other wrestlers, including me, followed his lead.

After winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Pat O'Connor in Chicago in 1961, Rogers accepted the title belt and then took the microphone and shouted, "To a nicer guy it couldn't happen!"

He was also very skilled at drawing heat during interviews, with a smug "to a nicer guy, it couldn't have happened" being his catchphrase of sorts whenever he was victorious.

Fellow professional wrestlers Ric Flair and Buddy Landel adopted the "Nature Boy" gimmick from Rogers as a tribute to him.