Gorgeous George, Jr. was a professional wrestler who graced the Pensacola area in the early 1970's. Born Charles Richard Phelps, on August 2, 1937, he had originally been a country and western singer and musician. It was in the 1960s and following a lawsuit from the widow of the original Gorgeous George over the use of the name when he had his name legally changed to George Richard Wagner.
Often referred to as the "Toast Of The Coast", he was locally employed by Gulf Coast Wrestling. His most famous partnership was with Bobby "Mr Profile" Shane, who died in an airplane accident in the early 1970's. His local championship titles held include that of Mobile, Alabama, and as a tag team the Florida, also Gulf Coast, Pensacola, Georgia and Mississippi titles. His finishing move was the Power Slam, and he was often escorted to the ring by his valet, Frenchy Bernard, who often helped him win by spraying his opponents in the face and eyes with a liquid described as a sanitizer.
He had many notable feuds with other wrestlers, the most famous being that with "Cowboy" Bob Kelley. After retiring from the ring, Gorgeous George, Jr managed other wrestlers and then became a truck driver in Nashville, Tennessee. He died in May, 2012.
