10 Things Wrestling Fans Should Know About WWE Legend Tony Garea

Wrestling fans likely know about the icons of 1980s WWE, superstars like Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and various others. But there were also loads of legendary performers who have likely slipped through the cracks and have become forgotten by modern fans, especially if they came into prominence pre-Hulkamania. Take, for example, Tony Garea.

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More of a journeyman tag team specialist than a main eventer, Garea was a decorated champion in WWE and actually remained employed by the company for longer than even die-hard fans might be aware of. Let’s take a look at Tony Garea’s career and what fans should know about the unsung legend.

10 From New Zealand

Tony Garea hails from New Zealand, the country that produced The Bushwackers and Jay White, among others. Born Anthony Gareljich in Auckland, Garea first proved an impressive and successful rugby player before he entered the wrestling business in his home country, where he received training from Kiwi wrestling legend Wild Don Scott. Garea’s younger brother John trained under Scott as well, and debuted a year ahead of Tony in 1970 under the ring name of Johnny Garcia.

9 Immediately Won The WWE Tag Title

Upon departing New Zealand for the US in 1972, Tony Garea ended up signing to WWE, which was back then known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation. While his debut would be in the fall of that year, championship gold would come a mere eight months later when he teamed with legendary super heavyweight Haystacks Calhoun against Professor Toru Tanaka and Mr. Fuji to capture the World Tag Team Championship from the Japanese heels. Garea and Calhoun’s tag title reign would last 104 days before they dropped the titles back to Tanaka and Fuji.

8 Formed A Tag Team With Dean Ho

While Toru Tanaka and Mr. Fuji won back the belts, they wouldn’t hold them for long, as Tony Garea would recapture the World Tag Team Championship two months later. This time, however, he did it alongside a different partner: Dean Ho, who spent most of his career wrestling in Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest, and Vancouver.

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This second reign for Garea would last 175 days, ending at the hands of The Valiant Brothers in May of 1974. Ho and Garea stuck together for a spell after losing the title, but eventually the two would go their separate ways, with Garea venturing into NWA territories in Georgia and California.

7 Partnership With Larry Zbyszko

In 1977, Tony Garea returned to WWE and by the end of the summer teamed with his third major partner in WWE: Larry Zbyzsko, competing in a tournament to capture the vacant Tag Team Championship. They fell to former champs Fuji and Tanaka in the final round, but won the belts a couple of months later by beating The Yukon Lumberjacks. After losing the title in spring of 1979, Zbyzsko would move on to a singles run where he’d notably feud with his mentor Bruno Sammartino, while Garea would continue to work in the tag team division.

6 Two-Time Tag Champ With Rick Martel

After failing to capture the Tag Team Championship alongside fellow unsung tag team specialist Rene Goulet, Tony Garea ended up partnering with Rick Martel, who debuted for the company in 1980. Later that same year, Garea and Martel defeated the Wild Samoans for a 129-day run with the title, dropping the belts to the Moondogs only to win them back in a rematch four months later, with the second run lasting 84 days. That reign would end at the hands of Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito, but Tony Garea’s partnership with Rick Martel marked the only tag team with whom Garea won the belts more than once.

5 Retired In 1986

Following Rick Martel’s departure from the company in 1982, Tony Garea teamed with various partners like Ivan Putski but failed to reach the top of the tag team division, with his last run alongside Rick Martel being Garea’s final title reign of his career. Before long, he was relegated to jobber status, though he did challenge Don Muraco, Ken Patera, and even Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Championship. Eventually, Garea wrestled his last match at a house show in early 1989.

4 Became A WWE Road Agent

While Tony Garea’s in-ring career came to an end in the late 1980s, he continued to work for WWE, taking a backstage position as a road agent. This job would last longer than his wrestling career, with Garea working with WWE until 2014.

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Despite his backstage role, WWE put Garea in front of a camera on a couple of occasions.

3 Held the NWA World Tag Team Title

While most of Tony Garea’s career was spent in WWE, he did score a single title win outside of the company. It was during his mid-1970s venture outside of WWE that Garea was working for the San Francisco-based Big Time Wrestling — part of the National Wrestling Alliance — and captured their version of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship alongside future Intercontinental Champion and WWE booker Pat Patterson when they defeated Don Muraco and Invader 1, holding the belt for 126 days.

2 Challenged For The WWE Championship

As the above should make very clear, Tony Garea spent most of his career as a tag team specialist, capturing WWE’s tag title five times during his career. But he did have some notable singles matches during his time, as well, including challenging Superstar Billy Graham for the WWE Championship in several encounters from May 1977 to February 1978. At the end of 1978, he even got a shot at Harley Race’s NWA World Heavyweight Title at a WWE show.

1 Not In The Hall of Fame

Despite Tony Garea enjoying a 42-year tenure with the company — both in the ring and backstage — fans may be surprised to find out that Garea has yet to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Garea suspected that a missed phone call he once received was about an induction, but information never materialized. Regarding his absence from the Hall of Fame, Tony Garea maintained a good sense of humor about it, saying that he had no idea why he wasn’t in yet, but guessing that he wasn’t old enough yet.