The athletic youngster tested himself with such self-imposed challenges as scaling 60-foot-high lighting stanchions to replace spent bulbs. WebL egendary stunt worker and mixed martial artist Gene LeBell died on August 9. LeBell also helped Rousey secure her nickname Rowdy from his former black belt student Rowdy Roddy Piper. He was larger than life, and he was so kind. 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.. He also trained with wrestlers Lou Thesz, and Karl Gotch while growing up. 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. Gene LeBell had three children including stuntman son David LeBell and FBI agent daughter Monica LeBell Pandis. He also had 8 grandchildren. LeBell was also a judo and grappling prodigy. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. He was one of the people trying to convince my mom to let me do it, but he was also privately trying to convince me not to do it. Gene LeBell, 89, Judo Champion, Wrestler and Star Stuntman, Dies LeBells roots in combat sports ran deep. But following an overtime loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday night, the Bruins will be watching the rest of the playoffs from homelike so many previous Presidents Trophy winners. the Toughest Man Alive. Lets get working, or Ill burn your houses down.. Uncle Gene let him (Browne) know all about me before we met. (r=(t=i[n]).getAttribute("data-secret")))r=Math.random().toString(36).substr(2,10),t.src+="#?secret="+r,t.setAttribute("data-secret",r);if(s||a)(e=t.cloneNode(!0)).removeAttribute("security"),t.parentNode.replaceChild(e,t);t.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:r},"*")}}}}(window,document); In 2006, LeBell even welcomed an unsuspecting Daily News reporter to the Hayastan Academy for a lesson that went about as you would think when LeBell started it with his common non-serious threat: Alright, you bums! So they said I could make good money in professional wrestling, which I did. Gene LeBell, iconic martial arts pioneer, dies, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), First Republic Bank seized, sold to JPMorgan Chase, Gene LeBell, iconic martial arts pioneer, dies at the age of 89. Congrats my friend and God Bless. 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. Logan Holladay, Congratulations to Uncle Gene for a lifetime of stunts and terrorizing the stunt people; either riding dirt bikes or putting them to sleep. 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. For LeBell, one martial art naturally flowed into another; they were already mixing together in his curious mind. Gene LeBell talks Steven Seagal Although Mr. Calhoun said that in any situation, with Bruce Lee or anyone else, Gene was the toughest guy in the room, Mr. LeBell offered a pragmatic view of his reputation. Working with Gene on many television and films, I learned how to take judo and marital art punches and kicks and fly through the air, crazing through various objects to the ground . Gene LeBell remained a towering figure in the history and expansion of mixed martial arts and sports entertainment. He had earlier been an American Amateur Union judo champion. Oliver Lee Bateman is a journalist and sports historian who lives in Pittsburgh. She will hurt you: Ronda Rousey, 24, owns it in MMA ring. The athletic youngster tested himself with such self-imposed challenges as scaling 60-foot-high lighting stanchions to replace spent bulbs. Ivan Gene LeBell was born on Oct. 9, 1932, in Los Angeles. His mother, Aileen (Goldstein) LeBell, promoted boxing and wrestling matches at the Olympic Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles; his father, Maurice, was an osteopath and diet doctor who died after being paralyzed in a swimming accident in 1941. RIP Gene, I love ya pic.twitter.com/thoEZgHA0k, Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) August 10, 2022. Love ya !!! I was driving a weenie mobile and Gene was driving a truck and they wanted a near miss, so we did the take and they said we werent close enough we showed em the paint scraped off the sides of the cars and they said, Okay, I guess youre right. I get his patches every year, got em all right here. One Defining Question for Each Second-Round NBA Playoff Series. If you want to do a whizzer throw in wrestling, its the same as an uchimata [inner thigh throw] in judo. (Hans Gutknecht/LA Daily News), Gene LeBell teaches grappling at Hayastan MMA Academy. Rick Seaman, Well Geno, they said it couldnt be done but youve done it again. Here are five questions that could determine that series outcome. Confused by William Beaudines direction, LeBell ended up being chomped by a 700-pound bear named Victor. GENE LEBELL OBITUARY Gene LeBell was a legendary stuntman and martial artist known for pioneering mixed martial arts who trained Bruce Lee. What are you doing? LeBell remembers the helmer lamenting. Gene LeBell LeBell was also a judo and grappling prodigy. In addition to Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris, LeBell also tutored the likes of Roddy Piper (who claimed in his autobiography to have received a black belt in judo from LeBell, though this is likely as spurious as the impossible-to-verify Golden Gloves championship he was sometimes reported as having won), Olympic bronze medalist judoka and future UFC and WWE star Ronda Rousey (who always cited him as an important mentor), American judo champion and instructor Gokor Chivichyan, and Chivichyans Armenian American judo student Karo Parisyan, one of the first notable judo practitioners in the UFC. Judo Gene LeBell smiles as Gokor Chivichyan gives him a hug before blowing out the out candles on his birthday cake at the Hayastan MMA Academy in North Hollywood. Judo Gene LeBell was revered for his strength and tenacity and often referred to as the toughest man alive. Beneath the rugged demeanor, the Godfather of Grappling was also known for his warmth and generosity. An incredible life being rightfully recognized. Kenpo Master Ed Parker asked LeBell to take on the fighter after a challenge was issued stating that a boxer could easily beat any martial artist. Never ever have I known a man so talented, having so much wisdom and experience, so giving of his knowledge and skills and yet being so humble. Godfather of MMA and Wrestling Gene Lebell passes away at 89 Wall and Norris were co-owners of a karate school, and Savanah Dawn Lilley, The one and only Uncle Gene! A industry standard, and great human being! James C. Udel. It was a tough night, but Judo Gene had defended the honor of his sport against the boxer, Jonathan Snowden wrote in Shooters: The Toughest Men in Professional Wrestling (2012). Its with immense sadness to hear about the passing of a great man and dear friend, Gene LeBell. Gene LeBell Birthday: October 9, 1932 How Old - Age: 90 Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. We cant have blood! Gaffer tape stanched the bleeding, and LeBell managed six more takes. Its very difficult. Well deserved my hat is off to you sir!!! As Rousey rose to prominence in the UFC as the first woman on its roster and its first female champion, LeBell was always in her corner, often seen with a stopwatch to record her first-round finishes. Can Phoenix generate enough easy offense to keep up with Denver? May we all continue to learn from you and strive to reach the heights youve reached. A fight scene on the sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet earned LeBell his SAG card. Shes gonna assassinate you.. He was a good person, so I am sure he is doing well where he is at now. I am thanking them for both he and I.. Proud to be your friend! LeBell was a pioneer in the sport of MMA before there was MMA. Tributes came from around the world following the announcement of his passing, including on Twitter from Chuck Norris, Triple H, Titus Welliver and others. It goes to a great man of strength, integrity and honor. He was 89. He taught me how to fight, taught me how to ride. The Kings had no answer for Steph, who dropped 50 in a record-breaking Game 7 outburst to propel Golden State to a tantalizing second-round matchup against the Lakers. Karl Gotch. Jimmy Roberts, Gene youve always told me Im the best but your THE GREATEST Love ya, Manny Perry, I owe everything to Gene. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Veteran Stuntman Gene LeBell, a.k.a. Present-day UFC fans probably best remember him from his time spent wielding a stopwatch in the corner of his protege, Ronda Rousey, while wrestling fans might know his name from when Daniel Bryan used to call his finisher the LeBell Lock. But despite that, the MMA pioneer isnt a household name, which is a shame, because if youre a fan of combat sports, he absolutely should be. Love and Respect John C Meier, Gene, I first met you at the Olympic Auditorium many years ago, i cant believe how fast time has past, As a Great stuntman, Actor, Olympian and Teacher being Prolific to this Business you have planted many many seeds in Future Stunt men and stunt women, because of your thoughtful and kind hart this business will be Blessed with talent worthy of calling you Teacher and Friend, Your Long Lost, Brother From Another Mother, and Friend, Love You, Henry Kingi, Uncle GeneI can remember taking your class when I was a young stunt grunt. LeBell is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren. It wasnt exactly an elite-level boxer facing down a grappler, but it did offer a variation on the Ultimate Fighting Championship model that LeBells long-time acquaintances, the Gracie family, would partner with Bob Meyrowitz to launch in 1993right down to the initial audience confusion and cautious feeling-out process between the athletes. Roddy Piper. LeBell gave Browne one of the coveted patches that he always had on hand to make a fan smile. Few people know the amount of time, energy, dedication, innovation , and pure love you have graced us with in your illustrious career! However, the writing was on the wall for Savage: LeBell threw and then mounted the boxer in the second round, although he couldnt secure a finish, then hip-tossed him in the fourth round before using a gi choke to render his foe unconsciousmuch to the displeasure of the crowd, which was unused to seeing people choked in this way. Will Bowman, Well deserved!