JACK & JERRY BRISCO
1970-1984
NWA Tag Team Champions
WWE Hall of Fame
Written by Mike Rickard
Jack and Jerry Brisco were two of the most successful brothers in professional wrestling, both in singles and tag team competition. Not only were these two Native American stars the best at what they did in singles competition, but they excelled in the tag team ranks as well. In an interesting twist, the Brisco Brothers would find both their singles and tag team careers intertwined with another famous fraternal team-the Funks, Dory Jr. and Terry.
On July 23, 1973, Jack Brisco reached the top of the mountain, defeating Harley Race for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship while brother Jerry went on to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Both men won a number of singles titles in the territories, particularly Championship Wrestling from Florida. Like most wrestlers of this era, they worked in a number of territories, keeping their act fresh.
The Briscos crossed paths with Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk throughout their careers. During his reign as NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Jack had a highly-regarded program with Dory Funk Jr. Jack would lose his NWA World Championship to Dory’s brother Terry, adding even more heat to their rivalry. This included a number of tag team battles pitting the Briscos versus the Funks. Whether they were battling over tag team titles such as Florida’s North American Tag Team Title or simply grappling for bragging rights, the Brisco vs. Funk tag team rivalry is fondly remembered by fans of the territory era.
Jim Crockett Promotions saw the Briscos engage in one of their biggest feuds ever. The Brisco Brothers entered the highly competitive JCP in the early 80’s, a promotion built on tag team wrestling, and which featured some of wrestling’s greatest stars. Jack and Jerry wrestled as babyfaces, but that changed when they challenged Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood to a match and “accidentally” injured Steamboat. Jerry had Steamboat in a leglock when Jack fell on Steamboat. When Steamboat and Youngblood called the Briscos out, Jack and Jerry attacked them, turning heel. From there, the two teams battled over the summer in some of the most action-packed tag team matches ever (which is saying a lot given the promotion’s reputation).
Eventually, the two teams met at the first Starrcade, with wrestler bruiser Angelo “King Kong” Mosca serving as special referee. Steamboat and Youngblood defeated the Briscos, regaining the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
The Briscos would hold JCP’s version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship three times, one of many tag team titles in their trophy case. The Briscos’ last hurrah was in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) where they competed against WWF Tag Team Champions Dick Murdoch and Adrian Adonis. While the Briscos took the champions to the limit, they failed to win the gold.
Jack Brisco retired from the squared circle in early 1985 while Jerry went to work behind the scenes for the WWF. The Briscos were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008. Jack passed away in 2010 from complications of open heart surgery. He was 68.