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((Short description|Canadian professional wrestler and engraver (1934–2021)))
((Use mdy dates|date=June 2022))
((Use Canadian English|date=June 2022))
((Infobox professional wrestler
| name          = Reggie Parks
| image         = 
| caption       = 
| birth_date    = ((Birth date|1934|08|27))
| birth_place   = [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]], Canada
| death_date    = ((Death date and age|2021|10|07|1934|08|27))
| death_place   = [[Tucson, Arizona]], U.S.
| death_cause   = [[COVID-19]]
| trainer       = [[Stu Hart]]
| debut         = December 26, 1955
| retired       = 1982
))

'''Reggie Parks''' (born '''Reginald David Parko'''; August 27, 1934 – October 7, 2021) was a Canadian [[professional wrestler]] and engraver, known for his work designing [[championship belt]]s for wrestling, mixed martial arts, and boxing promotions. He began his wrestling career under the tutelage of trainer [[Stu Hart]], and wrestled throughout the United States, becoming known for his physique and his "Quiet Superman" demeanour. Parks branched out into belt design after first creating a championship for wrestling promoter [[Joe Dusek]] while working in [[Nebraska]]. 

As a designer, Parks earned the nickname "the King of Belts" for his work. He is known for the "Winged Eagle" belt he created for [[WWE|the then-WWF]] in the 1980s; he also contributed work to other wrestling promotions, as well as to the [[UFC]] and for an album cover by [[Madonna]].

==Early life==
Reggie Parks was born in [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]], Canada, on August 27, 1934.<ref name="slam"/> He was the youngest of four brothers.<ref name="tucs"/> Parks grew up on a farm outside the city, and played hockey as a youth, abandoning it when his family moved into the city proper. He began weightlifting at age 13, and started working as a ticket usher for professional wrestling shows shortly afterward. As a wrestling fan, he admired the brothers [[George Scott (wrestler)|George]] and [[Sandy Scott]], and [[Tiny Mills]].<ref name="slam3"/>

==Career==
===Professional wrestling===
Parks began his career training at a boxing club in Edmonton, where he met [[Stampede Wrestling]] promoter [[Stu Hart]] in 1955.<ref name="meltzer"/> Hart trained Parks and introduced him to [[List of National Wrestling Alliance territories|wrestling territories]] in the United States, leading to Parks wrestling in [[Seattle]], [[Los Angeles]], and throughout [[Texas]].<ref name="slam"/> Early in his career, Parks wrestled with a traveling carnival, competing in legitimate, unscripted matches with audience challengers and relying on his stamina and conditioning to out-wrestle them.<ref name="tucs"/> Between 1963 and 1973, Parks was based with the [[American Wrestling Association]], also making appearances for territories in Nebraska.<ref name="meltzer"/> Parks became known for his impressive physique and feats of strength, being billed as the "Quiet Superman"; at one point Parks had a [[Volkswagen Beetle]] driven over his stomach to prove his strength.<ref name="slam"/> According to [[Greg Oliver]], Park at his prime was ((convert|6|ft|2|in|cm)) tall and weighed ((convert|225|-|230|lb)), with ((convert|17|in|cm|abbr=on)) biceps and a ((convert|50|in|cm|abbr=on)) chest.<ref name="slam3"/>

Parks also wrestled under a [[wrestling mask|mask]] for a time as The Avenger during his later career.<ref name="meltzer">((cite web |url=https://www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/pro-wrestler-and-legendary-belt-maker-reggie-parks-passes-away-355716 |title=Pro wrestler and legendary belt maker Reggie Parks passes away |first=Dave |last=Meltzer |authorlink=Dave Meltzer |website=[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]] |date=October 8, 2021 |accessdate=October 8, 2021 |archive-date=October 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008104312/https://www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/pro-wrestler-and-legendary-belt-maker-reggie-parks-passes-away-355716 |url-status=live ))</ref> While working in [[Joe Blanchard]]'s Texas territory in 1968, Parks was the opponent for the debut match of future [[NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion]] [[Dusty Rhodes]].((sfn|Rhodes|Brody|2005|pp=2–3)) After a stint working as a referee due to a back injury, he wrestled his last match in 1999, facing off with [[Jose Lothario]] in New Mexico.<ref name="tucs"/> Parks wrestled most of his career as a fan-friendly [[face (wrestling)|babyface]], crediting his likability to his Canadian upbringing: "It's just a natural Canadian thing. I was always nice".<ref name="slam3"/>

===Belt designing===
[[File:WWE - Wembley Arena 140994 (8).jpg|alt=Wrestler Owen Hart holds up the "Winged Eagle" championship belt|thumb|The "Winged Eagle" design of the [[WWE Championship|WWF Championship]], pictured here being held by [[Owen Hart]], was designed by Reggie Parks.]]

Parks was known for designing and engraving [[championship belt]]s for [[WWE]], the [[National Wrestling Alliance]], [[World Championship Wrestling]], the [[American Wrestling Association]], and [[Shimmer Women Athletes]].<ref name="metro">((cite web |url=https://metro.co.uk/2021/10/08/reggie-parks-dead-wwe-stars-remember-belt-maker-behind-winged-eagle-15386028/ |title=Reggie Parks dead: WWE stars remember iconic belt maker behind Winged Eagle design and Madonna's Hard Candy cover |first=Alistair |last=McGeorge |work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |date=October 8, 2021 |accessdate=October 8, 2021 |archive-date=October 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008130554/https://metro.co.uk/2021/10/08/reggie-parks-dead-wwe-stars-remember-belt-maker-behind-winged-eagle-15386028/ |url-status=live ))</ref> His design work earned him the nickname "the King of Belts".<ref name="tucs">((cite web |url=https://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/king-of-belts/Content?oid=4385970 |title=King of Belts |first=David |last=Mendez |work=[[Tucson Weekly]] |date=May 29, 2014 |accessdate=October 31, 2021 |archive-date=October 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031011228/https://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/king-of-belts/Content?oid=4385970 |url-status=live ))</ref><ref name="slam2"/> WWE described his belt designs as some of its most famous.<ref name="wwe"/> His most well-known were the "Winged Eagle" belt used to represent the [[WWE Championship|WWF Championship]] in the 1980s and 1990s<ref name="metro"/> and the [[WWE Intercontinental Championship|WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship]] belt from the same era.<ref name="wwe">((cite web |url=https://www.wwe.com/article/legendary-sports-entertainer-and-championship-title-maker-reggie-parks-passes-away |title=Legendary sports-entertainer and championship title maker Reggie Parks passes away |publisher=[[WWE]] |date=October 8, 2021 |accessdate=October 8, 2021 |archive-date=October 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008173208/https://www.wwe.com/article/legendary-sports-entertainer-and-championship-title-maker-reggie-parks-passes-away |url-status=live ))</ref>

Parks began to create belts in 1962 while working in [[Omaha, Nebraska]], after noticing that promoter [[Joe Dusek]] had been using a large trophy to represent a championship, which was beginning to fall apart.<ref name="slam"/> He made a replacement belt using plated copper and a leather strap, estimating that it cost him around $75.<ref name="slam2"/> Parks was soon commissioned to make championship belts for the American Wrestling Association's tag team champions [[Harley Race]] and [[Larry Hennig]] after the team noticed his craftsmanship during a match against Parks; this and the visibility of a subsequent tour of [[Professional wrestling in Japan|Japanese wrestling]] promotions expanded his business significantly.<ref name="tucs"/> His work was then sought out by other wrestling organizations, as well as appearing in taekwondo and boxing associations, the [[UFC]] and on the cover of [[Madonna]]'s ''[[Hard Candy (Madonna album)|Hard Candy]]'' album.<ref name="slam"/><ref name="metro"/> Parks' belts were typically created by [[photoengraving]] onto a zinc base which was then plated in nickel or gold; the finished design was accented with additional gemstones and [[leather crafting|tooled leather]] designs.<ref name="tucs"/>

==Personal life==
After retiring from professional wrestling, Parks resided in [[Arizona]], running a carpet-cleaning company in addition to his work designing belts;<ref name="meltzer"/> he had been introduced to the carpet-cleaning industry by fellow wrestling personality [[Gordon Solie]].<ref name="slam2">((cite web |url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2021/10/08/reggie-parks-was-king-of-belts-for-a-reason/ |title=Reggie Parks was "King of Belts" for a Reason |first=Greg |last=Oliver |date=October 8, 2021 |website=[[Slam Wrestling]] |accessdate=October 8, 2021 |archive-date=October 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009160933/https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2021/10/08/reggie-parks-was-king-of-belts-for-a-reason/ |url-status=live ))</ref> 

Parks was married once, and divorced; he lived with his partner Trish for 22 years before her death in 2006. He had no children.<ref name="slam3"/> 

Parks died from [[COVID-19]] in [[Tucson, Arizona]], on October 7, 2021, at age 87.<ref name="slam">((cite web|url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2001/07/09/slam-wrestling-canadian-hall-of-fame-reggie-parks|title=Reggie Parks: Wrestler to Belt Maker Extraordinaire|website=[[Slam Wrestling]]|first=Greg|last=Oliver|authorlink=Greg Oliver |date=July 9, 2001|accessdate=October 8, 2021|archive-date=October 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008153522/https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2001/07/09/slam-wrestling-canadian-hall-of-fame-reggie-parks/|url-status=live))</ref><ref name="slam3">((cite web |url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2021/10/08/reggie-parks-talented-wrestler-star-beltmaker-dies/ |title=Reggie Parks, Talented Wrestler, Star Beltmaker, Dies |website=[[Slam Wrestling]] |first=Greg |last=Oliver |date=October 8, 2021 |accessdate=October 10, 2021 |archive-date=October 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010115807/https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2021/10/08/reggie-parks-talented-wrestler-star-beltmaker-dies/ |url-status=live ))</ref> Speaking on his legacy, fellow belt-maker Dave Millican said "[we] all owe Reggie a huge debt of gratitude because nobody did this this way before he did. Were there belts before Reggie? Absolutely. Were there good belts before Reggie? There weren't".<ref name="slam2"/>

==Footnotes==
((reflist))

===References===
* ((cite book |title=Dusty: Reflections of an American Dream |first1=Dusty |last1=Rhodes |authorlink1=Dusty Rhodes |first2=Howard |last2=Brody |year=2005 |publisher=Sports Publishing LLC |location=Champaign, Illinois |isbn=1-58261-907-7 |name-list-style=amp))

((DEFAULTSORT:Parks, Reggie))
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:Artists from Edmonton]]
[[Category:Artists from Tucson, Arizona]]
[[Category:Canadian engravers]]
[[Category:Canadian male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona]]
[[Category:Professional wrestlers from Alberta]]
[[Category:Professional wrestlers from Arizona]]

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