What Was Blackjack Mulligan’s Real Name?

Robert Francis “Blackjack” Mulligan, Jr. was an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) under his own name and masked as The Executioner.

Mulligan was born in New York City, and grew up in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bay Ridge. He attended Xavier High School, where he played football and basketball.

After graduating from high school, Mulligan served in the United States Marine Corps. He then attended college on a football scholarship at the University of Georgia, but left after one semester to begin his professional wrestling career.

Mulligan began his wrestling career in the early 1960s. He wrestled under his own name and as “The Beast” before being given the name “Blackjack Mulligan” by promoter Vince McMahon Sr. In the WWWF, Mulligan feuded with Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, and Ivan Koloff.

He also had a long-running feud with André the Giant, which began when André accidentally knocked Mulligan’s teeth out during a match. The feud culminated in a steel cage match at Madison Square Garden in December 1971, which Mulligan won.

In 1973, Mulligan adopted the masked persona of “The Executioner”, a gimmick he had used briefly in 1967. The Executioner was a masked wrestler who wore all black and carried a noose to the ring.

He feuded with Bruno Sammartino and Pedro Morales as The Executioner before unmasking himself on June 30, 1974, on an edition of WWWF Championship Wrestling.

After leaving the WWWF in 1974, Mulligan wrestled for various promotions across the United States. In 1977, he returned to the WWWF, now known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), under his Blackjack Mulligan name. He feuded with WWF Champion Bruno Sammartino and challenged for the title on several occasions.

He also had a notable feud with Big John Studd, which culminated in a “Loser Leaves Town” match at Madison Square Garden in December 1979, which Mulligan lost. Mulligan left the WWF again in 1980 and retired from wrestling soon afterwards.

In retirement, Mulligan made occasional appearances on WWE television programs such as Raw and WWE Heat. He also worked as a commentator for WWE’s ECW brand during The Invasion storyline in 2001.

Mulligan’s son-in-law is former WWE wrestler Barry Windham; his grandson is current WWE wrestler Breezango (Tyler Breeze). His son Robert Jr., better known by his ring name Blackjack Bradley, is also a professional wrestler. His other son Mike competes in strongman competitions. One of Mike’s daughters is former NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley.

His other daughter is Regan Reed.

Blackjack Mulligan’s real name was Robert Francis Mulligan Jr., however he was better known by his ring name “Blackjack Mulligan”.

He was an American professional wrestler who was best known for his appearances with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) under his own name and masked as The Executioner.