Larry Heiniemi (born March 14, 1939) carved out his career under the name Lars Anderson, living in the shadow of his more famous kayfabe brothers Gene and Ole, but carrying his weight in the industry with a booming voice, a stiff right hand, and a journeyman’s resilience that kept him working from Minnesota to Hawaii.
From Minnesota Roots to Wrestling Rings
Born in Bovey, Minnesota, Heiniemi attended St. Cloud State University, where he built the size and grit that would translate naturally into the squared circle. Trained by Verne Gagne and Eddie Sharkey, he debuted in 1965, adopting the ring name Lars Anderson and becoming the third “brother” in the Anderson lineage.
The “Minnesota Wrecking Crew” — Gene, Ole, and occasionally Lars — became a feared unit in NWA territories, presenting themselves as cold, methodical wrestlers whose specialty was dismantling opponents limb by limb. While Gene and Ole made the act famous, Lars played the supporting role — less celebrated but always reliable.
Tag Gold and Regional Success
Though he never achieved the same legacy as Ole and Gene, Lars collected a respectable résumé:
-
NWA World Tag Team Championship (Georgia version) with Gene Anderson
-
NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship with Ole Anderson
-
NWA (San Francisco) World Tag Team Championship with Paul DeMarco (1972)
-
AWA Midwest Tag Team Championship with Larry Hennig
By the mid-1970s, Lars had also paired with longtime friend Les “Budd” Wolfe, forming a duo many felt deserved the AWA World Tag Team Championship, though they never captured it.
“Luscious Lars” and Mic Skills
In an era before scripted promos, Lars was known for his ability to talk fans into their seats. Wrestling in the Carolinas and later in San Francisco, he went by “Luscious Lars Anderson,” mixing arrogance and menace on the microphone. When Harley Race departed the AWA in the early 1970s, Lars filled the void by teaming with “Pretty Boy” Larry Hennig, showcasing his versatility both in-ring and as a talker.
Return and Final Runs
Lars briefly announced his retirement in 1975 after losing to Billy Robinson, but like many wrestlers, he found the itch hard to ignore. By 1977, he returned to feud with Ole and Gene in Georgia, this time as the black sheep of the Anderson family.
The final chapter of his wrestling career unfolded in Hawaii with Polynesian Pacific Wrestling (PPW). When promoter Peter Maivia passed away in 1982, Lars was entrusted by Maivia’s widow to book the territory. He both wrestled and managed operations, even making himself a five-time Polynesian Pacific Heavyweight Champion. His booking decisions occasionally drew heat — most notably from a young Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who recalled in his autobiography confronting Lars after he refused to drop the PPW title to Bad News Allen.
Later Years: Training and Promoting
After PPW closed in 1988, Heiniemi tried his hand at training and promoting. In 1996, he launched World League Wrestling (WLW), which served as a small-scale stage for his students and former PPW alumni. The promotion lasted until 2000, never making a major splash but keeping alive his passion for developing talent.
In 2010, Lars Anderson was inducted into the NWA Hall of Fame, a nod to his decades spent grinding in regional territories and his contributions to the Anderson mythos.
Legacy
Lars Anderson may not be remembered with the same reverence as Ole and Gene, nor did he achieve the crossover stardom of other AWA and NWA stars of his time. But he played a vital role in expanding the Anderson family legacy, carrying the “Minnesota Wrecking Crew” aura to new territories.
Tall, rugged, and sharp-tongued, Lars embodied the working-class professional wrestler of the territorial era — tough enough to fight, smart enough to talk, and stubborn enough to never truly leave the business.
