Don Kernodle

Charles Donald Kernodle Jr. (born May 2, 1950) is a former American professional wrestler with the National Wrestling Alliance's Jim Crockett Promotions.

After graduating from Elon College, Kernodle started wrestling in 1973 in the National Wrestling Alliance's Jim Crockett Promotions. He got his start by accepting a "shoot" wrestling challenge from Bob Roop. Although Roop defeated Kernodle by submission, Kernodle's skills impressed Ole Anderson and Gene Anderson who both offered to train Kernodle for free.

At first, he (now known as Pvt. Kernodle) was part of Sgt. Slaughter's "Cobra Corps" and teamed with Slaughter and Pvt. Jim Nelson. In 1982, the team of Kernodle and Nelson won the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship from Porkchop Cash and Jay Youngblood. They later lost the title to Cash and King Parsons, from whom they also regained the title. After Nelson was removed from the alliance, Kernodle became the tag partner of Sgt. Slaughter, with whom he held the NWA World Tag Team Championship in late 1982 and early 1983. They lost the titles in a steel cage match vs. Rick Steamboat and Jay Youngblood on March 12, 1983.

Following the title loss, Kernodle remained a villain and formed a tag team with Bob Orton, Jr. and was managed by Gary Hart. He soon turned against America and formed a tag team with Ivan Koloff and won the NWA World Tag Team Title. When Koloff's "nephew" Nikita Koloff arrived in late 1984, Kernodle helped to train him. Also in 1984, the Koloffs turned on Kernodle after he and Ivan lost the NWA World Tag Titles to Dusty Rhodes and Manny "The Raging Bull" Fernandez and started a feud. Kernodle teamed with his brother Rocky to feud with the Koloffs and helped the Rock 'n' Roll Express to win the Tag Team Title from them at Starrcade '85: The Gathering.

In 1986, Kernodle left the NWA and wrestled in various independent promotions in the Carolinas. He later became a Sergeant for Immigration Customs Enforcement for Alamance County.

Since 2002, Kernodle and his brother have wrestled several times per year with CWF Mid-Atlantic near their home in Burlington, NC. He is now a deputy sheriff with the Alamance County sheriffs office.

He appeared in the 1978 Sylvester Stallone movie Paradise Alley.

In college, he lettered four times in amateur wrestling. He was also a two time national arm wrestling champion.

• Maple Leaf Wrestling
  • NWA Canadian Television Championship (1 time)
• Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Pvt. Jim Nelson (2)
  • NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ivan & Nikita Koloff
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Sgt. Slaughter (1), Bob Orton, Jr. (1), and Ivan Koloff (1)
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him # 463 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003
  • PWI ranked # 29 of the 100 best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Sgt. Slaughter