Name	Rick Martel
Names	Rick Martel
Height
Weight
Birth date	March 18, 1956
Birth place	Quebec City, Quebec
Billed	Montreal, QuebecCocoa Beach, Florida (as The Model) Quebec City, Quebec (WCW)
Trainer	Pierre Martel
Debut	June 7, 1972
Retired	July 13, 1998 }}

Richard Vigneault (born March 18, 1956) is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) between 1980 and 1995 under the ring name Rick Martel. He is also known for his two-year long reign as AWA World Heavyweight Champion.

Career

Early years (1972–1980)

Martel is from a family of wrestlers, and made his professional debut at age sixteen when his brother Michel, a wrestler, asked him to replace an injured wrestler. Martel was already a skilled amateur wrestler, and quickly adapted to professional wrestling.

Martel wrestled throughout the world, winning titles in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion, New Zealand and Puerto Rico. His first real success in America came in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'s Portland affiliate Pacific Northwest Wrestling and in Vancouver-based NWA All Star Wrestling, where he became a top talent, holding the Canadian and PNW tag team titles simultaneously. He left PNW on August 16, 1980 when he lost a Loser Leaves Town match to Buddy Rose. Martel also served a stint as booker in a wrestling territory in Hawaii.

World Wrestling Federation (1980–1982)

Martel debuted in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in July 1980. That fall, he formed a tag team with Tony Garea. On November 8, they defeated The Wild Samoans to capture the WWF Tag Team Championship. They successfully defended the titles until they dropped them to The Moondogs on March 17, 1981. They would regain the titles by defeating The Moondogs on July 21. Their second title reign came to an end on October 13, when they dropped the titles to Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito. Though they would challenge the champions numerous times, Martel and Garea were unable to recapture the titles, and Martel left the WWF in April 1982.

American Wrestling Association (1982–1986)

Martel signed with the AWA in 1982 and quickly ascended through the ranks, defeating Jumbo Tsuruta to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship on May 13, 1984. His reign as champion lasted nearly nineteen months, during which time he wrestled several matches with NWA World Champion Ric Flair. He had memorable matches with Jimmy Garvin, Nick Bockwinkel and King Tonga during this time. His finishing moves alternated between the slingshot splash and the combination atomic drop/ back suplex. Martel lost the title in December 1985 to Stan Hansen, who forced Martel to submit to the "Brazos Valley Backbreaker", Hansen's version of the Boston crab. As it was rare at the time for titles to change hands via submission, the loss hurt Martel's standing in the eyes of many fans.

World Wrestling Federation (1986–1995)

The Can-Am Connection (1986-1987)

In 1986, Martel returned to the WWF with his then tag team partner, Tom Zenk, as the Can-Am Connection. The Can-Am Connection had been formed by Martel in the Montreal International Wrestling Association in 1986. Zenk was the boyfriend of Martel's sister-in-law, and had been introduced to Martel in the AWA by Curt Hennig. The Can-Am Connection quickly garnered the affections of fans, and they looked certain to win the WWF Tag Team Title in the near future. However, the team split shortly after WrestleMania III; Zenk claimed Martel had secretly negotiated an individual contract worth three times more than his partner's contract (traditionally, tag teams are paid roughly equal salaries).

Martel claimed Zenk "''...was overwhelmed by it all... Wrestling is very hard on your body. Hard on you also mentally. It's hard physically. Tom wasn't mentally or physically hard as I thought he would be''."

Strike Force (1987–1989)

Upon the departure of Zenk, Martel formed a new tag team with Tito Santana known as Strike Force. The duo quickly captured the WWF World Tag Team Title from The Hart Foundation, holding them for five months before losing them to Demolition at WrestleMania IV. Shortly afterward, Martel (kayfabe) suffered an injury after Demolition's manager Mr. Fuji, became involved in the match and Demolition Ax used Mr. Fuji's cane on Martel, splitting up the team for several months. In reality, Martel took an extended leave of absence to help take care of his wife, who was severely ill. Martel returned in January 1989 as a singles wrestler before reforming Strike Force with Santana at WrestleMania V. During a match with the Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard), Santana accidentally hit Martel with his signature flying forearm smash and knocked him out of the ring. A frustrated Martel refused the tag, leaving Santana to be beaten down and pinned. Later, in an interview with Gene Okerlund, Martel claimed (kayfabe) "''I'm sick and tired. Sick and tired of him. I was doing great as a singles wrestler, but Mr. Tito wants to ride my coattails some more''."

Following his heel turn, Martel acquired Slick as his manager. At SummerSlam '89, Martel and the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers defeated Santana and The Rockers in a six-man tag team match. Martel continued to feud with Santana on and off over the next couple of years, losing to him in the finals of the 1989 King of the Ring tournament, then defeating him at The Main Event IV on November 23, 1990.

As 1989 came to a close, Martel's relationship with Slick was phased out.

The Model (1989–1995)

In late 1989, Martel adopted a narcissistic character, becoming "The Model." Just before the 1989 Survivor Series he introduced his own brand of cologne called "Arrogance", which was kept in a large atomizer and would be sprayed in the eyes of his opponents to blind them. He also wore a Turquoise sweater tied around his neck, later replaced by a Turquoise sportcoat, complete with a large novelty button that read "Yes, I am a Model" to the ring.

One of Martel's most famous feuds during his stint as "The Model" was against Jake "The Snake" Roberts, which was sparked when he blinded Roberts with his perfume on an episode of "The Brother Love Show" in October 1990. Martel and Roberts then captained opposing teams at the Survivor Series, with The Visionaries (Martel, The Warlord, and Power and Glory) defeating The Vipers (Roberts, Jimmy Snuka, and The Rockers) in a clean sweep. Martel continued to have the upper hand in the 1991 Royal Rumble match, as he eliminated Roberts from the match en route to lasting a then-record 53 minutes before being eliminated by Davey Boy Smith. Roberts would finally get his revenge when he defeated Martel in a blindfold match at WrestleMania VII. In early 1992, Martel began a feud with Tatanka, leading to Tatanka defeating Martel at WrestleMania VIII. That summer, Martel had a brief feud with Shawn Michaels, as both men sought the affections of Sensational Sherri. The feud ended with a chain of events that concluded in a double countout at SummerSlam 1992 in a match that carried a "no punching in the face" stipulation (mutually agreed upon by the two narcissistic heels). Martel then resumed his rivalry with Tatanka after Martel stole Tatanka's sacred eagle feathers in order to add them to his wardrobe. The feud was resolved at the 1992 Survivor Series when Tatanka once again defeated Martel and reclaimed the feathers.

By 1993, Martel had been transitioned into an undercard role and rarely appeared on television. However, that October, he was declared co-winner of a battle royal on ''Monday Night Raw'' for the vacant Intercontinental Championship. He lost a match the following week to Razor Ramon to fill the title vacancy. Martel continued to wrestle in low profile matches until the summer of 1994 when he dropped out of the WWF picture and would not be seen again until a sole appearance at the 1995 Royal Rumble (contractual details are unknown, Martel was drafted in to replace Jim Neidhart). Martel's wrestling career began to slow as he pursued a career in real estate.

In a shoot interview with RF video, Martel claimed that he and Don Callis were set to return to the WWF as 'The Supermodels' in 1997, where eventually Callis would turn on Martel, making him a babyface for the first time since 1989. However, over a pay dispute with Vince McMahon, Martel opted to sign with WCW.

World Championship Wrestling (1997–1998)

Martel reappeared in World Championship Wrestling in 1997, feuding with Booker T for the WCW World Television Title, winning it on ''Nitro'' on February 16, 1998. Martel's comeback was cut short when, at SuperBrawl VIII on February 22 he landed badly during his rematch with Booker T, hitting his leg on one of the steel cables that WCW used as ring ropes. He tore an inside ligament of his right knee, fractured his leg and suffered cartilage damage, effectively ending his in-ring career. He was originally supposed to retain the Television Title in the match, which was designed to be a gauntlet match in which he would beat Booker and then Perry Saturn, but ended up suffering the knee injury. Martel and Booker worked out a finish in the ring (through which Martel suffered a worse injury after a botched Harlem Sidekick), and then Booker and Saturn called the second leg of the match entirely in the ring. Martel was out injured for several months. After suffering another injury in his first match back on the July 13 episode of ''Nitro'' (against Booker T's tag team partner, Stevie Ray), Martel decided to retire from the ring. He then worked for WCW as a trainer and as the host of the French versions of WCW programming.

Guest appearances

At the end of a house show in Canada in 2003, Brock Lesnar brought out Martel as a surprise. Martel shook hands with him.

At WWE's Vengeance: Night of Champions pay-per-view in 2007, Martel, along with Tony Garea, saved Jimmy Snuka and Sgt. Slaughter from a post-match attack at the hands of Deuce 'n Domino.

Personal life

Vigneault and his wife Johanne have a daughter named Coralie.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

Boston crab (AWA / WWF) / ''Quebec Crab'' (WCW)

Slingshot splash

Signature moves

Backbreaker

Diving crossbody

Dropkick

Hip toss

*Multiple suplex variations

**Bridging belly to back

**Double underhook

*Gutwrench

Scoop slam

Spinning spinebuster

Managers

*Slick

Nicknames

"The Model"

Entrance themes

* "Model" by Jim Johnston (WWF)

* "Razzmatazz" (production music; WCW)

Championships and accomplishments

American Wrestling Association

:*AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Georgia Championship Wrestling

:*NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tommy Rich

Lutte Internationale (Montreal)

:*Canadian International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

NWA All-Star Wrestling

:*NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship ''(Vancouver version)'' (1 time) – with Roddy Piper

NWA Mid-Pacific Promotions

:*NWA North American Heavyweight Championship ''(Hawaii version)'' (1 time)

NWA New Zealand

:*NWA British Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship ''(New Zealand version)'' (3 times)

Pacific Northwest Wrestling

:*NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (1 time) :*NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Roddy Piper

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

:*PWI ranked him # 48 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003 :*PWI ranked him # 70 of the 100 best tag teams during the PWI years with Tito Santana in 2003

Stampede Wrestling

:*Stampede International Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Lennie Hurst

World Championship Wrestling

:*WCW World Television Championship (1 time)

World Championship Wrestling (Australia)

:*NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Larry O'Dea

World Wrestling Council

:*WWC North American Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Pierre Martel

World Wrestling Federation

:*WWF Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Tony Garea (2), and Tito Santana (1)

References

External links

- Official Website

- Interview with Tom Zenk

Category:1956 births Category:Canadian professional wrestlers Category:French Quebecers Category:Living people Category:People from Quebec City Category:Sportspeople from Quebec Category:People from Cocoa Beach, Florida

de:Rick Martel es:Rick Martel fr:Rick Martel it:Rick Martel nl:Rick Martel ja:リック・マーテル pt:Rick Martel

:''For a 1975 film, see The Ultimate Warrior (1975 film). For the South Korean film Ultimate Warrior, see Musa (film). For other uses, see Warrior (disambiguation).''

Name	The Ultimate Warrior
Names	WarriorThe Ultimate WarriorDingo WarriorBlade Runner Rock
Height
Weight
Birth date	June 16, 1959
Birth place	Crawfordsville, Indiana
Billed	Parts UnknownQueens, New York (as The Dingo Warrior)
Trainer	Bill AndersonRick BassmanRed Bastien
Debut	November 28, 1985
Retired	2008 }}

Warrior (born James Brian Hellwig on June 16, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s as The Ultimate Warrior and Warrior, during which time he won the WWF Championship and pinned Hulk Hogan in the main event of WrestleMania VI. Hellwig legally changed his name to Warrior in 1993. Warrior retired from professional wrestling in 1999 and embarked on a public speaking career. On June 25, 2008 he returned to wrestle Orlando Jordan in Barcelona, Spain defeating him in a match booked by the Italian Nu-Wrestling Evolution promotion.

Early life

Warrior was born as James Brian Hellwig. He was the eldest of five children and was raised by his mother (along with, later, his stepfather) after his father left his family when young James was 12. He spent a year at Indiana State University. It was also during this time he began to compete in amateur bodybuilding.

Bodybuilding career

Prior to his career in professional wrestling Hellwig was an amateur bodybuilder, competing in a number of NPC contests and winning the 1984 NPC Mr. Georgia crown. Hellwig started training with weights when he was 11 years old and has described himself as "the small, insecure kid who wasn't into any sports". He moved to California where, after seeing bodybuilder Robby Robinson, decided to take up the sport. His first contest took place in Florida where he placed 5th. Later, while he was attending Life University in Marietta, Georgia, he won the Junior Atlanta contest and placed 5th at the 1981 AAU Collegiate Mr. America. In 1983, he won the AAU Coastal USA, before taking the Mr. Georgia title the following year. His last bodybuilding contest was 1985's Junior USA's, which was won by future IFBB Pro, Ron Love. Hellwig finished 5th.

In 1985, after spending six weeks in California training for a bodybuilding contest, he was invited to join a group of bodybuilders - Garland Donoho, Mark Miller, and Steve "Flash" Borden - who were attempting to make the transition into professional wrestlers. Warrior accepted the invitation and abandoned his bodybuilding career and his plans to become a chiropractor.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1985–1986)

Hellwig began his professional wrestling career as Jim "Justice" Hellwig of Powerteam USA, the group of bodybuilders trained by Red Bastien and Rick Bassman.

Hellwig and Steve Borden, who would later go on to success as "Sting", formed a tag team known as the Blade Runners, with Hellwig changing his ring name to "Blade Runner Rock" and Borden changing his name to "Blade Runner Flash". Debuting in the Memphis, Tennessee-based Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) promotion, run by Jerry Jarrett, the team played baby faces at first, but fans were actually slow to take to the hulking duo in a territory that had featured sympathetic "good guy tag teams" like the Rock 'n' Roll Express and The Fabulous Ones. They were quickly turned heel as The Blade Runners. The Blade Runners went on to wrestle for the Mid-South Wrestling promotion, which became the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) in 1986. They were part of Eddie Gilbert's Hotstuff International group, before disbanding in 1986 when Hellwig left the UWF.

World Class Championship Wrestling (1986–1987)

In 1986, Warrior debuted in the Dallas, Texas-based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) promotion, where he wrestled for $50 a night. He claimed that he adopted the ring name "Dingo Warrior" after a member of the WCCW locker room remarked that he looked like "a warrior". Warrior formed a tag team with Lance Von Erich, and the duo began competing for the WCWA World Tag Team Championship. On November 17, 1986, Warrior and Von Erich defeated Master Gee (substituting for champion Buzz Sawyer) and Matt Borne to win the title. They held the Championship until December 1 of that year, when they lost to Al Madril and Brian Adias.

In 1987, Warrior began competing for the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship, losing to Bob Bradley in a tournament final on January 12. He won the title from Bradley on February 2 of that year. The title was held up in April 1987 after Warrior left the WCCW. He was reinstated as champion upon returning, but vacated it once more upon resigning from WCCW to join the World Wrestling Federation, where he adopted the ring name Ultimate Warrior. Warrior began appearing on house shows in June and was initially billed as The Dingo Warrior in house card promos by Gene Okerlund, but soon had his name modified. There is dispute over who created the Ultimate Warrior name. Bruce Prichard stated that Vince McMahon did not know what a "Dingo" Warrior would be, but because there was the "Modern Day Warrior" Kerry von Erich and the Road Warriors there should not be one more simple warrior, but The Ultimate Warrior. However, Warrior claims after one of his first matches, McMahon had him do a pretaped promo. It was there Vince said we want you to do Warrior, but we don't want Dingo. The Warrior then proceeded to cut the promo and stated that he was not this warrior or that warrior, he was The Ultimate Warrior.

In the late 1980s, while Warrior was still wrestling in Texas, he appeared in several TV ads for Westway Ford, a car dealership in Irving, Texas. Warrior interacted in full wrestling costume with Westway's wacky character, "Mean Joe Greed."

World Wrestling Federation (1987–1991)

As a World Wrestling Federation (WWF) performer, the Ultimate Warrior was known for his high-energy ring entrances, which featured him racing into the arena at full speed, bursting into the ring, and violently shaking the ropes up and down. He was also known for his distinctive pattern of face paint. Warrior enjoyed two stints as Intercontinental Champion, defeating The Honky Tonk Man (in 13 seconds at the first ever SummerSlam in 1988) and Rick Rude at SummerSlam 1989. The Warrior was heralded as the wrestler to become the biggest star of the 1990s, and the successor to Hulk Hogan, who had remained wrestling's biggest star throughout the 1980s. Following a few confrontations with Hogan, most notably at the 1990 Royal Rumble, the Warrior was written in as Hogan's opponent for WrestleMania VI. Ultimate Warrior faced Hogan on April 1, 1990, at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario. The event was billed as "The Ultimate Challenge", as both Hogan's WWF World Championship and Warrior's Intercontinental Championship were on the line (either way, the Intercontinental Championship would be declared vacant). The match ended when Warrior performed the Warrior Splash, which pinned Hogan for the three count.

After winning the WWF Championship from Hogan, Warrior continued to build his popularity with successful defenses against the likes of Haku, Mr. Perfect, Rick Rude and Ted DiBiase. "The Macho Man" Randy Savage would be also introduced as a potential rival after interfering in a Saturday Night's Main Event title match at the behest of DiBiase. In January 1991, Warrior faced Sgt. Slaughter at the Royal Rumble. Slaughter's gimmick at the time was a traitor who had betrayed America by aligning himself with a (kayfabe) Iraqi military general, General Adnan. In the context of the Gulf War, this made Slaughter one of the most hated heels at the time. After rejecting an earlier request to grant a title shot to Savage, Sensational Sherri interjected herself in the Warrior's championship match to distract him. Her interference eventually led to a Savage sneak attack where he would eventually strike Warrior over the head with a metal scepter. The interference allowed Slaughter the opportunity to pin Warrior for a 3 count with Warrior losing the title he had won from Hogan less than a year earlier. Hulk Hogan would be given the title shot at WrestleMania VII where he defeated Slaughter to regain the championship. Meanwhile, the Ultimate Warrior would go on to feud with the Macho King. Their rivalry culminated in a 'Career Ending' match at WrestleMania VII with the Ultimate Warrior victorious, forcing Savage to retire.

The next chapter of Warrior's career was an encounter with The Undertaker, after Undertaker and his manager, Paul Bearer, locked Warrior in a coffin on the set of Bearer's ''Funeral Parlor''. WWF officials worked feverishly to break the casket open, finally revealing Warrior's seemingly lifeless body, and the torn fabric inside of the coffin indicating Warrior's desperate struggle to get out. Warrior was finally revived by the officials performing CPR. This led to Jake "The Snake" Roberts offering to give Warrior "the knowledge of the dark side" in order to prepare Warrior to take his revenge on the Undertaker. This involved Roberts giving Warrior three "tests" shown on WWF TV in consecutive weeks. For the first test, Roberts locked Warrior inside of a coffin for a second time.

For the second test, Warrior was "buried alive" by Roberts. For the third test, the Warrior entered a room full of snakes, to find "the answer" in a chest in the middle of the room. However, waiting inside the chest was a King Cobra, which (kayfabe) bit Warrior in the face. As Warrior weakened from the effects of the cobra's strike, Roberts was joined by the Undertaker and Paul Bearer, revealing the three were working together all along. Roberts then uttered, "Never trust a snake." The stage was now set for a match between the Ultimate Warrior and Roberts. However, the match would never take place. In August 1991, Warrior was involved in an alleged pay dispute with WWF owner Vince McMahon over the SummerSlam main event, teaming him with Hogan against Sgt. Slaughter, Colonel Mustafa, and General Adnan. The WWF alleged that Warrior threatened to no show the event unless he was paid for his previous WrestleMania appearance. According to Vince McMahon, Warrior was paid that amount then fired immediately after SummerSlam.

Return to the WWF (1992)

With Hulk Hogan about to leave WWF in mid-1992, McMahon contacted Warrior about returning. He made his comeback at WrestleMania VIII (to rescue Hulk Hogan from a beat down at the hands of Sid Justice and Papa Shango). When he made his return, he looked smaller and his hair was shorter, leading to a rumor that Hellwig had died and it was a different person performing the character.

Upon his return, he received a degree of creative control over his bookings. One storyline involved Papa Shango, a "witch doctor," cast a spell over Warrior, causing him to convulse and vomit in very odd colors, though Warrior says he hated that story and had no control over it. The Warrior was booked for a WWF Championship match against then-champion, "Macho Man" Randy Savage at SummerSlam in August 1992. The Warrior would win the match by count-out but not the title.

In November 1992 Warrior was scheduled to be the tag team partner of Randy "Macho Man" Savage, to be known as the ''Ultimate Maniacs'' to face Ric Flair and Razor Ramon at Survivor Series. However, weeks before the event, Warrior failed a drug test and according to Vince McMahon as stated on the Self Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior DVD, the WWE released him immediately. At the time a rumor was spread that the Warrior himself asked for his release due to not wanting to be involved in a feud with Nailz, this was also disputed on the Self Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior DVD.

Semi-retirement (1992–1996)

Between November 1992 and July 1995, Warrior was semi-retired. During his time away from the WWF, Warrior opened the short-lived "Warrior University", a professional wrestling school based in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In December 1992, he wrestled as the Dingo Warrior against Hercules Hernandez in Billerica, Massachusetts, for Killer Kowalski's International Wrestling Federation.

In 1993, Jim Hellwig played the role of "the swordsman" in the action movie Firepower.

In March 1995, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) introduced The Renegade as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage's "ultimate weapon", using ring attire and mannerisms that closely resembled Warrior's and many people believe The Renegade either was the Warrior or that WCW pretended he was, neither of which is true. In July 1995, he returned to the ring for the National Wrestling Conference (NWC) promotion in Las Vegas, defeating The Honky Tonk Man. He had also wrestled a tour of Europe for Otto Wanz's Catch Wrestling Association (CWA) promotion.

Return to the WWF (1996)

After three and a half years spent mostly outside the wrestling limelight, Warrior returned to the WWF in March 1996, squashing Hunter Hearst Helmsley at WrestleMania XII. He made his first appearance on ''Monday Night Raw'' on April 8, where he gave an in-ring interview and credited the "voices" of the "warriors" (his name for members of the WWF audience) for his return; he was then interrupted, and ridiculed, by Goldust. Warrior challenged for Goldust's WWF Intercontinental Championship at In Your House 7; Warrior won the match by countout, but did not win the title. The following night on ''Monday Night Raw'', Warrior defeated Isaac Yankem. A rematch with Intercontinental Champion Goldust, on the May 27 edition of the show, ended in a double countout. Warrior defeated Jerry Lawler at the King of the Ring, and defeated Owen Hart by disqualification on the July 8 edition of ''Monday Night Raw''. Warrior was scheduled to team with Shawn Michaels and Ahmed Johnson to face Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Vader at In Your House 9 later that month, but the WWF terminated Warrior's contract when he took time off allegedly to grieve the death of his father. WWF owner Vince McMahon claimed that Warrior had not seen his father in ten years and did not care much for him; therefore, he did not take Warrior's excuse for missing bookings at face value. Warrior disputes McMahon's explanation, claiming that the real reason why he no showed those events was a breach of contract by McMahon, in which WWF sold Warrior's merchandise without giving him a percentage. He was replaced by Sycho Sid at In Your House 9.

World Championship Wrestling (1998)

WCW signed Warrior in 1998 and gave him a degree of creative control over his matches, He created a storyline where he formed a stable opposing Hogan's (now going under his heelish "Hollywood" gimmick) New World Order: the "One Warrior Nation." The acronym oWn (One Warrior Nation) was a play on the name nWo. Highlights of the storyline included Warrior kidnapping and "converting" The Disciple and frequent instances of "magic smoke" knocking out all of the nWo members except for Hollywood Hogan (and covering Warrior's movement through a trapdoor in the ring).

Warrior only participated in three matches in WCW. The first was the War Games main event, where he and eight other wrestlers competed for the #1 contender spot to the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Fall Brawl, which Diamond Dallas Page won. On ''WCW Monday Nitro'', he teamed with Sting to defeat Hogan and Bret Hart by disqualification, a match in which he had little participation; he was tagged in for a short exchange with Hart, then singlehandedly chased several nWo members down the entry way, whipping them with Hogan's belt. The third was his loss to Hogan at Halloween Havoc, in what is considered by Eric Bischoff to be one of the worst Main Event pay-per-view wrestling matches ever. In the Halloween Havoc match, the timing of the maneuvers and hits was poor; an arm injury that Warrior received at WarGames further slowed the action. An attempt to "blind" Warrior with a fireball backfired when Hogan faced complications igniting a piece of flash paper, causing the fire to go up in Hogan's face instead. The match finally came to an end when Horace Hogan hit Warrior in the back with a chair while Eric Bischoff had referee Nick Patrick distracted. Hogan then scored the pinfall, ending the match.

WCW claimed that attempts were made to save the storyline and re-sign Warrior, but he was said to have asked for too much money, and WCW ended negotiations. In a DVD shoot interview, Warrior claims that they simply decided not to call him any more, despite having phoned WCW general manager Eric Bischoff 16 times after the Havoc debacle. He has claimed in interviews and convention appearances that the only reason he was brought back was so Hogan could get a win over Warrior in return for Hogan's WrestleMania job. Warrior's last appearance in WCW was on the November 9, 1998 edition of ''Nitro'', when he came to the rescue of The Disciple who was being attacked by members of nWo. Warrior announced his retirement the following year. According to the book ''The Death of WCW'', Warrior supposedly insisted upon a new contract picking up where the previous one left off in exchange for the Halloween Havoc job, though this claim has been disputed.

Nu-Wrestling Evolution (2008)

During an April 19, 2008 Nu-Wrestling Evolution (NWE) event in Madrid, Spain, Warrior was presented with an award celebrating his professional wrestling career in front of over 15,000 attendees. During the presentation, NWE Heavyweight Champion Orlando Jordan mocked a fan of Warrior's, resulting in a heated argument between Warrior and Jordan. As a result of the exchange, a match between Warrior and Jordan was scheduled for June 25, 2008 in the Palau Municipal d'Esports de Badalona in Barcelona, marking Warrior's first match in nearly 10 years. After much hype, On June 25, he finally made his much anticipated return to pro wrestling when he faced Jordan for the NWE Heavyweight Championship. Notably the Warrior did a top rope superplex and defeated Jordan with his clothesline/shoulder tackle finish and immediately vacated the title.

Personal life

Warrior married Shari Lynn Tyree on October 2, 1982. The couple met in Dallas, Texas at the famous Million Dollar Saloon strip club where Shari was working at the time. They remained together for the majority of Warriors' WWF career before divorcing on March 22, 1991, two days before WrestleMania VII. Warrior married for the second time in 2000 to Dana. Together they have two daughters: Indiana Marin "Indy" Warrior (born 2000) and Mattigan Twain Warrior (born December 16, 2002)

Trademark and libel litigation

In 1993, Hellwig legally changed his name to Warrior. This one-word name appears on all legal documents pertaining to Warrior, and his children carry the Warrior name as their legal surname.

Warrior and the WWF engaged in a series of lawsuits and legal actions in 1996 and 1998, where both parties sought a declaration that they owned the characters, Warrior and Ultimate Warrior, under both contract and copyright law. The court ruled that Warrior was legally entitled to use the gimmick, costuming, face paint designs, and mannerisms of the "Warrior" character.

On September 27, 2005, WWE (formerly the WWF) released a DVD documentary focusing on Warrior's retrospective wrestling career, entitled ''The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior''. The DVD featured clips of his more notable feuds and matches along with commentary from WWE stars past and present (most of which are unflattering), with Triple H (by this point one of WWE's top main eventers and the husband of Vince McMahon's daughter Stephanie McMahon) adding that the squash match loss against Warrior at WrestleMania XII was his most embarrassing moment with the company. The DVD has provoked some controversy due to Warrior's own allegations of libel by WWE against him. Originally, Warrior was asked to help with the production of the DVD, but as he refused to work with WWE (citing he did not want to be associated with their promotion), there has been some resulting animosity between Warrior and WWE over the Warrior claiming bias on the part of WWE. In January 2006, Warrior filed another lawsuit against WWE in an Arizona court over the depiction of his wrestling career in ''The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior'' DVD. On September 18, 2009, Warrior's lawsuit in Arizona was dismissed.

Motivational speaking

Warrior formally retired from wrestling in 1999 and had a short-lived career as a conservative speaker and commentator, partnering with conservative spokesman Daniel Pinheiro, denouncing left-wing politics. In one instance, he mentioned that "queering doesn't make the world work" during a speech at the University of Connecticut. Warrior explained those comments on his website as meaning that the human race would die out if everyone were a homosexual.

Writing

In May 1996, Warrior began publishing a comic book, titled ''Warrior'', featuring himself as the main character. The series was co-written with Jim Callahan and illustrated by the Sharp Brothers. The title sold well for the first two months, before sales slowed down. The comic was canceled in early 1997.

Warrior maintains a blog on his personal website titled "Warrior's Machete", where he discusses his personal life, his personal views on politics, sexuality, patriotism, and his legacy as a wrestler, amongst other topics. There have been numerous instances where Warrior has used his blog to address his viewpoint on members of his wrestling past (Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger); historical figures (Martin Luther King, George Washington, Jesus). Warrior depicts celebrities who were newsworthy at the time of his blog (Heath Ledger and Paris Hilton). He has also used the blog to post replies to letters from fans.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

Gorilla press drop followed by a running splash

Signature moves

Leaping shoulder block

Multiple running clotheslines

Entrance themes

*"The Warrior" by Scandal (WCCW)

*"Unstable" by Jim Johnston (WWF) 1987-1991,1992,1996

Championships and accomplishments

Nu-Wrestling Evolution

*NWE World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

*PWI Comeback of the Year (1992)

*PWI Feud of the Year (1991) vs. The Undertaker

*PWI Match of the Year (1990) vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI

PWI ranked him #101 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003

'''World Class Wrestling Association

WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

WCWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Lance Von Erich

World Wrestling Federation

WWF Championship (1 time)

WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)

'''World Wrestling Superstars

*WWS Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

*Most Overrated (1989–1991)

*Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler (1989, 1990)

*Worst Feud of the Year (1989) vs. André the Giant

*Worst Feud of the Year (1992) vs. Papa Shango

*Worst Feud of the Year (1998) vs. Hulk Hogan

*Worst Worked Match of the Year (1989) vs. André the Giant on October 31

*Worst Worked Match of the Year (1998) vs. Hulk Hogan at Halloween Havoc

*Worst Wrestler (1988, 1998)

References

External links

UltimateWarrior.com

Official Website for Ultimate Warrior's One Warrior Nation

:* made in 2007 where he made a 2-part memorial to Randy Savage. ::* made in 2008 to promote his Barcelona match against Orlando Jordan. :*

Ultimate Warrior's WWE Alumni Profile

Official Merch Connection Inc. Warrior Merchandise Store

Official All In Merch Warrior Merchandise Store

Category:American bodybuilders Category:American motivational speakers Category:American professional wrestlers Category:People from Montgomery County, Indiana Category:1959 births Category:Living people

da:The Ultimate Warrior de:Warrior (Wrestler) es:Warrior fr:Brian James Hellwig hi:वॉरिअर (रेस्लर) it:Ultimate Warrior he:ווריור (מתאבק) nl:James Hellwig ja:アルティメット・ウォリアー no:Warrior (fribryter) pl:Warrior (wrestler) pt:Warrior (lutador) ro:The Ultimate Warrior fi:Ultimate Warrior sv:Warrior (wrestlare) te:వారియర్ (మల్లయోధుడు) th:ดิ อัลติเมท วอร์ริเออร์

names	El MatadorMerced SolisRichard BloodTino SantanaTito Santana
height
weight
birth date	May 10, 1953
birth place	Mission, Texas
resides	Roxbury Township, New Jersey
billed	Tocula, Mexico
trainer	Hiro MatsudaBob Orton
debut	1977
retired	2000 }}

Merced Solis (born May 10, 1953) better known by his ring name Tito Santana, is an American professional wrestler whose heyday spanned from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, though he continues to appear on the independent circuit. He is best known from his time in the World Wrestling Federation. Competing almost exclusively in the WWF from 1979 to 1993, Solis helped bridge the gap between the 1980s "Rock 'n Wrestling Connection" era to the 1990s "New Generation" era. He also won the first match in WrestleMania history.

Career

Collegiate and Professional Football

Solis played tight end for West Texas A&M; University, where he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. The team was quarterbacked by future professional wrestler Tully Blanchard, who would introduce him into the world of professional wrestling. After graduation, Solis was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs during training camp. He played one season for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League, appearing in 13 regular-season games.

Early career

He pro debuted in Championship Wrestling From Florida in 1977, also worked in Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1977-78, until he joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1979. After a near 3 year run in the American Wrestling Association form 1980-1982 he returned to World Wrestling Federation in 1983.

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (1979–1993)

Debut & Tag Team Champion (1979–1982)

Santana had his first taste of WWF success in 1979 when he teamed with Ivan Putski to defeat Johnny Valiant and Jerry Valiant for the WWF Tag Team Championship at Madison Square Garden in October 1979. The duo held the titles for close to six months before losing to the Wild Samoans in April 1980.

Intercontinental Champion (1983–1986)

In 1983, he engaged in a lengthy feud with Intercontinental Champion Magnificent Don Muraco. Santana finally won the title on February 11, 1984, becoming the first Mexican American wrestler to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship. He quickly entered into a feud over the Intercontinental Championship with Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. Valentine captured it from Santana in September 1984 in London, Ontario. Soon after, Valentine injured Santana's knee and put Santana out of action for several months.

Santana returned at WrestleMania, and in the opening match defeated a masked wrestler known as The Executioner. Santana and Valentine went on to wrestle a memorable series of singles and tag team matches with neither gaining the upper hand. They wrestled in a variety of different types of matches such as regular title matches, No Disqualification matches, and Lumberjack matches.

Strike Force (1987–1989)

Santana formed a popular tag team (Strike Force) with Canadian Rick Martel in the late 1980's. They defeated the Hart Foundation for the WWF World Tag Team titles and held them for five months before losing to Demolition at Wrestlemania IV. Due to a neck injury suffered by Martel shortly after the loss, the team was inactive until the Royal Rumble in 1989. In their WrestleMania match against the Brain Busters (Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson), Martel turned on Santana during the match, leaving Santana to face both opponents alone. His feud with the newly heel Martel would last throughout 1989, with both men on opposing teams at both SummerSlam and Survivor Series and Santana defeating Martel in the finals of the 1989 King of the Ring tournament.

Various Rivalries (1990–1991)

After the Ultimate Warrior won the WWF Championship from Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI and vacated the Intercontinental Title, Santana took part in an eight-man tournament to name a new Intercontinental Champion. Santana made it to the finals, where he lost to Mr. Perfect. Following that loss, Santana occasionally teamed with fellow undercard fan favorite, Koko B. Ware.

At the 1990 Survivor Series, he teamed with Nikolai Volkoff and The Bushwhackers; he was the winner and sole survivor in the elimination-style match against Sgt. Slaughter, Boris Zhukov, and The Orient Express. As a result, Santana advanced to the final elimination match, teaming with Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior against Martel, Ted DiBiase, the Warlord, and Power and Glory. Santana would eliminate the Warlord before being pinned by DiBiase. Santana would then wrestle at WrestleMania VII, losing to The Mountie in a little over a minute.

El Matador & Departure (1991–1993)

Santana then adopted a Spanish bullfighter gimmick and the nickname "El Matador" in 1991. Under this gimmick, he faced Shawn Michaels in the opening bout of WrestleMania VIII at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. Santana claims that at the time he was being considered for a run with the WWF Championship but says that the spot was given to Bret Hart; the WWF was considering expanding into South and Central America, and felt that having Santana, its most high profile Latino wrestler, as champion would aid its cause. The plan was eventually scrapped and the decision was made to expend into Canada, thus making the Canadian-born Hart a more viable option as champion. In any case, Santana wrestled under the "El Matador" gimmick through 1993, mostly as a jobber to the stars. This included a loss to Papa Shango at SummerSlam (1992). In his final in-ring WrestleMania appearance, he defeated Shango at WrestleMania IX.

In his final appearance on WWF programming, Santana defeated friend and frequent tag team partner Virgil on a 1993 episode of Wrestling Challenge. As a sign of mutual respect between the two, both men embraced after the match.

WrestleMania

Santana, along with only Hulk Hogan, holds the unique distinction of appearing in the first nine WrestleManias, accumulating a 2-7 record during that time. Officially he is recognized only for the first eight Wrestlemanias and a 1-7 record as the match against Papa Shango at WrestleMania IX was dark. On Right After Wrestling, hosted by Arda Ocal Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas, Tito stated that he was somewhat disappointed with being the first match on WrestleMania. Vince McMahon later told Santana that his reason for putting him in the opening match was to kick the show off with a quality match, something he knew Tito as a solid fan-favorite and former Intercontinental Champion would produce.

Eastern Championship Wrestling (1993)

Santana played a role in the formative years of ECW. Then known as Eastern Championship Wrestling, he won the ECW Heavyweight Championship in August 1993 by defeating former WWE rival Don Muraco but forfeited the championship later that year to Shane Douglas.

American Wrestling Federation (1994–1996)

Santana finished his full-time career in the short-lived American Wrestling Federation. He was both the first and last AWF Heavyweight Champion, defeating Bob Orton, Jr. in a tournament final for the inaugural belt in November 1994, and losing and regaining the title from Orton on the same night in October 1996.

World Championship Wrestling (2000)

On January 10, 2000, Tito Santana made a one time appearance in WCW. He defeated Jeff Jarrett in a Dungeon Match on ''WCW Monday Nitro''.

Sporadic appearances

Tito Santana continues to make appearances on the independent circuit. On March 13, 2004 he was elected to the WWE Hall of Fame, with an induction speech by his WrestleMania VIII opponent Shawn Michaels. In September 2008 he was inducted into the Spanish Hall Of Fame of Pro Wrestling (Salón del Catch).

Santana is also said to have had a hand in training independent wrestler, Vin Gerard.

On the November 15, 2010 "Old School" episode of Raw, he ring-announced Alberto Del Rio.

Personal life

While attending West Texas A&M; University, Solis was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. He is now a Spanish teacher and basketball coach at Eisenhower Middle School in Roxbury Township, New Jersey where he lives with his wife Leah and their three sons Matthew, Michael, and Mark. His wife operates Santana's Hair Salon in Succasunna, New Jersey. He also teaches wrestling classes at the New Jersey-based Independent Wrestling Federation. He still wrestles a dozen or so matches per year. He was also a physical education teacher for Smalley Elementary School in Bound Brook, New Jersey.

His autobiography, ''Tito Santana's Tales From the Ring'' (ISBN 978-1-59670-325-4), was released in 2008.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''El Paso de la Muerte'' (Running leaping forearm club to the head of a bent over opponent) – 1991–1993

Figure four leglock

Flying forearm smash

Signature moves

Arm drag

Diving clothesline

Dropkick

Headscissors takedown

Knee lift

Running crossbody

Championships and accomplishments

American Wrestling Federation

*AWF Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

Eastern Championship Wrestling

*ECW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)¹

International World Class Championship Wrestling

*IWCCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

NWA Western 0States Sports

*NWA Western States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ted DiBiase

Northern States Wrestling Alliance

*NSWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

*PWI Tag Team of the Year award in 1979 – with Ivan Putski.

*PWI ranked him # 51 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1995.

*PWI ranked him # 93 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the PWI Years in 2003.

*PWI ranked him # 70 of the 100 best tag teams during the PWI Years with Rick Martel in 2003.

Renegade Wrestling Alliance

*RWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

USA Pro Wrestling

*USA Pro Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment

*WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)

*WWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Ivan Putski (1), and Rick Martel (1)

*WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2004)

*WWF King of the Ring (1989)

Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame

*Class of 2007

Other titles

*CWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*EWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*GWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*IAW Television Championship (1 time)

*NWC Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*UCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*USA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*UWS Tag Team Championship (1 time)

*HoPWF Tag Team Championship (1 time)

¹Tito Santana's reign occurred while the promotion was an NWA affiliate named Eastern Championship Wrestling, and was prior to the promotion becoming Extreme Championship Wrestling and the title being declared a world title by ECW.

References

External links

The Official Website of Tito Santana

WWE Hall of Fame Profile of Tito Santana

WrestlingEpicenter.com Interactive Interviews (2004 & 2008) with Tito Santana

Category:1953 births Category:American football tight ends Category:BC Lions players Category:Living people Category:Mexican professional wrestlers Category:West Texas A&M; Buffaloes football players Category:WWE Hall of Fame Category:American schoolteachers Category:American professional wrestlers of Mexican descent

de:Tito Santana es:Merced Solís fr:Tito Santana it:Tito Santana nl:Tito Santana ja:ティト・サンタナ pt:Tito Santana

Name	Owen Hart
Names	The Blue BlazerThe King of HartsOven HartOwen JamesThe Rocket
Height
Weight
Birth date	May 07, 1965
Birth place	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Death date	May 23, 1999
Death place	Kansas City, Missouri
Billed	Calgary, Alberta, Canada Parts Unknown (as the Blue Blazer)
Trainer	Stu Hart
Debut	May 30, 1986 }}

Owen James Hart (May 7, 1965 – May 23, 1999) was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The Blue Blazer. A member of the Hart wrestling family, Hart was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada the youngest of 12 children to Stampede Wrestling promoter and WWE Hall of Famer Stu Hart and Helen Hart.

Among other accolades, Hart was a two-time world champion: a one-time (though unofficial) WWF Champion, and one-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion; a two-time WWF Intercontinental Champion; one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion; one-time WWF European Champion and four-time WWF World Tag Team Champion. He was also the winner of the 1994 WWF King of the Ring. Hart has been cited by a number of peers as one of the WWF's greatest professional wrestlers.

Hart died on May 23, 1999 when an equipment malfunction occurred during his entrance from the rafters of Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S., at the WWF's Over the Edge pay-per-view event.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1986–1991)

Hart first gained wrestling experience in the amateur wrestling division at high school, through which he met his wife, Martha. Wrestling was not Hart's first choice for a career; as max explained in her book ''Broken Harts'', Owen tried numerous times to find a profitable living outside of wrestling. As those attempts were unsuccessful, Hart was trained in his father's Hart Dungeon and made his professional debut in 1986 for his father’s federation, Stampede Wrestling. He remained with Stampede for the next couple of years while honing his skills. During 1986, Hart teamed with Ben Bassarab and won the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship. The success of the team and Hart's in ring skills earned him ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated''s Rookie of the Year Award in 1987. After he and Bassarab lost the tag team title, he feuded with Johnny Smith and Dynamite Kid.

In 1987, Hart branched out to Japan where he wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) on several tours. In NJPW, he wrestled Keiichi Yamada both unmasked and later under the Jushin Liger gimmick. On May 27, 1988, Hart defeated Hiroshi Hase for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

Hart's success in Japan and Stampede’s working relationship with the World Wrestling Federation led to Hart signing with the company in the fall of 1988. He debuted at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in August 1988 under a mask called the Blue Angel. Instead of promoting Owen as Bret Hart’s younger brother, the WWF decided to create a masked "superhero" type gimmick for him known as The Blue Blazer. The Blazer was eliminated at Survivor Series, lost to Ted DiBiase on the March 11, 1989 edition of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'', and was defeated by Mr. Perfect at WrestleMania V.

Shortly after WrestleMania, Hart left the WWF to tour the world both with and without the Blue Blazer gimmick. He also returned to Stampede, until it shut down in December 1989. In 1991, Hart lost the Blue Blazer mask in a ''mascara contra mascara'' match against Mexican wrestler El Canek, thus bidding farewell to the Blue Blazer gimmick. In 1991, Hart appeared on World Championship Wrestling shows, teaming with Ricky Morton.

World Wrestling Federation (1991-1999)

The New Foundation (1991–1992)

Hart had been engaged in contract discussions with WCW but the deal was never struck, as Owen was not willing to move himself and his family to the company's headquarters in Atlanta. Instead, he signed with the WWF for a second time. In the WWF the popular Hart Foundation, composed of his brother Bret and real-life brother-in-law Jim Neidhart, had split up; Bret set out on a singles career while Neidhart was used sparingly. When Neidhart returned from a storyline injury, he joined Owen to form a team known as The New Foundation.

Owen and Neidhart first feuded with the Beverly Brothers. They then had their only pay-per-view match at the Royal Rumble in January 1992 where they beat The Orient Express. Neidhart left the WWF shortly afterward, and Hart set out on a very short run as a singles wrestler, including a match at WrestleMania VIII against Skinner. Shortly after WrestleMania, Hart was teamed up with Koko B. Ware to form the duo known as High Energy. They had only one pay-per-view match as a team, at the Survivor Series where they lost to The Headshrinkers. The team was quietly dropped at the start of 1993 with Hart starting a singles career.

Feud with Bret (1993–1995)

In the middle of 1993, when Bret Hart’s feud with Jerry Lawler ignited, Owen stood by his brother’s side and fought against Lawler in the United States Wrestling Association where most of the WWF talent were considered the heels. Owen won the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship from Papa Shango. Owen’s participation in the WWF vs. USWA feud was cut short when he suffered a knee injury in the summer of 1993 and was forced to take some time away from the ring.

Hart returned to the WWF ring in the fall of 1993, at a time when Bret’s feud with Lawler was temporarily sidetracked. Bret, along with Owen and their brothers Bruce and Keith, were scheduled to face Lawler and his team at Survivor Series. However, Lawler was unable to make it to the show, and as a result could not appear on WWF television. Lawler was replaced with Shawn Michaels. During the match Owen and Bret inadvertently crashed into each other, causing Owen to be eliminated from the team. Owen showed up after the match and had a heated confrontation with Bret, while Keith, Bruce and Stu tried to calm things down. This confrontation resulted in Owen leaving the ring to boos while his brothers and father watched in dismay and mother Helen cried at ringside. The following night Owen adopted the pink and black tights, sunglasses and Sharpshooter finisher to send a message to his brother. Owen, angry with being in Bret's shadow, challenged his brother which Bret declined. Instead the brothers seemed to reunite by the holidays.

Bret tried to make amends with Owen, teaming with him on a regular basis. Bret even secured the two a shot at the WWF Tag Team Championship. They faced the Quebecers for the title at the Royal Rumble in January 1994. Initially everything was fine between the brothers, but when Bret hurt his knee (kayfabe) and was unable to tag Owen in for a long period of time, the younger Hart got frustrated. When the referee stopped the match due to Bret's damaged knee, Owen snapped; he kicked his brother in the knee and then walked off, berating Bret on the Titantron shortly after as Bret was being helped backstage. This started his run as a heel. After the act an infuriated Owen accused his brother of being selfish and holding him down. Owen admitted that it felt good to take out his brother. The two brothers faced off for the first time at WrestleMania X, where Owen cleanly pinned his older brother. Later in the evening, Bret won the WWF Title while Owen stood by and watched in jealousy as Bret celebrated in the ring. Owen won the King of the Ring Tournament with Jim Neidhart’s help. After the victory, Owen took the nickname “The King of Harts."

Owen and Bret feuded throughout the summer of 1994, clashing many times both in singles and later in tag team matches (with Bret joined by the returning British Bulldog). Two matches stand out in this feud: first, their Steel Cage match at SummerSlam for Bret's WWF Championshop, which Bret won. This match later recevied a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer. The second was a lumberjack match on August 17 that Owen initially won and was announced as WWF Champion; Bret won the match after it was ordered to continue due to interference. At the Survivor Series, Owen struck the most damaging blow against his brother as he conned his own mother Helen to throw in the towel for Bret. The ploy cost Bret the world title to Bob Backlund. Owen also prevented Bret from regaining the title at the Royal Rumble in 1995 when he interfered in the match between Bret and new champion Diesel. In the weeks after the Rumble, Bret and Owen clashed again with Bret soundly defeating his brother, thus putting an end to their feud for the time being.

Owen rebounded from the loss to Bret by winning the WWF Tag Team title from The Smoking Gunns at WrestleMania XI. Owen, who was joined by a "Mystery Partner", had challenged the Gunns to a title match; the partner turned out to be former world champion Yokozuna. After the victory Owen took Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji as his managers, who already managed Yokozuna. The team defended the title for 5 months until they lost them to Shawn Michaels and Diesel at In Your House 3. They would briefly hold the title a second time when the belts were handed back to them before the Smoking Gunns regained the title. Owen and Yokozuna would continue to team off and on until the end of the year.

Team with The British Bulldog (1996–1997)

In 1995, Owen's brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith turned heel and joined the Camp Cornette stable. During the summer of 1996 the two brothers in law started to team up more and more, sometimes alongside Vader who was also a member of Camp Cornette. Owen was also a color commentator for the 1996 King of the Ring (exhibiting clear partisan support for Vader and Smith) and during this time wore a cast on his right forearm for several months, feigning a nagging injury to subsequently use his cast as a weapon during his matches.

In September 1996, Bulldog and Hart earned a pay-per-view shot at the tag team title at In Your House 10. Owen and Bulldog left with the gold after defeating the Smoking Gunns. They also left with a new manager as Clarence Mason had conned Jim Cornette into signing over the contracts of the new champions. Signs of dissension, however, slowly started to show. One occasion where this was evident was at the Royal Rumble when Hart accidentally eliminated Bulldog. After the Rumble, Bulldog fired Mason, something which did not sit well with Hart. Another bone of contention between the two was the newly created WWF European Championship; both men had fought their way to the finals to crown the first champion with Bulldog coming out as the victor.

After retaining the tag team title against the Headbangers by disqualification on the March 24, 1997 edition of ''Monday Night Raw'', the tension between the two bubbled over. An incensed Hart demanded a shot at Bulldog’s European title the next week. The match was booked for March 31; on the night, the two went at it with such intensity that many thought the tag team champions had finally gone their separate ways. Then in a shocking moment, the recently turned heel Bret Hart appeared at ringside and stopped the match. Bret appealed to both Owen and Bulldog, talking about the importance of family. They agreed to put their differences aside and join with Bret to form the new Hart Foundation, an anti-American stable that also included Hart in-law Jim Neidhart and Hart family friend Brian Pillman.

The Hart Foundation (1997)

After forming the Hart Foundation, Owen quickly gained singles gold of his own as he pinned Rocky Maivia to win his first WWF Intercontinental Championship. This meant that the Hart Foundation held every WWF title except the World title, cementing their dominance over the federation. It was not all success for Owen, though, as he and the British Bulldog lost their tag team title to Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels on May 25, 1997. He began feuding with Austin shortly thereafter.

Owen and Bulldog got a second chance at regaining the tag team titles after Michaels vacated his half of the championship due to an injury. On the July 14, 1997 edition of ''Raw'' the two entered a tournament and won to face Austin and a partner of his choice that evening for the vacant titles. That partner turned out to be Dude Love, who declared himself to be Austin's partner and helped him defeat Hart and Bulldog for the tag team championship.

At SummerSlam in August, Hart was to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Austin in a "Kiss My Ass" match, where Hart put the title up against Austin having to kiss his buttocks if he lost. During the match, Hart botched a piledriver and dropped Austin on the top of his head, injuring his neck. Austin won the title from Hart that evening, but due to the injury was forced to vacate the title. Although the entire situation was an accident, the WWF decided to make it part of the storyline as Owen began wearing a t-shirt patterned after Austin's that read "Owen 3:16/I Just Broke Your Neck". Hart was then entered into a tournament to crown a new champion.

Hart fought his way to the finals of the tournament to crown the next Intercontinental champion and was set to face Faarooq at In Your House: Bad Blood. Owen beat Faarooq with Austin’s help. Afterward, Austin explained that he wanted to beat Hart for the title when he returned and would not allow Faarooq or anyone else to beat him. After Hart retained the title twice by disqualification between Bad Blood and Survivor Series in Montreal, Austin got his wish and defeated Hart for the Intercontinental Championship again. Later that night, the Montreal Screwjob took place. Bret left the Federation after the event and both the British Bulldog and Jim Neidhart were granted quick releases from their contracts to jump to WCW. This left Owen as the only Hart family member remaining in the WWF, due to his contractual obligations. Unlike Smith and Neidhart, Vince McMahon did not grant Owen a release from his contract and Owen remained with the company. He was skeptical about returning to WCW anyway, as he was not confident that the organization would use him correctly. Bret has said that the biggest reason Owen did not make the move was because WCW president Eric Bischoff was unwilling to match his WWF contract.

The Black Hart and Nation of Domination (1997–1998)

Hart was not seen or mentioned on WWF programming until he made a surprise appearance after Shawn Michaels retained his title following a disqualification loss to Ken Shamrock at In Your House: D-Generation X where he attacked Michaels. Now a fan favorite, but with a new edgy, antisocial attitude, Hart became known as "The Lone Hart" and also "The Black Hart". Owen had a feud with DX and challenged Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship on the December 29, 1997 edition of ''Raw'': Hart had Michaels locked in the sharpshooter when Triple H interfered in order to save Michaels' title, giving Hart the victory by disqualification. He later won the European title from Triple H, although not directly. Goldust dressed up as Triple H in an attempt to swerve Hart, but Commissioner Slaughter considered him to be a legitimate replacement. Hart later suffered a kayfabe ankle injury during a match involving Triple H. When Hart joined the commentary at ringside, Triple H managed to draw Owen into an impromptu title match and regained the title in a controversial fashion.

Four weeks after WrestleMania, during a tag team match with Ken Shamrock against D'Lo Brown and Rocky Maivia (later known as The Rock), Hart turned on Shamrock, "snapping" his ankle and "biting his ear" in the process. After the attack on Shamrock, Hart became the co-leader, with The Rock, of the Nation of Domination, claiming that “Enough is enough and it’s time for a change". The Nation’s first big feud after Hart joined was against DX. It was during this feud that D-Generation X parodied the Nation of Domination. The imitation was complete with Jason Sensation dressing up as Hart and coining the phrase “I am not a nugget"; this was in response to Shawn Michaels referring to Owen as a nugget of feces sticking to the side of a toilet bowl, and no matter how many times Shawn Michaels flushed, it kept sticking around and he was unable to get rid of it. "Nugget" became a derisive term that followed Hart for the rest of his career. Hart’s participation in the DX feud was sidetracked when Shamrock returned from injuries dead set on getting revenge on Hart. The two split a pair of specialty matches on pay-per-view, but nothing was ever conclusively settled between them.

Teaming with Jeff Jarrett (1998–1999)

Hart remained with the Nation throughout the year until the stable slowly dissolved. After SummerSlam, he teamed with Jeff Jarrett. Hart and Jarrett had Jarrett's manager Debra in their corner. During this time a storyline was proposed that Hart was supposed to have an on-screen affair with Debra, something which Owen turned down.

After a match in which Hart "accidentally injured" Dan Severn, seemingly quit the WWF. Playing off the legitimate injury Hart had inflicted on Austin the year before, the angle blurred the lines between reality and "storyline". Yet as soon as Hart "quit", the Blue Blazer appeared in the WWF claiming to in no way be Hart despite it being very obvious who was under the mask. Unlike the first run of the character, the Blazer was now an overbearing, self-righteous heel who treated the edgy Attitude Era WWF with disdain. Hart and Jarrett ended up making the storyline comical. To prove that Hart was not the Blazer, he showed up beside the Blue Blazer, who was a masked Jarrett. In a later attempt to prove that neither Hart or Jarrett was the Blazer, they both appeared next to a man in the Blue Blazer mask; however, it was obvious that a black man was under the mask (Hart's former tag team partner Koko B. Ware). On January 25, 1999, in the midst of the Blue Blazer angle Hart and Jarrett defeated Ken Shamrock and The Big Boss Man for the tag team title. They continued to team together until Hart's death in May during the Over the Edge pay-per-view event.

Personal life

He met Martha Joan Patterson in 1982. They married on July 1, 1989, and they had two children. Oje Edward Hart was born on March 5, 1992 and Athena Christie Hart was born on September 23, 1995.

Death

On May 23, 1999, Hart fell to his death in Kansas City, Missouri during the Over the Edge pay-per-view event. Hart was in the process of being lowered via harness and grapple line into the ring from the rafters of Kemper Arena for a booked Intercontinental Championship match against The Godfather. In keeping with the Blazer's new "''buffoonish superhero''" character, he was to begin a dramatic entrance, being lowered to just above ring level, at which time he would act "''entangled''", then release himself from the safety harness and fall flat on his face for comedic effect—this necessitated the use of a quick release mechanism. It was an elaboration on a Blue Blazer stunt done previously on the ''Sunday Night Heat'' before Survivor Series in 1998. Many suspected the harness was made for lowering small tools to carpenters, not for any human being. Hart fell 78 feet (24 m) into the ring, landing chest-first on the top rope, approximately a foot from the nearest turnbuckle, throwing him into the ring.

Hart had performed the stunt only a few times before and was worried about performing the stunt at Kemper due to the height involved. Hart's wife Martha has suggested that, by moving around to get comfortable with both the harness and his cape on, Hart unintentionally triggered an early release. TV viewers at home did not see the incident or its aftermath—at the moment of the fall, a pre-taped vignette was being shown on the pay-per-view broadcast as well as on the monitors in the darkened arena. After, while Hart was being worked on by medical personnel inside the ring, the live event's broadcast showed only the audience. Meanwhile, WWF television announcer Jim Ross repeatedly told those watching live on pay-per-view that what had just transpired was not a wrestling angle or storyline and that Hart was hurt badly, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation. Hart was transported to Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, where he was pronounced dead on arrival; some believe he died in the ring. He was 34 years old. The cause was later revealed to be internal bleeding from a severed aorta.

Controversy and lawsuit

The WWF management controversially chose to continue the event. Later, Jim Ross announced the death of Hart to the home viewers during the pay-per-view, but not to the crowd in the arena. While the show did go on, it has never been released commercially by WWF Home Video. In the weeks that followed, much attention was focused on the harness Hart used that night, especially on the "quick release" trigger and safety latches. When someone is lowered from the rafters in a harness, there are backup latches that must be latched for safety purposes. These backups may take some time to unlatch, which would have made Hart's stunt difficult to perform smoothly. Therefore, it was apparently decided that it was more important not to have the safety backups, because it would be easier for Hart to unlatch himself.

Three weeks after the event, the Hart family sued the WWF over how dangerous and poorly planned the stunt was, and that the harness system was defective. After over a year and a half into the case, a settlement was reached on November 2, 2000, which saw the WWF give the Hart family $18 million. The manufacturer of the harness system was also a defendant against the Hart family, but they were dismissed from the case after the settlement was reached. Martha used millions of the settlement to establish the Owen Hart Foundation. Martha wrote a book about Hart's life in 2002 called ''Broken Harts: The Life and Death of Owen Hart''.

In his DVD set ''Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be'', Bret said that he wishes he had been with the WWF the night Owen's accident happened, as he would have discouraged Owen from performing the stunt.

''Raw is Owen''

''Raw is Owen'' is the name given to a special live episode of ''WWF Raw is War'' that aired on May 24, 1999, the night after Hart's death. It was broadcast live from the Kiel Center in St. Louis. It featured shoot interviews from his fellow wrestlers. According to ''Raw Exposed'' (a special that aired before the first ''Raw'' airing on its return to USA Network on October 3, 2005), WWF management gave all wrestlers on the roster the option of working or not. Nevertheless, ten matches were booked with no angles.

The show began with all the wrestlers, managers, referees and agents of the WWF (except WWF Champion The Undertaker and Kane) standing on the entrance ramp; Vince, Linda, and Stephanie McMahon were at the front of the ramp. Howard Finkel called for a ten-bell salute. Hart's former Nation of Domination comrades were emotional, most notably Mark Henry, who read a poem that he wrote in memory of Hart. A tribute video narrated by Vince then played on the Titan Tron. Throughout the broadcast, personal thoughts on Hart in the form of shoot interviews with various WWF Superstars were played. Before the first commercial break, such thoughts were aired from Mick Foley and Bradshaw. Foley noted that Hart was his son's favorite wrestler and had proudly gotten a haircut like Owen's, although he also said his son did not quite understand that "nugget" was not a term of endearment. Bradshaw talked about how Hart spent less money on the road than most wrestlers because he wanted to retire early and spend time with his family. Owen's friend and Nation of Domination partner The Rock also made a short speech before engaging in a short match against Val Venis. The broadcast ended with Steve Austin coming out for a special salute to Hart by climbing the turnbuckle and performing his famous beer guzzling routine, and leaving one beer in the ring 'for Owen'. The only notable absence from this show was The Undertaker as he decided to visit his real-life good friend, Bret Hart.

The tribute show scored a Nielsen ratings score of 7.2, making it the highest rated show in ''Raw'' history. Shawn Michaels, in his ''Heartbreak and Triumph'' autobiography, notes that "Owen is the only guy you could have a 2-hour show for, and no-one would say a bad word about him." The next day, WWF taped the episode of ''Raw'' for May 31, 1999. During that show, Jeff Jarrett defeated The Godfather to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship, the title Hart was booked to win at Over the Edge for the third time. Jarrett screamed Hart's name as the belt was handed to him.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

* As Owen Hart

* Bridging Northern Lights suplex – Early career; Used as a regular move from 1994–1999

* Missile dropkick – Early career; Used as a regular move from 1994–1999

* Reverse piledriver, sometimes while kneeling – 1997–1999

* Sharpshooter

* As The Blue Blazer

* Diving splash

* Moonsault

Signature moves

Belly to belly suplex

Diving elbow drop

Diving headbutt

Dragon sleeper

Enzuigiri

Gutwrench suplex

Jackknife pin

Leg grapevine

Spinning heel kick

Superkick

With Jim Neidhart

* Rocket launcher

Managers

Jim Cornette

* Clarence Mason

* Debra

* Bret Hart

* Mr. Fuji

Nicknames

"The Rocket"

"The King of Harts"

"Nugget"

"The Black Hart"

"The Two-Time Slammy Award Winner"

Championships and accomplishments

New Japan Pro Wrestling

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI Editor's Award (1999)

PWI Feud of the Year (1994) vs. Bret Hart

PWI Rookie of the Year (1987)

PWI ranked him #10 of the 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1994

PWI ranked him #84 of the 100 best tag teams of the PWI Years with Davey Boy Smith in 2003

PWI ranked him #66 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003

Stampede Wrestling

Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ben Bassarab

Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame

United States Wrestling Association

USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

'''World Wrestling Federation

WWF Championship (1 time)¹

WWF European Championship (1 time)

WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)

WWF Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Yokozuna (2), The British Bulldog (1), and Jeff Jarrett (1)

* King of the Ring (1994)

* Slammy Award for Squared Circle Shocker (1996)²

Slammy Award for Best Bow Tie (1997)³

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

5 Star Match (1994)

* Best Flying Wrestler (1987, 1988)

* Feud of the Year (1997) with Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, Davey Boy Smith, and Brian Pillman vs. Steve Austin

¹Unofficial reign. Defeated WWF Champion Bret Hart for the title on August 17, 1994 at the Civic Center in Portland, Maine, and was announced as the new champion. However, following a restart, Bret defeated Owen. ²Awarded to Shawn Michaels for collapsing but Hart accepted the award for himself. ³After he presented the Award, Hart never awarded it to any of the possible candidates and instead stole it for himself.

See also

Deaths in sports

Hart wrestling family

List of unusual deaths

References

External links

Owen Hart's Funeral

Bret Hart column mentioning he and Owen holding dual citizenship

Bret Hart and Hart family News

Category:1965 births Category:1999 deaths Category:Accidental deaths from falls Category:Canadian professional wrestlers Category:Canadian people of American descent Category:Deaths onstage Category:Filmed deaths from falls Category:Fictional kings Category:People from Calgary Category:Professional wrestling deaths Category:Sports deaths in Missouri Category:Filmed deaths in sports

ar:أوين هارت ca:Owen Hart da:Owen Hart de:Owen Hart es:Owen Hart fr:Owen Hart ko:오웬 하트 it:Owen Hart he:אואן הארט nl:Owen Hart ja:オーエン・ハート pl:Owen Hart pt:Owen Hart ro:Owen Hart ru:Харт, Оуэн sm:Owen Hart simple:Owen Hart fi:Owen Hart sv:Owen Hart tr:Owen Hart

Name	Abdullah the Butcher
Names	Abdullah the ButcherMadman from the SudanSaladin PikensZeras AmalaKuroi Jujutsushi
Height
Weight
Birth date	January 11, 1941
Birth place	Windsor, Ontario
Resides	Atlanta, Georgia
Billed	The Sudan
Debut	1958
Website	}}

Lawrence Robert "Larry" Shreve (born on January 11, 1941) best known as Abdullah the Butcher, and also at times The Madman from the Sudan, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler known as one of the most brutal or "hardcore" professional wrestlers of all-time. He debuted in the late 1950s, and is a 2011 inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame.

The scars in his forehead are said to be a result of frequent blading. According to Mick Foley, Shreve used to put gambling chips into the deep divots in his head to entertain (or scare) people at casinos. However, New Jack claimed in his RF Video shoot interview that the grooves in Shreve's head were surgically implemented.

An amateur martial artist, Shreve also has knowledge of judo and karate, often including this knowledge in his professional wrestling matches. This knowledge was mainly displayed by him using judo style throws, and karate chops.

Career

Shreve grew up in Windsor, Ontario, Canada as part of a family of ten people in a deeply impoverished household. He learned karate and judo as a youth and, teaching fellow children in the backyard, claims to have eventually earned the title of seventh-degree grandmaster.

Standing 6 feet tall and weighing a robust 260 pounds, Shreve caught the attention of Montreal promoter Jack Britton, and he soon made his professional wrestling debut at age 17 in 1958. He initially competed in numerous independent territories north of the border under such various monikers as Pussycat Pickens, Kuroi Jujutsushi (The Black Wizard) and Zeras Amala. However, he ultimately created his legendary gimmick of an evil Arabian sadist; and in a match against Gino Brito (Jack Britton’s real-life son), Abdullah the Butcher first distinguished himself as one of the world’s most feared rule breakers when he broke a chair over Brito’s head and then beat him senseless with the leg.

Such acts of violence were only the beginning for the terrifying Abdullah the Butcher, whose menacing figure, excessive violence, and complete disregard for the safety of himself or his opponents quickly established his reputation for ruthless brutality. Abdullah’s matches almost always turned into bloodbaths, and he was infamous for stabbing his opponent’s wounds with his trademark fork (or any other foreign weapon that he could get his hands on). In addition to his hardcore style, Abdullah the Butcher was revolutionary with his habit of never staying in any one territory for too long, to avoid wearing out the novelty, and maintaining the notoriety, of his character. Constantly roaming from region to region, Abdullah propagated his reputation as the most violent wrestler in the world. Consequently, he was often brought into a territory as a hired gun to destroy a popular fan favorite, and his appearances usually sparked local interest.

Since his gimmick required that he speak no English (though it was in actuality his native tongue), he possessed an extraordinary number of managers over the course of his long career, including Gary Hart, Paul Jones, Eddie Creatchman, Black Baron, the Grand Wizard, J.J. Dillon, Damien Kane, Larry Sharpe, Oliver Humperdink,Buddy Colt, George Cannon, Bearcat Wright, Big Bad John, Gentleman Jim Holiday, and Rock Hunter, who were all portrayed as “handlers” commissioned to control the Sudanese madman, while also doing most of the talking in promos and interviews. He has, however, spoken for himself in promos while in Japan, where they aren't considered as important in getting a wrestler over.

As a result of his frequent traveling, Abdullah the Butcher usually served as more of a special attraction than as a consistent championship contender. Accordingly, Abdullah never did win a World Heavyweight Championship, though he would capture a myriad regional titles during his career. He won his first major championship on October 23, 1967 when he teamed with Dr. Jerry Graham to defeat John & Carlos Tolos for the NWA Canadian Tag Team Titles in Vancouver. A few years later, he ventured to the Montreal region, where he had three reigns as the IWA International Heavyweight Champion between 1969 and 1972, feuding against Ivan Koloff and Johnny Rougeau. He later served as one of the premier rule breakers in Calgary’s Stampede territory, capturing the NWA Canadian Championship, as well as having six North American Heavyweight Title reigns during the early 1970s. On June 24, 1972, he defeated Ernie Ladd in Akron, Ohio to capture his first of two NWF World Heavyweight Titles. During the mid-1970s, he frequently performed in Detroit, Michigan’s Big-Time Wrestling territory, where he engaged in a classic rivalry against local legend, The Sheik. He teamed with “Killer” Tim Brooks to win the region’s version of the NWA World Tag Team Titles before defeating Bobo Brazil on February 8, 1975 for the NWA United States Championship.

In addition to his successes in North America, Abdullah the Butcher would also become a true international superstar by performing in the Far East, Europe, the Caribbean, Australia, and Africa. On March 12, 1974, he traveled all the way to New Zealand, where he captured the prestigious British Empire Commonwealth Title by defeating the nation’s legendary champion John DaSilva. Abdullah would also establish himself as one of the premier attractions in Japan, where he competed as part of the round-robin tournament that ultimately crowned Giant Baba as All-Japan’s inaugural PWF Heavyweight Champion in February 1973. On October 18, 1978, Abdullah won that same prestigious PWF belt when he defeated European legend and former AWA champion Billy Robinson; and then on October 13, 1980, he also beat Jumbo Tsuruta to capture the NWA United National Heavyweight Title. His feud with Terry Funk is still considered one of the hottest feuds in Japan, and Funk claims to have had one of his top 3 all time greatest matches with Abdullah the Butcher.

He arrived in World Class Championship Wrestling in 1986, where he defeated The Great Kabuki for the Texas Brass Knuckles Title and waged war against the equally wild Bruiser Brody. However, perhaps Abby’s most memorable encounters occurred in Puerto Rico, where he was declared the very first WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion in July 1982 following three reigns as the Puerto Rican Champion between 1978-81. His violent battles against Carlos Colón and Hercules Ayala are legendary; and he long after remained one of the area’s top attractions, more recently defeating Carly Colón for his fifth Universal Title on January 3, 2004.

He was introduced in World Championship Wrestling in a giant, gift-wrapped box. This giant box was to be Sting's birthday gift from Cactus Jack. Sting unwrapped his gift and Abdullah attacked him, leading to both Abdullah and Cactus feuding with Sting after the incident. The feud culminated in a "Chamber of Horrors" match at Halloween Havoc 1991, in which Cactus accidentally electrocuted Abdullah in an electric chair, leading to a brief feud between the former allies.

In 1993, Abdullah arrived in ECW, where he participated in a storyline with Kevin Sullivan, Terry Funk and Stan Hansen, and wrestled at Ultra Clash and Bloodfest.

In late 2002, Abdullah made a one night appearance in Ring of Honor as Homicide's partner, facing the Carnage Crew in a bloody Bunkhouse Brawl at ROH's Night of the Butcher.

In 2007 WWE released an Abdullah The Butcher "WWE legends" figure complete with the famous blade marks on top of his head. They also released "The Triumph and Tragedy of World Class Wrestling" which included a bloody cage match between Abdullah and his famous rival Bruiser Brody.

The 2007 WWC's Anniversary show was dedicated to Abdullah the Butcher's legacy and contributions to WWC. On December 13, 2008 Shreve wrestled against Balls Mahoney in Bayamon Puerto Rico during the annual event WWC Lockout.

On April 4, 2009, Shreve faced Hannibal in Montreal, for NCW Promotions in his last match in Montreal.

Abdullah says "I will be active throughout my life in Japan." During July 2009, he wrestled in Dragon Gate and Hustle. He also wrestled at the New Japan Pro Wrestling supershow Wrestle Kingdom IV in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2010, as well as wrestling for Japanese independent promotion Osaka Pro Wrestling.

His entrance music in Japan is Pink Floyd's instrumental track "One of These Days" from their 1971 album ''Meddle''. In 2009, Abdullah made an appearance at the Decatur Book Festival, facing off against author Michael Muhammad Knight, marking the first pro wrestling match ever held at a book festival. Abdullah pummeled Knight with chairs, forks, and a water cooler, not even stepping into the ring. Knight was taken from the festival in an ambulance and received 46 stitches. It was Right After Wrestling in March 2011, hosted by Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas, that Abdullah admitted his favorite wrestler to face was actually Lou Thesz

On April 2, 2011 Abdullah The Butcher was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in Atlanta.

In 2011, Abduallh the Butcher is set to return to Georgia Championship Wrestling as a mentor/advisor to a local wrestler known as The Congo Warrior.

In July 2011, Devon "Hannibal" Nicholson filed a $6.5 million lawsuit against Shreve, claiming he had gotten Hepatitis C from him during one of their matches, which caused WWE to lose interest in him.

Legacy

In addition to his hardcore style, his dietary habits have also become infamous in the wrestling world. He has been shown to eat announcers' ties, whole raw fish, he once even appeared to bite the head off a live chicken before a shocked crowd. Abdullah's appearances on the NWA's Georgia Championship Wrestling television broadcasts frequently highlighted his gustatory mayhem. While on camera he was shown eating reams of paper, cardboard boxes, the announcer's script, and even half of Gordon Solie's microphone. Prior to a match with local favorite Bob Armstrong he ate an entire live toad in front of Armstrong and his son as an act of intimidation. His unpredictable, ultra-violent style served as inspiration for other wrestlers, including “Maniac” Mark Lewin, Kevin Sullivan, Cactus Jack, Kamala, and Sabu, among others; and he still continues to compete on the independent circuit in a career that has now spanned five decades.

Abdullah has worked in nearly every major wrestling promotion in the world, with the exception of TNA and WWE.

Outside of wrestling, Shreve owns two restaurants (one in southwest Atlanta, the other in Japan) called "Abdullah the Butcher's House of Ribs and Chinese Food." Reviews of the Atlanta restaurant have been mixed. Most diners claim the Chinese portion of the menu is pretty scary, but that the ribs are better than average. Shreve is often on hand to meet fans and sign autographs. Shreve and his restaurant make a cameo appearance in the music video for the song "''Damn!''" by Atlanta recording artists Youngbloodz. Shreve's restaurant was also referenced in the 2006 Film "''ATL''" during a scene where the character Ant (played by Evan Ross) and two friends argue over a local barbecue.

WWE had been promoting Abdullah The Butcher more than ever since his Hall of Fame induction. He now has a profile and videos on their website and he is also featured on their "Best Steel Cage Matches" DVD.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

*Bottom rope splash

*Jumping headbutt

''Sudanese Meat Cleaver'' / ''The Butcher's Axe'' (Australia) (Running pointed elbow drop to the throat)

Signature moves

*Diving double foot stomp

Dropkick

Throat thrust

Signature foreign object

*Fork

*Broken Glass

Entrance themes

*"One of These Days" by Pink Floyd (Japan)

Managers

:*Oliver Humperdink :*Buddy Colt :*James J. Dillon :*Jimmy Hart :*Paul E. Dangerously :*Paul Ellering :*Skandor Akbar :*Harley Race and The Sheik :*Adnan El Kassey :*Gentleman Jim Holiday :*Hugo Savinovich :*The Grand Wizard :*Eddie Creatchman :*Chicky Starr :*Rico Suave :*Rip Rogers :*Tully Blanchard :*Mike Rotunda :*The Cuban Assassin :*Frenchy Martin :*Damien Kane :*James Mitchell :*Sir Dudley Clemens :*"Honest" John Cheatum :*Rock Hunter :*The Great Mephisto

Championships and accomplishments

All Japan Pro Wrestling

:*NWA International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ray Candy :*NWA United National Championship (1 time) :*PWF United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time) :*PWF World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) :*Champion's Carnival (1976, 1979) :*January 4th Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal Winner (2008)

Big Japan Pro Wrestling

:*BJW Deathmatch Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Central States Wrestling

:*NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Roger Kirby

Georgia Championship Wrestling

:*NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (1 time) :*NWA Georgia Television Championship (1 time)

International Wrestling Association

:*IWA International Heavyweight Championship (3 times)

Lutte Internationale (Montreal)

:*Canadian International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Midwest Wrestling Federation

:*MWWF Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

NWA All-Star Wrestling

:*NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (''Vancouver version'') (2 times) - with Dr. Jerry Graham (1) and Armand Hussein (1) :*NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Vancouver version)'' (1 time) - with Dr. Jerry Graham

NWA Detroit

:*NWA United States Heavyweight Championship ''(Detroit version)'' (1 time) :*NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Detroit version)'' (1 time) - with Killer Tim Brooks

NWA New Zealand

:*NWA New Zealand British Commonwealth Championship (1 time)

NWA Southwest

:*NWA Texas Hardcore Championship (1 time)

National Wrestling Federation

:*NWF Heavyweight Championship (2 times) :*NWF International Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

:*PWI ranked him # 54 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003

Stampede Wrestling

:*NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship ''(Calgary version)'' (1 time) :*Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship (6 times)

Tokyo Pro Wrestling

:*TPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Benkei

World Class Wrestling Association

:*WCWA Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)

World Wrestling Council

:*WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (2 times) :*WWC Hardcore Championship (1 time) :*WWC North American Heavyweight Championship (2 times) :*WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship (3 times) :*WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship (3 times) :*WWC World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

:*Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

World Wrestling Entertainment

*WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2011)

In popular culture

He is a superstar in Japan, where he appeared in some TV commercials.

* Suntory/Daikin Industries/Denon/Sapporo Ichiban

He starred with Hiroyuki Sanada in the kung fu action film ''Roaring Fire''.

Frequently, characters in Japanese anime or manga will be designed to resemble him, often with his signature scars. Examples include "Abdullah" from ''Kinnikuman'' and Mr. Heart from ''Fist of the North Star''.

The character of Butcher in ''Tiger Mask'' 2 is inspired by him.

He also appeared in the Acclaim video game ''Legends of Wrestling II'' and it's sequel ''Showdown: Legends of Wrestling'' as well as Spike's ''King of Colosseum''.

He appears in the 1997 Nintendo 64 game WCW vs. nWo: World Tour, renamed as ''Saladin.''

The character and final boss, Grand Kong, from the Genesis game Wrestle War, is based on him.

References

External links

WWE Hall of Fame Profile

Public Broadcasting Atlanta News article on Shreve (includes video)

Abdullah the Butcher BIO from SLAM! Wrestling

TRIBUTE PAGES for Abdullah The Butcher

Abdullah The Butcher Movie website

Category:1941 births Category:Canadian male professional wrestlers Category:Canadian expatriate professional wrestling people in the United States Category:Living people Category:People from Windsor, Ontario Category:Wrestling people from Ontario Category:WWE Hall of Fame

de:Abdullah the Butcher fr:Abdullah the Butcher it:Lawrence Shreve nl:Abdullah the Butcher ja:アブドーラ・ザ・ブッチャー pt:Abdullah the Butcher ru:Абдулла Мясник