Brian Leslie Blair (born January 12, 1957) is a local politician in Florida, who gained fame as a professional wrestler especially as a part of the Killer Bees.

Career[link]

As a child, Blair wanted to be Superman and even prayed that he might somehow become a superhero. Blair moved out of his house at age 16 and held several odd jobs to pay his share of the rent. Blair loved professional wrestling and wrestled and played football in high school so he could be tough enough to do it when he graduated. Blair attended the University of Louisville on a football scholarship where he majored in both business and political science.^[3]

Professional wrestling[link]

In 1977, he started training to be a wrestler with the legendary Hiro Matsuda in Florida. Blair debuted in late 1977 with Eddie Graham’s Florida Championship Wrestling where he usually worked as a "face" (good guy). Blair made his professional debut in a tag-team facing Pat Patterson and Ivan Koloff in a losing effort.One of Blair’s early opponents was another Matsuda student who had just begun working as "The Super Destroyer" (Hulk Hogan).

After Florida Blair moved on to Bob Geigel’s NWA Central States promotion out of Kansas City around 1978 where he’d finally start to make a name of himself as he feuded with Jesse Ventura in 1979.^[3] He also appeared regularly for Leroy McGuirk’s Tri-State promotion, here he met and married Leroy McGuirk's daughter Michelle, aka Mike McGuirk in 1980. The marriage did not last long and ended on a bad note when Blair found out that Mike was having an affair with wrestler Doug Somers while they were estranged. He was even shot at by Leroy when he tried to talk to Mike before leaving town.^[3] While in the “Tri-State" promotion Blair won the Junior Heavyweight Title from Ron Starr but only held it for about a week before losing it back to Starr.^[4] The one week reign was Blair’s first professional wrestling title reign.

After leaving the Tri-State promotion Blair joined up with Fritz Von Erich’s World Class Championship Wrestling promotion in Texas. In WCCW quickly gained victories over Killer Tim Brooks and former WWWF World Champion Stan Stasiak.^[3] During his time in Texas he was asked by Al Madril to be his partner in a tournament to crown new American tag-team Champions. Madril and Blair were successful^[4] kicking off a three month run with the title. Their run with the gold was cut short by Killer Tim Brooks & Armand Hussein in September, 1981^[4]

World Wrestling Federation[link]

At this point in time Blair was given a golden opportunity as he was booked by Vincent J. McMahon to wrestle for the World Wrestling Federation most notably on their tours of Japan through New Japan Pro Wrestling where Blair faced Japanese icons Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami. After gaining experience in all over the world Blair returned to his roots, Florida Championship Wrestling. On July 11, 1982 Blair beat Jimmy Garvin for the NWA Florida Championship^[4] and defended it successfully against such legends such as Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody. After a wild match against Brody in August the title was held up^[4] and Blair soon left the promotion.

In 1983 Blair joined the WWF once again as they began to expand to a national promotion. During his first stint with the WWF his self-proclaimed highlight was a match with Paul Orndorff in St. Louis.^[5] After the short run with the WWF Blair moved on to Georgia Championship Wrestling as well as a return to Florida Championship Wrestling. In Florida Blair picked up another Florida Title^[4] run as well as unseating "Ravishing" Rick Rude as the Florida Southern Champion.^[4]

When Blair signed with the WWF for a third time he was not just used as “enhancement talent" any more, instead he was teamed up with Jim Brunzell to form The Killer Bees. The teaming of Blair and Brunzell was suggested by Hulk Hogan.^[6] The team had a special gimmick referred to as "Masked Confusion" where both wrestlers pulled out identical masks during the match to confuse their opponents and usually win their matches that way. The “Masked Confusion" idea was given to Blair by Billy Red Lyons who had used it in Maple Leaf Wrestling. They constantly challenged for the WWF World Tag Team Title but never did win it, although the fans were thoroughly behind them. Their biggest feud in the WWF was against The Hart Foundation, Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart who they wrestled somewhere between “300 and 600" times according to Blair himself.^[6] The Bees also had a running feud with the Funks (Hoss, Terry and Jimmy Jack). They faced Hoss and Jimmy Jack Funk in front of 70.000 people at The Big Event in Toronto^[7] (A card headlined by Hulk Hogan Vs Paul Orndorff). In the fall of 1988 Brian Blair left the WWF, he was unhappy that the team had been promised the WWF tag team title three times but never won them.^[8]

Independent circuit[link]

After leaving the WWF Blair then returned to the independent wrestling scene taking bookings all over the United States without being a regular for any one promotion. In the summer of 1990 Blair was present when Brutus Beefcake had a near fatal para-sailing accident, in fact Blair was the person to pull Brutus out of the water after being struck in the face by the knees of a novice parasailer.^[3]

Blair was one of the first “names" to work regularly for Herb Abrams Universal Wrestling Federation when it opened its doors in late 1990 quickly becoming a regular on the federations "Fury Hour" shows. In the UWF Blair reunited with Jim Brunzell but due to the WWF holding the trademark to the name “The Killer Bees" they were billed as "Masked Confusion". They competed on the UWF’s first (and only) PPV Beach Brawl where they beat the Power Twins. The team were also the only UWF Tag Team champions. They won the title at UWF’s last big show known as Blackjack Brawl where they beat the “New Powers of Pain" (The Warlord & Power Warrior (Not Kensuke Sasaki, but either Larry Powers or David Powers, identical twins who formed a tag team known as the Power Twins on the independent wrestling circuit.).^[4]

After the UWF folded Blair continued to compete on the independent circuit, especially around his home state of Florida. In 1998 Blair won the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship with Steve Keirn^[4] holding the title from November 13, 1998 to August 15, 2000 where the title was vacated following a match with the Bushwhackers. Blair and Keirn faced off in a singles match to determine who got to pick a new partner; Blair won and picked local star Cyborg The Wrestler(Kevin Donofrio) as his partner.^[4] The two held the tag team titles until July 10, 2001 where they were forced to forfeit the title due to injuries.^[4]

Personal life[link]

Blair is now married to Toni Lloyd and they have two sons, Brett and Bradley, Brett is named after Bret Hart. Brian Blair owns and manages four Gold's Gym fitness centers in the Tampa Bay area with fellow wrestler, Steve Keirn.^[7]

Brian Blair's first attempt for a seat in the County Commission was against Pat Frank but lost in the 2002 race by a narrow margin.^[9] In 2004, Blair ran again and was elected County Commissioner, District 6 (countywide) for Hillsborough County defeating former City Councilman Bob Buckhorn. The race was one the closest county commission races in the history of Hillsborough County with Blair winning with 216,430 votes to Buckhorn’s 214,062 votes. In 2008 Blair ran for re-election winning the Republican primary against Don Kruse on August 26, 2008, then lost to Hillsborough County's first openly gay candidate Kevin Beckner in the November 4, 2008 General election.^[10]

He is also a Christian and is active in his church, Idlewild Baptist Church.^[3]

In wrestling[link]

• Finishing moves
  • Sleeper hold^[1]

• Signature moves
  • Boston crab^[1]

• Managers
  • Lou Albano
  • Honey
  • Mr. T

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Cauliflower Alley Club
  • Other honoree (2002)
• Championship Wrestling from Florida
  • NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Steve Keirn (1) and Cyborg (1)
  • NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (1 time)
• NWA Big Time Wrestling
  • NWA American Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Al Madril
• National Wrestling Alliance
  • Central States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Bulldog Bob Brown
• National Wrestling Alliance
  • World Junior Heavyweight Champion (1 time)
• NWA Tri-State
  • NWA Tri-State Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• National Wrestling League
  • NWL Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Paul Orndorff
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him # 357 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003.
• Universal Wrestling Federation
  • UWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jim Brunzell
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Most Underrated Wrestler (1984)

Books[link]

• Listed in Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams by Greg Oliver
• In 2000, Blair wrote Smarten Up! Say It Right (ISBN 0-9707490-0-7), an insider's view of professional wrestling.

References[link]

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

• B. Brian Blair's wrestling related website
• Brian Blair's personal and political related website

Paul Orndorff
Orndorff in March 2009
Ring name(s)	Paul Orndorff[1] "Mr. Wonderful"[2] The Brandon Bull[2]
Billed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Billed weight	253 lb (115 kg; 18.1 st)
Born	(1949-10-29) October 29, 1949 (age 62)[2] Brandon, Florida[1]
Resides	Fayetteville, Georgia[3]
Billed from	Tampa, Florida
Trained by	Bob Backlund[2] Jack Brisco[2] Eddie Graham[2] Hiro Matsuda[2]
Debut	1976[2]
Retired	1995

Paul Parlette Orndorff, Jr. (born October 29, 1949)^[4] is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling as "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff. After retiring, Orndorff worked as a wrestling trainer.

Football[link]

After earning notoriety as a running back at the University of Tampa where he scored 21 career touchdowns and gained over 2000 all-purpose yards in his playing career,^[5] Orndorff was a 12th round selection (289th overall pick) in the 1973 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints but failed to pass the physical for the NFL with both the Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs. He was a teammate of the #1 pick notorious bad boy John Matuszak. However, he did play for the Jacksonville Sharks of the World Football League in 1975.^[6] After one season in the WFL, he began training as a professional wrestler.

Professional wrestling career[link]

Starting out[link]

Orndorff in 2010.

Paul Orndorff started wrestling in 1976 in Mid-Southern Wrestling where he feuded with a young Jerry Lawler. Orndorff won his first wrestling title when he pinned Lawler for the Mid-Southern Heavyweight Title on June 7, 1977.^[7] Orndorff lost the title back to Lawler before he left the Memphis territory. Orndorff began working for the NWA Tri-State promotion where he got involved in a feud with Ernie Ladd. The feud with Ladd saw Orndorff win the NWA Tri-State North American Heavyweight Title^[7] from Ernie Ladd on two occasions (on May 29, 1978^[7] and again in June). Both times, Orndorff’s reigns were short and were ended by Ladd.^[7]

After feuding with Ladd, Orndorff continued to make a name for himself in the National Wrestling Alliance where he feuded with The Masked Superstar. During this time he became known as “The Brandon Bull," a nickname he had during his days as a football player. In December 1978, Paul Orndorff teamed with Jimmy Snuka to capture the NWA World Tag Team titles from Baron Von Raschke and Greg Valentine.^[7] The duo held on to the titles for five months before losing them to Baron Von Raschke and his new partner Paul Jones on April 28, 1978.^[7]

In 1979, Orndorff traveled to the Alabama territory's “Southeast Championship Wrestling." There, Orndorff worked mainly as a tag team competitor teaming with Dick Slater to win the NWA Southeast Tag Team Championship from the team of Jimmy Golden and Norvell Austin in October 1979.^[7] Their reign only lasted about a month before being upended by the combination of Dennis Condrey and David Schults.^[7] Orndorff then teamed with former opponent Norvell Austin (who was calling himself “The Junkyard Dog" at the time, not to be mistaken for the more famous Junkyard Dog) to win the titles in late 1979.^[7] The duo beat Dennis Condrey and Randy Rose, the same team that ended Orndorff and Austin’s run with the gold.^[7] Norvell Austin, Dennis Condrey, and Randy Rose would go on to form The Midnight Express shortly thereafter.

During 1980, Orndorff started to split his time between the Alabama and the Mid-South territories, until he left the Alabama territory by the end of 1980 to focus entirely on the Mid-South territory. In Mid-South, Orndorff feuded with Ken Mantell over Mantell’s propensity for cutting people’s hair after a match. Orndorff got the better of Mantell and won the rights to use the Freebird hair removal cream on Mantell. Orndorff earned a shot at the North American champion The Grappler but on the day of the match he overslept (storyline) and was incensed when his replacement Jake “The Snake" Roberts beat the Grappler for the title.^[7] Orndorff’s reaction to Jake’s title win signaled a change in attitude; he turned heel as he demanded a title match against Jake “the Snake". While he lost the support of the fans, he won the North American title on July 4, 1981.^[7][8] Orndorff feuded with Ted DiBiase, JYD, Dusty Rhodes, and Dick Murdoch while holding on to the North American title. Orndorff lost the title to Ted DiBiase on November 1, 1981 in a match at the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans, Louisiana. Orndorff was unable to wrestle in the rematch due to car trouble, which meant that Orndorff’s friend Bob Roop got the title shot and won the match.^[7] It was soon revealed that Roop had sabotaged Orndorff’s car so he could get the title shot instead (storyline). Orndorff turned face to feud with Roop but found himself unable to regain the title^[9] after which he left the Mid-South Territory.

Orndorff reappeared in Georgia Championship Wrestling in early 1982 immediately launching into a feud with Buzz Sawyer over the NWA National Heavyweight Championship. Orndorff won the gold on June 20, 1982.^[7] During the summer, Orndorff would vacate the title so he could focus on pursuing the NWA World Champion "Nature Boy" Ric Flair.^[7] Orndorff was unsuccessful in his challenge and soon focused on the title he gave up. When Orndorff vacated the title, it was put on the line in a tournament that was won by The Super Destroyer.^[10] On August 19, 1982, Paul Orndorff regained the title from the Super Destroyer.^[7] Orndorff next feuded with The Masked Superstar, with whom he traded the National Heavyweight title back and forth during the fall of 1982.^[7] Orndorff then traded the title back and forth with Super Destroyer.^[7] Frustrated with his inability to beat Paul Orndorff for the National title, Larry Zbyszko paid Killer Tim Brooks $25,000 to do his dirty work. Brooks beat Orndorff with the help of a chair and won the title only to turn around and give it to Zbyszko. The fact that Zybszko bought the title and did not win it forced NWA President Bob Geigel to step in and strip Zbyszko of the title.^[7]

Orndorff then moved to New Japan Pro Wrestling for several months. He made two tours of Japan, the first in April. He wrestled Kengo Kimura, Riki Chōshū, and Akira Maeda, as well as teaming up with Ed Leslie against Antonio Inoki and Seiji Sakaguchi. Orndorff returned in October and partnered with Big John Studd against Maeda and Sakaguchi, then faced Maeda again in singles competition.

World Wrestling Federation[link]

Orndorff in 2010.

Orndorff signed with the World Wrestling Federation in late 1983 and made his debut in November of that year on Championship Wrestling. Starting in January 1984, Orndorff took on "Rowdy" Roddy Piper as his manager.^[11] Piper nicknamed Paul Orndorff “Mr. Wonderful," a nickname that he has used ever since. Orndorff made his WWF debut against Salvatore Bellomo on the night that Hulk Hogan defeated The Iron Sheik for the WWF World Heavyweight Title and "Hulkamania was born", January 23, 1984 in Madison Square Garden.^[11] Orndorff became one of the first people to challenge for the world title, shooting straight to the main event less than a month after his debut.^[12] Hogan disposed of the challenger and moved on while Orndorff fought a variety of opponents including the Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana.^[12] When Piper assaulted Jimmy Snuka on the set of Piper's Pit, Orndorff (as well as Bob Orton, Jr.) assisted the Rowdy One in his fights. Orndorff and Piper often faced Snuka and "The Tonga Kid" in tag team competition.^[12]

Near the end of 1984, Roddy Piper’s assault on Cyndi Lauper (kayfabe) brought Orndorff and Piper on a collision course with Hulk Hogan and Mr. T.^[11] Hogan’s feud with Piper also meant that Orndorff was thrust back into the main event picture; he defeated Tony Atlas at The War to Settle the Score and then played a part in the main event.^[11] The fallout from The War to Settle the Score led to the creation of WrestleMania, with Hogan and Mr. T (backed by Jimmy Snuka) taking on "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff in the main event. Orton's interference at the end of the match backfired when he accidentally hit Orndorff with the cast on his arm, allowing Hogan to pin Orndorff and win the match for his team.^[13] Blaming Orndorff for the loss, Piper and Orton attacked him on the first episode of Saturday Night's Main Event. Later in the evening, Orndorff ran to the ring to even the sides when Piper and Orton were preparing to double team Hulk Hogan.^[14] He solidified his babyface status by publicly firing manager Bobby Heenan shortly afterwards.^[11]

Orndorff and Hogan started teaming up to feud with Piper and Orton, facing them in tag team competition all over the country.^[15] Orndorff’s feud with Piper and Orton continued to rage on while Hogan started to defend his title against other contenders; Orndorff faced both Orton^[15] and Piper^[15] in individual competition, usually without a conclusive outcome. After Orndorff fired Bobby Heenan as his manager, Heenan placed a $25,000 bounty on Orndorff, payable to anyone who could injure him.^[15] When no one succeeded, Heenan upped the bounty to $50,000.^[11] One of the first men to try and claim the new, higher bonus was Roddy Piper himself, but their matches got so out of hand that Bruno Sammartino was appointed as a special referee in the hopes of keeping peace. Instead of keeping peace, Sammartino became a target for Orton and Piper,^[15] which led to Orndorff and Sammartino teaming up. Orndorff teamed with a variety of opponents in his fights with Piper and Orton, including André the Giant.^[11] In February 1986, Bobby Heenan used a match between Hulk Hogan and Don Muraco as an opportunity to have King Kong Bundy attack Hogan, setting up their WrestleMania 2 match. While Hogan fought off Bundy, Orndorff battled Don Muraco in a match that ended in a double count out.^[16]

Orndorff’s frustrations were further fueled by Adrian Adonis, who took every opportunity that he could to mock Orndorff (including referring to him as "Hulk Jr."), saying that he had gone soft from teaming with Hogan. Adonis kept on irritating Orndorff, going so far as daring Paul Orndorff to prove just how close his relationship with Hulk Hogan really was. During a televised phone call to Hulk Hogan, Orndorff was told that Hogan was too busy training to come to the phone, something which aggravated Orndorff to no end.^[11] The next time that Hogan and Orndorff teamed up, against the Moondogs, Orndorff wrestled most of the match by himself in an attempt to upstage Hogan, scoring the winning pin.^[17] The next week, during a tag match where Hogan and Orndorff faced the massive duo of Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy, Hogan and Orndorff accidentally collided and Hogan knocked Orndorff off the apron. When Studd and Bundy started to double team Hogan, Orndorff did not help out; he looked like he had hurt his eye in the collision. It was not until Studd and Bundy had Hogan in a compromised position that Orndorff reentered the ring to fend off Studd and Bundy. Orndorff then helped Hogan to his feet and raised his hand in the air and gave Hogan a clothesline followed by a piledriver.^[17]

Orndorff soon reunited with manager Bobby Heenan and once again feuded with Hulk Hogan, including a memorable outdoor match in Toronto which drew an estimated 76,000 fans.^[11] After a series of matches with no clean outcome it was decided that Hogan and Orndorff would clash in a steel cage match on Saturday Night's Main Event. The cage match saw both Orndorff and Hogan climb over the top of the cage and touch the floor at the same time. After reviewing the footage it was decided that it was a draw and the match was restarted. Once the match restarted, Hogan easily exited the cage to win the match following a leg drop,^[18] ending their feud. Their half-year long feud is one of the most notable (and profitable) feuds in the history of pro wrestling.^[11]

During the Hogan feud, Orndorff seriously injured his right arm in a weightlifting accident. Because he was in the middle of his big money run with Hogan, he did not want to take the time off to have the surgery to properly treat it, opting instead to continue to wrestle.^[11] After the program with Hogan ended, Orndorff worked a reduced schedule for a few months before he was forced to take some time off because of the injury. While Orndorff was away from the WWF, Bobby Heenan brought in a new man "Ravishing" Rick Rude to take Orndorff’s place in the Heenan Family. Orndorff returned to the ring specifically to fire Bobby Heenan and to feud with Rick Rude.^[19] Orndorff took Oliver Humperdink as his manager in his fight with Rude and Heenan. Orndorff’s last “big" appearance was at the inaugural Survivor Series on November 26, 1987, where he teamed with Hulk Hogan, Bam Bam Bigelow, Ken Patera, and Don Muraco to take on Andre the Giant, the One Man Gang, King Kong Bundy, Rick Rude, and Butch Reed. Early in the match, Rude eliminated Orndorff with a roll-up.^[20]

Semi-retirement and return[link]

Paul Orndorff retired in early 1988 due to his arm injury and focused on running his bowling alley in Fayetteville. During his time away from the sport he was actually reported to have died; the story made several newspapers. The time off was because of the injury to his arm/neck that he suffered during the Hogan feud and left untreated for too long.^[11] With the time off, Orndorff recovered and started working out, reestablishing the physique that earned him the nickname “Mr. Wonderful" in the first place. The only difference was that his right arm was noticeably smaller and weakened due to a neck injury that caused nerve damage and eventually the atrophy of his right biceps.

In 1990 Orndorff returned to the squared circle, wrestling a series of matches against Kerry Von Erich on the independent circuit.^[11] By the spring of 1990 Orndorff signed with World Championship Wrestling, making his debut as a member of a group called the “Dudes with Attitudes" consisting of himself, Sting, Lex Luger, Junkyard Dog, and The Steiner Brothers. The Dudes backed Sting in his fight with the Four Horsemen. At Clash of the Champions XI Orndorff defeated Arn Anderson^[21] and at the 1990 Great American Bash, Orndorff teamed up with the Junkyard Dog and El Gigante to defeat Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, and Sid Vicious by disqualification.^[22] Orndorff remained with WCW until the fall of 1990.

UWF and the indies[link]

By late 1990, Orndorff became one of the featured headliners for Herb Abrams' fledgling Universal Wrestling Federation.^[11] Televised on several cable outlets, the UWF saw many former WWF stars such as Don Muraco, Bob Orton, Jr., "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, Lou Albano, and The Killer Bees (known as "Masked Confusion" in the UWF). Mr. Wonderful more or less immediately started feuding with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, who attacked Orndorff to kick start the feud. Orndorff and Williams clashed several times in what was promoted as the “Signature Feud" of the UWF in its early days. Orndorff would also reignite his feud with Bob Orton, Jr. in the UWF, where he beat Orton for the UWF Southern States Championship on June 22, 1992 and held the title until he left the promotion.^[7] On June 9, 1991, Orndorff competed on the UWF’s only PPV Beach Brawl, defeating Col. DeBeers in a Strap match.^[23] Orndorff left the UWF sometime in early 1993, vacating the Southern States title.^[7]

While working for the UWF, Orndorff would also compete in the American Wrestling Federation (not the same promotion as the AWF) and held the AWF Heavyweight title after beating Stan Lane on December 16, 1991. When Orndorff left the AWF in February 1992, he vacated the title.^[7] During this time Orndorff also competed in the National Wrestling League, holding its tag team titles alongside Brian Blair sometime in 1993.^[7]

Smoky Mountain Wrestling[link]

In 1992, Smoky Mountain Wrestling opened its doors for the first time as they announced a tournament to crown the first SMW Heavyweight Champion. Among the participants invited to compete were Buddy Landel, "Dirty White Boy" Tony Anthony, and Brian Lee. Orndorff was only listed as a "wild card" who had to win a match in order to enter the tournament. The "wild card" status was a blow to Orndoff’s ego (storyline), causing him to attack several wrestlers including Hector Guerrero, whom he defeated in a "wild card" match to earn a spot in the tournament. Afterwards, Orndorff laid out Guerrero and several preliminary wrestlers with his piledriver finisher. Orndoff beat Tim Horner^[24] and Robert Gibson^[24] in the preliminary rounds to advance to the finals of the tournament. In the finals, Brian Lee won the title when Orndorff was disqualified.^[7][24]

Siding with the "Dirty White Boy" Tony Anthony, Orndorff feuded with Hector Guerrero and Brian Lee. Lee brought in Ron Garvin to fight off Orndorff;^[25] the feud included a very publicized “piledriver" match which was won by Garvin.^[26] Orndorff was “fired" from the SMW after piledriving a referee in frustration.

World Championship Wrestling[link]

Orndorff returned to WCW in late 1992. In January 1993 he took on Cactus Jack, with the winner being manager Harley Race’s chosen replacement for an injured Rick Rude at the Clash of the Champions. Race assisted Orndorff in the match and was quickly joined by Vader in his attack on Cactus Jack. After the match, Race declared that Paul Orndorff was his chosen man.^[27] Orndorff was pinned by Cactus Jack in a subsequent Thunderdome match;^[28] the two had an intense feud including a Falls Count Anywhere match at SuperBrawl III, which Cactus Jack won.^[29]

After the feud with Cactus cooled off, "Mr. Wonderful" set his sights on the vacant WCW World Television Championship. Orndorff signed up for a 16 man tournament beating 2 Cold Scorpio, Cactus Jack, Johnny B. Badd, and then Erik Watts in the finals to win his first WCW title.^[7] Orndorff, the TV champion, and Rick Rude, the U.S. Champion, began teaming on a regular basis, including a PPV victory over Dustin Rhodes and Kensuke Sasaki at Slamboree.^[30] During this time Orndorff also turned back the challenges of Ron Simmons and Marcus Alexander Bagwell, amongst others, holding on to his Television title by any means necessary.^[31] Orndorff defeated Bagwell controversially, using the second rope for leverage during the pinfall. The two would later go on to feud for the WCW World Tag Team Titles. Orndorff's World TV Title reign also included a disqualification loss to Johnny B Badd, after Maxx Payne violently interfered. This led to a brief six man tag team alliance between Orndorff, Payne, and Chris Benoit. On August 18, 1993, Orndorff’s luck ran out as Ricky Steamboat won the title at Clash of the Champions XXIV.^[7][32] After unsuccessfully challenging Ricky Steamboat throughout the fall and winter of 1993, Orndorff moved into the tag team division.

Pretty Wonderful[link]

After the 1993 WCW PPV Battlebowl, the Horsemen Paul Roma and Arn Anderson faced the semi-regular team of Paul Orndorff and "Stunning" Steve Austin on WCW Saturday Night. During the match, Roma acted very indifferent to his tag team partner, sowing the seeds to his heel turn. Next, Roma teamed with Erik Watts to take on the team of Orndorff and Austin once again. This time, Roma took it a step further and attacked Erik Watts before announcing that he was now teaming with Paul Orndorff.

Under the tutelage of manager Masked Assassin, the team quickly began to work well together in a feud with Marcus Alexander Bagwell and 2 Cold Scorpio.^[33][34] In the following months, both Roma and Orndorff focused on their individual careers before reuniting around May. This time they wrestled without their manager and were officially known as “Pretty Wonderful". With both men rededicated to teaming, they soon challenged for the WCW World Tag Team Championship then held by Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan. One incident especially stands out that established Pretty Wonderful in the title chase. The champions had one last defense against former champions the Nasty Boys that also saw Kevin’s injured brother Dave. The match degraded into a brawl that saw Pretty Wonderful make an appearance using Dave’s crutch to attack the champions. Before the team left the ring, they also took a couple of shots at the Nasty Boys for good measure.

Going into Bash at the Beach,^[35] Pretty Wonderful had the advantage as both champions were suffering from injuries inflicted by the challengers on previous occasions (kayfabe). Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan were unable to hold off Roma and Orndorff, as Pretty Wonderful left the ring with the gold.^[7][36] Pretty Wonderful was immediately challenged by the Nasty Boys after winning the title, but the Nasty Boys were never able to take the gold from the champions. Next, Pretty Wonderful was challenged by the duo of Stars 'n' Stripes (Marcus Alexander Bagwell & The Patriot) at Fall Brawl. The champions retained,^[37] but a week later the championship changed hands when Stars 'n' Stripes got the victory.^[7] Pretty Wonderful was granted a rematch against the new champions with a match booked for Halloween Havoc; Pretty Wonderful regained the titles when Roma used one of the title belts to knock Bagwell out cold.^[7]

At Clash of the Champions XXIX Stars 'n' Stripes were granted a final shot at the tag team title, but the challengers also had to put up the Patriot’s mask on the line. After a controversial double pin finish, Stars 'n' Stripes were declared the winners and thus the champions,^[38] putting the end to Pretty Wonderful’s second and final run with the gold.^[7]

After Roma left WCW, Orndorff returned to singles competition with his most notable match at the time being an unsuccessful shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship when he faced champion the Great Muta at Slamboree.^[39] In May, Orndorff got a golden opportunity to regain the WCW Television title. He defeated Brian Pillman in a tournament to earn the shot at the champion.^[40] He lost to WCW newcomer The Renegade at Bash at the Beach.^[41] Orndorff was also unable to beat the rookie in subsequent matches and began to lose confidence in his abilities (storyline). After losing more and more matches, including a match on WCW Worldwide to Randy Savage, Orndorff lost all faith in his abilities; the outwardly arrogant Mr. Wonderful was riddled with self doubt, until one night, after beating himself up backstage after yet another loss, he was visited by psychic Gary Spivey. Spivey convinced Orndorff to believe in himself and that he shouldn’t forget that he was “Mr. Wonderful".^[42] Orndorff became more arrogant than ever before and began carrying around a mirror everywhere he went.

On the December 11, 1995 episode of Monday Nitro, Orndorff confronted Brian Pillman after Pillman made derogatory comments about Orndorff. After telling Flair and Anderson how much he respected them, Orndorff told Pillman that he could have been a Horseman and the only reason Pillman was a Horseman was because he turned it down. Anderson and Flair tried to calm Orndorff down but Orndorff lost his temper and attacked Pillman. Pillman, Flair, and Anderson attacked Orndorff and then Arn Anderson and Ric Flair delivered a spike piledriver to Orndorff on the arena floor during the attack. WCW later explained that Orndorff had been seriously hurt in the attack and that his career was over. In actuality, Orndorff was forced to retire due to his previous injuries in the WWF, with the entire right side of his body beginning to atrophy (eventually causing his arm and leg muscles to shrink). It was something he had worked through as best he could but by the end of 1995 he was forced to retire and started to work as a trainer and a road agent for WCW.^[11] At Fall Brawl 2000, in a match between The Filthy Animals and The Natural Born Thrillers, Orndorff suffered a neck injury after delivering a piledriver. The referee, Charles Robinson stopped the match as a result.

Retirement[link]

After Orndorff retired he began to run WCW Power Plant, where he trained several wrestlers including the Natural Born Thrillers.^[43] He had a brief onscreen role during this time in the Old Age Outlaws with Terry Funk, Arn Anderson, and Larry Zbyszko to feud with the last WCW version of the nWo.

On February 3, 2005, Orndorff was announced as one of the inductees for the Class of 2005 into the WWE Hall of Fame. He was inducted on April 2 at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, California by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.^[44]

Personal life[link]

Orndorff currently resides in Fayetteville, Georgia. He married his high school girlfriend Ronda Maxwell Orndorff. The couple have two grown sons, Paul Orndorff III and Travis Orndorff, as well as eight grandchildren.

On January 5, 2011, Paul Orndorff appeared on the Busted Open radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio and revealed that he had recently been diagnosed with cancer.^[45] On August 10, 2011, Orndorff announced that he was now cancer free.^[46]

In wrestling[link]

• Finishing moves
  • Spike piledriver^[1][2]

• Signature moves
  • Armbar^[2]
  • Diving knee drop
  • Elbow drop
  • Forearm strike,^[2] often followed by a clothesline^[2]
  • German suplex
  • Running high knee strike
  • Sleeper hold

• Managers
  • Roddy Piper
  • Bobby Heenan
  • Oliver Humperdink^[47]
  • Masked Assassin
  • Daryl Van Horne

Championships and accomplishments[link]

College football[link]

• University of Tampa
  • Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1986)

Professional wrestling[link]

• American Wrestling Federation
  • AWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[7]
• Georgia Championship Wrestling
  • NWA National Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
• Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (1 time) - with Jimmy Snuka
• National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)^[48]
• National Wrestling League
  • NWL Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Brian Blair
• NWA Mid-America / Continental Wrestling Association
  • AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Memphis version) (1 time)
• NWA Tri-State / Mid-South Wrestling Association
  • Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Tri-State version) (2 times)
• Peach State Wrestling
  • PSW Cordele City Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[7]
• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  • (Class of 2009)
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Feud of the Year (1986) vs. Hulk Hogan
  • PWI Match of the Year (1985) with Roddy Piper vs. Hulk Hogan and Mr. T at WrestleMania
  • PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1986)
  • PWI ranked him # 38 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1993.
  • PWI ranked him # 49 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003^[49]
• Southeastern Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Dick Slater (1) and Norvell Austin (1)
• Universal Wrestling Federation
  • UWF Southern States Championship (1 time)
• World Championship Wrestling
  • WCW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Paul Roma
  • WCW World Television Championship (1 time)
• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Feud of the Year (1986) vs. Hulk Hogan

References[link]

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Paul Orndorff

• Paul Orndorff at Accelerator3359.com
• Kayfabememories: Paul Orndorff
• WWE Hall of Fame Profile
• Paul Orndorff at the Internet Movie Database

The Iron Sheik
Ring name(s)	Ali Vasari[1] Col. Mustafa[1] Great Hossein Arab[1] The Iron Sheik[2]
Billed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2][1]
Billed weight	258 lb (117 kg)[1]
Born	(1943-03-15) March 15, 1943 (age 69)[1] Tehran, Iran[2][3]
Resides	Fayetteville, Georgia, USA[4]
Billed from	Tehran, Iran
Trained by	Verne Gagne[2] Billy Robinson
Debut	1972[1]

Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri (Persian:حسین خسرو علی وزیری) (born March 15, 1943)^[1] is a semi-retired Iranian professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name The Iron Sheik. He is known for ending the near six-year World Wrestling Federation Championship reign of Bob Backlund, and for being the man Hulk Hogan defeated for his first WWF Championship.

A heel throughout the 1980s, he later gained popularity on Opie and Anthony, Kidd Chris, The Howard Stern Show, and on the internet due to his shoot interviews and outbursts on the wrestling industry and the hatred he expressed for various wrestlers.

Early life and amateur wrestling[link]

Khosrow was born in Tehran, Iran. He made a name for himself as an amateur wrestler, and also worked as a bodyguard for Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his family for several years.^[3]

Khosrow competed to become part of the Iranian Olympic Greco Roman team for the 1968 Summer Olympics held in Mexico.^[3]

After this, he moved to the United States and became the assistant coach of two US Olympic squads in the 1970s. In 1971, he was the Amateur Athletic Union Greco-Roman wrestling champion at 183.5 pounds.^[5] He was assistant coach to the USA team for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

Pro wrestling career[link]

Beginnings (1972–1983)[link]

In 1972, Khosrow was invited into becoming a professional wrestler by promoter Verne Gagne. Khosrow trained at Gagne's wrestling camp under trainer Billy Robinson (in the same class as Ric Flair) and then wrestled for Gagne's American Wrestling Association. He also worked as a trainer, teaching Ricky Steamboat, Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell.^[6]

Khosrow first wrestled as a face in preliminary matches before a promoter suggested that he adopt a heel gimmick similar to that of the notorious Sheik.^[6]

Khosrow obliged and adopted what came to be his signature look: he shaved his head bald, grew a traditional "buffo" style mustache, added wrestling boots with the toe curled up (a nod to his ethnic background which, according to Khosrow, was an idea from Jimmy Snuka^{[citation needed]}). He also introduced the Persian clubs, a sport in his native Iran, and challenged wrestlers to do as many swings as him.^[7] His Iranian gimmick received attention due the events of the Iranian revolution.^[6]

Taking the name The Great Hossein Arab, he won his first title, the Canadian Tag Team Championship, with partner the Texas Outlaw.

He caught the eye of the WWF where he made his debut in 1979 and won the first-ever Battle Royal in Madison Square Garden, New York City. This earned him a title shot at then-champion Bob Backlund, who pinned him later that night in a 30-minute battle.^[8] He later feuded with Chief Jay Strongbow and Bruno Sammartino before leaving in 1980.^[9]

Khosrow would resurface as The Iron Sheik in the NWA territories. Playing on real-life political matters (notably the Iran hostage crisis) and the animosity Americans had for the country of Iran, he moved on to the Mid-South and Mid-Atlantic territories, capturing the Mid-Atlantic title from Jim Brunzell before moving to Georgia Championship Wrestling. There, he had notable matches with Dusty Rhodes, Dick Murdoch, and Tommy Rich, and traded the National TV title with Ron Garvin.^[10]

World Wrestling Federation (1983–1987, 1988)[link]

Sheik with Freddie Blassie and Nikolai Volkoff.

Khosrow would return to the WWF in 1983 as The Iron Sheik and challenged Backlund once again; he defeated him on December 26, 1983 at Madison Square Garden for the WWF World championship. Sheik had supposedly injured Backlund during a "Persian club challenge" prior to this title match.^[11]

During his brief title reign, The Iron Sheik wrestled against Backlund, Chief Jay Strongbow, Pat Patterson, and Tito Santana before dropping the belt just four weeks later to Hulk Hogan.^[12] He would then engage in a bitter feud with Sgt. Slaughter, to whom he would eventually lose a "Boot Camp Rules" match. As a tag team partner with Nikolai Volkoff, and under the management of "Classy" Freddie Blassie, the newly-dubbed "Foreign Legion" won the WWF World tag team title from the U.S. Express at the first WrestleMania.^[13] Part of the pair's regular entrance consisted of waving the Iranian and Russian flags, then demanding that the crowd be quiet and "show respect" while Volkoff sang a throaty version of the Soviet national anthem, a demand that was usually only attracted boos from the crowd. Sheik then usually grabbed the mic and said "Iran number 1, Russia number 1, USA (followed by a simulated spitting act). It was all designed to get major heat from the crowd. During his stint in the WWF, he appeared in the music video for Cyndi Lauper's "Goonies 'R' Good Enough" as a part of the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection.^[14]

In May 1987, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan (an on-screen rival) and Khosrow were pulled over by New Jersey police after a WWF event, suspecting Duggan of DUI. After a search of the vehicle and the persons, police discovered that Duggan was under the influence of marijuana while the Sheik was high on cocaine. Small amounts of cocaine were also found in the vehicle. Duggan received a conditional release while the Sheik was placed on probation for a year. The mini-scandal that erupted after two in-ring enemies were found drinking and doing drugs together led to the end of the angle, the Sheik's release, and Duggan's temporary departure from the WWF.^{[1][6][15][16][17]} In 1988, The Iron Sheik returned to the WWF but the return was short-lived.^[18]

Other national promotions (1987–1990)[link]

In 1987, the Iron Sheik competed in Dallas' World Class Championship Wrestling where he feuded with Matt Borne over the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship.^[19] He stayed with that organization for only a few months, followed by brief stints with the AWA, where he attacked Sgt. Slaughter during a match, and Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council. In addition to reigniting his feud with Slaughter and teaming with Col. Debeers, his main opponent during this time period was Tony Atlas, who he feuded with in both WCCW and WWC.^[20]

In 1989, he had a stint in the National Wrestling Alliance, where he feuded with Sting over the NWA World Television Championship. He left in 1990.^[21]

Return to the WWF (1991–1992)[link]

He returned to the WWF again in 1991, making his re-debut on Wrestling Challenge as Colonel Mustafa, and was aligned with former enemy Sgt. Slaughter. Along with Iraqi, General Adnan, Slaughter and Mustafa were portrayed as Iraqi sympathizers during the first Gulf War and feuded with Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior. Following Slaughter's face turn after SummerSlam 1991, he teamed with General Adnan until the middle of 1992, when he left the promotion again.^[22]

Return to the independent circuit (1993–1994)[link]

The Iron Sheik wrestled independently afterward, and went on a wrestling tour to Nigeria in 1994, promoted by Chris Adams and co-sponsored by Pepsi, and featuring former WWF stars Jimmy Snuka, Greg Valentine, Demolition Ax, and World Class wrestler/owner Kevin Von Erich.

The Sheik was the second champion of "Boston Bad Boy" Tony Rumble's Century Wrestling Alliance, originally winning the title from Tommy Dreamer in Burlington, Vermont on March 21, and dropping the championship to Vic Steamboat on October 23, 1993 in Wakefield, Massachusetts.

In 1994, the Sheik tried his hand at strong style professional wrestling in the UWFi in Japan. He lost by tap-out to Yoji Anjoh in about 5:30 (the in-ring action of the UWFi, though tailored to resemble an actual competitive bout, was in fact made up of predetermined outcomes).

Sporadic appearances (1996–present)[link]

In late 1996, the Sheik would team up with his old nemesis Bob Backlund to manage WWF wrestler The Sultan, who had a Middle Eastern gimmick, however he once again failed a drug test (he refers to this as a "medicine test" in various shoot videos) and was excluded from the federation.

On April 1, 2001, at WrestleMania X-Seven, the Iron Sheik was the victor of the Gimmick Battle Royal, a match between other popular or outlandish wrestlers from the 1980s and 1990s. Reportedly the Iron Sheik was chosen to be the winner because he was physically unable to take the "over the top rope" move that eliminated each competitor.^{[citation needed]} Rather than being booed for winning, the villainous Sheik was cheered as a fan favorite. He went on to wrestle in various independent promotions for several years afterwards and he still appears at independent events today.^[23]

In 2005, the Iron Sheik was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his old rival, Sgt. Slaughter.^[24] On the June 11, 2007 episode of Raw, he along with Jimmy Snuka appeared in a taped segment showing their appreciation of WWE owner Vince McMahon. On the June 18 episode of Raw, he approached McMahon's executive assistant Jonathan Coachman about having his own interview show on Raw. Coach replied saying, "I like the idea and I will really take some time to consider it."^[25] On August 13, he appeared on an episode of Raw held at Madison Square Garden for a WWE version of American Idol. Sheik came out with Nikolai Volkoff while Volkoff sang the Soviet anthem. The March 10, 2008 edition of Raw featured rematches from previous WrestleManias. Iron Sheik appeared with Nikolai Volkoff to face off against the U.S. Express in a rematch from the first WrestleMania. Before the bout could begin, they were interrupted by Jillian Hall, who came out to sing the Bruce Springsteen song "Born in the USA."

In 2004, his MWF Studio Shoot Interview DVD made him a star to a whole new generation of fans, talking about his hatred for Brian Blair, Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts and others. The interview led to his appearing on the Howard Stern Show and has been viewed by over one million people online.

On October 2, 2009, on the 10th anniversary of Smackdown, he appeared backstage arguing with Sgt. Slaughter, choking on a shrimp, then helped by Hurricane Helms.

He made an appearance on WWE Monday Night Raw on November 16, 2009 in the opening of the show, with Rowdy Roddy Piper and Luis Guzmán, going nuts on Hulk Hogan and proving his dominance with a LJN WWF action figure of himself and Hulk Hogan.

The Iron Sheik's final match took place at MWF Soul Survivor VI April 24, 2010 in Melrose, Massachusetts, teaming with TNA star "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal to defeat "Stalker" Dylan Kage (with Paul Bearer) by making Kage submit to the camel clutch. The Sheik remains active in the MWF as a manager.

On the November 15, 2010, edition of Raw, as part of the Old School theme, Iron Sheik appeared with Nikolai Volkoff, singing the Soviet national anthem before being interrupted by Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov, the latter of whom then sung a duet with Volkoff of the Russian National anthem. He then proceeded to rant on Hulk Hogan until his microphone was cut off.

He recently underwent an ankle operation to repair his damaged left ankle, which is one of the many injuries he has sustained over his long professional and amateur wrestling career. The operation lasted 9 hours. In an interview, Khosrow stated that, although he found a big improvement, he felt like he had another 50 percent to fully recover, and he is currently doing training therapy to improve his walking skills.

Acting career[link]

The Iron Sheik made his film debut in The Tale of the 3 Mohammads in 2005. He then appeared alongside Daniel Baldwin and Corey Feldman in Operation Belvis Bash in 2011. Sheik also made an appearance on the Canadian show Kenny vs. Spenny on the "Who is a better pro wrestler?" episode where the Iron Sheik attempted to sodomize a naked Spenny with a beer bottle. He also appeared in Maz Jobrani's 2009 stand-up comedy special Brown & Friendly, and in the Cyndi Lauper movie "Goonies" with other wrestlers.

Personal life[link]

Iron Sheik was a former soldier in the Iranian Army.^[26] He married Caryl Peterson in 1974. They have three grown daughters as well as three grandchildren together. Vaziri's eldest daughter, Marissa Jeanne Vaziri, was found strangled to death in her apartment on May 5, 2003, at the age of 27. Marissa's live-in boyfriend, Charles Warren Reynolds, 38, confessed to the crime and was charged with murder.^[27]

In wrestling[link]

• Finishing moves
  • Camel clutch^[2][1][3]
  • Iranian Drop (Two-handed chokeslam)

• Signature moves
  • Boston crab, sometimes while rocking the opponent back and forth^[1]
  • Multiple suplex variations^[1]
    • Belly to back
    • Belly to belly
    • Gutwrench
  • Short-arm clothesline

• Managers
  • The Grand Wizard
  • Freddie Blassie
  • Jimmy Hart^[28]
  • Slick
  • Daryl Van Horne
  • General Adnan

• Entrance themes
  • "Shieka" by Jim Johnston (WWF 1983-1987-1988)

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• All-California Championship Wrestling
  • ACCW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[29]

• Century Wrestling Alliance
  • CWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Georgia Championship Wrestling
  • NWA National Television Championship (1 time)

• International Association of Wrestling
  • IAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • IAW Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Brian Costello

• International Wrestling Association
  • IWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[29]

• Maple Leaf Wrestling
  • NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) (2 times)

• Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• NWA All-Star Wrestling
  • NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) (1 time) – with The Texas Outlaw

• National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2008)

• NWA New Zealand
  • NWA New Zealand British Commonwealth Championship (1 time)

• NWA 2000
  • NWA 2000 American Heritage Championship (1 time)

• Pacific Northwest Wrestling
  • NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bull Ramos

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #134 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
  • PWI ranked him #96 of the 100 best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with the Nikolai Volkoff in 2003

• World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWF Championship (1 time)
  • WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Nikolai Volkoff
  • WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Most Underrated Wrestler (1980)

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Flair, Ric & Greenberg, Keith Elliot. Ric Flair: To Be the Man. New York: Pocket Books, 2004.
• Meltzer, Dave. The Wrestling Observer's Who's Who in Pro Wrestling. Turlock: Pro Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 1986.
• Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 1980s, WWE Home Video, 2005.

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Iron Sheik

• Official website
• WWE Hall of Fame Profile of The Iron Sheik
• The Accelerator's Wrestling Rollercoaster – The Iron Sheik
• Interview with Iron Sheik – Pars Times
• Iron Sheik still in the game
• The Iron Sheik

Melissa Ann Hiatt^[1] (born October 16, 1963) is an American professional wrestling valet, better known by her ring name, Missy Hyatt. She gained the majority of her fame while working for World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling.

Career[link]

World Class and Universal Wrestling Federation[link]

Hyatt's professional wrestling career began in 1985 when she was hired by World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW).^[1] She was the manager of John Tatum, whom she was dating at the time. She was embroiled in a feud with another valet in WCCW, Sunshine. This rivalry culminated into a mud-pit match at Texas Stadium in 1986.^[1]

Eventually, Hyatt and Tatum left for the Universal Wrestling Federation. At this time, Eddie Gilbert was the leader of "Hot Stuff International," a group that included Sting and Rick Steiner. Hyatt formed an alliance with his group and it was renamed "H & H International, Inc".^[2] It was not long before Hyatt and Gilbert started an affair that caused problems with Tatum. Hyatt left Tatum for Gilbert in 1987, and they split up on screen as well. She married Gilbert in 1988.^[3]

World Wrestling Federation[link]

While still under UWF contract, Hyatt was contacted about working for the World Wrestling Federation.^[1] Vince McMahon wanted Hyatt to replace the recently departed Rowdy Roddy Piper and his segment, Piper's Pit, with a new segment called "Missy's Manor."^[4] "Missy's Manor" segments were taped on March 21 and 22, and April 23, 1987.^[5] The show was a disaster, and McMahon asked Hyatt to become a Federette, which were the ring girls shown at pay-per-views. She thought the role was beneath her, and she went back to the UWF.^[4]

World Championship Wrestling[link]

In 1987, when the UWF was purchased by the National Wrestling Alliance's Jim Crockett Promotions, Missy and Eddie came along. Missy was used as a commentator and then eventually as the manager for Gilbert and The Steiner Brothers.^[1] She eventually returned to her role as commentator and hosted WCW Main Event.,^[1] and soon was engaged in a feud with fellow commentator, Paul E. Dangerously. The feud led to various competitions between the two, including an arm wrestling match at the Clash of the Champions on January 30, 1991, in which Hyatt defeated Dangerously. A contributing factor to her victory might be because Hyatt had removed her jacket to reveal her low-cut top as the ref started the contest.^[6] Missy would engage in a battle over who the "First Lady of WCW" was with The Dangerous Alliance's Madusa, with Hyatt narrowly winning a Bikini Showdown at the 1992 Beach Blast pay-per-view event.

Hyatt returned to managing in 1993, with an association with The Nasty Boys. She also briefly managed The Barbarian.^[1] During a match, Hyatt jumped off the ring apron and her breast popped out of her top. When she went to the WCW offices the next day, they allegedly had a blown-up picture of it on the wall. Hyatt complained to her boss at the time, Eric Bischoff. Bischoff did not take action, so Hyatt went over his head, to his boss. As a result, Bischoff released her. Missy then decided to file a lawsuit against WCW for sexual harassment, and for overdue payments for her time doing a 1-900 hotline for the company.^[1]

Extreme Championship Wrestling[link]

In 1996, Hyatt joined ECW.^[1] She was part of a sexual harassment angle where she kissed Stevie Richards against his will, and he filed a lawsuit. She became the manager of the Sandman in his feud with Raven, and had many catfights with Sandman's wife, Lori.

On June 22, 1996 at ECW's Hardcore Heaven event, Paul Varelans faced and was choked out by ECW star Taz, in what was promoted as a "Shoot Fight." Despite being promoted as a legitimate shoot fight, it is believed that Varelans agreed to lose via submission.^[7] Missy Hyatt also claims in her book that Varelans agreed to lose if she gave him a blow job afterwards, but Hyatt blew him off and said that she doesn't blow "jobbers".^[8] After this, Varelans supposedly became irrational and tore up the locker room.^[9]

Independents[link]

When Hyatt left ECW, she still worked for various independent promotions. She has worked for Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU) at all of their events in New Jersey since April 2007. She often hosts her interview segment, Missy's Manor.

Wrestlers managed[link]

• "Hollywood" John Tatum
• "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert
• Sting
• The Steiner Brothers
• Tom Prichard
• The Nasty Boys
• The Sandman
• Lacey Von Erich
• Brimstone
• Angelo Vega
• Dawn Marie
• The Barbarian

Championships[link]

• !BANG!
  • !BANG! Women's Championship (2 times)^[10][11]
• AWF
  • AWF Heavyweight Champion (1 time)
• Women Superstars Uncensored
  • WSU Hall of Fame (2009)

Books[link]

• Autobiography: Missy Hyatt, First Lady of Wrestling, 2001, ISBN 1-55022-498-0.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• James Walsh (December 28, 2003). "Missy Hyatt interview". The Interactive Interview. http://www.owow.com/frameindex.htm?goto=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.owow.com%2FRingsidewith%2FMissy%2FInterview_12-28-2003.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-16. 

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

• 2009 Audio Interview with Missy Hyatt
• Missy Hyatt's official website
• Missy Hyatt's Myspace

Rick Rude
Rude at an ECW television taping in 1997
Ring name(s)	The Halloween Phantom[1] The Ravishing One Rick Rude[1] Ricky Rood Smooth Operator[1]
Billed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1]
Billed weight	251 lb (114 kg)[1]
Born	(1958-12-07)December 7, 1958[1] Robbinsdale, Minnesota
Died	April 20, 1999(1999-04-20) (aged 40)[1] Alpharetta, Georgia
Billed from	Robbinsdale, Minnesota[1]
Trained by	Eddie Sharkey[1][2][3]
Debut	1982[2]
Retired	May 1, 1994

Richard Erwin Rood^[1] (December 7, 1958 – April 20, 1999), better known by his ring name "Ravishing" Rick Rude, was an American professional wrestler who performed for many promotions, including World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), in the 1980s and 1990s.^[4]