In September 1995, World Championship Wrestling launched their new flagship television programme Nitro, in direct competition with the WWF’s Monday Night RAW. Eric Bischoff – in his role as President and play-by-play commentator – aggressively went after the WWF. For the first year and a half of Nitro, he repeatedly took potshots at his competition, even going so far as […]
Born: July 2, 1957 (Bret Sergeant Hart) | Birthplace: Calgary, Alberta, CanadaBilled Weight: 234 lbs Bret Hart was the eighth child of Stu and Helen in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He became an amateur wrestler in high school and won a number of tournaments, including the 1974 city championship in Calgary. Bret became collegiate champion at Mount Royal College in 1977, and […]
Born: June 22, 1963 (John Anthony Tenta Jnr.) | Birthplace: Surrey, British Columbia, CanadaDied: June 7, 2006 (Bladder Cancer)Billed Hometown: Multiple | Billed Weight: 468 lbsOther Aliases: Earthquake Evans, Canadian Earthquake, Avalanche, The Shark, GolgaSumo Names: Kototenta, Kototenzan Born in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, John Tenta pursued amateur wrestling at a young age, and was good enough to receive a scholarship to […]
Born: June 16, 1959 (James (Jim) Brian Hellwig) | Birthplace: Crawfordsville, IndianaDied: April 8, 2014 (Heart Attack)Billed Hometown: Parts Unknown | Billed Weight: 280 lbsOther Aliases: Jim Justice, Blade Runner Rock, Dingo Warrior, Warrior James (Jim) Hellwig was a bodybuilder who became enlisted into a troupe of bodybuilder/wrestlers called Powerteam USA. The small group included – among others – another future […]
Born: May 7, 1965 | Birthplace: Calgary, Alberta, CanadaDied: May 23, 1999 (Blunt Force Trauma)Billed Weight: 227 lbsOther Aliases: “Cowboy” Owen Hart, Blue Angel, Blue Blazer, The Rocket, The King of Harts Owen was the youngest of twelve children to Stu and Helen Hart. He was an amateur wrestler in high school, where he also met his future wife, Martha. Naturally, […]
Born: November 15, 1952 (Randy Mario Poffo) | Birthplace: Columbus, OhioDied: May 20, 2011 (Heart Disease)Billed Hometown: Sarasota, FL | Billed Weight: 250 lbsNicknames: The Macho Man, The Macho KingOther Aliases: The Spider Randy Poffo was a second generation star, whose father was Angelo Poffo, who competed in the 1950’s and 1960’s. He first broke into professional wrestling in 1973, […]
Born: May 30, 1955 (Aurelian Jake Smith Jnr.) | Birthplace: Gainesville, TexasBilled Hometown: Stone Mountain, Georgia | Billed Weight: 249 lbs Jake Roberts was a second generation wrestler, his father being Aurelian “Grizzly” Smith Sr, who mostly worked in the southern United States, and later became a booker and promoter for Bill Watts’ Mid-South Wrestling, and then as a road […]
Born: August 11, 1953 (Terry Gene Bollea) | Birthplace: Augusta, GeorgiaBilled Hometown: Venice Beach, CA | Billed Weight: 302 lbsOther Aliases: Super Destroyer, Sterling Golden, Terry Boulder, Hollywood Hogan Related Article: New World Order Profile Terry Gene Bollea was born on August 11, 1953 in Augusta, Georgia. The family moved when he was an infant to Florida, where at sixteen […]
Born: July 25, 1881 (Alfred Albert Joe de Re la Gardiur) | Birthplace: Diekirch, LuxembourgDied: January 31, 1941 (Cancer) Before naming himself professional wrestler Dutch Mantell, he was born Alfred Albert Joe de Re la Gardiur to a French father and a Belgian mother in Diekirch, Luxembourg. From an early age, Alfred wished to go to the United States after being regaled […]
Born: October 6, 1935 (Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino) | Birthplace: Pizzoferrato, Abruzzi, ItalyDied: April 18, 2018 (Multiple Organ Failure)Billed Hometown: Abruzzi, Italy / Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Billed Weight: 265 lbs Bruno Sammartino was born in 1935, in the small village of Pizzoferrato, Abruzzi, Italy. The youngest of seven children, only he, a brother and a sister were still alive when World […]
