Mid 20th Century
124-579: Christopher Adams (10 February 1955 – 7 October 2001), best known as " Gentleman " Chris Adams , was an English professional wrestler , promoter, coach, and judoka . He won the British National Judo Championship in his age and weight class three times by the time he was 21. Adams achieved his greatest success in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), where he rose to fame and reached
248-435: A bona fide athletic contest or competition. Professional wrestling is not a combative sport. Wrestling constituting bona fide athletic contests and competitions, which may be professional or amateur combative sport, shall not be deemed professional wrestling under this Part. Professional wrestling as used in this Part shall not depend on whether the individual wrestlers are paid or have been paid for their performance in
372-415: A performing art evolved from the common practice of match-fixing among American wrestlers in the 19th century, who later sought to make matches shorter, more entertaining, and less physically taxing. As the public gradually realized and accepted that matches were predetermined, wrestlers responded by increasingly adding melodrama, gimmickry, and outlandish stunt work to their performances to further enhance
496-415: A professional wrestling exhibition. All engagements of professional wrestling shall be referred to as exhibitions, and not as matches. In the industry's slang, a fixed match is referred to as a worked match, derived from the slang word for manipulation, as in "working the crowd". A shoot match is a genuine contest where both wrestlers fight to win and are therefore "straight shooters", which comes from
620-730: A territory of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Kevin's natural athletic ability and good looks made him one of the promotion's biggest stars. He achieved great success in the company both as a singles and tag team wrestler, often participating in many of the company's high-profile feuds. Kevin was also known for wrestling barefoot , highly unusual in a sport where almost all wrestlers wear high-topped boots . Announcers often jokingly referred to him as "The Barefoot Boy" on WCCW broadcasts. Kevin later admitted in an interview that he never set out to wrestle barefoot, but that before one of his matches, someone hid his boots as
744-462: A trailer tongue ; Jack received an electric shock which caused him to fall into a melting snow puddle face first, where he drowned. Adkisson, as Kevin Von Erich, appears in the video games Legends of Wrestling , Legends of Wrestling II , Showdown: Legends of Wrestling , WWE 2K17 , and WWE 2K18 . A biopic feature film titled The Iron Claw , starring Zac Efron as Kevin,
868-413: A background in authentic wrestling no longer mattered. After this time, matches became more outlandish and gimmicky and any semblance professional wrestling had to catch wrestling faded. The personas of the wrestlers likewise grew more outlandish. Gorgeous George , who performed throughout the 1940s and 1950s, was the first wrestler whose entrance into the arena was accompanied by a theme song played over
992-532: A carny term for a shooting gallery gun whose sights were not deliberately misaligned. Wrestling in the United States blossomed in popularity after the Civil War , with catch wrestling eventually becoming the most popular style. At first, professional wrestlers were genuine competitive fighters, but they struggled to draw audiences because Americans did not find real wrestling to be very entertaining, so
1116-519: A central authority. Nor could any of them stomach the idea of leaving the NWA themselves to compete directly with McMahon, for that would mean their territories would become fair game for the other NWA members. McMahon also had a creative flair for TV that his rivals lacked. For instance, the AWA's TV productions during the 1980s were amateurish, low-budget, and out-of-touch with contemporary culture, which lead to
1240-505: A champion that Curley put forth: Dick Shikat . The National Wrestling Association shut down in 1980. In 1948, a number of promoters from across the country came together to form the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The NWA recognized one "world champion", voted on by its members, but allowed member promoters to crown their own local champions in their territories. If a member poached wrestlers from another member, or held matches in another member's territory, they risked being ejected from
1364-490: A daughter, Julia (born 1994), by Brandi Freeman. Adams had promoted "Miss Brandi" that Freeman wrestled in, at a handful of wrestling cards. The couple split in late 1999. Freeman died in 2003 from a drug overdose, leaving Julia orphaned. Six weeks prior to his death, Adams married a second time to Karen J. Burge on 25 August 2001 in Dallas, with his friend Brent Parnell serving as the best man at his wedding. While returning from
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#17327914169931488-585: A degree. Vince Russo, the boss of WCW in 2000, completely disregarded kayfabe by routinely discussing business matters and office politics in public, which alienated fans. I watch championship wrestling from Florida with wrestling commentator Gordon Solie . Is this all "fake"? If so, they deserve an Oscar . Kevin Von Erich Kevin Ross Adkisson (born May 15, 1957) is an American retired professional wrestler , better known by his ring name , Kevin Von Erich . A member of
1612-404: A distinct vernacular . It has achieved mainstream success and influence within popular culture , with many terms, tropes , and concepts being referenced in everyday language as well as in film , music , television , and video games . Likewise, numerous professional wrestlers have become national or international icons with recognition by the broader public. In the United States, wrestling
1736-410: A fee, a visitor could challenge the wrestler to a quick match. If the challenger defeated the champion in a short time frame, usually 15 minutes, he won a prize. To encourage challenges, the carnival operators staged rigged matches in which an accomplice posing as a visitor challenged the champion and won, giving the audience the impression that the champion was easy to beat. This practice taught wrestlers
1860-723: A fight, and the valets Sunshine and Precious joined in; Sunshine aligned with Adams. Adams took on the guise of "the Masked Avenger" in a match on 21 October at the Sportatorium to earn a shot at the NWA American Heavyweight Championship, which he eventually won on Thanksgiving at the Reunion Arena. This was the first of five World Class American/World Class World Heavyweight title reigns for Adams. His first title reign ended when
1984-472: A friend's apartment, the victims of an overdose of the drug GHB and alcohol. Adams recovered, but 10 hours later, Kaphengst died at a local hospital. He then lived in Rowlett with his new wife Karen and their 7-year-old daughter. In June 2001, Adams was indicted and charged with manslaughter for the death of Kaphengst and turned himself in but, while awaiting trial, on October 7, 2001, he was fatally shot in
2108-441: A joke and he was not able to find them before his match so he just went out barefoot to wrestle, and it later became his trademark. Contrary to popular belief, he wore boots in matches in his early career, including his debut match against Paul Perschmann and in a match against "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka . Kevin was a big fan of Snuka, who also wrestled barefoot, and Kevin often performed a move similar to Snuka's flying body splash from
2232-595: A knee injury, refused to be tagged in by Adams during the match. Adams took a brutal beating at the hands of the Von Erichs. Adams purposely tossed Kevin over the rope to end the match and slapped Hernandez for not tagging him and left the ring. On 27 January 1986, Adams and Hernandez squared off at the Fort Worth Convention Center with the condition that the loser would once more lose his hair, this time by having Freebird Hair Cream massaged into
2356-405: A legitimate sport. Firstly, wrestling was more entertaining when it was faked, whereas fakery did not make boxing any more entertaining. Secondly, in a rigged boxing match, the designated loser must take a real beating for his "defeat" to be convincing, but wrestling holds can be faked convincingly without inflicting injury. This meant that boxers were less willing to "take dives"; they wanted to have
2480-946: A lethal enzuigiri when his left leg was held, and a powerful thrust kick, which was originally called a "judo kick", later known by its more common name, "superkick". Adams won the NWA Americas title in 1982, and was an NWA Americas tag team title winner with Tom Prichard and Ringo Rigby. He lived in Santa Monica and wrestled throughout the California coast in cards promoted by the LeBells. He also wrestled for Don Owen 's Pacific Northwest promotion, as well as being involved in several tours of Japan, Europe, Mexico and Canada. Fritz Von Erich got in touch with Adams in 1983 and invited him to wrestle for World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). On 15 April 1983, he began competing for
2604-482: A long feud with Chris Adams that lasted for months and had many violent matches, including two well-known chair shots on each other that required hospitalization for both men. Kevin would also team with Adams on numerous occasions before and after their feud. Away from the ring, Kevin and Chris were close friends; Kevin served as a pallbearer during Adams' funeral in 2001 and traveled to England to visit Adams' family afterwards. In recent interviews, Kevin stated that Adams
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#17327914169932728-799: A match against Gus Sonnenberg in January 1929. Bowser then broke away from the trust to form his own cartel, the American Wrestling Association (AWA), in September 1930, and he declared Sonnenberg to be the AWA champion. This AWA should not be confused with Wally Kadbo's AWA founded in 1960. Curley reacted to this move by convincing the National Boxing Association to form the National Wrestling Association , which in turn crowned
2852-576: A month later. During WCCW's annual Christmas show in 1982, Kerry Von Erich faced Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship inside of a steel cage with Michael Hayes acting as a special referee. As explained in The Triumph and Tragedy of World Class Championship Wrestling DVD, the storyline, developed by Gary Hart, was written as Hayes having been selected by fans to be a special enforcer type of referee in
2976-424: A more literal meaning in those places. A notable example is India's Pro Wrestling League . In numerous American states, professional wrestling is legally defined as a non-sport. For instance, New York defines professional wrestling as: Professional wrestling means an activity in which participants struggle hand-in-hand primarily for the purpose of providing entertainment to spectators and which does not comprise
3100-440: A new city, attendance was high because there was a waiting fanbase cultivated in advance by the cable TV shows. The NWA's traditional anti-competitive tricks were no match for this. The NWA attempted to centralize and create their own national cable television shows to counter McMahon's rogue promotion, but it failed in part because the members of the NWA, ever protective of their territories, could not stomach submitting themselves to
3224-575: A show. Appearing in WCCW, the trio instantly became fan favorites due to a combination of their unique talents and chemistry as well as their close friendship with the Von Erichs. All three rose quickly through the ranks and in late November 1982, Hayes and Gordy defeated the team of King Kong Bundy and Wild Bill Irwin for the NWA American Tag Team Championship. A feud between the Von Erichs and Freebirds developed roughly
3348-506: A stable consisting of his fellow Englishmen Lord Steven Regal and Squire David Taylor , but due to legitimate personal issues, this was short lived. He was engaged in a feud with Glacier over their superkicks, as well as Chip Minton . On 23 November at World War 3 , Adams competed and lost a 60-man battle royal for a future shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Championship . Adams wrestled Randy Savage in
3472-503: A typical American household only received four national channels by antenna, and ten to twelve local channels via UHF broadcasting . But cable television could carry a much larger selection of channels and therefore had room for niche interests. The WWF started with a show called All-American Wrestling airing on the USA Network in September 1983. McMahon's TV shows made his wrestlers national celebrities, so when he held matches in
3596-648: A variety of different partners. However, his highest profile partners would always be his brothers Kerry and David. As the early-1980s progressed, Kevin would appear often at other NWA territories, including St. Louis Wrestling Club , Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), and briefly, Florida Championship Wrestling . Kevin also competed in a few matches for the WWF. In early 1982, the Fabulous Freebirds , consisting of Michael Hayes , Terry Gordy , and Buddy Roberts , left GCW after meeting WCCW booker Gary Hart at
3720-586: A victory for all the pain to which they subjected themselves. In the 1910s, promotional cartels for professional wrestling emerged in the East Coast (outside its traditional heartland in the Midwest ). These promoters sought to make long-term plans with their wrestlers, and to ensure their more charismatic and crowd-pleasing wrestlers received championships, further entrenching the desire for worked matches. The primary rationale for shoot matches at this point
3844-500: A wrestling event in Puerto Rico , on 30 June 1986, Adams grabbed airline pilot John Bentley by the collar, headbutted him three times and punched a male flight attendant, which resulted in a 90-day jail sentence and a $ 500 fine in September. During the flight, an intoxicated Adams became belligerent when liquor sales were stopped during the flight by an onboard FAA Inspector and Adams had to be restrained by other wrestlers who were on
Chris Adams (wrestler) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3968-436: Is a form of athletic theater that combines mock combat with drama , with the premise that the performers are competitive wrestlers. Professional wrestling is distinguished by its scripted outcomes and emphasis on entertainment and showmanship . The staged nature of matches is an open secret , with both wrestlers and spectators nonetheless maintaining the pretense that performances are bona fide competitions, which
4092-410: Is a true sport. Wrestlers would at all times flatly deny allegations that they fixed their matches, and they often remained in-character in public even when not performing. When in public, wrestlers would sometimes say the word kayfabe to each other as a coded signal that there were fans present and they needed to be in character. Professional wrestlers in the past strongly believed that if they admitted
4216-427: Is generally practiced in an amateur context. No professional league for competitive wrestling exists due to a lack of popularity. For example, Real Pro Wrestling , an American professional freestyle wrestling league, dissolved in 2007 after just two seasons. In other countries, such as Iran and India , wrestling enjoys widespread popularity as a genuine sport, and the phrase "professional wrestling" therefore has
4340-470: Is likened to the suspension of disbelief employed when engaging with fiction . Professional wrestlers perform as characters and usually maintain a " gimmick " consisting of a specific persona , stage name , entrance theme , and other distinguishing traits. Matches are the primary vehicle for advancing storylines, which typically center on interpersonal conflicts, or feuds , between heroic " faces " and villainous " heels ". A wrestling ring , akin to
4464-734: The British Light Heavyweight Championship from Mark "Rollerball" Rocco and the British Commonwealth Tag Team Championship with Marty Jones. Adrian Street , Big Daddy , Dave "Fit" Finlay , Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith were among the British wrestlers whom Adams battled against. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1981 to compete at the Olympic Auditorium , which was run for a short period of time at
4588-654: The Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), in which he twice won the federation's Heavyweight Championship in 1994, and shortly with Jim Crockett 's 1995 version of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). In 1993, Adams promoted a modestly successful tour to Nigeria (co-sponsored with Pepsi). He also competed on and off in Mexico prior to joining the GWF. In 1993, Adams started a feud with Rod Price after he accidentally (or intentionally, according to Price) ripped
4712-624: The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board that professional wrestling is not a real sport because its matches have predetermined outcomes. Shortly thereafter, New Jersey deregulated professional wrestling. The WWF then rebranded itself as a " sports entertainment " company. In the early years of the 20th century, the style of wrestling used in professional wrestling matches was catch wrestling . Promoters wanted their matches to look realistic and so preferred to recruit wrestlers with real grappling skills. In
4836-528: The One Man Gang interfered in a bout, Adams lost because Flair was pinned for at least 10 seconds while the referee was preoccupied. Adams was also embroiled in a superkick competition with the Great Kabuki , who was Sunshine's ally in her conflict with Adams. Adams created a gimmick with Hernandez that Brutus Beefcake subsequently adopted: shaving his opponents' hair after a match. The outcome
4960-634: The United States Wrestling Association . Austin later described Adams as a “con man deluxe” and “a pile of crap” since he was known for taking trainees money, stiffing them, and ill-preparing them. In late 1990, following the demise of WCCW, Adams, alongside Norman Smiley against Konnan and Rey Misterio , competed in the Pat O'Connor Memorial Tag Team Tournament on 16 December at Starrcade , in which Konnan pinned Smiley. Adams also wrestled in other independent promotions , like
5084-1101: The Universal Wrestling Federation , where he and Terry Taylor became tag team champions in February 1987. Two months later, Taylor and Adams began a violent feud which eventually was carried over to WCCW in 1988, but he suffered nerve damage in his back during one of their matches. Adams and former partner King Parsons also engaged in a similar feud, which would continue on and off for the next decade. Adams competed in Mike George's World Wrestling Alliance promotion (formerly Central States Wrestling ) in Missouri and had brief events in Georgia in Southern Championship Wrestling (where he won that federation's heavyweight title in 1988) and Florida before promoting his own matches under
Chris Adams (wrestler) - Misplaced Pages Continue
5208-842: The Von Erich family , Adkisson is best known for his appearances with his father's World Class Championship Wrestling promotion . He is a former world champion in professional wrestling, having once held the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship . Adkisson played football at North Texas State University as a fullback until an injury ended his football career and dream of playing in the National Football League . Adkisson started wrestling as Kevin Von Erich in 1976. He spent most of his career wrestling for his father's Dallas, Texas -based promotion, World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW),
5332-1010: The WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009 by Michael Hayes. On June 15, 2014, at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling 's (TNA) Slammiversary XII , Kevin accompanied his sons Marshall and Ross to the ring for a tag team match. On April 2, 2016, Kevin appeared at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony to discuss his relationship with The Fabulous Freebirds. At 60 years of age, Kevin returned to wrestling for the first time in 22 years on July 9, 2017. He teamed with his sons Marshall and Ross as they defeated Marty Jannetty , Jumping Lee, and Gery Roif at The Rage Wrestling Mega Show in Tel Aviv, Israel . On December 13, 2023, Kevin appeared with his sons Marshall and Ross on episodes of All Elite Wrestling 's (AEW) Dynamite and Rampage , as well as for AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). He then appeared at AEW's Battle of
5456-557: The independent circuit , to internationally broadcast events at major arenas. The largest and most influential promotions are in the United States , Mexico , Japan , and northwest Europe (the United Kingdom , Germany/Austria and France ), which have each developed distinct styles, traditions, and subgenres within professional wrestling. Professional wrestling has developed its own culture and community , including
5580-431: The spectacle . By at least the early 20th century, professional wrestling had diverged from the competitive sport to become an artform and genre of sports entertainment . Professional wrestling is performed around the world through various " promotions ", which are roughly analogous to production companies or sports leagues . Promotions vary considerably in size, scope, and creative approach, ranging from local shows on
5704-400: The superkick finisher, which was subsequently employed by many other performers. Speaking about his legacy, professional wrestling journalist and historian Dave Meltzer has described Adams as being "one of the twenty best performers" in the United States at the peak of his career but stated that the problems stemming from Adams' drug addiction ruined both his career and personal life. Adams
5828-584: The 1920s, a group of wrestlers and promoters known as the Gold Dust Trio introduced moves which have since become staples of the mock combat of professional wrestling, such as body slams, suplexes , punches, finishing moves, and out-of-ring count-outs. By the early 1930s, most wrestlers had adopted personas to generate public interest. These personas could broadly be characterized as either faces (likeable) or heels (villainous). Native Americans, cowboys, and English aristocrats were staple characters in
5952-400: The 1930s and 1940s. Before the age of television, some wrestlers played different personas depending on the region they were performing in. This eventually came to an end in the age of national television wrestling shows, which forced wrestlers to stick to one persona. Wrestlers also often used some sort of gimmick, such as a finishing move, eccentric mannerisms, or out-of-control behavior (in
6076-460: The 1990s, WCW became a credible rival to the WWF, but by end it suffered from a series of creative missteps that led to its failure and purchase by the WWF. One of its mistakes was that it diminished the glamor of its World Heavyweight Championship . Between January 2000 and March 2001, the title changed hands eighteen times, which sapped fan enthusiasm, particularly for the climactic pay-per-view matches. In professional wrestling, two factors decide
6200-653: The Atlantic Athletic Corporation (AAC). The AAC shut down in 1960. In 1958, Omaha promoter and NWA member Joe Dusek recognized Verne Gagne as the world champion without the approval of the NWA. Gagne asked for a match against the recognized NWA champion Pat O'Connor. The NWA refused to honor the request, so Gagne and Minneapolis promoter Wally Karbo established the American Wrestling Association in 1960. This AWA should not be confused with Paul Bowser's AWA, which ceased operations just two months prior. Gagne's AWA operated out of Minnesota . Unlike
6324-695: The Belts XI on July 27, 2024, where he accompanied Marshall and Ross, who teamed with Dustin Rhodes , for a six-man tag team match in which they won the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship . On August 1, 1980, Kevin married Pam Adkisson; the couple lives in Hawaii and runs a family investment business together. They have four children, including Marshall and Ross . Kevin also dabbles in commercial real estate and owns
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#17327914169936448-537: The Dallas-based organization. That evening, he won both matches he competed in, defeating the Mongol by disqualification and Roberto Renesto in the card's first battle. The Adkissons referred to Chris as Kevin Von Erich 's "pen pal" and referred to him as a "honorary Von Erich". In a three-minute interview piece titled "Tea for Two," Adams and Bill Mercer were first introduced in WCCW during one of Mercer's "outside
6572-607: The Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), despite his brother Kerry welcoming Jarrett into the mix; the merged promotions became the United States Wrestling Association (USWA). However, because of disputes, including suing Jarrett himself, he pulled WCCW out of the USWA in 1990, but he could not resurrect the promotion his father built and had no choice but to shut down WCCW that November. Kevin did manage to draw crowds to
6696-675: The NWA, Adams competed in a Chicago-based organization, the American Wrestling Federation that promoted under European wrestling rules. He was also a promoter and wrestler of a few Dallas-based organizations, including Big D Pro Wrestling and the Freestyle Wrestling Federation. In 1997, Adams began competing as a midcard performer in World Championship Wrestling . He was intended to become part of The Blue Bloods ,
6820-408: The NWA, at which point his territory became fair game for everyone. The NWA would blacklist wrestlers who worked for independent promoters or who publicly criticized an NWA promoter or who did not throw a match on command. If an independent promoter tried to establish himself in a certain area, the NWA would send their star performers to perform for the local NWA promoter to draw the customers away from
6944-488: The NWA, which only allowed faces to be champions, Gagne occasionally allowed heels to win the AWA championship so that they could serve as foils for him. In August 1983, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), a promotion in the north-east , withdrew from the NWA. Vince K. McMahon then took over as its boss. No longer bound by the territorial pact of the NWA, McMahon began expanding his promotion into
7068-581: The Sportatorium as teenagers, Skandor Akbar interrupted the interview to berate both Kevin and Ross. At one point, Akbar pushed Ross, which prompted Kevin to apply the Iron Claw on Akbar. Greg Valentine then pulled Akbar away, with Kevin, Ross, Piper, and The Grappler taking in the cheers of the crowd. In 2006, Kevin and a number of others from WCCW's heyday participated in Heroes of World Class Wrestling , an independently produced retrospective documentary about
7192-506: The Sportatorium in the early going, but with the absence of his brother, manager/booker Gary Hart, and the lack of televised matches, WCCW's survival was very thin. During that time, Kevin competed very little other than wrestling in other independent cards promoted by either himself, Chris Adams, or Gary Hart. Kevin did not participate at all on the August 4, 1989, card in which WCCW formally became USWA Texas, while brother Kerry, who competed on
7316-515: The Sportatorium. Kevin's last round of glory occurred on January 7, 1995, while competing for Jim Crockett, Jr. 's NWA promotion based at the Sportatorium where he won the North American Heavyweight Title, defeating Greg Valentine . A week later, he dropped the title to John Hawk . He then formed a very brief alliance with manager Skandor Akbar . Kevin eventually cut back on his ring appearances and formally retired by
7440-803: The World Class heavyweight title on 4 July. Due to legal issues, Adams had to forfeit the WCCW title in September; WCCW stated that Black Bart had won the title during a match in Los Angeles that never actually happened. A month later, Bart lost the title to Kevin Von Erich at the Cotton Bowl. In September 1986, Adams left World Class to join Bill Watts ' Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), which later merged into NWA. Adams came back to World Class in October 1987. In late 1986, Adams defected to
7564-401: The arena's loudspeakers, his being Pomp and Circumstance . He also wore a costume: a robe and hairnet, which he removed after getting in the ring. He also had a pre-match ritual where his "butler" would spray the ring with perfume. In the 1980s, Vince McMahon made entrance songs, costumes, and rituals standard for his star wrestlers. For instance, McMahon's top star Hulk Hogan would delight
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#17327914169937688-418: The art of staging rigged matches and fostered a mentality that spectators were marks to be duped. The term kayfabe comes from carny slang. By the turn of the 20th century, most professional wrestling matches were "worked" and some journalists exposed the practice: American wrestlers are notorious for the amount of faking they do. It is because of this fact that suspicion attaches to so many bouts that
7812-561: The audience by tearing his shirt off before each match. The first major promoter cartel emerged on the East Coast, although up to that point, wrestling's heartland had been in the Midwest. Notable members of this cartel included Jack Curley , Lou Daro, Paul Bowser and Tom and Tony Packs. The promoters colluded to solve a number of problems that hurt their profits. Firstly, they could force their wrestlers to perform for less money. As
7936-476: The brand L&A Promotions, with Tom Lance as his business partner. In late 1988, Adams began operating his professional wrestling school at the Dallas Sportatorium, upon returning to World Class, on top of selling wrestling rings. In 1989, Steve Austin was one of Adams' students, and he was wrestling his first match at Sportatorium within five months. The duo feuded against each other throughout
8060-413: The cage door. As Hayes was about to leave, Kerry was attacked from behind by Flair, with the former accidentally hitting Hayes and knocking him out of the cage. The angle was written as having neither Hayes nor Gordy being aware that Kerry was shoved into Hayes. As Kerry was getting to his feet inside the ring, that was the signal for Gordy to slam the cage door shut, hitting Kerry on the head and costing him
8184-755: The card earlier, reportedly left the Sportatorium shortly after his match. Kevin, however, did help out a young Steve Austin increase his abilities in the ring during this time, and considers Austin as one of his friends to this day. Sixteen months after his brother joined the WWF, Kevin wrestled in a dark match on December 2, 1991, at a Wrestling Challenge taping in Corpus Christi, Texas where he faced and defeated Brian Lee . Kevin competed in Mexico's Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) in 1991. On April 2, 1993, he teamed up with Chris Adams to defeat Fabulous Freebirds' Michael Hayes and Buddy Roberts at Global Wrestling Federation 's Adkisson Benefit Show at
8308-424: The cartel grew, there were fewer independent promoters where independent wrestlers could find work, and many were forced to sign a contract with the cartel to receive steady work. The contracts forbade them from performing at independent venues. A wrestler who refused to play by the cartel's rules was barred from performing at its venues. A second goal of the wrestling cartels was to establish an authority to decide who
8432-418: The case of heels). The matches could also be gimmicky sometimes, with wrestlers fighting in mud and piles of tomatoes and so forth. The most successful and enduring gimmick to emerge from the 1930s were tag-team matches. Promoters noticed that matches slowed down as the wrestlers in the ring tired, so they gave them partners to relieve them. It also gave heels another way to misbehave by double-teaming. Towards
8556-537: The chair had accidentally split in half, causing blood and a concussion. At the Reunion Arena a month later, Von Erich finally paid Adams back. This time, the chair shattered in two on contact, leaving a piece of wood trapped in Adams' nose, just next to his eye. The angle came to an abrupt stop as a result. Alongside Jake Roberts and Gino Hernandez, Adams later competed in a six-man tag team match, winning against Kerry Von Erich, Mike Von Erich and Bobby Fulton (subbing for
8680-401: The championship, the win and reign are no longer recognised by World Wrestling Entertainment . All reigns with the championship prior to December 1997 are not officially recognised. Other sources Professional wrestling 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Professional wrestling (often referred to as pro wrestling , or simply, wrestling )
8804-509: The championship. The Freebirds immediately became the top heels in the company, due to the belief of many fans that their actions cost one of their local heroes the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. As the feud was building, the WCCW television broadcasts were syndicated to television stations all across the United States , giving the promotion millions of viewers each week in the U.S. alone. This changed
8928-423: The character in shows must be considered fictional, wholly separate from the life of the performer. This is similar to other entertainers who perform with a persona that shares their own name. Some wrestlers also incorporate elements of their real-life personalities into their characters, even if they and their in-ring persona have different names. Kayfabe is the practice of pretending that professional wrestling
9052-595: The chest with a .38 caliber handgun during a drunken brawl with a friend, William Brent "Booray" Parnell, at his home in Waxahachie, Texas . He was 46 years old. Parnell claimed self-defense and was acquitted of all charges. A documentary about Adams, The Gentleman's Choice , was released on 16 December 2008 by former WCCW promoter Mickey Grant and showed interviews from many of Adams' friends and family, including his brother Neil, Bill Mercer, referee David Manning, Kevin Von Erich, Jeanie Clarke (billed as Jeanie Adams in
9176-512: The commission. The Commission did on very rare occasions hand out such authorizations, such as for a championship match between Jim Londos and Jim Browning in June 1934. This decree did not apply to amateur wrestling, which the commission had no authority over. Wrestling fans widely suspected that professional wrestling was fake, but they did not care as long as it entertained. In 1933, a wrestling promoter named Jack Pfefer started talking about
9300-540: The current fashion of wrestling is the universal discussion as to the honesty of the matches. And certainly the most interesting phrase of this discussion is the unanimous agreement: "Who cares if they're fixed or not—the show is good." Newspapers tended to shun professional wrestling, as journalists saw its theatrical pretense to being a legitimate sport as untruthful. Eventually promoters resorted to publishing their own magazines in order to get press coverage and communicate with fans. The first professional wrestling magazine
9424-519: The documentary), his widow Karen, and Gary Hart. In April 2024 Dark Side of the Ring aired an episode looking at the life and career of Adams. The day afterwards professional wrestling journalist and historian Dave Meltzer described Adams as being "one of the twenty best performers" in the United States at the peak of his career but stated that the problems stemming from Adams' drug addiction ruined both his career and personal life. While he did win
9548-499: The end of 1995. On October 3, 2005, three years after the WWF had been renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Kevin made an appearance on the WWE Raw : Homecoming show alongside other WWE Hall of Famers . Later that night, as Dusty Rhodes and the WWE Hall of Famers were gathered in the ring, Rob Conway came out and interrupted Rhodes. This eventually led to Conway's beatdown by several Hall of Famers, in which Kevin used
9672-405: The end of the 1930s, faced with declining revenues, promoters chose to focus on grooming charismatic wrestlers with no regard for their skill because it was charisma that drew the crowds, and wrestlers who were both skilled at grappling and charismatic were hard to come by. Since most of the public by this time knew and accepted that professional wrestling was fake, realism was no longer paramount and
9796-603: The facade of kayfabe as best as they could. In 1989, Vince McMahon testified before the New Jersey government that professional wrestling was not a true sport and therefore should be exempted from sports-related taxes. Many wrestlers and fans resented McMahon for this, but Lou Thesz accepted it as the smart move as it gave the industry more freedom to do as it pleased, and because by that point professional wrestling no longer attempted to appear real. The demise of WCW in 2001 provided some evidence that kayfabe still mattered to
9920-513: The face of wrestling and how it was marketed and presented to audiences. The extremely physical nature of the matches between the two factions captivated fans, changing preconceptions about what professional wrestling was and could be. Throughout the next several years, the Freebirds and Von Erichs engaged in numerous high-profile matches that were very physical in nature with the various members of each group feuding over various championships within
10044-440: The first match of the first WCW Thunder show in January 1998; he pinned Savage, but J. J. Dillon reversed the decision and claimed Savage the victory via disqualification by interference by Lex Luger . Aside from that, he was mainly used as a jobber and in late 1999, unsatisfied with his role in the organization, Adams was granted his release from WCW. He then returned to Texas to work as a promoter and part-time wrestler. Adams
10168-470: The first place. "Double-crosses", where a wrestler agreed to lose a match but nevertheless fought to win, remained a problem in the early cartel days. At times a promoter would even award a victorious double-crosser the title of champion to preserve the facade of sport. But promoters punished such wrestlers by blacklisting them, making it quite challenging to find work. Double-crossers could also be sued for breach of contract, such as Dick Shikat in 1936. In
10292-487: The flight, including Kevin Von Erich . In February 1988, Adams was arrested after his wife, Toni, was found severely beaten in Lufkin, Texas , allegedly by Adams during a drunken rage; he was sentenced to a year's probation. Adams then faced more legal issues in 1991, being put on probation for a pair of DUI arrests. In April 2000, Adams and his girlfriend of four months, Linda Kaphengst, were both found unconscious inside
10416-610: The game is not popular here. Nine out of ten bouts, it has been said, are pre-arranged affairs, and it would be no surprise if the ratio of fixed matches to honest ones was really so high. The wrestler Lou Thesz recalled that between 1915 and 1920, a series of exposés in the newspapers about the integrity of professional wrestling alienated a lot of fans, sending the industry "into a tailspin". But rather than perform more shoot matches, professional wrestlers instead committed themselves wholesale to fakery. Several reasons explain why professional wrestling became fake whereas boxing endured as
10540-460: The government. They pledged to stop allocating exclusive territories to its promoters, to stop blacklisting wrestlers who worked for outsider promoters, and to admit any promoter into the Alliance. The NWA would flout many of these promises, but its power was nonetheless weakened by the lawsuit. Paul Bowser's AWA joined the NWA in 1949. The AWA withdrew from the Alliance in 1957 and renamed itself
10664-409: The hair weave off Price's head, causing him to get over 200 stitches. He also went back to his legendary feud with Iceman King Parsons, in which his wife Toni was Parsons' manager. During one interview segment, Toni and Iceman were making plans to vacation in Hawaii, where Adams and Toni married in 1985. Adams also formed a tag team with Kerry Von Erich , until Von Erich's suicide on 18 February 1993. On
10788-526: The independent. By 1956, the NWA controlled 38 promotions within the United States, with more in Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. The NWA's monopolistic practices became so stifling that the independents appealed to the government for help. In October 1956 the US Attorney General's office filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NWA in an Iowa federal district court. The NWA settled with
10912-480: The industry was anything but a competitive sport. The first wrestling promoter to publicly admit to routinely fixing matches was Jack Pfefer . In 1933, he started talking about the industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , resulting in a huge exposé. The exposé neither surprised nor alienated most wrestling fans, although some promoters like Jack Curley were furious and tried to restore
11036-496: The industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , maintaining no pretense that wrestling was real and passing on planned results just before the matches took place. While fans were neither surprised nor alienated, traditionalists like Jack Curley were furious, and most promoters tried to maintain the facade of kayfabe as best they could. Not the least interesting of all the minor phenomena produced by
11160-526: The injured Kevin Von Erich). The fans chanted during the match "Chris is a traitor" and others held "Benedict Adams" posters. Adams was kayfabe dismissed by Hart at the beginning of 1985. The second iteration of the Dynamic Duo was formed when he linked up with Gino Hernandez . Adams competed against NWA World Champion Ric Flair on multiple occasions, coming close to capturing the title twice. When
11284-473: The legendary Iron Claw on Conway to the raves of the partisan Dallas crowd. Jim Ross said afterwards that he never thought he would live to see the Iron Claw again. On January 20, 2006, Kevin and his son Ross Adkisson (billed as Ross Von Erich ) appeared on a local wrestling card in Longview, Texas as guests of Roddy Piper 's Piper's Pit . During the segment, in which Kevin and Piper talked about going to
11408-454: The match. Near the end of the match, Flair shoved Hayes, which resulted in Hayes punching him. Hayes then tried to place Kerry on top of Flair to make the three count. Kerry refused to do so since it was not the "Texas thing to do", which led to a brief shoving match and argument between the two. Hayes, disgusted with the situation, told Terry Gordy, who had been assigned as the gatekeeper, to open
11532-498: The members of wrestling cartels as the champion drew big crowds wherever he performed, and this would occasionally lead to schisms. By 1925, this cartel had divided the country up into territories which were the exclusive domains of specific promoters. This system of territories endured until Vince McMahon drove the fragmented cartels out of the market in the 1980s. This cartel fractured in 1929 after one of its members, Paul Bowser , bribed Ed "Strangler" Lewis to lose his championship in
11656-437: The platform used in boxing , serves as the main stage ; additional scenes may be recorded for television in backstage areas of the venue, in a format similar to reality television . Performers generally integrate authentic wrestling techniques and fighting styles with choreography , stunts , improvisation , and dramatic conventions designed to maximize entertainment value and audience engagement. Professional wrestling as
11780-672: The position of World Heavyweight Champion . He also performed for organizations like the Universal Wrestling Association (UWA), where he held the Light Heavyweight Championship of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Throughout a 23-year professional wrestling career, he held a total of 26 titles. Adams was in charge of training Stone Cold Steve Austin and popularizing
11904-518: The promotion and the Von Erich family. The documentary featured comments from Adkisson, Gary Hart, Skandor Akbar, Bill Mercer, Mickey Grant, David Manning, Marc Lowrance, and via earlier interviews, Chris Adams. Later that October, he sold the rights to the WCCW name and tape archives (pre-1988) to WWE, which subsequently began broadcasting WCCW's syndicated programming on their subscription video on demand service, WWE Classics On Demand , with Kevin and Michael "P.S." Hayes acting as hosts. WCCW footage
12028-717: The promotion's closing in 1991. In the spring of 1984, the WWF purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), which had been ailing for some time due to financial mismanagement and internal squabbles. In the deal, the WWF acquired the GCW's timeslot on TBS . McMahon agreed to keep showing Georgia wrestling matches in that timeslot, but he was unable to get his staff to Atlanta every Saturday to fulfill this obligation, so he sold GCW and its TBS timeslot to Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). JCP started informally calling itself World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1988, Ted Turner bought JCP and formally renamed it World Championship Wrestling. During
12152-532: The promotion. The feud is seen today by many fans and wrestling industry insiders as one of the best worked and most memorable feuds in the history of professional wrestling. This line of drama ended, when Kevin's brother, David von Erich , died in Japan from acute enteritis of the upper intestine. This broke up the symmetry of the wrestling rivalry, though eventually the remaining brothers went on to wrestle individually, with varying degrees of success. Kevin also had
12276-521: The rights to Southwest Sports (the distributor of World Class Championship Wrestling), now known as K.R. Adkisson Enterprises. Kevin is the last surviving child of wrestler Fritz Von Erich . He was the second-born son. Kevin had four brothers who wrestled: David , Kerry , Mike , and Chris . His older brother Jack Barton Adkisson, Jr., born September 21, 1952, died at the age of six in Niagara Falls, New York on March 7, 1959, after stepping on
12400-507: The ring" interviews when they first met at a nearby Dallas restaurant over a round of English tea. Before losing to Kamala in a WCCW match on 20 June in Fort Worth, Adams won his first eleven contests. On 19 August, Kerry Von Erich served as his partner in his debut tag bout with the Von Erichs . He frequently partnered with the Von Erichs in six and eight-man tag matches against the Fabulous Freebirds . Adams and Jimmy Garvin got into
12524-493: The scalp. When Hernandez put some of the hair cream (which was actually a dark liquid substance) into Adams' eyes during an argument with the referee Rick Hazzard, Adams was unable to win the match. Adams then went on vacation to see his family in England and travel to Japan and Israel before returning to Texas to pursue his feud with Hernandez, which was written off as a result of the blinding incident. On 4 February 1986, Hernandez
12648-703: The side, Adams went to Memphis, Tennessee and competed in the United States Wrestling Association for a few months, where he was involved in an angle involving Brian Christopher , while Toni was billed as "Nanny Simpson." Adams also faced Eddie Gilbert several times for the heavyweight title. After his stint in the Global Wrestling Federation, Adams joined the Jim Crockett-promoted NWA Dallas and wrestled in several matches against Greg Valentine, Black Bart, Michael Hayes and Tully Blanchard. After finishing his time at
12772-516: The singles ranks of the promotion by defeating Bruiser Brody for the NWA American Heavyweight Championship . On January 21, 1980, Kevin made a wrestling appearance in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) against Johnny Rodz , a match he won. As the 1980s dawned, Kevin became one of the WCCW's most viable performers and continued to win numerous championships in both singles and tag team competition with
12896-440: The stamina for an hours-long fight. Audiences also preferred short matches. Worked matches also carried less risk of injury, which meant shorter recovery. Altogether, worked matches proved more profitable than shoots. By the end of the 19th century, nearly all professional wrestling matches were worked. A major influence on professional wrestling was carnival culture. Wrestlers in the late 19th century worked in carnival shows. For
13020-426: The territories of his former NWA peers, now his rivals. By the end of the 1980s, the WWF would become the sole national wrestling promotion in the U.S. This was in part made possible by the rapid spread of cable television in the 1980s. The national broadcast networks generally regarded professional wrestling as too niche an interest, and had not broadcast any national wrestling shows since the 1950s. Before cable TV,
13144-414: The time by renowned judo giants Mike and Gene LeBell . Adams wrestled barefoot, but after his initial tour of the United States, he began to use wrestling boots, arm pads and kneepads, which he would eventually use for the rest of his career. He became famous for a wide variety of moves, including somersaulting out of arm-bars, using backflips, diving through the ring ropes to his opponent on the floor, using
13268-485: The title was held up in the rematch at WCCW Star Wars when Garvin pinned him. Adams scored a loser-leaves-town match victory over Garvin on 4 July 1984. In August, Adams employed Gary Hart as his manager before turning on him. Adams was given a contract to dismiss Hart in exchange for the Von Erichs forgiving him when he was pinned by Kevin Von Erich in a bout on 27 October. Adams seized a wooden chair and slammed it against Von Erich's skull in retaliation. Adams said that
13392-651: The top rope, which Snuka called the Superfly . During the late-1970s, Kevin established himself in the Dallas territory. His first major success came in 1978 while wrestling as a tag team with his younger brother David. During the year, they captured the NWA Texas Tag Team Championship on two occasions as well as the NWA American Tag Team Championship . On Christmas Day 1978, he established himself firmly in
13516-519: The trial, witnesses testified that most of the "big matches" and all of the championship bouts were fixed. By the 1930s, with the exception of the occasional double-cross or business dispute, shoot matches were essentially nonexistent. In April 1930, the New York State Athletic Commission decreed that all professional wrestling matches held in the state had to be advertised as exhibitions unless certified as contests by
13640-471: The truth, their audiences would desert them. Today's performers don't "protect" the industry like we did, but that's primarily because they've already exposed it by relying on silly or downright ludicrous characters and gimmicks to gain popularity with the fans. It was different in my day, when our product was presented as an authentic, competitive sport. We protected it because we believed it would collapse if we ever so much as implied publicly that it
13764-535: The way of proceedings: the "in-show" happenings, presented through the shows; and real-life happenings outside the work that have implications, such as performer contracts, legitimate injuries, etc. Because actual life events are often co-opted by writers for incorporation into storylines of performers, the lines between real life and fictional life are often blurred and become confused. Special discern must be taken with people who perform under their own name (such as Kurt Angle and his fictional persona ). The actions of
13888-420: The wrestlers quietly began faking their matches so that they could give their audiences a satisfying spectacle. Fixing matches was also convenient for scheduling. A real ("shoot") match could sometimes last hours, whereas a fixed ("worked") match can be made short, which was convenient for wrestlers on tour who needed to keep appointments or share venues. It also suited wrestlers who were aging and therefore lacked
14012-425: Was Wrestling As You Like It , which printed its first issue in 1946. These magazines were faithful to kayfabe . Before the advent of television, professional wrestling's fanbase largely consisted of children, the elderly, blue-collar workers and minorities. When television arose in the 1940s, professional wrestling got national exposure on prime-time television and gained widespread popularity. Professional wrestling
14136-710: Was a lumberjack hair vs. hair match between Adams and Hernandez and Kevin and Kerry Von Erich in October 1985 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The Von Erichs triumphed, leaving Adams and Hernandez with no hair, forcing them to temporarily wrestle in masks while their hair came back. Adams and Hernandez got divorced and got into a protracted fight. In this period, Adams started wrestling for Gary Hart's Texas All-Star Wrestling organization in San Antonio, and he soon started to turn face . In 1985 on Christmas night, Adams and Hernandez reunited to face The Cosmic Cowboys, which ended up being Kevin and Kerry Von Erich. Hernandez, claiming
14260-488: Was challenges from independent wrestlers. But a cartelized wrestler, if challenged, could credibly use his contractual obligations to his promoter as an excuse to refuse the challenge. Promotions would sometimes respond to challenges with "policemen": powerful wrestlers who lacked the charisma to become stars, but could defeat and often seriously injure any challenger in a shoot match. As the industry trend continued, there were fewer independent wrestlers to make such challenges in
14384-507: Was discovered to be deceased. Adams toured Japan in March 1986 for New Japan Pro Wrestling events. Still selling his blinding angle at the time, the matches never aired on World Class television. Adams returned to Texas All Star Wrestling and WCCW in April. He had several matches with Matt Borne, Blackjack Mulligan, Kabuki and Buzz Sawyer, and worked an angle with Rick Rude , whom he defeated for
14508-401: Was involved in a relationship with Jeanie Clarke , an English model, who worked ringside and managed his career from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. They had one daughter together, Jade. Adams later married Toni Collins on 20 December 1984 in Hawaii. They had a son together, Christopher Jr. They divorced on 15 August 1994, and Toni died on 24 June 2010 at the age of 45. Adams also fathered
14632-536: Was later uploaded to the online streaming service, the WWE Network , which launched in 2014. WWE also produced The Triumph and Tragedy of World Class in 2007, their own documentary on the territory. Kevin was also featured in the 2007 WWE produced DVD The Most Powerful Families in Wrestling in a segment on the Von Erich family. On April 4, 2009, Kevin represented the Von Erich family as they were inducted into
14756-571: Was previously considered a niche interest, but the TV networks at the time were short on content and thus were willing to try some wrestling shows. In the 1960s, however, the networks moved on to more mainstream interests such as baseball, and professional wrestling was dropped. The core audience then shrunk back to a profile similar to that of the 1930s. In 1989, Vince McMahon was looking to exempt his promotion (the World Wrestling Federation ) from sports licensing fees. To achieve this, he testified before
14880-526: Was skilled in various martial arts and had a black belt in judo. Along with competing in football, rugby, cricket, and amateur wrestling, he also spent four years studying architecture outside of athletics. Adams made his debut in professional wrestling in June 1978 without having received any real official training and instead relying on his judo experience. He was a wrestler for Joint Promotions and appeared on ITV 's World of Sport frequently. Adams did enjoy some championship success in England, taking home
15004-415: Was something other than what it appeared to be. I'm not sure now the fear was ever justified given the fact that the industry is still in existence today, but the point is no one questioned the need then. "Protecting the business" in the face of criticism and skepticism was the first and most important rule a pro wrestler learned. No matter how aggressive or informed the questioner, you never admitted
15128-417: Was the "world champion". Before the cartels, there were multiple wrestlers in the U.S. simultaneously calling themselves the "world champion", and this sapped public enthusiasm for professional wrestling. Likewise, the cartel could agree on a common set of match rules that the fans could keep track of. The issue over who got to be the champion and who controlled said champion was a major point of contention among
15252-526: Was the eldest child of Cyril and Jean Adams when he was born in Rugby, Warwickshire . He got into judo when he was nine years old and trained in it solely for 14 years. Together with his younger brother Neil , he went on to win judo national and international championships. Neil also won a silver medal at the 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics . Adams was a member of the British judo team for the 1976 Summer Olympics , however he never took part in any competitions. He
15376-544: Was the toughest wrestler he had ever wrestled in his career and he showed a great amount of respect for the British-born wrestler. Kevin had several close matches with NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair, including the main event of the 2nd David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions at Texas Stadium , but never won the title. After the failure of SuperClash III, in 1989, Kevin became very despondent over his father's decision to sell WCCW to Jerry Jarrett , who owned
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