Oklafan.com v5 Beta > News > WWE Hall of Fame honors local wrestling legends

Home
News

WWE Hall of Fame honors local wrestling legends

Posted: Mar 31st 2011 By: mikeiles

Saturday night, before the celebrity-studded spectacle of WrestleMania XXVII hits the Georgia Dome on Sunday, World Wrestling Entertainment pays tribute to some of the industry legends with its Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Philips Arena. Having just celebrated the tenth anniversary of its purchase of chief rival, Atlanta-based World Championship Wrestling, this year?s class of inductees is a fitting tribute to some of the talent that helped make Atlanta a strong wrestling town.

One of the men largely responsible for Atlanta?s enduring wrestling legacy is ?Bullet? Bob Armstrong, a Georgia native best known for his in-ring work in the '70s and '80s. And his four sons have kept his tradition alive, with B.G. James (aka ?The Road Dogg? Jesse James) being a fixture in WWE?s ?Attitude Era? of the '90s and Scott currently a WWE referee.

Fellow Georgian Cody Rhodes, son of 2007 inductee Dusty Rhodes, has fond memories of his father and Armstrong wrestling later in their careers.

?I knew ?Bullet? Bob not really from his prominent and great run that he had early in his career, but later when we were running Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling in Carrollton, Georgia,? says Cody. ?My dad, at 50-something years old, was teamed up with ?Bullet? Bob and [Armstrong] was still just as popular with that crowd of 400 as he was with crowds of thousands from earlier on in his career. It?s a really good thing for Georgia and a nice thing for me to see another family given their moment to shine.?

Teddy Long, acting general manager of WWE?s Friday night show ?SmackDown,? recalls working with Armstrong when Long was refereeing and managing wrestlers locally in the '80s.

?He was a great guy to work with,? says Long. ?I grew up with all his kids, so I know that family very well. I think it?s a great thing for him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He?s a great wrestler [who] did a lot for our business and I certainly believe he deserves it.?

The unorthodox Abdullah the Butcher (aka Larry Shreve), known for bloodying his opponents (and himself) in the ring, also spent a few years wrestling in Georgia. Today he owns Abdullah the Butcher?s House of Ribs and Chinese Food in southwest Atlanta.

?I managed him a couple of times when I was in WCW,? says legendary manager ?The Mouth of the South? Jimmy Hart, class of 2005. ?In Puerto Rico I was with Abdullah the Butcher on several big matches, so I?m definitely happy to see him inducted.?

The most recent addition to this year?s Hall of Fame class are the Road Warriors, the late Michael ?Hawk? Hegstrand and Joe ?Animal? Laurinaitis. Hawk and Animal dominated the local tag team scene in the '80s before going to WWE in the '90s. The team will always be remembered for some of its classic bouts at the old Omni and other local venues.

Before he entered the ring, ?Hacksaw? Jim Duggan was a member of the Atlanta Falcons. Duggan wrestled briefly for Georgia Championship Wrestling before making a name for himself as a two-by-four-toting WWE tough guy in '80s and '90s. Former local rival ?The Million Dollar Man? Ted DiBiase (class of 2010) inducts Duggan this year.

Perhaps the biggest name in this year?s Hall of Fame class is Shawn Michaels, who retired after last year?s WrestleMania. Though he is billed as being from San Antonio and began his career in the Oklahoma area, even Michaels has some tangential ties to Atlanta?s wrestling history.

?A lot of people don?t know that his theme song is a song that me and my partner wrote for him so many years ago,? says Hart, who got his start in Atlanta and Memphis. ?I was happy to be a part of that and with him being inducted, I?m like a proud father.?

WWE?s current roster continues to have many local ties, as evidenced by the WrestleMania XXVII card. Jerry ?The King? Lawler (class of 2007), who, at age 61, will be competing in his first WrestleMania, adopted his royal gimmick when a local grappler named Bobby Shane lent Lawler his robe and crown to use on Memphis TV in the '70s. Cody Rhodes, who still lives in Marietta, is set to take on Rey Mysterio, who was a staple of WCW?s heyday. And even current WWE Champion Mike ?The Miz? Mizanin won his first title in 2005 in Deep South Wrestling, a now-defunct McDonough-based developmental territory for WWE.

?There?s a lot of history in Atlanta,? says Long. ?It?s always been a great wrestling town and this thing is going to be really big and we?re all looking forward to it.?

2011 WWE Hall of Fame inductees:

?The Heartbreak Kid? Shawn Michaels

?Hacksaw? Jim Duggan

?Bullet? Bob Armstrong

Sunny

Drew Carey

Abdullah the Butcher

The Road Warriors Hawk & Animal (with ?Precious? Paul Ellering)

8 p.m.-11 p.m. Saturday. $29-$90.90. Philips Arena, 1 Philips Drive, Atlanta. 404-878-3000, www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/wrestlemaniaweek/, www.philipsarena.com.

6:30 p.m.-11 p.m. Sunday. $25-$1,050.35. Georgia Dome, 1 Georgia Dome Drive, Atlanta. 404-223-4636, wm27.wwe.com/, www.gadome.com.

Tags: WWE, WCW, Dusty Rhodes, Abdullah the Butcher, Jim Duggan, Ted DiBiase, Jerry Lawler, Bobby Shane

Supplemental Information

Spotlight in History

1969 Fritz Von Erich became the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
1985 King Parsons def. John Tatum for the WCCW Television Title
2005 Mitch Carter def. Kenny Campbell for the SRPW X Division Title
2006 J. T. LaMotta def. John O'Malley for the IZW Cruiserweight Title
2017 MVP def. Damon Windsor for the IWR Heavyweight Title
2017 Spirit Squad (Kenny [1st] & Mikey [1st]) def. Excellence Personified (Duke Swellington & Dustin Heritage) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
2022 Tego def. Mr. Wobble for the TexPro Texas Title
2023 Wolf of War def. Martin Justice for the EPW International Title
2023 Johnny Dynamite def. Johnny Lightning for the WFC Prime Title
2023 Native Law (Sheriff Schultz & Nashoba) def. K. O. A. (Caine Carter & Devion Black) for the NCWO Tag Team Titles
2023 Malik Mayfield def. Clayton Bloodstone for the NCWO Choctaw Nation Title
2023 Dominik Whiteheart def. Luke Richmond for the NCWO United States Title

Week of Sun 10-18 to Sat: 10-24

10-18 2009 Carnage def. Spoiler 2000 for the NWA-OK Oklahoma Heavyweight Title
10-18 2019 Tego def. Prince Mahalli for the ASP Inter-County Title
10-18 2019 Will Allday def. J. D. Griffey for the TexPro Heavyweight Title
10-18 2024 Luther Zay Diamond def. Brandon Warhawk for the MajCW Flawless Title
10-18 2024 Nashoba became the MajCW Wetumka Indian Community Centre Champion
10-18 2024 Auzzy def. Kari Wright for the TexPro Dynasty Title
10-18 2024 The Strays (Barrett Brown & Izzy James) def. K. O. A. (Caine Carter & Devion Black) for the TexPro Tag Team Titles
10-19 1976 Karl Kox & Ken Patera became the TSW United States Tag Team Champions
10-19 2013 Tyson Jaymes def. Brock Landers for the SWCW All-American Title
10-19 2013 The K. C. Wolves (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) def. Nasty Swag (Ace Archuleta & Robert Lee) for the UWE Tag Team Titles
10-19 2013 Jon Cross def. Anarchy [2nd] for the UWE Heavyweight Title
10-19 2014 Jon Cross def. Robert Lee for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
10-19 2019 Luke Langley became the WFC Hometown Heroes Champion
10-19 2024 Anarchy [2nd] def. Damien Morte for the EPW Internet Television Title
10-19 2024 E-Bone def. Trench Blythe for the EPW International Title
10-20 1969 Danny Hodge def. Chuck Karbo for the TSW North American Title
10-20 1971 Bill Watts became the TSW North American Champion
10-20 1986 Crusher Yurkov def. Steve Simpson for the WCCW Television Title
10-20 2001 The Texas Outlaws (Beau Dalton & Butch Dalton) def. The VIP Crew (Rocco Valentino & Vinnie Valentino) for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
10-20 2001 Amanda St. George became the OPW Oklahoma Womens Champion
10-20 2001 Big Daddy Moore became the OPW Oklahoma Hardcore Champion
10-20 2007 Chris Fury became the SECW Light Heavyweight Champion
10-20 2007 Impact, Inc. (John Zorthos & Bernie Donderwitz) def. Team Shenanigans (Tyler Bateman & Kenny Campbell) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
10-20 2007 Tyson Armstrong became the SECW Heavyweight Champion
10-20 2007 The Texas Outlaws (Bobby Burns & Dan Wilder) became the SECW Tag Team Champions
10-20 2012 Kevin James Sanchez def. Austin Tacious for the SWCW All-American Title
10-20 2012 The Static Knights (X-Statik & Keith Knight) def. Dynamic Storm (Justin Dynamic & Daemon Storm) for the UWE Tag Team Titles
10-20 2018 Fuel def. Alex Royal for the UWE Heavyweight Title
10-20 2018 Galaxy Cruzers (Paul Puertorico & Steven Cruze) became the UWE Tag Team Champions
10-20 2018 Dusty Gold became the UWE Apex Champion
10-20 2018 Anarchy [2nd] def. Dusty Gold for the UWE Apex Title
10-21 1969 Fritz Von Erich became the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
10-21 1985 King Parsons def. John Tatum for the WCCW Television Title
10-21 2005 Mitch Carter def. Kenny Campbell for the SRPW X Division Title
10-21 2006 J. T. LaMotta def. John O'Malley for the IZW Cruiserweight Title
10-21 2017 MVP def. Damon Windsor for the IWR Heavyweight Title
10-21 2017 Spirit Squad (Kenny [1st] & Mikey [1st]) def. Excellence Personified (Duke Swellington & Dustin Heritage) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
10-21 2022 Tego def. Mr. Wobble for the TexPro Texas Title
10-21 2023 Wolf of War def. Martin Justice for the EPW International Title
10-21 2023 Johnny Dynamite def. Johnny Lightning for the WFC Prime Title
10-21 2023 Native Law (Sheriff Schultz & Nashoba) def. K. O. A. (Caine Carter & Devion Black) for the NCWO Tag Team Titles
10-21 2023 Malik Mayfield def. Clayton Bloodstone for the NCWO Choctaw Nation Title
10-21 2023 Dominik Whiteheart def. Luke Richmond for the NCWO United States Title
10-22 1984 The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers & Bobby Fulton) def. The Long Riders (Bill Irwin & Scott Irwin) for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
10-22 2005 Big Van Vader def. Aaron Neil for the IZW Heavyweight Title
10-22 2005 Carnage def. John O'Malley for the IZW Hardcore Title
10-22 2005 Ryan Davidson became the MSWA Mid-South Cruiserweight Champion
10-22 2005 The Lone Shining Star def. Tyler Bateman for the MSWA Tri-State Title
10-22 2005 Michael Faith def. Outlaw for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title
10-22 2005 The Real Impact Players (Aaron Neil & Se7en) def. The Red Dirt Outlaws (Devon Monroe & Kevin James) for the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Titles
10-22 2011 Fuel def. Jonathan Cross for the UWE Heavyweight Title
10-22 2022 Justin Lee def. Koko for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
10-22 2022 Dutch Hagen def. Wesley Crane for the WFC Heavyweight Title
10-22 2023 Tunnel Vision (Derek James & Logan Knight) became the BPW Oklahoma Tag Team Champions
10-22 2023 Luke Richmond def. Brandon Groom for the BPW Oklahoma Title
10-22 2023 Trench Blythe def. El Gallardo for the BPW Lion Heart Title
10-22 2023 The Stage Dive Mafia (Rook Tyler & Axel Savage) def. Native Law (Sheriff Schultz & Nashoba) for the NCWO Tag Team Titles
10-23 1965 Lee Fields & Bobby Fields became the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Champions
10-23 1967 Spoiler #1 & Gary Hart def. Brute Bernard & Mike Paidousis for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
10-23 1968 Manuel Perez & Pepe Perez def. The Blue Demons (Blue Demon #1 & Blue Demon #2) for the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Titles
10-23 1988 Jerry Lawler def. Kerry Von Erich for the WCCW World Title
10-23 2003 Payton Scott def. Chris Matthews for the ACW Heavyweight Title
10-23 2005 Matt Garza & Mr. Brown def. Brandon Bishop & John Zorthos for the ACW Tag Team Titles
10-23 2005 Pretty Young Things (Cade Sydal & Mitch Carter) def. Matt Garza & Mr. Brown for the ACW Tag Team Titles
10-23 2011 Javi Hernandez became the UWF06 Heavyweight Champion
10-23 2015 Vinny Pacheco def. Buster Cherry for the MSWA Oklahoma Title
10-23 2015 The Creepsters (Buster Cherry & Mr. Barnes) became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champions
10-23 2021 Richie Adams def. Tommy Dean for the WFC Prime Title
10-23 2021 Toxic Masculinity (Johnny Lightning & Johnny Dynamite) def. The Space Age Cowboys (Paul Puertorico & Jason Jones) for the WFC Tag Team Titles
10-23 2021 Luke Langley def. Alex Royal for the WFC Heavyweight Title
10-24 1983 Jimmy Garvin def. Chris Adams for the WCCW Television Title
10-24 1998 The VIP Crew (Rocco Valentino & Vinnie Valentino) def. The Texas Outlaws (Dan Wilder & Bernard Funk) for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
10-24 2004 Se7en def. John O'Malley for the ACW Hardcore Title
10-24 2009 Xavior became the SWCW Cruiserweight Champion
10-24 2009 Dawn of Extreme (Ty Thunder & Crucifer) def. Texas, Inc. (Tim Rockwell & Bernard Funk) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
10-24 2009 The South Side Soul Assassins (Tyson Jaymes & 3rd Rail) def. The Good Ol' Boys (Bud Barnes & Moonshine) for the SWCW Tag Team Titles
10-24 2009 The Good Ol' Boys (Bud Barnes & Moonshine) became the SWCW Tag Team Champions
10-24 2009 Rated N (Crisstopher Crow & Shane Sanchez) def. The Good Ol' Boys (Bud Barnes & Moonshine) for the SWCW Tag Team Titles
10-24 2020 Sam Stackhouse def. Alex Royal for the WFC Heavyweight Title
10-24 2021 Ryan the Ripper def. Drake Gallows for the EPW Internet Television Title
10-24 2025 Merc def. Riker for the BUW This Is Wrestling Title

10-21

Devan Scott Oct 21st Today!
Bushwacker Butch Oct 21st Today!
Tom Jones Oct 22nd
Porkchop Cash Oct 22nd
George Knight Oct 22nd
Red Eagle Oct 23rd
Bobby Lambert Oct 24th
Bill Dundee Oct 24th
Ray Durán Oct 24th
Daniel Powers Oct 24th
Phil Shark Oct 25th
Sheriff Schultz Oct 25th
Paige Turner Oct 25th
Double D Oct 25th
Halo Oct 26th
Eddie Williams Oct 26th
Anthony Wayne Oct 26th
Troy Graham Oct 26th
Miss Linda Oct 27th
AWOL Oct 27th
Doberman [2nd] Oct 27th
MVP Oct 28th
Jake Boulder Oct 28th
Mike Sharpe, Jr. Oct 28th
Chris Smith Oct 28th
D. J. Hall Oct 29th
Paul Orndorff Oct 29th
Mischief Oct 29th
Jesse Beeler Oct 30th
Debbie Combs Oct 30th
Brandon Bishop Oct 30th
George Wells Oct 30th
Danny McShain Oct 30th
Jayson Boss Oct 31st
Big Daddy Moore Nov 1st
Dutch Hagen Nov 1st
Bugsy McGraw Nov 1st
Mike Davis [2nd] Nov 2nd
Rob Barnes Nov 3rd
Kenny Silva Nov 3rd
Dylan Michaels Nov 3rd
Stephen Nitro Nov 3rd
Michael La Noy Nov 3rd
Korstia Korchenko Nov 3rd

1969 Fritz Von Erich became the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
1985 King Parsons def. John Tatum for the WCCW Television Title
2005 Mitch Carter def. Kenny Campbell for the SRPW X Division Title
2006 J. T. LaMotta def. John O'Malley for the IZW Cruiserweight Title
2017 MVP def. Damon Windsor for the IWR Heavyweight Title
2017 Spirit Squad (Kenny [1st] & Mikey [1st]) def. Excellence Personified (Duke Swellington & Dustin Heritage) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
2022 Tego def. Mr. Wobble for the TexPro Texas Title
2023 Wolf of War def. Martin Justice for the EPW International Title
2023 Johnny Dynamite def. Johnny Lightning for the WFC Prime Title
2023 Native Law (Sheriff Schultz & Nashoba) def. K. O. A. (Caine Carter & Devion Black) for the NCWO Tag Team Titles
2023 Malik Mayfield def. Clayton Bloodstone for the NCWO Choctaw Nation Title
2023 Dominik Whiteheart def. Luke Richmond for the NCWO United States Title

More Look Back In History

Card Results

Current Champions

Texoma Pro Wrestling

Heavyweight Champion
Exodus Prime

Tag Team Champions: RevolutionX
Red River Champion: Axl Savage
Dynasty Champion: Rook Tyler