Terry Szopinski

Terry Szopinski
Ring name(s)	The Warlord Super Assassin #2
Billed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Billed weight	323 lb (147 kg; 23.1 st)
Born	March 28, 1962 (1962-03-28) Pompano Beach, Florida
Resides	Pompano Beach, Florida
Trained by	Eddie Sharkey
Debut	1986

Terry Scott Szopinski (born March 28, 1962) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name The Warlord and for his tenures in Jim Crockett Promotions and the World Wrestling Federation as one half of the Powers of Pain alongside The Barbarian.

Professional wrestling career

National Wrestling Alliance / Jim Crockett Promotions

In 1986 while working out at a gym in Minnesota, Szopinski met its owner Joe Laurinaitis, better known as the professional wrestler Road Warrior Animal. After coming up with possible ring names with Sharkey and Animal, Szopinski adopted The Warlord as his ring name and sent some photos of his work to Dusty Rhodes. Soon afterwards, Rhodes hired him and he began wrestling for the National Wrestling Alliance's Jim Crockett Promotions later that year. After a brief stint in JCP, the territory's owner Jim Crockett, Jr. sent him to the Kansas City-based Central States Wrestling territory for more training. While there, he teamed with Karl Kovac and won the territory's Tag Team Championship on June 8, 1987 in a tournament. However, he and Kovac were soon stripped of the title when Kovac was fired and Szopinski travelled to Japan for more training.

The Powers of Pain

In late 1987, Szopinski returned to Jim Crockett Promotions under his Warlord name and began teaming with Ivan Koloff with Paul Jones as their manager. In 1988, he then formed a permanent tag team with The Barbarian known as the Powers of Pain, the heel counterparts to the Road Warriors, while retaining Jones as their manager.

While continuing to team Koloff, the Powers of Pain feuded heavily with the Road Warriors, and defeated them and Dusty Rhodes for the World Six-Man Tag Team Championship. To continue the feud, JCP management wanted them to do some scaffold matches against the Warriors, but this was met with opposition from Szopinski and Vailahi over fears of injury. As a result, they both left JCP and joined the World Wrestling Federation, vacating the Six–Man Tag Team Title in the process.

World Wrestling Federation

Upon their arrival in the WWF, the Powers were faces, initially managed by Tito Santana, and feuded with World Tag Team Champions Demolition (Ax and Smash), who had defeated Strike Force (Santana and Rick Martel) for the title and then injured Martel (kayfabe). The Powers were introduced as mercenaries to help Martel and Santana gain revenge on Demolition for both the title loss and the injury to Martel. They were soon after managed by The Baron.

At Survivor Series, the Powers' team defeated Demolition's team in tag team elimination match, with the Powers being the sole survivors of their team. After the match, Demolition's manager Mr. Fuji double-crossed them and after they beat him up and left, the Powers came to his aid, gaining Fuji as their manager in the process, in return for which his interference helped the Powers eliminate the last remaining opponents, the Conquistadors. Afterwards, the Powers and Fuji celebrated until Demolition returned and drove them from the ring. As a result, the Powers became villains while Demolition became fan favorites. In 1989, Szopinski entered the Royal Rumble at number 21. He was eliminated by Hulk Hogan and lasted two seconds, a record which stood for twenty years broken by Santino Marella at the 2009 Royal Rumble. At WrestleMania V, the Powers of Pain teamed with Fuji in a losing effort to Demolition in a match for the World Tag Team Championship.

In early 1990, the Powers of Pain split, with Fuji selling Barbarian's contract to Bobby "The Brain" Heenan while selling Warlord's contract to Slick. After the team's split, Warlord received an attire change, where he abandoned his Road Warrior-like reverse mohawk and face paint and instead shaved his head and began wearing black armor and a black metal Phantom of the Opera half-face mask to the ring. He also brought a metal staff topped with a "W" with him to his matches, and used it as a weapon on occasion. On April 17, 1992, Szopinski lost to Virgil in his final match for the WWF.

Injury and retirement

After leaving the WWF for the independent circuit, Szopinski wrestled two matches in World Championship Wrestling in 1996, one of which was a tag team match where he and Vailahi reunited as the masked Super Assassins. However, he was forced to retire from wrestling due to suffering neck injuries in a car accident involving a Pizza Hut delivery van in 1996.

After attempting a comeback in 2001, Szopinski was sidelined yet again after suffering severe leg damage in a motorcycle accident. During his recovery, he retired from wrestling and began training as a security guard and started providing his services for Relief Group International, an auto relief group. He soon extended his services into bodyguarding, and worked alongside celebrities such as 50 Cent, Thomas Jones and Kimbo Slice, the latter of whom nicknamed Szopinski "The Wall".

Return to wrestling

On January 10, 2003, Szopinski made his first wrestling-related appearance in years as he acted as a special guest referee for Hardkore Championship Wrestling in a match between Christian York and Reckless Youth, which Youth won. On January 25, he made his official in-ring return under his Warlord name and character as he defeated Joe Gomez. After wrestling regularly throughout the rest of 2003 and 2004, Warlord wrestled at the first WrestleReunion on January 29, 2005, where he competed in a battle royal for the IWA Heavyweight Championship. However, he was eliminated by Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, who would go on to win the match and the title. On April 29, 2006, he defeated Chaz to win the Maximum Xtreme Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Championship, his first singles title.

Personal life

Szopinski met Chris Jericho early in Jericho's career, and helped him out with food issues while they traveled together overseas and in Japan. Dave Batista cites Szopinski as his all-time favorite wrestler.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Diving clothesline
  • Full nelson
  • Running powerslam

• Signature moves
  • Bearhug
  • Chokeslam
  • Elbow drop

• With The Barbarian
  • Finishing moves
    • Electric chair (Warlord) / Diving clothesline (Barbarian) combination
    • Running powerslam by Warlord followed by a diving headbutt by Barbarian
  • Signature moves
    • Aided diving crossbody
    • Double shoulder block

• Managers
  • Baby Doll
  • Paul Jones
  • The Baron
  • Mr. Fuji
  • Slick
  • Harvey Wippleman
  • Col. Robert Parker

Wrestlers trained by Warlord

• Dale Torborg

Championships and accomplishments

• Central States Wrestling
  • NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Karl Kovac

• Jim Crockett Promotions
  • NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ivan Koloff and The Barbarian

• Maximum Xtreme Pro Wrestling
  • MXPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #75 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1991

• Universal Superstars of America
  • USA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• World Wide Wrestling Alliance
  • WWWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • WWWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The Barbarian

• Wrestle Association R
  • WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bob Backlund and Scott Putski

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Worst Tag Team (1989) with The Barbarian