Jump to content

Brian Adams (wrestler)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Shockeroo (talk | contribs) at 11:51, 14 December 2006 (Removed Bryan Adams Quotes). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the professional wrestler. For other people with a similar name, see Brian Adams.
Brian Adams
File:Brian Adams.jpg
BornApril 14, 1964
Kona, Hawaii
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Demolition Crush
Crush
Kona Crush
Brian Adams
B.A.
The Demon
Billed height6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Billed weight315 lb (143 kg)
Trained byTatsumi Fujinami
Antonio Inoki
Debut1986
Retired2003

Brian Adams (born April 14, 1964 in Kona, Hawaii) is a former actor and professional wrestler who performed for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He has had several gimmicks, the most notable of which is Crush.

Career

Early career in PNW

Brian Adams started wrestling in 1986 in Portland, Oregon's Pacific Northwest Wrestling. Starting out with the nickname "American Ninja", he was in a tag team called The Wrecking Crew with The Grappler, better known as Len Denton. They held the Pacific Northwest Tag Team title and feuded with Steve Doll and Rex King, among other teams. He also captured the Pacific Northwest Heavyweight title in 1990, defeating Larry Oliver in a tournament final in Portland on April 21, 1990. He lost the title to Scott Norton on May 12, 1990 in Portland.

World Wrestling Federation: The First Stint (1990-1991)

The popular tag team Demolition needed a third member to substitute for Ax, who was suffering from health problems. In 1990, Brian Adams was introduced as Crush, the third member of Demolition, turning the tag team into a stable. After Ax left the team, Crush is considered to have been awarded one-half of the WWF World Tag Team Championship as Demolition Ax and Smash had been the reigning champions. However, the debut of the Road Warriors in the WWF later that year, along with the abscence of founding Demolition member Ax, greatly diminished the popularity of Demolition; who were widely regarded as an imitation of the Warriors, and the stable was soon disbanded.

Return to PNW (1991-1992)

Adams, still using the Demolition Crush gimmick, returned to PNW after leaving the WWF and won a second Pacific Northwest Heavyweight title on October 12, 1991 in Portland by defeating Rip Oliver by submission to the full Nelson, sending Oliver into retirement due to a neck injury inflicted by the hold. This time around, Adams was a more dominant champion, defending the title until he lost it to Ron Harris on January 18, 1992 in Portland. He also teamed with former rival Steve Doll to win the Pacific Northwest Tag Team title, upending The Bruise Brothers for the championship on July 27, 1991 in Portland.

World Wrestling Federation: The Second Stint (1992-1998)

After later returning to the WWF, he had numerous other gimmicks as Crush, including a surfing Hawaiian, an evil ally of Japan, and a biker. He was a member of the Nation of Domination and later the leader of the Disciples of Apocalypse. He also wrestled with Road Warrior Animal as the New Legion of Doom after Road Warrior Hawk was released due to substance abuse problems, but the duo was only used on house shows and never made it to television.

As a singles wrestler, Crush was first known as good-hearted surfing strongman from Hawaii who often wore bright fluorescent colours and used a head-vice finishing move known as the 'Kona Crush'. He first feuded with his former tag team partner Smash (who at the time was Repo Man) and the two clashed at the 1992 Summerslam. Crush then engaged in a fued with Doink The Clown which began when the prankster Doink attacked Crush with a prosthetic arm. The rivalry culminated at Wrestlemania IX where it was revealed that there were in-fact two Doinks. In 1993 Crush was injured in a WWF Title Match match by Yokozuna and had to take several months off (kayfabe). When he returned in autumn, he attacked his onscreen friend Randy Savage because Savage had failed to contact him during his reconvalesence. Crush dropped Savage on the guardrail giving him a lacerated tongue, and allied himself with Yokozuna, Mr Fuji and Japan. This led to a falls count anywhere match at WrestleMania X. During that time, he changed his trademark florescent colours to purple, silver and black, began painting his face and was sometimes referred to as Kona Crush.

After an abscence from WWF TV and a breif return at the 1995 Royal Rumble; Adams was arrested and jailed for purchasing steroids and owning an illegal stun gun in Hawaii. This led to his release from the WWF as Vince McMahon enacted a no tolerance drug policy following his 1994 acquittal on federal charges of steroid distribution. His incarceration was introduced as part of a storyline on Monday Night RAW when Crush was brought back to the WWF at the beginning of the Monday Night Wars in 1996. Crush was at first managed by Clarence Mason and then became a member of the Nation of Domination along with Faarooq and Savio Vega. After he & Vega were kicked out the group in favour of Ahmed Johnson & Kama Mustafa; he helped form and lead the Disciples of Apocalypse, a wrestling biker gang, who fueded with Faarooq's NOD and Savio Vega's Los Boricuas. In 1997, Adams left the WWF, apparently protesting the Bret Hart/Vince McMahon incident. In reality, he felt because the WWF was losing the war to WCW, he would fare better there.

He was the first WWF superstar to feature in a Bollywood movie "Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi" (1996). In the movie, he played "Crush" and was killed by "The Undertaker" in a wrestling match.

Adams shares a dubious honor with The Dudley Boyz for having the worst record at WrestleMania. His record stands at 0-4. His losses include:

World Championship Wrestling (1998-2001)

Adams signed with WCW in 1998, where he was part of the nWo and nWo Hollywood. As a lower card performer, he often tag teamed with the likes of Scott Norton and Stevie Ray and would occasionally be placed in a squash match against smaller and lesser known wrestlers. Of his most notable matches with the promotion would include a tag team tournament steel cage match on WCW Thunder in February 1999. He and Horace Hogan would lose to Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko that night.

Later, he was used as the original Demon, a take off of Gene Simmons of the band KISS. This saw him emerging from an iron maiden with a rendition of "God Of Thunder" as his entry way theme. The gimmick didn't work for Adams as he made only one appearance as the Demon. Dale Torborg took over that gimmick, while Adams went into tag wrestling again. He formed a team with Bryan Clark called Kronik, who won the WCW World Tag Team Championship twice. As with Demolition, Kronik were very much an imitation of another tag team, as they adopted the same "muscle for hire" business gimmick as the APA had at the same time in the WWF.

World Wrestling Federation: The Third Stint (2001)

Adams, along with Clark appeared as Kronik in WWF in 2001 as part of the Alliance storyline. During their time in WWF, they were managed by Steven Richards and had a short feud with Undertaker and Kane. But after just 21 days, Adams was released by WWF. According to Wrestle View, WWF management felt that Adams and Clark needed to brush up on their mat skills and, thus, sent them to Ohio Valley Wrestling before their eventual and complete absence.

Boxing Career (2002)

After briefly trying a career as a boxer in 2002, Adams retired due to spinal and shoulder injuries.

Wrestling facts

File:Demolition 3.jpg
Adams as Crush (far right) as a member of Demolition
  • Finishing and signature moves
  • As Demolition Crush
  • As Crush
  • As Brian Adams
  • Managers
  • Quotes
  • "Shaka, Brah"
  • "We're all about breakin' necks & cashin' checks."
  • "It's all about the KroniK"

Championships and accomplishments

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brian_Adams_(wrestler)&oldid=94266685"