Thrasher (wrestler)
Thrasher | |
---|---|
Birth name | Glenn Ruth |
Born | [1] Camden, New Jersey [1][2] | June 13, 1969
Children | 4 |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Frankie Favorite Glenn Ruth Guardian #2 Headbanger Thrash Sister Angelica The Spider Spider #2 Royal Spider Thrasher Thrash |
Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) [3] |
Billed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) [3] |
Trained by | Larry Sharpe [1][2] |
Debut | 1990 [1] |
Glenn Ruth (born June 13, 1969) is an American professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation, under the ring name, Thrasher. He is one-half of the tag team The Headbangers with Mosh. Ruth is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation between 1996 and 2000.[3][1][2]
Thrasher is a former NWA World Tag Team Champion and WWF World Tag Team Champion. After retiring in 2002, he returned to professional wrestling in 2011, reforming The Headbangers with Mosh and appearing on the independent circuit.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1990–1996)
Ruth grew up in South Jersey.[2] He trained as a wrestler under Larry Sharpe and debuted in 1990 as The Spider. He later became Sharpe's assistant and trained wrestlers such as the Big Show and others at Sharpe's "Monster Factory". Among the wrestlers trained by Sharpe and Ruth was Chaz Warrington, Ruth's future tag team partner. Ruth made a number of appearances for the World Wrestling Federation in the early 1990s including a losing effort against Marty Jannetty on the second ever episode of Raw, competing under his given name as an enhancement talent.
World Wrestling Federation (1996-2000)
Ruth is best known for his appearances with the WWF in the late 1990s, where he formed a successful tag team with his old training classmate Chaz Warrington. Warrington and Ruth were best known in the WWF as The Headbangers: Ruth wrestled as Thrasher, while Warrington wrestled as Mosh. Both men debuted in the World Wrestling Federation on the November 24, 1996 episode of Superstars as the Headbangers. The Headbangers were a team that portrayed a pair of metal fans and were known for their outrageous costumes, which usually featured nose rings and kilts. They captured the vacant WWF World Tag Team Championships on September 7, 1997 by defeating three other teams in a four team tag match at Ground Zero. They lost the titles to The Godwinns on October 5 of that same year.
The Headbangers split in 1999 when Ruth suffered a knee injury and Warrington began pursuing a singles career, but reformed in late 1999 on the October 10 edition of Sunday Night Heat when Ruth came to Warrington's aid during a domestic violence angle, which saw him vilified by other wrestlers and officials alike for a number of weeks. Ruth had presented video footage of Warrington's (kayfabe) girlfriend Marianna Komlos putting on makeup to make it seem as if Warrington had been abusing her. The police officers arresting Warrington then uncuffed him and arrested Komlos for her lies. Shortly thereafter the two began appearing regularly as a team again, but were now heels and inexplicably came to the ring wearing cone brassieres which they wore while they wrestled.
In 2000, Ruth took part in the match for the Hardcore Championship at WrestleMania 2000. He held the title for 37 seconds, pinning Joey Abs and then being pinned by Pete Gas. After the Headbangers split for the second time and Warrington went on to team with D'Lo Brown, Ruth continued to wrestle in singles competition mainly on WWF Jakked and was released from the WWF later that year.
Independent circuit (2000-2002)
After his release from the WWF, Ruth continued to wrestle until 2002 in independent promotions before retiring from professional wrestling.
Return to the independent circuit (2011-2014)
In 2011, The Headbangers reformed and have been wrestling on the independent circuit once again. In June 2012, Thrasher and Mosh debuted in Ring of Honor as The Guardians of Truth, a masked tag team managed by Truth Martini. As of 2014, Thrasher now wrestles for independent promotion Championship Wrestling Entertainment in Port St. Lucie, FL. On November 14, 2014, Thrasher defeated Chico Adams to become the CWE Heavyweight Champion.
Return to WWE (2016–present)
On August 26, 2016 it was reported that Mosh and Thrasher would return to WWE, as part of the SmackDown brand. They lost their return match to Heath Slater and Rhyno on the August 30, 2016 edition of SmackDown.[4] They fought The Usos for a spot at Survivor Series, but lost again. They have since teamed with other villainous teams, suggesting Mosh and Thrasher are heels.
Personal life
Ruth is married with four children.[2]
Upon retiring from professional wrestling in 2002, Ruth began working in restaurant management and marketing.[2] Ruth is currently the General Manager of YouFit Health Club in Greenacres, Florida.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Stage Dive (Diving leg drop and powerbomb combination) with Mosh
- Signature moves
- Vertical suplex
- Open-handed chop
- Dropkick
- Inverted sitout suplex
- Scoop powerslam
- Headbutt, sometimes while falling on the opponent's groin
- Managers
- Wrestlers trained by Thrasher
Championships and accomplishments
- Blackburn Wrestling Alliance
- BWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Greg Spitz
- Championship Wrestling Entertainment
- CWE Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Fighting Evolution Wrestling
- FEW Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) - with Mosh[5]
- HWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mosh[6]
- Insane Championship Wrestling
- ICW Streetfight Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mosh
- MECW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mosh
- MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mosh[7]
- Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
- MEWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mosh
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mosh
- National Wrestling League
- NWL Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mosh
- New England Wrestling Federation
- NEWF Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Mosh
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him # 110 of the Top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1997.
- Texas Wrestling Alliance
- TWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mosh
- World Wrestling Association (New Jersey)
- WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time)[9]
- WWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mosh[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Thrasher". Cagematch.de. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Where Are They Now? The Headbangers". WWE.com. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Thrasher". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
- ^ http://www.wrestlingnewsworld.com/headbangers-returning-wwe-dana-white-vince-mcmahon-working-together-wwe-star-kicked-off-airplane-big-ufc-star-bellator/
- ^ http://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=162744
- ^ "HWA Tag Team Title History". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
- ^ "MCW Tag Team Championship". Maryland Championship Wrestling. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
- ^ a b Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "History of the Hardcore Championship". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
- ^ "The Headbangers' first reign". WWE. Retrieved May 18, 2010.