On April 4, 2009, Ware was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by The Honky Tonk Man. Perfect on the January 7, 1989, episode of Saturday Night's Main Event XIX, while at the 1990 Survivor Series, Ware became the first wrestler to fall victim to The Undertaker's Tombstone piledriver in the Undertaker's WWF debut match. When Dutch Mantel returned to the CWA in early 1981 he quickly defeated Ware for the TV title making Ware's first run with the gold a short one. He debuted in 1978 and became widely popular in 1986. Best wishes to Koko B Ware. RELATED: 10 Forgotten WWE Hall Of Famers: Where Are They Now? In April 2007, he wrestled in a tag match (while managed by special guest Slick Rick) and lost at Ultimate Clash of the Legends '07 headlined by Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Wight (Big Show). . On June 20, 1957 James Ware, better known by his ring name Koko B. Ware, was born in Union City, Tennessee. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Bushwhacker Luke, where he teamed with Bushwhacker Butch as The Bushwhackers. From the Philadelphia Spectrum, February 1987. On February 15, 2011, Ware made an appearance on Tosh.0. He was also a great performer during his time in the company but would. Koko would beat the shit out of some guys for no reason. He continued wrestling in the promotion through the remainder of the year. February 1, 1986. Eaton and Sweet Brown Sugar contested a series of grudge matches centered around the Mid-America title and their issues with each other. Watch every Premium Live Event and get unlimited access to WWE's premium content - available to you anywhere, anytime, on any device. here's a humorous take on that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Z3G389ybY. Thomas Prichard is a retired American professional wrestler and author. Unlike in many squash matches, Koko came out still looking strong despite losing the match.. After leaving the WWF, Koko made a few appearances for the American Wrestling Federation but did not become a regular before going into semi-retirement in 1995. [24] He fought (and was defeated by) Rob Conway on the October 28, 2005, edition of WWE Heat . Wrestling. He previously wrestled for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation. [9] The two men soon began wearing red leather jackets, and each had a single white glove on, in an obvious imitation of Michael Jackson to further enhance their "pretty boy" image. 0. Right hand from Koko, Santana back with a couple forearm shots. [21] Koko picked up his first victory of his return by defeating Bastion Booger on the April 16, 1994, episode of WWF Mania . The class-action lawsuit involved a list of former WWE wrestlers. It turned out that the Macaw was stuck inside the house in his cage as the fire roared around him. He debuted in 1978 and became widely popular in 1986, in the World Wrestling Federation, where he went from strong mid-carder to jobber to the stars. He started in the territories, working in Georgia, Mid-South, Memphis and elsewhere. He wrestled in regional promotions before getting on television in a battle royal match; that allowed him a larger role in the Mid-American promotion and eventually led him to the WWF. Eaton and Sugar won the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship. In August 1985, Ware won a tournament for the vacant NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship. Koko B. Ware was born on June 20, 1957 in Union City, United States (65 years old). Ware heads outside to annoy Warlord, but Slick suggests that he is a chicken. Koko B. Ware is no exception to that rule. One of the most confusing things in Koko B. Ware's career, outside his inclusion in the WWE Hall of Fame, was an incident that occurred before him being signed by WWE. Koko B. Ware: his birthday, what he did before fame, his family life, fun trivia facts, popularity rankings, and more. [29][2][1] He used a wide range of signature moves including the Missile dropkick, bulldog. Koko B. Ware's Net Worth: $1-5 Million Age, Height & Body Measurements Koko B. Ware current age 62 years old. [2] He performed a brainbuster known as the Ghostbuster. The Birdman shares his insight on everything from his early days with Norvell Austin to how he learned to do his bird dance. Ware made a few appearances for the American Wrestling Federation from 1994 to 1996 but did not become a regular before going into semi-retirement in 1997. Ware spent the remainder of the match kicking and stomping his opponent before delivering a stiff brain buster. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Shahid. With Owen Hart out of action Koko would return to singles competition and immediately entered a house show series with Skinner. [5] During an interview where Eaton and Hart bragged about the victory, Sugar complained that he was unable to win the Southern Title from Terry Taylor. On that very same night that The Rockers went crazy, Ware found himself on the outs with the WWF, after getting into a physical altercation with company executive Jim Troy. Ware left the Continental Wrestling Association later that month to join the Universal Wrestling Federation. Collections; Project #ShowUs; . During a 1989 European tour, Ware was fired for his part in a physical altercation with WWF executive Jim Troy. and with the encouragement of his best friend Frankie, Koko decided to try his hand at Wrestling. Ware was a defendant in a 2015 lawsuit filed by WWE after they received a letter from him indicating that he intended to sue them for concussion-based injuries sustained during his tenure with them. Who is Koko B. Ware Dating? [5] In 1996 he feuded with Brian Christopher and Jerry Lawler. In August 1984, The Pretty Young Things began wrestling for World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas. [10] The team defeated Elijah Akeem and Kareem Mohammad for the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship in February 1984; almost two weeks later, Akeem and Mohammad regained the title. The Bushwhackers are a professional wrestling tag team who competed first as the New Zealand Kiwis and then as The Sheepherders during their 36-year career as a tag team. RELATED: 10 WWE Golden Era Moments That Aged Badly. When Hart died, the angle was dropped and Koko's services were no longer needed. Koko made his debut as a fan favorite on the September 6, 1986 episode of Superstars, teaming with Paul Roma against Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) in a losing effort. After dropping the gold in Florida, the Pretty Young Things returned to the Continental Wrestling Association in April 1985. Koko B. Ware is best known for his role in WWE as a mid-card wrestler. He's working in CWA against the Patriot, who is referred to on commentary as "The Masked Patriot." I can't blame the dude. During a 1989 European tour, Ware was fired for his part in a physical altercation with WWF executive Jim Troy. During the course of the match Stagger Lee's mask was removed to reveal the man beneath it, prompting a heel turn for Ware. On television, his first major showcase was at the November 29, 1986 Saturday Night's Main Event VIII where he defeated Nikolai Volkoff. [21] Koko then embarked on a house show tour in England where he faced Jarrett and Kwang. He made his entrances dancing to the ring to the tune of Morris Day and The Time's "The Bird", flapping his arms and carrying Frankie, who sat on a perch at ringside while Ware wrestled. Ware, Jr. (born June 20, 1958), better known by his ring name Koko B. Ware is an American retired professional wrestler. He also competed at the World Wrestling Legends" PPV on March 5, 2006 where he defeated Disco Inferno. He was before my time and just isnt celebrated or brought up as much (on the product) as some others like Slaughter or Backlund. Koko B. Ware Koko Ware Stagger Lee Sweet Brown Sugar Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) Weight 228 lbs (103 kg) Born June 20, 1957 (age 65) Birth Place Union City, Tennessee Resides Collierville, Tennessee Debut 1978 Retired April 4, 2009 James Ware (June 20, 1957 ), better known by his ring name Koko B. Ware, is a retired American professional wrestler . Best. Santana comes back into the ring diving into Koko's midsection with a headbutt, but Ware keeps the advantage. Ware unfairly counted Lawler out to give the Dream Machine the victory, a decision that did not sit well with Lawler nor the fans in Memphis. Schyster. Bright outfits, colorful sunglasses, a constant smile and his trademark vibrato voice instantly made Koko a big hit, especially with the younger crowd that the WWF mainly catered to during the 1980s. His first victory was on the September 7 episode of Wrestling Challenge against Bob Bradley. Ware made his debut as a fan favorite on the September 6, 1986, episode of Superstars, teaming with Paul Roma against the Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) in a losing effort. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Disney + HotStar. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Vote. He defeated Billy Maverick for the SCW Supreme Title for Supreme Championship Wrestling on August 22. In 2001, Ware's house caught on fire while the wrestler was out. Robert Lawrence Horne is an American semi-retired professional wrestler who is most famous for his time in the World Wrestling Federation from 1993 to 1996 under the ring name Mo, where he held the WWF World Tag Team Championship with Mabel as "Men on a Mission". He also appeared at "WWE Homecoming", Raw's return to the USA Network, on October 3, 2005. Koko returned to WWF in 1994 when he appeared on the March 21 episode of Monday Night Raw and faced Jeff Jarrett. Bobby Eaton along with the rest of the First Family tried in vain to unmask Stagger Lee but could not manage to do so, winding up frustrated at every turn. At the Survivor Series in 1990, Koko became the first wrestler to fall victim to The Undertakers Tombstone piledriver in the Undertakers debut match. He headlined the inaugural 1993 edition of ECW's premier annual event, November to Remember. On May 18, 2001, Ware returned to wrestling and defeated Brickhouse Brown at Galaxy Championship Wrestling in Little Rock, Arkansas. Welcome to Squash City, where Fightful.com takes a look at some of the more fun squash matches in pro wrestling history. "The Birdman" came to the ring with a blue-and-yellow macaw named Frankie, [3] both flapping and dancing before and after his matches. Trivia. Join us to discuss WWE, AEW, NJPW, Impact, Stardom, ChocoPro, GCW, and every other promotion, big or small, past and present. He held 16 titles during a 20-year career, including the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship. Ware unleashes some tame enough looking smacks to the back before uncorking a clothesline that Stan Hansen would look at and say "MAYBE EASE UP A BIT, DICK.". However, most mid-level wrestlers still usually managed a run with the secondary Intercontinental Championship or the Tag Team titles. Ware, however, would often be on the losing end when he came up against other established stars, such as Butch Reed, Hercules, Greg Valentine, and The Big Boss Man. Buy koko b ware and get the best deals at the lowest prices on eBay! Ware wrestled his last match on August 10, 2019 for Pennsylvania Premiere Wrestling, teamed with John Wes and Matt Turner to defeat James Ellsworth, RJS and Alexander Bateman. According to Ware, when he returned his neighbor told him that he couldn't save his child. . He wrestled primarily for independent promotions in the Southeastern United States. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event and the worlds best TV and movies. [29], After being inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, Ware has been a point of controversy because, working as a carpenter, he was inducted before world champions Ivan Koloff, [31] Randy Savage or Bruno Sammartino. Under the management of Jim Cornette, he originally teamed with Dennis Condrey and, later on, with Stan Lane. Continental Wrestling Association (19781986), United States Wrestling Association (19911997), NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship, International World Class Championship Wrestling, USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, "Frankie (Unknown-2002) - Find A Grave Memorial", "Kayfabe Memories: Bobby Eaton profile (part 2)", "WWF Saturday Night's Main Event Results (#8)", "WWF Saturday Night's Main Event Results (#14)", "the History of the WWE: WWF Match Results 1992", "the History of the WWE: WWF Match Results 1999", "the History of the WWE: WWF Match Results 2005", "Valour Wrestling 05/31/14 Battles ALS Results", "WWE seeking to block concussion-related lawsuits", "WWE Knocks Out Consolidated Concussion Case", "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database", "Mat Matters: WWE Hall of Fame's unforgiveable shunning of Ivan Koloff", "PWTorch.com - UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 3/9 WWE Raw: Undertaker owns Evolution, Koko B. Ware's resume, JBL title history, Edge & Show vs. Hogan & Warrior", "Jake Roberts on WWE return, Ultimate Warrior HOF induction", "NO BRET HART IN CANADA, HOGAN'S ROLE IN TNA, THE KONG-BUBBA FIGHT, WWE HALL OF FAME AND MORE, "Daily Pro Wrestling history (03/07): Bruno Sammartino vs. During his career, Koko would often appear with a bird named Frankie, the pet that led to Ware having the nickname of "The Birdman" during his time in WWE. Ware left the Continental Wrestling Association later that month to join the Universal Wrestling Federation. [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] In 2020, 411Mania writers Steve Cook and Kevin Pantoja discussed Ware's induction. Ware finished the match by slapping his opponent hard while pinning him, which seemed incredibly unnecessary after a short match. [26] In 2020 he married Pamela James. [5] During an interview where Eaton and Hart bragged about the victory, Sugar complained that he was unable to win the Southern Title from Terry Taylor. On television, his first major showcase was at the November 29, 1986 Saturday Night's Main Event VIII where he defeated Nikolai Volkoff. 1/1 KOKO B WARE 1990 CLASSIC WWF CARD 119 PRINTING PRESS PLATE WRESTLING VINTAGE. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Disney + HotStar. Visit Sony LIV to sign in or sign up and enjoy WWE's premium content. In 2020, a Go-Fund Me drive was set up to help pay for a knee replacement that the former WWE wrestler reportedly required. When Dutch Mantel returned to the CWA in early 1981 he quickly defeated Koko for the TV title making Koko's first run with the gold a short one. For most of his career, Morton has performed with Robert Gibson as The Rock N' Roll Express, described as "the consummate baby face tag team". Related Article. In the USWA Koko was more successful than in the WWF, winning the USWA World Title twice, once from Kamala "The Ugandan Giant" and once from USWA icon Jerry Lawler. The same taping later saw Ware defeat Savage by countout in a dark match. By Connor Casey - December 21, 2022 06:02 pm EST. Early in his career, Koko Ware (as he was then known) did not find great success, learning the ropes and paying his dues both in Jerry Jarretts Continental Wrestling Association and Nick Gulas territory in the south. My pick is Koko B. Ware. Not only was Ware on the show, but he was in the first match of the night. A 28-year old, pre bird Koko Ware is just months away from signing with the World Wrestling Federation. In 1993, he lost the first Monday Night Raw match to Yokozuna. [5] The feud got so out of control that it had to be settled with a "loser leaves town" match, a match that Eaton won, driving Sugar out of the arena. James W. Ware, Jr. (born June 20, 1958), better known by his ring name Koko B. Ware is an American retired professional wrestler. Koko floundered until September 1981 when he was chosen to referee a Southern Heavyweight Championship title match between Jerry Lawler and The Dream Machine". He debuted in 1978 and became widely popular in 1986, in the World Wrestling Federation, where he went from strong mid-carder to jobber to the stars. He appeared at "WWE Homecoming", Raw's return to the USA Network, on October 3, 2005. He fought (and was defeated by) Rob Conway on the October 28, 2005 edition of WWE Heat. Watch WrestleMania and other WWE Premium Live Events on Flow. Osborne was a second generation wrestler, the son of Tony Borne, and is best known as being the first wrestler to portray the character of Doink the Clown. By 1992 the WWF and the United States Wrestling Association started a talent exchange agreement which saw Koko B. Ware return to Memphis. He competed professionally from 1978 to 2009. Eaton and Sugar won the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship.[5]. Check it out! In December 1984 the Pretty Young Things began wrestling for Championship Wrestling from Florida. Copyright 2023 Fightful, Inc. All Rights Reserved. I wouldn't say Koko was my idol (I currently own a cat), but he was the first old-timer I got to wrestle, so I was a little apprehensive about being a courteous and respectful adversary. The crowd favorite was Jimmy Valiant, who Koko accidentally knocked into Danny Davis and eliminated Valiant. All Rights Reserved. He made his entrances dancing to the ring to the tune of Morris Day and The Time's "The Bird", flapping his arms and carrying Frankie, who sat on a perch at ringside while Ware wrestled. By 1992 the WWF and the United States Wrestling Association started a talent exchange agreement which saw Koko B. Ware return to Memphis. Koko B. Ware vs. Yokozuna - WWF Monday Night RAW #1, 11.01.1993 Charlotte Flair vs. Ruby Riott - WWE Fastlane 2018, 11.03.2018 - WWE SmackDown Women's Title Match Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka - WWE WrestleMania 34, 08.04.2018 - WWE SmackDown Women's Title Match He is the older brother of Bruce Prichard. WWE Hall of Famer Koko B. Ware set aside a few minutes of his schedule to answer questions from his fans, courtesy of SLAM! [ citation needed ] Ware was interviewed briefly during the 1999 wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat . On July 28, 2018, Ware appeared in Eastern Wrestling Federation and teamed with Blackcat Johnson in a winning effort. [4] Sugar never got the best of Lawler but did taste tag-team success alongside Steve Keirn and then with Bobby Eaton. Rather, even casual and lapsed fans from the . He's working in CWA against the Patriot, who is referred to on commentary as "The Masked Patriot." Press J to jump to the feed. Ware spent his early days in the sport in the Mid-South, Georgia and other NWA territories. Ware garnered his first big win of his initial WWF run when he upset Harley Race at a house show in East Rutherford, NJ, on October 13. [5]. While Cook defended his Hall of Fame status since he was very over and some of his losses were historic, Pantoja described him as "the floor for inductees".[37]. [21] He would then appear on the April 9 episode of Superstars in a loss to Irwin R. Schyster. Koko B. Ware vs. Butch Reed: WrestleMania 3 James Ware (June 20, 1957), better known by his ring name Koko B. Ware, is a retired American professional wrestler. He was most famous for his work in tag teams, especially as one-half of The Midnight Express. Since they both disappeared from our screens, most fans may have forgotten about the pair. [23] When Hart died, the angle was dropped and Ware's services were no longer needed. WWE legend Koko B. Ware is in the hospital, suffering from "unspecified medical issues." The 68-year-old wrestling star, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Honky Tonk Man in 2009 following an eight-year WWE run that ended in 1994, is receiving treatment at a Mississippi facility. The PYT Express remained in Memphis for a period of time after this before moving on to other promotions such asMid-South Wrestling, World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas and Championship Wrestling from Florida. Copyright 2010-2023 TheSmackDownHotel.com. [5] After the match, Valiant returned to the ring and beat Ware down. After being fed up, Hart finally slapped Sugar and sent the sulking superstar back to the dressing room after which Eaton commented that Sugar had been "whining like a woman". [5][11] The team dissolved in July 1985 when Austin left for Continental Championship Wrestling. From 1987 to 1993 Koko appeared on several WWF PPVs and Saturday Night's Main Events being used mainly to make established or rising stars look good. He defeated Billy Maverick for the SCW Supreme Title for Supreme Championship Wrestling on August 22. [21] He would then appear on the April 9 episode of Superstars in a loss to Irwin R. Moments later, Koko dumped Davis to the floor and won his first title. [5] Koko also hooked up with Rex Hargrove and won the USWA Tag Team Championship once in 1993. Koko B Ware worked a one-off television match against Rob Conway in October 2005 on 'WWE . [4] Sugar never got the best of Lawler but did taste tag-team success alongside Steve Keirn and then with Bobby Eaton. [32][33][34][35][36] In 2020, 411Mania writers Steve Cook and Kevin Pantoja discussed Ware's induction.
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