Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)

Kevin Francis Sullivan (born October 26 1949), is an American professional wrestler and booker. He is perhaps best known for his feuds with the "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes and Mike Graham in the NWA's Championship Wrestling from Florida, and against Hulk Hogan and the Four Horsemen (specifically Chris Benoit) in World Championship Wrestling.

Professional wrestling career

WWWF (Mid 1970s)

Mid-card face.

Florida Championship Wrestling (Late 1970s)

Known as "The Boston Battler" Heel. This is where the devil worshiping started. associated with Maniac Mark Lewin (Purple Haze), Bob Roop and Gertrude Vachon (Luna) amongst others.

Jim Crockett Promotions (1987-1992)

Sullivan formed The Varsity Club upon arrival in the NWA with Mike Rotunda and Rick Steiner. They immediately started feuding with Jimmy Garvin because Sullivan wanted his wife Precious for himself. This feud lasted a while with Sullivan "breaking" Garvin's leg at one point.

Steiner left the group and was replaced by "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Dan Spivey. They feuded with Dusty Rhodes, the Road Warriors, Rick Steiner and Eddie Gilbert. Sullivan even attacked Gilbert's wife Missy Hyatt. By late 1989, the Varsity Club was gone, and Sullivan formed Slaughterhouse with Cactus Jack and Buzz Sawyer to feud with Rotunda.

Sullivan took time off in late 1990 and returned in early 1991 as the manager of One Man Gang, Black Blood, and the Angel of Death. They cut El Gigante's hair and had a brief feud. Sullivan also was the masked Merlin the Wizard briefly to manage Oz.　He came to Japan in 1992, and participated in FMW. And, he fought against Atsushi Onita with Ed Farhat.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993-1994)

In early 1993, Sullivan and Nancy, now known as Woman, went to Extreme Championship Wrestling, where he teamed with Tasmaniac. The two won the Tag Team Title and feuded with The Public Enemy. Sullivan also had a bloody feud with Abdullah The Butcher. Sullivan left Woman behind and headed to World Championship Wrestling in spring 1994; but before he went there, he joined forces with the All World Wrestling League (Michigan), initiating the "XWA" (Extreme Wrestling Alliance); his battles with SABU, (nephew of the late original Sheik), were awsome. Some of his matches with the AWWL can be seen on their TV show the AWWL presents the 'Original" Big Time Wrestling!

World Championship Wrestling (1994-2001)

He formed a tag team with his "brother" Dave Sullivan, a dyslexic character who referred to himself as "Evad" who was being picked on by The Nasty Boys (Jerry Sags and Brian Knobbs). He enlisted Cactus Jack's help and beat them for the Tag Team Title. Dave was injured and out of action for a while and Sullivan split with Cactus after losing the titles. Sullivan defeated Cactus in a Loser Leaves WCW match at Fall Brawl on September 18 1994. Dave came back and dressed like his idol, Hulk Hogan. This infuriated Sullivan, who hated Hogan, and they started feuding. Sullivan brought in Hogan's best friend, Ed Leslie, as The Butcher, to feud with him. He also brought in Avalanche and called the trio the 3 Faces of Fear. They feuded with Hogan, Randy Savage and Sting.

In early 1995, after not being able to end Hogan's career, Avalanche left the group and Sullivan turned on Butcher. Sullivan immediately started putting together a new group with the help of his mentor, The Master. They called it the Dungeon of Doom, which included Kamala, The Barbarian, Meng, Manager Jimmy Hart, Shark (formerly Avalanche), Zodiac (formerly Butcher, formerly Brutus Beefcake), Yeti, Hugh Morrus, One Man Gang and for a very short time, Vader and Big Bubba Rogers.

Managed by Sullivan's new gimmick, The Taskmaster, four Dungeon of Doom members lost to The Hulkamaniacs in a WarGames match at September's Fall Brawl. As a result of Hogan's win over Zodiac, he got to spend five minutes alone with The Taskmaster. The Dungeon then feuded with the Four Horsemen, and Sullivan acquired a certain disliking for Brian Pillman.

Once Sullivan sent Pillman packing, the Dungeon and the Horsemen rejoined forces to get rid of Hulk Hogan and his friends. They brought in The Giant, Maxx Muscle and Big Bubba Rogers to help. They even formed the Alliance To End Hulkamania with the Horsemen in a failed attempt to do so. When they couldn't get the job done, Sullivan and Chris Benoit of the Horsemen picked up where Pillman left off and started a feud. This was a brutal feud and lasted over a year, with Benoit "stealing" Woman from Sullivan in the course of the feud. Sullivan brought in Jacquelyn to help him and also added Konnan to the Dungeon.

Sullivan lost a retirement match to Benoit at Bash at the Beach on July 13 1997. He was already the booker so it gave him more time to do that job. Sullivan stayed on as the booker or a member of the WCW booking committee and made a brief on-screen appearance with the reformed Varsity Club of Rotunda and Rick Steiner with their cheerleader, Leia Meow. After a couple of months, he was back off TV.

Sullivan is among those blamed for the 2000 departure of Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero and Perry Saturn from WCW, though by no direct action of his own. After the departure of Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo, the resulting chaos led to Sullivan's promotion to head booker. This move infuriated a number of WCW wrestlers, given Sullivan's history of professional rivalries (notably Benoit) and poor decisions. Benoit, Malenko, Guerrero and Saturn would quit the night after, immediately signing with the WWF. Sullivan was fired before WCW's sale in 2001.

Recent years

In 2003, Sullivan made one surprise appearance in Total Nonstop Action wrestling, as the officiator in the first Clockwork Orange House of Fun match. As the match was largely rules-free, and had little need of a referee, he said he was there primarily to facilitate the violence between the two contestants. In late 2003/2004, he worked for the All World Wrestling League/Big Time Wrestling...promoted by the sons of the 'original' Sheik; he was instrumental in having a confrontation to the point that he started the "XWA" against the AWWL/BTW. His feude with SABU was one of the bloodiest matches held to see which side ruled...XMA or AWWL/BTW.

Sullivan still makes occasional appearances on the independent circuit, mainly in Florida.

In wrestling

• Finishing and signature moves
• Double foot stomp
• Tree of woe
• Shoulderbreaker
• Managers
• Abudadein
• Jimmy Hart
• Fallen Angel/Woman
• Gary Hart
• Curtis Iaukea
• Oliver Humperdink
• Paul E. Dangerously
• Sherri Martel
• Jonnie Stewart
• Damien Kane
• Leia Meow
• Jacquelyn
• Gentleman Jim Holiday

• Wrestlers managed
• Cactus Jack
• The Giant
• One Man Gang
• Oz

• Entrance themes
• Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath

Championships and accomplishments

• Central States Wrestling

*NWA World Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (1 time) - with Ken Lucas

• Century Wrestling Alliance

*CWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) (Last)

• Championship Wrestling from Florida

*NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Championship (4 times)

*NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Mike Graham

• Eastern Championship Wrestling

*ECW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Tasmaniac¹

• Georgia Championship Wrestling

*NWA Georgia Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

*NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Tony Atlas

*NWA National Television Championship (2 times)

• Jim Crockett Promotions | World Championship Wrestling

*NWA United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams

*WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Cactus Jack

• NWA Mid-America | Continental Wrestling Association

*NWA Mid-America Television Championship (1 time) (Last)

*NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time) - with Len Rossi

*NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (2 times) - with Robert Fuller (1) and Mike Graham (1)

• Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling | Southeastern Championship Wrestling

*NWA Southeast Continental Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

*NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Ken Lucas

*NWA Southeastern United States Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

*NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Gulf Coast version) (1 time) - with Ken Lucas

• Southern Championship Wrestling

*NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Tennessee version) (1 time)

• Southwest Championship Wrestling

*SCW Southwest Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated

*PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (1981)

*PWI ranked him # 106 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

*Worst Worked Match of the Year (1996) with Arn Anderson, Meng, The Barbarian, Ric Flair, Lex Luger, Z-Gangsta and The Ultimate Solution vs. Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, WCW Uncensored, Towers of Doom match, Tupelo, MS, March 24

¹Though Sullivan and Taz won the title twice, only their first reign is recognized officially by World Wrestling Entertainment. The reign also occurred prior to ECW's withdrawal from the NWA and prior to ECW declaring their tag title a "World" title.

Personal life

During the mid-1990s, Sullivan, the then World Championship Wrestling booker,Nancy Daus (his wife) left him in favor of his rival, Chris Benoit. Daus left Sullivan in favor of Benoit, divorcing Sullivan in 1997 and marrying Benoit in 2000.

Kevin and his current wife Samantha have a son named James Foley, who was born in December 2006. Sullivan owns a gym in the Florida Keys called Froggy's Fitness.

References

• Mick Foley Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. HarperCollins.

External links

• Official Website of Kevin Sullivan
• FroggysFitness.com
• Kevin Sullivan at WWE.com
• The Accelerator's Wrestling Rollercoaster - Kevin Sullivan