On April 4, 2009, Koko was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by The Honky Tonk Man. Watch every Premium Live Event and get unlimited access to WWE's premium content - available to you anywhere, anytime, on any device. The team wore neon parachute pants and were given the name High Energy. Koko returned to WWF in 1994 when he appeared on the March 21 episode of Monday Night Raw and faced Jeff Jarrett. [5] Koko also hooked up with Rex Hargrove and won the USWA Tag Team Championship once in 1993. 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. The match also included former WWE wrestler James Ellsworth, and it was Ware's team that picked up the victory. The team managed to defeat the team of Elijah Akeem and Kareem Mohammad for the AWA Southern Tag Team title in February 1984, although they only hung on to the gold for a little under two weeks before Akeem and Mohammad regained the title. Sign up for BINGE to watch. He debuted in 1978 and became widely popular in 1986. 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. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. After his time with WWE was through, Koko B Ware continued wrestling in independent promotions for years. The team lasted until March 1993, but were broken up after Hart suffered a knee injury during a match against The Headshrinkers. Koko B. Ware Stats and Profile - eWrestlingNews.com Koko B. Ware Born: 06/20/1957 in Union City, Tennessee Birthname: James Ware Height & Weight: 5'7", 228 Ib Titles Won: WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2009) Koko B. Ware is a retired American professional wrestler who made his professional wrestling debut in 1978. February 1, 1986. 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. He is the cousin of fellow professional wrestler and color commentator Jerry Lawler. Later that night the duo defended their title against Taylor and Bill Dundee, losing the title when Sugar "accidentally" kicked Eaton and then left the ring. After that the guy moves like he doesn't have a clue where he is and Koko keeps hammering him to stay down. He wrestled primarily for independent promotions in the Southeastern United States. Two weeks later on March 5, 1985, the team re-lost the title to the Youngbloods. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Shahid. Koko is neck to neck with Shinya Hashimoto as my favorite user of the Brainbuster. In December 1984 the Pretty Young Things began wrestling for Championship Wrestling from Florida. Later, a masked man calling himself "Stagger Lee" debuted; the fact that he looked and wrestled like a masked version of Sugar helped make him instantly popular. [2] He performed a brainbuster known as the Ghostbuster. Watch every Premium Live Event and get unlimited access to WWE's premium content - available to you anywhere, anytime, on any device. The Wrestling Collection announced that Koko B Ware is currently hospitalized with an unspecified medical condition. He was represented by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who was involved in several other lawsuits involving former WWE wrestlers. 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. They remained with the promotion until November 1984. Ware spent his early days in the sport in the Mid-South, Georgia and other NWA territories. [37]. He continued wrestling in the promotion through the remainder of the year. Ware heads outside to annoy Warlord, but Slick suggests that he is a chicken. If anyone tells you Koko B. Ware doens't belong in the Hall of Fame, show them this and tell them to shut the hell up. [30] dropkick, headbutt or monkey flip. 8 Things You Didn't Know About WWE Hall Of Famer Koko B. Ware, 10 WWE Golden Era Moments That Aged Badly, The 10 Longest-Tenured WWE Wrestlers To Never Win A Title. 4. The neighbor heard the bird and thought there was a child trapped inside. He was best known for his work in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) territories. Giant Baba", "Next Official Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony", "Independent Wrestling Results - August 2003", BSPW Tag Team Championship (2) - with Juicy Johnny, NWA Mid-America Television Championship (1 time), The Texas Outlaws (Bonecrusher and Crowbar), The Dog Catchers (Dog Catcher #1 and Dog Catcher #2), The Shooting Stars (Troy Haste and Jerry Faith. Ware left the Continental Wrestling Association later that month to join the Universal Wrestling Federation. 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. [20]. Ware's last WWE appearance came in 2005 when he was defeated by Rob Conway on an episode of Heat. He was most active throughout the 1980s and 1990s in the Tennessee-based United States Wrestling Association (USWA) and Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW), and had two short stints with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring names of T.L. Santos Escobar Wants To Face Cody Rhodes; Talks Nixed Match Against Rhodes From AAA Show. Warlord vs. Koko B. Ware. On May 19, he defeated The Genius and followed it up a night later with three more wins over Poffo later that month. Trivia. He fought (and was defeated by) Rob Conway on the October 28, 2005 edition of WWE Heat. Austin and Ware became a regular tag team dubbed "The Pretty Young Things" or ("The PYT Express"). Before joining the WWF, he was in several tag teams, most notably with Bobby Eaton in Memphis and with Norvell Austin (The PYT Express) in several promotions. There, they won the AWA Southern Tag Team title twice, both times from The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn and Stan Lane) as they feuded with the top face team of the promotion. 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. Introduction Below you can see all known star ratings for wrestling matches featuring in Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter.Please note that ratings are given to the overall match; not to the performers within them. His first victory was on September 7 episode of Wrestling Challenge against Bob Bradley. Koko is also best known as, The Birdman of the WWF who entered the ring wth a bright blue and yellow macaw. 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 If you need to contact a moderator, you can message us here. Eaton and Sugar won the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship. 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. On June 8, 2008, Koko made a special appearance at TNA's Slammiversary as a groomsman in the wedding for "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal and So Cal Val, along with George "The Animal" Steele, Kamala the Ugandan Giant, and Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Having made his debut in the late 1970s, the native of Union City, Tenn., plied his craft into the 1980s in such areas as Memphis, Dallas, Lousiana, and Florida. 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. Ware, Jr. (born June 20, 1958), better known by his ring name Koko B. Ware is an American retired professional wrestler. Sign up for Peacock to watch. [5] Koko also hooked up with Rex Hargrove and won the USWA Tag Team Championship once in 1993. [4] Sugar never got the best of Lawler but did taste tag-team success alongside Steve Keirn and then with Bobby Eaton. James Ware (June 20, 1957), better known by his ring name Koko B. Ware, is a retired American professional wrestler. 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. On August 23, 2007, he defeated his former nemesis Greg Valentine for Great North Wrestling at the Ottawa SuperEX in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The crowd favorite was Jimmy Valiant, who Ware accidentally knocked into Danny Davis and eliminated. We would like to send you notifications for the latest news and updates. WWE Hall of Famer Koko B. Ware set aside a few minutes of his schedule to answer questions from his fans, courtesy of SLAM! 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". Reddit's largest professional wrestling community. He previously wrestled for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation. Many of the other wrestlers on the list were wrestlers that were only in WWE for short stints and never reached any major milestones. 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. Many pointed out how the inclusion of Ware, while names like Savage, Sammartino, and Koloff were not there invalidated the legacy of WWE's Hall of Fame. The team ended in 1993 after Owen Hart injured his knee. of 1 He also competed at the "World Wrestling Legends" PPV on March 5, 2006, where he defeated Disco Inferno. On February 26, 1985, Austin and Ware defeated Jay and Mark Youngblood to win the NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship. The lawsuit claims that WWE was negligent in their treatment of wrestlers with concussions and was similar to lawsuits brought against the NFL, NHL, and many other sports leagues following the wake of concussion and CTE research. The crowd favorite was Jimmy Valiant, who Koko accidentally knocked into Danny Davis and eliminated Valiant. Two weeks later on March 5, 1985 the team lost the title back to the Youngbloods. 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's induction into the Hall of Fame was surprising, given some of the names he was inducted ahead of. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event, your favorite shows, new movies, live sports, and more. Rather, even casual and lapsed fans from the . A scripted botch saw Ware declare a title change when it should not have been so. However, most mid-level wrestlers still usually managed a run with the secondary Intercontinental Championship or the Tag Team titles. . He later went on to the World Wrestling Federation, where he went from strong mid-carder to jobber to the stars. Slick his here with Warlord, who powers Ware into the corner to start. If the item you received doesn't match . Ware, Jr. (born June 20, 1958), better known by his ring name Koko B. Ware is an American retired professional wrestler. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. High Energy feuded with (and generally lost to) The Nasty Boys, The Headshrinkers, and Money Incorporated. 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. He was born on June 20, 1957 and his birthplace is Union City, TN. Koko in this current era would be so beloved by the internet. He headlined the inaugural 1993 edition of ECW's premier annual event, November to Remember. He defeated stars like Harley Race (at a house show) and Nikolai. 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. [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. His first victory was on the September 7 episode of Wrestling Challenge against Bob Bradley. He later went on to the World Wrestling Federation, where he went from strong mid-carder to jobber to the stars. During the course of the match Stagger Lee's mask was removed to reveal the man beneath it, prompting a heel turn for Ware. Matthew Wade Osborne, known professionally as Matt Borne, was an American professional wrestler. Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr., nicknamed "Mr. He left the promotion in August 1986 upon signing with the World Wrestling Federation. [5][11] The team dissolved in July 1985 when Austin left for Continental Championship Wrestling. . Bright outfits, colorful sunglasses, a constant smile and his vibrato singing voice made Ware popular, especially with the younger crowd that the WWF mainly catered to during the 1980s. He started working for the independent circuit. They remained with the promotion until November 1984. In 2015, a class-action lawsuit was filed by attorney Konstantine Kyros against WWE. I couldn't find the match anywhere on Koko's cagematch profile, probably because he had to work really hard to have it expunged from his record. It didn't disappoint. [21] He would then appear on the April 9 episode of Superstars in a loss to Irwin R. Schyster. He competed professionally from 1978 to 2009. [5] In 1996 he feuded with Brian Christopher and Jerry Lawler. It's becoming a must listen. WWE KOKO B WARE ACTION 6" WRESTLING FIGURE CLASSIC SUPERSTAR JAKKS PACIFIC 2003. On April 4, 2009, Ware was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by The Honky Tonk Man. Reportedly, the two even crashed through the plate glass wall of a gift shop. Which means I actually called him "Mr. B. Ware." "Mr. B. Ware," I said, "my name is RJ, we'll be wrestling each other tonight." Koko was born in Union City, Tennessee, on June 20, 1958. Then it looks like Koko knocks him out with the big clothesline. Williams and Miller were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2015, and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2020. Ware appeared at the 2010 edition of "Night of Legends", a card promoted by the International Wrestling Cartel (IWC), where he defeated "The Genius" Lanny Poffo. AEW Rampage: St. Patrick's Day Slam (2023), 1 BSW Tag Team Championship - with Juicy Johnny, 1 NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Florida version) - with Norvell Austin, 7 AWA Southern Tag Team Championship - with Norvell Austin (3), Bobby Eaton (2), Stan Lane (1), Dutch Mantel (1), 6 NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship, 1 NWA Mid-America Television Championship, 2 USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, 1 USWA World Tag Team Championship - with Rex Hargrove, WWE Hall of Fame induction (class of 2009), Legends Pro Wrestling induction (class of 2007). Jerry O'Neil Lawler, better known as Jerry "The King" Lawler, is an American color commentator and professional wrestler. Koko B. Ware is best known for his role in WWE as a mid-card wrestler. In 1991 the WWF and the United States Wrestling Association started a talent exchange agreement which saw Koko B. Ware return to his old stomping grounds in Memphis (same area, different promotion). Wallace Stanfield "Stan" Lane is an American retired professional wrestler and color commentator. RF VIDEO was lucky enough to sit down with one of the very first high flyers to ever start in the WWF back in the 80's. He was up there with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and all of the other top babyfaces at this time. In August 1985, Ware won a tournament for the vacant NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship. To the average guy on the street Koko B. Ware is a bigger deal than say Drew McIntyre. [32][33][34][35][36] In 2020, 411Mania writers Steve Cook and Kevin Pantoja discussed Ware's induction. [5][6], Ware floundered until September 1981, when he was chosen to referee a Southern Heavyweight Championship title match between Jerry Lawler and the "Dream Machine". [28], Ware's character featured him carrying a parrot called Frankie, which earned him the nicknames "The Birdman". High Energy's final match came in a loss to The Headshrinkers at a live event on March 10. "The Birdman" came to the ring with a blue-and-yellow macaw named Frankie,[3] both flapping and dancing before and after his matches. Pro Wrestling is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. [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. During a tag-team tournament in 1983, the masked Stagger Lee teamed up with fellow face Norvell Austin to take on "Fargo's Fabulous Ones" (Tommy Rich and "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert). Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event, your favorite shows, new movies, live sports, and more. The same taping later saw Ware defeat Savage by countout in a dark match. He debuted in 1978 and became widely popular in 1986. Eaton, along with the rest of the First Family, tried in vain to unmask Lee but could not manage to do so. It was not until late in 1980 that Koko's fortune changed when he participated in a battle royal to crown the first ever Mid-American Television Champion. He held the title until October, when he lost to Harley Race; he regained the title the following month. With Owen Hart out of action Koko would return to singles competition and immediately entered a house show series with Skinner. Koko B. Ware was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. 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. So much so that, for most of the match, Hogan EXCLUSIVELY tags himself in after Koko has been working. Eaton, along with the rest of the First Family, tried in vain to unmask Lee but could not manage to do so. Vote. 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 . Ruby Soho: I'm Over The Issues Between Homegrown Talent And Outsiders, I'm The Only Person I Can Count On, Chelsea Green Was Forced To Miss Recent WWE Raw Due To Being Landlocked, WWE Raw And Smackdown Producers For February 20-24, Keith Lee: My New Look Is A Middle Finger To Places That Say You Can't Look The Way You Are Naturally, Keith Lee Says First Year In AEW Was An 'Experiment', Wants To 'Bash The Crap' Out Of Swerve Strickland, Clip Of Joe Hendry Using Sega Dreamcast As Weapon At IMPACT No Surrender Gets 1 Million Twitter Views, SCWPro Wrestling Night At The Quad City Storm Results (3/2), Max Caster Files To Trademark 'Scissorfest' And 'Scissor Me', WWE Selling Andre The Giant-Inspired WWE World Championship Replica Title, New South HOSS Tournament Night One Results (3/3): Davey Richards, Alec Price, Myron Reed Compete. On April 4, 2009, Ware was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by The Honky Tonk Man. At the Survivor Series in 1990, Koko became the first wrestler to fall victim to The Undertakers Tombstone piledriver in the Undertakers debut match. 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. Koko B. Ware competed in the USWA until his semi-retirement in 1995. The best of Koko B. Ware | WWE WWE Network Shows Superstars Tickets Shop WWE Network Subscribe Now WWE Network Sign up on Peacock WWE Network Sign up on SonyLiv languages English German Spanish Arabic Follow WWE on Facebook Follow WWE on Twitter Follow WWE on Instagram Follow WWE on Reddit Follow WWE on YouTube WWE News WWE Photos WWE Videos Possibly none. February 1, 1986. 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. Before joining the WWF, he was in several tag teams, most notably with Bobby Eaton in Memphis and with Norvell Austin (The PYT Express) in several promotions. RELATED: 10 Times Wrestling Matches Got A Little Too Real. J.W. [5] [6], Ware floundered until September 1981, when he was chosen to referee a Southern Heavyweight Championship title match between Jerry Lawler and the "Dream Machine". That hurt my head and neck just watching it. He also competed at the World Wrestling Legends" PPV on March 5, 2006 where he defeated Disco Inferno. Koko spent his early days in the sport in the Mid-South, Georgia and other NWA territories where he impressed fans enough to vote him the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Rookie of the Year in 1979. 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. . 1. Koko was interviewed briefly during the 1999 wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat. Harley Race vs KoKo B Ware - YouTube From WWF wrestling, January 1987. . After being fed up, Jimmy Hart finally slapped Sweet Brown Sugar and sent the sulking superstar back to the dressing room after which Bobby Eaton commented that Sugar had been whining like a woman". On February 15, 2011, Ware made an appearance on Tosh.0 . In 1991 Koko made his debut in the USWA. He had me and my brother flapping our fat little arms like crazy. According to Ware, when he returned his neighbor told him that he couldn't save his child. [19] Ware appeared in the first match on the very first episode of Monday Night Raw on January 11, 1993, where he was defeated in a squash match by Yokozuna. Ware is already over 60 years old and has been wrestling since the late 1970s. Ware left the Continental Wrestling Association later that month to join the Universal Wrestling Federation. Sammartino was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013, followed by The Ultimate Warrior in 2014, and Randy Savage in 2015. Ware came to the ring with a blue-and-yellow macaw parrot named Frankie, and would flap his arms like a bird while . Related Article. Thomas Prichard is a retired American professional wrestler and author. Koko is one of the guys thats just a blind spot to me. Also in 2003, Ware began competing once again in the Memphis area for the Memphis Wrestling promotion from 2003 to 2007. [citation needed] Ware was interviewed briefly during the 1999 wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat. [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] In 2020, 411Mania writers Steve Cook and Kevin Pantoja discussed Ware's induction. This shoot will be on DVD and VHS and yo Koko's first major showcase in the WWF was at the November 29, 1986 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event where he defeated Nikolai Volkoff. Ware appeared at the 2010 edition of "Night of Legends", a card promoted by the International Wrestling Cartel (IWC), where he defeated "The Genius" Lanny Poffo. [13] He was then granted an Intercontinental Title match against champion Randy Savage on the November 16 edition of Wrestling Challenge, a bout which went to a double countout. Bright outfits, colorful sunglasses, a constant smile and his vibrato singing voice made Ware popular, especially with the younger crowd that the WWF mainly catered to during the 1980s. Koko B. Ware vs. Butch Reed: WrestleMania 3 Ware wrestled for WWE from 1986 to 1994 but made special appearances in the late 1990s and 2000s. He started working for the independent circuit. They wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation, Jim Crockett Promotions, and on the independent territorial wrestling circuits. Giant Baba", "Next Official Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony", "Independent Wrestling Results - August 2003", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Koko_B._Ware&oldid=1141222651, African-American male professional wrestlers, NWA North American Tag Team Champions (Florida version), NWA United States Tag Team Champions (Florida version), The First Family (professional wrestling) members, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, BSPW Tag Team Championship (2) - with Juicy Johnny, NWA Mid-America Television Championship (1 time), The Texas Outlaws (Bonecrusher and Crowbar), The Dog Catchers (Dog Catcher #1 and Dog Catcher #2), The Shooting Stars (Troy Haste and Jerry Faith, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 00:09. He left in 1997 before the company shut down later that year. Later that night the duo defended their title against Taylor and Bill Dundee, losing the title when Sugar "accidentally" kicked Eaton and then left the ring. After dropping the gold in Florida, the Pretty Young Things returned to the Continental Wrestling Association in April 1985. 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. After USWA, Ware did not wrestle as much.
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