 Sweetan, circa 1983 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Beier (1940-07-04)July 4, 1940 |
| Died | February 10, 2017(2017-02-10) (aged 76) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bob Sweetan KO Kox[1] Mister Pile Driver[1] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Billed weight | 271 lb (123 kg) |
| Trained by | Stu Hart[2] |
| Debut | 1966 (Kansas City)[1] |
| Retired | 1985 |
Robert Carson (bornRobert Beier; July 4, 1940 – February 10, 2017[2]), better known by his ring nameBob Sweetan, was a Canadianprofessional wrestler.[2] Sweetan was nicknamed "Bruiser" and "Mr.Piledriver", the latter in reference to his finishing maneuver.
Beier was born on a farm nearGoodsoil,Saskatchewan, about four hours north ofSaskatoon. He played briefly with theCanadian Football League'sToronto Argonauts, and, after a period of traveling, settled inCalgary, the home ofStu Hart and hisStampede Wrestling promotion. Beier was introduced to pro wrestling by Gerd Topsnik, a door-to-doorcookware salesman who wrestled part-time for Hart. Beier recalled: "I told [Topsnik], 'All right, I'll buy your pots and pans if you get me started in wrestling.' He started taking me to Stu's." It is unclear when Beier changed his legal surname to Carson.[2]
Sweetan held numerous titles over his career. He enjoyed some success with theNational Wrestling Alliance and wrestled withFreddie Prosser who went under the name Freddie Sweetan in Canada forStampede Wrestling. Sweetan andTerry Gibbs defeatedFabulous Freebirds for theNWA Central States Tag Team Championship.[3] He also wrestled for theWorld Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico. In the WWC he defeatedKing Tonga for theWWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship.[4] Sweetan was in the first everWWC Aniversario. He played himself in the movieThe Wrestling Queen in 1975.
Sweetan wrestled many notable wrestlers during his career such asRufus R. Jones,Buzz Tyler,Randy Rose,Ted DiBiase,Bill Watts,Frank Hoy,Butch Reed,Adrian Adonis,Tully Blanchard, andJesse Ventura."Dr. Death" Steve Williams described him as a "very, very tough man."[5] Sweetan was known for causing riots in arenas due to hisheel antics, and was an influence onShawn Michaels.[2]
Following his pro wrestling career, Sweetan worked as anair conditioning maintenance supervisor, particularly in largeapartment buildings.[2]
In 1990, Sweetan was convicted of thesexual assault of his daughter, Candace. He also faced a separate charge of non-payment of child support.[2] Sweetan stopped checking in with police in 2000, after which he was located and deported back to his native Canada.[6]
OnWWE'sLegends of Wrestling in 2009, longtime industry personalityJim Ross stated that he "didn't like" Sweetan and "didn't want to be around him", describing him as a "miserable human being".[7] Ross later called him a "bully",[8] and told howDanny Hodge once physically tortured Sweetan as payback for being out of line.[2] In his 2012 autobiography,Jim Duggan also referred to Sweetan as a "bully", and a "real piece of garbage".[9]Leo Burke called him "easy to work with" in the ring but "kind of lazy", whileEd "Colonel DeBeers" Wiskoski said of Sweetan: "I wasn't a fan of his... from being a locker-room thief to just among other things, just an asshole."[2]
Sweetan's ex-wife Rebecca commented: "He's a waste of skin as far as I'm concerned... He fried his brain [with drugs], deserted his children, abused them emotionally, physically, sexually, mentally."[2]
Sweetan met anIowa woman, Rebecca Jane Terhune, at aKansas City club in 1969 and the couple were married inLos Angeles in 1971. They had four children. Sweetan also had one child to another woman.[2]
Sweetan allegedly deserted his family on October 15, 1985; he had been having an affair with aring rat who was also adrug dealer. Rebecca divorced Sweetan in 1986.[2]
Sweetan died at aNanaimo,British Columbia nursing home on February 10, 2017. He had been suffering fromdiabetes,memory problems and mobility issues.[2]
