| Brian Knobbs | |
|---|---|
 Knobbs in 2009 | |
| Birth name | Brian Yandrisovitz |
| Born | (1964-05-06)May 6, 1964 (age 60)[1] Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.[2] |
| Family | Greg Valentine (brother-in-law) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Brian Knobbs[2] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 295 lb (134 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Allentown, Pennsylvania[2] ("Nastyville") |
| Trained by | Brad Rheingans[1] |
| Debut | 1985[1] |
| Retired | 2019 |
Brian Knobbs (bornBrian Yandrisovitz on May 6, 1964)[2] is an Americanprofessional wrestler and half ofThe Nasty Boys, a tag team, with partner and long-time friendJerry Sags.
Knobbs was born on May 6, 1964, inAllentown, Pennsylvania. He attendedWhitehall High School inWhitehall Township, Pennsylvania, in theLehigh Valley region of easternPennsylvania. While at Whitehall High School, Knobbs befriendedJerry Sags. The two would go on to ultimately establishThe Nasty Boys in 1986.
In 1986, Knobbs started his career in theAmerican Wrestling Association, performing as the Masked Terrorist. The following year, in 1986, he formed a tag team called The Nasty Boys with partnerJerry Sags and wrestled inMemphis, Tennessee, until they moved toFlorida Championship Wrestling, where they won five tag team titles from 1988 through 1990.[citation needed]
In 1990, the team moved to theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'sJim Crockett Promotions, which had been purchased byTed Turner and was renamedWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) before The Nasty Boys left a few months later. Theyfeuded withRick andScott Steiner over theWCW United States Tag Team Championship but could not defeat them.[3] Later that year, they left for theWorld Wrestling Federation, where they were managed byJimmy Hart. They won theWorld Tag Team Title fromThe Hart Foundation before feuding with and losing the title to theLegion of Doom.[4][5]
The Nasty Boys wrestled many of the WWF's top face teams, includingThe Rockers,The Bushwhackers, and High Energy, before turning face in 1992 to feud with Hart'sMoney Inc. over the tag team title, which they were unable to regain.[5] They then left the WWF for the WCW in 1993 and were placed with managerMissy Hyatt, who led them to theWCW World Tag Team Championship.[3] After Hyatt left as their manager, they feuded withHarlem Heat,The Blue Bloods, and the team ofDick Slater andBunkhouse Buck.[3] They won the tag team title a second time later in 1993, but they were defeated byCactus Jack, andKevin Sullivan the following year.[3] In May 1995, they defeated Harlem Heat for their third and final WCW tag title atSlamboree inSt. Petersburg, Florida, but lost the belts back to Harlem Heat in a June episode ofWCW WorldWide. In 1996, they were tricked by thenWo into thinking they were going to become members, but were attacked as soon as they received their shirts.[6] Sags had been injured previously in ashoot altercation withScott Hall and was forced to retire as a result of the injury.[7]
Following Sags' retirement, Knobbs became a singles wrestler, feuding withNorman Smiley and defeatingBam Bam Bigelow atSuperBrawl at theCow Palace in 2000.[8] He went on to win theWCW Hardcore Championship three times.[6] He lost the belt simultaneously to all three members of the boy band stable3 Count but later regained it from them.[6]Fit Finlay was briefly his manager as the Hardcore Soldiers with partnerThe Dog.[6] Knobbs also was briefly inJimmy Hart'sThe First Family.[6]
After leaving WCW, Knobbs returned to wrestling, including wrestling at theNew Alhambra Arena inPhiladelphia forPro Wrestling Unplugged on June 16, 2007. On November 20, 2007, Knobbs and Sags reformed as The Nasty Boys, performing in a dark match at theSmackDown! tapings fromTampa, Florida, to wrestle their first WWE match in years. According to reports, the match was disastrous, and the team were accused of unprofessionally workingstiff with their opponents,Dave Taylor andDrew McIntyre.[9] Knobbs and Saggs won the match.[10]
On January 4, 2010, The Nasty Boys appeared onTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)'s television show,TNA Impact!, and started a feud withTeam 3D.[11] On the January 21 edition ofImpact!, they competed in their first match for TNA, defeating the team ofEric Young andKevin Nash.[12] AtAgainst All Odds inOrlando, Florida, The Nasty Boys defeated Team 3D in a tag team match in which Jimmy Hart made his return to the company and interfered in the match on the Nasty Boys' behalf.[13]
On the February 25, 2010, edition ofImpact!, Team 3D defeated the Nasty Boys in atables match, whenJesse Neal interfered on Team 3D's behalf.[14] The Nasty Boys and Hart continued their feud with Team 3D by defeating them and the returningBrother Runt, a replacement for Jesse Neal, who The Nasty Boys attacked prior to the match in a six-man tag team match. After the match, Neal attacked The Nastys and helped Team 3D throw Sags through a table.[15]
On March 29, 2010, The Nasty Boys were released by TNA following an incident at a TNA function attended bySpike TV executives.[16][17] In February 2012, Knobbs was involved in an altercation with fellow wrestlerNew Jack with New Jack allegedly knocking Knobbs out.[18]
Since January 1994, Knobbs has been married to the sister ofGreg Valentine. The couple have one child.[19] Knobbs is a close friend ofRon Reis.
In 2019, Knobbs was hospitalized with a blood infection and had surgery on one of his knees. His medical bills were paid by fans through aGoFundMe campaign. On August 10, 2021, he was hospitalized again for multiple health issues and another GoFundMe was set up for his expenses.[20] On March 4, 2025, another GoFundMe was started after Knobbs posted on social media that he was back in the hospital again and facing a possible foot amputation. Knobbs and his wife were also left homeless due toHurricane Milton destroying their home and all of their belongings.
Knobbs has appeared in several episodes ofHogan Knows Best andBrooke Knows Best, and was an on-screen trainer forHulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling andHulk Hogan's Micro Championship Wrestling.[citation needed] During the 2009Major League Baseball season, Knobbs performed a "Pit Stop" on Raymond, theTampa Bay Rays mascot.[21] Knobbs serves as the "10th Man" for theTampa Bay Rays.[22] He also appeared as a panelist on theNickelodeon children's game showFigure It Out: Wild Style in 1999, getting slimed.[23]
Media related toBrian Knobbs at Wikimedia Commons