 Magnum T. A., circa August 1985 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Terry Wayne Allen (1959-06-11)June 11, 1959 (age 66)[1][2] Chesapeake, Virginia, U.S.[2] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Jesse James Magnum T. A.[1][2] Terry Allen[1][2][3] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 245 lb (111 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| Trained by | Pete Robinson[2] |
| Debut | 1981 |
| Retired | 1986 |
Terry Wayne Allen (born June 11, 1959) is an American retiredprofessional wrestler, better known by hisring name,Magnum T. A. Allen won theNWA United States Heavyweight Championship twice and was being groomed for a potential run with theNWA World Heavyweight Championship, but a car crash in 1986 forced him into retirement. After retiring, Magnum T. A. continued to appear in non-wrestling roles for multiple promotions.
Allen attendedNorfolk Collegiate School inNorfolk, Virginia. He was a member of the collegiate wrestling team and won the state championship in the 167-pound division. After graduating high school, he attendedOld Dominion University.[4]
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Allen started wrestling in 1981 and joined theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he began competing for theChampionship Wrestling from Florida and thePacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) territories. While in the CWF, Allen won theGlobal Tag Team Championship on five occasions before then moving toMid-South Wrestling. Upon debuting in Mid-South, Allen renamed himself "Magnum T. A." and adopted acharacter known as the "American Heart Throb", based on Allen's slight resemblance to actorTom Selleck, who at the time was starring in the popular television seriesMagnum, P.I..[2] Allen adopted the ring name afterAndré the Giant suggested that he combine the Magnum name with the initials of his real name.[1][3] After competing in Mid-South, he won theNorth American Heavyweight Championship, his first major title, after defeatingMr. Wrestling II on May 13, 1984.[1] Magnum would hold the title for five months before he lost it tothe " Big Cat" Ernie Ladd on October 27."Mid-South Wrestling (10.27.1984) Review".411 Mania.[5] On November 22, Magnum lost to Ladd via disqualification in a title rematch.[1]
In 1984, theNational Wrestling Alliance'sJim Crockett Promotions signed Allen. After debuting, Magnum beganfeuding withWahoo McDaniel and defeated him for theUnited States Heavyweight Championship on March 23, 1985.[1] AtThe Great American Bash, he successfully defended the title by defeatingKamala.[1] He then began feuding with theFour Horsemen before feuding solely with Horsemen memberTully Blanchard and hisvaletBaby Doll, losing the title to him on July 21. On September 28, Magnum lost to the Horsemen's leaderRic Flair in a nearly 30-minute title match for Flair'sWorld Heavyweight Championship.[1] Magnum regained the U.S. title from Blanchard in the famous"I Quit" match atStarrcade on November 28, 1985.[1]
In April 1986, Magnum began feuding withIvan Koloff, who had started proclaiming that his nephew,Nikita, would become the United States Heavyweight Champion.Jim Crockett Jr. set up a contract signing for Magnum to defend his title against Nikita in May. At the signing, Magnum brought his mother, Marion, while Nikita brought Ivan. However, Nikita insulted Magnum's mother during the signing, instigating a fight. Then-president of the NWA,Bob Geigel, issued a public reprimand against Magnum for "conduct unbecoming a champion." Magnum replied, "Reprimand this!" while punching Geigel. As a result, Magnum was stripped of his title and it was put up in a best of seven series between Magnum and Nikita.[1] After losing the first three matches in a row to Nikita, Magnum began a comeback, winning the next three matches to keep the series going. In the tie-breaking match on August 17, 1986, inCharlotte, North Carolina, Nikita defeated Magnum to win the title with help from Ivan andKrusher Khruschev.
On October 14, 1986, Allen was driving in hisPorsche in very heavy rain,hydroplaned and lost control, striking a telephone pole. The wreck happened on Sardis Road in Charlotte, North Carolina, only a couple of miles from his home.[1][6] Initially, investigators believed he was speeding, butforensic reports showed he was driving thespeed limit and he was left in his car for two hours before a witness called911. The wreck caused his C-4 and C-5 vertebrae to "explode", and it was doubted at the time whether he would ever walk again. Doctors atCarolinas Medical Center said Allen's physical conditioning saved his life. The right side of his body was paralyzed for months, ending his in-ring career. Losing Allen as a wrestler prompted NWAbookerDusty Rhodes toturn Nikita Koloff, Allen's last rival prior to his wreck, into ababyface. According to the storyline, Koloff gained respect for Magnum from their feud and wanted to take his place. This was memorialized in the spring edition of theWrestling '87 magazine, with a large photograph of Koloff with the words "I cry for Magnum T. A." beside him.[7] Prior to his wreck, Magnum was to win the U.S. Title for the third time before being groomed to become theNWA World Heavyweight Champion.[1] Magnum's first on-screen appearance following the wreck was onTBS's Super Towns on the Superstation, in an interview with Tony Schiavone. His first appearance in front of a live crowd was at the Crockett Cup in 1987, where, with the aid of a cane and two referees, Magnum walked to ringside to embrace Dusty and Nikita, who would go on to defeat Tully Blanchard and Lex Luger for the tournament championship. Magnum (as "The Boss" Magnum T. A.) hosted an interview segment titledStraight Talk with The Boss onNWA World Wide Wrestling in 1988.
Magnum later worked as a commentator for the NWA, UWF, andWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW), and also served as a manager for Rhodes and Koloff. In his lastangle in WCW in March 1988, Magnum was attacked by his former rivalTully Blanchard, which prompted Dusty Rhodes to come to the aid of his friend. Rhodes was subsequentlysuspended and returned as The Midnight Rider,[1] managed by Magnum. After Rhodes signed withChampionship Wrestling from Florida and later theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF), and Koloff signed with theAmerican Wrestling Association (AWA), Magnum left JCP as well, although he would make sporadic reappearances with the promotion until 1993 atSlamboree.
On May 20, 1995, Allen appeared as part of a legends recognition at Smoky Mountain Wrestling's "Carolina Memories" show in Charlotte. On January 14, 2005, Allen made an appearance as a guest at the Exodus Wrestling Alliance.[1] He would later appear for the Carolina Wrestling Association in the corner of Jason Jones during Jones' loss to George South, Jr. on May 21.[1] At the event Tribute To Starrcade on November 19, Magnum stood in Rhodes' corner as he lost toTully Blanchard.[1] On June 24, 2007, Allen, as Magnum T. A., made his first appearance forWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) at theirVengeance: Night of Championspay-per-view (PPV), where he was noted as a former United States Champion.[1]
On March 3, 2024, Allen was shown in the crowd during Sting's retirement match atAEW'sRevolution alongsideNikita Koloff andScotty Riggs.[8]
Allen is stepfather to professional wrestlerTessa Blanchard, who moved in with him and her siblings and her mother Courtney Shattuck at age 4. He works as a manager at a network-solutions company and resides in Charlotte.[9]
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