 Kidman in 2007 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Peter Alan Gruner Jr. (1974-05-11)May 11, 1974 (age 51)[2] |
Spouse | |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Billy Kidman[1] Kid Flash[1] Kidman[2] Dr. Weisenburg El Técnico |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[3] |
| Billed weight | 195 lb (88 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Allentown, Pennsylvania[3] |
| Trained by | Afa Anoa'i[1][3] |
| Debut | September 11, 1994[1][2] |
| Retired | February 23, 2008 |
Peter Alan Gruner Jr.[4] (born May 11, 1974)[2] is an American retiredprofessional wrestler, better known by hisring nameBilly Kidman. He works forWWE, where he is a producer.
As a wrestler, Kidman is best known for his work withWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) andWorld Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (WWF/E) throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. While in WCW, Kidman gained fame as a key member of severalstables. In addition to being a member ofRaven's Flock, he also was a member ofThe Filthy Animals and laterThe New Blood.[3] As a member of these stables, Kidman participated in memorablefeuds with top WCW names, includingHulk Hogan,Jeff Jarrett, andRey Mysterio[3] Kidman also found championship success while in WCW, where he became athree timeCruiserweight Champion,[5][6][7] atwo timeWorld Tag Team Champion,[8] once with Mysterio Jr. and once withKonnan, and in theCruiserweight Tag Team Champion final with Mysterio Jr.[8]
Upon WCW's purchase by the World Wrestling Federation, Kidman became a member of theWCW/ECW Alliance. During his time in the WWF (later renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment), Kidman once again found success upon winning the Cruiserweight Championship an additional four times[9][10][11][12] while the title was under the WCW banner and later the WWF/E banner, in addition to winning WWE'sTag Team Championshiponce withPaul London.[13]
Gruner grew up inAllentown, Pennsylvania in theLehigh Valley region of easternPennsylvania, where he graduated fromParkland High School.[14] Gruner was a banker before he started training to be a professional wrestler and was good friends with fellow professional wrestlerChris Kanyon, who he met at the Wild Samoan training center in Pennsylvania.[15] He is a cousin of fellow professional wrestlerMikey Batts.[16]
Gruner was trained byAfa Anoaʻi, one half of TheWild Samoans, and wrestled his first match on September 11, 1994 inHellertown, Pennsylvania against "Wild Thing" Dan Kallis on theindependent circuit as Kid Flash.[1] He formed atag team withAce Darling known as The Shooting Stars, and they would find success by winning theECWA Tag Team Championship.
Gruner started wrestling forWorld Championship Wrestling on March 6, 1996 as "Kid Flash" againstChris Kanyon in a losing effort. Gruner then competed as Billy Cannon on April 10, before settling on the name Billy Kidman on May 13. He made his televised debut in WCW on the May 18 episode ofSaturday Night, competing againstDiamond Dallas Page in a losing effort.[17] He mainly competed as anenhancement talent for over a year with nocharacter.[1] His first televised win occurred on the July 28 episode ofWorldWide againstPsychosis.[18] Kidman received his first title opportunity in WCW, unsuccessfully challengingRey Misterio Jr. for theWorld Cruiserweight Championship on the September 9 episode ofMonday Nitro.[19]
On the September 30 episode ofNitro, Kidman filled in for Psychosis, who could not show up due to his visa issues and competed as the masked "El Technico" by teaming withJuventud Guerrera againstThe Public Enemy in a losing effort.[20] Kidman would receive two more title shots for the World Cruiserweight Championship, this time againstDean Malenko on the December 2 episode ofNitro and the December 14 episode ofSaturday Night but lost both times.[21][22]
On the October 13, 1997 episode ofNitro, Kidman was added toRaven's Flock.[23] To fit in with the Flock's gimmick of being outcasts, Kidman was given the gimmick of aheroin addict, where he constantly scratched his arms and named hisshooting star press, theSeven Year Itch.[24] Kidman found little personal success with the group and competed in major matches only on a few occasions, such as participating in abattle royal to determine the #1 contender for the Cruiserweight Championship in hispay-per-view debut atSlamboree.[25] Kidman would then lose to Juventud Guerrera atBash at the Beach.[26] AtFall Brawl, Kidman aidedPerry Saturn in defeating Flock's leaderRaven in a match, thus disbanding the group.[27]
Following the Flock's disbanding, Kidman shed his grungy attire and heroin gimmick and began performing as a clean-cutfan favorite before eventually defeatingJuventud Guerrera to win his firstCruiserweight Championship on the September 14 episode ofNitro. Kidman retained the title against variouscruiserweights on a weekly basis, with his first pay-per-view title defense occurring againstDisco Inferno atHalloween Havoc, where Kidman retained. Kidman lost the title back to Guerrera on the November 16 episode ofNitro but regained it in a rematch atWorld War 3 inAuburn Hills, Michigan.[28] Shortly after, Kidman joined Rey Mysterio, Jr. in the latter's rivalry with theLatino World Order. AtStarrcade, Kidman successfully defended the Cruiserweight Championship against Guerrera and Mysterio in atriangle match. LWO leaderEddie Guerrero challenged Kidman to an immediate title match afterwards, which Kidman accepted. Kidman retained the title after assistance by Mysterio.
Kidman's title reign continued into 1999 with a successful title defense against Guerrera, Psychosis and Mysterio in afour-way match atSouled Out. Kidman then retained the title against various challengers such asChavo Guerrero Jr. atSuperBrawl IX andMikey Whipwreck atUncensored, before losing the title to Mysterio on the March 15 episode ofNitro. Following this, Mysterio asked Kidman to be his tag team partner in a match for theWorld Tag Team Championship. Kidman at first declined, as a previous attempt at a tag team between the two did not reach any level of success. The two, however, facedChris Benoit andDean Malenko for the titles on the March 29 episode ofNitro, and succeeded with unwanted aid from Raven and Saturn. Kidman then faced off against Mysterio in an attempt to win back the Cruiserweight Championship atSpring Stampede, however, Mysterio retained his title.[29]
The three teams feuded for several weeks, which ended in athree-way tag team match for the World Tag Team Championship atSlamboree.[30] Chris Kanyon's interference led to the victory for Raven and Saturn.[30] Kidman spent the next several months in assorted feuds.
In the summer of 1999, Kidman joinedFilthy Animals alongside Rey Mysterio,Konnan, and Eddie Guerrero.[31] Initially joining together to combatDead Pool, Filthy Animals defeated the Dead Pool twice atRoad Wild andFall Brawl. Kidman would then become responsible for unmasking Psychosis by defeating him in ahair vs. mask match on the September 27 episode ofNitro. AtHalloween Havoc, Kidman substituted for an injured Mysterio and teamed with Konnan to defend the World Tag Team Championship againstHarlem Heat andThe First Family in a triangle match, which Harlem Heat won. However, the following night onNitro, Kidman and Konnan defeated Harlem Heat to win the titles, beginning Kidman's second tag team title win in WCW.
Kidman then participated in a tournament for the vacantWCW World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Konnan in the first round andNorman Smiley in ahardcore match in the second round before losing to eventual winnerBret Hart in the quarter-final round. Filthy Animals then lost anintergenderelimination match toThe Revolution atMayhem. The following night, onNitro, Kidman teamed with Konnan's substitute Rey Mysterio to defend the World Tag Team Championship againstCreative Control. Filthy Animals went on to lose the titles. Kidman would challengeJeff Jarrett for theUnited States Heavyweight Championship on the December 27 episode ofNitro. He came close to winning the title but ended up losing the match.
Filthy Animals began to crumble in 2000 when Guerrero left WCW, and Kidman left the stable when the rest of its members turned heel. AtSouled Out, Kidman participated in the Triple Threat Theater, a series of three matches with different stipulations, initially scheduled betweenChris Benoit and Jeff Jarrett. However, Jarrett was unable to compete due to his injury. Kidman won the first two matches, a Catch-as-Catch Can match againstDean Malenko, and aBunkhouse Brawl against Perry Saturn, but lost the third match, aCaged Heat match againstThe Wall. This resulted in Kidman feuding with Wall andVampiro over the next few weeks, culminating with Kidman defeating Vampiro in a match atSuperBrawl 2000. Following that, Kidman joined forces withBooker to feud withHarlem Heat 2000, defeating them atUncensored. On March 30, Kidman defeatedThe Artist at ahouse show to win his third Cruiserweight Championship, but lost the title back to Artist a day later.
In April, Kidman joinedVince Russo'sNew Blood stable, signalling another heel turn.[32] AtSpring Stampede, Kidman participated in a tournament for the vacant United States Heavyweight Championship, losing to Vampiro in the quarter-final round. Reflecting the gimmick of the New Blood, Kidman began acting as hotshot who refused to be held back by wrestlers beyond their prime. This led to the biggest feud of his career withHulk Hogan, including a pinfall victory over Hogan in ahandicap match.[15] However, the rivalry concluded with back-to-back matches for Kidman against Hogan atSlamboree andThe Great American Bash. The New Blood would then split up, leading Kidman to turn face as he entered a feud withShane Douglas for the affection of hison-screen girlfriendTorrie Wilson. During the feud, Wilson turned on Kidman. Kidman waslegitimately injured in astrap match atNew Blood Rising, when Douglas hung Kidman from the neck using the strap. Despite winning the match, Kidman was forced to take several weeks off to recover.[1][33] AtFall Brawl, Kidman andMadusa lost to Douglas and Wilson in ascaffold match.
Following the feud, Kidman began teaming with Mysterio Jr. again, thus joining Filthy Animals once again. AtHalloween Havoc, Kidman and Mysterio failed to win the World Tag Team Championship fromMark Jindrak andSean O'Haire in a triangle match, also involvingThe Boogie Knights.[34] The duo then began feuding withKroniK after losing to them atMillennium Final. AtMayhem, Filthy Animals defeatedAlex Wright and KroniK in a handicap match after KroniK abandoned Wright. Filthy Animals' next rivalry was against Jeff Jarrett andThe Harris Brothers, losing to them in astreet fight atStarrcade. They were also on the losing end againstTeam Canada in apenalty box match atSin.
In the spring of 2001, Kidman and Mysterio entered theCruiserweight Tag Team Championship tournament, defeating Jason Lee andJohnny Swinger in the quarterfinals and3 Count in the semifinals but lost in the finals toElix Skipper andKid Romeo atGreed.[35] On the final episode ofNitro, Kidman and Mysterio Jr. won the titles from Skipper and Romeo. That night, theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) purchased WCW and Kidman's contract was picked up by the WWF.[36] As a result, Kidman and Mysterio ended up as the final Cruiserweight Tag Team Champions in WCW history.
When the WWF purchased WCW, the contract of Gruner (who was still wrestling as Billy Kidman) was one of twenty-five involved in the purchase. WhenThe Invasion commenced, Gruner appeared on WWF television under his Billy Kidman ring name as atweener forThe Alliance. Kidman debuted in WWF on the July 5 episode ofSmackDown!, competing in the first televised WCW match on the weekly program. Kidman defeatedGregory Helms to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship in his WWF debut.[3][9] As the WCW Cruiserweight Champion, Kidman proceeded to defeat theWWF Light Heavyweight ChampionX-Pac atInvasion. On the July 30 episode ofRaw is War, Kidman lost the Cruiserweight Championship to X-Pac in atitle versus title match, with X-Pac's Light Heavyweight Championship also on the line. After this, Kidman was later sidelined with an injury during the Invasion angle and thus did not have as big of an impact as other WCW wrestlers.
After recovering from his injury, Kidman returned to WWF in October. On the October 11 episode ofSmackDown!, Kidman defeated X-Pac to win his record-tying fifth Cruiserweight Championship.[10] He lost the title toTajiri on the October 22 episode ofRaw is War. AtSurvivor Series, Kidman participated in theImmunity battle royal, where the winner would receive immunity from being fired. Kidman failed to win the match, and Alliance lost later that night, thus being forced to disband. As a result, all Alliance members were firedin storyline, and Kidman was taken off television, competing at house shows for the next four months.
Kidman returned to WWF television after beingdrafted to theSmackDown! brand as part of thebrand extension on March 25, 2002. Kidman's return match took place on the March 30 episode ofJakked, where he teamed withThe Hurricane againstFunaki and Tajiri in a losing effort. On the April 4 episode ofSmackDown!, Kidman defeated Tajiri to win his record-breaking sixth Cruiserweight Championship.[11] However, Tajiri reclaimed the title atBacklash.[37] Kidman continued to feud with Tajiri over the title, wrestling him on various occasions but failed to regain the title. After losing in a #1 contender's match toJamie Noble on the June 20 episode ofSmackDown!, Kidman began feuding with Noble over the title, unsuccessfully challenging him atVengeance.
AtRebellion, Kidman and hisreal-life girlfriendTorrie Wilson defeatedJohn Cena andDawn Marie in an intergender tag team match. After this, he went on to win his record-breaking seventh Cruiserweight Championship after defeating Jamie Noble atSurvivor Series.[12] He later lost the title three months later toMatt Hardy atNo Way Out.
Following the title loss, Kidman proceeded to spend the next few years as a cornerstone of the cruiserweight division before forming a tag team with newcomerPaul London in early 2004. Together, they slowly worked their way up the tag team ranks before ultimately winning theWWE Tag Team Championship from theDudley Boyz on the July 8, 2004 episode ofSmackDown!.[13] Proving the win was not an upset, they went on to defeat the Dudley Boyz in a rematch for the title.
Their championship run came to an abrupt end after Kidman turned his back on London. Theheelturn played off of a legitimate injury which occurred on the August 26, 2004 episode ofSmackDown!, when Kidman'sshooting star press unintentionally causedChavo Guerrero to suffer a concussion.[38][39] The next week, Kidman was on the top rope ready to hit the shooting star press, but hesitated, climbed down the turnbuckles, and slowly walked backstage overwhelmed with guilt after injuring Guerrero.[38][39] London was left alone to defend the title againstKenzo Suzuki andRené Duprée, and was easily defeated.[39] As a result, London and Kidman faced each other atNo Mercy, where Kidman defeated London before performing the shooting star press on London while he was strapped to a stretcher.[40] This completed Kidman's heel turn, as he proceeded to blame the fans for wanting him to be more brutal with his in-ring style.[41] Kidman and Guerrero ended their feud upon Chavo's return, the latter being victorious in the final match. Kidman then competed against London over the Cruiserweight Championship in the coming months.[42] At the start of 2005, Kidman suffered a brokenorbital bone, which sidelined him for three months.[1]
Gruner was released from his WWE contract on July 6, 2005.[43][44] Gruner stated that the release was due to an argument with management over their decision to stop booking wrestlers onfirst class flights overseas.[citation needed]
Following his departure from WWE, Kidman began touring theUnited Kingdom. During the tour, he competed for theFrontier Wrestling Alliance in a three-way match withJody Fleisch andJonny Storm. He also wrestled British wrestling legendRobbie Brookside in a losing effort to determine the inaugural Real Quality Wrestling Heavyweight Champion.
In 2007, Kidman made hisInternational Wrestling Association debut in a match for theIWA World Heavyweight Championship againstRay González, which he lost.[45] Kidman also took part in the East Coast Australian International Assault II Tour from June 1–3, 2007, where he competed against Australian wrestlersTNT and Mark Hilton before defeatingBryan Danielson to win the WSW World Heavyweight Championship on the third night in Newcastle.
On July 8, 2007, Kidman teamed up withSean Waltman as part of a triple threat match inMcAllen, Texas to crown the newNWA World Tag Team Champions. The title was previously vacated byTeam 3D afterTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling officially pulled out of theNational Wrestling Alliance. However, Kidman and Waltman lost the match toKarl Anderson andJoey Ryan.
Kidman returned to WWE in 2007, helping train upcoming wrestlers in its then developmental territoryFlorida Championship Wrestling throughout 2007 and 2008.[46] On February 23, 2008, he wrestled his last match, losing toAfa Jr.. Gruner was rehired byWorld Wrestling Entertainment in 2010 as aproducer. On September 21, 2011, WWE ran a story on their website about Gruner and his role as a producer.[46]
On April 9, 2012, Gruner along with former wrestlersJamie Noble,Goldust and other officials and WWE wrestlers broke up the brawl betweenJohn Cena andBrock Lesnar.[47] In November 2013, Gruner appeared on WWE's European tour asPaul Heyman's doctor, under the name of "Dr. Weisenburg".[48] On August 23, 2016 episode ofSmackDown Live, he appeared along withJamie Noble to preventDolph Ziggler from attackingAJ Styles.[49]
Kidman's contract was furloughed by the company on April 15, 2020, due to COVID-19 cutbacks.[50] He returned to the company on September 25, 2020.[51]
Gruner isJewish.[52] After being together for four years,[53] Gruner married formerWWE DivaTorrie Wilson on July 11, 2003.[54] They lived together inTampa, Florida when not traveling.[55] The couple separated in mid-2006 and divorced in 2008.[56]
A book detailing Gruner's career,Billy Kidman: The Shooting Star, was released in early 2014.[57]
A heel Billy Kidman is gold!
2004 Billy Kidman
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