| Bob Backlund | |
|---|---|
 Backlund in 2014 | |
| Birth name | Robert Louis Backlund |
| Born | (1949-08-14)August 14, 1949 (age 75) Princeton, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Alma mater | North Dakota State University |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bob Backlund Mr. Backlund |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1][2] |
| Billed weight | 234 lb (106 kg)[1][2] |
| Billed from | Princeton, Minnesota[1][2] |
| Trained by | Eddie Sharkey |
| Debut | 1973 |
| Retired | 2018 |
| Bob Backlund | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Louis Backlund |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Born | 14 August 1949 Princeton, Minnesota, U.S. |
| High school | Princeton High School |
| College | North Dakota State University |
| NCAA championships | 1 |
Medal record | |
Robert Louis Backlund (born August 14, 1949) is an American retiredamateur andprofessional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in theWorld Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation from 1976 to 1984 and in the 1990s, where he held theWWWF/WWF Championship on two occasions. His 2,135-day reign is recognized as the second longest in the championship's history.[a] Backlund was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame in 2013.
Backlund began his career inamateur wrestling, competing for theNorth Dakota State University Bison from the late 1960s to early 1970s. He began training as a professional wrestler in 1973 underEddie Sharkey and competed for theAmerican Wrestling Association. He then wrestled for theNational Wrestling Alliance and won theNWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship in 1976. Later that year he joined the World Wide Wrestling Federation, defeatingSuperstar Billy Graham for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship in 1978. He held the championship until 1983, where he lost it in a match againstthe Iron Sheik. Shortly after losing the title, Backlund left the WWF, but returned in 1992 and was in the1993 Royal Rumble match for over an hour, a record held until the2004 Royal Rumble. At the1994 Survivor Series, Backlund won his second WWF Championship, defeatingBret Hart. He held the championship for three days, before losing it toDiesel at ahouse show inMadison Square Garden.
In addition to his time with the WWWF/WWF, Backlund has had success inWrestling and Romance,Championship Wrestling from Florida,New Japan Pro-Wrestling and was inducted into theGeorge Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.
Backlund was born inPrinceton, Minnesota, in 1949.[3] He is a graduate ofPrinceton High School, where he was a state finalist in wrestling. During his freshman year while atWaldorf College inForest City, Iowa, Backlund was anAll-American in bothfootball and wrestling (191 lb [87 kg], finishing third). During his sophomore campaign, Backlund focused on wrestling and once again earned All-American honors (190 lb [86 kg] and national runner-up). Backlund was anamateur wrestler atNorth Dakota State University, winning the Division II NCAA Championship at 190 pounds in 1971. In 1972 Backlund moved up to the heavyweight class and finished fifth at the NCAA DII Nationals.[1] He graduated fromNorth Dakota State University with a degree inphysical education.
Backlund was trained for professional wrestling by renowned trainerEddie Sharkey and made his debut for theAmerican Wrestling Association (AWA) in 1973. Backlund's clean-cut look and technical approach made him a naturalface, and he quicklygot over with the fans.[1] After leaving the AWA, Backlund traveled the United States, working for theNational Wrestling Alliance in its variousterritories. In 1974, Backlund wrestled inTexas, forDory Funk Jr. andTerry Funk'sAmarillo, Texas-basedWestern States Sports promotion. In March, he defeated Terry Funk for theNWA Western States Heavyweight Championship (the promotion's top title). Backlund held it for two months, before losing it toKarl Von Steiger in May.[4]
In mid-1975, Backlund started working forGeorgia Championship Wrestling (GCW). He teamed withJerry Brisco to win theNWA Georgia Tag Team Championship fromToru Tanaka andMr. Fuji in October 1975. They held thechampionship belts for two months before losing toLes Thornton and Tony Charles. In 1976, Backlund left Georgia forChampionship Wrestling from Florida (CWF, NWA Florida). Here he teamed withSteve Keirn to defeatBob Orton Jr. andBob Roop for theNWA Florida Tag Team Championship. Backlund and Keirn lost the title toThe Hollywood Blonds (Buddy Roberts and Jerry Brown) in October 1976.[4] While working for NWA Florida, Backlund also wrestled inSt. Louis, Missouri, forSam Muchnick'sSt. Louis Wrestling Club. He defeatedHarley Race to win theNWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship on April 23, 1976, and he lost the title toJack Brisco on November 26.[4]
In late 1976, Backlund joinedVincent J. McMahon'sWorld Wide Wrestling Federation.[5] He wasmanaged by"The Golden Boy" Arnold Skaaland. Less than four months into his WWWF run, Backlund received his first shot at theWWWF Heavyweight Championship againstSuperstar Billy Graham, but he lost bycountout. Through 1977, Backlund received additional title shots at the champion, and his fortunes started to change; the two went to a doublecountout in one match,[6] then Backlund defeated Graham, but by countout (the title can only change hands via pinfall or submission).[7] On February 20, 1978, atMadison Square Garden, Backlund finally scored apinfall victory over Graham and won the title,[4] despite Graham's leg being on the rope during the pinfall.[8]
Backlund's early challengers for the title includedSpiros Arion, Mr. Fuji,Ivan Koloff,George "the Animal" Steele, andKen Patera, and had his first high-profile title match in Japan, defending againstAntonio Inoki. He also won a series of rematches against Graham, including an April 1978steel cage match atMadison Square Garden.
Three days after winning the WWWF Heavyweight Championship, Backlund clashed with theNWA World Heavyweight champion Harley Race in a rare "WWWF vs. NWA" title match. Both titles were on the line, but neither changed hands as the two fought to a 60-minute time limitdraw.[9] Defending against other champions became a recurring theme in Backlund's run with the title. He faced theAWA World Heavyweight champion (Nick Bockwinkel)[10] and two NWA World Heavyweight champions (Harley Race four times andRic Flair once)[11] He defeated theNWA Florida Heavyweight championDon Muraco.[12] In August 1982, he battledCanadian International Heavyweight ChampionBilly Robinson to a 63-minute curfew draw in Montreal.[13]
Early in his run, Backlund andPeter Maivia formed a successfultag team and challenged for theWWWF World Tag Team Championship, held bythe Yukon Lumberjacks. During a television taping that aired onWWF Championship Wrestling in October 1978, Maiviaturned on Backlund and attacked him and Skaaland. In the immediate aftermath, fans for the first time got to see another side of Backlund's personality: that of a raving, ranting maniac when angered or pushed hard enough; in the post-match interview, Backlund screamed to interviewerVince McMahon that he was going to "kill that son of a bitch!" Backlund eventually won a series of matches against Maivia, including a steel cage match in January 1979 at Madison Square Garden, although he was not able to fulfill his threat to end the life of Maivia.
In 1979, the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) became the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). On November 30, 1979,NWF Heavyweight championAntonio Inoki defeated Backlund in Tokushima, Japan to win the WWF title. Backlund then won a rematch on December 6. However, WWF presidentHisashi Shinma declared the re-match a no contest due to interference fromTiger Jeet Singh, and Inoki remained champion. Inoki refused the title on the same day, and it was declared vacant. Backlund later defeatedBobby Duncum in a Texas death match to regain the title on December 17. Inoki's reign is not recognized by WWE in its WWF/WWE title history.
On August 9, 1980, Backlund teamed withPedro Morales to capture the WWF Tag Team Championship fromthe Wild Samoans atShowdown at Shea. Backlund and Morales were forced tovacate the title due to a then-extant WWF rule stating that no one can hold twochampionships at the same time.[14] Backlund had more tag team success when he (along with Antonio Inoki) won the "1980 MSG Tag Team League Tournament", last defeatingHulk Hogan andStan Hansen on December 10 in Osaka, Japan. Backlund and Inoki finished the tournament with seven wins and two double-countout decisions.
Also during 1980, Backlund and Hogan met in a series of highly publicized matches; although he scored several countout victories over Hogan, Backlund never was able to score a decisive victory over his charismatic young challenger, and Hogan – showing flashes of his future superstardom – proved to be one of Backlund's toughest opponents. Backlund was also able to overcome a challenge from Ken Patera, with whom he feuded on-and-off from 1978 until early 1981, including during Patera's reign asWWF Intercontinental Heavyweight champion.
Backlund's WWF Heavyweight Championship was held up after a match inNew York City againstGreg "the Hammer" Valentine on October 19, 1981, after a dazed referee "accidentally" gave the championship belt to Valentine as part of the storyline,[15] it constituted an interruption of Backlund's title reign. However, Backlund was billed as the WWF Heavyweight champion in other cities in the days following the controversy.[16] In the early part of the 1980s, when no promotion held nationally televised events, it was not uncommon practice to "hold up" the title in one area (to build interest in a rematch the "former" champion would win) while ignoring the situation in other parts of the territory. On November 23, Backlund pinned Valentine for the "vacant in New York only" WWF Heavyweight Championship.[17] A rematch for the title, held inside a steel cage at thePhiladelphia Spectrum in January 1982, also saw Backlund emerge the winner, securing the victory when he hit apiledriver on Valentine onto the mat. Even with the title being held up against Inoki and Valentine, Backlund is recognized by WWE as having one continuous title reign from 1978 to 1983 as WWE champion.
Backlund continued to be successful into 1982 and 1983, successfully defending against a variety of contenders, ranging fromAdrian Adonis,"Cowboy" Bob Orton,Big John Studd, Ivan Koloff,Magnificent Muraco andSgt. Slaughter. One of his most memorable encounters came in mid-1982, when he won a steel cage match against"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka; in that match, atMadison Square Garden, Snuka scaled the top of the cage, intending to perform his"Superfly" splash onto a prone Backlund to incapacitate him, but Backlund moved after Snuka began to fly through the air and went on to escape the cage. He also turned back a challenge from Superstar Billy Graham, who returned to the WWF in late 1982 wanting to reclaim the championship.
After having been popular with the fans from early on, in the final months of his title reign, Backlund changed his image, cutting his mop hair into a crew cut, wearing amateur wrestling singlets and losing muscle mass and definition. Fans seemingly grew weary of this "Howdy Doody" character (asthe Grand Wizard had dubbed him). In 1983, he was voted theWrestling Observer Newsletter'sMost Overrated Wrestler.Vince McMahon, who had bought the WWF from his father, wanted to put the title on the more charismatic and muscular Hulk Hogan. McMahon initially suggested Backlund to turnheel and lose to Hogan, but when Backlund refused, atransitional champion became necessary between Backlund and Hogan. Backlund sustained a (kayfabe) arm injury whenthe Iron Sheik assaulted him with his Persian clubs and on December 26, 1983, Backlund lost the title to the Sheik when Backlund's manager,Arnold Skaaland, threw in the towel while Backlund was locked in thecamel clutch.[4]
Due to Backlund's injury, Hogan took over Backlund's rematch and became the new WWF World Heavyweight Champion.[18] The injury was a television story only; Backlund wrestled the Iron Sheik at least three times for the title athouse shows (including once at theBoston Garden, winning bydisqualification), and also wrestled the Magnificent Muraco for the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, also at a non-televised house show.[19]
Backlund continued to work for the WWF for a while after the title change, but did not receive another title shot for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship after Hogan's victory. On August 4, 1984, Backlund defeatedSalvatore Bellomo in his last WWF match for eight years.[20]
After leaving the WWF, Backlund had a run in the short-livedPro Wrestling USA, a joint promotion of the NWA and the AWA, meant to combat the national expansion of the WWF. In Pro Wrestling USA, Backlund unsuccessfully challengedAWA World Heavyweight championRick Martel. He soon dropped out of the pro wrestling scene in 1985, but he made a surprise return in 1991 forHerb Abrams' short-livedUniversal Wrestling Federation (UWF). AtBeach Brawl, he defeated Ivan Koloff.[21] Backlund also wrestled forNewborn UWF andUWF International in Japan, in a series of matches withNobuhiko Takada in 1988 and 1991. During his time away from the ring, he coached amateur wrestling atBacon Academy and Rocky Hill High School in Connecticut.[22]
In 1992 with the World Wrestling Federation struggling to find a new direction, Backlund made a surprise return to the company on July 1, 1992 in White Plains, New York and defeatedSkinner.[23] After defeating Skinner in a rematch the following day andSteve Lombardi in July, Backlund went into hiatus while the company prepared to introduce him to a new generation of fans.
On the September 27, 1992 episode ofWrestling Challenge a vignette aired promoting the return of Backlund to the World Wrestling Federation.[24] During his absence, the WWF had expanded into an international wrestling promotion, due in part to the colorful characters of the "Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection Era", which Hulk Hogan helped to kickstart eight years prior. Backlund, whose persona remained the same as it was in his heyday, seemed to be out of step with the evolution of the WWF. Many fans did not remember him, as he had left just prior to Vince McMahon's national expansion. Backlund made his official return on the November 28, 1992 episode ofWWF Superstars of Wrestling and defeatedTom Stone. On the November 29 episode ofPrime Time Wrestling he secured his first significant victory by defeatingRepo Man.
Backlund began to tour full time on house shows at the end of November, defeatingPapa Shango on multiple occasions. On November 19, 1992 he got his first opportunity for a championship, facing and then defeatingShawn Michaels by countout in Cadillac, Michigan.[25] On November 28, he made his return to Madison Square Garden for the first time in over eight years, defeatingRick Martel. He closed out the year remaining undefeated in competition and being announced as a participant in the upcoming Royal Rumble.[26]
At the1993 Royal Rumble, Backlund, the number two entrant lasted sixty-one minutes and ten seconds,[27] a duration record that stood until 2004, whenChris Benoit broke it. On January 29, 1993 he faced Shawn Michaels at Madison Square Garden, again defeating the Intercontinental Champion by countout.[28] The following day Backlund finally sustained his first defeat in his comeback, losing by pinfall to Michaels at a house show in New Haven, Connecticut. This would be his only loss for some time as he continued to beat Michaels by countout in subsequent rematches.
Backlund's firstWrestleMania appearance was atWrestleMania IX, where he was quickly pinned byRazor Ramon.[29] On April 8, he faced Shawn Michaels at aWWF Superstars taping in Paris, France and was pinned. This began the first sustained losing streak of his WWF comeback, as Michaels defeated Backlund in subsequent rematches. On the May 2, 1993 episode ofMonday Night Raw . Backlund facedLex Luger in a qualifying match for the upcomingKing of the Ring tournament but was defeated by countout.[30]
In May 1993 he rebounded to defeatBlake Beverly in several house show encounters. On the May 30, 1993 episode ofAll American Wrestling he battledBam Bam Bigelow to a time limit draw. On the June 19, episode ofWWF Mania he teamed with fellow veteranTito Santana to defeatThe Headshrinkers. On the June 20, episode ofWrestling Challenge Backlund was defeated byDoink the Clown. Entering the summer, Backlund found himself programmed into a house show series against fellowbabyfaceBret Hart. Hart defeated Backlund in their first encounter in Baltimore, Maryland on June 11, and the two faced off again the following day at Madison Square Garden. After a match that lasted over 32 minutes, Hart again defeated Backlund. The two wrestlers shook hands after the match.
Afterwards Backlund found himself sliding further down the card, losing to newcomersMr. Hughes andBastion Booger in numerous house show encounters in the summer of 1993. At "The SummerSlam Spectacular" on August 29, 1993 he again faced Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels and once more was defeated. Backlund entered the fall of 1993 now in the lower card, and he rebounded to defeat Damien Demento and Papa Shango in numerous house show encounters. On November 6, 1993 in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, Backlund faced yet another newcomer inDiesel, pinning him in their first match.[31] Diesel would return the favor, pinning Backlund on November 12 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This was followed by several additional losses to Diesel, and Backlund ended the second year of his comeback still mired in the midcard.[32]
Backlund competed in the1994 Royal Rumble, this time only lasting a little over twelve seconds. As the winter continued victories were seldom as Diesel continued to dominate their house show series. Backlund also faced newcomerJeff Jarrett at numerous events and was winless. He took a sabbatical and did not compete for several months before returning in May 1994. On the WWF's tour of Japan that month he was defeated byMasashi Aoyagi in Nagoya on May 7, 1994.[33] Backlund rebounded to pin Rick Martel in Sapporo, Japan four days later.
The former WWF Champion was now nearly two years into his comeback as the summer of 1994 began and he now found himself slotted as an opening card performer. In that role he defeatedThe Brooklyn Brawler in multiple house show matches. However, on the July 16, 1994 episode of WWF Superstars he unexpectedly made a challenge toWWF World Heavyweight Champion Bret Hart. It was accepted, and on the July 30, 1994, episode ofSuperstars, Backlund wrestled what was billed as an "Old Generation vs. New Generation" match againstBret Hart, with Hart's WWF Championship on the line. Over the preceding weeks, the WWF aired vignettes of Backlund training for this match. Hart won the match, capitalizing after Backlund mistakenly believed he had won and helped Hart to his feet. Backlund "snapped" after Hart repeatedly tried to offer a sportsmanlike handshake following the match. He slapped Hart in the face and locked him in thecrossface chickenwing submission hold, while screaming hysterically. After finally releasing the hold, Backlund stared at his hands in apparent shock. Backlund then started to regularly "snap" in similar fashion during his matches, viciously attacking his opponent with the crossface chickenwing and refusing to release it after the opponent submitted. He would then seemingly snap back to normal and appear horrified by what he had done.[1]
On an episode ofMonday Night Raw, shortly after his match with Hart, Backlund claimed that he should still be considered the legitimate WWF Champion, as he had not been pinned by The Iron Sheik, norsubmitted to the camel clutch. Backlund continued wrestling under the newgimmick of an out of touch and highly volatile eccentric, out to teach "The New Generation" a lesson.[1] He dressed in business suits (complete with a bow tie), had a hyperactive personality and used (and often misused, for comic effect) large words during his interviews. He demanded that he be addressed as Mr. Backlund, and he would only sign autographs for wrestling fans if they could recite the names of all of theUnited States Presidents inchronological order. On several instances, he assaulted wrestlers and other WWF employees and placed them in the crossface chickenwing. These victims includeJim Ross,Duke "The Dumpster" Droese,WWF Magazine writer Lou Gianfriddo, and his former manager Arnold Skaaland, whom he blamed for costing him the WWF World Heavyweight Championship in 1983.
On November 23, 1994, at theSurvivor Series pay-per-view inSan Antonio, Texas, Backlund faced Bret Hart in a specialsubmission match for the WWF Championship where the only way for a wrestler to win was to have the opponent's valet, like Arnold Skaaland did for Backlund over a decade earlier, stop the match by throwing a towel into the ring. Backlund began displaying a white towel that he claimed was the same one that was thrown into the ring the night he lost to The Iron Sheik. To serve as his second for the match, Backlund paired up withOwen Hart, the brother and chief rival of the reigning champion who had tried and failed multiple times that year to wrest the belt from Bret.
Late in the match, as Backlund was locked in Hart's trademark Sharpshooter submission, Owen entered the ring and attacked Bret from behind to cause him to break the hold. Bret's cornerman for the match,Davey Boy Smith, chased Owen around the ring only to collide head first with the ring stairs. When Bret turned around to argue with his brother, Backlund took advantage and locked the crossface chickenwing on the champion. Hart fought the hold for an unprecedented eight-and-a-half minutes, but refused to give up.
Since Smith was unconscious on the floor, he was unable to save Hart. Owen took advantage by picking up the pink and black towel Smith carried and, feigning concern for the well-being of his brother, approached his fatherStu and his mother Helen who were seated at ringside. As Backlund continued to cinch in the crossface chickenwing in the ring, Owen pleaded for his parents to stop the match. Stu refused, not trusting Owen's motives. Helen, however, did not want to see Bret risk further injury and she grabbed the towel and threw it into the ring. Backlund was awarded the championship and celebrated in the ring while Owen rejoiced in finally having cost his brother the championship. After the match, Backlund conducted a brief interview which he concluded by screaming how he felt "likeGod".[1][4]
Backlund's second reign as WWF Champion was brief, as he lost the title three days later toDiesel[34] at a non-televised show in Madison Square Garden,[4] the site of many of Backlund's victories in the 1970s and 1980s. Diesel kicked Backlund in the stomach, hit him with aJackknife Powerbomb and pinned him in eight seconds.[1] For weeks afterwards, fans jeered Backlund with chants of "Eight seconds! Eight seconds!". In a 2005 interview for thePro Wrestling Torch, Kevin Nash (a.k.a. Diesel) recalled how Backlundsold hisJackknife Powerbomb by crawling up the aisleway, back to the dressing room area of the Garden. Nash said, "He couldn't have put me over any stronger". This match was the last time (to date) the WWF Championship changed hands at a non-televised event, and aside fromMoney in the Bank cash-ins, this match remains the shortest WWF title match ever; in fact, it would be tied byRandy Orton cashing in hisMoney in the Bank contract onDaniel Bryan at the2013 SummerSlam, orBrock Lesnar's quick victory againstKofi Kingston atSmackDown's 20th Anniversary in 2019.[35]
After the title loss, Backlund wrestled progressively less often, never again reaching main event status. On January 22, 1995 he competed in the1995 Royal Rumble in Tampa, Florida. This time Backlund was quickly eliminated, being tossed over the top rope in just 16 seconds. On February 19 on theWWF Action Zone he defeatedDavey Boy Smith via disqualification when Bret Hart attacked him. On the March 13, episode ofMonday Night Raw Backlund battled Intercontinental ChampionJeff Jarrett in a rare heel vs heel match; Backlund won via disqualification after Razor Ramon attacked Jarrett to prevent the title from chaning hands and preserving Ramon's scheduled title opportunity at the upcoming WrestleMania. On April 2, 1995 Backlund faced Bret Hart in a"I Quit" match atWrestleMania XI, which Backlund lost, even though he never actually said "I quit", instead screaming unintelligibly into the microphone, whichspecial guest refereeRoddy Piper seemed to interpret as "I quit".[36]
Following WrestleMania, the WWF ran anangle in which Backlund declared his candidacy for President of the United States. Several vignettes aired, featuring Backlund preachingsocially conservative values, and one showed him campaigning at a beach. On the May 5, 1995 episode ofMonday Night Raw he announced his candidacy. In subsequent weeks Backlund provided numerous policy objectives if becoming President, including the prohibition of rock music. The latter led to a feud with newcomer and musicianMan Mountain Rock. Their first match took place on June 10, 1995 in Madison Square Garden; Rock defeated Backlund.[37] On the June 12 episode ofRaw he found the guitar of Rock in the backstage area and destroyed it, furthering the feud. Backlund ultimately gained the upper hand in the feud and dominated Man Mountain in matches as the summer of 1995 progressed.
Meanwhile, Backlund continued to make television appearances as the year progressed, "campaigning" for the Presidency of the United States. On September 24, 1995 atIn Your House 3 he introducedDean Douglas for his match withRazor Ramon and proceeded to berate the audience. After a two month absence from competition he returned to action on October 6, 1995 in Madison Square Garden and was defeated by1-2-3 Kid. This began a house show series that saw the Kid gain numerous victories over the former WWF Champion, before Backlund finally gain a win at a show in Utica, New York on October 15, 1995.[38] On October 28, 1995 he wrestled his first televised match since WrestleMania XI, defeating Bob Clancy on an episode ofWWF Superstars. In November he began another house show program, this time withBob Holly and was undefeated. Still campaigning for the Presidency, Backlund confronted aBill Clintonimpersonator who was seated at ringside at the1995 Survivor Series.
On the December 2, 1995 episode ofWWF Superstars he was interviewed byJim Ross. Backlund attacked Ross and placed him in the cross-faced chicken wing.Savio Vega made the save, and the two battled to a double countout a week later on Superstars. On the December 11, 1995 episode ofMonday Night Raw he faced WWF World Champion Bret Hart in a non-title match. Hart defeated Backlund via disqualification after the latter applied the cross face chicken wing and refused to release it.[39] Backlund began a house show feud with Savio Vega but was winless, including a dark match on December 17 at theIn Your House V PPV. He concluded the year teaming with BodyDonnaSkip in a series of matches against Savio Vega &Fatu.[40]
This transitioned Backlund to a house show series with Fatu, and Backlund began 1996 with multiple defeats to the former Headshrinker. He competed in theRoyal Rumble but this time only lasted just over two minutes before being eliminated byYokozuna. Shortly after he took another sabbatical before returning on May 18, 1996 to defeat Roy Raymond onWWF Superstars. On May 9, he was defeated by Vega in the first round of theKuwait Cup in Kuwait City. The two wrestled again at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1996; Backlund was again defeated. This would be Backlund's final wrestling match of his comeback.
Backlund's appearances began to become sporadic as the year wore on. He returned on July 12, 1996 at theIn Your House: International Incident PPV, still campaigning for the Presidency. On the July 22 episode ofMonday Night Raw he continued to campaign in the crowd, and on the August 12 episode he joined the commentary team and said that he was bringing someone to the WWF that would be superior to WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels.
The angle of Backlund's campaign was quietly dropped before it reached a conclusion, and on September 9, 1996 onRaw Championship Friday he announced a partnership with his old nemesis, The Iron Sheik to co-manage his new mystery charge. On the September 9 edition of RAW the wrestler was revealed asThe Sultan in the WWF.[1] Backlund would accompany the Sultan to various matches for the remainder of 1996.
Backlund continued to guide his protege as 1997 began. On the March 10, 1997 episode ofMonday Night Raw, he declared that The Sultan would defeatRocky Maivia and attain the Intercontinental title at the upcomingWrestleMania 13. Rocky however was victorious at the PPV; after the match The Sultan, The Iron Shiek, and Backlund attacked Miavia until the latter's fatherRocky Johnson came to his son's aid. Backlund's final appearance in his second WWF run came atIn Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker on April 20, 1997 where he managed The Sultan in his win overFlash Funk.[41][42]
In February 1999, Backlund appeared on an episode ofSunday Night Heat in a skit in which himself, The Iron Sheik, andDominic Denucci gave comedic advice toMankind before his WWF Championship match withThe Rock atSt. Valentine's Day Massacre.[43][44]
Backlund returned to the WWF in the2000 Royal Rumble. After that, he briefly managedIntercontinental andEuropean ChampionKurt Angle, and he taught his crossface chickenwing submission hold to Angle. Later on, Angle fired Backlund and locked him in that move, after discovering Backlund had booked him in a two-falltriple threat match againstChris Benoit andChris Jericho (with both of his titles on the line) atWrestleMania 2000, where he ultimately lost both titles.[1] Backlund teamed with Angle onSmackDown! as they lost to Jericho andTazz by disqualification on March 16.[45]
In 1994, Backlund while under contract with WWF worked forGenichiro Tenryu'sWrestle Association R in Japan. He won theWAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship withScott Putski and former WWF wrestlerThe Warlord defeatingFuyuki-Gun membersHiromichi Fuyuki,Gedo andJado on August 26. They dropped the titles back to Fuyuki, Gedo, and Jado a few days later.[46]
In 1995, while still working for the WWF, Backlund started wrestling on theindependent circuit. He mainly wrestled for Windy City Wrestling from 1995 to 1998. He lost toJimmy Snuka on February 27, 1996, at Trans World Wrestling Federation event.[47] After leaving WWF in 1997, Backlund continued in the indies. On November 11, 1998, he lost toLance Diamond at NWA New Jersey event.
From 1998 to 1999, he wrestled forBattlarts in Japan. In October 2001 he returned toNew Japan Pro-Wrestling teaming withTatsumi Fujinami for a few matches. He once again retired from wrestling.[48]
After many references to Bob Backlund were made byKevin Nash, he officially debuted inTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in January 2007, at theFinal Resolution pay-per-view, judging the finals of the Paparazzi Championship Series (PCS) betweenAlex Shelley andAustin Starr. Given the tie breaking vote, Backlund launched a long explanation before declaring his decision a draw, and the match was restarted by PCS director Kevin Nash. After Shelley won the match, Starr pie-faced Backlund because he believed Backlund had cost him the match, at which Backlund responded by putting Starr in the crossface chickenwing.[49] AtAgainst All Odds afterSenshi defeatedAustin Starr, Backlund came out and put his own chickenwing on Starr before dragging him to the back.
Backlund then began to make regular appearances onImpact!. During this time, he was described as crazy and weird by commentatorsDon West andMike Tenay, somewhat similar to the "Mr. Backlund" gimmick of his second WWF tenure. AtDestination X, Backlund was in the corner ofAustin Starr who lost toSenshi in aCrossface Chickenwing match. AtLockdown, Backlund was the special guest referee in a Six Sides of Steel match where Senshi defeated Austin Starr.
Backlund made his in-ring return atSlammiversary, where he defeated Alex Shelley. He then teamed withJerry Lynn to lose toAlex Shelley and Chris Sabin (managed by Kevin Nash) atVictory Road. When TNA redesigned their website, Backlund's profile was removed, signaling the end of his run with the company.
On the15th Anniversary episode ofRaw on December 10, 2007, Backlund participated in the 15th Anniversarybattle royal, along with 14 other wrestlers fromRaw''s 15-year history. Backlund was eliminated from the match bySkinner.[50]
On the July 9, 2012, episode ofRaw, afterHeath Slater's match withSin Cara, Slater issued a challenge to any "past champion" as part of a weekly series ofLegend appearances. Backlund emerged from backstage to answer this challenge and, as Backlund entertained the crowd, Slater kicked him in the stomach and mocked him; Backlund responded by putting Slater in the crossface chickenwing, which he refused to break for 20 seconds after Slater hadtapped out. He later appeared onRaw 1000 with all of the other Legends who had faced Slater over prior weeks, helping Lita chase Slater back into the ring when he tried to run away fromLita and theAPA.
Backlund was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame on April 6, 2013, by his friendMaria Menounos, and was acknowledged onstage with the year's other inductees atWrestleMania 29.[51][52]
Backlund made an appearance on the October 7, 2013, episode ofRaw, unsuccessfully attempting to canvass votes in order to become the special guest referee for the WWE Championship match atHell in a Cell;Shawn Michaels later won a public vote and was named as the special guest referee. However, Backlund did appear in a segment at Hell in a Cell together withThe Prime Time Players, where they playedWWE 2K14. Since April 2014, he has served as an ambassador for WWE.[53]
On the May 5, 2016, episode ofSmackDown, Backlund was asked byDarren Young to be hislife coach, and Backlund agreed, vowing to "Make Darren Young Great Again".[54] Over the next several months, various vignettes featuring Young and Backlund aired, with Backlund assuming the role of Young's life coach. On the July 11 episode ofRaw, Young won a battle royal to become the number one contender for theIntercontinental Championship. AtBattleground, Young facedThe Miz in a match that resulted in adouble-countout after he applied the Crossface Chickenwing to Miz outside the ring to protect Backlund from Miz andMaryse.[55] On July 19 at the2016 WWE draft, Backlund and Young were drafted toRaw. In early 2017, after Young got injured, Backlund ceased appearing on television. On October 29, 2017, Young was released from WWE, ending the storyline. Backlund's profile on WWE.com was then moved to theHall of Fame page shortly afterwards.[56]
On September 21, 2009, Backlund defeated Jason Rumble at NWA On Fire in Springvale, Maine.[57] He would wrestle forJuggalo Championship Wrestling Legends & Icons event defeatingKen Patera on August 12, 2011.[58]
At 68 years old, Backlund returned to Japan and joined forDradition Pro Wrestling for two events in 2018. On April 20 he teamed withRiki Choshu andTatsumi Fujinami to defeatJinsei Shinzaki,Kazma Sakamoto andTajiri.[59] The next day he teamed withHiro Saito andYoshiaki Fujiwara as they lost to Fujinami, Choshu, andMasakatsu Funaki.[60]
Backlund'sautobiography,The All-American Boy: Lessons and Stories on Life from Wrestling Legend Bob Backlund, was released on September 18, 2015. The 452-page book, contributed to by Robert H. Miller, includes interviews with Roddy Piper, Ric Flair, The Iron Sheik and Vince McMahon.[61]
Backlund was a guest onMTV'sSingled Out, where he acted in sketches with hostsJenny McCarthy andChris Hardwick. He played the role of Friar Chuck, alongsideMaria Menounos andJohn Waters, in the feature film comedyIn the Land of Merry Misfits. The film played at the 2007Tribeca Film Festival, where Backlund appeared and signed autographs.
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Legends of Wrestling II | Video game debut |
| 2004 | Showdown: Legends of Wrestling |
Backlund and his wife, high schoolphysical education teacher Corki, have a daughter named Carrie. They sold their home in Glastonbury, Connecticut and moved to Florida in the spring of 2023.[62] In 2000, he unsuccessfully ran for a Connecticut seat inCongress on aRepublican ticket.[63][64]
WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham fought Bob Backlund to a double count-out
Bob Backlund defeated WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham via count-out
Bob Backlund pinned WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham to win the title at 15:51 with theatomic drop, even though the champion's foot was on the bottom rope during the pinfall.
WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund fought NWA World Champion Harley Race to a draw
WWW World Champion Bob Backlund fought AWA World Champion Nick Bockwinkel to a double count-out at 39:10 when both men began brawling on the floor
WWF World Champion Bob Backlund pinned Greg Valentine at 19:32; the title was held up after the battle when the dazed referee accidentally gave the title to Valentine; the title controversy was only a factor in NYC as Backlund continued to defend the title until the following month's rematch
WWF World Champion Bob Backlund fought WWF IC Champion Don Muraco to a draw
Bob Backlund (w/ Arnold Skaaland) pinned Greg Valentine to win the vacant WWF World Heavyweight title at 15:36 with a German suplex into a bridge after avoiding a punch; in a move that was only recognized in the NYC area, the championship was vacated the previous month when the referee accidentally handed Valentine the title following his loss to Backlund
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Bob Backlund pinned Skinner (Backlund's return after 8 years)
After the long list, Backlund had decided that the contest would be ruled as a draw.
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