| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Markovich (1958-03-03)March 3, 1958 (age 67)[citation needed] Lanham, Maryland, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bob Bradley Battle Kat "Cowboy" Bob Bradley[1] The Tiger The Red Demon The Cat Man |
| Billed weight | 238 lb (108 kg) |
| Trained by | Jimmy Snuka[2][3] |
| Debut | 1982 |
| Retired | 2002 |
Robert Markovich (born March 3, 1958) is an American retiredprofessional wrestler, better known by thering namesBob Bradley andBattle Kat.[4] He wrestled for theWorld Wrestling Federation,World Class Championship Wrestling, theUniversal Wrestling Federation,World Championship Wrestling,All Japan Pro Wrestling, and theNational Wrestling Conference.
After being trained by"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka,[2] Markovich began his career in 1982, appearing at aWorld Wrestling Federation taping on June 1, 1982, in Allentown, PA. There he wrestled and was defeated by noted wrestler and trainerLarry Sharpe.[5] Wrestling as "Bob Bradley", he would continue to make appearances at tapings for the WWF syndicated showsChampionship Wrestling andAll-American Wrestling, facing opponents such asJimmy Snuka,Blackjack Mulligan, andBuddy Rose. A little more than a month after his first match, Bradley gained his first victory when he pinnedLaurent Soucie at a house show in Salisbury, MD.[5] Despite his inexperience, he became a full-time member of the roster. As anenhancement talent, he sustained numerous losses in 1983 and 1984, falling to much of the WWF roster.[6] He also gained occasional wins, defeating similar undercard talent like Barry Hart (Barry Horowitz),Mac Rivera, andJose Estrada. Following January 1984 his appearances became infrequent, and he wrestled only a small number of WWF matches that year and in 1985.[7][8] During 1985 he also appeared for the NWC promotion in Massachusetts, wrestling as "Cowboy" Bob Bradley.[1] In 1986 Bradley donned a mask and was known as "The Tiger" during a WWF tour of Australia.[9] He also donned a mask that year and wrestled occasionally asThe Red Demon. On September 16, 1986, he was the opponent for"Superstar" Billy Graham in the latter's return to the WWF. Following a loss to Jerry Allen on October 26, 1986, he wrestled exclusively as The Red Demon.[10][11] His final match in his first WWF run came January 26, 1988 when he teamed withVan Van Horne againstThe British Bulldogs.[12]
While still wrestling under a mask in the WWF, Markovich joinedWorld Class Championship Wrestling in Texas, making his first appearance on a Christmas Day card where he wrestled The Dingo Warrior (Ultimate Warrior) to a double disqualification.[13] The following month he achieved his greatest success in the promotion, when he defeatedRoberto Soto,Steve Simpson,Matt Borne, and finally The Dingo Warrior to win a tournament to determine the vacatedTexas Heavyweight Champion.[14] Three weeks later he would lose the title to The Dingo Warrior in a match in Fort Worth.[14] Following the defeat Bradley entered a losing streak that carried through to his departure from the promotion in March.
A month later Bradley joinedBill Watts'sUniversal Wrestling Federation (UWF), losing toSteve Williams in on April 19 in Fort Worth, TX. He wrestled a total of twelve times for the UWF, facingThe Super Ninja,Mike Boyette,Dick Murdoch, and others and winning several matches.[15] Following a match withSting on the August 15th, 1987 edition ofPower Pro Wrestling he left the promotion.
Bob Bradley enteredWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) on February 4, 1989, losing toAbdullah the Butcher at a house show in Philadelphia, PA.[16] On February 15 he made his first televised appearance, losing toRicky Steamboat atClash of the Champions V.[17] Bradley was winless in competition againstEddie Gilbert,Rick Steiner, andMichael Hayes. He left the promotion at the end of March.[16]
On August 29, 1989, Markovich returned to the WWF and was defeated byJimmy Snuka at aWrestling Challenge taping in Springfield, MA. After sporadic appearances, he began another full-time run with the promotion in December.[18] On January 2, 1990, just less than three years after defeating him to win the Texas Heavyweight Championship in WCCW, Bradley was squashed byIntercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior at aWWF Superstars of Wrestling taping in Birmingham, AL.[19] He finally picked up his first victory since 1987 when he pinnedJim Powers in Wheeling, WV, but remained mired in the undercard.
Fellow enhancement talentBrady Boone returned to the WWF in 1990 and was given the first real push of his career when he was given the character ofBattle Kat. Dressed in a furry black mask, the character was accentuated by Boone's gymnastics. Wrestling as Battle Kat, his first televised opponent was against Bob Bradley in a match that aired on Wrestling Challenge on October 14, 1990.[20] However, after the match Boone left the promotion, and the WWF decided to instead give the gimmick to the also acrobatic Bob Bradley. Two weeks later on Wrestling Spotlight he would make his debut as the Kat, teaming withKoko B. Ware againstThe Orient Express. Under the mask Markovich would see the greatest push of his WWF tenure, facing and defeating Buddy Rose,Pez Whatley,Paul Diamond, andBoris Zukhov. His run at Battle Kat finally ended when he was defeated by The Barbarian on the December 10 edition ofPrime Time Wrestling, and shortly thereafter the promotion eliminated the gimmick.[19]
Bradley returned to his previous role as an enhancement talent in 1991, losing toKerry Von Erich, Koko B Ware, Jim Duggan,"Conan" Chris Walker, and others. On September 10, 1991, he became involved in a minor angle on Wrestling Challenge. In a match withBig Bully Busick the two went to a no-contest after Busick attacked him before the bell. Sid Justice then came out to defeat Busick.[21] Markovich's final match came on November 20, 1992, in Auburn Hills, MI when he teamed with Barry Horowitz againstHigh Energy.
Bradley returned to WWF on January 19, 1998, forWWF Shotgun Saturday Night (aired January 24) as he lost toSteve Blackman.[22]
After WWF, Bradley would work in the independent circuit and wrestled onNational Wrestling Conference's debut show on October 8, 1994, losing toSabu. He had a stint withSmoky Mountain Wrestling in 1995 and a tour forAll Japan Pro Wrestling in 1996. He would finish his career withEmpire Wrestling Federation in California, retiring in 2002.
