.jpg) Fortune in 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Chad A. Fortune | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1967-08-13)August 13, 1967 (age 57) Roswell, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Louisville | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Monster truck driver | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1986 — 1992 (football) 1994 — 2000 (wrestling) 2000 — 2019 (Monster Jam) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
American football player
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| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Monster Jam | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Soldier Fortune | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chad A. Fortune (born August 13, 1967) is an American formermonster truck driver,footballtight end andprofessional wrestler in both theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) andWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW).
Fortune playedtight end at theUniversity of Louisville from 1986 to 1989.[1] In 1987, he appeared in 11 games and recorded 16receptions for 204 yards and onetouchdown. In 1988, he appeared in 11 games and recorded 35 receptions for 339 yards and four touchdowns. In 1989, he appeared in 11 games and recorded 30 receptions for 353 yards.[2] He was a 1989 first team All-South Independent, 1988 Second team All-South Independent
Following his college career he signed an undrafted free agent contract with theIndianapolis Colts but was released prior to the start of the 1990 season.[3] Fortune spent time on thepractice squad of both theMiami Dolphins[4] and Colts during the 1990 season.[5] He competed in thePhiladelphia Eagles 1991training camp, but the team released him to clear a roster spot forKenny Jackson.[6]
Fortune was signed at various points of 1992 preseason, with theWashington Redskins,[7]Dallas Cowboys,[8] andChicago Bears. He was on the Bears practice squad at the start of the 1992 season, missing some time due to an allergic reaction caused by a bee sting.[9] He was promoted to the main roster, and spent part of the 1992 season as the team's third string tight end.[10]
Fortune was also a starting tight end for theFrankfurt Galaxy during both their1991 and1992 seasons.[11]
| Chad Fortune | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Chad A. Fortune |
| Born | (1967-08-13)August 13, 1967 (age 57) Roswell, Georgia |
| Alma mater | University of Louisville |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Chad Fortune Travis |
| Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Billed weight | 240 lb (110 kg) |
| Trained by | WCW Power Plant |
| Debut | 1994 |
| Retired | 2000 |
Fortune joined theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) under thering nameTravis and teamed with college teammateErik Watts (as Troy) asTekno Team 2000.[12] Wearing silver smocks and tightzubaz, theirgimmick was that they represented the cutting edge of cyberculture. Their tag team made its debut on the May 27, 1995 episode ofSuperstars in a victorious effort againstBrooklyn Brawler andBarry Horowitz.[13] They wrestled two more matches on television the following month before disappearing from television until July 1995 for theIn Your House pay-per-view acting as lumberjacks for the main event. After the pay-per-view they disappeared off of television for a year being sent toUnited States Wrestling Association (USWA), only to resurface back on WWF television in 1996. They got aWWF Tag Team title shot againstThe Bodydonnas.
Fortune signed aWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) contract in 1997. He wrestled mainly on the taped shows such asWCW Saturday Night andWCW Worldwide. He made his WCW debut on the June 24 episode of WCW Saturday Night in a loss toJoey Maggs. Fortune is also known as the first wrestler to defeatBill Goldberg in a singles match on July 24, 1997, albeit in a dark match on Saturday Night before Goldberg's television debut.[14] He andDale Torborg were briefly a tag team known as "The Pit Crew".[15] He would barely perform throughout 1998, returning in early 1999 before again being taken off TV. His last WCW match would come on July 8, 1999, in a loss to The Barbarian. Fortune was one of many wrestlers released by WCW in October 1999.[16]
In 2000, SFX Entertainment (recentlyLive Nation, nowFeld Entertainment) signed a contract with World Championship Wrestling to bring WCW-based trucks to theirUSHRAMonster Jam series, which gave Fortune, through wrestling, his start in monster trucks. He was initially an unnamed "spokesman" for thenWo truck, who would give antagonistic interviews while the driver, Rob Knell, acted as being focused on the truck. Many in the industry were vocal against the use of professional wrestling gimmicks for drivers, and the truck only lasted one season.
The following year, Fortune began driving theWCW Nitro Machine truck in the winter season, then bounced around trucks during the summer.[17] He gaveKarl Malone a ride in the WCW Nitro truck and the two became friends. In 2002, Malone signed a deal with SFX/Clear Channel to create a truck called Power Forward. Fortune was chosen as the driver and drove the truck for three years, reaching the World Finals in 2002 and 2003.[18]
In 2005, Fortune brought to the table the idea of theSuperman truck. The company created the new truck. Based on his professional wrestling background, he decided to dye his hair black and alter his look to match the character ofSuperman. He was successful in the Superman truck, and made the final rounds of several stadium events. He was then given the "Most Improved Driver" award for 2005.[18]
In 2012, 2013 and 2014 Monster Jam Seasons, Fortune drove the newCaptain America truck, one of the twoMarvel Comics themed trucks coming back onto the circuit along with Alex Blackwell who was to driveWolverine. In the 2015 season, Fortune initiated the idea of the "Soldier Fortune" truck honoring theUnited States Armed Forces. As of 2024, the truck is still running, with a different driver named Kayla Blood (since she served as the Louisiana National Guard).
In 2019, Fortune announced his retirement fromMonster Jam.
