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.jpg) Hart,c. 1969 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gary Richard Williams (1942-01-24)January 24, 1942[1] Evansville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | March 16, 2008(2008-03-16) (aged 66) Euless, Texas, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Gary Hart[1] Jackal |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 240 lb (109 kg)[2] |
| Debut | 1960 |
| Retired | 2004 |
Gary Richard Williams[3] (January 24, 1942 – March 16, 2008) was an Americanprofessional wrestling manager, as well as aprofessional wrestler in his early career, best known by hisring nameGary Hart.[1] Hart was one of the pivotal driving forces behind what is considered to beWorld Class Championship Wrestling's "golden years" in the early 1980s.
Gary Hart started wrestling in Chicago at theMarigold Arena in 1960.[4] His uncle, Billy Gates, worked as a booking agent for Chicago promoterFred Kohler. After working in Chicago, he worked in Detroit until 1964. He then worked on and off in Australia underJim Barnett until 1974 when he relocated with Barnett to Atlanta becoming involved inGeorgia Championship Wrestling. After Georgia, he worked in Florida in 1975 managingPak Song Nam.
In the late 1960s, he retired from in-ring competition and transitioned into a managerial role, going under the name "Playboy" Gary Hart. During the late 1960s, he managedThe Spoiler, as well as the tag team duo The Spoilers, which consisted of Spoilers #1 (Don Jardine) and #2 (Smasher Sloan). They won several tag team titles in 1968 and 1969 under Hart's guidance.
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On February 20, 1975, Hart, along withAustin Idol andBobby Shane, were passengers on aCessna 182 flown by wrestlerBuddy Colt that crashed intoTampa Bay while attempting to land atPeter O. Knight Airport inTampa, Florida. Shane was killed and the other three men suffered serious injuries. Hart was thrown from the plane into the water with a broken arm, wrist, knee, back, sternum, collarbone and vertebrae with his right eye knocked loose and his nose partially severed.[5] Despite this, he managed to locate Idol and help him to shore, then swam back out to rescue Colt. However, Hart was unable to find Shane, who was later found still strapped into his seat in the submerged plane wreckage. Hart was reportedly plagued by the memory, and for decades wondered whether he had done everything he could to save Shane.[5]
Hart became the booker forWorld Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW; then known as Big Time Wrestling) in 1976, a position he held until January 1983, then again from 1986 to 1988. The years between 1982 and 1985 are considered to be the "Golden Years" of the promotion. Hart created the classic feud betweenThe Von Erichs andThe Fabulous Freebirds, as well as forming The Stable of H. & H. Ltd in 1982 with Arman Hussian that introduced characters (Bugsy McGraw,Bill Irwin,Checkmate,Killer Brooks andTen Gu), he also managedThe Great Kabuki,The One Man Gang,King Kong Bundy, andThe Samoan SWAT Team. Hart additionally managed talent such as"Gorgeous" Gino Hernandez andGentleman Chris Adams. Along with booking, he also managedNord the Barbarian,Abdullah The Butcher,Al Perez andJeep Swenson under the stable "New Age Management".
During World Class's golden era, Hart was also a manager in the Georgia and Mid-Atlantic regions of the NWA; joining these two areas exclusively in 1983 shortly after the start of the Freebirds-Von Erichs feud, when he left World Class due to a pay dispute. Hart returned to Texas in the summer of 1984 and following a short hiatus in 1986; stayed with the promotion until 1988. Hart was also a promoter and manager in San Antonio for Texas All-Star Wrestling, the successor ofJoe Blanchard'sSouthwest Championship Wrestling (SCW) group. He also worked for the ICW, first as the heel manager ofBruiser Brody,Kevin Sullivan andMark Lewin. During one storyline, Hart had a falling-out with Sullivan, after which Lewin attacked Hart with a sleeper hold.
Shortly after Al Perez lost theWCWA World Heavyweight Championship toKerry Von Erich on March 6, 1988, Hart continued to manage Perez in theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'sJim Crockett Promotions in 1988, along withLarry Zbyszko andRon Garvin after Garvin turned heel onDusty Rhodes. In 1989, he managed the stableJ-Tex Corporation, which includedTerry Funk,Dick Slater,Buzz Sawyer,The Dragonmaster, andThe Great Muta. They feuded primarily withRic Flair andSting, butOle andArn Anderson later teamed up with Flair and Sting to even the sides up (and thus bringing back The Four Horseman briefly). Hart's last match was a lost to Sting in a match on October 8, 1989, at a house show. J-Tex disbanded in early 1990.
After leaving WCW, Hart returned to Texas and began a new wrestling promotion in North Dallas, the Texas Wrestling Federation, which showcased many former stars of World Class and those who were competing in the USWA/World Class promotion.
During the 1990s, following the demise of theGlobal Wrestling Federation, Hart and Chris Adams were involved in many Texas-based wrestling promotions, including an ill-fated attempt to revive World Class (billed as World Class II: The Next Generation) at theDallas Sportatorium. Hart retired in 1999, but made a surprise return inMajor League Wrestling (MLW), during the promotion'sReloaded Tour on January 9–10, 2004. Hart appeared following the main event (on January 9) pittingLow Ki againstHomicide, where the three laid out several wrestlers from the locker room, as well MLW president Court Bauer. MLW closed its doors before any resolution could be provided, only to resume operations in 2017.
Hart died on March 16, 2008, following a heart attack at his home inEuless, Texas, after returning from an autograph session in Allentown, Pennsylvania.[1] On April 5, 2008, Peach State Pandemonium, an internet wrestling program, aired a two-hour tribute program in the memory of Hart. From Tulsa, Oklahoma Kris Thorn, "Cowboy"Bill Watts,Jack Brisco, James Beard,Abdullah The Butcher,Michael "P.S." Hayes,Kevin Sullivan,George Steele,Skandor Akbar, andJim Ross were among those who attended. Following his death, his autobiography,My Life In Wrestling...With A Little Help From My Friends, was released on June 30, 2009, but is now out of print.[6]
