.jpg) Holly in 2005 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert William Howard[4][5] (1963-01-29)January 29, 1963 (age 63)[4] |
Spouse | [1] |
| Children | 1[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bob Holly[1] Bob Howard[1] Bombastic Bob[1] Hardcore Holly[2] Thurman "Sparky" Plugg[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Mobile, Alabama[2] |
| Trained by | Bob Sweetan[1] Rip Tyler[1] |
| Debut | May 23, 1988[3] |
Robert William Howard (born January 29, 1963) is an Americanprofessional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure inWWE, where he performed under thering nameHardcore Holly.[4][5][1][2]
After debuting in 1988, Holly worked for World Organization of Wrestling,Smoky Mountain Wrestling, and otherindependentpromotions, before joining WWE full-time in 1994. Initially portraying the character of aNASCAR driver, Thurman "Sparky" Plugg, his name was soon changed to Bob "Spark Plug" Holly. In 1998, under the name of Bombastic Bob, he formed a team withBart Gunn known asThe Midnight Express. Towards the end of that same year, Howard reverted to the Bob Holly name as he joined the stable titledThe J.O.B. Squad.
After the disintegration of The J.O.B. Squad in early 1999, Howard won his firstsingles title in WWE and shortly after he became known simply as Hardcore Holly, developing a stern and punishing persona in the process. After taking up the Hardcore Holly gimmick, he was joined byon-screen cousinsCrash in 1999 andMolly in 2000. In 2002, Hardcore Holly suffered a broken neck during a match withBrock Lesnar, which sidelined him for over a year. Upon his return, he engaged in a major feud with Lesnar for theWWE Championship and minor feuds with other wrestlers, such asMr. Kennedy andRob Van Dam. He later formed a tag team combination withCody Rhodes in 2007. Holly was released from WWE in 2009, wrestling only intermittently on the independent circuit afterwards. In 2013, he published his autobiography,The Hardcore Truth: The Bob Holly Story.
Championships held by Holly over the course of his career include theWWF/E World Tag Team Championship,NWA World Tag Team Championship, andWWF Hardcore Championship.[7]
Robert William Howard was born on January 29, 1963 inGlendale, California, where he and his older brother were raised by his mother. After his mother remarried, the family relocated toVentura, California and then toGrants Pass, Oregon, where Howard attendedGrants Pass High School. After graduating, Howard worked in a beer warehouse before moving toMobile, Alabama with the mother of his daughter, Stephanie. Howard spent several years working as a mechanic forMeineke (supplementing his income byboxing in bars) before joining Taylor Wharton as a pipe cutter, where he trained as awelder. Howard later moved to Cowin Equipment, where he worked as a mechanic and welder.[1]
Holly trained underBob Sweetan, Marcelle Pringle, and Rip Tyler, and debuted in 1988 in theMobile area in the World Organization Of Wrestlingpromotion where he held titles on and off, including the WOW Tag Team Championship withRon Starr when they defeated theRock 'n' Roll Express.[3] From there, he wrestled inMemphis and then in the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) with moderate success.
In 1990, Holly began making television appearances inWorld Championship Wrestling under the name "Bob Holly", being utilized primarily as a jobber. His first match came on July 30 in Gainesville, Georgia, when he was defeated via submission byWCW United States Heavyweight ChampionLex Luger. Holly then wrestled in a six-man match in Marietta, Georgia on August 6, teaming with Tim "Powerhouse" Parker and Brad Bratton againstRic Flair,Arn Anderson andBarry Windham. On August 13, Holly faced Flair in a singles match that aired onWorld Championship Wrestling, losing via submission.[8] After an absence of several months, he made a final appearance at aWorld Championship Wrestling taping on January 21 teaming with Dave Johnson in an unsuccessful effort againstThe Freebirds in a match that aired February 9, 1991.[citation needed]
Holly joinedJim Cornette's newSmoky Mountain Wrestling promotion and made his debut at the company's very first television taping on October 30 in Greenville, South Carolina, defeating Tim Frye. Billed as "Hollywood" Bob Holly, he received a televised push and portrayed a snobbish-street thug, West Coast character.[9] Afterward, he worked forBuck Robley and The NWF out of Louisiana. He teamed with Robert Gibson there as the Rock N Roll Express.[citation needed] In 1993, Holly did not wrestle at all that year and took a hiatus.
In 1991, Holly made his initial appearance in theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF). Again, he was portrayed as a jobber using the name "Bob Holly". His sole match was teaming with Mike Sample in a loss toThe Bushwhackers on the March 30 edition ofWWF Superstars (match was taped on March 11 inPensacola, Florida).[10]
Holly returned to the WWF on January 11, 1994.[4] His initialgimmick was that of aNASCAR driver turned wrestler called Thurman "Sparky" Plugg,[4][3] by late summer 1994, Holly changed his name to Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly, according to Holly, he went toVince McMahon and asked him to change his name because he didn't like the "Thurman" name and that his friends and family were teasing him over the name but wanted to keep the NASCAR gimmick and McMahon agreed.[11][12] He competed in the1994 Royal Rumble match, lasting over 21 minutes.
Bob Holly alongside1-2-3 Kid took part at WWF World Tag Team Championship Tournament (1995). After defeatingWell Dunn andHeavenly Bodies, they reached to the finals which was held at Royal Rumble. At theRoyal Rumble in January 1995, Holly and the1–2–3 Kid defeatedBam Bam Bigelow andTatanka to crown newWWF Tag Team Champions.[13] Their title reign lasted only one day, however, as the next day, onWWF Monday Night Raw, Holly and the Kid lost the tag team title toThe Smoking Gunns.[4][13]
On the May 7, 1995 (taped April 26, 1995) episode ofWWF Action Zone, Holly pinnedWWF Intercontinental ChampionJeff Jarrett in a title match, but as Jarrett had his foot on the ropes the title was vacated.[4][5] Later on in the show, Jarrett defeated Holly in a rematch for the vacant title afterpinning Holly with aroll-up. Holly's title win is no longer recognized by WWE.[4][5] Holly then competed in the1995 King of the Ring tournament, defeatingMantaur to qualify before losing toThe Roadie in the quarterfinals. He was then the first WWF pay-per-view opponent ofHunter Hearst Helmsley, losing to him atSummerSlam.[3]
AtSurvivor Series, Holly was a part of the Underdogs team along withMarty Jannetty,Hakushi, andBarry Horowitz. They were defeated by the Body Donnas team ofSkip,Doctor of Desire Tom Prichard,Rad Radford, and the 1–2–3 Kid.[3]
Despite lasting nearly 40 minutes in theRoyal Rumble, Holly made very few television appearances in the WWF throughout 1996 and 1997.[4] In 1997 he scored two victories overOwen Hart on May 19 episode of Raw by pinfall andBrian Pillman on August 4 episode of Raw by count-out. Afterwards, Holly was inactive during the rest of 1997 and temporarily went back to welding.
In February 1998, Holly returned after a six-month hiatus with newly blonde hair andBart Gunn joined forces withJim Cornette as part of Jeff Jarrett'sNational Wrestling Alliancestable.[5] Holly, renamed "Bombastic Bob", and Gunn, renamed "Bodacious Bart" were known collectively asThe Midnight Express.[4] The Midnight Express defeatedThe Headbangers for theNWA World Tag Team Championship on March 30, 1998[3] and held the titles until August 14 of that year, when they were defeated by The Border Patrol. They challenged theNew Age Outlaws for theWWF Tag Team Championship at theKing of the Ring pay-per-view, but were unsuccessful.[14]
In mid-1998, Holly competed in theWWF Brawl for All, a 16-manshootfighting tournament. He was eliminated in the first round by the eventual winner, Bart Gunn, who defeated him on points; Holly has the distinction of being the only one of Gunn's opponents he was unable to knock out.[1] They disbanded in July and Holly went on his own working in lower card matches onShotgun Saturday Night.
In November 1998,Al Snow, Holly, andScorpio united and formed theJ.O.B. Squad (later members of the stable also includedGillberg andThe Blue Meanie). During that same month on an edition ofRaw, they helpedMankind defeatKen Shamrock andThe Big Boss Man in a triple threat match, as Mankind (though not a member of the stable) became a close associate. At 1998'sSurvivor Series pay-per-view, Holly and Scorpio defeatedThe Legion of Doom (Animal andDroz) in a warmup match. Two months later at theRoyal Rumble pay-per-view, Holly and Scorpio notably defeatedToo Much in one of the warmup matches.
In February 1999, the members gradually drifted apart: Scorpio was released by the WWF, Gillberg was later phased out of storylines, and The Blue Meanie allied withGoldust; thus, after dwindling down to only two members, Snow wrestled against himself on an edition ofRaw before Holly came down to the ring to prevent Snow from hurting himself. The two fought and it led to the formal breakup of the J.O.B. Squad. Later that month atSt. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House, Holly defeated Snow for theWWF Hardcore Championship to permanently end the J.O.B. Squad.[15] A week later onRaw, for his title defense match against former partner Bart Gunn, Holly formally changed his name to Hardcore Holly.[7]
Holly dropped the championship toBilly Gunn on the March 15, 1999 edition ofRaw, but regained the title two weeks later atWrestleMania XV, in atriple threathardcore match also involving Al Snow. He lost the title to Al Snow atBacklash, and soon began referring to himself as "The Big Shot", feuding withBig Show andKane.[16] On the August 16, 1999 edition ofRaw, Holly introduced hison-screen "cousin"Crash Holly, where both ended up taunting and fighting each other, projecting a rather strained cousins relationship.[17]
They unsuccessfully challenged for theWWF Tag Team Championship atSummerSlam. Although simultaneously arguing over who was the better Holly, they won theWWF Tag Team Championship on the October 18, 1999 edition ofRaw,[18] by defeating theRock 'n' Sock Connection, afterTriple H interfered.[19][20] They lost the titles two weeks later toMankind andAl Snow on the November 4 edition ofSmackDown![21][22] The Holly Cousins andToo Cool defeatedEdge, Christian andThe Hardy Boyz in a traditional four-on-four elimination match atSurvivor Series, where Holly was the lone survivor.[23]
On the November 18, 1999 edition ofSmackDown!, Holly challengedThe Big Show for theWWF Championship, but was defeated. In early 2000, Hardcore Holly pursued the Intercontinental Championship, losing a match againstChyna due to interference fromChris Jericho. He then lost a Triple Threat Match against Chyna and Jericho for the championship at theRoyal Rumble, which was won by Jericho.[24] He lost two more subsequent matches to Jericho for the title, ending theirfeud.
After Crash Holly won the Hardcore Championship on the February 24, 2000 episode ofSmackDown!, the cousins began feuding over the title. Holly won the Hardcore Championship in a "hardcore" 13-manbattle royal atWrestleMania 2000. He lost the title back to Crash the following night onRaw. He then sporadically challenged for both the Intercontinental and Hardcore championships the following months. Holly then missed several months of ring time due to alegitimately broken arm, suffered in a match withKurt Angle on the June 29, 2000 edition ofSmackDown!.[4] After his return, later in 2000, another on-screen cousin,Molly Holly was introduced.[5][25] Holly returned on the November 13, 2000 edition ofRaw, where Holly, Crash Holly andThe Undertaker defeated Edge, Christian, and Kurt Angle in a six-man tag match. AtSurvivor Series, Holly facedWilliam Regal for theWWF European Championship but lost by disqualification. Holly got a rematch at the title atArmageddon but was defeated by Regal. At theRoyal Rumble, Holly competed in the 30-man Royal Rumble match but was eliminated by The Undertaker. In February, Holly won the Hardcore title three more times, but each time re-lost the title moments later under the "24/7 Hardcore rule". Holly competed in theKing of the Ring tournament but lost to Kurt Angle in the first round. Then Holly continued teaming with Crash until December 2001.
In early 2002, Howard worked as one of a collection of trainer/hosts forTough Enough II, areality competition television series produced by WWE and MTV where participants underwent professional wrestling training and competed for a contract with WWE. In 2002, Holly turnedheel onSmackDown! and began a short feud withRandy Orton.[3] He then had a minor feud withKurt Angle after eliminating him from a battle royal, turning him face again. On the September 12, 2002, edition ofSmackDown!, Holly suffered a broken neck during a match againstBrock Lesnar, when he was powerbombed neck first on the mat. He had a thirteen-month hiatus from wrestling after surgery. While awaiting surgery, Holly made a guest appearance onTough Enough III. The show caused some controversy when, during the course of a practice match, Howard stiffed a competitor,Matt Cappotelli, leaving him bleeding. Cappotelli later said that there was no ill-feeling between the two because of the incident.
In October 2003, Holly began training atOhio Valley Wrestling, WWE'sdevelopmental territory, in preparation for his return to the main roster.[4] Holly returned at theSurvivor Series pay-per-view on November 16 for revenge against Lesnar for his neck injury.[26] He challenged Lesnar to a match for theWWE Championship at theRoyal Rumble on January 25, 2004, but lost.[27]
During 2004 and early 2005, he formed short-lived tag teams withBilly Gunn, and laterCharlie Haas in the hunt for theWWE Tag Team Championship, but was unsuccessful with both partners.[4][28][29] He also failed to claim the WWE Championship fromJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) in a hardcore match on the October 14 episode ofSmackDown!.[30]
In mid-2005, Holly went into singles competition trying to acquire theUnited States Championship fromOrlando Jordan.[31] After being defeated twice by Jordan, Holly finally managed to pick up a non-title win over Jordan via disqualification onWWE Velocity, which aired on August 6, 2005.[4][3] Holly then entered a short feud with SmackDown! newcomer,Mr. Kennedy. This feud climaxed on October 9, 2005, atNo Mercy, where Kennedy defeated Holly after aGreen Bay Plunge.[32]
Holly then underwent several surgeries to repair nagging injuries. He was hospitalized after astaph infection developed in a right arm wound.[4] The infection was possibly career-threatening, as doctors were worried at one point that the arm may have to undergo amputation.[33] The subsequent treatments were a success, however.[33]
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Holly made a surprise appearance at WWE'sECW house show event on August 21, 2006, inAllentown, Pennsylvania, defeatingBalls Mahoney.[34] Holly made his ECW television debut the next night, August 22, appearing in a promo withPaul Heyman, and later attackingRob Van Dam andDanny Doring during a match.[35] Holly, now as a heel, soon joined with Heyman and his other associates to feud with Van Dam and others.[citation needed]
On September 26, 2006, Holly received 24 stitches from WWE Doctor Ferdinand Rios in his back after suffering a severe laceration during anExtreme Rules match against Rob Van Dam when he landed on the metal railing of a table he was suplexing Van Dam out of the ring and through during an ECW show inTulsa, Oklahoma.[36] Holly obtained the injury early in the match but continued to wrestle until the match's conclusion when he was pinned. After the match, as he was being helped out of the ring, he received astanding ovation from fans.[37] The legitimate incident caused fans to cheer Holly in the following weeks, leading him to become aface character and a feud with Paul Heyman's other enforcerTest.[38] His second to latest run as a face was short lived as he eventually turned on Rob Van Dam when they were partners in a tag match.[39]
WhenSabu was foundkayfabe unconscious in the locker room area before theExtreme Elimination Chamber atDecember to Dismember on December 3, Holly was chosen as his replacement.[40] Holly entered with Rob Van Dam as the first of two combatants. He was the second to be eliminated; he was eliminated by Test by arunning big boot.[40] Subsequently, he entered into a feud withCM Punk whereby Holly, now atweener, showed his endurance by surviving Punk'sAnaconda Vice submission hold.[41] Holly then gave Punk his first loss in ECW; Punk had been undefeated for half a year.[42] After Test replaced Holly in a match againstECW World ChampionBobby Lashley, Holly vowed he would become champion whether he faced Test or Lashley. Holly then was one of the ECW superstars entered in theRoyal Rumble on January 28, 2007, but was eliminated byThe Great Khali.[43] Holly soon became the number one contender for Lashley's ECW World Championship and faced off against Lashley, albeit unsuccessfully.[44]
On the April 3 episode ofECW, Holly lost toSnitsky. After the match, Snitsky wedged Holly's arm between the steel steps and repeatedly hit the steps with a steel chair, resulting in a broken arm in the storyline.[45] Holly had surgery on April 16 because of astaph infection and missed around five months.[46]
Holly was drafted back toSmackDown! from ECW on June 17, 2007, as part of theSupplemental Draft. Despite his draft, Holly would return to in-ring action on theRaw brand by September 24, 2007, defeating the rookie Cody Rhodes.[47] This match initiated a brief "respect" feud between the two, with Holly defeating Rhodes on the next two episodes ofRaw.[48][49] On the October 22 episode ofRaw, Holly turned face when he saved Rhodes from a post-match assault byShelton Benjamin andCharlie Haas.[50] Holly and Rhodes subsequently teamed up and emerged victorious in a tag team match against Benjamin and Haas the following week.[51] Their teamwork led to a title opportunity when they defeatedPaul London and Brian Kendrick andThe Highlanders in a WWE.com exclusive match, courtesy of Holly'sAlabama Slam. Holly and Rhodes, however, were unsuccessful in their challenge for the World Tag Team Championship atSurvivor Series on November 18 against the reigning championsLance Cade andTrevor Murdoch.[52]
Despite this setback, on the December 10, 2007, episode ofRaw during the brand’s15th Anniversary show, Holly and Rhodes captured theWorld Tag Team Championship from Cade and Murdoch.[53][54] The pair successfully defended their titles on multiple occasions, including matches against teams likeCarlito andSantino Marella, and Paul London and Brian Kendrick.[55][56]
At theNight of Champions event on June 29, 2008, Rhodesturned on Holly, teaming withTed DiBiase to defeat Holly and claim the World Tag Team Championship. This marked Holly’s final WWE pay-per-view appearance.[57] Following this, Holly took an extended hiatus from WWE television for seven months. He was released from his contract January 16, 2009, after 15 years with the company, ending his lengthy tenure with WWE.[58]
In the months preceding his release, Holly faced personal struggles, including a suspension due to a pain pill addiction. The incident that led to this suspension involved Holly being caught stealing painkillers from another wrestler’s bag, which resulted in his immediate placement in rehab.[59]
In May 2009, Holly traveled to England and wrestled forVarsity Pro Wrestling. On May 26, Holly defeatedThe UK Kid in aTables, Ladders, and Chairs match during which he sustained a rib injury.[3] Throughout mid-2009, Holly wrestled for National Wrestling Superstars, competing against wrestlers including Danny Demento,Salvatore Sincere, andD. J. Hyde.[3] Holly then took a break from wrestling from 2010 until 2013.[60]
On March 19, 2013, Holly, now bald and sporting a new tattoo, made a one night appearance forTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as he took part in a six-man tag team match and teamed withJames Storm andMagnus to defeatAces & Eights (D.O.C.,Wes Brisco, andKnux) at theTNA One Night Only eventHardcore Justice 2, which was aired on July 5, this was Holly's only match for TNA. Later that year he would wrestle for Southside Wrestling Entertainment andPreston City Wrestling in the U.K. and forMelbourne City Wrestling in Australia.[60]
On May 7, 2016, Holly wrestled in the Netherlands for Pro Wrestling Showdown. Holly would also spend time in the UK, competing for PCW, Kamikaze Pro, Southside. Holly would also challengeEddie Ryan for thePro Wrestling Pride Heavyweight Championship, andJoseph Conners for theIPW:UK World Heavyweight Championship; however he would win neither championship.
Holly participated in a triple threat match againstCody Hall andLuke Hawx for the BritishWAW promotion on June 2, 2019. Although Holly did not announce a retirement afterwards, the match is his last known to date.[61]
In 1992, Howard beganauto racing inMobile, Alabama at theMobile International Speedway. Driving a 1974Chevrolet Malibu, Howard placed fifth in the 1992 season and won the 1993 season.[1]
In 1995, Howard began driving aWorld Wrestling Federation-sponsoredsuper late model in theAll Pro Series in an attempt at cross promotion. After the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) withdrew its sponsorship, WWF chairmanVince McMahon gifted the equipment to Howard.[1]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Operation Sandman | Sturner | Television film |
| 2016 | Thanks for Reading | The Reader | Short film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | MTV's The 70s House | Himself | Episode: "Dodge Ball" |
Howard has a daughter named Stephanie from his first marriage. In 2009, Howard moved toDubuque, Iowa as he reconnected with his high school girlfriend, Linda Kievet.[62] Howard has been married to Kievet since 2010.[1]
Howard's autobiography, titledThe Hardcore Truth: The Bob Holly Story was released in the United States on April 1, 2013. Co-authored by former British wrestler Ross Owen Williams, an actor and writer[63] who wrestled Holly in June 2010, it was published by ECW Press.[64]
{{cite web}}:|archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)Hardcore Holly, who made his ECW debut this week.
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