 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Mike Davis" wrestler – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Davis (1956-11-02)November 2, 1956[1] |
| Died | December 25, 2001(2001-12-25) (aged 45) Granbury, Texas, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Mike Davis[1] Michael Worhington III[1] The Viper[1] Aries[1] The Dream |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg; 16.8 st)[1] |
| Billed from | Tampa, Florida[1] |
| Trained by | Lars Anderson[1] Vince Castelli[1] |
| Debut | 1977[1] |
| Retired | 2000 |
Michael Davis (November 2, 1955– December 25, 2001) was an Americanprofessional wrestler best known as one half of the tag teamRock 'n' Roll RPMs withTommy Lane which lasted several years.[1] The RPM's were one of the best-knownheel tag teams throughout the southern United States in promotions such asWorld Class Championship Wrestling and theContinental Wrestling Association based out of Memphis. Mike Davis was also a member ofKevin Sullivan's faction known as the Army of Darkness.[1]
Trained by both Lars Anderson and Vince Castelli, Mike Davis got his start inEddie Graham's Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) promotion.[1] He found himself working as a member ofKevin Sullivan's faction, known collectively as the Army of Darkness.[1] In both 1983 and 1984, he spent a few months working for the promotionsAll Japan Pro Wrestling andNew Japan Pro-Wrestling. At the 1984 Starrcade event, he lost the NWA Junior Heavyweight Title toDenny Brown (whom he was an admirer of).[2][3]
Davis formed a tag team known as theRock 'n' Roll RPMs withTommy Lane.[4] They spent time wrestling in the mid 80's in Memphis before making their move to theWorld Class promotion, which at the time was still affiliated with the NWA.[1]Dusty Rhodes had the idea of making them a tag team as he wanted a heel tag team, bleached blond with dark beards, according to Davis in a 2001 interview.[5] With the team being known for their bright colored tights and hangingbandanas, The Rock 'n' Roll RPMs were glorified for their finishing move"The Spandex Splits", which would eventually turn out to be outlawed as the move caused extensive neck injuries.
They had feuds with several teams, including another "Rock 'n' Roll" tag team known as theRock 'n' Roll Express. There was once a program whereThe Rockers turned on them, an ideaShawn Michaels requested toJerry Lawler.[6] The RPMs feuded withThe Fantastics over theWCWA Tag Team Championship, however they were unable to win the championship. The RPMs also competed in theCWA inMemphis, where they won two AWA Southern Tag Team titles. Teaming withCactus Jack, the Rock-n-Roll RPMs lost a match againstHector,Chavo, andMando Guerrero at the only AWApay-per-viewSuperClash III.[1]
Davis made appearances for theWorld Wrestling Federation in 1989 and 1990, working as a jobber, losing to the likes ofJim Duggan,Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart andThe Rockers.[7][8] It was during this time he worked for theUnited States Wrestling Association in Memphis. After the demise of World Class, Davis and Lane moved on toWorld Championship Wrestling, where they were used asjobbers. Davis later entered theGlobal Wrestling Federation, where in 1991, he claimed to have returned to Earth with a "Moon Rock" after he made a bungee jump following a "Bungee" match between Chaz Taylor and Steven Dane outside theDallas Sportatorium. Mike Davis formed another tag team, this time with his brother Tom Davis known collectively as the Dirty Davis Brothers.[1] In 1995, Davis returned to WCW to work once again as a 'jobber to the stars', featuring on theWCW Saturday Night program. He also returned to Japan to work for and make appearances inBig Japan Pro Wrestling. In 1998, he returned to the WWF in a dark match, losing toJohn Tenta.[9] He continued working in theindependent circuit in Texas until wrestling his last match in 2000.
On December 25, 2001, inGranbury, Texas, he told his wife that he was not feeling well. Later that night, Davis died of a massiveheart attack at the age of 46,[1][10] He was the third World Class wrestler to die in six months (following the deaths ofTerry Gordy andChris Adams in July and October respectively).