 Viscera in 2005 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nelson Lee Frazier Jr.[5] February 14, 1971 |
| Died | February 18, 2014(2014-02-18) (aged 43) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
Spouse | Cassandra Frazier[5] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Big Daddy[1] Big Daddy V[2] Big Daddy Voodoo[1] Mabel Doink[3] King Mabel[2] Mabel[2] Nelson Knight[1] Viscera[2] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 9 in (206 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 487 lb (221 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Harlem, New York[2] |
| Trained by | Gene Anderson [4] |
| Debut | 1991[1] |
Nelson Lee Frazier Jr. (February 14, 1971 – February 18, 2014) was an Americanprofessional wrestler. He is best known for his time with theWorld Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE) in the 1990s and 2000s under thering namesMabel,Viscera, andBig Daddy V. A formerWWF World Tag Team Champion andWWF Hardcore Champion, he won the1995King of the Ring tournament and challenged for theWWF Championship in the main event of that year'sSummerSlam.
Frazier grew up inGoldsboro, North Carolina, where he attendedEastern Wayne High School and took part inamateur wrestling in the ninth grade.[4][6] He studiedcommercial art after finishing high school.[4]
Frazier began hisprofessional wrestling career under thering name "Nelson Knight", as one half of the "Harlem Knights"tag team with his partner and storyline brotherBobby (Robert Horne).[7] They wrestled in theUnited States Wrestling Association (USWA) and thePro Wrestling Federation (PWF), twice winning the PWF Tag Team Championship in 1992,[6][8] before signing with theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1993.[4]
Upon entering the WWF, The Harlem Knights were given a newgimmick: Nelson becameMabel, Bobby became Mo, and they were given arappingmanager named Oscar. The new team, dubbedMen on a Mission, donned colorful gear and were introduced to WWF audiences in June 1993, throughvignettes portraying them as threeAfrican American men trying to make a positive change in inner city neighborhoods, establishing themselves asfaces.[9][10] Men on a Mission made theirpay-per-view debut atSurvivor Series on November 24, teaming withThe Bushwhackers (Luke andButch) to defeatBam Bam Bigelow,Bastion Booger andThe Headshrinkers (Fatu andSamu) in a 4-on-4Survivor Series elimination match.[3]
AtWrestleMania X on March 20, 1994, Men on a Mission defeatedWWF Tag Team ChampionsThe Quebecers (Jacques andPierre) bycountout, but did not win the belts.[11] On March 29, they defeated The Quebecers to win the titles at ahouse show inLondon, England, but lost them in a rematch two days later inSheffield, England.[12] In mid-1994, Mabel competed in the1994 King of the Ringtournament, but lost toIRS in the quarterfinals on June 19.[13] He also lost toJeff Jarrett atSummerSlam on August 29.[14]
In March 1995, Men on a Mission lost a title match against the reigning tag team champions,Smoking Gunns (Billy Gunn andBart Gunn). After the match, Mabel and Mo brutally assaulted them, but offered an apology and brought out Billy and Bart after a match weeks later for a handshake. It proved to be a ruse, however, as Mabel and Mo not only beat up Billy and Bart, but also turned on Oscar, becomingheels.[10][15] Mabel received apush as a singles wrestler, defeatingSavio Vega to win theKing of the Ring tournament on June 25.[16] After his victory, he became known asKing Mabel, with Mo becoming his manager and rechristened as "Sir Mo".[10] King Mabel was awarded achampionship belt engraved with "King of the Ring", which was designed and created by belt makerReggie Parks, but not used on WWF television.[17] AtIn Your House 2 on July 23, he and Mo defeated Vega andRazor Ramon.[18]
As the WWF's top heel, King Mabel challengedWWF ChampionDiesel atSummerSlam.[19] Just before SummerSlam, on an August edition ofMonday Night Raw, the WWF turnedDavey Boy Smith, one of the company's more popular wrestlers, against the fans, replacing King Mabel as the company's top villain. Men on a Mission were to wrestle Smith andLex Luger, who were then known asThe Allied Powers. Luger was not at the event, so Smith convinced Diesel to be his partner. Smith then attacked Diesel during the match and joined King Mabel and Sir Mo in assaulting him; the attack was called the "Royal Plan".[20] At SummerSlam on August 27, King Mabel failed to win the WWF Championship from Diesel.[21] According to Frazier,Vince McMahon planned for him to win the title, which fell through, due to backstage influence fromThe Kliq.[4] On October 22, atIn Your House 4, Mabel foughtYokozuna to a double countout.[18]
During this time, Mabel was involved in a high-profilefeud involvingThe Undertaker, after Mabel helped Yokozuna attack a downed Undertaker. Mabel was to hit a series ofleg drops on the fallen Undertaker, and he repeatedly struck Undertaker in the face, resulting in Undertaker suffering a legitimate fracture of hisorbital bone, which put him out of action for two months.[4] The Undertaker returned wearing aPhantom of the Opera-style mask,[22] teaming with Vega,Fatu andHenry O. Godwinn to defeat Mabel,Jerry Lawler,Isaac Yankem andHunter Hearst Helmsley on November 19 atSurvivor Series.[18] AtIn Your House 5 on December 17, Mabel lost to The Undertaker in acasket match.[4] After this match, Mabel's push came to an end, wrestling his last three matches in early 1996; he wasburied in an eight-second loss to Diesel on the New Year's Day edition ofRaw, lost another casket match to The Undertaker on the January 6 edition ofWWF Superstars, and failed to win theRoyal Rumble match on January 21.[23]
In late 1995, during his WWF tenure, Frazier began wrestling for thePuerto Rico-basedWorld Wrestling Council (WWC). He feuded withCarlos Colón, with theWWC Universal Heavyweight Championship being held up after a match between the two.[18] On January 7, 1996, he defeated Colón to win the championship, which he held for a month.[8] He also returned to Tennessee to wrestle for the United States Wrestling Association, which went through a number of administration changes during his stay, and was rebrandedMemphis Championship Wrestling andMemphis Wrestling.[4] He captured the USWA Heavyweight Championship in March 1996 and the North American Heavyweight Championship in February 1998, which were each the top title in the promotion at the time.[8]
On December 1, 1996, he appeared at the Inoki Festival in Yoyogi event inTokyo, Japan, losing toKoji Kitao.[23] Mabel made a one-night-only surprise appearance atExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW)'sNovember to Remember on November 1, 1998, as aFull Blooded Italians member withUlf Herman, losing toSpike Dudley in a handicap match.[24]
On the July 6, 1998 (taped June 30) episode ofRaw is War, Mabel made a one-night-only surprise return to the WWF, losing to the new King of the Ring,Ken Shamrock.[24]
On January 24, 1999, Frazier made his full-time return, first appearing at theRoyal Rumblepre-show as Mabel, then on the show itself. He eliminated five competitors;Droz,Steve Blackman,Dan Severn,Tiger Ali Singh andThe Blue Meanie. Later, he was eliminated (by way ofkidnapping) byThe Undertaker, hisAcolytes (Bradshaw andFaarooq), andMideon.[25] He was subsequently reintroduced as the Ministry of Darkness'enforcer,Viscera, adopting agothic look, including white-out contact lenses, a bleachedmohawk and a black bodysuit.[2][10] AtOver the Edge on May 23, The Ministry of Darkness lost toThe Union (Big Show,Ken Shamrock,Mankind andTest) in an eight-manelimination tag team match.[26]
After the Ministry of Darkness split in July 1999, Viscera frequently teamed with fellow former Ministry member Mideon.[4] They competed in atag team turmoil match atSummerSlam on August 22, but were unsuccessful.[27] In early 2000, Viscera feuded withMark Henry, after hesplashed Henry's storyline girlfriend,Mae Young.[28][29] AtNo Way Out on February 27, Viscera lost to Henry.[30] He became part of the burgeoninghardcore division, winning theWWF Hardcore Championship on April 2 atWrestleMania 2000, and losing it minutes later in the same battle royal-style match.[31] Viscera was taken off the WWF main roster in April and sent to thedevelopmental territory,Memphis Championship Wrestling (MCW), before he was released from his WWF contract in August 2000.[7]
Following his release from the WWF, Frazier wrestled sporadically on theindependent circuit. He also appeared at a weeklyTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) pay-per-view, at the side ofRon Killings, in March 2003.[32] As King Mabel, he returned to Memphis Wrestling in July 2003, where he feuded withJerry Lawler.[33] He also facedRocky Johnson in a boxing match on November 29, but lost.[33] In 2004, Mabel entered a feud with his former partner Sir Mo, defeating Mo in asubmission match on January 17, after a previous match ended in a double countout.[34]
Frazier, as Viscera, made his surprise return to the former WWF (by then renamed World Wrestling Entertainment) on the September 16, 2004 episode ofSmackDown!, where he andGangrel attacked former Ministry of Darkness leader, The Undertaker, at the command of former Ministry Acolyte andWWE ChampionJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL).[35] The following week onSmackDown!, they lost to The Undertaker in a handicap match.[36] On November 1, Viscera was moved to theRawbrand, where he lost his first match back toShelton Benjamin.[37] In his first three months on the brand, Viscera mainly wrestled onRaw'ssister show,Heat, only making sporadic appearances onRaw.[34]
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His first major storyline started in April 2005, when he aligned withTrish Stratus as part of her feud withLita and Lita's husband,Kane.[38] In one segment, Viscera attempted to seduce Stratus at a restaurant, only to be rebuffed by Stratus, who implied he should stop Kane first.[39] After losing to Kane atBacklash on May 1, he injured Stratus with his Big Splash finishing move, angry about her constant belittling of him, turning face for the first time since 1995.[40] Viscera became smitten withRawring announcerLilian Garcia and tried different tactics to seduce her every week.[41][42] These segments gave Viscera the gimmick of "The World's Largest Love Machine", wrestling inpajamas and making overtly sexual gestures in the ring.[2][43] AtVengeance on June 26, Garcia finally reciprocated,proposing to Viscera in the center of the ring, only to be turned down and left crying in the ring, whenThe Godfather arrived with many of his "Ho's" to show Viscera what he would be leaving behind if he got married.[44]
In August 2005, Viscera began teaming withVal Venis onHeat, forming V–Squared.[45] AtNew Year's Revolution on January 8, 2006, after a segment with Benjamin's "Momma" (played by comedian/actressThea Vidale), Benjamin challenged Viscera to a match later that night, which Viscera lost after being struck twice with his Momma's loaded purse.[46] Later that month, Viscera entered theRoyal Rumble on January 29, but was eliminated byCarlito andChris Masters.[47] The team of Viscera and Venis ended when the latter was sidelined with alegitimate injury in April.
On the May 22 episode ofRaw, Viscera attempted to reconcile with Garcia, but was interrupted and attacked byUmaga during his proposal.[48] Two weeks later, when Garcia was legitimately and accidentally knocked from the ring apron byCharlie Haas andsprained her wrist,[49] the incident wasworked into a storyline, where Haas and Viscera fought over Garcia.[50][51] After Garcia declared she wanted to be "just friends", Haas seemingly raked Viscera in the eye, with Viscera feigning to accidentallySamoan drop Garcia. After Viscera gave Garcia the Samoan drop, both men laughed at what had happened to their now former love interest, turning Viscera and Haas heel.[52] Their team split in December 2006, when Haas and Benjamin reformed theWorld's Greatest Tag Team.[53]
On June 17, 2007, Viscera was drafted to theECW brand in the supplemental section of WWE'sdraft.[54] He debuted on the July 10 episode ofECW, repackaged asBig Daddy V, a "hired muscle" character in the employ ofMatt Striker, attackingThe Boogeyman.[2][55] He defeatedTommy Dreamer on the October 2 episode ofECW in the finals of theElimination Chase, becoming the number one contender forCM Punk'sECW Championship atNo Mercy on October 7.[56] Big Daddy V lost the match by disqualification after interference from Striker.[57] AtArmageddon on December 16, Big Daddy V andMark Henry defeated Punk and Kane.[58]
Big Daddy V was an entrant in the Royal Rumble match at thetitular event on January 27, 2008, but was eliminated byTriple H.[59] AtNo Way Out on February 17, he took part in theElimination Chamber match for aWorld Heavyweight Championship match atWrestleMania XXIV, but was eliminated byBatista.[60] He wrestled his last WWE match on the March 11 episode ofECW, losing to Punk in aMoney in the Bank qualifying match.[61] In the2008 WWE Supplemental Draft, he was drafted to the SmackDown brand.[62] Frazier was released from his WWE contract on August 8.[63]
After his WWE departure, Frazier began wrestling for theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) asKing V.[64] In 2009, he made appearances for National Wrestling Superstars (NWS) inNew Jersey and Pro Wrestling Xtreme (PWX) inTillsonburg,Ontario.[65] On August 8, atJuggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW)'s 10th AnnualGathering of the Juggalos, Viscera defeated2 Tuff Tony in a "Loser Leaves JCW" match, withTerry Funk as the special guest referee.[65] On April 23, 2011, he appeared for Showtime All-Star Wrestling, teaming withRosey to defeat Derrick King and Drew Haskins of Derrick King Enterprises, which aired on June 21.[66]
In September 2012, Big Daddy V appeared for the Japanese promotionInoki Genome Federation (IGF) at their GENOME 22 event, losing to Atsushi Sawada.[67] Frazier performed at threeFamily Wrestling Entertainment (FWE) shows in 2012 as Big Daddy V, first defeating Malta the Damager in a tables match in February.[67] On October 15, he lost to Malta the Damager in a Street Fight at theirBack 2 Brooklyn pay-per-view.[67] Frazier wrestled his final match on October 5, 2013, defeatingRené Duprée on Qatar Pro Wrestling's inaugural tour.[68]
Frazier wrestled forAll Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) as part of theVoodoo Murders stable, now under the nameBig Daddy Voodoo (later justBig Daddy).[4] He held theAll Asia Tag Team Championship with Voodoo Murders stablemateTARU from April 29 to August 29, 2010.[69] He left AJPW in December 2011, after competing in theWorld's Strongest Tag Determination League withJoe Doering.[66]
Frazier died of aheart attack on February 18, 2014, just four days after his 43rd birthday.[4] He had dropped around 100 pounds and saw his blood pressure drop to a healthy level.[70] He wascremated, and his widow, Cassandra, divided the ashes into 500 pendants as gifts for his loved ones.[71]
On the first anniversary of Viscera's death, his widow filed awrongful death lawsuit against WWE, alleging that the company had concealed information, misrepresented research, and misinformed Viscera and other wrestlers on performance risks relating toconcussions andchronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which the suit claimed left him with severeshort-term memory loss,migraines, anddepression, which contributed to his death.[72] WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt responded in an interview with theBoston Herald, explaining that the company was considering pursuing action against Cassandra Frazier's attorney, Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in other lawsuits against WWE. McDevitt called Viscera's death "tragic", but added: "It's ridiculous that someone can ... try to blame someone because a gentleman with a weight problem died of a heart attack in the shower eight years [sic] after he last performed."[73] The lawsuit was dismissed by US District JudgeVanessa Lynne Bryant, who ruled that they failed to show that his death was linked to CTE.[74]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | National Lampoon's 301: The Legend of Awesomest Maximus | "Ginormous"[6] | |
| 2010 | Wrong Side of Town | "Animal"[6] |
Mabel would further anger 'Taker when he planted a legdrop across the Undertaker's face, forcing "the Phenom" to wear a protective "Phantom of the Opera"-like mask.
Currently scheduled to appear on the card is NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion "Scrap Iron" Adam Pearce, King V (formally Big Daddy V)
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