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Horace Hogan

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Horace Hogan
Birth nameMichael Allan Bollea[1]
Born (1965-10-21) October 21, 1965 (age 59)[2]
Tampa, Florida, U.S.[2]
Children2[3]
FamilyHulk Hogan (uncle)[4][5]
Nick Hogan (cousin)
Brooke Hogan (cousin)
Mike Awesome (cousin)[1][6]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Axe Boulder
Horace[7]
Horace Boulder[6]
Horace Hogan[6]
The Predator[2]
Prey of the Dead[2]
Billed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2]
Billed weight240 lb (110 kg)[2]
Billed fromTampa, Florida
Trained byBoris Malenko
WCW Power Plant[7]
DebutJanuary 1990[2]
Retired2002

Michael Allan Bollea (born October 21, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler. The nephew of fellow wrestler Hulk Hogan, he is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s under the ring name Horace Hogan.[2][7]

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1990–1991)

Bollea was trained by Boris Malenko, debuting on the Floridian independent circuit in January 1990 under the ring name "Horace Boulder".[2] Bollea competed for promotions such as the International Championship Wrestling Alliance.

Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (1991–1992)

In May 1991, Bollea joined the Japanese promotion Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling.[6][8] In mid-1991, Bollea formed a dominant tag team with a fellow gaijin wrestler, The Gladiator.[9] The duo engaged in a long-running feud with Atsushi Onita and Sambo Asako.

In April 1992, Bollea began tagging with Sabu. On May 7, 1992 in Tokyo, Bollea and Sabu defeated Onita and Tarzan Goto for the WWA World Martial Arts Tag Team Championship. They held the championship until May 24, 1992, when they were defeated by Goto and Gregory Veritchev in Tokyo.[10] In the same month, Bollea teamed with Negro Casas and Tim Patterson in a six-man tag team bout against Onita, Goto and El Hijo del Santo that received a rare "five star" ranking from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Bollea continued to compete with FMW until December 1992.

World Wrestling Federation (1993)

In January 1993, Bollea joined the World Wrestling Federation as "The Predator". He made his televised debut on the January 31, 1993 episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge losing to El Matador.[11] This was his sole televised match in the WWF, as he competed exclusively at house shows for the remainder of his tenure.[11] He was used primarily as a jobber, losing to wrestlers such as Jim Brunzell, Jim Powers, and Marty Jannetty.[11] Bollea made his final appearance with the WWF in August 1993.[11]

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1993)

In April 1993, Bollea toured Japan with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, wrestling as "Axe Boulder".

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995)

In early 1995, Bollea briefly performed with Extreme Championship Wrestling under the ring name "Prey of the Dead".[2]

Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (1995–1996, 1998)

In mid-1995, Bollea returned to FMW. He joined the stable "Lethal Weapon" with Hisakatsu Oya, The Gladiator, Mr. Pogo, and Ricky Fuji. He and Oya began teaming together, and won the FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship from Daisuke Ikeda and Yoshiaki Fujiwara on December 21, 1995 in Yokohama.[12] Their reign lasted until January 5, 1996, when Jason the Terrible and Super Leather defeated them in Tokyo.[12]

World Championship Wrestling (1997-2000)

Returning to America, Bollea debuted in World Championship Wrestling. On the February 23, 1997 episode of WCW Worldwide, Bollea, as Horace Boulder, defeated J.L. (Jerry Lynn). At Spring Stampede 1998 on April 19, 1998, Boulder officially debuted helping Raven defeat Diamond Dallas Page for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship and joining Raven's Flock in the process,[7] under the name "Horace Boulder".[13] He remained in the Flock until the stable disbanded on September 13, 1998.[13]

The fall of 1998 would hold one of the most crucial moments in Horace's wrestling career. Hollywood Hogan, backed by fellow New World Order (nWo) Hollywood members, revealed on the October 19, 1998 episode of WCW Monday Nitro that Horace was the son of his dead brother.[13] Showing a sincerity not seen in previous years, he continued by proclaiming his love to his family and offering Horace a membership in the nWo.[13] The mood quickly took a turn for the worse, however, when Hollywood Hogan bashed his nephew with a steel chair, causing a wound that would require several stitches. He continued by throwing his nephew off a stretcher and mercilessly beating him.[13] During this time, Hogan was involved in a heated rivalry with The Ultimate Warrior, and this scene worked as a testament to Hulk's fragile state of mind. With fellow nWo members standing in bewilderment, Hogan took the mic and said "If I could do this to someone I love, imagine what I'm gonna do to you, Warrior!"[13]

Despite their unsettling confrontation, Horace joined the nWo (not the babyface Wolfpac led by Kevin Nash, but the Hollywood version led by his uncle) at Halloween Havoc 1998 on October 25, 1998, by interfering on his uncle's behalf during the final match between Hollywood Hogan and The Warrior.[13][14] Thereafter, he began using the ring name "Horace Hogan" to signify his blood ties with Hulk Hogan. He would wrestle for the nWo both in singles competition and tag teaming with the likes of Scott Norton, Stevie Ray, and Vincent, as well as Brian Adams in early 1999 where they came very close to winning the WCW World Tag Team Championship feuding with The Four Horsemen.[13] Hogan also participated in a WCW Thunder battle royal for leadership of the nWo Hollywood faction.[13] When the nWo Elite and B-Team began to dissolve in 1999, Horace began competing for the WCW Hardcore Championship.[13]

Horace and his uncle began feuding with Billy Kidman and the New Blood in April 2000, with Horace helping Hogan defeat Kidman at Slamboree 2000 on May 7, 2000.[13] Hogan defected to the New Blood, however, after the leader of the New Blood, Eric Bischoff, offered him Kidman's girlfriend Torrie Wilson in exchange for his assistance. Horace feuded with his uncle until the 2000 Great American Bash on June 11, 2000, when he refereed a rematch between Kidman and his uncle fairly, allowing his uncle to defeat Kidman after interference from Torrie who gave Hulk brass knuckles, which he would use to get the win.[13] After Hulk Hogan left WCW in July 2000 due to a legitimate incident with Vince Russo that happened at that year's Bash at the Beach pay-per-view, Horace left the promotion.

Worldwide appearances (2000–2002)

After leaving WCW, Bollea began wrestling around the world, appearing with promotions including the X Wrestling Federation, the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico and Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling.

World Wrestling Entertainment (2002)

In 2002, Bollea was signed to a developmental contract by World Wrestling Entertainment.[7] He was assigned to the Ohio-based Heartland Wrestling Association development territory. In September, Bollea was recalled to the main roster, wrestling dark matches for the SmackDown brand. He remained with WWE until being released later that month.[7] Following his release, Bollea wrestled briefly on the independent circuit before retiring from professional wrestling to work in the construction industry.[3]

Personal life

Bollea is the son of Alan Bollea, brother of professional wrestler Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea, making him Hogan's nephew. Bollea's parents separated when he was a child. In 1986, his mother, Martha Alfonso, was murdered by her boyfriend, and his father died of a drug overdose. Bollea has two sisters.[4][5][14]

The late professional wrestler Michael "Mike Awesome" Alfonso was Bollea's cousin. The duo were childhood friends, with Bollea encouraging Alfonso to wrestle and helping him secure a job with World Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s.[1][6]

Bollea has two daughters.[3]

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ a b c Thom Loverro (22 May 2007). The Rise & Fall of ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling. Simon and Schuster. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-4165-6156-9.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harris M. Lentz III (2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 159. ISBN 978-1-4766-0505-0.
  3. ^ a b c Nagel, Mike; Meacham, Jeff (February 19, 2007). "Interview Flashback (2003): Mike Awesome speaks out against WCW, ECW, Invasion angle, more". PWTorch.com. Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Hulk Hogan (1 April 2010). My Life Outside the Ring. Hodder & Stoughton. pp. 257–288. ISBN 978-1-84894-667-5.
  5. ^ a b Hulk Hogan (6 December 2002). Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Simon and Schuster. pp. 244–245. ISBN 978-0-7434-7556-3.
  6. ^ a b c d e Scott E. Williams (13 December 2013). Hardcore History: The Extremely Unauthorized Story of ECW. Skyhorse Publishing Company, Incorporated. p. 229. ISBN 978-1-61321-582-1.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Horace profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
  8. ^ Kristian Pope; Ray Whebbe (January 2003). The Encyclopedia of Professional Wrestling: 100 Years of History, Headlines & Hitmakers. Krause Publications. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-87349-625-4.
  9. ^ Chris Jericho (12 May 2011). A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex. Orion. p. 197. ISBN 978-1-4091-3692-7.
  10. ^ a b Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Japan: WWA Martial Arts Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  11. ^ a b c d Cawthon, Graham (2013). the History of Professional Wrestling Vol 2: WWF 1990 - 1999. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ASIN B00RWUNSRS.
  12. ^ a b c Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Japan: FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cawthon, Graham (2015). the History of Professional Wrestling Vol 5: World Championship Wrestling 1995-2001. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1499656343.
  14. ^ a b R. D. Reynolds (2007). The Wrestlecrap Book of Lists!. ECW Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-55490-287-3.
  15. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500 – 1991: 256 Horace Boulder". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States: Sports and Entertainment publications LLC. September 24, 1992. p. 51. October 1992.
  16. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 of the PWI Years: 497 Horace Hogan". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States: Sports and Entertainment publications LLC. May 21, 2003. p. 62. June 2003.
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