Bob backlund wrestler

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Robert Lee "Bob" Backlund August 14, is an American professional wrestler and actor with an in ring career that spanned over 30 years. Backlund was also an accomplished amateur wrestler wrestling for the North Dakota State University Bison in the late s to early s. Backlund continues to work in the pro wrestling business in various capacities. In , Backlund unsuccessfully ran for a Connecticut seat in Congress on a Republican ticket. He graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in physical education.

Bob backlund wrestler

Robert Louis Backlund born August 14, is an American retired amateur and professional wrestler. His 2,day reign is recognized as the second longest in the championship's history. Backlund began his career in amateur wrestling , competing for the North Dakota State University Bison from the late s to early s. He began training as a professional wrestler in under Eddie Sharkey and competed for the American Wrestling Association. He held the championship until , where he lost it in a match against the Iron Sheik. Shortly after losing the title, Backlund left the WWF, but returned in and was in the Royal Rumble match for over an hour, a record held until the Royal Rumble. He held the championship for three days, before losing it to Diesel at a house show in Madison Square Garden. Backlund was born in Princeton, Minnesota , in During his freshman year while at Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa , Backlund was an All-American in both football and wrestling lb [87 kg], finishing third. During his sophomore campaign, Backlund focused on wrestling and once again earned All-American honors lb [86 kg] and national runner-up. Backlund was trained for professional wrestling by renowned trainer Eddie Sharkey and made his debut for the American Wrestling Association AWA in

Archived from the original on May 26, bob backlund wrestler, Backlund's clean-cut look and technical approach made him a natural faceand he quickly got over with the fans. One of his most memorable encounters came in mid, when he won a steel cage match against "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka ; in that match, at Madison Square GardenSnuka scaled the top of the cage, bob backlund wrestler to perform his "Superfly" splash onto a prone Backlund to incapacitate him, but Backlund moved after Snuka began to fly through the air and went on to escape the cage.

He is known for holding the record for the second longest reign as WWE Champion in history which is ahead of Hulk Hogan 's first reign and behind Bruno Sammartino 's first. Signature move known as the cross face chicken wing was said to be inescapable once fully applied. Before becoming a professional wrestler, Backlund started as an accomplished amateur wrestler and wrestled for the North Dakota State University Bison during the late s to early s. He also ran for a Connecticut seat in Congress on a Republican ticket in but was unsuccessful. Contents move to sidebar hide. Page Talk.

There are only a handful of WWE stars that could be considered the face of the company in their given eras. Growing up in Minnesota, Backlund competed in amateur wrestling in high school and did both wrestling and football in college. More shots at the belt would follow as Backlund gained momentum against his rival, until finally he defeated Graham for the championship in February It seems unthinkable now, but before the s, babyface champions in WWE tended to hold the title for years, with brief transitional heel runs between them. As champion, Backlund regularly defended the belt, too, fighting off such big names as Don Muraco, Jesse Ventura, and Superstar Billy Graham in several rematches. There was, however, a strange instance where Bob Backlund came up short during his title reign.

Bob backlund wrestler

He is known for holding the record for the second longest reign as WWE Champion in history which is ahead of Hulk Hogan 's first reign and behind Bruno Sammartino 's first. Signature move known as the cross face chicken wing was said to be inescapable once fully applied. Before becoming a professional wrestler, Backlund started as an accomplished amateur wrestler and wrestled for the North Dakota State University Bison during the late s to early s. He also ran for a Connecticut seat in Congress on a Republican ticket in but was unsuccessful. Quick Facts Birth name, Born Bob Backlund. Brian Shields

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But when Backlund left WWE for good in the mids, he was a deranged madman despised by the fans for his outlandish behavior. Both titles were on the line, but neither changed hands as the two fought to a minute time limit draw. In other projects. In his absence, the company had expanded to become an international wrestling promotion mainly because of the colorful wrestlers of the "Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection" era that Hulk Hogan ushered in 8 years prior. Possibly inspired by his fake presidential candidacy in , Backlund also unsuccessfully ran for a Connecticut seat in Congress as a Republican in He also ran for a Connecticut seat in Congress on a Republican ticket in but was unsuccessful. Bret's cornerman for the match, Davey Boy Smith , chased Owen around the ring only to collide head first with the ring stairs. CT Insider. Scott's Blog of Doom! In early , Backlund signed with Vincent J.

Bob Backlund, the talented former N. McMahon to fill the void left when his longtime titleholder Bruno Sammartino made the decision that he no longer wanted to carry the WWWF championship. Without question, Bob Backlund was an exceptional champion who carried the WWE title with honor and integrity, proving himself worthy of the championship on a nightly basis, and carving out a lofty spot for himself in the annals of pro wrestling history.

He later returned to wrestling in the Royal Rumble. Many fans did not even remember him, as he had left just prior to Vince McMahon's national expansion. After the title loss, Backlund wrestled progressively less often, never again reaching main event status. After Shelley won the match, Starr pie-faced Backlund because he believed Backlund had cost him the match, at which Backlund responded by putting Starr in the crossface chickenwing. Valentine's Day Massacre. Several vignettes were shown on television with Backlund preaching socially conservative values, including one depicting him campaigning at a beach. WWE personnel. To serve as his second for the match, Backlund paired up with Owen Hart , the brother and chief rival of the reigning champion who had tried and failed multiple times that year to wrest the belt from Bret. WWE Champions. This would be his last pay-per-view appearance. Archeus Communications. During his appearances on Impact! One of his most memorable encounters came in mid, when he won a steel cage match against "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka ; in that match, at Madison Square Garden , Snuka scaled the top of the cage, intending to perform his "Superfly" splash onto a prone Backlund to incapacitate him, but Backlund moved after Snuka began to fly through the air and went on to escape the cage. He would then seemingly snap back to normal and appear horrified by what he had done. Snoop Dogg.