Bill Kazmaier
Encyclopedia
Bill Kazmaier (born December 30, 1953, in Burlington, Wisconsin
Burlington, Wisconsin
Burlington is a city in Racine and Walworth counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, with the majority of the city located in Racine County. The population was 10,421 at the 2009 census.-History:...

) is a former powerlifter
Powerlifting
Powerlifting is a strength sport. It resembles the sport of Olympic weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting weights in three attempts. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as 'odd lifts' which followed the same three attempt format but used a wide variety of events akin to Strongman...

, strongman
Strongman (strength athlete)
In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press , supporting large amounts of...

 and professional wrestler from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. He is widely considered to be one of the all-time greatest competitors in strength competitions. During the 1970s and 80s, he set numerous powerlifting and strongman world records, and won two International Powerlifting Federation
International Powerlifting Federation
The International Powerlifting Federation is an international governing body for the sport of powerlifting as recognized by the General Association of International Sports Federations as well as the International Olympic Committee via inclusion into the World Games.The IPF was founded in 1971, and...

 (IPF) world championships and three World's Strongest Man
World's Strongest Man
The World's Strongest Man is a well recognised event in strength athletics and has been described by a number of highly respected authorities in the sport as the premier event in strongman. Organized by TWI, an IMG Media company, it is broadcast around the end of December each year...

 titles.

Kazmaier played American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...

 from 1973–74, before leaving school to pursue powerlifting full-time.

Powerlifting & Strongman career

In 1978, Kazmaier won the IPF world powerlifting championship and the American powerlifting championship. He won the IPF world championship again in 1983. In 1981, Kazmaier became the first person to bench press 300 kg in competition. The 1981 event was the same competition in which he totaled 1,100 kg (2,425 lb). His best lifts were: 925 lbs squat (done without a suit), 662 lbs bench press, and 974 lbs deadlift.

Kazmaier won the World's Strongest Man (WSM) title three times in 1980, 1981, and 1982. After these victories, Kazmaier was not invited back to compete in the WSM contest again until 1988, when he finished second to Jón Páll Sigmarsson
Jón Páll Sigmarsson
Jón Páll Sigmarsson was a strongman, a powerlifter , and a bodybuilder from Iceland who won the World's Strongest Man Competition four times . In 1984 Jón won the Icelandic bodybuilding title in the +90 kg. class...

 He finished fourth in his final WSM appearance in 1989.

Professional wrestling career

Trained by Verne Gagne
Verne Gagne
Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne , is a retired American professional wrestler, football player, and professional wrestling trainer and promoter. He was the former owner/promoter of the American Wrestling Association , based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which was the predominant promotion throughout...

 and Brad Rheingans
Brad Rheingans
Brad Rheingans is a former Greco-Roman and professional wrestler.-Career:Rheingans was an NCAA champion in 1975 for North Dakota State University and wrestled in the 1976 Olympics, placing fourth...

, Kazmaier began wrestling in 1986. During the 1980s, he had wrestled for promotions such as Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...

 in Canada and Continental Championship Wrestling
Continental Championship Wrestling
Continental Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based out of Knoxville, Tennessee from 1974 until 1988 and Dothan, Alabama from 1978 to 1990, managed by Ron Fuller. When Fuller sold the promotion to David Woods, it changed name to the Continental Wrestling Federation...

 in America.

His biggest national exposure came when he debuted for World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...

 in the summer of 1991. He received several shots at Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...

's WCW World Heavyweight Championship
WCW World Heavyweight Championship
The World Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation . It existed within WCW between 1991 and 2001. Following the acquisition of WCW by World Wrestling...

 but failed to win the title. He also briefly teamed with Rick Steiner
Rick Steiner
Robert Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Rick Steiner.Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling, where he was an eight time World Tag Team Champion...

, only to lose to The Enforcers in a tournament final for the WCW World Tag Team Championship
WCW World Tag Team Championship
The World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...

. While in WCW, Kazmaier also wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...

.

Kazmaier held no championships in his entire wrestling career.

In NJPW, his theme music was "Poundcake
Poundcake
"Poundcake" is a Van Halen song and the opening track on their 1991 album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. "Poundcake" was the first song to be released as a single from the album making #1 on U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and #74 in the UK Singles Chart.-Song characteristics:It is a double...

" by Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...

.

Life after competition

After Kazmaier retired from strongman competition and pro wrestling, he opened a fitness club, Kaz Fitness Center, in Auburn, Alabama
Auburn, Alabama
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area...

. The gym closed in 2005. Kazmaier then opened, and continues to operate, S.W.A.T. gym in Opelika, Alabama
Opelika, Alabama
Opelika is a city in and the county seat of Lee County in the east central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. According to 2010 Census, the population of Opelika was 26,477...

.

Kazmaier currently appears on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

 as a co-commentator for the American broadcast of the annual World's Strongest Man
World's Strongest Man
The World's Strongest Man is a well recognised event in strength athletics and has been described by a number of highly respected authorities in the sport as the premier event in strongman. Organized by TWI, an IMG Media company, it is broadcast around the end of December each year...

 competition along with Todd Harris and 2006 World's Strongest Man
2006 World's Strongest Man
The 2006 Met-Rx World's Strongest Man was the 29th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Phil Pfister, the first American to win the competition since Bill Kazmaier in 1982. The contest took place between the 14th and 23rd of September 2006, in Sanya, China.The 25 competitors in the...

 winner Phil Pfister
Phil Pfister
Phil Pfister , is a leading American strongman competitor, winning the 2006 Met-Rx World's Strongest Man competition and its $41,000 grand prize on September 23, 2006 in Sanya, China. He is the first American to win since Bill Kazmaier in 1982...

. He also does some additional co-commentating in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 broadcast.

Achievements

Professional Competitive Record - [1st (14),2nd (3) ,3rd (3) - Out of Total(21)]

Performance Metric - .967 [American - .970 International - .966]
Professional 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th INJ DNQ Total
American 3 1 4
International 11 2 2 1 17
Combined 14 3 3 1 21


COMPLETED CONTESTS
Pure Strength 4 Team Challenge - winner (1990) World's Strongest Man - 4th place (1989) Pure Strength 3 Team Challenge - 2nd place (1989) Scottish Power Challenge - winner (1989) World's Strongest Man - 2nd place (1988)
World Strongman Challenge - 3rd place (1988)
Pure Strength 2 Team Challenge - winner (1988)
World Muscle Power Championships - winner (1988)
Scottish Power Challenge - winner (1988) Pure Strength - Ultimate Challenge - 2nd place (1987) Le Defi Mark Ten Challenge - winner (1987) Scottish Power Challenge - winner (1987) Scottish Power Challenge - winner (1986)
World Muscle Power Championships - 3rd place (1985)
Scottish Power Challenge - winner (1985) Scottish Power Challenge - winner (1984) World's Strongest Man - winner (1982) World's Strongest Man - winner (1981) Strongbow Strongman - winner (1980) World's Strongest Man - winner (1980) World's Strongest Man - 3rd place (1979)

External links

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