Bob Backlund
Encyclopedia
Robert Lee "Bob" Backlund (born August 14, 1949) is an American professional wrestler
with an in ring career that spanned over 30 years. Over that time, he went on to become a two-time WWWF/WWF Champion
. Bob Backlund is the third longest WWE Champion in history behind Hulk Hogan
and Bruno Sammartino
Backlund was also an accomplished amateur wrestler
wrestling for the North Dakota State University Bison
in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Backlund continues to work in the pro wrestling business in various capacities. In 2000, Backlund unsuccessfully ran for a Connecticut seat in Congress
on a Republican ticket.
at North Dakota State University
, winning the Division II NCAA Championship at 190 pounds in 1971. In 1972 Backlund moved up to the Heavyweight class and finished 5th at the NCAA DII Nationals. Graduate of Princeton, MN High School where he was a state finalist in wrestling. He graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in physical education.
and made his debut for the American Wrestling Association
in 1973. Backlund's clean cut look and very technical approach made him a natural face
and almost instantly got over with the fans. After working for the AWA for a while, Backlund started to travel the United States working for the National Wrestling Alliance
in its various territories. In 1974, Backlund worked in Texas
for Dory Funk, Jr.
and Terry Funk
's Amarillo promotion. In March he defeated Terry Funk to gain the NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship
, the promotion's main title. Backlund would only hold it for two months before losing it to Karl Von Steiger
in May.
In mid 1975, Backlund started working for Georgia Championship Wrestling
where he would team up with Jerry Brisco
to win the NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship
(not to be mistaken with the Georgia Version of the NWA Tag Team Championship) from Toru Tanaka
& Mr. Fuji
in October 1975. The Brisco/Backlund team would only hold the Georgia gold for 2 months before being defeated by Les Thornton
and Tony Charles. In 1976, Backlund moved on from the Georgia territory and worked in Florida
for Championship Wrestling from Florida (NWA Florida) where he teamed up with Steve Keirn
to defeat Bob Orton, Jr.
and Bob Roop
for the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship
. Backlund and Keirn would lose the title to The Hollywood Blonds (Buddy Roberts and Jerry Brown) in October 1976. Backlund split his time between working in Florida and working in St. Louis, Missouri
for Sam Muchnick
’s St. Louis Wrestling Club
where he defeated wrestling legend Harley Race
to win the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship
on April 23. He held it until he was defeated by Jack Brisco
on November 26.
’s World Wide Wrestling Federation
. Backlund was managed
by “the Golden Boy” Arnold Skaaland
early on. Less than 4 months into his run with the WWWF, Backlund received his first shot at the WWWF Champion
against "Superstar" Billy Graham where he lost by countout. Over the course of 1977, Backlund received additional shots at the champion where his fortunes started to change; they first went to a double countout and later Backlund defeated Graham, but only by countout. On February 20, 1978 at the famous Madison Square Garden
, Backlund finally got the elusive pinfall victory over Billy Graham that earned Backlund his WWWF World Heavyweight Title. Backlund won the match despite Graham’s leg being on the rope during the pinfall. He also went after the WWF World Tag Team Championship with Peter Maivia
but Maivia turned on him and attacked Backlund and Skaaland, which led the usually even tempered Backlund to go berserk in the post match interview, screaming to interviewer Vince McMahon
that he was going to "kill that son of a bitch!"
Three days after winning the WWWF gold, Backlund clashed with the NWA World Heavyweight Champion
Harley Race in a rare “WWWF vs. NWA” title match. Neither title changed hands as the two fought to a 60-minute time limit draw. Defending against other champions became a recurring theme in Backlund’s run with the title as he faced both the AWA (Nick Bockwinkel) and the NWA World Champion (Harley Race four times and Ric Flair once) in highly publicized matches and also engaged in a legendary series of scientific matches against NWF World Champion and Japanese legend Antonio Inoki. Backlund would also take on and defeat the Florida Champion
Don Muraco
and in 1982 battled "International Champion" Billy Robinson
to a classic 63-minute curfew draw in Montreal. Backlund defended the title against a who's who of professional wrestling legends, including Pat Patterson, Ray Stevens, Greg Valentine, Don Muraco, Superstar Billy Graham, Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, Adrian Adonis, Sgt. Slaughter, Dusty Rhodes, The Iron Shiek, Nikolai Volkoff, Victor Rivera, Spiros Arion, Larry Zbyszko, Jimmy Snuka, Mr. Fuji, Mr. Saito, Professor Toru Tanaka, The Masked Superstar, Swede Hanson, Ivan Koloff, Stan Stasiak, Ken Patera, Antonio Inoki, Bobby Duncam, John Studd, Johnny Rodz, Blackjack Mulligan, Charlie Fulton, Iron Mike Sharpe, Killer Khan, Afa, Sika, Johnny Valiant, Jimmy Valiant, Jerry Valiant, The Moondogs, Ric Flair, Harley Race, Nick Bockwinkel, Stan Hansen, Rick Martel, Rene Goulet, Crusher Blackwell, Gorilla Monsoon, Lou Albano, Lord Alfred Hayes, Bob Orton Jr., "Playboy" Buddy Rose, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Baron Von Raschke, Jimmy Garvin, Ron Bass, Tony Atlas, Kevin Sullivan, Dick Murdoch, Peter Maivia, Ernie Ladd, Bulldog Bob Brower, Raymond Rougeau, King Curtis, Killer Kowalski, George Steele, The Original Shiek, and many more.
On August 9, 1980, Backlund teamed with Pedro Morales
to capture the WWF World Tag Team Championship from The Wild Samoans
at Showdown at Shea. Backlund and Morales were forced to vacate the title due to a then-extant WWF rule stating that no one can hold two championships at the same time. Backlund met with more tag team success at year's end when he (along with Antonio Inoki) captured the 1980 MSG Tag Team League Tournament with a win over Hulk Hogan and Stan Hansen on December 10, 1980, in Osaka, Japan. Backlund and Inoki finished the tournament with seven wins and two double-countout decisions en route to victory.
The first instance saw NWF Champion
Antonio Inoki
pin Bob Backlund in a match in Tokushima
, Japan
on November 30, 1979 to win the title. Inoki was then billed as both NWF and WWF Champion in subsequent matches. On December 6, Inoki and Backlund fought over the WWF title once again; this time, Backlund pinned Inoki but had the result thrown out by WWF president Hisashi Shinma
due to outside interference. After the match, Inoki refused to accept the WWF title back and Backlund appeared in the United States days later as the WWF Champion, with no official announcement of the title change ever being acknowledged by the WWF.
It is also claimed by some sources that because Backlund’s WWF Title was held up after a match against Greg Valentine
on October 19, 1981 when a dazed referee "accidentally" gave the title belt to Valentine (storyline
) that it constituted an “interruption” of Backlund’s title reign. Arguments against this constituting a break in the lineage is supported by the fact that Backlund was billed as the WWF Champion in other cities in the days following the "controversy". In the early part of the 1980s where no federation had national television deals, it was not an uncommon practice to “hold up” the title in one area to build interest in a rematch that the champion would win while ignoring this fact in other parts of the territory. On November 23, Backlund pinned Valentine for the "Vacant in New York only" WWF title.
", as the Grand Wizard
had dubbed Backlund; this was illustrated by the fact that he was picked as the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Most Overrated Wrestler in 1983. Pro Wrestling Illustrated and its sister magazines also reduced the WWF Title from World Title status to a regional title. This was due to Backlund's not putting the title on the line against baby face wrestlers such as Tony Atlas and Tito Santana. He was further criticized for wrestling Sika Samoan in Texas as opposed to one of the better wrestlers in the host territiory such as Kerry Von Erich. Additionally, Vincent K. McMahon
, who had taken over his father's wrestling promotion, wanted to put the title on the more charismatic and muscular Hulk Hogan
. The younger McMahon approached Backlund and said that Hogan was the man that would take the WWF to the next level. McMahon initially wanted Backlund to turn heel
and lose to Hogan outright, but when Backlund refused, they consequently needed a transitional champion to serve between Backlund and Hogan. On December 26, 1983, Backlund, recently "injured" in a TV angle where The Iron Sheik assaulted Backlund with his Persian Clubs, lost the title to the Sheik when Backlund's manager Arnold Skaaland
threw in the towel while Backlund was locked in the Camel Clutch. Backlund was not defeated via pinfall or submission, as Skaaland's actions caused the title change. Because Backlund was declared "injured", he was denied an automatic rematch with the Iron Sheik, and instead Hulk Hogan was given a match, and became the new Champion. Backlund continued to work for the WWF for a while after the title change but never saw a shot at the title he held for so many years. On August 4, 1984, Backlund defeated Salvatore Bellomo
in his last WWF match for 8 years.
, which was a joint promotion between the NWA and the American Wrestling Association
(AWA) to combat the national expansion of the WWF. In Pro Wrestling USA, Backlund unsuccessfully challenged AWA Champion
Rick Martel
but soon dropped off the pro wrestling scene. Backlund was believed to have permanently retired from wrestling but made a surprise return in 1991 where he began to work for Herb Abrams
' short-lived UWF
. He made an appearance at "Beach Brawl", the promotion’s only pay-per-view
event, where he defeated Ivan Koloff. Backlund would also appear for Newborn UWF and UWF International
in Japan, engaging in a memorable series of matches with Nobuhiko Takada
.
, in which he lasted sixty-one minutes and ten seconds, a record that would not be broken until 2004 (by Chris Benoit
). Backlund's first appearance at a WrestleMania
event, at WrestleMania IX
, consisted of a quick match, which he lost to Razor Ramon
.
On the July 28, 1994 edition of Superstars
, Backlund took part in what was billed as an "old generation vs. new generation" match with Bret Hart
, with Hart's WWF Championship on the line. Over a number of weeks, viewers were treated to vignettes of Backlund working out and training for his match with Hart. Hart won the match, after Backlund misconceived his own victory and helped Bret to his feet, but soon afterwards a new storyline developed in which Backlund "snapped" after Hart repeatedly tried to console a dejected Backlund with a handshake. He slapped Hart in the face and placed him in the crossface chickenwing submission hold, screaming hysterically. When he finally released the hold, Backlund stared at his hands in shock. Soon afterwards Backlund would start to suddenly snap during a match, go into a blind rage, and would viciously attack his opponent with a crossface chickenwing. Afterward, Backlund would seemingly snap out of his trance and be horrified by what he had done.
Shortly after his match with Hart, on an episode of Monday Night Raw
, a changed Backlund explained that he should still be considered the legitimate WWF Champion, as the Iron Sheik had never pinned him, nor had he submitted to the camel clutch. Backlund continued wrestling under the new gimmick of an out of touch, yet highly dangerous, maniac out to teach the new generation a lesson. He often appeared in business suits, had a hyperactive personality, and used (or, often, misused) large words to sound important. He also demanded that he be addressed as Mr. Backlund. He would only sign autographs for wrestling fans if they could recite the names of all of the U.S. Presidents
in chronological order
. On several instances, he attacked wrestlers and other WWF employees and placed them in the crossface chickenwing. These victims included Jim Ross
, Duke "The Dumpster" Droese
, WWF Magazine
writer Lou Gianfriddo, and his former manager Arnold Skaaland, whom he blamed for costing him the WWF Title eleven years earlier.
On November 23, 1994 at the Survivor Series
pay-per-view in San Antonio, Texas
, Backlund faced Bret Hart in a "Throw in the Towel" submission match for the WWF Championship
, with Bret's brother Owen Hart
in Backlund's corner (carrying what Backlund claimed to be the same towel Skaaland threw into the ring in 1983) and The British Bulldog
in Hart's. The object of the match was to place your opponent in a submission hold and make his cornerman throw in the towel. Late in the match the Bulldog ran after Owen, who had interfered behind the referee's back to break a submission, but missed and hit the ringside stairs head first. While Bret got up to argue with his brother, Backlund took advantage and locked the crossface chickenwing on the defending champion. Hart was locked in the hold for an unheard of eight-and-a-half minutes, but refused to give up. With Bulldog incapacitated and Owen pretending to be shocked at what was going on, he decided to go over to his parents Stu
and Helen, who were seated at ringside. Owen, who was faking his concern, pleaded with his parents to throw the towel in to save Bret and handed the towel to his mother. After several minutes, which involved Stu Hart ripping the towel from his wife's hands, Helen Hart threw in the towel, giving the match and the championship to Backlund. The match is also notable due to its 35-minute length and display of outstanding mat wrestling from both men.
Backlund's second reign as WWF Champion would be short-lived, as he lost the title three days later to Diesel
at a house show in Madison Square Garden, home of many of Backlund's victories in the 1970s and 1980s. This match stands as the quickest World Title match as the towering Diesel simply kicked Backlund in the stomach and hit him with a Jackknife Powerbomb, pinning him a mere eight seconds after the bell rang. For weeks afterwards, fans jeered Backlund with chants of "Eight seconds! Eight seconds!" In a 2005 interview for the Pro Wrestling Torch
, Nash fondly remembered how Backlund sold his Jackknife Powerbomb by crawling up the aisleway back to the dressing room area of the Garden. Nash said, "He couldn't have put me over any stronger." This match, in addition to being the quickest WWF Championship match ever, was also the last time that the WWF Championship changed hands at a non-televised event.
After the title loss Backlund started to work less and less, never again reaching main event status. His final noteworthy WWF match was an "I Quit" match against Bret Hart at WrestleMania XI
on April 2, 1995. He lost, though many viewers have noted that Backlund never actually said, "I quit." He screamed unintelligibly into the microphone, which special guest referee Roddy Piper
seemed to interpret as "I quit."
Following WrestleMania, the WWF ran an angle where Backlund declared his candidacy for President of the United States. Several vignettes were shown on television with Backlund preaching socially conservative values, including one depicting him campaigning at a beach. However, this angle was dropped without fanfare, possibly due to lack of fan interest and because the U.S. presidential election
would not be held for another year and a half.
For a brief time in 1996 and 1997, Backlund joined forces with his old nemesis the Iron Sheik to manage The Sultan
in the WWF.
. After that, he briefly became manager for the then-Intercontinental
and European
Champion Kurt Angle
. During his run, he taught his crossface chickenwing submission hold to Angle, but later on, Angle fired Backlund and gave Backlund a crossface chickenwing after discovering that Backlund booked Angle in a two-fall Triple Threat match with Chris Benoit
and Chris Jericho
, with both of his titles on the line, at WrestleMania 2000
.
Possibly inspired by his fake presidential candidacy in 1995, Backlund also unsuccessfully ran for a Connecticut seat in Congress
as a Republican in 2000. He went on to operate a bail bond company
in Connecticut
.
in January 2007, at the Final Resolution pay-per-view, judging the finals of the Paparazzi Championship Series (PCS) between Alex Shelley
and Austin Starr
. Given the tie breaking vote, Backlund launched a long explanation before declaring his decision a draw, and the match was restarted by PCS director Kevin Nash. After the match was won by Shelley, Starr pie faced Backlund due to the former's belief that Backlund cost him the fight, to which Backlund responded by putting Starr in the cross face chicken wing.
It was reported on TNA Wrestling's home page that Backlund would begin to make regular appearances on TNA Impact!
During his appearances on Impact!, he was seen as crazy and weird by announcers Don West
and Mike Tenay
, in reference to his Mr. Backlund gimmick from his second WWF tenure.
Backlund made his in ring return at Slammiversary
and defeated Alex Shelley. He would go on to lose to the team of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin
(managed by Nash) with his partner Jerry Lynn
at Victory Road. When TNA redesigned their website, Backlund's profile was removed, signaling the end of his run with the company.
that involved 15 wrestlers from Raws 15 year history. Backlund was quickly eliminated from the match by Skinner
.
's Singled Out
, where he acted in sketches with host Jenny McCarthy
and Chris Hardwick
. The work caught the eye of director Keven Undergaro and producer Maria Menounos
. He was subsequently cast to play the role of "Friar Chuck", alongside Menounos and John Waters
, in the comedy feature film In the Land of Merry Misfits. The quirky, offbeat film has been compared by critics to the works of L. Frank Baum
, John Waters, and Kevin Smith
. The film played at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival
, where Bob Backlund appeared and signed autographs. The film, and the film's actors, are now touring festivals worldwide.
.
1 WWE only recognizes two of Backlund's reigns.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
with an in ring career that spanned over 30 years. Over that time, he went on to become a two-time WWWF/WWF Champion
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
. Bob Backlund is the third longest WWE Champion in history behind Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino is an Italian-American former professional wrestler, best known for being the longest-running champion of the World Wide Wrestling Federation , holding the title across two reigns for over 11 years in total, as well as the longest single WWE Championship reign...
Backlund was also an accomplished amateur wrestler
Amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
wrestling for the North Dakota State University Bison
North Dakota State Bison wrestling
The North Dakota State Bison wrestling team is part of the athletic program at the North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota. They are members of the NCAA Division I and the Western Wrestling Conference...
in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Backlund continues to work in the pro wrestling business in various capacities. In 2000, Backlund unsuccessfully ran for a Connecticut seat in Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
on a Republican ticket.
Career
In 1969 during his freshman year, Backlund was an All American in both football and wrestling (191 lbs finishing 3rd) while at Waldorf Junior College in Forest City, IA. During his sophomore campaign, Backlund focused on wrestling and once again earned All American Honors (190 lbs and National Runner Up). Backlund was an amateur wrestlerAmateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
at North Dakota State University
North Dakota State Bison wrestling
The North Dakota State Bison wrestling team is part of the athletic program at the North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota. They are members of the NCAA Division I and the Western Wrestling Conference...
, winning the Division II NCAA Championship at 190 pounds in 1971. In 1972 Backlund moved up to the Heavyweight class and finished 5th at the NCAA DII Nationals. Graduate of Princeton, MN High School where he was a state finalist in wrestling. He graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in physical education.
Turning pro
Backlund was trained for a professional wrestling career by legendary wrestling trainer Eddie SharkeyEddie Sharkey
Eddie Sharkey is an American professional wrestling trainer. He is often called "The Trainer of Champions", and has been instrumental in training some of the biggest names in the industry, including the Road Warriors , "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Tom Zenk, Bob Backlund, Jerry Lynn, Sean Waltman, Nord...
and made his debut for the American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
in 1973. Backlund's clean cut look and very technical approach made him a natural face
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
and almost instantly got over with the fans. After working for the AWA for a while, Backlund started to travel the United States working for the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
in its various territories. In 1974, Backlund worked in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
for Dory Funk, Jr.
Dory Funk, Jr.
Dory Ernest Funk Jr. known professionally as Dory Funk, Jr. is a professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. He is the son of Dory Funk Sr. and brother of Terry Funk. He is credited with the invention of the Texas cloverleaf submission hold and runs the Funking Conservatory, a professional...
and Terry Funk
Terry Funk
Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
's Amarillo promotion. In March he defeated Terry Funk to gain the NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship
NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, NWA Western States Sports....
, the promotion's main title. Backlund would only hold it for two months before losing it to Karl Von Steiger
Kurt and Karl Von Steiger
Kurt and Karl Von Steiger was the ring name of professional wrestlers Lorne Corlett and Arnold Pastrick worked under for most of their careers. The Von Steiger gimmick was that of two German villains, called heels, despite both wrestlers hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada...
in May.
In mid 1975, Backlund started working for Georgia Championship Wrestling
Georgia Championship Wrestling
Georgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired in the 1970s and 1980s on Atlanta, U.S., superstation WTBS. Though based in Atlanta, the company also ran live wrestling shows throughout its geographic "territory" of Georgia Georgia...
where he would team up with Jerry Brisco
Gerald Brisco
Floyd Gerald "Jerry" Brisco is a former American professional wrestler, and prior to June, 2009, worked as a road agent for WWE on its Raw brand....
to win the NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship
NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship
The NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship was the top tag team championship in Georgia Championship Wrestling from 1968 to 1980, when it was replaced with the NWA National Tag Team Championship....
(not to be mistaken with the Georgia Version of the NWA Tag Team Championship) from Toru Tanaka
Charles Kalani, Jr.
Charles "Charlie" J. Kalani, Jr. was an American professional wrestler, professional boxer, college football player, soldier, actor, and Martial Artist who, in fighting rings, was also known as Professor Toru Tanaka, or simply, Professor Tanaka.-Early life:He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the son...
& Mr. Fuji
Harry Fujiwara
Harry Fujiwara is an American former professional wrestler and manager, best known by his ring name Mr. Fuji. He was infamous for often throwing salt in the eyes of face wrestlers...
in October 1975. The Brisco/Backlund team would only hold the Georgia gold for 2 months before being defeated by Les Thornton
Les Thornton
Les Thornton is a retired British professional wrestler who competed in European and North American regional promotions throughout the 1970s and 1980s including Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance...
and Tony Charles. In 1976, Backlund moved on from the Georgia territory and worked in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
for Championship Wrestling from Florida (NWA Florida) where he teamed up with Steve Keirn
Steve Keirn
Stephen "Steve" Paul Keirn is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for being part of the tag team The Fabulous Ones, with Stan Lane, and later for a run in the World Wrestling Federation as Skinner, a gimmick that portrayed him as a tobacco spitting alligator hunter from...
to defeat Bob Orton, Jr.
Bob Orton, Jr.
Robert Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Cowboy" Bob Orton. He is the father of wrestler Randy Orton, who is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment...
and Bob Roop
Bob Roop
Bob Roop is a retired amateur and professional wrestler whose career has spanned high school, college, Army, amateur and professional wrestling. He was an American Heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler at the 1968 Summer Olympics.-Amateur career:...
for the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship
NWA Florida Tag Team Championship
The NWA Florida Tag Team Championship is the primary tag team title in Pro Wrestling Fusion. It started out in 1968 as the main tag team title in Championship Wrestling from Florida and lasted until 1990 when it was abandoned. It was picked back up in 1997 by NWA Florida, where it was the primary...
. Backlund and Keirn would lose the title to The Hollywood Blonds (Buddy Roberts and Jerry Brown) in October 1976. Backlund split his time between working in Florida and working in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
for Sam Muchnick
Sam Muchnick
Sam Muchnick was an American professional wrestling promoter from St. Louis, Missouri. He is often deemed as wrestling’s equivalent of Pete Rozelle , and he was instrumental in establishing the National Wrestling Alliance, which became the industry’s top governing body, in 1948...
’s St. Louis Wrestling Club
St. Louis Wrestling Club
The St. Louis Wrestling Club was a professional wrestling promotion based in St. Louis, Missouri. It was owned and operated by Sam Muchnick. The promotion was a flagship member of the National Wrestling Alliance, and promoted primarily in the St. Louis area. It was colloquially referred to within...
where he defeated wrestling legend Harley Race
Harley Race
Harley Leland Race is a retired American professional wrestler and current promoter and trainer. During his career as a wrestler, he held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 7 times...
to win the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship
NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship was the secondary singles championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's St. Louis Wrestling Club and Central States Wrestling promotions in the 1970's and 1980's...
on April 23. He held it until he was defeated by Jack Brisco
Jack Brisco
Freddie Joe Brisco was an American professional wrestler, better known as Jack Brisco or Uvalde Slim. He performed for various territories of the National Wrestling Alliance , becoming a two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and multi-time NWA Tag Team Champion with his brother Gerald Brisco...
on November 26.
World Wide Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Federation (1977–1984)
In early 1977, Backlund signed with Vincent J. McMahonVincent J. McMahon
Vincent James "Vince" McMahon, better known as Vince McMahon, Sr. was an American professional wrestling promoter. He is best known for founding the American promotion, World Wide Wrestling Federation, which is now known as WWE.-Early life:Vincent James McMahon was born on July 6, 1914 in Harlem,...
’s World Wide Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
. Backlund was managed
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
by “the Golden Boy” Arnold Skaaland
Arnold Skaaland
Arnold Skaaland was an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager.-Career:Skaaland served in the U.S. Marines during World War II. After a short-lived attempt to make a living through boxing, he became a professional wrestler and debuted in 1946 as "Arnold Skaaland"...
early on. Less than 4 months into his run with the WWWF, Backlund received his first shot at the WWWF Champion
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
against "Superstar" Billy Graham where he lost by countout. Over the course of 1977, Backlund received additional shots at the champion where his fortunes started to change; they first went to a double countout and later Backlund defeated Graham, but only by countout. On February 20, 1978 at the famous Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, Backlund finally got the elusive pinfall victory over Billy Graham that earned Backlund his WWWF World Heavyweight Title. Backlund won the match despite Graham’s leg being on the rope during the pinfall. He also went after the WWF World Tag Team Championship with Peter Maivia
Peter Maivia
Fanene Leifi Pita Maivia was a American Samoan professional wrestler better known as "High Chief" Peter Maivia. He was head of the famous Samoan wrestling family...
but Maivia turned on him and attacked Backlund and Skaaland, which led the usually even tempered Backlund to go berserk in the post match interview, screaming to interviewer Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
that he was going to "kill that son of a bitch!"
Three days after winning the WWWF gold, Backlund clashed with the NWA World Heavyweight Champion
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
Harley Race in a rare “WWWF vs. NWA” title match. Neither title changed hands as the two fought to a 60-minute time limit draw. Defending against other champions became a recurring theme in Backlund’s run with the title as he faced both the AWA (Nick Bockwinkel) and the NWA World Champion (Harley Race four times and Ric Flair once) in highly publicized matches and also engaged in a legendary series of scientific matches against NWF World Champion and Japanese legend Antonio Inoki. Backlund would also take on and defeat the Florida Champion
NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship was a major title in Championship Wrestling from Florida, USA and is now the major title in NWA Florida. It started in 1937 and was abandoned in 1949. It was picked back up in 1966 by CWF and lasted until 1987 when the company was purchased by Jim Crockett...
Don Muraco
Don Muraco
Donald Muraco , better known by his ring name "The Rock" Don Muraco, is a retired American professional wrestler...
and in 1982 battled "International Champion" Billy Robinson
Billy Robinson
Billy Robinson is a British professional wrestler and catch wrestling instructor. Robinson was well known in Japan where he has trained mixed martial arts fighters in catch wrestling...
to a classic 63-minute curfew draw in Montreal. Backlund defended the title against a who's who of professional wrestling legends, including Pat Patterson, Ray Stevens, Greg Valentine, Don Muraco, Superstar Billy Graham, Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, Adrian Adonis, Sgt. Slaughter, Dusty Rhodes, The Iron Shiek, Nikolai Volkoff, Victor Rivera, Spiros Arion, Larry Zbyszko, Jimmy Snuka, Mr. Fuji, Mr. Saito, Professor Toru Tanaka, The Masked Superstar, Swede Hanson, Ivan Koloff, Stan Stasiak, Ken Patera, Antonio Inoki, Bobby Duncam, John Studd, Johnny Rodz, Blackjack Mulligan, Charlie Fulton, Iron Mike Sharpe, Killer Khan, Afa, Sika, Johnny Valiant, Jimmy Valiant, Jerry Valiant, The Moondogs, Ric Flair, Harley Race, Nick Bockwinkel, Stan Hansen, Rick Martel, Rene Goulet, Crusher Blackwell, Gorilla Monsoon, Lou Albano, Lord Alfred Hayes, Bob Orton Jr., "Playboy" Buddy Rose, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Baron Von Raschke, Jimmy Garvin, Ron Bass, Tony Atlas, Kevin Sullivan, Dick Murdoch, Peter Maivia, Ernie Ladd, Bulldog Bob Brower, Raymond Rougeau, King Curtis, Killer Kowalski, George Steele, The Original Shiek, and many more.
On August 9, 1980, Backlund teamed with Pedro Morales
Pedro Morales
Pedro Morales is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He began his wrestling career as a teenager in 1959 and continued through to the late 1980s...
to capture the WWF World Tag Team Championship from The Wild Samoans
Wild Samoans
The Wild Samoans was the professional wrestling tag team of Afa and Sika in Mid-South Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance and the World Wrestling Federation . The Samoans held 21 tag team championships around the world.-Gimmick:...
at Showdown at Shea. Backlund and Morales were forced to vacate the title due to a then-extant WWF rule stating that no one can hold two championships at the same time. Backlund met with more tag team success at year's end when he (along with Antonio Inoki) captured the 1980 MSG Tag Team League Tournament with a win over Hulk Hogan and Stan Hansen on December 10, 1980, in Osaka, Japan. Backlund and Inoki finished the tournament with seven wins and two double-countout decisions en route to victory.
Title controversy
While World Wrestling Entertainment officially recognizes Bob Backlund’s first WWWF/WWF Title reign to be from February 20, 1978 until December 26, 1983 there is at least one instance where Backlund was defeated in the ring for the title and one instance where the title was “held up” after a match.The first instance saw NWF Champion
NWF Heavyweight Championship
The NWF Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship used as part of the National Wrestling Federation and later New Japan Pro Wrestling.- History :...
Antonio Inoki
Antonio Inoki
is a Japanese professional wrestling promoter and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist who now resides between New York City and Tokyo. He was also the founder and former owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling before selling his controlling share in the promotion to Yukes...
pin Bob Backlund in a match in Tokushima
Tokushima, Tokushima
is the capital city of Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku island in Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the city had an estimated population of 263,372, with 114,325 households, and a population density of 1,377.25 persons per km². Its total area is 191.23 km²....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on November 30, 1979 to win the title. Inoki was then billed as both NWF and WWF Champion in subsequent matches. On December 6, Inoki and Backlund fought over the WWF title once again; this time, Backlund pinned Inoki but had the result thrown out by WWF president Hisashi Shinma
Hisashi Shinma
Hisashi Shinma was a figurehead president of World Wrestling Entertainment, then known as the World Wrestling Federation and World Wide Wrestling Federation, from 1978 to 1984...
due to outside interference. After the match, Inoki refused to accept the WWF title back and Backlund appeared in the United States days later as the WWF Champion, with no official announcement of the title change ever being acknowledged by the WWF.
It is also claimed by some sources that because Backlund’s WWF Title was held up after a match against Greg Valentine
Greg Valentine
John Wisniski, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, better known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine.-Training:...
on October 19, 1981 when a dazed referee "accidentally" gave the title belt to Valentine (storyline
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
) that it constituted an “interruption” of Backlund’s title reign. Arguments against this constituting a break in the lineage is supported by the fact that Backlund was billed as the WWF Champion in other cities in the days following the "controversy". In the early part of the 1980s where no federation had national television deals, it was not an uncommon practice to “hold up” the title in one area to build interest in a rematch that the champion would win while ignoring this fact in other parts of the territory. On November 23, Backlund pinned Valentine for the "Vacant in New York only" WWF title.
End of an era
After having been popular with the fans from early on, by the final months of his title reign, many fans had grown weary of "Howdy DoodyHowdy Doody
Howdy Doody is an American children's television program that was created and produced by E. Roger Muir and telecast on NBC in the United States from 1947 until 1960. It was a pioneer in children's television programming and set the pattern for many similar shows...
", as the Grand Wizard
Ernie Roth
Ernie Roth , best known as The Grand Wizard of Wrestling, also well known as Abdullah Farouk, was a professional wrestling manager of many infamous heels...
had dubbed Backlund; this was illustrated by the fact that he was picked as the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Most Overrated Wrestler in 1983. Pro Wrestling Illustrated and its sister magazines also reduced the WWF Title from World Title status to a regional title. This was due to Backlund's not putting the title on the line against baby face wrestlers such as Tony Atlas and Tito Santana. He was further criticized for wrestling Sika Samoan in Texas as opposed to one of the better wrestlers in the host territiory such as Kerry Von Erich. Additionally, Vincent K. McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
, who had taken over his father's wrestling promotion, wanted to put the title on the more charismatic and muscular Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
. The younger McMahon approached Backlund and said that Hogan was the man that would take the WWF to the next level. McMahon initially wanted Backlund to turn heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
and lose to Hogan outright, but when Backlund refused, they consequently needed a transitional champion to serve between Backlund and Hogan. On December 26, 1983, Backlund, recently "injured" in a TV angle where The Iron Sheik assaulted Backlund with his Persian Clubs, lost the title to the Sheik when Backlund's manager Arnold Skaaland
Arnold Skaaland
Arnold Skaaland was an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager.-Career:Skaaland served in the U.S. Marines during World War II. After a short-lived attempt to make a living through boxing, he became a professional wrestler and debuted in 1946 as "Arnold Skaaland"...
threw in the towel while Backlund was locked in the Camel Clutch. Backlund was not defeated via pinfall or submission, as Skaaland's actions caused the title change. Because Backlund was declared "injured", he was denied an automatic rematch with the Iron Sheik, and instead Hulk Hogan was given a match, and became the new Champion. Backlund continued to work for the WWF for a while after the title change but never saw a shot at the title he held for so many years. On August 4, 1984, Backlund defeated Salvatore Bellomo
Salvatore Bellomo
Salvatore Bellomo is a retired Belgian-Italian professional wrestler with a career spanning more than three decades.-Career:...
in his last WWF match for 8 years.
After the WWF and semi-retirement (1984-1992)
After leaving the WWF Backlund had a run in the short-lived Pro Wrestling USAPro Wrestling USA
Pro Wrestling USA was a professional wrestling promotion in the United States of America in the mid 1980s. It was an attempt to unify various federations, including the American Wrestling Association , Jim Crockett Promotions and other members of the National Wrestling Alliance .-Background:By...
, which was a joint promotion between the NWA and the American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
(AWA) to combat the national expansion of the WWF. In Pro Wrestling USA, Backlund unsuccessfully challenged AWA Champion
AWA World Heavyweight Championship
The American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the highest ranked championship in the defunct American Wrestling Association. All AWA trademarks, including the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, are now owned by WWE...
Rick Martel
Rick Martel
Richard Vigneault is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation between 1980 and 1995 under the ring name Rick Martel...
but soon dropped off the pro wrestling scene. Backlund was believed to have permanently retired from wrestling but made a surprise return in 1991 where he began to work for Herb Abrams
Herb Abrams
Herb C. Abrams was an American professional wrestling promoter from New York.-Career:Abrams founded the Universal Wrestling Federation in 1990 and remained CEO of the company until his death...
' short-lived UWF
Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams)
The Universal Wrestling Federation was an American wrestling promotion based out of Marina del Rey, California.-History:Herb Abrams founded the UWF in 1990 with hopes of returning professional wrestling back to its roots...
. He made an appearance at "Beach Brawl", the promotion’s only pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
event, where he defeated Ivan Koloff. Backlund would also appear for Newborn UWF and UWF International
UWF International
Union of Wrestling Forces International, better known as UWF International, U-Inter, or simply UWFi, was a shoot style professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1991 to 1996. Although the matches were worked , the UWF-i was very convincing for its time, promoting a more hard-hitting, realistic...
in Japan, engaging in a memorable series of matches with Nobuhiko Takada
Nobuhiko Takada
Nobuhiko Takada is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter and professional wrestler. He is best known for helping to popularize shoot-style professional wrestling, as one of the biggest stars of the Universal Wrestling Federation and Union of Wrestling Force International in the '80s and '90s. He...
.
Return to the WWF (1992–1997)
In 1992, Backlund returned to the WWF, which was very different from what he had left nearly a decade earlier. 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. Backlund, whose persona remained the same as it was in his heyday, seemed to be out of step with the evolution of the WWF. Many fans did not even remember him, as he had left just prior to Vince McMahon's national expansion. His initial period in the WWF was largely uneventful with Backlund working mid-card matches; however, it was highlighted by his performance at the 1993 Royal RumbleRoyal Rumble (1993)
Royal Rumble was the sixth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 24, 1993 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event was a Royal Rumble match, a battle royal in which two wrestlers...
, in which he lasted sixty-one minutes and ten seconds, a record that would not be broken until 2004 (by Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
). Backlund's first appearance at a WrestleMania
WrestleMania
WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced annually in late March or early April by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut...
event, at WrestleMania IX
WrestleMania IX
WrestleMania IX was the ninth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 4, 1993 and was the first WrestleMania event held outdoors...
, consisted of a quick match, which he lost to Razor Ramon
Scott Hall
Scott Hall is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the mid 1990s and early 2000s with World Championship Wrestling under his real name...
.
On the July 28, 1994 edition of Superstars
WWF Superstars of Wrestling
WWF Superstars of Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It debuted on September 6, 1986...
, Backlund took part in what was billed as an "old generation vs. new generation" match with Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
, with Hart's WWF Championship on the line. Over a number of weeks, viewers were treated to vignettes of Backlund working out and training for his match with Hart. Hart won the match, after Backlund misconceived his own victory and helped Bret to his feet, but soon afterwards a new storyline developed in which Backlund "snapped" after Hart repeatedly tried to console a dejected Backlund with a handshake. He slapped Hart in the face and placed him in the crossface chickenwing submission hold, screaming hysterically. When he finally released the hold, Backlund stared at his hands in shock. Soon afterwards Backlund would start to suddenly snap during a match, go into a blind rage, and would viciously attack his opponent with a crossface chickenwing. Afterward, Backlund would seemingly snap out of his trance and be horrified by what he had done.
Shortly after his match with Hart, on an episode of Monday Night Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, a changed Backlund explained that he should still be considered the legitimate WWF Champion, as the Iron Sheik had never pinned him, nor had he submitted to the camel clutch. Backlund continued wrestling under the new gimmick of an out of touch, yet highly dangerous, maniac out to teach the new generation a lesson. He often appeared in business suits, had a hyperactive personality, and used (or, often, misused) large words to sound important. He also demanded that he be addressed as Mr. Backlund. He would only sign autographs for wrestling fans if they could recite the names of all of the U.S. Presidents
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in chronological order
Chronology
Chronology is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time, such as the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the determination of the actual temporal sequence of past events".Chronology is part of periodization...
. On several instances, he attacked wrestlers and other WWF employees and placed them in the crossface chickenwing. These victims included Jim Ross
Jim Ross
James William "Jim" Ross is a professional wrestling commentator, former professional wrestling referee, restaurateur, occasional wrestler, and former company executive of WWE, where he currently works as a commentator on the WWE Raw brand...
, Duke "The Dumpster" Droese
Mike Droese
Michael "Mike" Droese is a retired American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation between 1994 and 1996 under the ring name Duke "The Dumpster" Droese.-Career:Droese was trained as a professional wrestler by Bobby Wales...
, WWF Magazine
WWE Magazine
WWE Magazine is the official professional wrestling magazine of WWE. This incarnation of the magazine contains lifestyle sections, a monthly calendar, entertainment, work out tips, and other information.-History:...
writer Lou Gianfriddo, and his former manager Arnold Skaaland, whom he blamed for costing him the WWF Title eleven years earlier.
On November 23, 1994 at the Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1994)
Survivor Series was the eighth annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on Thanksgiving Eve, November 23, 1994 at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas...
pay-per-view in San Antonio, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Backlund faced Bret Hart in a "Throw in the Towel" submission match for the WWF Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
, with Bret's brother Owen Hart
Owen Hart
Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
in Backlund's corner (carrying what Backlund claimed to be the same towel Skaaland threw into the ring in 1983) and The British Bulldog
Davey Boy Smith
Davey Boy Smith was a British professional wrestler, better known as "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, who was born in Golborne in North West England, United Kingdom. Smith is known for his appearances with Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling...
in Hart's. The object of the match was to place your opponent in a submission hold and make his cornerman throw in the towel. Late in the match the Bulldog ran after Owen, who had interfered behind the referee's back to break a submission, but missed and hit the ringside stairs head first. While Bret got up to argue with his brother, Backlund took advantage and locked the crossface chickenwing on the defending champion. Hart was locked in the hold for an unheard of eight-and-a-half minutes, but refused to give up. With Bulldog incapacitated and Owen pretending to be shocked at what was going on, he decided to go over to his parents Stu
Stu Hart
Stewart Edward "Stu" Hart, CM was a Canadian amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, promoter and trainer. Hart founded Stampede Wrestling, a promotion based in Calgary, Alberta, and was the father of famous wrestlers Bret and Owen Hart...
and Helen, who were seated at ringside. Owen, who was faking his concern, pleaded with his parents to throw the towel in to save Bret and handed the towel to his mother. After several minutes, which involved Stu Hart ripping the towel from his wife's hands, Helen Hart threw in the towel, giving the match and the championship to Backlund. The match is also notable due to its 35-minute length and display of outstanding mat wrestling from both men.
Backlund's second reign as WWF Champion would be short-lived, as he lost the title three days later to Diesel
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
at a house show in Madison Square Garden, home of many of Backlund's victories in the 1970s and 1980s. This match stands as the quickest World Title match as the towering Diesel simply kicked Backlund in the stomach and hit him with a Jackknife Powerbomb, pinning him a mere eight seconds after the bell rang. For weeks afterwards, fans jeered Backlund with chants of "Eight seconds! Eight seconds!" In a 2005 interview for the Pro Wrestling Torch
Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter
Pro Wrestling Torch Weekly is a wrestling newsletter. It was founded in 1987 by Wade Keller. It has been a primary source for insider information, commentaries, and interviews for 20 years....
, Nash fondly remembered how Backlund sold his Jackknife Powerbomb by crawling up the aisleway back to the dressing room area of the Garden. Nash said, "He couldn't have put me over any stronger." This match, in addition to being the quickest WWF Championship match ever, was also the last time that the WWF Championship changed hands at a non-televised event.
After the title loss Backlund started to work less and less, never again reaching main event status. His final noteworthy WWF match was an "I Quit" match against Bret Hart at WrestleMania XI
WrestleMania XI
WrestleMania XI was the eleventh annual WrestleMania pay-per-view event held by the World Wrestling Federation at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut on April 2, 1995...
on April 2, 1995. He lost, though many viewers have noted that Backlund never actually said, "I quit." He screamed unintelligibly into the microphone, which special guest referee Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
seemed to interpret as "I quit."
Following WrestleMania, the WWF ran an angle where Backlund declared his candidacy for President of the United States. Several vignettes were shown on television with Backlund preaching socially conservative values, including one depicting him campaigning at a beach. However, this angle was dropped without fanfare, possibly due to lack of fan interest and because the U.S. presidential election
United States presidential election
Elections for President and Vice President of the United States are indirect elections in which voters cast ballots for a slate of electors of the U.S. Electoral College, who in turn directly elect the President and Vice President...
would not be held for another year and a half.
For a brief time in 1996 and 1997, Backlund joined forces with his old nemesis the Iron Sheik to manage The Sultan
Solofa Fatu
Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...
in the WWF.
Return to the WWF (2000)
He later returned to wrestling in the 2000 Royal RumbleRoyal Rumble (2000)
Royal Rumble was the thirteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 23, 2000 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York....
. After that, he briefly became manager for the then-Intercontinental
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
and European
WWE European Championship
The WWE European Championship was a professional wrestling championship competed for in World Wrestling Entertainment. A coveted singles title of the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was held by superstars such as Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, and was...
Champion Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
. During his run, he taught his crossface chickenwing submission hold to Angle, but later on, Angle fired Backlund and gave Backlund a crossface chickenwing after discovering that Backlund booked Angle in a two-fall Triple Threat match with Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
and Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
, with both of his titles on the line, at WrestleMania 2000
WrestleMania 2000
WrestleMania 2000 was the sixteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on April 2, 2000 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California...
.
Possibly inspired by his fake presidential candidacy in 1995, Backlund also unsuccessfully ran for a Connecticut seat in Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
as a Republican in 2000. He went on to operate a bail bond company
Bail bondsman
A bail bond agent, or bondsman, is any person or corporation that will act as a surety and pledge money or property as bail for the appearance of persons accused in court...
in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and feud with The Motor City Machine Guns (2007)
After many references to Backlund by Kevin Nash, Backlund officially debuted in Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
in January 2007, at the Final Resolution pay-per-view, judging the finals of the Paparazzi Championship Series (PCS) between Alex Shelley
Alex Shelley
Patrick Martin , is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Alex Shelley. He wrestles for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he currently teams with Chris Sabin as The Motor City Machine Guns. He previously gained fame on the independent circuit, working most notably for...
and Austin Starr
Austin Aries
Daniel Healy "Dan" Solwold, Jr. better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is the current X Division Champion...
. Given the tie breaking vote, Backlund launched a long explanation before declaring his decision a draw, and the match was restarted by PCS director Kevin Nash. After the match was won by Shelley, Starr pie faced Backlund due to the former's belief that Backlund cost him the fight, to which Backlund responded by putting Starr in the cross face chicken wing.
It was reported on TNA Wrestling's home page that Backlund would begin to make regular appearances on TNA Impact!
TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
During his appearances on Impact!, he was seen as crazy and weird by announcers Don West
Don West (sportscaster)
Donald "Don" West is an American pitchman, television personality and wrestling broadcaster currently working as an on-screen talent for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and also as a pitchman for WildWestDeals.com, an internet marketing website...
and Mike Tenay
Mike Tenay
Michael William "Mike" Tenay is a professional wrestling play-by-play announcer currently employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Prior to signing with TNA in 2002, he had a notable tenure with World Championship Wrestling from 1994-2001...
, in reference to his Mr. Backlund gimmick from his second WWF tenure.
Backlund made his in ring return at Slammiversary
Slammiversary (2007)
Slammiversary was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, which took place on June 17, 2007 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. It was the third event under the Slammiversary chronology and marked the fifth anniversary of...
and defeated Alex Shelley. He would go on to lose to the team of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin
Motor City Machine Guns
The Motor City Machine Guns is a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. The team currently works in the American company Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where they are former TNA World Tag Team Champions...
(managed by Nash) with his partner Jerry Lynn
Jerry Lynn
Jeremy "Jerry" Lynn is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
at Victory Road. When TNA redesigned their website, Backlund's profile was removed, signaling the end of his run with the company.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2007)
On the 15th Anniversary of Raw on December 10, 2007, Backlund participated in the 15th Anniversary battle royalBattle royal (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
that involved 15 wrestlers from Raws 15 year history. Backlund was quickly eliminated from the match by Skinner
Steve Keirn
Stephen "Steve" Paul Keirn is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for being part of the tag team The Fabulous Ones, with Stan Lane, and later for a run in the World Wrestling Federation as Skinner, a gimmick that portrayed him as a tobacco spitting alligator hunter from...
.
Acting career
Backlund was also a guest on MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Singled Out
Singled Out
Singled Out was a game show that ran on MTV from 1995-1998. Each episode featured a group of 50 men and a group of 50 women competing for a date with one main contestant of the opposite sex.The original hosts were Chris Hardwick and Jenny McCarthy...
, where he acted in sketches with host Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy is an American model, comedian, actress, author, activist, and game show host. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then parlayed her Playboy fame into a successful television and...
and Chris Hardwick
Chris Hardwick
Christopher Ryan "Chris" Hardwick is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, musician, podcaster, television personality, and voice artist...
. The work caught the eye of director Keven Undergaro and producer Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos is a Greek-American actress, journalist, and television presenter known in America for her appearances as a correspondent for Today, Access Hollywood, Extra, and abroad for co-hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens, Greece.-Early life and beauty pageants:Menounos, a...
. He was subsequently cast to play the role of "Friar Chuck", alongside Menounos and John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
, in the comedy feature film In the Land of Merry Misfits. The quirky, offbeat film has been compared by critics to the works of L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
, John Waters, and Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
. The film played at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
, where Bob Backlund appeared and signed autographs. The film, and the film's actors, are now touring festivals worldwide.
Personal life
Backlund and his wife, Corki (a high school physical education teacher) have a daughter named Carrie. They live in Glastonbury, ConnecticutGlastonbury, Connecticut
Glastonbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, founded in 1693. The population was 31,876 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Glastonbury in Somerset, England. Glastonbury is located on the banks of the Connecticut River, 7 miles southeast of Hartford. The town...
.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Atomic Knee Drop (Diving knee drop) – 1973–1978
- Atomic Spinecrusher (Running atomic drop) – 1970s–1980s; used rarely thereafter
- Crossface chickenwing
- Half nelson bridging cradle
- Signature moves
- Multiple suplexSuplexA suplex is an offensive move used in professional sport wrestling . The move consists of one wrestler picking up his or her opponent off the ground and then using a large portion of his or her own body weight to drive the opponent down on the mat. Nearly all suplexes have the attacker going down...
variations- Belly to back
- Double underhook
- Vertical
- Multiple suplex
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Arnold SkaalandArnold SkaalandArnold Skaaland was an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager.-Career:Skaaland served in the U.S. Marines during World War II. After a short-lived attempt to make a living through boxing, he became a professional wrestler and debuted in 1946 as "Arnold Skaaland"...
- Arnold Skaaland
- Wrestlers managed
- The SultanSolofa FatuSolofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...
- Kurt AngleKurt AngleKurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
- The Sultan
Championships and accomplishments
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Florida Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Florida Tag Team Championship is the primary tag team title in Pro Wrestling Fusion. It started out in 1968 as the main tag team title in Championship Wrestling from Florida and lasted until 1990 when it was abandoned. It was picked back up in 1997 by NWA Florida, where it was the primary...
(1 time) – with Steve KeirnSteve KeirnStephen "Steve" Paul Keirn is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for being part of the tag team The Fabulous Ones, with Stan Lane, and later for a run in the World Wrestling Federation as Skinner, a gimmick that portrayed him as a tobacco spitting alligator hunter from...
- NWA Florida Tag Team Championship
- Georgia Championship WrestlingGeorgia Championship WrestlingGeorgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired in the 1970s and 1980s on Atlanta, U.S., superstation WTBS. Though based in Atlanta, the company also ran live wrestling shows throughout its geographic "territory" of Georgia Georgia...
- NWA Georgia Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Georgia Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship was the top tag team championship in Georgia Championship Wrestling from 1968 to 1980, when it was replaced with the NWA National Tag Team Championship....
(1 time) – with Jerry BriscoGerald BriscoFloyd Gerald "Jerry" Brisco is a former American professional wrestler, and prior to June, 2009, worked as a road agent for WWE on its Raw brand....
- NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship
- NWA Western States SportsNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Western States Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Western States Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, NWA Western States Sports....
(3 times)
- NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship
- Northeast Wrestling Federation
- NEWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time, first)
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI Match of the Year (1978) vs. Billy Graham on February 20
- PWI Match of the Year (1982) vs. Jimmy SnukaJimmy SnukaJames William "Jimmy" Reiher is a semi-retired Fijian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Originally from the Fiji Islands, Snuka wrestled for several promotions in the 1970s and 1980s. Snuka is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having been a...
in a cage match on June 28 - PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1994)
- PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1977)
- PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1981)
- PWI Rookie of the Year (1976)
- PWI Wrestler of the Year (1980)
- PWI Wrestler of the Year (1982)
- PWI ranked him # 7 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- Modern Era (Class of 2008)
- St. Louis Wrestling ClubSt. Louis Wrestling ClubThe St. Louis Wrestling Club was a professional wrestling promotion based in St. Louis, Missouri. It was owned and operated by Sam Muchnick. The promotion was a flagship member of the National Wrestling Alliance, and promoted primarily in the St. Louis area. It was colloquially referred to within...
- NWA Missouri Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Missouri Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship was the secondary singles championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's St. Louis Wrestling Club and Central States Wrestling promotions in the 1970's and 1980's...
(1 time)
- NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship
- World Wide Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Federation
- WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Pedro MoralesPedro MoralesPedro Morales is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He began his wrestling career as a teenager in 1959 and continued through to the late 1980s...
- WWWF/WWF ChampionshipWWE ChampionshipThe WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
(2 time)1
- WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Pedro Morales
- Wrestle Association RWAR (wrestling promotion)Wrestle and Romance, and later Wrestle Association R, was a professional wrestling promotion founded and run by Genichiro Tenryu as the successor to Super World of Sports, and which lasted from 1992 to 2000. The promotion had very few regular contracted workers, instead most of the workers were...
- WAR World Six-Man Tag Team ChampionshipWAR World Six-Man Tag Team ChampionshipThe WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship is a tag team title previously contested for in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Wrestle Association R ....
(1 time) – with Scott PutskiScott PutskiJames Scott Bednarski is an American former professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Scott Putski. Putski is a second generation wrestler, being the son of Ivan Putski, with whom he has wrestled alongside on several occasions.-Global Wrestling Federation :After attending college at...
and The WarlordTerry SzopinskiTerry Scott Szopinski is an American professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name The Warlord and for his tenures in Jim Crockett Promotions and the World Wrestling Federation as one half of the Powers of Pain alongside The Barbarian.-National Wrestling Alliance / Jim Crockett...
- WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Best Technical Wrestler (1980)
- Match of the Year (1980) vs. Ken PateraKen PateraKen Patera is a former professional wrestler, Olympic weightlifter, and Strongman competitor.-Weightlifting/Strongman career:Patera is a former Olympic weightlifter and American powerlifter...
in a Texas Death match on May 19 in New York City, New York - Most Overrated Wrestler (1983)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameWrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameThe Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to the sport. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is not...
(Class of 2004)
1 WWE only recognizes two of Backlund's reigns.