Brian Hildebrand
Encyclopedia
Brian Curtis Hildebrand (January 21, 1962 – September 8, 1999) was a professional wrestling
manager, wrestler and referee who sometimes went by the name of Mark Curtis. Although trained in brawling, technical, and high flying wrestling techniques, he spent most of his career as a manager and referee.
. He was a heel manager, and he managed Cactus Jack
at one time as an evil Jewish character named Hymie P. Weiss. In 1986, he began training at Dominic DeNucci
's wrestling school in Freedom, Pennsylvania
.
He went on to Smoky Mountain Wrestling
(SMW) in 1992, where he was a referee and also wrestled occasionally as Kowabunga, fully costumed like a Ninja Turtle
. When SMW closed in 1995, he went on to work as a referee in Extreme Championship Wrestling
. After leaving ECW he went on to work as referee Mark Curtis in World Championship Wrestling
. During his time in WCW, he earned the nickname The Shooter after a fan attempted to interfere in a live WCW television match between Psicosis and Dean Malenko
on September 8, 1997. As the invading fan slid under the bottom rope to enter the ring, Hildebrand, who happened to have glanced over just as the man jumped the guard rail, dropped to the mat, punted the fan in the face and placed the man in a guillotine choke
, and held him there until WCW security could take him into custody. Play-by-play announcer
Tony Schiavone
and then-color commentator
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan found this amusing, with Heenan observing "The smallest referee in the world just took him down."
in October 1997. After having surgery in attempt to remove it, he continued refereeing for WCW throughout the following months. During the final stage of his disease in 1999, a Curtis Goes Home benefit was held in his hometown of Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania
. Cody Michaels
developed and promoted the event, which is viewed by wrestling insiders and experts as one of the truly memorable events in history that actually brought together the major companies at the time, World Wrestling Federation
, WCW, and Extreme Championship Wrestling
, in support for one of the most genuinely loved workers in the industry. The major stars that worked and provided support that night included Mick Foley
, Dean Malenko
, Eddie Guerrero
, Chris Benoit
, Chris Jericho
, Shane Douglas
, Bruno Sammartino
, Dominic DeNucci
, Terry Taylor
, D'Lo Brown
, Al Snow
, Hugh Morris
, Les Thatcher
, Billy Kidman, Chris Candido
, and many others.
Hildebrand died from the disease on September 8, 1999 at the age of 37. He refereed one last match at a local independent show mere days before his death. Hildebrand's death was briefly acknowledged on the following edition of WCW Thunder
, but the first WCW event to have taken place after his death was a house show
on September 11 at the Baltimore Arena, which was held in his honor with a ten bell salute. Late in the show, friends Shane Douglas, Chris Benoit, and Dean Malenko (known as Revolution
) shared heartfelt words about Hildebrand and dedicated the show to him.
Hildebrand inspired the Mark Curtis Fantasy Camp 2001 a training event with Bill Demott (a.k.a. Hugh Morris) on hand. A Mark Curtis Memorial Show would also be held on May 7, 2005 at Freedom Hall
in Johnson City, TN. The main event pitted Al Snow and D'Lo Brown against Shane Douglas and Mick Foley.
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...
manager, wrestler and referee who sometimes went by the name of Mark Curtis. Although trained in brawling, technical, and high flying wrestling techniques, he spent most of his career as a manager and referee.
Career
Hildebrand started out as a manager in 1984 in the independent territories in the northeastern United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was a heel manager, and he managed Cactus Jack
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
at one time as an evil Jewish character named Hymie P. Weiss. In 1986, he began training at Dominic DeNucci
Dominic DeNucci
Dominic DeNucci is an Italian-American professional wrestler. He is also an accomplished trainer, counting former World Heavyweight champions Mick Foley and Shane Douglas, as well as referee Brian Hildebrand, among his students.-Early career:...
's wrestling school in Freedom, Pennsylvania
Freedom, Pennsylvania
Freedom is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River northwest of Pittsburgh. In the early years of the twentieth century, the chief industries were the production of oil, caskets, and monuments. In 1900, 1,783 people lived in Freedom; in 1910, 3,060 people...
.
He went on to Smoky Mountain Wrestling
Smoky Mountain Wrestling
Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette...
(SMW) in 1992, where he was a referee and also wrestled occasionally as Kowabunga, fully costumed like a Ninja Turtle
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
. When SMW closed in 1995, he went on to work as a referee in Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
. After leaving ECW he went on to work as referee Mark Curtis in 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...
. During his time in WCW, he earned the nickname The Shooter after a fan attempted to interfere in a live WCW television match between Psicosis and Dean Malenko
Dean Malenko
Dean Simon is a retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Dean Malenko. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He is best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling , New Japan Pro Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling...
on September 8, 1997. As the invading fan slid under the bottom rope to enter the ring, Hildebrand, who happened to have glanced over just as the man jumped the guard rail, dropped to the mat, punted the fan in the face and placed the man in a guillotine choke
Guillotine choke
The guillotine choke is a chokehold in martial arts and wrestling applied from in front of the opponent. The choke involves using the arms to encircle the opponent's neck in a fashion similar to a guillotine. The technique is either a type of tracheal compression restraint that prevents air flow...
, and held him there until WCW security could take him into custody. Play-by-play announcer
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
Tony Schiavone
Tony Schiavone
Noah Anthony "Tony" Schiavone is an American sports broadcaster. He is the play-by-play broadcaster for the Gwinnett Braves of the International League...
and then-color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan found this amusing, with Heenan observing "The smallest referee in the world just took him down."
Death and memorials
Hildebrand was diagnosed with stomach and bowel cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in October 1997. After having surgery in attempt to remove it, he continued refereeing for WCW throughout the following months. During the final stage of his disease in 1999, a Curtis Goes Home benefit was held in his hometown of Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania
Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania
Rostraver Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 11,634 at the 2000 census.-History:Rostraver Township is the location of the Household No. 1 Site, which was once occupied by a Monongahela village....
. Cody Michaels
Cody Michaels
Cody Michaels has an extensive background in professional wrestling both as an in-ring performer and also behind the scenes as a booker, promoter, and creator.-Early career:...
developed and promoted the event, which is viewed by wrestling insiders and experts as one of the truly memorable events in history that actually brought together the major companies at the time, World 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...
, WCW, and Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
, in support for one of the most genuinely loved workers in the industry. The major stars that worked and provided support that night included Mick Foley
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
, Dean Malenko
Dean Malenko
Dean Simon is a retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Dean Malenko. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He is best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling , New Japan Pro Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling...
, Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
, Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
, 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...
, Shane Douglas
Shane Douglas
Troy Alan Martin is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name "The Franchise" Shane Douglas. In the course of his career, which has spanned nearly three decades, Douglas has wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling and briefly...
, 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...
, Dominic DeNucci
Dominic DeNucci
Dominic DeNucci is an Italian-American professional wrestler. He is also an accomplished trainer, counting former World Heavyweight champions Mick Foley and Shane Douglas, as well as referee Brian Hildebrand, among his students.-Early career:...
, Terry Taylor
Terry Taylor
Terry Taylor , is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation...
, D'Lo Brown
D'Lo Brown
Accie Julius Connor better known by his ring name D'Lo Brown , is an American professional wrestler. Well known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment, he is currently working as an agent for Impact Wrestling.Connor has held forty-eight championships in various promotions during...
, Al Snow
Al Snow
Allen Ray Sarven is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name of Al Snow. He is best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment and currently works for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a road agent.-Early career:Sarven...
, Hugh Morris
Bill DeMott
William Charles "Bill" DeMott II is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment as Hugh Morrus and Bill DeMott respectively and as Crash The Terminator in Extreme Championship Wrestling and Japan...
, Les Thatcher
Les Thatcher
Leslie Alan Malady better known by the name Les Thatcher is a former professional wrestler who achievied many accolades over his career...
, Billy Kidman, Chris Candido
Chris Candido
Christopher Raul Candito was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Chris Candido...
, and many others.
Hildebrand died from the disease on September 8, 1999 at the age of 37. He refereed one last match at a local independent show mere days before his death. Hildebrand's death was briefly acknowledged on the following edition of WCW Thunder
WCW Thunder
WCW Thunder was a professional wrestling show produced by World Championship Wrestling which aired on TBS from January 8, 1998 to March 21, 2001...
, but the first WCW event to have taken place after his death was a house show
House show
A house show is a professional wrestling show run by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive during televised events, as well as test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and...
on September 11 at the Baltimore Arena, which was held in his honor with a ten bell salute. Late in the show, friends Shane Douglas, Chris Benoit, and Dean Malenko (known as Revolution
Revolution (professional wrestling)
The Revolution was a professional wrestling heel stable in World Championship Wrestling led by Shane Douglas.-History:The Revolution was formed by Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Shane Douglas, and Perry Saturn on July 29, 1999...
) shared heartfelt words about Hildebrand and dedicated the show to him.
Hildebrand inspired the Mark Curtis Fantasy Camp 2001 a training event with Bill Demott (a.k.a. Hugh Morris) on hand. A Mark Curtis Memorial Show would also be held on May 7, 2005 at Freedom Hall
Freedom Hall
Freedom Hall is a multipurpose arena in Louisville, Kentucky, on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky...
in Johnson City, TN. The main event pitted Al Snow and D'Lo Brown against Shane Douglas and Mick Foley.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Two handed choke Biel throw – as Kowabunga
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s- "The Shooter"
- Wrestlers managedManager (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...
- Cactus JackMick FoleyMichael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
- Preston Steele
- Jesse Sellica
- Chris Evans
- Cactus Jack