Gary Albright
Encyclopedia
Gary Albright was an American
professional wrestler
who performed mainly in Stampede Wrestling
in Canada and with UWF International
and All Japan Pro Wrestling
in Japan. Albright was a member through marriage of the famous Anoa'i wrestling family, including Afa
and Sika
, Yokozuna
, Rikishi
, and The Rock. His widow, Monica, is the daughter of Afa Anoa'i
.
After wrestling as a respected amateur wrestler Albright made his debut in 1988 for Stampede Wrestling
but from the early 1990s worked more or less exclusively for Japanese promotions that focused more on the “Shoot” aspects than the “sports entertainment” aspects of professional wrestling. Albright was in the ring wrestling when he died, pronounced dead only minutes after being removed from the ring.
and started amateur wrestling while in High School. Albright wrestled for Billings West high school in Billings
, Montana
where he had a 55-2 record. Albright was the 1980 state champion. In 1981 Albright placed 2nd in the state championships in Helena
, Montana
. Albright would go on to wrestle in the NCAA for the University of Nebraska
where he set the Nebraska State record for total falls in a season: 38 falls in the 1985-1986 season.
His amateur career ended up netting him the following facts:
, Billy Robinson
and Danny Hodge
in the process. In 1988 Gary Albright got his first break in wrestling when he signed on with Stu Hart
’s Stampede Wrestling
out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Albright was brought to the Hart family’s attention by Brian Pillman
who knew of Albright through a mutual acquaintance. He started out as a face
but it wasn’t long until the promoters decided he would work better as a heel.
Albright’s gimmick was changed to that of "Vokhan Singh", supposedly a wrestler from Karachi, Pakistan. Albright was teamed up with Makhan Singh
(Mike Shaw) to form “Karachi Vice", considering that Shaw was even paler than Albright their claims were never supposed to be taken legitimately. Albright and Shaw were led by “Gama Singh" (who was legitimately from India) the founder of “Karachi Vice", the stable also included Steve DiSalvo
and Kerry Brown
. The two 300+ pound men made a formidable combination, so formidable that they beat the legendary British Bulldogs
for the Stampede International Tag Team Championship on December 30, 1988. The team defended the titles for just about four months until losing them to Chris Benoit
and Biff Wellington
on April 8, 1989 Stampede closed by the end of 1989 at which point Albright began looking elsewhere for employment.
Gary Albright managed to sign up with the recently created Union of Wrestling Forces International
, also known as UWF International or UWFi. The UWFi was a Shoot Style
professional wrestling promotion
, this meant that they presented an in ring product that was based on shoot style fighting that focused on striking, suplex
es, and submissions (similar to the UFC) but that like all professional wrestling the outcome was pre-determined.
Albright made his debut with UWFi on August 24, 1991, knocking out Yoji Anjoh in 7:29. Albright's massive size and his amatour background made his suplexes seem very impressive, to add to Albright’s “Suplex machine" image he was typically booked to win by knocking out his opponents with brutal German suplexes such as his 5:26 victory by knock out over Kiyoshi Tamura on December 22, 1991. The highlight of Gary Albright’s initial UWFi push
came on May 8, 1992 when he knocked out Nobuhiko Takada
with his signature German suplex at Yokohama Arena
in front of an announced crowd of 14,000. Takada was UWFi’s biggest Japanese star, the loss to Albright helped cement him as a serious competitor in the UWFi. Albright continued his winning ways in singles and tag matches through the summer of 1992 defeating such notable competitors as "Bad News" Brown
. Albrights string of victories came to an end when he lost a rematch with Takada on September 21, 1992. Albright submitted to Takada's cross arm breaker, thus making Takada the first UWFi World champion.
After the loss to Takada, Albright continued to win singles matches, usually in less than five minutes, but with the arrival of Super Vader, Gary Albright was supplanted as the top Gaijin
in the federation, fighting in the undercard instead of the main event
s. Albright teamed up with Dan Severn
in a loss to Salman Hashimikov
and Vladimir Berkovich. Hashimikov forced Severn to submit to a Cross Armbreaker in 13:09 on the first UWFi PPV broadcast in American called "Shootfighting". Albright began to get pushed again in 1994 as part of UWFi's "Best of the World" tournament. In the first round of the tournament Albright knocked out Billy Scott
in 2:11. He then defeated Yoji Anjoh in the second round to advance to a semifinal match with Nobuhiko Takada. On June 10, 1994, in front of a sellout crowd at Nippon Budokan
, Albright lost by submission in 16:00 in the main event. Albright defeated Kiyoshi Tamura
on August 18, 1994 to finish third in the tournament, the same night that Vader defeated Takada for the UWFi title.
With Albright finishing third in the tournament and Vader defeating Takada to win the tournament the UWFi started to promote a meeting between Vader and Albright as an UWFi “Dream Match". Building up to the singles title match the two faced off in a couple of tag-team matches leading up to the big event. On October 8, 1994, Albright forced Vader to submit to the cross arm breaker in a main event tag team match, then on November 30, 1994, Albright forced Takada to submit to a cross arm breaker in the main event to earn a match with Vader in January. The UWFi “Dream Match" took place on January 16, 1995, a match that saw Vader winning the match in 11:25 using a choke hold. The build up and the match were a commercial success, with Albright and Vader drawing large sellout crowds in their two tag team main events, Albright's contenders match with Takada, and the Vader versus Albright title match.
During 1995 UWFi began having problems because while they had pushed Albright, Takada and Vader to the main event they had not succeeded in building up more challengers and their attendance was dwindling. On May 17, 1995, Albright lost to Masahito Kakihara in the semi main event to build up Kakihara for a match with Takada. On June 18, 1995 Albright was supposed to put over Kiyoshi Tamura
to build him into a main eventer. The match saw Albright ignoring the referee's instructions leading as he yelled "Break Gary, break!" Albright also laid around on the mat doing nothing much until Tamura secured a rear choke and Albright tapped out. It is not clear if Albright’s actions in this match were legitimate or part of a Storyline
, the only thing that is known for a fact is that Albright returned two months later, on August 18, 1995 and submitted to Tamura in the main event without incident. Six days later UWFi announced a working agreement with New Japan Pro Wrestling
and Albright left the promotion, signing with All Japan Pro Wrestling
.
at Budokan Hall in a semi-main event singles match. Albright teamed with Stan Hansen
on the following tour and the pair finished third in the Real World Tag League. On January 24, 1996 Albright and Hansen beat Kawada and Taue
for the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship
, but lost them four weeks later on February 20, 1996 in a rematch with Kawada and Taue. Albright challenged Mitsuharu Misawa
for the AJPW Triple Crown Championship
on March 2, 1996 but Misawa's high flying style was too great to overcome. Misawa won by pinfall after his rolling elbow to retain the title in Albright’s only shot at the AJPW title.
After the loss to Misawa, Albright was not pushed as a singles wrestler in All Japan, finishing seventh in each of his four Champion's Carnival
appearances while scoring a few upsets over wrestlers such as Toshiaki Kawada
in 1997 and Kenta Kobashi
in 1998. Albright teamed with Sabu in the 1996 World's Strongest Tag Team League
, finishing last with 6 points scoring only 3 wins in the tournament.
Albright teamed with Steve Williams and Lacrosse
to form the "Triangle of Power" in 1997. Albright and Williams finished third in the World's Strongest Tag League that year and went on to win the Unified tag titles on July 25, 1997. Albright became the leader of the Triangle of Power after Williams left the promotion and Lacrosse dropped the character; their replacements were Yoshihiro Takayama
, a former UWFI mid-carder, and young AJPW wrestler Takao Omori
, but Albright's faction was not pushed. Albright teamed with Kimala in the 1998 World's Strongest Tag League, winning only one match and teamed with Wolf Hawkfield (the renamed Lacrosse) to finish last in the 1999 Tag League, including a defeat to former charges Omori and Takayama. Albright won his final match in All Japan in 1999, beating Masao Inoue
in 8:35.
show in Hazleton, Pennsylvania
against Lucifer Grimm (real name Bill Owens). After being hit with a three-quarter facelock bulldog
, Albright collapsed to the canvas. A worried Grimm rolled Albright on top of himself to finish the match after which concerned wrestlers and ring crew tried to resuscitate him. Albright was pronounced dead shortly after being removed from the ring.
The official cause of death is listed as a heart attack. The medical examiners also found that Albright suffered from diabetes, had an enlarged heart, and blockage of several coronary arteries. Because it was determined that Albright died of natural causes, the police were never involved in the matter.
Albright was survived by his wife Monica Anoa’i, his son Samuel, and two daughters, Angelica and Alexandria.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler
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...
who performed mainly in Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
in Canada and with 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...
and All Japan Pro Wrestling
All Japan Pro Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
in Japan. Albright was a member through marriage of the famous Anoa'i wrestling family, including Afa
Afa Anoa'i
Arthur "Afa" Anoa'i, Sr. is a Samoan American retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Since retiring in the 1990s, he has operated the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion and trained wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Facility.-Early life:Anoa'i was born in Samoa, but...
and Sika
Sika Anoa'i
Leati "Sika" Anoa'i is a former professional wrestler and a member of the Anoa'i family.-Career:Sika teamed with his brother Afa to form the tag team the Wild Samoans. They teamed in various promotions including WWF and Mid-South. In 1979, they signed with the World Wrestling Federation...
, Yokozuna
Rodney Anoa'i
Rodney Agatupu Anoa'i was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation where he wrestled under the ring name Yokozuna. The term yokozuna refers to the highest rank in professional sumo wrestling in Japan...
, Rikishi
Solofa Fatu
Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...
, and The Rock. His widow, Monica, is the daughter of Afa Anoa'i
Afa Anoa'i
Arthur "Afa" Anoa'i, Sr. is a Samoan American retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Since retiring in the 1990s, he has operated the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion and trained wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Facility.-Early life:Anoa'i was born in Samoa, but...
.
After wrestling as a respected amateur wrestler Albright made his debut in 1988 for Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
but from the early 1990s worked more or less exclusively for Japanese promotions that focused more on the “Shoot” aspects than the “sports entertainment” aspects of professional wrestling. Albright was in the ring wrestling when he died, pronounced dead only minutes after being removed from the ring.
Career
Albright was born in Rhode IslandRhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
and started amateur wrestling while in High School. Albright wrestled for Billings West high school in Billings
Billings
-Places:In Canada:*Billings, OntarioIn Germany:*Billings, HesseIn Russia:*Billings, RussiaIn the United States:* Billings, Montana* Billings, Missouri* Billings, New York* Billings, Oklahoma* Billings County, North Dakota...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
where he had a 55-2 record. Albright was the 1980 state champion. In 1981 Albright placed 2nd in the state championships in Helena
Helena
-First name:*Helena , Roman mother of Emperor Constantine*Helena, wife of Julian , Roman daughter of Emperor Constantine*Helena...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. Albright would go on to wrestle in the NCAA for the University of Nebraska
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a public research university located in the city of Lincoln in the U.S. state of Nebraska...
where he set the Nebraska State record for total falls in a season: 38 falls in the 1985-1986 season.
His amateur career ended up netting him the following facts:
- 1980 Montana State Champion; 1981 Montana state runner-up (55-2 record)
- University of Nebraska 58 wins – 4 losses – 3 draws
- Big 8 Champion
- Big 8 All-Academic team
- NCAA Runner-up
- Freestyle and Greco-Roman
- U.S. team member from 1981–1984
- 1982 National Open Freestyle champion
- 1981 World Greco-Roman Elite champion
- Member of the “Sunkist Kids” national championship team
Stampede Wrestling (1988-1989)
After graduating college Albright began to train for a professional wrestling career, getting advice and training on pro wrestling by prominent wrestlers such as Lou TheszLou Thesz
Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz was a United States professional wrestler and 18-time world heavyweight champion, most notably holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times. Combined, he held the NWA Championship for 10 years, three months and nine days , longer than anyone else in history...
, 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...
and Danny Hodge
Danny Hodge
Daniel "Danny" Allen Hodge is a retired American wrestler and boxer. He is renowned for his wrestling career, both amateur and professional, and has also been a boxer. Hodge was born, grew up, and still lives in Perry, Oklahoma...
in the process. In 1988 Gary Albright got his first break in wrestling when he signed on with Stu Hart
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...
’s Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Albright was brought to the Hart family’s attention by Brian Pillman
Brian Pillman
Brian William Pillman was an American football player and professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling....
who knew of Albright through a mutual acquaintance. He started out as a 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...
but it wasn’t long until the promoters decided he would work better as a heel.
Albright’s gimmick was changed to that of "Vokhan Singh", supposedly a wrestler from Karachi, Pakistan. Albright was teamed up with Makhan Singh
Mike Shaw
Mike Shaw was a professional wrestler who was best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling as Norman The Lunatic, and as Bastion Booger in the World Wrestling Federation...
(Mike Shaw) to form “Karachi Vice", considering that Shaw was even paler than Albright their claims were never supposed to be taken legitimately. Albright and Shaw were led by “Gama Singh" (who was legitimately from India) the founder of “Karachi Vice", the stable also included Steve DiSalvo
Steve DiSalvo
Steve DiSalvo is a retired professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the WCW as The Minotaur and his short run in WWF as Sadistic Steve.-Career:...
and Kerry Brown
Kerry Brown (wrestler)
Kerry Brown was a Canadian professional wrestler. Brown was best known for working in Stampede Wrestling in the 1980s under his real name, but also wrestled in Puerto Rico and the Maritimes using the ring name Rick Valentine.-Beginning and Canadian promotions:Brown began wrestling in 1979 in...
. The two 300+ pound men made a formidable combination, so formidable that they beat the legendary British Bulldogs
British Bulldogs
The British Bulldogs were the team of cousins Davey Boy Smith and Tom Billington , professional wrestlers who competed through most of the 1980s in both North America, England, and Japan and is by many considered one of the top tag-teams in history.-Early years :In the 1970s, Dynamite Kid and Davey...
for the Stampede International Tag Team Championship on December 30, 1988. The team defended the titles for just about four months until losing them to Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
and Biff Wellington
Shane Bower (wrestler)
Shayne Bower , better known by his ring name Biff Wellington, was a Canadian professional wrestler born in Calgary, Alberta and died in Calgary.-Professional wrestling career:...
on April 8, 1989 Stampede closed by the end of 1989 at which point Albright began looking elsewhere for employment.
Independent circuit (1989-1991)
Albright wound up working a couple of tours of South Africa and various independent federations between 1989 and 1991.UWF International (1991-1995)
Thanks to Bruce HartBruce Hart (wrestler)
Bruce Dennis Luis Hart is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. The second son of Stu Hart, Hart is a member of the large Hart wrestling family.Hart substitute teaches for the Calgary Board of Education.-Career:...
Gary Albright managed to sign up with the recently created Union of Wrestling Forces 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...
, also known as UWF International or UWFi. The UWFi was a Shoot Style
Shoot wrestling
Shoot wrestling is a combat sport that has its origins in Japan's professional wrestling circuit of the 1970s. Professional wrestlers of that era attempted to utilize more realistic or "full contact" moves in their matches to increase their excitement...
professional wrestling promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
, this meant that they presented an in ring product that was based on shoot style fighting that focused on striking, suplex
Suplex
A 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...
es, and submissions (similar to the UFC) but that like all professional wrestling the outcome was pre-determined.
Albright made his debut with UWFi on August 24, 1991, knocking out Yoji Anjoh in 7:29. Albright's massive size and his amatour background made his suplexes seem very impressive, to add to Albright’s “Suplex machine" image he was typically booked to win by knocking out his opponents with brutal German suplexes such as his 5:26 victory by knock out over Kiyoshi Tamura on December 22, 1991. The highlight of Gary Albright’s initial UWFi push
Push (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a push is an attempt by the booker to make the wrestler win more matches and become more popular or more reviled with the fans depending on whether they are a heel or a face...
came on May 8, 1992 when he knocked out 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...
with his signature German suplex at Yokohama Arena
Yokohama Arena
is an indoor sporting arena located in Yokohama, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 17,000 and was opened in 1989. The arena was modeled after US sports venue Madison Square Garden in New York City. It is a five minute walk from the closest subway station, Shin-Yokohama Station on the JR/Yokohama...
in front of an announced crowd of 14,000. Takada was UWFi’s biggest Japanese star, the loss to Albright helped cement him as a serious competitor in the UWFi. Albright continued his winning ways in singles and tag matches through the summer of 1992 defeating such notable competitors as "Bad News" Brown
Allen Coage
Allen James Coage was an American professional wrestler with the WWF and Stampede Wrestling among many other companies, better known by his ring names Bad News Brown and Bad News Allen. He was also the 1976 Olympic bronze medal winner in judo, in the heavyweight division...
. Albrights string of victories came to an end when he lost a rematch with Takada on September 21, 1992. Albright submitted to Takada's cross arm breaker, thus making Takada the first UWFi World champion.
After the loss to Takada, Albright continued to win singles matches, usually in less than five minutes, but with the arrival of Super Vader, Gary Albright was supplanted as the top Gaijin
Gaijin
is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien". This word is a short form of gaikokujin , which literally means "person from outside of the country". The word is composed of two kanji: , meaning "outside"; and , meaning "person". Thus, the word technically means "outsider"...
in the federation, fighting in the undercard instead of the main event
Main Event
Main Event is Australia's only pay-per-view channel. It transmits through Foxtel, Optus Television and Austar, which jointly own the channel...
s. Albright teamed up with Dan Severn
Dan Severn
Daniel DeWayne Severn is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, notable for his success in the early years of Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. Severn has fought and wrestled for many mixed martial arts and professional wrestling promotions, including King of the...
in a loss to Salman Hashimikov
Salman Hashimikov
Salman Hashimikov, also spelled Hasimikov , is a prominent Soviet heavyweight wrestler. A Chechen from Russia, he holds two European and four World Championship gold medals in freestyle wrestling...
and Vladimir Berkovich. Hashimikov forced Severn to submit to a Cross Armbreaker in 13:09 on the first UWFi PPV broadcast in American called "Shootfighting". Albright began to get pushed again in 1994 as part of UWFi's "Best of the World" tournament. In the first round of the tournament Albright knocked out Billy Scott
Billy Scott
Billy Scott , is a former American racecar driver. Scott competed in a number of disciplines, including open wheel car, stock car, and drag racing...
in 2:11. He then defeated Yoji Anjoh in the second round to advance to a semifinal match with Nobuhiko Takada. On June 10, 1994, in front of a sellout crowd at Nippon Budokan
Nippon Budokan
The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in central Tokyo, Japan.This is the location where many "Live at the Budokan" albums were recorded...
, Albright lost by submission in 16:00 in the main event. Albright defeated Kiyoshi Tamura
Kiyoshi Tamura
is a Japanese middleweight professional wrestler and mixed martial artist.Once a student of legendary Pro Wrestler Akira Maeda, Tamura is known for his skill in catch wrestling as well as his ability to deliver exciting and realistic professional wrestling bouts....
on August 18, 1994 to finish third in the tournament, the same night that Vader defeated Takada for the UWFi title.
With Albright finishing third in the tournament and Vader defeating Takada to win the tournament the UWFi started to promote a meeting between Vader and Albright as an UWFi “Dream Match". Building up to the singles title match the two faced off in a couple of tag-team matches leading up to the big event. On October 8, 1994, Albright forced Vader to submit to the cross arm breaker in a main event tag team match, then on November 30, 1994, Albright forced Takada to submit to a cross arm breaker in the main event to earn a match with Vader in January. The UWFi “Dream Match" took place on January 16, 1995, a match that saw Vader winning the match in 11:25 using a choke hold. The build up and the match were a commercial success, with Albright and Vader drawing large sellout crowds in their two tag team main events, Albright's contenders match with Takada, and the Vader versus Albright title match.
During 1995 UWFi began having problems because while they had pushed Albright, Takada and Vader to the main event they had not succeeded in building up more challengers and their attendance was dwindling. On May 17, 1995, Albright lost to Masahito Kakihara in the semi main event to build up Kakihara for a match with Takada. On June 18, 1995 Albright was supposed to put over Kiyoshi Tamura
Kiyoshi Tamura
is a Japanese middleweight professional wrestler and mixed martial artist.Once a student of legendary Pro Wrestler Akira Maeda, Tamura is known for his skill in catch wrestling as well as his ability to deliver exciting and realistic professional wrestling bouts....
to build him into a main eventer. The match saw Albright ignoring the referee's instructions leading as he yelled "Break Gary, break!" Albright also laid around on the mat doing nothing much until Tamura secured a rear choke and Albright tapped out. It is not clear if Albright’s actions in this match were legitimate or part of a 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...
, the only thing that is known for a fact is that Albright returned two months later, on August 18, 1995 and submitted to Tamura in the main event without incident. Six days later UWFi announced a working agreement with New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
and Albright left the promotion, signing with All Japan Pro Wrestling
All Japan Pro Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
.
All Japan Pro Wrestling (1995-1999)
On October 25, 1995 Albright lost to Toshiaki KawadaToshiaki Kawada
is a Japanese professional wrestler who is most known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling. In 2005, he started freelancing in other promotions....
at Budokan Hall in a semi-main event singles match. Albright teamed with Stan Hansen
Stan Hansen
John Stanley Hansen, Jr. is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Stan Hansen. As a wrestler, Hansen was well known for his stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to poor eyesight, as he is nearly blind without glasses...
on the following tour and the pair finished third in the Real World Tag League. On January 24, 1996 Albright and Hansen beat Kawada and Taue
The Holy Demon Army
The Holy Demon Army is a professional wrestling tag team that competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s. The team consisted of Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue...
for the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship
AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship
The All Japan Pro Wrestling Unified World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling...
, but lost them four weeks later on February 20, 1996 in a rematch with Kawada and Taue. Albright challenged Mitsuharu Misawa
Mitsuharu Misawa
was a Japanese professional wrestler. He made his professional debut on August 21, 1981 for All Japan Pro Wrestling . From 1984 until 1990, Misawa wrestled as the second generation Tiger Mask, as All Japan Pro Wrestling had purchased the rights of the Tiger Mask gimmick from New Japan Pro Wrestling...
for the AJPW Triple Crown Championship
AJPW Triple Crown Championship
The AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling. The championship is a unification of the NWA United National Championship, the PWF Heavyweight Championship and the NWA International Heavyweight Championship....
on March 2, 1996 but Misawa's high flying style was too great to overcome. Misawa won by pinfall after his rolling elbow to retain the title in Albright’s only shot at the AJPW title.
After the loss to Misawa, Albright was not pushed as a singles wrestler in All Japan, finishing seventh in each of his four Champion's Carnival
Champion's Carnival
The Champion's Carnival is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling, established in 1973. Originally a single-elimination tournament, the Champion's Carnival is currently held as a round-robin, with a victory worth 2 points, a time limit draw worth 1 and a loss,...
appearances while scoring a few upsets over wrestlers such as Toshiaki Kawada
Toshiaki Kawada
is a Japanese professional wrestler who is most known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling. In 2005, he started freelancing in other promotions....
in 1997 and Kenta Kobashi
Kenta Kobashi
Not to be confused with his protégé Kenta Kobayashi is a Japanese professional wrestler currently under contract to Pro Wrestling Noah. He worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling from 1988–2000, where he became one of the promotion's top stars....
in 1998. Albright teamed with Sabu in the 1996 World's Strongest Tag Team League
World's Strongest Tag Team League
The , more commonly known in the West as the Real World Tag League, is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling since 1977, usually run on the first weeks of December...
, finishing last with 6 points scoring only 3 wins in the tournament.
Albright teamed with Steve Williams and Lacrosse
Jim Steele (wrestler)
James Rocha is an American Professional Wrestler who competed in World Championship Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling. He's perhaps best known for using the gimmick: Wolf Hawkfield, based on the video game character from the Virtua Fighter video game series.-World Championship Wrestling :Rocha...
to form the "Triangle of Power" in 1997. Albright and Williams finished third in the World's Strongest Tag League that year and went on to win the Unified tag titles on July 25, 1997. Albright became the leader of the Triangle of Power after Williams left the promotion and Lacrosse dropped the character; their replacements were Yoshihiro Takayama
Yoshihiro Takayama
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Takayama is well known for his ability to endure massive amounts of punishment, especially after his fight at PRIDE 21 against Don Frye...
, a former UWFI mid-carder, and young AJPW wrestler Takao Omori
Takao Omori
is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler, currently competing for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He has formerly competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Noah and Pro Wrestling Zero1.-All Japan Pro Wrestling :...
, but Albright's faction was not pushed. Albright teamed with Kimala in the 1998 World's Strongest Tag League, winning only one match and teamed with Wolf Hawkfield (the renamed Lacrosse) to finish last in the 1999 Tag League, including a defeat to former charges Omori and Takayama. Albright won his final match in All Japan in 1999, beating Masao Inoue
Masao Inoue
is a professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah as a member of Dark Agents. He has previously worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling.-All Japan Pro Wrestling:...
in 8:35.
Death
On January 7, 2000, Albright wrestled at a World Xtreme WrestlingWorld Xtreme Wrestling
World Xtreme Wrestling is a Northeastern-based independent professional wrestling promotion which has held events across the United States and have toured in Japan, the Middle East and South Pacific region including American Samoa and Guam....
show in Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,340 at the 2010 census, an increase of 8.6% from the 2000 census count .-Greater Hazleton:...
against Lucifer Grimm (real name Bill Owens). After being hit with a three-quarter facelock bulldog
Cutter (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a cutter is a common term that refers to the three-quarter facelock bulldog maneuver. The move is also described as an inverted neckbreaker, though it is not one, it only bears an inverted style to it...
, Albright collapsed to the canvas. A worried Grimm rolled Albright on top of himself to finish the match after which concerned wrestlers and ring crew tried to resuscitate him. Albright was pronounced dead shortly after being removed from the ring.
The official cause of death is listed as a heart attack. The medical examiners also found that Albright suffered from diabetes, had an enlarged heart, and blockage of several coronary arteries. Because it was determined that Albright died of natural causes, the police were never involved in the matter.
Albright was survived by his wife Monica Anoa’i, his son Samuel, and two daughters, Angelica and Alexandria.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Snap dragon suplex
- Signature moves
- Crucifix armbar
- Multiple snap suplex variations
- Belly to belly
- Double underhook
- German
- Super
- Trapping
- PowerbombPowerbombA powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a standing headscissors position...
- STF
Championships and accomplishments
- All Japan Pro WrestlingAll Japan Pro Wrestlingis a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
- AJPW Unified World Tag Team ChampionshipAJPW Unified World Tag Team ChampionshipThe All Japan Pro Wrestling Unified World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling...
(2 times) - with Stan HansenStan HansenJohn Stanley Hansen, Jr. is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Stan Hansen. As a wrestler, Hansen was well known for his stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to poor eyesight, as he is nearly blind without glasses...
(1) and Steve Williams (1)
- 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 ranked him #74 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500Pro 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...
in 1995 - PWI ranked him #259 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the PWI YearsPro 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...
in 2003
- PWI ranked him #74 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500
- Stampede WrestlingStampede WrestlingStampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
- Stampede International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Makhan SinghMike ShawMike Shaw was a professional wrestler who was best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling as Norman The Lunatic, and as Bastion Booger in the World Wrestling Federation...
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Rookie of the Year (1988)