James Brunzell
Encyclopedia
James "Jumping Jim" Brunzell (born August 13, 1949) is a retired professional wrestler
. Best known for his successful tag team
s, Brunzell performed for various wrestling promotions during his 21 year career.
(AWA) throughout the 1970s, primarily as a mid-card talent. In 1973, he made a cameo appearance
sparring with Billy Robinson
in the film The Wrestler
. On July 7, 1977, Brunzell and Greg Gagne
defeated 'Black Jack' Lanza
and 'Big Bad' Bobby Duncum, who were managed by Bobby Heenan
, to win their first AWA World Tag Team Championship
. They held the title until September 1978, when they were stripped of the belts due to an injury Brunzell incurred while playing in a charity softball game. The title was awarded to the team of Pat Patterson and Ray Stevens
.
, a significant singles title at the time, twice.
with Greg Gagne, known as the "High Flyers", and was elevated to main event status. The High Flyers held the AWA World Tag Team Championship
on two separate occasions, feuding
with such teams as Jesse Ventura
and Adrian Adonis
, and Jerry Blackwell
and Ken Patera
. Brunzell remained with the AWA in both tag team and singles competition until 1985.
(WWF) as they continued their national expansion, and was paired with another WWF newcomer, Brian Blair
, as The Killer Bees
. Apparently, Verne and Greg Gagne felt somewhat betrayed by the move. Gagne even expressed his displeasure during an AWA broadcast, making subtle references to Brunzell's departure and his new gimmick.
Brunzell and Blair had moderate success in the WWF. They feuded with such teams as The Hart Foundation
as well as the Funks, Jimmy Jack Funk
and Hoss Funk
, who they faced in front of over 74,000 fans at The Big Event
. Their stay was also highlighted with a match against Nikolai Volkoff
and the Iron Sheik as part of WrestleMania III
, and a win at the inaugural Survivor Series
on Thanksgiving Day
1987. The Killer Bees teamed together until Blair left the WWF in 1988. Brunzell continued in singles competition for a time, being used to put over newer wrestlers like Curt Hennig
and Damien Demento as late as April 1993.
area. He also wrestled for Herb Abrams
' Universal Wrestling Federation
(UWF) in 1991. While there, he reunited with B. Brian Blair under the name Masked Confusion, winning the tag team title twice. After UWF closed, Brunzell returned to the independent circuit and continued to wrestle until the mid 1990s, also making occasional appearances in the WWF as a jobber.
On May 23, 1993, Brunzell wrestled at World Championship Wrestling
's inaugural Slamboree pay-per-view
in a six-man tag match alongside fellow "legends" Wahoo McDaniel
and Blackjack Mulligan
against Dick Murdoch
, Don Muraco
, and "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka
.
In 1994, he appeared in the American Wrestling Federation
as a guest referee in a bout for the AWF Heavyweight Championship, in which Tito Santana
beat Bob Orton, Jr.
to win the title.
In 2006, Brunzell became involved in a highly-publicized "interview feud" after his former tag team partner, Brian Blair
, was insulted by the Iron Sheik in a series of shoot interviews that received heavy circulation on the internet. Brunzell received high praise from the Sheik for his athletic and high-jumping prowess.
Currently, Brunzell works as a financial planner
for Focus Financial in the Minneapolis area.
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...
. Best known for his successful tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
s, Brunzell performed for various wrestling promotions during his 21 year career.
American Wrestling Association
Jim Brunzell wrestled for the American Wrestling AssociationAmerican 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) throughout the 1970s, primarily as a mid-card talent. In 1973, he made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
sparring with 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...
in the film The Wrestler
The Wrestler (1974 film)
The Wrestler is a 1974 independent film produced by professional wrestler Verne Gagne and starring Ed Asner as "Frank Bass", a wrestling promoter....
. On July 7, 1977, Brunzell and Greg Gagne
Greg Gagne (wrestler)
Gregory Alan "Greg" Gagne is a former professional wrestler and the son of Verne Gagne. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he achieved his biggest success as one half of the tag team The High Flyers with Jim Brunzell...
defeated 'Black Jack' Lanza
Jack Lanza
John "Jack" Lanza is a retired professional wrestler. He was one half of The Blackjacks with Blackjack Mulligan in the American Wrestling Association and World Wide Wrestling Federation . He is currently a producer in WWE. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.-Career:Lanza started...
and 'Big Bad' Bobby Duncum, who were managed by Bobby Heenan
Bobby Heenan
Raymond Louis "Ray" Heenan , better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan , is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation...
, to win their first AWA World Tag Team Championship
AWA World Tag Team Championship
The American Wrestling Association World Tag Team Championship was professional wrestling world tag team championship in the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991.-History :...
. They held the title until September 1978, when they were stripped of the belts due to an injury Brunzell incurred while playing in a charity softball game. The title was awarded to the team of Pat Patterson and Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens (wrestler)
Carl Ray Stevens , better known as Ray "The Crippler" Stevens or Ray "Blond Bomber" Stevens, was an American professional wrestler. Stevens was a wrestling superstar since the early years of the television era until he retired during the early 1990s...
.
National Wrestling Alliance
During the latter half of the 1970s, Brunzell wrestled in the Mid-Atlantic region and won the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship contested for in Jim Crockett Promotions , a territory-promotion governed by the National Wrestling Alliance . The title was only contestable by male individual wrestlers...
, a significant singles title at the time, twice.
Return to the AWA
Upon returning to the AWA, Brunzell reformed his tag teamTag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
with Greg Gagne, known as the "High Flyers", and was elevated to main event status. The High Flyers held the AWA World Tag Team Championship
AWA World Tag Team Championship
The American Wrestling Association World Tag Team Championship was professional wrestling world tag team championship in the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991.-History :...
on two separate occasions, feuding
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with such teams as Jesse Ventura
Jesse Ventura
James George Janos , better known as Jesse Ventura, is an American politician, the 38th Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003, Navy UDT veteran, former SEAL reservist, actor, and former radio and television talk show host...
and Adrian Adonis
Adrian Adonis
Keith A. Franke was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Adorable" Adrian Adonis.-Career:Franke trained under Fred Atkins and debuted in 1974, wrestling under his own name...
, and Jerry Blackwell
Jerry Blackwell
Jerry Blackwell was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Crusher" Jerry Blackwell. Blackwell competed in the 1979 World's Strongest Man contest, but withdrew early in the competition due to an injury...
and Ken Patera
Ken Patera
Ken Patera is a former professional wrestler, Olympic weightlifter, and Strongman competitor.-Weightlifting/Strongman career:Patera is a former Olympic weightlifter and American powerlifter...
. Brunzell remained with the AWA in both tag team and singles competition until 1985.
World Wrestling Federation
Brunzell signed to wrestle with the World Wrestling FederationWorld 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...
(WWF) as they continued their national expansion, and was paired with another WWF newcomer, Brian Blair
Brian Blair
Brian Leslie Blair is a local politician in Florida, who gained fame as a professional wrestler especially as a part of the Killer Bees.-Career:...
, as The Killer Bees
The Killer Bees (professional wrestling)
The Killer Bees was a tag team composed of "Jumpin" Jim Brunzell and B. Brian Blair in the World Wrestling Federation from 1985 to 1988 and later on in the independent circuit...
. Apparently, Verne and Greg Gagne felt somewhat betrayed by the move. Gagne even expressed his displeasure during an AWA broadcast, making subtle references to Brunzell's departure and his new gimmick.
Brunzell and Blair had moderate success in the WWF. They feuded with such teams as The Hart Foundation
The Hart Foundation
The Hart Foundation referred to several teams or stables in the World Wrestling Federation , usually consisted of members or close friends of the Hart wrestling family from Canada....
as well as the Funks, Jimmy Jack Funk
Ferrin Barr Jr.
Ferrin Barr, Jr. is an American former professional wrestler, better known as Jesse Barr. He is best known for his performances in the 1980s under his own name in the Florida territory and as Jimmy Jack Funk in the World Wrestling Federation...
and Hoss Funk
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...
, who they faced in front of over 74,000 fans at The Big Event
The Big Event
The Big Event was a major World Wrestling Federation show which took place on August 28, 1986 at the Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The show drew a legitimate crowd of 61,470 fans which was an outdoor attendance record at the time. The event set an attendance record for a...
. Their stay was also highlighted with a match against Nikolai Volkoff
Nikolai Volkoff
Josip Nikolai Peruzović , better known by his ring name of Nikolai Volkoff, is a professional wrestler who is best known for his performances for the World Wrestling Federation...
and the Iron Sheik as part of WrestleMania III
WrestleMania III
WrestleMania III was the third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . The event was held on March 29, 1987 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan....
, and a win at the inaugural Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1987)
Survivor Series was the first Survivor Series pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1987 and was held at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio....
on Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
1987. The Killer Bees teamed together until Blair left the WWF in 1988. Brunzell continued in singles competition for a time, being used to put over newer wrestlers like Curt Hennig
Curt Hennig
Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , also known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World...
and Damien Demento as late as April 1993.
Independent circuit
Brunzell left WWF in 1989 and competed on the independent circuit, primarily in the ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
area. He also wrestled 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...
' Universal Wrestling Federation
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...
(UWF) in 1991. While there, he reunited with B. Brian Blair under the name Masked Confusion, winning the tag team title twice. After UWF closed, Brunzell returned to the independent circuit and continued to wrestle until the mid 1990s, also making occasional appearances in the WWF as a jobber.
On May 23, 1993, Brunzell wrestled at 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...
's inaugural Slamboree 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...
in a six-man tag match alongside fellow "legends" Wahoo McDaniel
Wahoo McDaniel
Edward "Wahoo" McDaniel was a Choctaw-Chickasaw Native American who achieved fame as a professional American football player and later as a professional wrestler.-Early life:...
and Blackjack Mulligan
Blackjack Mulligan
Robert Jack Windham , better known by his ring name Blackjack Mulligan is a former professional wrestler and a former American football player...
against Dick Murdoch
Dick Murdoch
Hoyt Richard "Dick" Murdoch was an American professional wrestler.-Professional wrestling career:A second-generation wrestler, the son of 1950s Texas wrestler Frankie Hill Murdoch, Dick Murdoch grew up with fellow second-generation wrestlers Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk, watching their fathers...
, Don Muraco
Don Muraco
Donald Muraco , better known by his ring name "The Rock" Don Muraco, is a retired American professional wrestler...
, and "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka
Jimmy Snuka
James 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 1994, he appeared in the American Wrestling Federation
American Wrestling Federation
The American Wrestling Federation was a national professional wrestling federation founded by Paul Alperstein.-History:Alperstein, a promoter from Chicago, founded the AWF in 1994 and was on-air president of the company....
as a guest referee in a bout for the AWF Heavyweight Championship, in which Tito Santana
Tito Santana
Merced Solis better known by his ring name Tito Santana, is an American professional wrestler whose heyday spanned from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, though he continues to appear on the independent circuit. He is best known from his time in the World Wrestling Federation...
beat 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...
to win the title.
In 2006, Brunzell became involved in a highly-publicized "interview feud" after his former tag team partner, Brian Blair
Brian Blair
Brian Leslie Blair is a local politician in Florida, who gained fame as a professional wrestler especially as a part of the Killer Bees.-Career:...
, was insulted by the Iron Sheik in a series of shoot interviews that received heavy circulation on the internet. Brunzell received high praise from the Sheik for his athletic and high-jumping prowess.
Currently, Brunzell works as a financial planner
Financial planner
A financial planner or personal financial planner is a practicing professional who helps people deal with various personal financial issues through proper planning, which includes: cash flow management, education planning, retirement planning, investment planning, risk management and insurance...
for Focus Financial in the Minneapolis area.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- DropkickDropkickA dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as he or she jumps so that when the feet connect with the opponent one foot is raised higher than...
- Figure four leglock
- Dropkick
- 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- "Jumping"
Championships and accomplishments
- American Wrestling AssociationAmerican Wrestling AssociationThe 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 World Tag Team ChampionshipAWA World Tag Team ChampionshipThe American Wrestling Association World Tag Team Championship was professional wrestling world tag team championship in the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991.-History :...
(2 times) - with Greg GagneGreg Gagne (wrestler)Gregory Alan "Greg" Gagne is a former professional wrestler and the son of Verne Gagne. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he achieved his biggest success as one half of the tag team The High Flyers with Jim Brunzell...
- Central States WrestlingHeart of America Sports AttractionsHeart of America Sports Attractions, also known as the Midwest Wrestling Association, Central States Wrestling and the World Wrestling Alliance, was an American professional wrestling promotion that ran shows mainly in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa...
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Central States version)NWA World Tag Team Championship (Central States version)The Central States version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1958 to 1960, 1962 to 1963 and then from 1973 until 1979 which was promoted by Central States Wrestling...
(2 times) - with Mike George
- Mid-Atlantic Championship WrestlingJim Crockett PromotionsJim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship contested for in Jim Crockett Promotions , a territory-promotion governed by the National Wrestling Alliance . The title was only contestable by male individual wrestlers...
(2 times)
- Nu-Age Wrestling
- NAW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- 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 #
- PWI ranked him # 49 of the 100 best tag teams during the "PWI Years" with Greg Gagne.
- PWI Tag Team of the Year award with Greg Gagne in 1982.
- Universal Wrestling FederationUniversal 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...
- UWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Brian BlairBrian BlairBrian Leslie Blair is a local politician in Florida, who gained fame as a professional wrestler especially as a part of the Killer Bees.-Career:...
- West Four Wrestling Alliance
- WFWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (1 time)