Ray Fernandez
Encyclopedia
Raymond Fernandez was a professional wrestler
who primarily wrestled in Florida
and Texas
before joining the World Wrestling Federation
. He was best known by the ring name Hercules Hernandez or simply Hercules. Fernandez was also a featured bodybuilder
, appearing in several muscle magazines.
and Texas
territories, as ”Hercules” Hernandez. In 1982, Hercules joined the NWA Central States territory (which ran out of Kansas City
and promoted shows in Kansas
, Missouri
, and Iowa
). While in Central States, Hercules teamed up with Dewey Robertson
, the future Missing Link, and the two won the Central States tag team championship on two occasions; they beat Mike George and Mark Romero
(aka Mark Youngblood) both times. He also held the Central States Television title for a little over 6 months, winning it from, and losing it back to, his main rival, Mark Romero. His two other notable feuds in the Central States territory were with Manny Fernandez
and Harley Race
. His feud with Race garnered Hercules significant attention in the national wrestling scene, due to Race's stature as a former NWA World Champion
. This feud began because Race had an issue with Oliver Humperdink
’s House of Humperdink stable, which Hercules had become a part of soon after joining the promotion. One match between the two had the stipulation that if Race won, he would get 5 minutes inside a steel cage with Humperdink. Hercules was caught using brass knuckles
and disqualified, which meant that the cage match was on. When the match was about to start, Hercules ran to ringside, knocked Race out, in kayfabe
, and threw him into the ring with Humperdink. In the end, Race recovered and piledrove Humperdink onto a steel chair (an act scripted to allow the "injured" Humperdink to leave the territory). After losing his manager, Fernandez did not stay in the Central States territory for long but instead signed up with Jim Crockett Promotions
(JCP).
In JCP, Fernandez was paired up with Jody Hamilton
, who had been wrestling as the Masked Assassin; Fernandez became the Masked Assassin 2, a gimmick that had been played by several other wrestlers over the years. The two competed at the first ever Starrcade
beating the team of Rufus R. Jones and Bugsy McGraw
. Fernandez's run as one of the Assassins ended less than a year later, after he was unmasked by Jimmy Valiant
.
After being unmasked, Fernandez moved on to Bill Watts
' Mid-South promotion, where he once again donned a mask. Mr. Wrestling II
had recently turned on his tag team partner Magnum T.A.
and become a heel
. Mr. Wrestling II renamed himself simply “Mr. Wrestling” and got a new protégé, “Mr. Wrestling II”, who was Fernandez under a mask (referred to as “Mr. Wrestling III” in magazines to avoid confusing their readers). Mr. Wrestling II seconded Mr. Wrestling in his feud with Magnum T.A. Later on, Fernandez unmasked and competed once again as “Hercules Hernandez", and feuded with ”Hacksaw” Jim Duggan
under the tutelage of Jim Cornette
. Hercules would soon join Skandor Akbar’s stable known as Devastation Inc. alongside future WWF co-worker Ted DiBiase
. As part of Devastation Inc., Hercules would feud with the Junkyard Dog
and Terry Taylor
, before leaving for Florida.
In “Championship Wrestling from Florida”, Hercules quickly won the NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Championship from Brian Blair
, and then won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship
from Hector Guerrero
the following month; this made him a double champion. Some time during July 1985, Fernandez was fired from CWF after a dressing room fight with Wahoo McDaniel
and stripped of both titles. After leaving Florida, Fernandez went to World Wrestling Council
in Puerto Rico before signed with the World Wrestling Federation
.
in a losing effort against Ricky Steamboat
. Blassie would soon retire, in storyline terms selling his stable to Slick. Hernandez soon found himself floundering in the WWF midcard. In late-1986, however, his contract was "sold" to Bobby Heenan
. Soon after, he would drop "Hernandez" from his ringname, began carrying a long steel chain to the ring, and re-emerge with a visibly changed, more-muscular physique. On the November 26, 1986 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, Hercules received a highly hyped shot at the WWF World Heavyweight Title
, facing champion Hulk Hogan
. Although he was able to put the 300 lb. Hogan in the "Hercules Backbreaker" torture rack, he came up short in what was arguably the biggest match of his wrestling career.
Also in the fall of 1986, Hercules would rekindle a feud with Billy Jack Haynes
that went back through every promotion the two were ever in together. Both men at the time were using the full-nelson submission hold as their finisher. Heenan on an episode of WWF Challenge, called out Haynes saying he'd like to see him get out of Hercules' version of the hold. Haynes promptly answered the challenge and was waiting for Hercules to apply the hold when Heenan appeared to have second thoughts. Haynes grew tired of the charade and shoved Heenan. This gave Hercules the opening he needed and he clotheslined Haynes. Haynes was unable to defend himself and Hercules slapped the full nelson on and maintained the hold until Haynes passed out. This incident set the stage for their match at Wrestlemania III
. The momentum swung back and forth throughout the contest until Haynes attempted to apply the full nelson and both men tumbled to the floor. Haynes applied the full-nelson on the floor as both men were counted out. Heenan broke the hold by driving a knee the back of Haynes, who then turned his attention to Heenan, allowing Hercules to hit him in the head with his steel chain wrapped around his fist. Haynes bled profusely. The feud culminated some weeks later in a chain match that saw Hercules as the victor.
In the early part of 1988, during an episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling
, Hercules was swinging his chain in the direction of The Ultimate Warrior
. Warrior caught the chain, and the two began a tug of war
, which led to the steel chain snapping at the middle. The broadcast commentators gave credit to the Warrior for snapping the chain, to the chagrin of Hercules and Heenan. This led to their match at WrestleMania IV
, which ended with Warrior pinning Hercules after pushing off from the turnbuckle while in Hercules' full nelson and landing on top of him. During the fall of 1988, Bobby Heenan sold Hercules' contract to “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase; DiBiase claimed that in Hercules, he had now purchased his own slave
. This comment angered Hercules, who stated that he was owned by no man and turned face
to feud with DiBiase. The two were on opposite teams at Survivor Series 1988
where DiBiase eliminated his “slave” from the match.
After the feud with Dibiase ended, Hercules had a series of matches with ”King” Haku. Despite pinning Haku at WrestleMania V
, he did not become “King”. Hercules’ career stalled following his feud with Haku. He was mainly used to help push the latest heels such as The Earthquake
, who squashed him at WrestleMania VI
. In the summer of 1990, Hercules turned heel alongside Paul Roma
and the two formed Power and Glory
, managed by Slick. They had a high profile feud with The Rockers
, defeating them at SummerSlam '90
in Philadelphia and challenged WWF World Tag Team Champions The Hart Foundation
. Yet, despite the fact that the two worked well together as a team, they were never given the opportunity to cement themselves as serious players in the tag team division. When the Legion of Doom
squashed them in 59 seconds at WrestleMania VII
, it was evident to fans that the team was not destined for greatness. After SummerSlam 1991
, Roma left the WWF. Hercules spent the rest of his time in the WWF jobbing again, losing to wrestlers such as the Big Boss Man
and Sid Justice
, and then Intercontinental champion Bret Hart
. His last televised WWF match was against Sid Justice at MSG
where he was squashed in under a minute.
Hercules lasted nearly forty minutes in the 1991 Royal Rumble
. In 1992
, he lasted less than a minute.
. He once again adopted a masked persona, this time as Super Invader, a supposed oriental assassin under the management of former rival Harley Race. As Super Invader, he beat Todd Champion
at WrestleWar 1992 and beat Marcus Bagwell
in a dark match before the Great American Bash 1992 PPV. The highlight of his run as Super Invader was his appearance at Clash of the Champions XX teaming with Rick Rude, Jake Roberts
, and Big Van Vader in an elimination tag team match against Sting, Nikita Koloff
, and the Steiner Brothers
. Although Sting eliminated him early, Super Invader's team won the match. By the end of 1992, Ray Fernandez had left WCW and was competing on the independent circuit
, as well as overseas.
One of the promotions he worked for was New Japan Pro Wrestling
where he appeared as “Hercules Hernandez" once more, mainly teaming with fellow powerhouse wrestler Scott Norton
to form The Jurassic Powers. The team would win the IWGP Tag Team Championship from the Hell Raisers (Hawk Warrior
and Power Warrior
) in August 1993 and hold it for about 4 months before losing it back to the Hell Raisers at NJPW’s January 4 Dome Show (NJPW’s biggest annual event). While holding the title, the Jurassic Powers successfully defended against teams such as The Japanese Jollyjacks (Takayuki Iizuka
& Akira Nogami
), Masa Saito
and Manabu Nakanishi
, and the Barbarian
& Haku. The team also had a series of matches with the Steiner Brothers and made it to the finals of the 1993 Super Grade Tag League
where they lost to Keiji Mutoh
and Hiroshi Hase.
In 1994, Hercules wrestled in the American Wrestling Federation
promotion taking part in the tournament to crown the first AWF champion. In 1999, Ray Fernandez retired from wrestling after working for various independent promotions across the world.
according to his wife.
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 primarily wrestled 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...
and 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...
before joining the 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...
. He was best known by the ring name Hercules Hernandez or simply Hercules. Fernandez was also a featured bodybuilder
Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their...
, appearing in several muscle magazines.
Early career (1981-1985)
Fernandez started wrestling in 1981, mainly performing in the FloridaFlorida
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...
and 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...
territories, as ”Hercules” Hernandez. In 1982, Hercules joined the NWA Central States territory (which ran out of Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
and promoted shows in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, and Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
). While in Central States, Hercules teamed up with Dewey Robertson
Dewey Robertson
Byron James John "Dewey" Robertson was a professional wrestler, known best for his ring name The Missing Link....
, the future Missing Link, and the two won the Central States tag team championship on two occasions; they beat Mike George and Mark Romero
Mark Youngblood
Mark Romero is a retired American second generation professional wrestler better known by his ring name Mark Youngblood.-Career:...
(aka Mark Youngblood) both times. He also held the Central States Television title for a little over 6 months, winning it from, and losing it back to, his main rival, Mark Romero. His two other notable feuds in the Central States territory were with Manny Fernandez
Manny Fernandez (wrestler)
Emanuel "Manny" Fernandez is an American professional wrestler currently wrestling for different independent promotions. He is best known by the his ring name "The Raging Bull" Manny Fernandez.-Professional wrestling career:...
and 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...
. His feud with Race garnered Hercules significant attention in the national wrestling scene, due to Race's stature as a former NWA World 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...
. This feud began because Race had an issue with Oliver Humperdink
Oliver Humperdink
John Sutton , better known by his ring name Oliver Humperdink, was a professional wrestling manager who worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, Florida Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation.-Career:...
’s House of Humperdink stable, which Hercules had become a part of soon after joining the promotion. One match between the two had the stipulation that if Race won, he would get 5 minutes inside a steel cage with Humperdink. Hercules was caught using brass knuckles
Brass knuckles
Brass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, or knuckledusters, are weapons used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckles are pieces of metal, usually steel despite their name, shaped to fit around the knuckles...
and disqualified, which meant that the cage match was on. When the match was about to start, Hercules ran to ringside, knocked Race out, in kayfabe
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...
, and threw him into the ring with Humperdink. In the end, Race recovered and piledrove Humperdink onto a steel chair (an act scripted to allow the "injured" Humperdink to leave the territory). After losing his manager, Fernandez did not stay in the Central States territory for long but instead signed up with Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim 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:...
(JCP).
In JCP, Fernandez was paired up with Jody Hamilton
Jody Hamilton
Joseph "Jody" Hamilton is an American retired professional wrestler and current wrestling promoter and trainer. In his active days Hamiltion was best known as known as one half of the tag team The Assassins where he was called "Assassin #1"...
, who had been wrestling as the Masked Assassin; Fernandez became the Masked Assassin 2, a gimmick that had been played by several other wrestlers over the years. The two competed at the first ever Starrcade
Starrcade (1983)
Starrcade '83: A Flair for the Gold was the first annual Starrcade professional wrestling event. It was produced under the National Wrestling Alliance banner by Jim Crockett Promotions . The event took place on November 24, 1983 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina and was...
beating the team of Rufus R. Jones and Bugsy McGraw
Bugsy McGraw
Bugsy McGraw is the ring name of former professional wrestler Michael Davis. He also wrestled under the name "The Skull." He is not to be confused with the other wrestler named Mike Davis.-Total Nonstop Action Wrestling :...
. Fernandez's run as one of the Assassins ended less than a year later, after he was unmasked by Jimmy Valiant
Jimmy Valiant
James Harold Fanning is a former professional wrestler and author better known as Jimmy Valiant.-Personal life:...
.
After being unmasked, Fernandez moved on to Bill Watts
Bill Watts
William F. "Bill" Watts is a former American professional wrestler and promoter. Watts was famous under his "Cowboy" gimmick in his wrestling career, and then as a tough, no-nonsense promoter in the Mid-South area of the United States, which grew to become the UWF.In 1992, he was the Executive...
' Mid-South promotion, where he once again donned a mask. Mr. Wrestling II
Mr. Wrestling II
John "Johnny" Walker , better known as Mr. Wrestling II, is a retired American professional wrestler. As Mr...
had recently turned on his tag team partner Magnum T.A.
Magnum T.A.
Terry Wayne Allen is a retired American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Magnum T.A..-Early years:...
and become a 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...
. Mr. Wrestling II renamed himself simply “Mr. Wrestling” and got a new protégé, “Mr. Wrestling II”, who was Fernandez under a mask (referred to as “Mr. Wrestling III” in magazines to avoid confusing their readers). Mr. Wrestling II seconded Mr. Wrestling in his feud with Magnum T.A. Later on, Fernandez unmasked and competed once again as “Hercules Hernandez", and feuded with ”Hacksaw” Jim Duggan
Jim Duggan
James Edward Duggan , better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment in the 1980s, when it was known as World Wrestling Federation , and World Championship Wrestling...
under the tutelage of Jim Cornette
Jim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling...
. Hercules would soon join Skandor Akbar’s stable known as Devastation Inc. alongside future WWF co-worker Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career...
. As part of Devastation Inc., Hercules would feud with the Junkyard Dog
Junkyard Dog
Sylvester Ritter was an American professional wrestler and professional football player, best known for his work in Mid-South Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation as The Junkyard Dog...
and 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...
, before leaving for Florida.
In “Championship Wrestling from Florida”, Hercules quickly won the NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Championship from 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:...
, and then won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship
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...
from Hector Guerrero
Hector Guerrero
Héctor Manuel Guerrero Llanes is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, better known simply by his paternal name, Héctor Guerrero...
the following month; this made him a double champion. Some time during July 1985, Fernandez was fired from CWF after a dressing room fight with 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 stripped of both titles. After leaving Florida, Fernandez went to World Wrestling Council
World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council is one of Puerto Rico's two main professional wrestling promotions, the other one being the International Wrestling Association....
in Puerto Rico before signed with the 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...
.
World Wrestling Federation (1985-1992)
Fernandez debuted in the WWF in 1985, managed by "Classy" Freddie Blassie. His first major national exposure came when he competed at WrestleMania 2WrestleMania 2
WrestleMania 2 was the second annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
in a losing effort against Ricky Steamboat
Ricky Steamboat
Richard Henry Blood , better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He was one of the few wrestlers who stayed a babyface throughout his career...
. Blassie would soon retire, in storyline terms selling his stable to Slick. Hernandez soon found himself floundering in the WWF midcard. In late-1986, however, his contract was "sold" to 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...
. Soon after, he would drop "Hernandez" from his ringname, began carrying a long steel chain to the ring, and re-emerge with a visibly changed, more-muscular physique. On the November 26, 1986 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, Hercules received a highly hyped shot at the WWF World Heavyweight Title
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...
, facing champion 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 ....
. Although he was able to put the 300 lb. Hogan in the "Hercules Backbreaker" torture rack, he came up short in what was arguably the biggest match of his wrestling career.
Also in the fall of 1986, Hercules would rekindle a feud with Billy Jack Haynes
Billy Jack Haynes
William Albert Haynes, III is a retired American professional wrestler better known as Billy Jack Haynes.-Early career :...
that went back through every promotion the two were ever in together. Both men at the time were using the full-nelson submission hold as their finisher. Heenan on an episode of WWF Challenge, called out Haynes saying he'd like to see him get out of Hercules' version of the hold. Haynes promptly answered the challenge and was waiting for Hercules to apply the hold when Heenan appeared to have second thoughts. Haynes grew tired of the charade and shoved Heenan. This gave Hercules the opening he needed and he clotheslined Haynes. Haynes was unable to defend himself and Hercules slapped the full nelson on and maintained the hold until Haynes passed out. This incident set the stage for their match at 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....
. The momentum swung back and forth throughout the contest until Haynes attempted to apply the full nelson and both men tumbled to the floor. Haynes applied the full-nelson on the floor as both men were counted out. Heenan broke the hold by driving a knee the back of Haynes, who then turned his attention to Heenan, allowing Hercules to hit him in the head with his steel chain wrapped around his fist. Haynes bled profusely. The feud culminated some weeks later in a chain match that saw Hercules as the victor.
In the early part of 1988, during an episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling
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...
, Hercules was swinging his chain in the direction of The Ultimate Warrior
Warrior (wrestler)
Also see Warrior .Warrior is an American retired professional wrestler who notably performed under the ring names The Ultimate Warrior and Warrior...
. Warrior caught the chain, and the two began a tug of war
Tug of war
Tug of war, also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war or rope pulling, is a sport that directly pits two teams against each other in a test of strength. The term may also be used as a metaphor to describe a demonstration of brute strength by two opposing groups, such as a rivalry between two...
, which led to the steel chain snapping at the middle. The broadcast commentators gave credit to the Warrior for snapping the chain, to the chagrin of Hercules and Heenan. This led to their match at WrestleMania IV
WrestleMania IV
WrestleMania IV was the fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on March 27, 1988 at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey....
, which ended with Warrior pinning Hercules after pushing off from the turnbuckle while in Hercules' full nelson and landing on top of him. During the fall of 1988, Bobby Heenan sold Hercules' contract to “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase; DiBiase claimed that in Hercules, he had now purchased his own slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
. This comment angered Hercules, who stated that he was owned by no man and turned 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...
to feud with DiBiase. The two were on opposite teams at Survivor Series 1988
Survivor Series (1988)
Survivor Series was the second annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
where DiBiase eliminated his “slave” from the match.
After the feud with Dibiase ended, Hercules had a series of matches with ”King” Haku. Despite pinning Haku at WrestleMania V
WrestleMania V
WrestleMania V was the fifth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on April 2, 1989 at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey...
, he did not become “King”. Hercules’ career stalled following his feud with Haku. He was mainly used to help push the latest heels such as The Earthquake
John Tenta
John Anthony Tenta was a Canadian professional wrestler known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation as Earthquake and later Golga, and in World Championship Wrestling as Avalanche and The Shark.-Early life:John Tenta was born in Surrey, British Columbia...
, who squashed him at WrestleMania VI
WrestleMania VI
WrestleMania VI was the World Wrestling Federation's sixth WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event and the first to be held outside of the U.S...
. In the summer of 1990, Hercules turned heel alongside Paul Roma
Paul Roma
Paul Roma is a professional wrestler who is known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling primarily as a tag-team wrestler alongside such partners as Jim Powers, Hercules, Arn Anderson and Paul Orndorff.-World Wrestling Federation :Paul Roma entered...
and the two formed Power and Glory
Power and Glory
Power and Glory was a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation from 1990 to 1991. The team consisted of Hercules and Paul "Romeo" Roma...
, managed by Slick. They had a high profile feud with The Rockers
The Rockers
The Rockers were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty that teamed from 1985 to 1992. The team worked for Central States Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association, Continental Wrestling Federation, Continental Wrestling Association and the World...
, defeating them at SummerSlam '90
SummerSlam (1990)
SummerSlam was the third annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 27, 1990 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The card featured ten televised matches, including two main events...
in Philadelphia and challenged WWF World Tag Team Champions 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....
. Yet, despite the fact that the two worked well together as a team, they were never given the opportunity to cement themselves as serious players in the tag team division. When the Legion of Doom
Road Warriors
The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion...
squashed them in 59 seconds at WrestleMania VII
WrestleMania VII
WrestleMania VII was the seventh annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on March 24, 1991 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California...
, it was evident to fans that the team was not destined for greatness. After SummerSlam 1991
SummerSlam (1991)
SummerSlam was the fourth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 26, 1991 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York....
, Roma left the WWF. Hercules spent the rest of his time in the WWF jobbing again, losing to wrestlers such as the Big Boss Man
Ray Traylor
Ray Walter Traylor, Jr. was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Big Boss Man and World Championship Wrestling under various ring names, most notably Big Bubba Rogers.-Early years:Traylor, a prison guard in...
and Sid Justice
Sid Eudy
Sidney Raymond "Sid" Eudy is an American professional wrestler, best known as Sid Vicious in World Championship Wrestling, and as Sid Justice and Sycho Sid in the World Wrestling Federation...
, and then Intercontinental champion 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...
. His last televised WWF match was against Sid Justice at MSG
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...
where he was squashed in under a minute.
Hercules lasted nearly forty minutes in the 1991 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1991)
Royal Rumble was the fourth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 19, 1991 at the Miami Arena in Miami, Florida....
. In 1992
Royal Rumble (1992)
Royal Rumble was the fifth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 19, 1992 at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, New York...
, he lasted less than a minute.
After the WWF (1992-1999)
After being with the WWF for 7 years, Fernandez signed with World Championship WrestlingWorld 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...
. He once again adopted a masked persona, this time as Super Invader, a supposed oriental assassin under the management of former rival Harley Race. As Super Invader, he beat Todd Champion
Todd Bradford
Todd Bradford is a former professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Todd Champion. He competed in the Southeastern United States, winning titles in several promotions, including World Championship Wrestling ....
at WrestleWar 1992 and beat Marcus Bagwell
Buff Bagwell
Marcus Alexander Bagwell is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling between 1991 and 2001, where he was a five time World Tag Team Champion.-Professional wrestling career: Bagwell...
in a dark match before the Great American Bash 1992 PPV. The highlight of his run as Super Invader was his appearance at Clash of the Champions XX teaming with Rick Rude, Jake Roberts
Jake Roberts
Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr. is a second-generation American professional wrestler, the son of former wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith...
, and Big Van Vader in an elimination tag team match against Sting, Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff is a retired American professional wrestler,. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, he wrestled as "The Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff, which was a play on the nickname of fan favorite "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes .Nikita was brought into the National...
, and the Steiner Brothers
The Steiner Brothers
The Steiner Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of American brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner...
. Although Sting eliminated him early, Super Invader's team won the match. By the end of 1992, Ray Fernandez had left WCW and was competing on the independent circuit
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
, as well as overseas.
One of the promotions he worked for was 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...
where he appeared as “Hercules Hernandez" once more, mainly teaming with fellow powerhouse wrestler Scott Norton
Scott Norton
Scott Michael Norton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Before wrestling:...
to form The Jurassic Powers. The team would win the IWGP Tag Team Championship from the Hell Raisers (Hawk Warrior
Road Warrior Hawk
Michael James Hegstrand was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as the Road Warriors or The Legion of Doom , with Road Warrior Animal.-Early life:While living in Chicago, Hegstrand met Joe Lauranaitis, who would be later...
and Power Warrior
Kensuke Sasaki
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently wrestles for various promotions through his own agency, Kensuke Office. He is the first of two men ever to hold all 3 of puroresu's major heavyweight titles , the other being Yoshihiro Takayama.-Early years :Kensuke Sasaki...
) in August 1993 and hold it for about 4 months before losing it back to the Hell Raisers at NJPW’s January 4 Dome Show (NJPW’s biggest annual event). While holding the title, the Jurassic Powers successfully defended against teams such as The Japanese Jollyjacks (Takayuki Iizuka
Takayuki Iizuka
, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Early years :Takayuki Iizuka made his debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling in November 1986, wrestling against Akira Nogami. In June 1989, Iizuka and Hiroshi Hase went to the Soviet...
& Akira Nogami
Akira Nogami
is a Japanese professional wrestler and actor, currently working for Yoshihiro Tajiri's Smash promotion as AKIRA.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...
), Masa Saito
Masa Saito
is a former Japanese professional wrestler better known as Mr. Saito or . He wrestled for several years in various promotions operated by the National Wrestling Alliance . He later joined the World Wrestling Federation , where he teamed with Mr. Fuji to hold the World Tag Team Championship twice...
and Manabu Nakanishi
Manabu Nakanishi
is a Japanese professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion.-Amateur wrestling career:...
, and the Barbarian
Sione Vailahi
Sione Havea Vailahi is a professional wrestler best known in wrestling as The Barbarian.-Life and career:Born and raised in Tonga, Sione was one of five teenagers sent by the King of Tonga to Japan to study Sumo wrestling in the mid 1970s. Tonga Fifita was one of the other teenagers...
& Haku. The team also had a series of matches with the Steiner Brothers and made it to the finals of the 1993 Super Grade Tag League
G1 Climax Tag League
The G1 Climax Tag League is a professional wrestling round-robin tag team tournament held by New Japan Pro Wrestling as a spin-off of the popular singles tournament, the G1 Climax. It was created in 1991 as the Super Grade Tag League, as a continuation of a regular tag team tournament held since...
where they lost to Keiji Mutoh
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan...
and Hiroshi Hase.
In 1994, Hercules wrestled 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....
promotion taking part in the tournament to crown the first AWF champion. In 1999, Ray Fernandez retired from wrestling after working for various independent promotions across the world.
Death
Fernandez died in his sleep in his home on March 6, 2004. The cause of death was attributed to heart diseaseHeart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
according to his wife.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- As Hercules
- Backbreaker rack
- Full nelson
- As Super Invader
- 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...
- Powerbomb
- As Hercules
- Signature moves
- BackbreakerBackbreakerA backbreaker refers to professional wrestling moves which see a wrestler dropping an opponent so that the opponent's back impacts or is bent backwards against a part of the wrestler's body, usually the knee...
- Bearhug
- Elbow drop
- Short-arm clothesline
- Backbreaker
- With Paul RomaPaul RomaPaul Roma is a professional wrestler who is known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling primarily as a tag-team wrestler alongside such partners as Jim Powers, Hercules, Arn Anderson and Paul Orndorff.-World Wrestling Federation :Paul Roma entered...
- Power-Plex (Superplex by Hernandez followed by a diving splash by Roma)
- 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...
- Oliver HumperdinkOliver HumperdinkJohn Sutton , better known by his ring name Oliver Humperdink, was a professional wrestling manager who worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, Florida Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation.-Career:...
- Bobby "The Brain" HeenanBobby HeenanRaymond 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...
- Harley RaceHarley RaceHarley 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...
- Jim CornetteJim CornetteJames Mark "Jim" Cornette is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling...
- Skandor Akbar
- Slick
- Oliver Humperdink
Championships and accomplishments
- 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 Central States Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Central States Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Central States Tag Team Championship was the primary tag team championship for the Heart of America Sports Attractions / Central States Wrestling promotion from 1979 until the promotion ceased to exist in 1988...
(2 times) – with Dewey RobertsonDewey RobertsonByron James John "Dewey" Robertson was a professional wrestler, known best for his ring name The Missing Link.... - NWA Central States Television ChampionshipNWA Central States Television ChampionshipThe NWA Central States Television Championship was the secondary singles chamoionship for the Heart of America Sports Attractions / Central States Wrestling promotion from 1977 until the promotion ceased to exist in 1988. -Title History:-See also:...
(1 time)
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Florida Heavyweight ChampionshipThe 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...
(2 times) - NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (1 time)
- Independent Association of Wrestling
- IAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- IAW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Paul RomaPaul RomaPaul Roma is a professional wrestler who is known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling primarily as a tag-team wrestler alongside such partners as Jim Powers, Hercules, Arn Anderson and Paul Orndorff.-World Wrestling Federation :Paul Roma entered...
- International Wrestling Federation
- IWF Can-Am Championship (1 time)
- Mid-South Wrestling Association
- Mid-South Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ted DiBiaseTed DiBiaseTheodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career...
- New Japan Pro WrestlingNew Japan Pro Wrestlingis 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...
- IWGP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Scott NortonScott NortonScott Michael Norton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Before wrestling:...
- North American Wrestling Alliance
- NAWA 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 #220 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.