The Executioners (professional wrestling)
Encyclopedia
The Executioners is the name of several tag team
s of masked wrestlers who wrestled in the World (Wide) Wrestling Federation
.
. In 1976, he trained Executioner #2
and the two became a tag team in WWWF.
Together, the Executioners captured the WWWF Tag Team Championship on May 11, 1976 by defeating Louis Cerdan
and Tony Parisi
. Later, they were joined by a third masked wrestler who called himself Executioner #3
because he was the third member of the Executioners.
The Executioners were stripped of their titles on December 7 because Executioner #3 was used in a title defense against Chief Jay Strongbow
and Billy White Wolf
. A three-team tournament occurred on the same day and Executioner #3 unmasked himself under his real name Nikolai Volkoff.
Volkoff selected Tor Kamata
as his partner and then The Executioners & Nikolai Volkoff and Tor Kamata were defeated by Chief Jay Strongbow and Billy White Wolf in the three-team tournament. Later, the team was abandoned when the Executioners went on their own way.
("Pain") and Barry Hardy ("Agony") in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They both formed two tag teams The Executioners and Lords of Darkness.
Their teams were mainly jobbers who lost to tag teams. Their first popular match was against The Steiner Brothers
on March 1, 1993 edition of WWF Monday Night RAW
which they lost. After that match, they would lose to several tag teams in WWF. Their tag team ended in 1994.
Executioner Agony also was sometimes a jobber for singles wrestlers such as Lex Luger
.
at WrestleMania I
. It was the opening match of WrestleMania where Buddy Rose as The Executioner lost to Tito Santana after a Figure four leglock.
, a WCCW
legend who was also a part of the Fabulous Freebirds
debuted in WWF on Buried Alive
PPV as the masked Executioner. He attacked The Undertaker after Undertaker defeated Mankind
in a Buried Alive match. He made another appearance at the 1996 Survivor Series as he saved Paul Bearer from The Undertaker following Taker's victory over Mankind. The Executioner made one wrestling appearance on Monday Night Raw on November 25, 1996 defeating Freddy Joe Floyd, this match was his last televised match before his match against The Undertaker at It's Time
PPV. The match was an Armageddon Rules Match. He lost the match to The Undertaker when he couldn't answer the 10 count.
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 of masked wrestlers who wrestled in the World (Wide) Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
.
The Executioners (1970s)
The first version of Executioners was founded by Executioner #1 who was a masked wrestler wrestling for World Wide 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...
. In 1976, he trained Executioner #2
Big John Studd
John William Minton was an American professional wrestler and actor who was born and raised in Butler, Pennsylvania, better known by his ring name, Big John Studd.-Career:...
and the two became a tag team in WWWF.
Together, the Executioners captured the WWWF Tag Team Championship on May 11, 1976 by defeating Louis Cerdan
Gino Brito
Louis Gino Acocella , better known by his ring name Gino Brito is a Canadian professional wrestler. He was a popular wrestler in Montreal, and was one of the promoters in the city in the 1980s...
and Tony Parisi
Antonio Pugliese
Antonio Pugliese , born in Cosenza, Italy, was a professional wrestler. He is better known by his ring name Tony Parisi. Pugliese was primarily a tag team wrestler, and he won tag team titles in several organizations, including the National Wrestling Alliance , World Wide Wrestling Federation , and...
. Later, they were joined by a third masked wrestler who called himself Executioner #3
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...
because he was the third member of the Executioners.
The Executioners were stripped of their titles on December 7 because Executioner #3 was used in a title defense against Chief Jay Strongbow
Joe Scarpa
Joseph Luke Scarpa is a former professional wrestler who was best known by his famous ring moniker, Chief Jay Strongbow...
and Billy White Wolf
Adnan Al-Kaissie
Adnan Bin Abdulkareem Ahmed Alkaissy El Farthie , better known professionally as Adnan Al-Kaissie, is a former iraqi professional wrestler and a manager best known as Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissy, Billy White Wolf, or General Adnan...
. A three-team tournament occurred on the same day and Executioner #3 unmasked himself under his real name Nikolai Volkoff.
Volkoff selected Tor Kamata
Tor Kamata
McRonald Kamaka was an American/Canadian professional wrestler known by the ring name Tor Kamata. He won several Heavyweight and Tag Team championships, including one World Tag Team title. He was a classic "bad guy" wrestler...
as his partner and then The Executioners & Nikolai Volkoff and Tor Kamata were defeated by Chief Jay Strongbow and Billy White Wolf in the three-team tournament. Later, the team was abandoned when the Executioners went on their own way.
Championships and accomplishments
- WWWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - Executioner #1 & Executioner #2Big John StuddJohn William Minton was an American professional wrestler and actor who was born and raised in Butler, Pennsylvania, better known by his ring name, Big John Studd.-Career:...
The Executioners (1980s-1990s)
There was also a second version of the Executioners and these were also masked wrestlers. These consisted of Duane GillDuane Gill
Duane Gill is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation as Gillberg, a parody of then-rival promotion World Championship Wrestling's top star Goldberg. During his tenure in the WWF, Gill became a one time Light Heavyweight Champion...
("Pain") and Barry Hardy ("Agony") in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They both formed two tag teams The Executioners and Lords of Darkness.
Their teams were mainly jobbers who lost to tag teams. Their first popular match was against 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...
on March 1, 1993 edition of WWF Monday Night RAW
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
which they lost. After that match, they would lose to several tag teams in WWF. Their tag team ended in 1994.
Match history
- January 23, 1993 - ECWExtreme Championship WrestlingExtreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
/WWAWorld Wrestling AssociationThe World Wrestling Association is a lucha libre promotion based in the Tijuana-area of Mexico. It was founded in 1986 by Benjamin Mora, Jr....
Show: ECW Tag Team ChampionsECW Tag Team ChampionshipThe Extreme Championship Wrestling World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling...
The Super DestroyersThe Super DestroyersThe Super Destroyers is a Professional wrestling Tag team consisting of Doug Stahl and A.J. Petrucci. They both currently perform on Independent circuit and they are best known for their stint in NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling where they were the first-ever and longest reigning tag team...
def. The Lords of Darkness - March 1, 1993 - RAW: The Steiner BrothersThe Steiner BrothersThe Steiner Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of American brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner...
def. The Executioners - March 22, 1993 - RAW: The Steiner Brothers def. The Executioners
- September 6, 1993 - RAW: The QuebecersThe QuebecersThe Quebecers were a heel professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation from mid-1993 to mid-1994 and again in 1998 that consisted of Jacques Rougeau and Pierre...
def. The Executioners - October 11, 1993 - RAW: The Rock 'n' Roll Express def. The Executioners
- December 20, 1993 - RAW: Men on a MissionMen on a MissionMen on a Mission was the World Wrestling Federation name for the pairing of wrestlers Nelson Frazier, Jr. and Robert Horne, who wrestled as Mabel and Mo respectively...
def. The Executioners
Executioner Agony also was sometimes a jobber for singles wrestlers such as Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
.
Buddy Rose (1985)
Some wrestlers have portrayed The Executioner gimmick as singles wrestlers. The first singles wrestler to compete as The Executioner was Buddy RoseBuddy Rose
Paul Perschmann was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Playboy" Buddy Rose.-Career:Paul Perschmann was trained by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson in the early 1970s...
at WrestleMania I
WrestleMania (1985)
WrestleMania was the first annual WrestleMania professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on March 31, 1985, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The attendance for the event was 19,121 fans...
. It was the opening match of WrestleMania where Buddy Rose as The Executioner lost to Tito Santana after a Figure four leglock.
Terry Gordy (1996)
In 1996, another wrestler Terry GordyTerry Gordy
Terry Ray 'Bam Bam' Gordy, Sr. was a professional wrestler who was best known in North America for being a member of the Fabulous Freebirds.-Career:...
, a WCCW
World Class Championship Wrestling
World Class Championship Wrestling ' was a regional professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed McLemore, by 1966 it was run by Southwest Sports, Inc., whose president, Jack Adkisson, was better known as wrestler Fritz Von Erich...
legend who was also a part of the Fabulous Freebirds
Fabulous Freebirds
The Fabulous Freebirds were a professional wrestling tag team that attained fame in the 1980s, performing into the 1990s. The team usually consisted of three wrestlers, although in different situations and points in its history, just two performed under the Freebirds name.-History:The Fabulous...
debuted in WWF on Buried Alive
In Your House 11: Buried Alive
In Your House 11: Buried Alive was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on October 20, 1996 at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana...
PPV as the masked Executioner. He attacked The Undertaker after Undertaker defeated Mankind
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
in a Buried Alive match. He made another appearance at the 1996 Survivor Series as he saved Paul Bearer from The Undertaker following Taker's victory over Mankind. The Executioner made one wrestling appearance on Monday Night Raw on November 25, 1996 defeating Freddy Joe Floyd, this match was his last televised match before his match against The Undertaker at It's Time
In Your House 12: It's Time
In Your House 12: It's Time was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on December 15, 1996 at the West Palm Beach Auditorium in West Palm Beach, Florida.-Background:...
PPV. The match was an Armageddon Rules Match. He lost the match to The Undertaker when he couldn't answer the 10 count.