Ole Anderson

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Ole Anderson
File:Ole Anderson c.1982.png
Anderson, c. 1982
Birth name Alan Robert Rogowski
Born (1942-09-22)September 22, 1942
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Monroe, Georgia, U.S.
Alma mater St. Cloud State University[1]
Children 7, including Bryant[2]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Al Rogowski[3]
Ole Anderson[3]
Rock Rogowski[3]
Billed height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[3]
Billed weight 255 lb (116 kg)[3]
Trained by Dick the Bruiser[3]
Verne Gagne[3]
Debut August 19, 1967[3]
Retired April 1990[3]

Alan Robert Rogowski (September 22, 1942 – February 26, 2024), better known by the ring name Ole Anderson (/ˈoʊlɪ/), was an American professional wrestler, booker, and promoter. Part of the Anderson family, Anderson was a founding member of the influential stable The Four Horsemen.

Early life

Rogowski was born to Robert Joseph Rogowski and Georgiana Bryant in 1942. He attended high school near Minneapolis, then St. Cloud State University.[1][4]

Rogowski served in the United States Army.[2] He was stationed in Germany.[5]

Professional wrestling career

American Wrestling Association (1967–1968)

Rogowski was trained to wrestle by Dick the Bruiser and Verne Gagne. He debuted on August 19, 1967 in the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based American Wrestling Association (AWA); wrestling as "Rock Rogowski", he defeated José Quintero in a bout in the Minneapolis Auditorium.[3][6][7] He went on a short unbeaten streak which ended the following month when he and Mighty Igor Vodik unsuccessfully challenged Harley Race and Larry Hennig for the AWA World Tag Team Championship. In October 1967, Rogowski defeated Bob Orton for the AWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship; Orton regained the title from him the following month.[8] In December 1967, he twice again challenged for the AWA World Tag Team Championship, teaming with Bill Watts in a pair of losses to champions Dr. Moto and Mitsu Arakawa. Rogowski wrestled regularly for the AWA until June 1968, when he moved to Jim Crockett Promotions.[6]

Jim Crockett Promotions (1968–1970)

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See also: Minnesota Wrecking Crew

In mid-1968, Anderson began wrestling for the Carolinas-based Jim Crockett Promotions. Adopting the ring name Ole Anderson (Ole being a traditional Norwegian Minnesotan name, and also a play-on-words referring to the toxic shrub oleander), he was presented as the brother of Gene Anderson and Lars Anderson. Billed as Minnesota Wrecking Crew, the trio wrestled in a series of six-man tag team matches. In September 1968, they began feuding with Art Thomas, George Becker, and Johnny Weaver, culminating in a Texas death match in October 1968 that was won by Becker, Thomas, and Weaver. Following the Texas death match, Lars Anderson left the territory to return to Minnesota, and the Minnesota Wrecking Crew continued as a tag team.[9][10][1]

Anderson appeared regularly with Jim Crockett Promotions until September 1970.[10]

American Wrestling Association (1970–1971)

In November 1970, Anderson returned to the American Wrestling Association, readopting his "Rock Rogowski" ring name.[6] Upon his return, he defeated Tex McKenzie to win the AWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship for a second time, losing the title to Stan Pulaski the following month.[8] Also in November 1970, Anderson challenged his trainer Verne Gagne for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, wrestling him to a double countout.[6] In early-1971, Anderson held the AWA Midwest Tag Team Championship on two occasions, once with The Claw and once with Ox Baker.[11] Anderson left the AWA once more in mid-1971 to join Championship Wrestling from Florida.[6]

Championship Wrestling from Florida (1971–1972)

In July 1971, Anderson began wrestling for the Florida-based Championship Wrestling from Florida promotion. Shortly after arriving, he formed a tag team with Ronnie Garvin, with the duo winning the vacant NWA Florida Tag Team Championship later that month. They lost the titles to the Australians (Larry O'Dea and Ron Miller) the following month.[12] In December 1971, Anderson defeated Jack Brisco to win the NWA Florida Television Championship. His reign ended one week later when he lost to Bob Roop.[13] Anderson wrestled regularly for Championship Wrestling from Florida until spring 1972, when he left to return to Jim Crockett Promotions.[14]

Jim Crockett Promotions / Georgia Championship Wrestling (1972–1984)

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See also: Minnesota Wrecking Crew

From 1972 to 1985, Anderson wrestled primarily for Jim Crockett Promotions and Georgia Championship Wrestling. From the mid-1970s through the early 1980s, The Minnesota Wrecking Crew became synonymous with tag team wrestling in the Georgia and Mid-Atlantic territories by capturing the NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship and the Mid-Atlantic territorial version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship seven times each.[9] The Andersons feuded with such stars as Mr. Wrestling and Mr. Wrestling II, Wahoo McDaniel, Jack Brisco, Jerry Brisco, Dusty Rhodes, Tommy Rich, Johnny Weaver, Dino Bravo, Paul Jones, Ric Flair, Greg Valentine, Ricky Steamboat, Rufus R. Jones, The Mongols, and Thunderbolt Patterson throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.[9]

In 1975, the Minnesota Wrecking Crew faced Paul Jones and Wahoo McDaniel in a series of matches for the NWA World Tag Team Championship. A June 1975 featured the "supreme sacrifice" angle, which saw Ole ram McDaniel into Gene's head, knocking both men out and enabling Ole to pin McDaniel.[1]

In May 1976, Anderson was attacked by a knife-wielding audience member in Greenville, South Carolina. The attacker slashed his arm and chest, necessitating the reattachment of tendons and a large number of stitches.[1]

Behind the scenes, Anderson was also the primary booker for GCW and also had a stint booking JCP in 1981–82. For a time he even booked both companies simultaneously, often combining both rosters for supercards which were noted for offering some of the best action in the business at that time. He later left JCP to book and wrestle for GCW full-time.[citation needed]

Championship Wrestling from Georgia (1984–1985)

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See also: Black Saturday

In July 1984, Jack Brisco, Jerry Brisco, and Jim Barnett sold their shares in Georgia Championship Wrestling to Vince McMahon for $900,000 (equivalent to $2,050,000 in 2021) in what became known in the wrestling industry as "Black Saturday". The deal gave McMahon a 90% stake in the promotion and control over Georgia Championship Wrestling's 6:05 PM ET Saturday night timeslot on TBS, in which World Championship Wrestling had aired since June 1981.[15][16] Anderson - the head booker of the promotion, and a minority shareholder - rejected McMahon's new direction for the promotion and acrimoniously resigned.[15][17]

Anderson joined forces with long-time NWA-sanctioned promoters Fred Ward and Ralph Freed to start a new company called Championship Wrestling from Georgia.[9] TBS president Ted Turner granted Championship Wrestling from Georgia a 7:30 AM ET Saturday morning timeslot on TBS, which outperformed World Championship Wrestling in television ratings.[15][16] Championship Wrestling from Georgia promoted its first event in August 1984 and its final event in April 1985,[18] when Anderson sold it to Jim Crockett Jr..[15]

In addition to promoting and booking Championship Wrestling from Georgia, Anderson also wrestled for the promotion throughout its existence. In his first match, Anderson teamed with Brad Armstrong to defeat Bob Roop and The Spoiler in the Macon Coliseum. Anderson went on to feud with Roop, facing him in a series of street fights, cage matches, and taped fist matches. In October 1984 at Championship Wrestling from Georgia's "Night of Champions" event, Anderson and Dusty Rhodes wrestled AWA World Tag Team Champions the Road Warriors to a double disqualification. In November 1984, Anderson began teaming with Thunderbolt Patterson, with the duo defeating the Long Riders for the NWA National Tag Team Championship in January 1985; they vacated the titles in March 1985 when Anderson turned on Patterson.[19][20] In March 1985, Anderson reformed the Minnesota Wrecking Crew with Gene Anderson; the duo continued to team together until the promotion's final event in April 1985.[19]

Jim Crockett Promotions / World Championship Wrestling (1985–1995)

Minnesota Wrecking Crew; The Four Horsemen (1985–1987)

File:The Four Horsemen, circa Spring 1987.jpg
Anderson (left) as a member of The Four Horsemen, c. 1987

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See also: Minnesota Wrecking Crew and The Four Horsemen

In April 1985, Jim Crockett Promotions acquired Championship Wrestling from Georgia. In the same month, Gene Anderson retired from professional wrestling. Ole Anderson was paired with the debuting Marty Lunde, who had a similar facial appearance as Ole. Lunde was renamed "Arn Anderson" (variously billed as being Ole's brother, cousin, or nephew[1]) and the duo began teaming together, originally simply as the Andersons, then as the Minnesota Wrecking Crew.[10][21]

In late-April 1985, the Minnesota Wrecking Crew defeated Manny Fernandez and Thunderbolt Patterson to win the NWA National Tag Team Championship. They held the titles until January 1986, when Ole was injured in a six-man tag team match against Dusty Rhodes and the Road Warriors, forcing them to vacate the Championship.[10][20]

In 1985, Anderson became part of the original The Four Horsemen, a heel stable, with Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and manager J. J. Dillon.[21] During his time in the Horsemen, Anderson feuded with Magnum T. A., Dusty Rhodes, The Rock 'N Roll Express and The Road Warriors. Anderson was later kicked out of the group in favor of Lex Luger in early 1987.[21]

Anderson retired in 1987, when his son, Bryant, was starting his own amateur wrestling career. Bryant later joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) wrestling under the ring name of Bryant Anderson.[citation needed]

Tag team with Lex Luger (1988)

Anderson reappeared in 1988 when he rescued Lex Luger from a beating by their former Horsemen brethren.[citation needed]

The Four Horsemen (1989–1990)

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See also: The Four Horsemen

Anderson returned to wrestling with WCW in 1989 to reform the Four Horsemen with Flair, Arn and Sting.[22] They quickly kicked Sting out of the group, and Anderson retired again to manage the Horsemen, who by then also included Barry Windham and Sid Vicious.[22]

In March-April 1990, Anderson briefly managed Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom, who performed as the Minnesota Wrecking Crew II.

World Wide Wrestling / booking (1990–1994)

By 1990, he decided to wrestle in smaller local promotions such as World Wide Wrestling (WWW). He reformed the Minnesota Wrecking Crew with Burt Young aka “Paulie” or Paulie Anderson. He feuded with the companies top stars Enforcer Tortoriello, The Future Marcus Valentin, SRA Aluggi, and Bob Beatrice. The Wrecking Crew had three reigns as tag team champions defeating Poisoner Vitale and John Kuklinski twice and Lord of War Berry and Drill Sergeant Willams once.[citation needed]

In 1990, Anderson began heading the booking committee for WCW, which was at that time beginning to phase out the use of the NWA name on its television programming. Appearing in the credits for WCW pay-per-views under his real name, Anderson was responsible for some of the more infamous creative ideas tried by WCW. Among his creations were The Black Scorpion, which was intended to be a nemesis from Sting's past.[23] After several miscues, the Scorpion's identity was eventually revealed as Ric Flair, in a ploy to confuse Sting and force him to lose the WCW World Heavyweight Championship back to Flair. Flair indeed soon regained the title from Sting and for this, Anderson was dismissed as head booker by Herd, who despised Flair.[23] In 1992, Anderson became a referee. After Bill Watts was ousted in 1993, Anderson temporarily took control of WCW.[24]

When Eric Bischoff took over control of WCW in 1994, both Anderson and his son became a casualty of Bischoff's "house cleaning" when Bischoff fired Bryant while he was training at the WCW Power Plant.[23] This prompted Anderson to call Smoky Mountain Wrestling promoter and head booker Jim Cornette to try to get his son a job. Anderson's decision to deal with Cornette, someone Bischoff was on bad terms with, on WCW property, was the factor that led to his firing. Bischoff fired Anderson over the phone, even though he spoke to Anderson face-to-face the day before. The chain of events was covered in a shoot interview by Cornette.[citation needed]

Retirement (1996–2024)

From that time, Anderson stayed away from the sport, but wrote a book on it titled Inside Out: How Corporate America Destroyed Professional Wrestling.[25] He also hinted at having animosity with former partner and friend Ric Flair after criticizing him for wrestling the same kind of match for years. In his WWE biography, Flair recalled that upon returning to WCW from the WWF in 1993, Ole - who was WCW's head booker at the time - asked what good he was to WCW after losing a loser-leaves-town match with Mr. Perfect on national TV. Flair took this as a personal attack and it led to his ending their friendship.[26] Anderson was also vocal about his personal issues with Vince McMahon, Dusty Rhodes, Michael Hayes, Paul Heyman, Eric Bischoff, Tully Blanchard, Jim Herd, Roddy Piper, and Bruiser Brody.[27] In 2004, journalist Mike Mooneyham described him as "an intriguing, almost mythical, figure in the wrestling business".[28]

Professional wrestling style and persona

Anderson was known for his "hard-nosed style and gruff demeanor".[29] As a member of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew, he wrestled in a stiff, "nothing flashy, no gimmicks" style.[1] His signature moves included a diving knee drop and a hammerlock.[3]

Personal life and death

Rogowski had seven children from a marriage that ended in divorce, including Bryant Rogowski, who wrestled as Bryant Anderson. At the time of his death, he had been in a relationship with Marsha Cain for 22 years.[2][28]

In July 2007, Gerweck.net reported that Rogowski had multiple sclerosis and had gotten worse with decreased mobility and memory loss.[citation needed] On February 27, 2011, it was announced that Rogowski had been nursing broken ribs due to a fall he had earlier that day, as well as a broken arm.[30]

Rogowski died on February 26, 2024, at the age of 81.[29][31][2]

Bibliography

  • Inside Out: How Corporate America Destroyed Professional Wrestling (2003)

Championships and accomplishments

File:Gene and Ole Anderson, circa 1982.png
Ole Anderson (right) and Gene Anderson (left) as tag team champions

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 NWA National Tag Team Title history Archived 2007-12-18 at the Wayback Machine At wrestling-titles.com
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Pro Wrestling Illustrated, June 1993 issue, p.8–9.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Wrestling Observer
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ AWA Midwest Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  33. ↑ AWA Midwest Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  34. ↑ NWA Florida Television Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  35. ↑ NWA Florida Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  36. ↑ NWA Columbus Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  37. ↑ NWA Georgia Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  38. ↑ NWA Georgia Television Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  39. ↑ NWA Macon Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  40. ↑ NWA Macon Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  41. ↑ NWA Southeastern Tag Team Title (Georgia) history At wrestling-titles.com
  42. ↑ NWA Eastern States Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  43. ↑ NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  44. ↑ NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  45. ↑ NWA World Tag Team Title (Mid-Atlantic/WCW) history At wrestling-titles.com
  46. ↑ WCW Hall of Fame history At wrestling-titles.com
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com

External links

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Template:Georgia Championship Wrestling

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