Beverly Brothers
Encyclopedia
The Beverly Brothers were a professional wrestling
tag team comprising Mike Enos
and Wayne Bloom
in the World Wrestling Federation
. They were also known as The Destruction Crew in the American Wrestling Association
and the Minnesota Wrecking Crew 2 in the National Wrestling Alliance
. The Destruction Crew won the Pro Wrestling Illustrated
1990 Rookie of the Year award, the only tag team to win this accolade.
and Wayne Bloom
started out in 1989 in the American Wrestling Association
after being trained by Eddie Sharkey
and managed
by Johnny Valiant
. Sporting matching ring attire and carrying sledgehammer
s to the ring, they were known as "The Destruction Crew". They feuded with The Olympians, Ken Patera
and Brad Rheingans
, and challenged them to a “car lifting” contest. During the challenge, The Crew attacked The Olympians and, in storyline
, injured them. The Olympian's injuries forced them to vacate their AWA Tag Team Championship which were then placed in a tournament. The Crew went on to defeat Greg Gagne
and Paul Diamond
to win the title tournament on October 1, 1989. They also faced Rheingans and Paul Diamond and in a steel cage match were the former was locked out of the cage only to have his partner decimated by The Destruction Crew. The team finally lost their Tag Team titles on August 11, 1990 to The Trooper
and D.J. Peterson
. Although neither Enos nor Bloom were technically "rookies," fans voted The Destruction Crew the 1989 Rookie of the Year in Pro Wrestling Illustrated
, making them the only tag team to win this award.
By the end of 1990, the AWA was effectively on hiatus and would eventually shut down entirely by May 1991. The Destruction Crew's entrance theme in the AWA was the highly popular Queen song "We Will Rock You
", a theme of defeating your opponents in sports and leaving them in humiliation. This was most fitting considering by the time the AWA went under, they were viewed upon as a tag team with one of the best win/loss records in the history of the company.
during the summer of 1990. In WCW they wrestled under masks as the "Minnesota Wrecking Crew II" and were managed by Ole Anderson
who was part of the original Minnesota Wrecking Crew
. They attempted without success to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship
from The Steiner Brothers
during a brief feud.
including an unsuccessful title match against then IWGP Tag Team Champions Keiji Mutoh
and Masahiro Chono
on August 19, 1990.
and were transformed into Beau (Bloom) and Blake (Enos), "The Beverly Brothers". Their gimmick was that of two spoiled rich brats. They were originally managed by Coach (John Tolos)
, then by The Genius
. The team was initially promoted as a force to be reckoned with and launched into feuds with the Legion of Doom
, The Bushwhackers
and The Natural Disasters
, the latter of which revolved around the WWF World Tag Team Championship. By the later part of 1992, however, the Beverly Brothers would be used primarily to put over other tag teams. The Beverly Brothers were seldom promoted as serious players in the tag team division, making only a few PPV appearances between 1991 and 1993.
Bloom left the WWF in April 1993 and semi-retired from the sport while Enos, still under the Blake Beverly moniker, remained with the company for an additional four months as a singles competitor, primarily putting over other talent.
in 1997-98 for a few matches. They remained low-card performers, and after a few matches together, the team finally disbanded.
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...
tag team comprising Mike Enos
Mike Enos
Mike Enos is a retired professional wrestler who wrestled mainly as a tag-team wrestler in World Championship Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association and the World Wrestling Federation between 1989 and 2000....
and Wayne Bloom
Wayne Bloom
Wayne Bloom is a former professional wrestler who wrestled in World Championship Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association, and the World Wrestling Federation between 1988 and 1999....
in 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...
. They were also known as The Destruction Crew in the American Wrestling Association
American 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...
and the Minnesota Wrecking Crew 2 in the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
. The Destruction Crew won the Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro 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...
1990 Rookie of the Year award, the only tag team to win this accolade.
American Wrestling Assoociation (1989-1991)
Mike EnosMike Enos
Mike Enos is a retired professional wrestler who wrestled mainly as a tag-team wrestler in World Championship Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association and the World Wrestling Federation between 1989 and 2000....
and Wayne Bloom
Wayne Bloom
Wayne Bloom is a former professional wrestler who wrestled in World Championship Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association, and the World Wrestling Federation between 1988 and 1999....
started out in 1989 in the American Wrestling Association
American 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...
after being trained by Eddie Sharkey
Eddie Sharkey
Eddie Sharkey is an American professional wrestling trainer. He is often called "The Trainer of Champions", and has been instrumental in training some of the biggest names in the industry, including the Road Warriors , "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Tom Zenk, Bob Backlund, Jerry Lynn, Sean Waltman, Nord...
and managed
Manager (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...
by Johnny Valiant
John L. Sullivan (wrestler)
John L. Sullivan is a retired professional wrestler better known as Johnny Valiant. He competed in the World Wide Wrestling Federation , which became the World Wrestling Federation during his time with the promotion. He won the World Tag Team Championship two times...
. Sporting matching ring attire and carrying sledgehammer
Sledgehammer
A sledgehammer is a tool consisting of a large, flat head attached to a lever . The head is typically made of metal. The sledgehammer can apply more impulse than other hammers, due to its large size. Along with the mallet, it shares the ability to distribute force over a wide area...
s to the ring, they were known as "The Destruction Crew". They feuded with The Olympians, 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...
and Brad Rheingans
Brad Rheingans
Brad Rheingans is a former Greco-Roman and professional wrestler.-Career:Rheingans was an NCAA champion in 1975 for North Dakota State University and wrestled in the 1976 Olympics, placing fourth...
, and challenged them to a “car lifting” contest. During the challenge, The Crew attacked The Olympians and, in storyline
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
, injured them. The Olympian's injuries forced them to vacate their AWA Tag Team Championship which were then placed in a tournament. The Crew went on to defeat 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...
and Paul Diamond
Tom Boric
Thomas "Tom" Boric is a retired professional wrestler better known by his ring name Paul Diamond. He is best known for being one half of the tag team Badd Company with Pat Tanaka and for his time in the World Wrestling Federation as Kato, one half of The Orient Express also with Pat Tanaka...
to win the title tournament on October 1, 1989. They also faced Rheingans and Paul Diamond and in a steel cage match were the former was locked out of the cage only to have his partner decimated by The Destruction Crew. The team finally lost their Tag Team titles on August 11, 1990 to The Trooper
Del Wilkes
Del Wilkes is a former American professional wrestler. Over the span of 14 years, he performed in various promotions such as American Wrestling Association, All Japan Pro Wrestling...
and D.J. Peterson
David Peterson (wrestler)
David W. Peterson was an American professional wrestler, known by his ringname D.J. Peterson, who competed in North American regional promotions during the 1980s in the Universal Wrestling Federation, the National Wrestling Alliance and the American Wrestling Association during its final days,...
. Although neither Enos nor Bloom were technically "rookies," fans voted The Destruction Crew the 1989 Rookie of the Year in Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro 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...
, making them the only tag team to win this award.
By the end of 1990, the AWA was effectively on hiatus and would eventually shut down entirely by May 1991. The Destruction Crew's entrance theme in the AWA was the highly popular Queen song "We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century...
", a theme of defeating your opponents in sports and leaving them in humiliation. This was most fitting considering by the time the AWA went under, they were viewed upon as a tag team with one of the best win/loss records in the history of the company.
World Championship Wrestling (1990)
While still AWA World Tag Team Champions, the Destruction Crew joined 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...
during the summer of 1990. In WCW they wrestled under masks as the "Minnesota Wrecking Crew II" and were managed by Ole Anderson
Ole Anderson
Alan Robert Rogowski , better known by his ring name of Ole Anderson, is a retired professional wrestler and a promoter. He held numerous NWA World Tag Team Championships with Gene Anderson, who was portrayed as his brother...
who was part of the original Minnesota Wrecking Crew
Minnesota Wrecking Crew
The Minnesota Wrecking Crew was originally a professional wrestling tag team that was formed by Gene and Lars Anderson but since then has featured a number of wrestlers who wrestled under the Anderson family name despite not being blood related.-History:...
. They attempted without success to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship
NWA World Tag Team Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship is the professional wrestling world tag team championship within the NWA framework.-History:...
from 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...
during a brief feud.
New Japan Pro Wrestling (1990)
After the AWA closed, the Destruction Crew went to Japan and compete in a series of matches in the New Japan Pro WrestlingNew 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...
including an unsuccessful title match against then IWGP Tag Team Champions 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 Masahiro Chono
Masahiro Chono
, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a...
on August 19, 1990.
World Wrestling Federation (1991-1993)
In May 1991, the team went to 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...
and were transformed into Beau (Bloom) and Blake (Enos), "The Beverly Brothers". Their gimmick was that of two spoiled rich brats. They were originally managed by Coach (John Tolos)
John Tolos
John Tolos, nicknamed "The Golden Greek", was a Canadian professional wrestler, and professional wrestling manager.-Canadian Wrecking Crew:...
, then by The Genius
Lanny Poffo
Lanny Mark Poffo , better known by his ring name "Leaping" Lanny is an American professional wrestler. Poffo was born in Calgary, Canada, to Angelo Poffo, an Italian American Catholic, and Judy, a Jewish American. He is also the brother of wrestling legend "Macho Man" Randy Savage...
. The team was initially promoted as a force to be reckoned with and launched into feuds with 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...
, The Bushwhackers
The Bushwhackers
The Bushwhackers were a professional wrestling tag team that also competed as The Sheepherders during their long career. They wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation and Jim Crockett Promotions as well as a nearly 40 year run on the independent wrestling circuit...
and The Natural Disasters
The Natural Disasters
The Natural Disasters were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Earthquake and Typhoon who competed in the World Wrestling Federation between 1991 and 1993...
, the latter of which revolved around the WWF World Tag Team Championship. By the later part of 1992, however, the Beverly Brothers would be used primarily to put over other tag teams. The Beverly Brothers were seldom promoted as serious players in the tag team division, making only a few PPV appearances between 1991 and 1993.
Bloom left the WWF in April 1993 and semi-retired from the sport while Enos, still under the Blake Beverly moniker, remained with the company for an additional four months as a singles competitor, primarily putting over other talent.
World Championship Wrestling (1997-1998)
The team had a brief reunion in 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...
in 1997-98 for a few matches. They remained low-card performers, and after a few matches together, the team finally disbanded.
In wrestling
Finishing moves- As The Beverly Brothers
- Shaker Heights Spike (Blake flapjacks the opponent into the air and Beau catches them with a kneeling head spike)
- As The Destruction Crew
- Aided piledriver
- Wrecking Ball (Electric chair / Diving clothesline combinationDoomsday DeviceDoomsday Device, often shortened to Device, is a term used in professional wrestling to reference a tandem move in which one wrestler hoists the opponent on their shoulders so that they are facing in the same direction in what is known as the electric chair position, while another wrestler climbs...
)
- 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...
- Johnny Valiant
- Ole AndersonOle AndersonAlan Robert Rogowski , better known by his ring name of Ole Anderson, is a retired professional wrestler and a promoter. He held numerous NWA World Tag Team Championships with Gene Anderson, who was portrayed as his brother...
- Coach (John Tolos)John TolosJohn Tolos, nicknamed "The Golden Greek", was a Canadian professional wrestler, and professional wrestling manager.-Canadian Wrecking Crew:...
- The GeniusLanny PoffoLanny Mark Poffo , better known by his ring name "Leaping" Lanny is an American professional wrestler. Poffo was born in Calgary, Canada, to Angelo Poffo, an Italian American Catholic, and Judy, a Jewish American. He is also the brother of wrestling legend "Macho Man" Randy Savage...
- Christopher Love
- Baron Von RaschkeJames RaschkeJames Donald Raschke is a retired professional wrestler best known as Baron von Raschke.-Career:...
- Manny FernandezManny 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:...
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 :...
(1 time)
- AWA World Tag Team Championship
- 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 Rookie of the Year: 1989