Bull Pain
Encyclopedia
Rick Gantner, known by his ring name Bull Pain, is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 independent
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...

 professional wrestler
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...

, currently best known for his work in IWA Mid-South, and for his past career as part of the Texas Hangmen tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...

 in promotions such as 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...

, United States Wrestling Association
United States Wrestling Association
The United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded by former CWA owner Jerry Jarrett.-Foundation:...

 and 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....

.

Early career

Rick Gantner had a grounding in martial arts and boxing, but having been taken to AWA shows by his father became a fan of professional wrestling (particularly Superstar Billy Graham, The Crusher
Reginald Lisowski
Reginald Lisowski was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The Crusher ....

 and The Valiant Brothers
The Valiant Brothers
The Valiant Brothers were a professional wrestling tag team of storyline brothers "Handsome" Jimmy Valiant, "Luscious" Johnny Valiant, and "Gentleman" Jerry Valiant...

). He got his start in Milwaukee at Federation Hall training with Tom "Rocky" Stone, having his first independent match vs Lance Atlas as Ricky "Wildfire" Golden, before moving to Bob Geigel
Bob Geigel
Robert "Bob" Geigel is a former American professional wrestling promoter and also a former professional wrestler. Geigel ran the NWA Central States promotion between 1963 and 1986, until it was bought out by Jim Crockett Promotions...

's NWA Heart of America
Heart of America Sports Attractions
Heart 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...

 and debuting against Gypsy Joe
Gilberto Melendez
Gilberto Melendez is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known under the ring name Gypsy Joe. Currently he wrestles for the Southern Wrestling Federation in Tullahoma, Tennessee.-Professional wrestling career:...

 as Rick Gantner.

Gantner then moved on to work for Verne Gagne
Verne Gagne
Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne , is a retired American professional wrestler, football player, and professional wrestling trainer and promoter. He was the former owner/promoter of the American Wrestling Association , based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which was the predominant promotion throughout...

's 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...

, debuting on TV against Bruiser Brody, and going on to wrestle the likes of Nick Bockwinkel
Nick Bockwinkel
Nicholas Warren Francis "Nick" Bockwinkel is a retired American professional wrestler. He mainly competed in the American Wrestling Association in the United States...

, 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:...

, Baron Von Raschke and Stan Hansen
Stan Hansen
John Stanley Hansen, Jr. is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Stan Hansen. As a wrestler, Hansen was well known for his stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to poor eyesight, as he is nearly blind without glasses...

. After working as a jobber for the AWA (as well as regular appearances for 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...

, NWA
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...

 and others), Gantner was repackaged as a masked wrestler named Psycho and paired up with Killer (Mike Moran) as the Texas Hangmen, a gimmick used primarily in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

, particularly wrestling for the 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....

 where they would become four time WWC World Tag Team Champions
WWC World Tag Team Championship
The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council.-Title history:-External links:***...

. After returning from Puerto Rico, the Texas Hangmen found that they were in demand in the United States, wrestling back in AWA, as well as going to wrestle in Memphis for the United States Wrestling Association
United States Wrestling Association
The United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded by former CWA owner Jerry Jarrett.-Foundation:...

.

World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling

While wrestling for Global Wrestling Federation
Global Wrestling Federation
Global Wrestling Federation was a professional wrestling promotion based in Dallas, Texas. It started in June 1991 and folded in September 1994. At one time its shows were presented on the ESPN television network. On many weeks, the promotion provided programming five days a week airing at 4 p.m...

, Gantner developed the Bull Pain gimmick, using an old high school football nickname. At the same time Ian Rotten
Ian Rotten
John Benson Williams is an American professional Wrestler better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in Global Wrestling Federation , Extreme Championship Wrestling , and his own wrestling promotion IWA: Mid-South.-Early career:After becoming a fan of Dusty Rhodes and "Superstar"...

 was in a feud with his 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...

 brother Axl Rotten
Axl Rotten
Brian Knighton is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Axl Rotten.-Early years:After watching a professional wrestling match on television, Knighton decided to become a wrestler...

 in Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme 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...

, during which Axl Rotten disappeared. As Ian and Bull Pain had previously worked together in USWA, he recommended Bull Pain as a replacement, and the two had a brief feud, including Taipei Death Matches and Barbed Wire Baseball Bat Matches. Pain was also wrestling at this time as a regular "enhancement talent" for World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...

 under the name "Bull Payne", wrestling the likes of 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...

, Hak
Jim Fullington
James "Jim" Fullington better known by his ring name Sandman, is an American professional wrestler, best known for his career with Extreme Championship Wrestling , where he developed into a "Hardcore Icon"...

, Van Hammer, Johnny B Badd
Marc Mero
Marc Mero is an American retired amateur boxer and professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation as Marc Mero and with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Johnny B. Badd...

, and Bobby Duncum, Jr.
Bobby Duncum, Jr.
Bobby Duncum, Jr. was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling as a member of the West Texas Rednecks.-Professional wrestling career:...


Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South

After being released from ECW, Bull Pain debuted for Ian Rotten's Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky.- History :...

, a company he still makes appearances for. Bull has stated that he considers the IWA:Mid-South to be "one of the best independent shows on the market", and that he feels that they are only held back by the area in which they are putting on shows. Pain went on to both hold the Television
IWA Mid-South Television Championship
The IWA Mid-South Television Championship was a short-lived title in the IWA Mid-South based in Louisville, Kentucky. The title appeared from 1997, when Rollin' Hard won a ten man Battle Royal to become the first ever champion....

 and Light Heavyweight Championships
IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship
The IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship was one of the major titles in the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South. The title debuted as the Lightweight Title in 1996, evolving to the current weight class in 1998....

, as well as holding the Heavyweight Championship
IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship
The IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship was the major title in the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South based in Louisville, Kentucky...

 five times.

Juggalo Championship Wrestling (2007-present)

Bull Pain debuted in Juggalo Championship Wrestling at East Side Wars by attacking hero
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...

 2 Tuff Tony
2 Tuff Tony
Tony Borcherding , better known by his ring name 2 Tuff Tony, is an American professional wrestler best known for his hardcore wrestling style...

. In the following weeks, Pain continued to beat opponents mercilessly using a metal baseball bat he called Brother Pain. At Bloodymania, 2 Tuff Tony defeated Bull Pain in a Louisville Slugger
Hillerich & Bradsby
Hillerich & Bradsby Company is a company located in Louisville, Kentucky that produces the famous Louisville Slugger baseball bat. The Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory in downtown Louisville features a retrospective of the product and its use throughout baseball history...

 match. The following year at Bloodymania II
Bloodymania II
Bloodymania II was a professional wrestling event produced by Juggalo Championship Wrestling , which took place at midnight on August 10, 2008 at Hog Rock in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment in which theatrical events are combined with a competitive...

, Pain replaced Isabella Smothers
Mickie Knuckles
Mickie Lee Knuckles is an American professional wrestler who has worked for a number of major independent promotions, including Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, Chikara and Combat Zone Wrestling. She also worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name Moose...

 to team with Tracy Smothers
Tracy Smothers
Tracy Smothers is an American professional wrestler.-Early career:Tracy started his career in the Memphis promotion on Saturday morning TV. Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers started teaming as The Southern Boys in Florida Championship Wrestling in 1987 where they feuded with The New Breed...

 in a losing effort against 2 Tuff Tony and Boondox
Boondox
David Hutto is an American rapper from Covington, Georgia. Hutto is most commonly known as Boondox, whose stage persona is that of a killer scarecrow. He is currently signed to Psychopathic Records.-Biography:...

. Pain continued his losing streak at Bloodymania III
Bloodymania III
Bloodymania III was a professional wrestling event produced by Juggalo Championship Wrestling , which took place at midnight on August 9, 2009 at Hog Rock in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment in which theatrical events are combined with a competitive...

, losing a Tough Man Match to Butterbean
Eric Esch
Eric Scott Esch is an American heavyweight boxer, kick-boxer, professional wrestler, and mixed martial artist commonly referred to as Butterbean....

. At Oddball Wrestling 2010, Bull Pain and Ian Bloody
Ian Rotten
John Benson Williams is an American professional Wrestler better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in Global Wrestling Federation , Extreme Championship Wrestling , and his own wrestling promotion IWA: Mid-South.-Early career:After becoming a fan of Dusty Rhodes and "Superstar"...

 lost to Corporal Robinson
Steve Robinson
Steve, Stephen or Steven Robinson may refer to:*Steve Robinson , American bridge player*Stephen E. Robinson , American Mormon scholar*Stephen Robinson , American astronaut...

 and 2 Tuff Tony in a Taipei Deathmatch. The following night at Bloodymania IV
Bloodymania IV
Bloodymania IV was a professional wrestling event produced by Juggalo Championship Wrestling , which took place at midnight on August 15, 2010 at Hog Rock in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment in which theatrical events are combined with a competitive...

, Pain and Bloody interfered in a match on Tracy Smothers' behalf. The duo was fended off by 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...

 and Smothers' opponent Booker T
Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...

.

By the end of 2010, Pain was put into a storyline
Narrative thread
A narrative thread, or plot thread , refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to center the story in the action or experience of characters rather than to relate a matter in a dry 'All knowing' sort of narration...

 in which he was seemingly dating Tracy Smothers' daughter Isabella. Both Pain and Isabella became involved in a rivalry with The Weedman. On March 26, 2011, Pain took part in Juggalo Championship Wrestling's first internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

 pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...

 Hatchet Attacks
Hatchet Attacks (2011)
Hatchet Attacks was a professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by Juggalo Championship Wrestling , which was only available online. It took place on March 26, 2011 at The Rave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment in which theatrical events are...

. Teaming with Baby Bitch Boy and The Bumpin' Uglies, Pain lost to the team of The Weedman, 2 Tuff Tony, Jailbird Man, and Rhino. At the following event, he lost to The Weedman in a match that seemingly ended their feud. At Bloodymania 2011, Bull teamed with Tracy Smothers
Tracy Smothers
Tracy Smothers is an American professional wrestler.-Early career:Tracy started his career in the Memphis promotion on Saturday morning TV. Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers started teaming as The Southern Boys in Florida Championship Wrestling in 1987 where they feuded with The New Breed...

 in a losing effort against Necro Butcher
Necro Butcher
Dylan Keith Summers is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Necro Butcher. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Beyond Wrestling, Firestormpro, Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA-Mid South, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Big Japan Pro Wrestling,...

 and Mad Man Pondo, The Ring Rydas and Scott Levy
Scott Levy
Scott Anthony Levy , better known by his ring name Raven, is an American professional wrestler, wrestling producer, wrestling writer, and occasional author and actor currently working for Juggalo Championship Wrestling , where he is co-holder of the JCW Tag Team Championship, as well as other...

 and Slim Goody. Raven and Goody left with the Tag Team straps.

Chikara

Following a run-in at Deuces Wild, Bull Pain made his Chikara in-ring debut at Passion and Persistence (April 20, 2008) at the New Alhambra Arena, teaming with Vin Gerard
Vin Gerard
Vince "Vin" Gerard Durling is an American professional wrestler currently competing in the American-based promotion Chikara.-Equinox:...

 against The Colony (Fire Ant and Soldier Ant)
The Colony (professional wrestling)
The Colony is a professional wrestling stable wrestling for Chikara. Their gimmick is, as their name suggests, a colony of ants.-Debut:After being trained by both Mike Quackenbush and Chris Hero, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant debuted as Team Colony at the 2006 Tag World Grand Prix, where they lost in...

. Due to Pain's use of his signature baseball bat, which he nicknamed Brother Pain, Pain and Gerard were disqualified, and Leonard F. Chikarason (Chikara's Director of Fun) banned them both from appearing on any Chikara shows for 30 days. Pain has not been seen in the company since.

In wrestling

  • Finishing moves
  • Pain Game (Rope hung swinging neckbreaker)

  • Signature moves
  • Frog splash
  • Leg drop
    Leg drop
    A leg drop or legdrop refers to an attack used in professional wrestling in which an attacking wrestler will jump and land his leg across a fallen opponent's chest, throat, face or head or in some cases, the groin/lower-abdominal area...

  • Piledriver
  • Ropewalk elbow drop

Championships and accomplishments

  • Heartland Wrestling Association
    Heartland Wrestling Association
    The Heartland Wrestling Association is a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, it was listed as one of the top independent...

  • HWA Bar Room Brawl Championship (1 time)

  • Independent Association of Wrestling
  • IAW Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Killer

  • Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
    Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
    Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky.- History :...

  • IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship
    IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship
    The IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship was the major title in the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South based in Louisville, Kentucky...

     (5 times)
  • IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship
    IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship
    The IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship was one of the major titles in the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South. The title debuted as the Lightweight Title in 1996, evolving to the current weight class in 1998....

     (1 time)
  • IWA Mid-South Television Championship
    IWA Mid-South Television Championship
    The IWA Mid-South Television Championship was a short-lived title in the IWA Mid-South based in Louisville, Kentucky. The title appeared from 1997, when Rollin' Hard won a ten man Battle Royal to become the first ever champion....

     (1 time)

  • Kick Ass Wrestling
  • KAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

  • Memphis Championship Wrestling
    Memphis Championship Wrestling
    Memphis Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion run by Terry Golden, based in Memphis, Tennessee. The promotion's first event was on February 20, 2000, and it remained active up until mid-2001...

  • MCW Southern Tag Team Championship
    MCW Southern Tag Team Championship
    The MCW Southern Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in Memphis Championship Wrestling from 2000 until the promotion closed in 2002.-Title history:...

     (1 time) – with Todd Morton

  • 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...

  • PWI ranked him #307 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1993

  • Tri-State Wrestling
    • Tri-State Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Killer

  • United States Wrestling Association
    United States Wrestling Association
    The United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded by former CWA owner Jerry Jarrett.-Foundation:...

  • USWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Killer

  • Windy City Pro Wrestling
    Windy City Pro Wrestling
    Windy City Pro Wrestling was an American regional professional wrestling promotion based in Chicago, Illinois. Established by retired wrestler Sam DeCero in 1988, the promotion was one of several major regional territories in the Midwest during the late 1980s, along with Dick the Bruiser's World...

  • WCPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Killer

  • 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....

  • WWC World Tag Team Championship
    WWC World Tag Team Championship
    The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council.-Title history:-External links:***...

     (4 times) – with Killer

External links

  1. Profile at Bodyslamming.com
  2. Profile at Online World of Wrestling
  3. Profile at JCW
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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