Chad Fortune
Encyclopedia
Chad Fortune is a monster truck
driver, former professional
football player
and former professional wrestler
in both WWF
and WCW
.
from 1986-1989. Following his college career he signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts
but was released prior to the start of the 1990 season. Fortune spent time on the practice squad of both the Miami Dolphins
and Colts during the 1990 season. He competed in the Philadelphia Eagles
1991 training camp, but the team released him to clear a roster spot for Kenny Jackson
Fortune was signed at various points of 1992 NFL preseason, with the Washington Redskins
, Dallas Cowboys
, and Chicago Bears
. He was on the Bears practice squad at the start of the 1992 season, missing some time due to an allergic reaction caused by a bee sting. Fortune was promoted to the main roster, and spent part of the 1992 season as the team's 3rd string tight end.
Fortune was also a starting Tight End for the Frankfurt Galaxy
during both their 1991 and 1992 seasons.
"Travis", and Erik Watts
, under the ring name Troy, performed in the WWF as Tekno Team 2000
. Wearing silver smocks and tight zubaz
, their gimmick was that they represented the cutting edge of cyberculture. Their tag team made its debut on the May 27, 1995 episode of Superstars
in a victorious effort against Brooklyn Brawler and Barry Horowitz
. They wrestled two more matches on TV the following month before disappearing from television until July 1995 for the In Your House Pay-Per-View acting as lumberjacks for the main event. After the Pay-Per-View they disappeared off of television for a year, only to resurface back on WWF television in 1996. They still failed to achieve any success and both men were released from the WWF.
Fortune signed a WCW
contract in 1997. He wrestled mainly on the taped shows such as WCW Worldwide. He and Dale Torborg
were briefly a tag team known as "The Pit Crew". Fortune was one of many wrestlers released by WCW in October 1999.
Bill Goldberg
also gives credit to Fortune for serving Goldberg his first official wrestling loss in his autobiography, I'm Next.
, now Feld Entertainment) signed a contract with World Championship Wrestling
to bring WCW-based trucks to their USHRA Monster Jam
series, which gave Fortune, through wrestling, his start in monster trucks. He was initially an unnamed "spokesman" for the nWo
truck, who would give antagonistic interviews while the driver, Rob Knell, acted as being focused on the truck. Many in the industry were vocal against the use of professional wrestling gimmicks for drivers, and the truck only lasted one season.
The following year, Fortune began driving the WCW Nitro Machine truck in the winter season, then bounced around trucks during the summer. He gave Karl Malone
a ride in the WCW Nitro truck and the two became friends. In 2002, when Karl Malone
signed a deal with SFX/Clear Channel
to create a truck called Power Forward Fortune was chosen as the driver and drove the truck for three years, reaching the World Finals in 2002 and 2003.
In 2005, Fortune got the call up to drive the newly created Superman truck. Based on his professional wrestling background, he decided to dye his hair black and alter his look to match the character of Superman
. He has been fairly successful in the truck, and has made the final rounds of several stadium events. He was given the "Most Improved Driver" award for 2005.
Monster truck
A monster truck is a pickup truck, typically styled after pickup trucks' bodies, modified or purposely built with extremely large wheels and suspension...
driver, former professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
football player
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and former 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...
in both WWF
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...
and WCW
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...
.
Football career
Fortune played tight end at the University of LouisvilleUniversity of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
from 1986-1989. Following his college career he signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
but was released prior to the start of the 1990 season. Fortune spent time on the practice squad of both the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Colts during the 1990 season. He competed in the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
1991 training camp, but the team released him to clear a roster spot for Kenny Jackson
Kenny Jackson
Kenny Jackson is a former professional American football player. He played wide receiver for eight seasons in the National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Oilers and was twice named a collegiate All-American at Penn State University .-Early years:Jackson grew up in South...
Fortune was signed at various points of 1992 NFL preseason, with the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, and Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He was on the Bears practice squad at the start of the 1992 season, missing some time due to an allergic reaction caused by a bee sting. Fortune was promoted to the main roster, and spent part of the 1992 season as the team's 3rd string tight end.
Fortune was also a starting Tight End for the Frankfurt Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...
during both their 1991 and 1992 seasons.
Professional wrestling
Fortune, under the ring nameRing name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
"Travis", and Erik Watts
Erik Watts
Erik Watts is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling in the early 1990s. He is the son of legendary wrestler "Cowboy" Bill Watts.-Debut:...
, under the ring name Troy, performed in the WWF as Tekno Team 2000
Tekno Team 2000
Tekno Team 2000 was a professional wrestling tag team that competed in the World Wrestling Federation from 1995 to 1996. The team was composed of Troy and Travis . Although the team started off with a strong push from the WWF, they did not continue their initial success...
. Wearing silver smocks and tight zubaz
Zubaz
Zubaz is a brand of shorts and pants that became popular during the early 1990s. They were created in 1988 by two professional wrestlers, the Road Warriors, as a comfortable, functional short for weightlifting....
, their gimmick was that they represented the cutting edge of cyberculture. Their tag team made its debut on the May 27, 1995 episode of Superstars
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...
in a victorious effort against Brooklyn Brawler and Barry Horowitz
Barry Horowitz
Barry Horowitz is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation.-Career:Horowitz, who is Jewish, attended Florida State University, where he studied sports nutrition and wrestled...
. They wrestled two more matches on TV the following month before disappearing from television until July 1995 for the In Your House Pay-Per-View acting as lumberjacks for the main event. After the Pay-Per-View they disappeared off of television for a year, only to resurface back on WWF television in 1996. They still failed to achieve any success and both men were released from the WWF.
Fortune signed a WCW
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...
contract in 1997. He wrestled mainly on the taped shows such as WCW Worldwide. He and Dale Torborg
Dale Torborg
Dale Christian Torborg is an American baseball trainer and former professional wrestler. He is the son of former Major League Baseball manager Jeff Torborg. He is currently the conditioning coordinator for the Chicago White Sox....
were briefly a tag team known as "The Pit Crew". Fortune was one of many wrestlers released by WCW in October 1999.
Bill Goldberg
Bill Goldberg
Goldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL Draft....
also gives credit to Fortune for serving Goldberg his first official wrestling loss in his autobiography, I'm Next.
Monster trucks
In 2000, SFX Entertainment (recently Live NationLive Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
, now Feld Entertainment) signed a contract with 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...
to bring WCW-based trucks to their USHRA Monster Jam
Monster Jam
Monster Jam is a live motorsport event tour and television show operated by Feld Entertainment. The series is sanctioned under the umbrella of the United States Hot Rod Association and takes place primarily in the United States and around the world...
series, which gave Fortune, through wrestling, his start in monster trucks. He was initially an unnamed "spokesman" for the nWo
New World Order (professional wrestling)
The New World Order was a professional wrestling stable that originally wrestled for World Championship Wrestling . The group later appeared in the World Wrestling Federation after the purchase of WCW by the WWF...
truck, who would give antagonistic interviews while the driver, Rob Knell, acted as being focused on the truck. Many in the industry were vocal against the use of professional wrestling gimmicks for drivers, and the truck only lasted one season.
The following year, Fortune began driving the WCW Nitro Machine truck in the winter season, then bounced around trucks during the summer. He gave Karl Malone
Karl Malone
Karl Anthony Malone , nicknamed "The Mailman", is a retired American professional basketball power forward who spent the majority of his career with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association . Malone spent his first 18 seasons with the Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate...
a ride in the WCW Nitro truck and the two became friends. In 2002, when Karl Malone
Karl Malone
Karl Anthony Malone , nicknamed "The Mailman", is a retired American professional basketball power forward who spent the majority of his career with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association . Malone spent his first 18 seasons with the Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate...
signed a deal with SFX/Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
to create a truck called Power Forward Fortune was chosen as the driver and drove the truck for three years, reaching the World Finals in 2002 and 2003.
In 2005, Fortune got the call up to drive the newly created Superman truck. Based on his professional wrestling background, he decided to dye his hair black and alter his look to match the character of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. He has been fairly successful in the truck, and has made the final rounds of several stadium events. He was given the "Most Improved Driver" award for 2005.
In wrestling
- With TroyErik WattsErik Watts is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling in the early 1990s. He is the son of legendary wrestler "Cowboy" Bill Watts.-Debut:...
- Simultaneous vertical suplex / diving crossbody combination