Enforcers
Encyclopedia
The Enforcers were a professional wrestling
tag team
consisting of Arn Anderson
and Larry Zbyszko
. This unit is best known for their run in World Championship Wrestling
from 1991-1992.
) were formed when Arn Anderson
and Larry Zbyszko
started teaming in the summer of 1991 in WCW
. Scott Steiner
was injured in June and the WCW World Tag Team Championship
had become vacant because of the Steiners did not defend the title within the 30 day window. The Enforcers were entered into the tournament for the titles and made it to the finals against Rick Steiner
and Bill Kazmaier
at Clash of Champions XVI on September 5, 1991.
The Enforcers were known for their dirty tactics and did not fail to deliver upon that at the Clash. They attacked Kazmaier with one of his weights during a power lifting demonstration at the beginning of the Clash. When the match came, they took advantage of his injured ribs and won the titles.
They then began a feud with Barry Windham
and Dustin Rhodes and broke Windham's hand in an out of ring attack before Halloween Havoc
started on October 27, 1991. Windham and Rhodes had just arrived for an interview in Windham's car and the Enforcers slammed his hand in his car door as he was getting out of the vehicle.
This injury came just before they were supposed to get their title match against the Enforcers at Clash of Champions XVII on November 19, 1991. Nobody knew who Rhodes would get for a partner until just before the match when the returning Ricky Steamboat
came out. The Enforcers lost the titles to them at the Clash.
After this Clash, the Dangerous Alliance
was formed, with Anderson and Zbyszko as members. New manager
Paul E. Dangerously
paired Anderson with Bobby Eaton
, ending the Enforcers' run as a tag team, before teaming up one last time for New Japan Pro Wrestling
's January 4, 1992 Tokyo Dome
show.
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
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...
consisting of Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW...
and Larry Zbyszko
Larry Zbyszko
Lawrence "Larry" Whistler is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Larry Zbyszko. Zbyszko is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino during the early 1980s....
. This unit is best known for their run in 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...
from 1991-1992.
History
The Enforcers (named for Anderson's nom du guerre in The Four HorsemenFour Horsemen (professional wrestling)
The Four Horsemen were a professional wrestling stable in the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling that was disbanded in 1999. The original group featured Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard...
) were formed when Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW...
and Larry Zbyszko
Larry Zbyszko
Lawrence "Larry" Whistler is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Larry Zbyszko. Zbyszko is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino during the early 1980s....
started teaming in the summer of 1991 in 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...
. Scott Steiner
Scott Steiner
Scott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order...
was injured in June and the WCW World Tag Team Championship
WCW World Tag Team Championship
The World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
had become vacant because of the Steiners did not defend the title within the 30 day window. The Enforcers were entered into the tournament for the titles and made it to the finals against Rick Steiner
Rick Steiner
Robert Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Rick Steiner.Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling, where he was an eight time World Tag Team Champion...
and Bill Kazmaier
Bill Kazmaier
Bill Kazmaier is a former powerlifter, strongman and professional wrestler from the United States. He is widely considered to be one of the all-time greatest competitors in strength competitions...
at Clash of Champions XVI on September 5, 1991.
The Enforcers were known for their dirty tactics and did not fail to deliver upon that at the Clash. They attacked Kazmaier with one of his weights during a power lifting demonstration at the beginning of the Clash. When the match came, they took advantage of his injured ribs and won the titles.
They then began a feud with Barry Windham
Barry Windham
Barry Clinton Windham is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling ....
and Dustin Rhodes and broke Windham's hand in an out of ring attack before Halloween Havoc
Halloween Havoc
Halloween Havoc was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Championship Wrestling from 1989 through 2000. The final five events were held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena...
started on October 27, 1991. Windham and Rhodes had just arrived for an interview in Windham's car and the Enforcers slammed his hand in his car door as he was getting out of the vehicle.
This injury came just before they were supposed to get their title match against the Enforcers at Clash of Champions XVII on November 19, 1991. Nobody knew who Rhodes would get for a partner until just before the match when the returning Ricky Steamboat
Ricky Steamboat
Richard Henry Blood , better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He was one of the few wrestlers who stayed a babyface throughout his career...
came out. The Enforcers lost the titles to them at the Clash.
After this Clash, the Dangerous Alliance
Dangerous Alliance
The Dangerous Alliance was a heel professional wrestling stable that made a name for itself in World Championship Wrestling in the early '90s and the American Wrestling Association in 1987, with Adrian Adonis, Randy Rose, and Dennis Condrey making up the AWA incarnation of the group.-American...
was formed, with Anderson and Zbyszko as members. New manager
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...
Paul E. Dangerously
Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, commentator and journalist. He is also an occasional actor in film....
paired Anderson with Bobby Eaton
Bobby Eaton
Robert Lee "Bobby" Eaton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, who made his debut in 1976. Eaton is most famous for his work in tag teams, especially his days as one-half of the team the Midnight Express. Under the management of Jim Cornette, Eaton originally teamed with Dennis...
, ending the Enforcers' run as a tag team, before teaming up one last time for New Japan Pro Wrestling
New 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...
's January 4, 1992 Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
show.
Championships and accomplishments
- 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...
- 1991 Tag Team of the Year
- World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship WrestlingWorld 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...
- WCW World Tag Team ChampionshipWCW World Tag Team ChampionshipThe World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
(1 time)
- WCW World Tag Team Championship
See also
- Anderson familyAnderson familyThe Anderson family is a group of professional wrestlers, a fictitious extended family largely consisting of brothers and cousins. It started in the Minnesota area in the late 1960s with a tag team called The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, consisting of "brothers" Lars Anderson and Gene Anderson...
- Brain BustersBrain BustersThe Brain Busters was the World Wrestling Federation name for the professional wrestling tag team of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. Anderson and Blanchard adopted this name after joining the WWF in 1988 from Jim Crockett Promotions, where the two men had wrestled as part of the Four Horsemen...
- Dangerous AllianceDangerous AllianceThe Dangerous Alliance was a heel professional wrestling stable that made a name for itself in World Championship Wrestling in the early '90s and the American Wrestling Association in 1987, with Adrian Adonis, Randy Rose, and Dennis Condrey making up the AWA incarnation of the group.-American...
- Minnesota Wrecking CrewMinnesota Wrecking CrewThe 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:...