Kerry Brown (wrestler)
Encyclopedia
Kerry Brown was a Canadian professional wrestler
. Brown was best known for working in Stampede Wrestling
in the 1980s under his real name, but also wrestled in Puerto Rico
and the Maritimes
using the ring name Rick Valentine.
located in Winnipeg. The following year, in 1980, began working in Kansas City
, in the same promotion that his uncle "Bulldog" Bob Brown
worked for. He then began working for Stampede Wrestling
, a promotion based in Calgary
. He quickly became known as a tag team
wrestler in Stampede, teaming up with Duke Myers to win the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship
for the first time on September 25, 1981. They won the championship for the second time on March 23, 1983, by defeating Leo Burke
and David Schultz
in a tournament final for the vacant championship. Four months later, in July 1982, Brown won the Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling
(AGPW) United States Heavyweight Championship, his first singles championship in professional wrestling. Later that year, on December 8, he and Myers defeated Bret Hart
and Leo Burke to win the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship for the third time.
It was during this time that Brown gained infamy when he refused to lose to Owen Hart
while working with Stampede Wrestling. According to Mike Shaw
, Brown was supposed to start a scripted rivalry
with Hart, but refused to lose a match to Hart, so the card
was switched, and Shaw replaced Brown in the rivalry. Brown went on to wrestle in Montreal
under the name Rick Valentine. He teamed with Sailor White
, and the pair were managed
by Eddie Creatchman
.
On May 18, 1983, Brown won the AGPW United States Heavyweight Championship for the second time. Later that year, Brown won the AGPW North American Tag Team Championship when he teamed with Frenchy Martin
to defeat Vic Rossitani and Bull Johnston in September. On December 21, 1985, Brown won the Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship
by defeating Davey Boy Smith
. The following year, on June 6, Brown and his long-term tag team partner Myers won the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship again by defeating Keith Hart
and Chris Benoit
. Over a year later, he won the AGPW North American Tag Team Championship for the second time when he and his uncle Bob defeated Kid Dynamite
and Dino Ventura. Two tears later, on June 9, 1989, Brown won the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship with his uncle, when they defeated Biff Wellington and Benoit.
(WWC), Brown wrestled using the name Rick Valentine, and was used predomindantly in the mid-card and tag team ranks. He won the WWC World Tag Team Championship
with Lance Idol on August 4, 1990 when they defeated Super Medic I and Super Medic III, and the two also held the WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship
later that year. He also won the WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship twice with Eric Embry
in 1990, once by defeating Miguelito Perez
and Hurricane Castillo, Jr. on September 23 and the second time by defeating Super Medic I and Super Medic III on December 15. He won the championship on one occasion with Gran Mendoza in 1991, when they defeated Super Medic I and Super Medic III on January 23.
In 2003 and 2004, Brown wrestled for the Canadian Wrestling Federation (CWF) and Premier Championship Wrestling, where he teamed with Jason Gagne as The Dog Pound. Brown's last match was in January 2009.
, but was occasionally billed as his son.
Brown was found unresponsive in his home in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
, Canada
on September 10, 2009. The cause of death was apparent liver failure
.
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...
. Brown was best known for working in Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
in the 1980s under his real name, but also wrestled 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...
and the Maritimes
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
using the ring name Rick Valentine.
Beginning and Canadian promotions
Brown began wrestling in 1979 in promotionsProfessional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
located in Winnipeg. The following year, in 1980, began working in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, in the same promotion that his uncle "Bulldog" Bob Brown
Bob Brown (wrestler)
Robert Harold Brown was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Bulldog" Bob Brown.- Early life :...
worked for. He then began working for Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
, a promotion based in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
. He quickly became known as a 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...
wrestler in Stampede, teaming up with Duke Myers to win the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship
Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship
The Stampede International Tag Team Championship is the main tag-team title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. It was created in 1958 as the NWA International Tag-Team Championship...
for the first time on September 25, 1981. They won the championship for the second time on March 23, 1983, by defeating Leo Burke
Leo Burke
Leonce Cormier is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. He was born in Dorchester, New Brunswick. He competed across Canada, in several American promotions, and wrestled internationally for both Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council and the National Wrestling Alliance in New Zealand...
and David Schultz
David Schultz
David Schultz or Dave Schultz may refer to:*Dave Schultz , retired ice hockey player*Dave Schultz *Dave Schultz , American golfer*David Schultz...
in a tournament final for the vacant championship. Four months later, in July 1982, Brown won the Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling
Grand prix wrestling
Grand Prix Wrestling is a wrestling promotion run and owned by Emile Duprée. Grand Prix Wrestling has currently stopped touring due to heavy traveling costs...
(AGPW) United States Heavyweight Championship, his first singles championship in professional wrestling. Later that year, on December 8, he and Myers defeated Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
and Leo Burke to win the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship for the third time.
It was during this time that Brown gained infamy when he refused to lose to Owen Hart
Owen Hart
Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
while working with Stampede Wrestling. According to Mike Shaw
Mike Shaw
Mike Shaw was a professional wrestler who was best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling as Norman The Lunatic, and as Bastion Booger in the World Wrestling Federation...
, Brown was supposed to start a scripted rivalry
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Hart, but refused to lose a match to Hart, so the card
Card (sports)
In sports, a card comprises a listing of the matches taking place in a title-match combat-sport event. Organizers divide overall cards into a main-event match and the undercard, which encompasses the rest of the matches. One can also further subdivide the undercard into midcard and lower card,...
was switched, and Shaw replaced Brown in the rivalry. Brown went on to wrestle in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
under the name Rick Valentine. He teamed with Sailor White
Ed White (wrestler)
Edward J. "Ed" White was a Canadian professional wrestler, best known as Moondog King of the Moondogs when he joined the World Wrestling Federation in the early 1980s. White won 48 championships in Canada and around the globe...
, and the pair were 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 Eddie Creatchman
Eddie Creatchman
Eddie Creatchman was a Canadian wrestler-turned-manager who is perhaps most famous for his time in Gino Brito's Montreal based promotion, where he was known as Eddie "The Brain" Creatchman, hated manager of wrestlers such as The Sheik, The Great Samu and Steve Strong.-Professional wrestling...
.
On May 18, 1983, Brown won the AGPW United States Heavyweight Championship for the second time. Later that year, Brown won the AGPW North American Tag Team Championship when he teamed with Frenchy Martin
Jean Gagné
Jean Gagné is a Québécois retired professional wrestler and manager, best known under the ring name Frenchy Martin. During his World Wrestling Federation heyday in the 1980s as the manager of Canadian wrestler Dino Bravo, he was known for his trademark sign that read "USA is not OK"...
to defeat Vic Rossitani and Bull Johnston in September. On December 21, 1985, Brown won the Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship
Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship
The Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship is the major title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. From its establishment in 1968 until 1972, it was Stampede's secondary singles championship, becoming the top title in 1972 after the previous top...
by defeating Davey Boy Smith
Davey Boy Smith
Davey Boy Smith was a British professional wrestler, better known as "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, who was born in Golborne in North West England, United Kingdom. Smith is known for his appearances with Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling...
. The following year, on June 6, Brown and his long-term tag team partner Myers won the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship again by defeating Keith Hart
Keith Hart
Keith William Hart is a Canadian retired firefighter and professional wrestler. He is one of the sons of Stu Hart, CM.-Career:Before becoming a wrestler, Keith Hart earned a degree in teaching....
and Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
. Over a year later, he won the AGPW North American Tag Team Championship for the second time when he and his uncle Bob defeated Kid Dynamite
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
and Dino Ventura. Two tears later, on June 9, 1989, Brown won the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship with his uncle, when they defeated Biff Wellington and Benoit.
Puerto Rico and later career
In the World Wrestling CouncilWorld 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), Brown wrestled using the name Rick Valentine, and was used predomindantly in the mid-card and tag team ranks. He won the 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:***...
with Lance Idol on August 4, 1990 when they defeated Super Medic I and Super Medic III, and the two also held the WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship
WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship
WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship was a third-string Tag Team title that was defended in the World Wrestling Council.-Title history:...
later that year. He also won the WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship twice with Eric Embry
Eric Embry
Douglas Eric Embry is a retired professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Class Championship Wrestling and the United States Wrestling Association as The Flamboyant Eric Embry...
in 1990, once by defeating Miguelito Perez
Miguel Pérez, Jr.
Miguel Perez, Jr. is a professional wrestler who competed as a member of the Los Boricuas stable led by Savio Vega from June 1997 to October 1998 in the World Wrestling Federation.-ECW and WWF:Pérez is the son of Miguel Pérez, Sr...
and Hurricane Castillo, Jr. on September 23 and the second time by defeating Super Medic I and Super Medic III on December 15. He won the championship on one occasion with Gran Mendoza in 1991, when they defeated Super Medic I and Super Medic III on January 23.
In 2003 and 2004, Brown wrestled for the Canadian Wrestling Federation (CWF) and Premier Championship Wrestling, where he teamed with Jason Gagne as The Dog Pound. Brown's last match was in January 2009.
Personal life
Brown was the nephew of wrestler "Bulldog" Bob BrownBob Brown (wrestler)
Robert Harold Brown was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Bulldog" Bob Brown.- Early life :...
, but was occasionally billed as his son.
Brown was found unresponsive in his home in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on September 10, 2009. The cause of death was apparent liver failure
Liver failure
Acute liver failure is the appearance of severe complications rapidly after the first signs of liver disease , and indicates that the liver has sustained severe damage . The complications are hepatic encephalopathy and impaired protein synthesis...
.
In wrestling
- 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...
- Eddie CreatchmanEddie CreatchmanEddie Creatchman was a Canadian wrestler-turned-manager who is perhaps most famous for his time in Gino Brito's Montreal based promotion, where he was known as Eddie "The Brain" Creatchman, hated manager of wrestlers such as The Sheik, The Great Samu and Steve Strong.-Professional wrestling...
- Eddie Creatchman
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s- "Pitbull"
Championships and accomplishments
- Atlantic Grand Prix WrestlingGrand prix wrestlingGrand Prix Wrestling is a wrestling promotion run and owned by Emile Duprée. Grand Prix Wrestling has currently stopped touring due to heavy traveling costs...
- AGPW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- AGPW North American Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Bob BrownBob Brown (wrestler)Robert Harold Brown was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Bulldog" Bob Brown.- Early life :...
- Canadian Wrestling Federation
- CWF Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- CWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Adrian Walls
- National Wrestling AllianceNational Wrestling AllianceThe 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...
- NWA Canadian Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Canadian Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship was the top singles title in Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1978 until 1984, when it was abandoned after the Toronto promotion partnered with the WWF. The title was reinstated as the present-day, NWA Board-controlled version of the NWA Canadian Heavyweight...
(1 time)
- NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship
- Stampede WrestlingStampede WrestlingStampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
- Stampede North American Heavyweight ChampionshipStampede North American Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship is the major title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. From its establishment in 1968 until 1972, it was Stampede's secondary singles championship, becoming the top title in 1972 after the previous top...
(1 time) - Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team ChampionshipStampede Wrestling International Tag Team ChampionshipThe Stampede International Tag Team Championship is the main tag-team title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. It was created in 1958 as the NWA International Tag-Team Championship...
(4 times) - with Duke Myers (3) and Bob Brown (1)
- Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship
- World Wrestling CouncilWorld Wrestling CouncilThe World Wrestling Council is one of Puerto Rico's two main professional wrestling promotions, the other one being the International Wrestling Association....
- WWC Caribbean Tag Team ChampionshipWWC Caribbean Tag Team ChampionshipWWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship was a third-string Tag Team title that was defended in the World Wrestling Council.-Title history:...
(4 times) - with Lance Idol (1), Eric EmbryEric EmbryDouglas Eric Embry is a retired professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Class Championship Wrestling and the United States Wrestling Association as The Flamboyant Eric Embry...
(2), and Galan Mendoza (1) - WWC World Tag Team ChampionshipWWC World Tag Team ChampionshipThe 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:***...
(1 time) - with Lance Idol
- WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship