Knuckles Nelson
Encyclopedia
Knuckles Nelson is a retired American
professional wrestler, promoter
and trainer
who wrestled throughout the North American independent circuit during the 1990s and 2000s. He competed in several regional promotions such as the Century Wrestling Alliance
, the National Wrestling Alliance
and the United States Wrestling Association
. He also briefly appeared in World Championship Wrestling
and the World Wrestling Federation as well as touring Japan as Super Destroyer between 1997 and 1999.
He was a founding member of Tony Rumble
's The Brotherhood
, a "heel
" stable
which dominated NWA New England during the late 1990s, and which included Eric Sbraccia, Dukes Dalton
and Rick Fuller
. He and Sbraccia won the NWA World Tag Team Championship
in 1998, and defended both the World and NWA New England titles with Sbraccia and other Brotherhood members in their home promotion for almost two years.
Following Rumble's death, Nelson helped run NWA New England for a time and later became a full time booker and promoter for Wrestling Star Wars until his retirement in 2003. As head of "The Combat Zone" wrestling school, he was involved in training several independent wrestlers, most notably, Yankee Pro Wrestling veteran "Big Gun" Jim Sergeant.
, Knuckles Nelson grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. As a child, he often watched wrestling on Fox 25 Boston and was a fan of both World Class Championship Wrestling
and the Von Erich family
as well as a reader of wrestling newsletters The Torch
and The Observer. As a young man, he decided to try his luck in the business after reading an article in the Warwick Beacon of a retired professional wrestler starting a local independent promotion. He and a friend visited a trainer at the promotion's headquarters, then occupying a rundown warehouse in Providence, and returned the following day to start their first training session. It was there that they met local independent wrestlers Bob Evans and Paul Lazon who invited them to their wrestling school in Freetown, Massachusetts
.
Nelson took them up on their offer and soon began training at the Freetown facility. It was there that he met Nick Steel and Brian Brieger who, in addition to Evans and Lazon, became his principal trainers. One of his earliest matches was against his former trainer Bob Evans whom he defeated at a show in New Bedford, Massachusetts
. He eventually made his debut in 1994, under the name Tully McShane, and spent some time in Coastal Pro Wrestling before meeting Tony Rumble
who would bring him into his emerging Boston promotion, the Century Wrestling Alliance
.
submission hold. Rumble paid him $100 and booked for three more shows beginning the start of his long career in the promotion.
Rumble didn't like the "Tully McShane" name and began helping develop his later in-ring persona, Knuckles Nelson. On February 4, 1995, Nelson made a one-time appearance in the United States Wrestling Association
where he teamed with The Shadow against PG-13
(J.C. Ice & Wolfie D). PG-13, then feuding with Tommy Rich
and Doug Gilbert
over the USWA Tag Team Championship
, were attacked by their rivals during the post-match interview. Back in the CWA, he was initially paired with Sonny C as The Cash Money Boys but split up and feuded with each other during 1996. A top contender to the CWA Heavyweight Championship
during this time, he was unable to take the title from then champion Kevin Sullivan
. He did, however, win the CWA Television Championship from Vic Steamboat in Derry, New Hampshire
on July 6, 1996. Earlier that year, he had also appeared on the 1st annual Eddie Gilbert Memorial Show in Cherry Hill, New Jersey
defeating the Inferno Kid after hitting him with brass knuckles
.
He was also a regular on the promotion's Public-access television
cable TV show, New England Mass Madness. On one occasion, during a match against a young Steve Bradley
, Nelson attempted to use his brass knuckles but lost them to Bradley. The referee, seeing the foreign object, immediately disqualified Bradley giving Nelson the win. He used a similar ploy in his victory over Johnny Angel
. It was also on the show that he started teaming with Eric Sbraccia.
On March 17, 1997, Knuckles Nelson appeared on Monday Night Nitro alongside longtime independent star T. Rantula to take on Lex Luger
& The Giant
in Savannah, Georgia
. He and his tag team partner lost the match when The Giant pinned Nelson with a chokeslam
and, following the match, Luger put T. Rantula in the "Torture Rack". On May 18, he faced another WCW tag team, The Power Company (Dave & Dean Power), whom he and partner Tre lost to. At the end of the night, Nelson and Tre took part in a 10-man tag team match with Tony Rumble, Waldo and Rick Fuller
to beat Vic Steamboat, El Mascarado, Baby Black and the Power Company. Holding the CWA Television Championship for over a year and a half, Nelson lost the title back to Steamboat in Brattleboro, Vermont
on December 8, 1997.
in attendance, other high-profile stars included Tony Rumble, King Kong Bundy
, Tito Santana
, Devon Storm
and Johnny Grunge
. That same night, the CWA announced that it would be joining the National Wrestling Alliance
and changed its name to NWA New England. That same year, Rumble arraigned for Nelson to tour Japan as Super Destroyer with Barry Darsow
and Wild Bill Irwin, Irwin having once been a mainstay of World Class Championship Wrestling
.
By early-1998, Nelson had formed a successful tag team with Eric Sbraccia as part of Tony Rumble's "heel" stable The Brotherhood
. Two months before dropping the television title to Steamboat, they had won the CWA Tag Team Championship
from The Extremists (Ace Darling & Devon Storm) and held the titles until the CWA became NWA New England. He and Sbraccia later represented NWA New England in an interpromotional match at the NWA 50th Anniversary Show where they faced NWA World Tag Team Champions
The Border Patrol (Agent Gunn & Agent Maxx) from NWA All-Star Wrestling. This was a "Four Corners" match that included Team Extreme (Kit Carson & Khris Germany) from NWA Southwest and Barry Windham
& Tully Blanchard
, although Windham was later replaced with Dr. Tom Prichard
. Together with manager Tony Rumble, The Brotherhood defeated The Border Patrol to win the titles.
Although the NWA wanted Nelson and Sbraccia to tour the various NWA territories to defend the championship, Rumble fought to keep the titles in New England. Sheldon Goldberg, the promotion's one time booker, claimed "Rumble and I had begun to make some real noise in the business with the titles" and their run as the tag team champions is considered one of the high points in NWA New England's history. On February 18, 1999, Knuckles Nelson also won the NWA New England Heavyweight Championship from Trooper Gilmore in Mansfield, Massachusetts
.
Early in their title reign, Sbraccia became injured and other members of the stable often substituted for him. The titles were held up on March 3, 1999, when Nelson and his partner were forced to miss a scheduled title defense in North Richland Hills, Texas
due to heavy snow. Staying in NWA New England, he and Dukes Dalton
defeated Jason Rage & Slyk Wagner Brown at a house show in Southbridge, Massachusetts
several days later. He and Sbraccia also made their first WWF appearances, though wrestling in separate singles matches, taking on Hardcore Holly and Mideon
respectively in the opening matches of Shotgun Saturday Night.
The Brotherhood were given back the belts after a June 10 rematch in Dallas, Texas
winning via disqualification. He and Rick Fuller briefly lost the titles to The Public Enemy
(Rocco Rock
& Johnny Grunge
) in Bolton, Massachusetts
on June 17, but regained them two days later with Dukes Dalton in Dorchester
. He and Dalton also won the NWA Tag Team titles from The Arc Angels (Damon D'Arcangelo & Phoenix King) in Somerville on August 22 which, in addition to the NWA World Tag Team titles, they continued to defend for another month.
He made another WWF appearance on the September 11th edition of WWF Jakked against The Big Boss Man. He and Dukes lost the NWA New England titles almost two weeks later to the New York Posse (Curtis Slamdawg & Jay Kobain) in Somerville, Massachusetts
on September 22. He wrestled Slamdawg, who also succeeded him as heavyweight champion, in a singles match at Somerville's Good Time Emporium that same day. He would face him again at an event for Connecticut Championship Wrestling in East Haven, Connecticut
at the end of the year.
On September 25, he and Dukes Dalton lost the NWA World Tag Team titles to Team Extreme (Kit Carson & Khris Germany) at the NWA 51st Anniversary Show at the Grady Cole Center
in Charlotte, North Carolina
. On October 30, he made a second appearance on WWF Jakked with Dukes Dalton against The Headbangers
(Mosh
& Thrasher
). He and Dalton would regain the belts a final time, beating the New York Posse in Thomaston, Connecticut
on October 2, and would continue to hold the belts until the stable split up early the next year.
When promoter Tony Rumble died of a heart attack in November 1999, he and Jeff Katz were chosen by his widow and co-owner Ellen Magliaro to take over running the promotion with Knuckles Nelson in charge of looking after the wrestlers. According to Dan Mirade, this caused bad feelings among the management especially with himself and fellow booker Sheldon Goldberg. Both men would eventually leave the NWA New England to found their own promotions, the Millennium Wrestling Federation
and New England Championship Wrestling
.
Upset over Rumble's death, Nelson lost interest in wrestling but remained with the promotion for some time after. As business declined however, he and Katz were replaced by Jason Delgatta. Delgatta portrayed Tony Rumble's kayfabe
son, "Boston Bad Boy" Jason Rumble who would remain the top star in the promotion. Nelson eventually left NWA New England to become a full time promoter.
, which he initially started in memory of Tony Rumble feeling it was his duty "to continue his work". Although not as big as Dan Mirade's MWF or Sheldon Goldberg's NECW in Boston, the promotion enjoyed some limited success in its three years of operation. As well as a weekly television series, This Week In Wrestling, Nelson was able to bring in some veterans from NWA New England such as Kidd USA, Luis Ortiz and Ron Zombie as well as independent stars such as Dylan Kage, DC Dillinger and Nikki Roxx. In 2001, he opened up "The Combat Zone" wrestling school. Although many students trained at the school over the years, there was a heavy dropout rate and only two have graduated, referee Dan Cashman and Yankee Pro Wrestling's "Big Gun" Jim Seargent.
On September 14, 2002, Nelson was involved in a controversial incident at a WSW show held at "The Combat Zone". During an in-ring interview, he "shot
" on several wrestlers he "drove out" of the promotion including Ron Zombie, Dylan Kage, Arch Kincade, Luis Ortiz and Slyk Wagner Brown. He was particularly critical to the way they had treated the promotion, given their rising careers, claiming they made huge salary demands and "big leagued" the promotion's local wrestlers by being difficult to work with. Nelson's tirade included derogatory statements, referring to Zombie and Kage's valets as "sluts" and, more seriously, that "Slyk Wagner Brown thinks he's a big shot because he's banging a white girl
".
Nelson later responded to criticism during an interview on his website in which he explained that the interview was a "worked shoot", in terms of his more offensive comments, but that he stood by his words regarding these wrestlers that he and his promotion had helped during their early careers.
The promotion closed the following year and, on October 21, 2003, Nelson retired from the business in favor of spending more time with his family. In August 2009, he gave an interview with longtime NWA commentator Brian Webster discussing his post-wrestling career and the current state of wrestling.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler, promoter
Promoter (entertainment)
An entertainment promoter i.e. music, wrestling, boxing etc is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting live events such as concerts/gigs, boxing matches, sports entertainment , festivals, raves, and nightclubs.- Business model :Promoters are typically hired as independent...
and trainer
Athletic trainer
An athletic trainer is a certified, health care professional who practices in the field of sports medicine. Athletic training has been recognized by the American Medical Association as an allied health care profession since 1990....
who wrestled throughout the North American independent circuit during the 1990s and 2000s. He competed in several regional promotions such as the Century Wrestling Alliance
Century Wrestling Alliance
The Century Wrestling Alliance, formerly known as NWA Cold Front and NWA New England, is a New England-based American independent wrestling promotion located in Boston, Massachusetts...
, 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...
and 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:...
. He also briefly appeared 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...
and the World Wrestling Federation as well as touring Japan as Super Destroyer between 1997 and 1999.
He was a founding member of Tony Rumble
Tony Rumble
Anthony David Magliaro was an American professional wrestler and manager, known by the ring name "Boston Bad Boy" Tony Rumble. He competed on the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic independent circuit during the 1980s and 90s...
's The Brotherhood
The Brotherhood (professional wrestling)
The Brotherhood was a professional wrestling faction in Century Wrestling Alliance / NWA New England. The faction was managed by NWA New England's owner Tony Rumble and consisted of Knuckles Nelson as its main member...
, a "heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
" stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
which dominated NWA New England during the late 1990s, and which included Eric Sbraccia, Dukes Dalton
Dukes Dalton
James "Jim" McCarthy is an American professional wrestler and trainer, known by his ringname Dukes Dalton, who competes on the independent circuit in the Northeastern United States. He has wrestled for the Century Wrestling Alliance, the National Wrestling Alliance and Chaotic Wrestling where he...
and Rick Fuller
Rick Fuller
Richard Fuller is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances World Championship Wrestling. He would later be featured in several video games including WCW Nitro and WCW/NWO Thunder....
. He and Sbraccia won 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:...
in 1998, and defended both the World and NWA New England titles with Sbraccia and other Brotherhood members in their home promotion for almost two years.
Following Rumble's death, Nelson helped run NWA New England for a time and later became a full time booker and promoter for Wrestling Star Wars until his retirement in 2003. As head of "The Combat Zone" wrestling school, he was involved in training several independent wrestlers, most notably, Yankee Pro Wrestling veteran "Big Gun" Jim Sergeant.
Early life and career
Born in Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, Knuckles Nelson grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. As a child, he often watched wrestling on Fox 25 Boston and was a fan of both World Class Championship Wrestling
World Class Championship Wrestling
World Class Championship Wrestling ' was a regional professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed McLemore, by 1966 it was run by Southwest Sports, Inc., whose president, Jack Adkisson, was better known as wrestler Fritz Von Erich...
and the Von Erich family
Von Erich family
The Von Erich family is a professional wrestling family. Their actual birth names are "Adkisson", but every member of the family who went into the wrestling business used the ring name "Von Erich", after the family patriarch, Fritz ....
as well as a reader of wrestling newsletters The Torch
Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter
Pro Wrestling Torch Weekly is a wrestling newsletter. It was founded in 1987 by Wade Keller. It has been a primary source for insider information, commentaries, and interviews for 20 years....
and The Observer. As a young man, he decided to try his luck in the business after reading an article in the Warwick Beacon of a retired professional wrestler starting a local independent promotion. He and a friend visited a trainer at the promotion's headquarters, then occupying a rundown warehouse in Providence, and returned the following day to start their first training session. It was there that they met local independent wrestlers Bob Evans and Paul Lazon who invited them to their wrestling school in Freetown, Massachusetts
Freetown, Massachusetts
Freetown is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,870 at the 2010 census.Freetown is one of the oldest communities in the United States, having been settled by the Pilgrims and their descendants in the latter half of the 17th century. The town once included...
.
Nelson took them up on their offer and soon began training at the Freetown facility. It was there that he met Nick Steel and Brian Brieger who, in addition to Evans and Lazon, became his principal trainers. One of his earliest matches was against his former trainer Bob Evans whom he defeated at a show in New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
. He eventually made his debut in 1994, under the name Tully McShane, and spent some time in Coastal Pro Wrestling before meeting Tony Rumble
Tony Rumble
Anthony David Magliaro was an American professional wrestler and manager, known by the ring name "Boston Bad Boy" Tony Rumble. He competed on the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic independent circuit during the 1980s and 90s...
who would bring him into his emerging Boston promotion, the Century Wrestling Alliance
Century Wrestling Alliance
The Century Wrestling Alliance, formerly known as NWA Cold Front and NWA New England, is a New England-based American independent wrestling promotion located in Boston, Massachusetts...
.
Century Wrestling Alliance (1995-1998)
Nelson's first match in the CWA was under a mask and against Rumble himself. He suffered a bloody mouth during the match and Rumble ended up beating him with a Boston crabBoston crab
The Boston crab is a professional wrestling hold that typically starts with the opponent lying supine on the mat, with the wrestler standing and facing them. It is a type of spinal lock where the wrestler hooks each of the opponent’s legs in one of his arms, and then turns the opponent face-down,...
submission hold. Rumble paid him $100 and booked for three more shows beginning the start of his long career in the promotion.
Rumble didn't like the "Tully McShane" name and began helping develop his later in-ring persona, Knuckles Nelson. On February 4, 1995, Nelson made a one-time appearance in 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:...
where he teamed with The Shadow against PG-13
PG-13 (professional wrestling)
PG-13 was the tag team of J.C. Ice and Wolfie D who worked for the World Wrestling Federation and United States Wrestling Association . PG-13 briefly competed in Puerto Rico for the World Wrestling Council in 1995 , W*ING in Japan, Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1997 and World Championship...
(J.C. Ice & Wolfie D). PG-13, then feuding with Tommy Rich
Tommy Rich
Thomas Richardson , better known by his ring name, "Wildfire" Tommy Rich, is a professional wrestler. He is best known for his wrestling career in Georgia and Memphis throughout the 1980s.-Professional wrestling career:...
and Doug Gilbert
Doug Gilbert
Doug Gilbert is a professional wrestler from Memphis, Tennessee who wrestles on the independent circuit. He is the brother of "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert and the son of wrestler/referee/promoter Tommy Gilbert....
over the USWA Tag Team Championship
USWA Tag Team Championship
The USWA World Tag Team Championship was a tag team championship in the Memphis, Tennessee-based professional wrestling promotion, the United States Wrestling Association.The title was originally known as the WCWA World Tag Team Championship....
, were attacked by their rivals during the post-match interview. Back in the CWA, he was initially paired with Sonny C as The Cash Money Boys but split up and feuded with each other during 1996. A top contender to the CWA Heavyweight Championship
CWA Heavyweight Championship
The CWA Heavyweight Championship was a major professional wrestling title defended in the Championship Wrestling Association. It was created through the unification of the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight, AWA Southern Heavyweight and CWA/AWA International Heavyweight championships.-Title...
during this time, he was unable to take the title from then champion Kevin Sullivan
Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)
Kevin Francis Sullivan is an American professional wrestler and booker, perhaps best known for his role in WCW as "The Taskmaster" and his leading of the "Dungeon of Doom".-Early career:...
. He did, however, win the CWA Television Championship from Vic Steamboat in Derry, New Hampshire
Derry, New Hampshire
-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 33,109 people, 12,537 households, and 8,767 families residing in the town. The population density was 924.8 people per square mile . There were 13,277 housing units at an average density of 143.2/km²...
on July 6, 1996. Earlier that year, he had also appeared on the 1st annual Eddie Gilbert Memorial Show in Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045, representing an increase of 1,080 from the 69,965 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census...
defeating the Inferno Kid after hitting him with brass knuckles
Brass knuckles
Brass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, or knuckledusters, are weapons used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckles are pieces of metal, usually steel despite their name, shaped to fit around the knuckles...
.
He was also a regular on the promotion's Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV show, New England Mass Madness. On one occasion, during a match against a young Steve Bradley
Steve Bradley
Steven Richard Bisson was an American professional wrestler who had competed on North American independent promotions throughout the 1990s including East Coast Wrestling Association, IWA Puerto Rico and the National Wrestling Alliance as well as spending over three years in World Wrestling...
, Nelson attempted to use his brass knuckles but lost them to Bradley. The referee, seeing the foreign object, immediately disqualified Bradley giving Nelson the win. He used a similar ploy in his victory over Johnny Angel
Johnny Angel
Johnny Angel is a film noir directed by Edwin L. Marin, written by Frank Gruber and Steve Fisher from the novel Mr. Angel Comes Aboard by Charles Gordon Booth. The movie features George Raft, Claire Trevor, Signe Hasso, and Hoagy Carmichael....
. It was also on the show that he started teaming with Eric Sbraccia.
On March 17, 1997, Knuckles Nelson appeared on Monday Night Nitro alongside longtime independent star T. Rantula to take on Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
& The Giant
The Giant
The Giant is a song by Canadian folk singer-songwriter Stan Rogers. The Giant referred to is Fingal, an Irish-Scottish mythical giant. The song is set in Nova Scotia's rugged Cape Breton Island, and the lyrics contain enchanting imagery describing the island's landscape...
in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
. He and his tag team partner lost the match when The Giant pinned Nelson with a chokeslam
Chokeslam
A chokeslam refers to a type of body slam in professional wrestling in which the wrestler grasps their opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerful on camera...
and, following the match, Luger put T. Rantula in the "Torture Rack". On May 18, he faced another WCW tag team, The Power Company (Dave & Dean Power), whom he and partner Tre lost to. At the end of the night, Nelson and Tre took part in a 10-man tag team match with Tony Rumble, Waldo and Rick Fuller
Rick Fuller
Richard Fuller is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances World Championship Wrestling. He would later be featured in several video games including WCW Nitro and WCW/NWO Thunder....
to beat Vic Steamboat, El Mascarado, Baby Black and the Power Company. Holding the CWA Television Championship for over a year and a half, Nelson lost the title back to Steamboat in Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located in the southeast corner of the state, along the state line with New Hampshire. The population was 12,046 at the 2010 census...
on December 8, 1997.
NWA New England (1998-1999)
On January 24, 1998, Knuckle Nelson appeared at a CWA fundraising event, billed as "Killer Kowalski Night" held at the high school in Ridgefield, CT. Along with Killer KowalskiKiller Kowalski
Władek "Killer" Kowalski was a Canadian professional wrestler. Kowalski wrestled for numerous promotions during his career, including the NWA and WWF, and was a known heel wrestler...
in attendance, other high-profile stars included Tony Rumble, King Kong Bundy
King Kong Bundy
Christopher Alan "Chris" Pallies is an American professional wrestler, stand-up comedian and actor, better known by his ring name, King Kong Bundy.-Personal:...
, Tito Santana
Tito Santana
Merced Solis better known by his ring name Tito Santana, is an American professional wrestler whose heyday spanned from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, though he continues to appear on the independent circuit. He is best known from his time in the World Wrestling Federation...
, Devon Storm
Devon Storm
Christopher "Chris" Ford is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Crowbar, where he was a one time Hardcore Champion, a one time World Tag Team Champion with David Flair and a one time Cruiserweight Champion, which he...
and Johnny Grunge
Johnny Grunge
Michael "Mike" Durham was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Johnny Grunge...
. That same night, the CWA announced that it would be joining 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...
and changed its name to NWA New England. That same year, Rumble arraigned for Nelson to tour Japan as Super Destroyer with Barry Darsow
Barry Darsow
Barry Darsow is a former American professional wrestler who is known as Smash, one half of the tag team Demolition, and as Krusher Kruschev, Repo Man, and The Blacktop Bully...
and Wild Bill Irwin, Irwin having once been a mainstay of World Class Championship Wrestling
World Class Championship Wrestling
World Class Championship Wrestling ' was a regional professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed McLemore, by 1966 it was run by Southwest Sports, Inc., whose president, Jack Adkisson, was better known as wrestler Fritz Von Erich...
.
By early-1998, Nelson had formed a successful tag team with Eric Sbraccia as part of Tony Rumble's "heel" stable The Brotherhood
The Brotherhood (professional wrestling)
The Brotherhood was a professional wrestling faction in Century Wrestling Alliance / NWA New England. The faction was managed by NWA New England's owner Tony Rumble and consisted of Knuckles Nelson as its main member...
. Two months before dropping the television title to Steamboat, they had won the CWA Tag Team Championship
CWA Tag Team Championship
The CWA Tag Team Championship was a major professional wrestling tag team title defended in the Continental Wrestling Association. It lasted from 1988 through 1990, when it was abandoned and replaced with the United States Wrestling Association Tag Team Championship.-Title history:-See...
from The Extremists (Ace Darling & Devon Storm) and held the titles until the CWA became NWA New England. He and Sbraccia later represented NWA New England in an interpromotional match at the NWA 50th Anniversary Show where they faced NWA World Tag Team Champions
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:...
The Border Patrol (Agent Gunn & Agent Maxx) from NWA All-Star Wrestling. This was a "Four Corners" match that included Team Extreme (Kit Carson & Khris Germany) from NWA Southwest and 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 ....
& Tully Blanchard
Tully Blanchard
Tully Arthur Blanchard is a semi-retired second generation American professional wrestler. He is best known as an original member of the Four Horsemen....
, although Windham was later replaced with Dr. Tom Prichard
Tom Prichard
Thomas Prichard is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, working in their developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling as a trainer using his ring name Tom Prichard...
. Together with manager Tony Rumble, The Brotherhood defeated The Border Patrol to win the titles.
Although the NWA wanted Nelson and Sbraccia to tour the various NWA territories to defend the championship, Rumble fought to keep the titles in New England. Sheldon Goldberg, the promotion's one time booker, claimed "Rumble and I had begun to make some real noise in the business with the titles" and their run as the tag team champions is considered one of the high points in NWA New England's history. On February 18, 1999, Knuckles Nelson also won the NWA New England Heavyweight Championship from Trooper Gilmore in Mansfield, Massachusetts
Mansfield, Massachusetts
Mansfield is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population is 23,184. Mansfield is in the south-southwest suburbs of Boston and is also close to Providence, Rhode Island....
.
Early in their title reign, Sbraccia became injured and other members of the stable often substituted for him. The titles were held up on March 3, 1999, when Nelson and his partner were forced to miss a scheduled title defense in North Richland Hills, Texas
North Richland Hills, Texas
North Richland Hills is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States, and a suburb of Fort Worth. The population was 63,343 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest city in Tarrant County. In 2006, North Richland Hills was selected as one of the "Top 100 Best Places to live in America"...
due to heavy snow. Staying in NWA New England, he and Dukes Dalton
Dukes Dalton
James "Jim" McCarthy is an American professional wrestler and trainer, known by his ringname Dukes Dalton, who competes on the independent circuit in the Northeastern United States. He has wrestled for the Century Wrestling Alliance, the National Wrestling Alliance and Chaotic Wrestling where he...
defeated Jason Rage & Slyk Wagner Brown at a house show in Southbridge, Massachusetts
Southbridge, Massachusetts
The Town of Southbridge is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,719 at the 2010 census.-History:...
several days later. He and Sbraccia also made their first WWF appearances, though wrestling in separate singles matches, taking on Hardcore Holly and Mideon
Dennis Knight
Dennis Knight is a retired American professional wrestler best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment as Phineas I. Godwinn and Mideon.-Career:...
respectively in the opening matches of Shotgun Saturday Night.
The Brotherhood were given back the belts after a June 10 rematch in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
winning via disqualification. He and Rick Fuller briefly lost the titles to The Public Enemy
The Public Enemy (professional wrestling)
The Public Enemy was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge. The duo competed in many promotions, including Extreme Championship Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , National Wrestling Alliance , and the World Wrestling Federation...
(Rocco Rock
Rocco Rock
Theodore James Petty was an American professional wrestler better known as "Flyboy" Rocco Rock, one half of The Public Enemy.-Career:...
& Johnny Grunge
Johnny Grunge
Michael "Mike" Durham was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Johnny Grunge...
) in Bolton, Massachusetts
Bolton, Massachusetts
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,148 people, 1,424 households, and 1,201 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,476 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.76% White, 0.19% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.30%...
on June 17, but regained them two days later with Dukes Dalton in Dorchester
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
. He and Dalton also won the NWA Tag Team titles from The Arc Angels (Damon D'Arcangelo & Phoenix King) in Somerville on August 22 which, in addition to the NWA World Tag Team titles, they continued to defend for another month.
He made another WWF appearance on the September 11th edition of WWF Jakked against The Big Boss Man. He and Dukes lost the NWA New England titles almost two weeks later to the New York Posse (Curtis Slamdawg & Jay Kobain) in Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
on September 22. He wrestled Slamdawg, who also succeeded him as heavyweight champion, in a singles match at Somerville's Good Time Emporium that same day. He would face him again at an event for Connecticut Championship Wrestling in East Haven, Connecticut
East Haven, Connecticut
East Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 28,189. The town is just 3 minutes from downtown New Haven...
at the end of the year.
On September 25, he and Dukes Dalton lost the NWA World Tag Team titles to Team Extreme (Kit Carson & Khris Germany) at the NWA 51st Anniversary Show at the Grady Cole Center
Grady Cole Center
Grady Cole Center is a small civic center located near Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina.The 3,000 seat center is located near the city's center, and can host several types of events. It was built in 1954 to replace the Charlotte Armory Arena, which had been destroyed...
in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. On October 30, he made a second appearance on WWF Jakked with Dukes Dalton against The Headbangers
The Headbangers
The Headbangers is a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Mosh and Thrasher, best known for their work in the World Wrestling Federation...
(Mosh
Charles Warrington
Charles Warrington is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Chaz and Mosh.-Career:Warrington began training under Larry Sharpe and Glen Ruth during the early 1990s, debuting in 1993...
& Thrasher
Glen Ruth
Glen Ruth is a former American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Thrasher.-Career:Ruth trained under Larry Sharpe and debuted in 1990 as The Spider. He later became Sharpe's assistant and trained wrestlers such as the Big Show and others at Sharpe's "Monster Factory"...
). He and Dalton would regain the belts a final time, beating the New York Posse in Thomaston, Connecticut
Thomaston, Connecticut
Thomaston is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,503 at the 2000 census.-History:The town, originally part of Plymouth, Connecticut, and referred to as 'Plymouth Hollow' was first settled in the early 18th century. The town is known for clock making, which...
on October 2, and would continue to hold the belts until the stable split up early the next year.
When promoter Tony Rumble died of a heart attack in November 1999, he and Jeff Katz were chosen by his widow and co-owner Ellen Magliaro to take over running the promotion with Knuckles Nelson in charge of looking after the wrestlers. According to Dan Mirade, this caused bad feelings among the management especially with himself and fellow booker Sheldon Goldberg. Both men would eventually leave the NWA New England to found their own promotions, the Millennium Wrestling Federation
Millennium Wrestling Federation
The Millennium Wrestling Federation is a New England independent professional wrestling promotion based in Melrose, Massachusetts. Founded in January 2001 by promoters Dan Mirade & Neil Manolian, the MWF is one of the top promotions in the Northeastern United States along with Chaotic Wrestling,...
and New England Championship Wrestling
New England Championship Wrestling
New England Championship Wrestling was an independent professional wrestling promotion based in the Northeastern United States and has promoted events since 2000...
.
Upset over Rumble's death, Nelson lost interest in wrestling but remained with the promotion for some time after. As business declined however, he and Katz were replaced by Jason Delgatta. Delgatta portrayed Tony Rumble's 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...
son, "Boston Bad Boy" Jason Rumble who would remain the top star in the promotion. Nelson eventually left NWA New England to become a full time promoter.
Wrestling Star Wars and retirement (1999-2003)
Nelson founded Wrestling Star Wars, a small promotion based in Salisbury Beach, MassachusettsSalisbury, Massachusetts
Salisbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,827 at the 2000 census. The community is a popular summer resort beach town situated on the Atlantic Ocean north of Boston on the New Hampshire border....
, which he initially started in memory of Tony Rumble feeling it was his duty "to continue his work". Although not as big as Dan Mirade's MWF or Sheldon Goldberg's NECW in Boston, the promotion enjoyed some limited success in its three years of operation. As well as a weekly television series, This Week In Wrestling, Nelson was able to bring in some veterans from NWA New England such as Kidd USA, Luis Ortiz and Ron Zombie as well as independent stars such as Dylan Kage, DC Dillinger and Nikki Roxx. In 2001, he opened up "The Combat Zone" wrestling school. Although many students trained at the school over the years, there was a heavy dropout rate and only two have graduated, referee Dan Cashman and Yankee Pro Wrestling's "Big Gun" Jim Seargent.
On September 14, 2002, Nelson was involved in a controversial incident at a WSW show held at "The Combat Zone". During an in-ring interview, he "shot
Shoot (professional wrestling)
A shoot in professional wrestling is a term that refers to any unplanned, unscripted or real-life occurrence within a wrestling event. Contrary to popular belief, the name does not originate from "shooting in" for a takedown, as in amateur wrestling - rather it is a carny term shortened from...
" on several wrestlers he "drove out" of the promotion including Ron Zombie, Dylan Kage, Arch Kincade, Luis Ortiz and Slyk Wagner Brown. He was particularly critical to the way they had treated the promotion, given their rising careers, claiming they made huge salary demands and "big leagued" the promotion's local wrestlers by being difficult to work with. Nelson's tirade included derogatory statements, referring to Zombie and Kage's valets as "sluts" and, more seriously, that "Slyk Wagner Brown thinks he's a big shot because he's banging a white girl
April Hunter
April Hunter is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet and fitness and glamour model. She has appeared in many publications, from MuscleMag International to Playboy Magazine and even has her own comic book series, Code Red by Pickle Press.-World Championship Wrestling :In...
".
Nelson later responded to criticism during an interview on his website in which he explained that the interview was a "worked shoot", in terms of his more offensive comments, but that he stood by his words regarding these wrestlers that he and his promotion had helped during their early careers.
The promotion closed the following year and, on October 21, 2003, Nelson retired from the business in favor of spending more time with his family. In August 2009, he gave an interview with longtime NWA commentator Brian Webster discussing his post-wrestling career and the current state of wrestling.
Championships and accomplishments
- Century Wrestling AllianceCentury Wrestling AllianceThe Century Wrestling Alliance, formerly known as NWA Cold Front and NWA New England, is a New England-based American independent wrestling promotion located in Boston, Massachusetts...
- CWA Television Championship (1 time)
- CWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Eric Sbraccia
- 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...
- National
- NWA World Tag Team ChampionshipNWA World Tag Team ChampionshipThe National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship is the professional wrestling world tag team championship within the NWA framework.-History:...
(3 times) with Erich Sbraccia, Dukes DaltonDukes DaltonJames "Jim" McCarthy is an American professional wrestler and trainer, known by his ringname Dukes Dalton, who competes on the independent circuit in the Northeastern United States. He has wrestled for the Century Wrestling Alliance, the National Wrestling Alliance and Chaotic Wrestling where he...
and Rick FullerRick FullerRichard Fuller is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances World Championship Wrestling. He would later be featured in several video games including WCW Nitro and WCW/NWO Thunder....
- NWA World Tag Team Championship
- Regional
- NWA New England Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA New England Television ChampionshipNWA New England Television ChampionshipThe Century Wrestling Alliance Television Championship is a secondary wrestling title in the Century Wrestling Alliance. It was first known by that name when the title was first established in 1994, and was renamed as the NWA New England Television Championship when the CWA joined the National...
(1 time) - NWA New England Tag Team Championship (2 times) with Dukes Dalton
- 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 ranked him #292 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 2000.
- PWI ranked him #285 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 1999.
- PWI ranked him #302 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 1997.
- PWI ranked him #255 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 1996.
- PWI ranked him #455 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 1994.
Further reading
- Lister, John. Slamthology: Collected Wrestling Writings 1991-2004. Adlibbed Ltd., 2005. ISBN 1-4116-5329-0