Mark Rocco
Encyclopedia
Mark Hussey is a retired English
professional wrestler
who competed for All-Star Wrestling as Mark "Rollerball" Rocco and as the original masked Black Tiger in New Japan Pro Wrestling
during the 1970s and 80s. A fourth-generation wrestler, he is the son of British wrestler "Jumping" Jim Hussey and the father of boxer Johnathan "Rocco" Hussey.
Regularly appearing on ITV
's World of Sport
, he feuded with many of the top light heavyweight wrestlers of the era including Marty Jones
, the Dynamite Kid
, "Iron Fist" Clive Myers in England and masked Japanese wrestler Tiger Mask
in Japan
.
Rocco was definitely wrestling professionally by late 1972, being then a regular at Northern venues such as Liverpool Stadium and Blackpool Tower.
Making his debut in Dale Martin's London territory under the 'Joint Promotions' banner, he became a rising star in the organization, defeating Bert Royal for the British Heavy Middleweight Championship
on June 11, 1977, and was involved in televised high-profile matches with Marty Jones before losing the title to him on September 13, 1978.
After Jones vacated the title, Rocco regained the title after defeating then-rookie Chris Adams in a tournament final on December 6, 1978. Rocco lost the championship to Adams a few months later, and regained it towards the middle of 1979.
Touring North America the following year, he teamed with Greg Gagne
and briefly competed in the World Wide Wrestling Federation, one of his opponents being Terry Bollea
.
to wrestle a series of matches against Lee in Japan. Wrestling under the name Black Tiger, Rocco and Tiger Mask's matches were some of the highest rated in Japanese television history. The success of the original series of matches between Black Tiger and Tiger Mask would be followed with later incarnations of wrestlers to have competed under the Black Tiger and Tiger Mask names in later years.
This rivalry would continue throughout 1982, as the two feuded over the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship
after Rocco defeated Gran Hamada
in a tournament final for the title in Fukuoka, Japan
on May 6 before losing it back to Tiger Mask less than a month later in Tokyo, Japan on May 26, 1982.
In 1989, as Black Tiger, Rocco fought with another superhero-turned-wrestler in Jushin Liger
.
During the second week of the tour, after defeating Mike Jordan in a singles match, Rocco challenged the Dynamite Kid
who had also recently returned from NJPW to a match later that night. Agreeing to a tag team match, he and Fit Finlay would later lose to Dynamite Kid and Marty Jones at the end of the night after Dynamite Kid pinned Finlay. The following week he again challenged the Dynamite Kid challenging him to a 30-minute "iron man" match which resulted in a time limit draw with one pinfall each. This led to a brutal feud between the two, which would lead to many aggressive, bloody encounters with the culmination being Dynamite Kid challenged Rocco to a ladder match
for his British Heavy Middleweight title. Rocco successfully defended the title after he had tied the Dynamite Kid's arms to the cord of the area curtains.
He would later defend the title in a rematch against Cullen, Robbie Brookside
and his former tag team partner The Cobra during the last weeks of the tour.
losing to Miles Zrno & Tony St. Clair in a match to crown the first CWA World Tag Team Champions in Linz, Austria.
In 1991, Rocco collapsed in the dressing room following a match against Fit Finlay in Worthing
. Rocco, who had been suffering from pain in his back and kidneys since a match against Dave Taylor the previous night, was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors found his heart was working at only 30% and diagnosed him with a heart condition which forced him to retire from professional wrestling.
In August 2006, he and his father received a lifetime achievement award at the 15th Southern Wrestlers’ Reunion at South Darenth, Kent
. During the event, Rocco also presented a lifetime achievement award to promoter Brian Dixon as well.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
who competed for All-Star Wrestling as Mark "Rollerball" Rocco and as the original masked Black Tiger in 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...
during the 1970s and 80s. A fourth-generation wrestler, he is the son of British wrestler "Jumping" Jim Hussey and the father of boxer Johnathan "Rocco" Hussey.
Regularly appearing on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's World of Sport
World of Sport (UK TV series)
World of Sport was a British television sport anthology programme which ran on ITV between 2 January 1965 to 28 September 1985 in response to competition from BBC's Grandstand...
, he feuded with many of the top light heavyweight wrestlers of the era including Marty Jones
Marty Jones
Marty Jones is a retired English professional wrestler best known for his work in All Star Promotions throughout the 1980s and 90s. Jones was also responsible for training Darren Matthews. Jones was trained by Billy Robinson....
, the Dynamite Kid
Dynamite Kid
Thomas Wilton Billington , best known by the ring name Dynamite Kid, is a retired British professional wrestler who competed in the World Wrestling Federation, Stampede Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling in the mid- to late-1980s...
, "Iron Fist" Clive Myers in England and masked Japanese wrestler Tiger Mask
Satoru Sayama
is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known as the original Tiger Mask. He's wrestled under his real name as well as the names Sammy Lee, and masked Super Tiger, Tiger King, Tiger Mask and The Mask of Tiger...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Early career
Born in Manchester, Rocco grew up in his father's gym where other local wrestlers trained. Although his father was opposed to his being a professional wrestler, going so far as to have his son banned from his gym, Rocco would receive lessons from some of the veterans while his father was out on tour.Rocco was definitely wrestling professionally by late 1972, being then a regular at Northern venues such as Liverpool Stadium and Blackpool Tower.
Making his debut in Dale Martin's London territory under the 'Joint Promotions' banner, he became a rising star in the organization, defeating Bert Royal for the British Heavy Middleweight Championship
British Heavy Middleweight Championship
The British Heavy Middleweight Championship was a top British wrestling championship found throughout the country's circuit. The title's history dates back to its foundation by Joint Promotions in 1953 and runs to around 2004...
on June 11, 1977, and was involved in televised high-profile matches with Marty Jones before losing the title to him on September 13, 1978.
After Jones vacated the title, Rocco regained the title after defeating then-rookie Chris Adams in a tournament final on December 6, 1978. Rocco lost the championship to Adams a few months later, and regained it towards the middle of 1979.
Touring North America the following year, he teamed with Greg Gagne
Greg Gagne (wrestler)
Gregory Alan "Greg" Gagne is a former professional wrestler and the son of Verne Gagne. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he achieved his biggest success as one half of the tag team The High Flyers with Jim Brunzell...
and briefly competed in the World Wide Wrestling Federation, one of his opponents being Terry Bollea
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
.
New Japan Pro Wrestling
After a series of similarly highly regarded matches with Tiger Mask (wrestling under the name Sammy Lee) during the early 1980s, he was contacted by New Japan Pro WrestlingNew 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...
to wrestle a series of matches against Lee in Japan. Wrestling under the name Black Tiger, Rocco and Tiger Mask's matches were some of the highest rated in Japanese television history. The success of the original series of matches between Black Tiger and Tiger Mask would be followed with later incarnations of wrestlers to have competed under the Black Tiger and Tiger Mask names in later years.
This rivalry would continue throughout 1982, as the two feuded over the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship
WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship
The WWWF Junior Heavyweight Championship is a former championship recognized by the World Wrestling Federation and New Japan Pro Wrestling for wrestlers of smaller size. The title existed from 1967 through 1985.-Title history:-External links:*...
after Rocco defeated Gran Hamada
Gran Hamada
, better known by his ring name , is Japanese professional wrestler, the first to adopt the high-flying Mexican lucha libre style. He has wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling, the Universal Wrestling Federation, Michinoku Pro, and All Japan Pro Wrestling, and was the founder of Universal Lucha Libre...
in a tournament final for the title in Fukuoka, Japan
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
on May 6 before losing it back to Tiger Mask less than a month later in Tokyo, Japan on May 26, 1982.
In 1989, as Black Tiger, Rocco fought with another superhero-turned-wrestler in Jushin Liger
Jushin Liger
, better known as and later, is a Japanese professional wrestler who primarily works for New Japan Pro Wrestling.He has wrestled and beaten many of the top smaller wrestlers in both Japan and the United States, and is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most revolutionary junior...
.
All Star Wrestling
In 1983, Rocco appeared during All Star Wrestling's national tour of Great Britain and issued an open challenge for a non-title match to any wrestler in the promotion. Accepted by Frank "Chic" Cullen, he was defeated by Rocco although they shook hands following the match.During the second week of the tour, after defeating Mike Jordan in a singles match, Rocco challenged the Dynamite Kid
Dynamite Kid
Thomas Wilton Billington , best known by the ring name Dynamite Kid, is a retired British professional wrestler who competed in the World Wrestling Federation, Stampede Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling in the mid- to late-1980s...
who had also recently returned from NJPW to a match later that night. Agreeing to a tag team match, he and Fit Finlay would later lose to Dynamite Kid and Marty Jones at the end of the night after Dynamite Kid pinned Finlay. The following week he again challenged the Dynamite Kid challenging him to a 30-minute "iron man" match which resulted in a time limit draw with one pinfall each. This led to a brutal feud between the two, which would lead to many aggressive, bloody encounters with the culmination being Dynamite Kid challenged Rocco to a ladder match
Ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...
for his British Heavy Middleweight title. Rocco successfully defended the title after he had tied the Dynamite Kid's arms to the cord of the area curtains.
He would later defend the title in a rematch against Cullen, Robbie Brookside
Robbie Brookside
Robert Edward Brooks , better known by his ring name Robbie Brookside, is a British professional wrestler. He has toured all over the world during his career including such countries as the United States, Japan, Germany, and Mexico...
and his former tag team partner The Cobra during the last weeks of the tour.
Return to England
After six years in Japan, Rocco returned to England in 1988 to compete for Brian Dixon's All Star Wrestling promotion, becoming a regular tag team partner Wayne Bridges. In June 1988, he would also team with Dave FinlayDave Finlay
David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...
losing to Miles Zrno & Tony St. Clair in a match to crown the first CWA World Tag Team Champions in Linz, Austria.
In 1991, Rocco collapsed in the dressing room following a match against Fit Finlay in Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
. Rocco, who had been suffering from pain in his back and kidneys since a match against Dave Taylor the previous night, was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors found his heart was working at only 30% and diagnosed him with a heart condition which forced him to retire from professional wrestling.
Recent years
In February 2003, he was scheduled to attended a "Legends Reunion" event held of All Star Wrestling in Croydon, England which included former alumni such as Mick McManus, Johnny Kincaide, Dave Bond, John Elijah and Wayne Bridges however he was unable to attend.In August 2006, he and his father received a lifetime achievement award at the 15th Southern Wrestlers’ Reunion at South Darenth, Kent
South Darenth
South Darenth is a village in the civil parish of Horton Kirby and South Darenth in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England.The village is located on the right bank of the Darent, south of Dartford. The nearest railway station is at Farningham Road, with train services west-bound to Bromley and...
. During the event, Rocco also presented a lifetime achievement award to promoter Brian Dixon as well.
In wrestling
- As Mark Rocco
- Finishing moves
- Diving knee drop
- Signature moves
- Back body drop
- European headlock
- European uppercut
- Scoop powerslam
- Finishing moves
- As Black Tiger
- Finishing moves
- Black Tiger Bomb (Sitout crucifix powerbomb)
- Finishing moves
Championships and accomplishments
- All Star Promotions
- World Heavy Middleweight Championship (3 times)
- British Heavy Middleweight Championship (2 times)
- British Commonwealth
- British Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- 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 #298 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 1991
- World Wrestling FederationWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld 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...
- WWF Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipWWF Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipThe WWWF Junior Heavyweight Championship is a former championship recognized by the World Wrestling Federation and New Japan Pro Wrestling for wrestlers of smaller size. The title existed from 1967 through 1985.-Title history:-External links:*...
(1 time)
- WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship
External links
- The Forgotten Legend of Rollerball Rocco by Jonathan Cruickshank
- SWF Wiki: Mark Rocco interview
- Mark "Rollerball" Rocco Gordy List by Kenny McBride
- Inactive Superstars: Mark Rocco
- Profile at Online World of Wrestling