Ricky Hunter
Encyclopedia
Charles B. Sprott is a Canadian
former professional wrestler
, better known by his ring name
s Ricky Hunter and the masked
wrestler The Gladiator. He was best known for his title-winning success in Championship Wrestling from Florida in the late 1960s, and for his stint from the mid-1980s in the World Wrestling Federation
(now WWE).
Sprott was active for well over thirty years, mainly performing in a number of National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)
promotions. He wrestled throughout the United States
and Canada
, and internationally, including in Australia
, Japan
, and England
. He performed with many of the biggest names of day, including many World Heavyweight Champions and future Hall of Famers
.
, Manitoba
, Canada
, wrestling under a variation of his real name, Buddy Sprott. He won his first championship, the Atlas Wrestling Club junior heavyweight title, by defeating Ray Lasko in September 1958 in Lockport, Manitoba
. In September 1961 he teamed with George Eakin to defeat John DePaulo and Stan Mykietowich to win the Madison Wrestling Club tag team
titles in Winnipeg, losing them two months later to Bob Brown
and John DePaulo.
. He went to train with Verne Gagne
of the American Wrestling Association
in Minneapolis, Minnesota
, and Don Owen of the Pacific Northwest Wrestling
promotion in Portland, Oregon
. He then wrestled with Ed Francis'
promotion in Hawaii
and the World Wrestling Association
in California
run by Mike and Gene LeBell
under the name Rocky Hunter, in the Pacific Northwest as Ricky Hunter, as well as still appearing in Manitoba as Buddy Sprott. During this time he faced notable opponents such as Mad Dog Vachon
, Pat Patterson, and Mr. Fuji
. Sprott continued to develop his in-ring ability and success rate, wrestling mainly in Hawaii and the American and Canadian Pacific Northwest through to 1966, but including at least one international tour, wrestling in Australia
in 1963.
In March 1966 Sprott began wrestling in Roy Shire's NWA San Francisco territory, where he would remain for most of that year. Sprott credits his time in California with Shire as the point where they developed his masked
wrestling character The Gladiator. In early 1967 Sprott moved onto Central States Wrestling
where he would compete with the likes of Lou Thesz
and Bob Orton
, and later that year he entered Georgia Championship Wrestling
. At the start of 1968 he undertook an extensive tour of Japan
, wrestling with the Japan Wrestling Association
, and then returned via Hawaii to again wrestle in Georgia.
On 23 November 1968 The Gladiator defeated Nick Kozak in Tampa
to win the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship
for the first time. The Gladiator dropped the belt to Hans Mortier
two-and-half months later, on 4 February 1969.
Following this, on 3 April 1969 in Jacksonville
The Gladiator defeated Boris Malenko
for the NWA Florida Brass Knuckles Championship, which he lost back to Malenko two weeks later on 17 April. On 23 April The Gladiator fought the reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champion
and future Hall of Famer Dory Funk, Jr.
to a sixty minute time-limit draw, with a rematch on 21 May going for ninety minutes before The Gladiator lost by disqualification.
The Gladiator teamed with Lester Welch to defeat the team of the The Medics (Billy Garrett and Jim Starr) for the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship
on 29 April in Tampa, becoming only the second team to hold this title. The Gladiator and Welch lost these belts to the team of Yasuhiro Kojima
and The Missouri Mauler
on 27 May. The Gladiator then regained the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship by defeating Mortier on 13 June 1969 to become a two time heavyweight champion, but shortly after again lost the belt back to Mortier.
, famous as the home territory of the Funks. Wrestling as The Spartan, on 14 April 1971 he defeated Pak Song to win the NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship
, losing the belt to Terry Funk
in May.
He returned to the Hawaii and California territories through to 1972, wrestling again as Ricky Hunter. In April 1972 he returned to the Pacific Northwest, where he remained for the rest of the year. In 1973 he moved onto World Class Championship Wrestling
based in Texas
.
competitor to Georgia Championship Wrestling. On 31 July 1973 in Atlanta The Super Gladiator teamed with Tommy Seigler to beat Rock Hunter and Assassin #2
to win the ASWA Georgia Tag Team Championship, which they would hold until 9 October before losing them back to the same opponents.
On Friday, 24 August 1973 The Atlanta Constitution & Journal
reported that Sprott had sued
the reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jack Brisco
for slander and harassment
, seeking a $75,000 payment plus losses. The lawsuit arose from an alleged incident in the parking lot of WTCG-TV the previous month, where Sprott claimed Brisco had called him names "in hearing distance of a number of wrestling fans" waiting for a wrestling television taping. The result of the case is not known, but the alleged incident would have occurred at the height of tensions between the NWA's Georgia Championship Wrestling and Sprott's rebel independent All-South Wrestling Alliance.
Just over two weeks after losing the tag team titles he shared with Tommy Seigler, on 27 October 1973 The Super Gladiator defeated Seigler to win the ASWA Georgia Television Title. He would never relinquish this title, retaining it in his last recorded title defence against El Mongol
in March 1974. Although briefly successful and attracting several high-profile wrestlers, the ASWA was squeezed out of business by the powerful NWA, with The Super Gladiator being the last recorded television champion when the promotion closed in November 1974.
. On 16 June 1975 he teamed with Guy Mitchell to defeat Gene Kiniski
and Dale Lewis for the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship
in Vancouver
. This was Sprott's first and only title as the maskless Ricky Hunter, and the last championship title he would hold; they dropped these belts to Lewis and Mr. Saito
on 10 August 1975.
Sprott remained wrestling chiefly in California and the Northwest until mid- to late 1979. He then spent several months in the American Wrestling Association (AWA)
in Minneapolis, and from mid-1980 divided his time between the AWA and the NWA Pacific Northwest, as well as spending some time overseas, including in England
. Sprott said after retiring that the Portland territory was by far his favourite, and he also enjoyed wrestling in the San Francisco territory, thus explaining the extended time he spent in these areas.
Throughout this period Sprott shared the ring with many of the biggest names in wrestling, as both opponents and tag team partners. This included both past and future World Champions, and future Hall of Famers
, including the likes of André the Giant
, Jesse The Body Ventura
, Rowdy Roddy Piper
, Superfly Jimmy Snuka
, Superstar Billy Graham, and Soulman Rocky Johnson
.
(now WWE) in mid-1985, shortly after the first WrestleMania event. In the WWF he performed as both Rick Hunter and The Gladiator, with both characters taking on the role of a jobber
, cleanly losing to the stars of the day. Both Rick Hunter and The Gladiator made regular appearances on WWF Championship Wrestling and the later WWF Superstars of Wrestling
, the WWF's nationally and internationally broadcast weekly television programs of the time.
Despite the sustained record of losses at this time, Sprott's personas, particularly Rick Hunter, put up many creditable performances, and he was sometimes teamed with bigger name characters to take the pinfall in tag team
matches. Ironically, by performing as both a masked and an unmasked wrestler, one of Sprott's characters was often used as a heel
or 'bad guy', losing to the big-name face
or 'good guy' characters, while his other persona could be a face, losing to the big-name heels. This, along with his ability to put on credible matches, made Sprott a very useful jobber for the bookers as he was able to take on a multitude of roles. Sprott stated that at times he would wrestle two matches in a night, one as each of his characters. Sprott's last recorded match with the WWF was on 9 March 1988 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
, where he was defeated by the One Man Gang
.
Despite this, Sprott stayed in the business, wrestling occasionally as a fill-in for absent or injured wrestlers in house show
s or dark matches, as well as assisting with setting up the ring
. With his decades of experience, during his last five years with the WWF Sprott also took on the role of referee
. Sprott finally left the sport around 1996, stating in a 2006 interview that "... for thirty-six years I was a professional wrestler and loved every minute of it".
with the Winnipeg Fire Department
from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s, when he quit to take up wrestling fulltime. Sprott retired to Clearwater, Florida
, and was married to Sharon, however is now a widower.
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...
former professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, better known by his ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
s Ricky Hunter and the masked
Wrestling mask
A Wrestling mask is a fabric based mask that some professional wrestlers wear as part of their in-ring persona or gimmick. Professional wrestlers have been using masks as far back as 1915 and they are still widely used today, especially in Lucha Libre in Mexico.-History:In 1915 a North American...
wrestler The Gladiator. He was best known for his title-winning success in Championship Wrestling from Florida in the late 1960s, and for his stint from the mid-1980s in the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(now WWE).
Sprott was active for well over thirty years, mainly performing in a number of National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)
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...
promotions. He wrestled throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and 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...
, and internationally, including in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, 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...
, and England
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...
. He performed with many of the biggest names of day, including many World Heavyweight Champions and future Hall of Famers
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
.
Early career (1957–62)
Sprott made his debut on October 16, 1957 in his hometown of WinnipegWinnipeg
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...
, wrestling under a variation of his real name, Buddy Sprott. He won his first championship, the Atlas Wrestling Club junior heavyweight title, by defeating Ray Lasko in September 1958 in Lockport, Manitoba
Lockport, Manitoba
Lockport is a small unincorporated community in Manitoba, Canada located just north of the city of Winnipeg. It is the site of ancient agricultural inhabitation, a migratory bird feeding area as well as a dam and lock of the Red River. The Red River Floodway joins the Red River just down river...
. In September 1961 he teamed with George Eakin to defeat John DePaulo and Stan Mykietowich to win the Madison Wrestling Club 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...
titles in Winnipeg, losing them two months later to Bob Brown
Bob Brown (wrestler)
Robert Harold Brown was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Bulldog" Bob Brown.- Early life :...
and John DePaulo.
Leaving Canada (1962–68)
In early 1962 Sprott expanded from his base in Manitoba, entering the larger wrestling market in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He went to train with Verne Gagne
Verne Gagne
Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne , is a retired American professional wrestler, football player, and professional wrestling trainer and promoter. He was the former owner/promoter of the American Wrestling Association , based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which was the predominant promotion throughout...
of the American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, and Don Owen of the Pacific Northwest Wrestling
Pacific Northwest Wrestling
Pacific Northwest Wrestling is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first such company was founded by Herb Owen in 1925...
promotion in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. He then wrestled with Ed Francis'
Ed Francis
Ed Francis was a professional wrestler and wrestling promoter in Hawaii in the 1960s. Many wrestlers who came through Hawaii in the '60s and '70s were bound to come across the name Ed Francis...
promotion in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and the World Wrestling Association
World Wrestling Association (Los Angeles)
World Wrestling Association was a professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles. The promotion was established in 1959 originally as the North American Wrestling Alliance...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
run by Mike and Gene LeBell
Gene LeBell
Ivan Gene LeBell is a former American Judo champion, instructor, stunt performer, stunt coordinator, and professional wrestler born in Los Angeles, California. LeBell has worked on over 1,000 films and TV shows, and has authored a number of books.In 2000, he was promoted to 9th Dan in US Ju-Jitsu...
under the name Rocky Hunter, in the Pacific Northwest as Ricky Hunter, as well as still appearing in Manitoba as Buddy Sprott. During this time he faced notable opponents such as Mad Dog Vachon
Maurice Vachon
Maurice Vachon is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, best known by his ring name "Mad Dog" Vachon. He is the brother of wrestlers Paul and Vivian Vachon, and the uncle of wrestler Luna Vachon...
, Pat Patterson, and Mr. Fuji
Mr. Fuji
Harry Fujiwara is an American former professional wrestler and manager, best known by his ring name Mr. Fuji. He was infamous for often throwing salt in the eyes of face wrestlers...
. Sprott continued to develop his in-ring ability and success rate, wrestling mainly in Hawaii and the American and Canadian Pacific Northwest through to 1966, but including at least one international tour, wrestling in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1963.
In March 1966 Sprott began wrestling in Roy Shire's NWA San Francisco territory, where he would remain for most of that year. Sprott credits his time in California with Shire as the point where they developed his masked
Wrestling mask
A Wrestling mask is a fabric based mask that some professional wrestlers wear as part of their in-ring persona or gimmick. Professional wrestlers have been using masks as far back as 1915 and they are still widely used today, especially in Lucha Libre in Mexico.-History:In 1915 a North American...
wrestling character The Gladiator. In early 1967 Sprott moved onto Central States Wrestling
Heart of America Sports Attractions
Heart of America Sports Attractions, also known as the Midwest Wrestling Association, Central States Wrestling and the World Wrestling Alliance, was an American professional wrestling promotion that ran shows mainly in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa...
where he would compete with the likes of Lou Thesz
Lou Thesz
Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz was a United States professional wrestler and 18-time world heavyweight champion, most notably holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times. Combined, he held the NWA Championship for 10 years, three months and nine days , longer than anyone else in history...
and Bob Orton
Bob Orton
Robert Dale "Bob" Orton was an American professional wrestler. He was also known as Bob Orton, Sr. to distinguish him from his son, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Jr...
, and later that year he entered Georgia Championship Wrestling
Georgia Championship Wrestling
Georgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired in the 1970s and 1980s on Atlanta, U.S., superstation WTBS. Though based in Atlanta, the company also ran live wrestling shows throughout its geographic "territory" of Georgia Georgia...
. At the start of 1968 he undertook an extensive tour of 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...
, wrestling with the Japan Wrestling Association
Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance
Nihon Puroresu Kyōkai was the first professional wrestling promotion to be based in Japan. It operated from 1953 to 1973. Founded by Rikidōzan when he established a territory that would represent the National Wrestling Alliance in Japan...
, and then returned via Hawaii to again wrestle in Georgia.
Championship Wrestling from Florida (1968–69)
At the start of November 1968 Sprott moved to the Championship Wrestling from Florida promotion, where he started performing as his masked persona of The Gladiator. He became one of the first wrestlers to employ the inverted suplex manoeuvre, and it was in this promotion that he had his greatest success, winning multiple titles over the next year.On 23 November 1968 The Gladiator defeated Nick Kozak in Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
to win the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship
NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship was a major title in Championship Wrestling from Florida, USA and is now the major title in NWA Florida. It started in 1937 and was abandoned in 1949. It was picked back up in 1966 by CWF and lasted until 1987 when the company was purchased by Jim Crockett...
for the first time. The Gladiator dropped the belt to Hans Mortier
Hans Mortier
Jacob "Jaap" Grobbe , better known as Hans Mortier, was a Dutch professional wrestler best known for his stint in the World Wide Wrestling Federation and his feud with WWWF Champion Bruno Sammartino in the 1960s.-Professional wrestling career:Before becoming a professional wrestler, Grobbe worked...
two-and-half months later, on 4 February 1969.
Following this, on 3 April 1969 in Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
The Gladiator defeated Boris Malenko
Boris Malenko
Lawrence J. Simon better known by his ring name Boris Malenko, was an American professional wrestler who wrestled for the American Wrestling Association and National Wrestling Alliance in the 1960s and 1970s...
for the NWA Florida Brass Knuckles Championship, which he lost back to Malenko two weeks later on 17 April. On 23 April The Gladiator fought the reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champion
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
and future Hall of Famer Dory Funk, Jr.
Dory Funk, Jr.
Dory Ernest Funk Jr. known professionally as Dory Funk, Jr. is a professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. He is the son of Dory Funk Sr. and brother of Terry Funk. He is credited with the invention of the Texas cloverleaf submission hold and runs the Funking Conservatory, a professional...
to a sixty minute time-limit draw, with a rematch on 21 May going for ninety minutes before The Gladiator lost by disqualification.
The Gladiator teamed with Lester Welch to defeat the team of the The Medics (Billy Garrett and Jim Starr) for the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship
NWA Florida Tag Team Championship
The NWA Florida Tag Team Championship is the primary tag team title in Pro Wrestling Fusion. It started out in 1968 as the main tag team title in Championship Wrestling from Florida and lasted until 1990 when it was abandoned. It was picked back up in 1997 by NWA Florida, where it was the primary...
on 29 April in Tampa, becoming only the second team to hold this title. The Gladiator and Welch lost these belts to the team of Yasuhiro Kojima
Yasuhiro Kojima
was a professional wrestler and the trainer of Hulk Hogan, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Lex Luger, Ron Simmons, Keiji Mutoh, and many other professional wrestlers. He was better known as Hiro Matsuda, an identity he adopted while competing in the southern U.S., inspired by earlier wrestlers...
and The Missouri Mauler
Larry Hamilton
Larry "Rocky" Hamilton , known by his ringname The Missouri Mauler, was an American professional wrestler who competed in the National Wrestling Alliance as well as Florida Championship Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions, becoming a mainstay of the latter promotion throughout the 1960s.One of...
on 27 May. The Gladiator then regained the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship by defeating Mortier on 13 June 1969 to become a two time heavyweight champion, but shortly after again lost the belt back to Mortier.
Around the territories (1969–85)
Following his successful run in Florida, Sprott again moved around the wrestling territories of the time. Throughout the remainder of 1969 and 1970 he returned to Hawaii as Ricky Hunter, and fought through Shire's San Francisco territory as The Gladiator. In early 1971 he again toured Japan as Ricky Hunter, and then spent several months in the NWA Western States promotion, based in Amarillo, TexasAmarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
, famous as the home territory of the Funks. Wrestling as The Spartan, on 14 April 1971 he defeated Pak Song to win the NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship
NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, NWA Western States Sports....
, losing the belt to Terry Funk
Terry Funk
Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
in May.
He returned to the Hawaii and California territories through to 1972, wrestling again as Ricky Hunter. In April 1972 he returned to the Pacific Northwest, where he remained for the rest of the year. In 1973 he moved onto 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...
based in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
All-South Wrestling Alliance
In mid-1973, adopting the new moniker of The Super Gladiator, he entered the recently created independent All-South Wrestling Alliance (ASWA) based in Atlanta, a non-National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)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...
competitor to Georgia Championship Wrestling. On 31 July 1973 in Atlanta The Super Gladiator teamed with Tommy Seigler to beat Rock Hunter and Assassin #2
Larry Hamilton
Larry "Rocky" Hamilton , known by his ringname The Missouri Mauler, was an American professional wrestler who competed in the National Wrestling Alliance as well as Florida Championship Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions, becoming a mainstay of the latter promotion throughout the 1960s.One of...
to win the ASWA Georgia Tag Team Championship, which they would hold until 9 October before losing them back to the same opponents.
On Friday, 24 August 1973 The Atlanta Constitution & Journal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and its suburbs. The AJC, as it is called, is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the result of the merger between The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta...
reported that Sprott had sued
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
the reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jack Brisco
Jack Brisco
Freddie Joe Brisco was an American professional wrestler, better known as Jack Brisco or Uvalde Slim. He performed for various territories of the National Wrestling Alliance , becoming a two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and multi-time NWA Tag Team Champion with his brother Gerald Brisco...
for slander and harassment
Harassment
Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour intended to disturb or upset, and it is characteristically repetitive. In the legal sense, it is intentional behaviour which is found threatening or disturbing...
, seeking a $75,000 payment plus losses. The lawsuit arose from an alleged incident in the parking lot of WTCG-TV the previous month, where Sprott claimed Brisco had called him names "in hearing distance of a number of wrestling fans" waiting for a wrestling television taping. The result of the case is not known, but the alleged incident would have occurred at the height of tensions between the NWA's Georgia Championship Wrestling and Sprott's rebel independent All-South Wrestling Alliance.
Just over two weeks after losing the tag team titles he shared with Tommy Seigler, on 27 October 1973 The Super Gladiator defeated Seigler to win the ASWA Georgia Television Title. He would never relinquish this title, retaining it in his last recorded title defence against El Mongol
El Mongol
Raul Molina is a Mexican-born former professional wrestler better known by his ring name of El Mongol. He was most famous in the Georgia territory during the late 1960s and early '70s.-Career:...
in March 1974. Although briefly successful and attracting several high-profile wrestlers, the ASWA was squeezed out of business by the powerful NWA, with The Super Gladiator being the last recorded television champion when the promotion closed in November 1974.
California and the Northwest
In mid-1974 Sprott went back to wrestling in California as Ricky Hunter. In April 1975 he again returned to wrestle in the NWA Pacific Northwest promotion and the Canadian Northwest Wrestling promotion's NWA: All-Star Wrestling based in British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. On 16 June 1975 he teamed with Guy Mitchell to defeat Gene Kiniski
Gene Kiniski
Eugene Nicholas "Gene" Kiniski was a Canadian professional wrestler and the father of wrestlers Nick Kiniski and Kelly Kiniski. "Canada's Greatest Athlete" as he billed himself for promotional purposes was born outside of Edmonton, Alberta...
and Dale Lewis for the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship
NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version)
The Vancouver version of the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship was established in 1962 as the top tag team title in NWA All-Star Wrestling. The title held that status until late summer 1985, when the title was renamed the UWA Tag Team Championship upon All-Star Wrestling's departure as a member of...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. This was Sprott's first and only title as the maskless Ricky Hunter, and the last championship title he would hold; they dropped these belts to Lewis and Mr. Saito
Masa Saito
is a former Japanese professional wrestler better known as Mr. Saito or . He wrestled for several years in various promotions operated by the National Wrestling Alliance . He later joined the World Wrestling Federation , where he teamed with Mr. Fuji to hold the World Tag Team Championship twice...
on 10 August 1975.
Sprott remained wrestling chiefly in California and the Northwest until mid- to late 1979. He then spent several months in the American Wrestling Association (AWA)
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
in Minneapolis, and from mid-1980 divided his time between the AWA and the NWA Pacific Northwest, as well as spending some time overseas, including in England
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...
. Sprott said after retiring that the Portland territory was by far his favourite, and he also enjoyed wrestling in the San Francisco territory, thus explaining the extended time he spent in these areas.
Throughout this period Sprott shared the ring with many of the biggest names in wrestling, as both opponents and tag team partners. This included both past and future World Champions, and future Hall of Famers
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
, including the likes of André the Giant
André the Giant
André René Roussimoff , best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride...
, Jesse The Body Ventura
Jesse Ventura
James George Janos , better known as Jesse Ventura, is an American politician, the 38th Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003, Navy UDT veteran, former SEAL reservist, actor, and former radio and television talk show host...
, Rowdy Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
, Superfly Jimmy Snuka
Jimmy Snuka
James William "Jimmy" Reiher is a semi-retired Fijian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Originally from the Fiji Islands, Snuka wrestled for several promotions in the 1970s and 1980s. Snuka is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having been a...
, Superstar Billy Graham, and Soulman Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. Quite popular in his own right in the 1970s and 1980s, he is also known for being the father of actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson...
.
World Wrestling Federation (1985–retirement)
Approaching fifty years of age, and beyond his prime, Sprott joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(now WWE) in mid-1985, shortly after the first WrestleMania event. In the WWF he performed as both Rick Hunter and The Gladiator, with both characters taking on the role of a jobber
Job (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling slang, the term job describes a losing performance in a wrestling match. It is derived from the euphemism "doing one's job", which was employed to protect kayfabe. As professional wrestling is scripted, inevitably a wrestler will be required to lose to an opponent.The term...
, cleanly losing to the stars of the day. Both Rick Hunter and The Gladiator made regular appearances on WWF Championship Wrestling and the later WWF Superstars of Wrestling
WWF Superstars of Wrestling
WWF Superstars of Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It debuted on September 6, 1986...
, the WWF's nationally and internationally broadcast weekly television programs of the time.
Despite the sustained record of losses at this time, Sprott's personas, particularly Rick Hunter, put up many creditable performances, and he was sometimes teamed with bigger name characters to take the pinfall in 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...
matches. Ironically, by performing as both a masked and an unmasked wrestler, one of Sprott's characters was often used as 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...
or 'bad guy', losing to the big-name face
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
or 'good guy' characters, while his other persona could be a face, losing to the big-name heels. This, along with his ability to put on credible matches, made Sprott a very useful jobber for the bookers as he was able to take on a multitude of roles. Sprott stated that at times he would wrestle two matches in a night, one as each of his characters. Sprott's last recorded match with the WWF was on 9 March 1988 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
, where he was defeated by the One Man Gang
George Gray (wrestler)
George Gray is an American professional wrestler best known as One Man Gang and Akeem "the African Dream".-Early years:...
.
Despite this, Sprott stayed in the business, wrestling occasionally as a fill-in for absent or injured wrestlers in house show
House show
A house show is a professional wrestling show run by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive during televised events, as well as test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and...
s or dark matches, as well as assisting with setting up the ring
Wrestling ring
A wrestling ring is the ring stage on which professional wrestlers wrestle.-Configuration and construction:The configuration and construction of the "traditional" ring is very similar to that of a boxing ring, though the wrestling version has three ring ropes...
. With his decades of experience, during his last five years with the WWF Sprott also took on the role of referee
Referee (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring...
. Sprott finally left the sport around 1996, stating in a 2006 interview that "... for thirty-six years I was a professional wrestler and loved every minute of it".
Personal life
Sprott was reported to have been a firemanFireman
Fireman may refer to::* Firefighter, person who extinguishes fires and rescues people from harms way.* Fire Safety Officer, a senior ranking firefighter or Fire Safety Inspector in the UK...
with the Winnipeg Fire Department
Fire department
A fire department or fire brigade is a public or private organization that provides fire protection for a certain jurisdiction, which typically is a municipality, county, or fire protection district...
from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s, when he quit to take up wrestling fulltime. Sprott retired to Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
, and was married to Sharon, however is now a widower.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Inverted suplex
- A variety of submission holds
- Signature moves
- Russian legsweep
- German suplex
- Knee drop
Championships and accomplishments
- Atlas Wrestling Club
- Junior Heavyweight Champion (1 time) (as Buddy Sprott)
- Madison Wrestling Club
- Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with George Eakin (as Buddy Sprott)
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Florida Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship was a major title in Championship Wrestling from Florida, USA and is now the major title in NWA Florida. It started in 1937 and was abandoned in 1949. It was picked back up in 1966 by CWF and lasted until 1987 when the company was purchased by Jim Crockett...
(2 times) (as The Gladiator) - NWA Florida Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time) (as The Gladiator)
- NWA Florida Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Florida Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Florida Tag Team Championship is the primary tag team title in Pro Wrestling Fusion. It started out in 1968 as the main tag team title in Championship Wrestling from Florida and lasted until 1990 when it was abandoned. It was picked back up in 1997 by NWA Florida, where it was the primary...
(1 time) – with Lester Welch (as The Gladiator)
- NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship
- NWA Western States (Amarillo)National 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 Western States Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Western States Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, NWA Western States Sports....
(1 time) (as The Spartan)
- NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship
- All-South Wrestling Alliance
- Georgia Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tommy Seigler (as The Super Gladiator)
- Georgia Television Championship (1 time, undefeated) (as The Super Gladiator)
- NWA: All-Star Wrestling
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version)NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version)The Vancouver version of the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship was established in 1962 as the top tag team title in NWA All-Star Wrestling. The title held that status until late summer 1985, when the title was renamed the UWA Tag Team Championship upon All-Star Wrestling's departure as a member of...
(1 time) – with Guy Mitchell (as Ricky Hunter)
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version)