Bobby Walker (wrestler)
Encyclopedia
This article is about the professional wrestler. For other uses, see Robert Walker
.
Bobby Walker is an American professional wrestler
best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling
(WCW), where he competed as "Hardwork" Bobby Walker. He wrestled for WCW from 1992 until 2000 and later filed a lawsuit against the company for racial discrimination.
; teaming with Brian Knobbs
, he competed for the vacant title against Robert Fuller
and Kendall Windham
but was unable to win the title. When it was vacated again, he paired with Joe Gomez
in another unsuccessful attempt to win the championship. He and Tim Parker won the championship belts in late 1990 by defeating Sgt. Rock and Mark Starr
but soon dropped the title to Sgt. Rock and Ron Slinker
.
Walker made brief appearances with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling
in July 1991, the World Wrestling Federation
(WWF) in November 1991, and the International Championship Wrestling Alliance in 1992. In 1991, he was rated number 354 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated
's annual ranking of the top 500 wrestlers in the world; the following year, he was ranked at number 365. He later trained at the WCW Power Plant
, a training facility operated by WCW. He made his WCW debut in 1992 and first appeared in a televised match as part of a tag team
with Jason Johnson in a loss to Harlem Heat
on the January 8, 1994, episode of WCW Saturday Night.
Managed
by Teddy Long
, Walker competed as a jobber to the stars
in WCW, losing the majority of his matches but winning occasional bouts against lower-level wrestlers. He wrestled his only pay-per-view match at WCW's first World War 3 event. He competed in a three-ring, sixty wrestler battle royal
, which was won by Randy Savage
.
Walker later wrestled in a dark match prior to Bash at the Beach 1996
, in which he defeated Billy Kidman. The following month, he teamed with Mr. J.L.
for a dark match prior to Clash of the Champions XXXIII; they were defeated by The Nasty Boys
. He continued to appear with the company until 2000.
. In 2000, he filed a lawsuit against WCW, alleging racial discrimination. He stated that his Caucasian
opponents were told to make him look bad and that he was told that he would never hold a championship belt. He also stated that he was paid less than many of the company's Caucasian wrestlers. The suit also stated that African American wrestlers were made to look "loud, obnoxious, pompous and shiftless". On April 3, 2001, a judge ruled that WCW had not committed fraud or breached the contracts of the plaintiffs. He also ruled that the discrimination lawsuit could proceed. Because the World Wrestling Federation
(WWF), now World Wrestling Entertainment, had purchased WCW after the lawsuit was filed, Walker's lawyer stated that the plaintiffs would pursue legal action against the WWF. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed.
Robert Walker
-Creative arts:*Robert Walker , American actor*Robert Walker , English portrait painter*Rob Walker , Australian poet*Robert Joseph Walker , Australian Aboriginal poet*Robert W...
.
Bobby Walker is an American 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...
best known for his time 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...
(WCW), where he competed as "Hardwork" Bobby Walker. He wrestled for WCW from 1992 until 2000 and later filed a lawsuit against the company for racial discrimination.
Career
Walker made his professional debut in 1989. Wrestling as Hurricane Walker in 1990, he challenged for the NWA Florida Tag Team ChampionshipNWA 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...
; teaming with Brian Knobbs
Brian Knobbs
Brian Yandrisovitz , better known as Brian Knobbs, is an American professional wrestler, best known as one half of the tag team The Nasty Boys along with Jerry Sags.-The Nasty Boys:...
, he competed for the vacant title against Robert Fuller
Robert Fuller
Robert Welch is a professional wrestler and manager better known by his ring names Robert Fuller and Col. Robert Parker. Robert and his brother Ron co-owned Continental Championship Wrestling for a time.-Career:...
and Kendall Windham
Kendall Windham
Kendall Windham is a former professional wrestler. He is the son of Blackjack Mulligan and the brother of Barry Windham.-Florida Championship Wrestling:...
but was unable to win the title. When it was vacated again, he paired with Joe Gomez
Joe Gomez
Joe Gomez is an American professional wrestler who competes in Southeastern independent promotions including Florida Championship Wrestling, Maximum Pro Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance....
in another unsuccessful attempt to win the championship. He and Tim Parker won the championship belts in late 1990 by defeating Sgt. Rock and Mark Starr
Mark Starr
Mark Ashford-Smith is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Mark Starr. He has competed as a member of several tag teams.-Wrestling career:Starr competed in the Memphis, Tennessee-based Continental Wrestling Association...
but soon dropped the title to Sgt. Rock and Ron Slinker
Ron Slinker
David Slinker , better known by his ring name, Ron Slinker, was an American professional wrestler and martial artist who competed in several North American promotions.-Early life:...
.
Walker made brief appearances with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded on July 28, 1989 by Atsushi Onita that specialized in hardcore wrestling involving weapons such as barbed wire and fire. They held their first show on October 6, 1989...
in July 1991, 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...
(WWF) in November 1991, and the International Championship Wrestling Alliance in 1992. In 1991, he was rated number 354 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro 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...
's annual ranking of the top 500 wrestlers in the world; the following year, he was ranked at number 365. He later trained at the WCW Power Plant
WCW Power Plant
The WCW Power Plant was a professional wrestling school located in Atlanta, Georgia and owned and operated by World Championship Wrestling. The Power Plant, which was developed from a school operated by Jody Hamilton, was in operation throughout the 1990s...
, a training facility operated by WCW. He made his WCW debut in 1992 and first appeared in a televised match as part of a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
with Jason Johnson in a loss to Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat was a professional wrestling tag team made up of two real-life brothers, Booker and Lane Huffman. Booker Huffman took the ring name of Booker T, and Lane Huffman took the ring name of Stevie Ray...
on the January 8, 1994, episode of WCW Saturday Night.
Managed
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
by Teddy Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
, Walker competed as a jobber to the stars
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...
in WCW, losing the majority of his matches but winning occasional bouts against lower-level wrestlers. He wrestled his only pay-per-view match at WCW's first World War 3 event. He competed in a three-ring, sixty wrestler battle royal
Battle royal (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
, which was won by Randy Savage
Randy Savage
Randall Mario Poffo , better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling .Savage held twenty championships during his professional wrestling career and was a...
.
Walker later wrestled in a dark match prior to Bash at the Beach 1996
Bash at the Beach (1996)
Bash at the Beach was the third annual Bash at the Beach professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Championship Wrestling . It took place on July 7, 1996 from the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida...
, in which he defeated Billy Kidman. The following month, he teamed with Mr. J.L.
Jerry Lynn
Jeremy "Jerry" Lynn is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
for a dark match prior to Clash of the Champions XXXIII; they were defeated by The Nasty Boys
The Nasty Boys
The Nasty Boys are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags, active from the mid to late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. Their gimmick was that of anti-social punks who specialized in hardcore wrestling and brawling...
. He continued to appear with the company until 2000.
Personal life
Walker is the nephew of retired professional wrestler Thunderbolt PattersonClaude Patterson
Claude Patterson, better known professionally as Thunderbolt Patterson, was an American professional wrestler best known for his efforts at starting a union for wrestlers...
. In 2000, he filed a lawsuit against WCW, alleging racial discrimination. He stated that his Caucasian
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
opponents were told to make him look bad and that he was told that he would never hold a championship belt. He also stated that he was paid less than many of the company's Caucasian wrestlers. The suit also stated that African American wrestlers were made to look "loud, obnoxious, pompous and shiftless". On April 3, 2001, a judge ruled that WCW had not committed fraud or breached the contracts of the plaintiffs. He also ruled that the discrimination lawsuit could proceed. Because 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...
(WWF), now World Wrestling Entertainment, had purchased WCW after the lawsuit was filed, Walker's lawyer stated that the plaintiffs would pursue legal action against the WWF. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed.
In wrestling
- Finishing move
- Quittin' Time
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Teddy LongTheodore LongTheodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
- Teddy Long
Championships and accomplishments
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- 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 Tim Parker
- NWA Florida Tag Team Championship